Otherworldly Desert Dust-Chapter 467 - 422: Nothing but a Pre-Death Illusion

"Spare me, please spare me, my lord!"

"I and my fellows were merely on duty here; we did not know of your status, and certainly did not mean any offense!"

This group of blue-clothed Execution Officers were bullies who feared the brave; seeing their lives hanging by a thread, they no longer dared put on their previous official airs.

But Wu Hen had not stopped his actions, not until he heard all their joints being crushed by his own hands, did he finally release them.

All the blue-clothed Execution Officers collapsed to the ground, no different from maggots; they wanted to wail but dared not make a sound, fearing they would enrage the Venerable whose origins they did not know.

"It's just below here, follow the stairs down." Fang Li couldn't care less now; seeing Wu Hen had taken care of all those in the way, she immediately ran ahead to lead the way for him.

The Water Prison was underground, and as Wu Hen stepped into the dungeon, he immediately smelled the stench of rotting flesh. When he approached the dark pit of Corrosive Ice Cold Water, he saw a woman with disheveled hair; she had aged decades, her face's skin soaked and rotten due to the foul air, looking even more miserable than beggars stricken under bridges.

It was fortunate that Qingxi had cultivated Holy Golden Blood and formed the Heavenly Bone Holy Soul; had it been any regular day, she would have been reduced to a puddle of pus and blood.

"Master!" Fang Li was stricken with horror at the sight of Qingxi in such a state, and tears began streaming uncontrollably.

"Is that you, Fang Li..." Qingxi, hearing the voice, slowly spoke.

"Little uncle-master has come too, he's here to save you. Master, what's happened to your eyes... Can't you see us??" Fang Li approached and realized that Qingxi's eyes were gone, only two horrifying scabs of blood remained in her sockets.

"Cai Ting, junior brother??" Qingxi exclaimed in astonishment. Her voice was laden with complex emotions; joy to hear news of Wu Hen but also filled with helplessness.

The War Song Alliance was nothing but a grand deception constructed by the hypocrite Leng Shu; he used a sliver of kindness in people's hearts as stepping stones towards his ascension to Heaven Rank, and those who successfully underwent Soul Casting earlier continued to spread Leng Shu's so-called virtues after leaving War Song Mountain, attracting more to support and follow Leng Shu.

However, upon learning that over three hundred members of the War Song Alliance did not come out alive and that Wu Hen too had fallen into their trap, Qingxi realized something was very wrong with Leng Shu and Yin Zhiyu; the truth was anything but simple.

Then Qingxi started her clandestine investigations and finally learned through her connections that Leng Shu possessed the Tianxuan Saint Decision, which, similar to the needs of a Demon God, required a vast number of sacrifices...

Qingxi found those who had narrowly survived Leng Shu's persecutions, intending to reveal his crimes to the Bright Venerable and the Qilin Girl, but she was outmaneuvered as the enemy moved faster, had reach everywhere, killing those who could have served as witnesses and tracking her down, confining her in this dungeon.

"It was Ling Wan who betrayed you, otherwise, you would have surely been able to expose Leng Shu's atrocities!" Fang Li declared.

"So it was her after all."

"In exchange, she gained qualification to enter War Song Mountain. Fortunately, little uncle-master came out from War Song Mountain and taught her a lesson; yet, she has already thrown herself into Leng Shu's embrace. Let's use the cover of night to flee Tongtian City. The city might seem grand and glittering, but it's actually decaying and foul. The Cloud Holy Country, appearing as divine as the heavens, is in reality, chillingly cold and ruthless!" Fang Li had seen through the filth of the Cultivation Realm.

"Leng Shu has now taken on the mantle of Human Emperor, his reach extending everywhere. If you are still healthy, flee at once. As for me, my body has rotted away to dry wood and decayed leaves; I will either rise from death and reform my Golden Body or fall into ruin and sink into the cold waters." Qingxi proclaimed.

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"Master, at a time like this, don't you wish to think about how to survive?" Fang Li inquired.

"There are no shortcuts in cultivation. All these years, I have not understood this. I always felt that I stood on the same level as the Qilin Girl, always believed I only lacked an opportunity. Yet, after achieving success in Soul Casting, I began to see the vast distance separating me from the truly strong... The affair with Leng Shu is a tribulation that I must face for attempting to take shortcuts," Qingxi said.

Within the torment of the Water Prison, Qingxi instead had come to a clear understanding of many things.

She saw this punishment as a form of Cultivation in Hell, to either sculpt a true self or fall into decay!

Wu Hen, looking at Qingxi who was in the Water Prison but with an unwavering spirit, couldn't help but admire her courage in defying the heavens in her Cultivation. It seemed that once one's cultivation reached a certain level, flesh was truly just flesh. The flesh will metabolize, it will age, it will turn to bones, but the Golden Soul and the Holy Heart will not be eroded, will not be obliterated.

In that moment, Wu Hen saw the likeness of Cai Lan in Qingxi; although the former was rotting away like a corpse soaked in water and the other's garb flowed ethereally with a celestially sacred demeanor, both exuded an equally compelling aura.

"Sister..." Wu Hen spoke.

"Junior brother Cai Ting, you need not worry for me, nor pity me. All is the result of my own choices, all is the karma I must endure. Even if I hadn't been with you on this journey, once Leng Shu became Human Emperor, I couldn't have avoided a fate similar to this," Qingxi stated.

"Sister, I understand your state of mind at this time, but there's something you need to know. On the first day I met the Qilin Girl, she revealed to me a truth that could bring the entire Holy Sect system to collapse... What we all have been cultivating is Fake, your Holy Breath, it's all an imitation of the true Holy Power, a poor mimicry of the ancient Holy God's Great Divine Power," Wu Hen slowly revealed this truth.

The mere fragments of what Cai Lan had said had given Wu Hen a profound shock within his heart.

Similarly, upon learning this truth, Qingxi's body trembled violently.

Their lifelong cultivation, was it all imitation??

They were all but clumsy imitators...

"So our initial Holy Embryo, refined Holy Infant, formed Holy Child, and the Holy Origin I achieved when I successfully cast my soul—are they all unreal, merely a poor imitation of the Holy God by mortals?" Qingxi said, disbelief lacing her voice, but at the same time, as she talked about these things, she seemed to discover some kind of truth.

"The key to cultivation has always been within ourselves," Wu Hen said.

"I understand, I understand, I understand!" Qingxi repeated three times, each time as if she had grasped a different true mystery.

At that moment, she was submerged in Corrosive Ice Cold Water, her physical body almost eradicated, clinging to life through the Soul Casting Totem, trying countless times to be reborn from death and forge a Holy God Golden Body, but to no avail. She found the reason—she was still obsessed with so-called Holy Cultivation, obsessed with bloodlines, obsessed with the elusive and coveted Heavenly Person Realm. But just like a painter forever imitating poorly, how could she ever become a true master and infuse her works with her own emotions, her soul?

To recast a body with one's own soul, rather than relying on Totems or so-called Holy Sect Bloodlines for transformation, only when the Golden Body and Holy Soul perfectly merge can one forge True Yuan!

Qingxi vaguely understood why Wu Hen's Holy Breath was stronger than anyone else's. He could overpower all contenders with just his Holy Infant Cultivation because he had already cultivated the True Yuan.

Similarly, while all she had observed was Cai Lan obtaining the Qilin Emperor and forging a supreme Holy Soul, she was unaware that this was but the most insignificant part of her cultivation. She realized the truth earlier than others, comprehended it earlier, contemplated it earlier. She did not imitate ancient Holy Gods, nor was she obsessed with relying on Totem aid for her soul. Her radiance was not a reflection of other celestial Divine Stars; it emanated Holy Light and Heavenly Light from within herself.

"So there's no need for you to suffer this physical torment any longer. Let me get you out of there first," Wu Hen said.

"Mhm, thank you, junior brother!" Qingxi nodded.

Wu Hen took off his robe, lifted Qingxi out of the Water Prison, and wrapped her in the wide, thick robe.

If she understood this level of realm, with the powerful life force of Holy Cultivation, Qingxi should gradually recover, except her eyes, which could not be restored. From then on, she would no longer see the light.

Wu Hen found a piece of silk, tore it into a strip, and tied it over Qingxi's eyes.

...

Carrying Qingxi out of the Water Prison, they were greeted by gusts of cold wind on the ground, the air charged with a killing intent.

Qingxi could not see anything; she only focused on comprehending what Wu Hen had just said.

Fang Li, standing nearby, had been so frightened that she was paralyzed, unable to even stand.

Unbeknownst to them, the ground had been lined with rows upon rows of human walls, so tightly packed that not even a sliver of space was visible. Execution Officers, military officers, Earth Officials, and Heavenly Officials in red and gold clothes formed a formidable army. The Holy Breath flickering on them joined to create a golden Ocean, like terrifying waves crashing against the cliffs!

"We've been waiting for a long time," said a Heavenly Official clad in a dragon robe, a smile on his face as he held a golden Command Sword.

"Such a grand Human Emperor, yet you've only assembled this few people. Hardly impressive," Wu Hen retorted, unfazed, instead extending his Perception to search for Leng Shu, who was observing this game of Divine Power from above.

"The Human Emperor has decreed that one of you may live tonight. But given the current situation, you might as well carry this woman back to the Water Prison. After tonight, she will be gone…" the Dragon Robe Celestial Official said.

"In fact, she and I have just met not too long ago; we're not the 'lovers stronger than gold' as you imagine. There's no need for such a tacky method to torment us," Wu Hen said.

"Hahaha, you really can see the situation clearly. Indeed, why bother pointing the blade at all the officials of Tongtian City when it's simpler to target a half-dead woman!" The Dragon Robe Celestial Official burst into laughter, finding the young man before him interesting, seeing him as unpretentious in a critical situation and capable of great things.

Far away, on the Imperial Platform, Leng Shu who was watching this late-night drama through the mirror axis frowned immediately.

The more decisive this guy was, the more uneasy Leng Shu felt.

In fact, after their confrontation, Leng Shu realized that Wu Hen was an exceptional figure, a Dragon and Phoenix among men, who needed to be handled with care. As for Qingxi, she was merely a seasoning in the situation, not as important as imagined.

If he truly killed Qingxi and fled, Leng Shu certainly wouldn't let it go; he would have to take action personally.

However, Leng Shu soon heard a few extremely grating words, coming from the mouth of his opponent.

"Your Human Emperor, Leng Shu, must have made many wishes from the Imperial Platform."

"Condemned prisoners do get a last good meal."

"Leng Shu is well-fed, and his last wishes are granted, I think it's time to see him off!!"

"And let me add a popular saying from my hometown for your Human Emperor, Leng Shu..."

"There are no sudden ascents to a glorious path of sanctity; it's all just the fantasy of an unknown soldier on the brink of death!!"

Wu Hen slowly voiced these sentences.