Chapter 585: The Terrifying Figure in the Sandstorm

"The green wind changing color..." Xu Qing murmured to himself, his gaze deep. The white wind outside the window filled him with a sense of unease.

Any change in the world is either related to rules and laws or is caused by unimaginable power, like the eruption of the Sea of Heavenly Flames, or the wind in the Azure Sand Desert right now.

"Is there some connection between these two?"

Xu Qing's understanding of the Moon-Worshipping Domain was ultimately too limited, and there were too many inexplicable things in this world. In silence, Xu Qing raised his hand, reaching out the window, and caught a grain of white sand from the wind, bringing it before him.

The sand was pure white, as if it possessed life. It struggled in Xu Qing's hand, and when it realized it couldn't escape, it tried to burrow into his flesh.

Xu Qing's right hand flashed with golden light, preventing the sand from entering, and he observed it closely.

After a long moment, Xu Qing discerned something: this white grain of sand... was more like an insect egg.

"Could the 'green wind changing color' be due to an unknown entity scattering its eggs, allowing them to sweep across the entire desert and absorb nutrients?"

Xu Qing pondered, but this was merely his judgment, lacking corroborating evidence.

As for whether the sand was insect eggs, it was only Xu Qing's perception, without proof, as there were many strange things in the world, so perceptions couldn't always be fully trusted.

Ling'er poked her head out now, looking outside with reverence. She also felt the ominous presence within the white wind and sand.

Seeing Xu Qing's expression, the parrot felt guilty. It blinked, not mentioning that it had pooped.

After a while, Xu Qing withdrew his gaze from the sand and looked at the parrot.

The parrot trembled, immediately standing at attention.

"Can you teleport with someone?" Xu Qing asked calmly.

"I can!" the parrot exclaimed loudly, but in its heart, it muttered, "I can, yes, but it depends on my mood."

"Where is Captain?" Xu Qing continued to ask.

"In the western part of this domain, near the banks of the Sacrificial Yin River," the parrot swiftly replied.

Xu Qing asked no more questions. Although he didn't fully understand how the Captain intended to 'ignite' things by having the parrot summon him, since it was related to the sun, it likely required his Golden Crow power.

He could go, but Shadow hadn't returned yet.

Because of Xu Qing's research into curses, Shadow often went out to hunt for him. Sometimes it would return in a day or two, sometimes it would take five or six days.

Xu Qing looked up at the hazy white expanse between heaven and earth, calling out to Shadow in his mind, but received no response. This swirling sand seemed to cut off everything.

Xu Qing could only sense Shadow's presence from afar through a faint connection, noting that it was in a distant place and hadn't moved much.

And the parrot had managed to return before the wind picked up, so logically, Shadow shouldn't have been indifferent to the sight of the white wind.

"Brother Xu Qing, little Shadow..." Ling'er looked at Xu Qing, a hint of worry in her eyes.

"Something must have gone wrong. We'll go and see," Xu Qing said calmly. He looked back at the small pharmacy, tidied up his belongings, and pushed open the door. As he left, he locked the main door, and after a moment's thought, found a sign, wrote "Closed for several months," and hung it up.

Only then did he depart.

The parrot and the Vajra Sect Ancestor had already flown out, one accompanying him closely, the other carefully landing on Xu Qing's shoulder.

Ignoring them, Xu Qing walked through the earthen city.

Pedestrians were few on the streets; a few figures could vaguely be seen kneeling towards the heavens and earth, muttering prayers.

The white wind and sand swept in from the horizon, howling over the dwellings throughout the city. Most doors were tightly shut in every household.

The residents inside and the cultivators from the surrounding smaller forces would not venture out when the white wind and sand arrived unless absolutely necessary.

Only the deformed ones would walk in the wind at this time, repeatedly bowing towards the white world.

"White Mother awakens, enjoys the Blazing River.Divine Son descends, saves the distressed in the Eight Wilds.All beings are deluded, hearts not lost in confusion.I wish to become earth, nurturing the heavens."

These murmurs came from the mouths of the deformed ones kneeling before the white wind, filled with persistence and piety. In their prostrations, they unbound their loose, concealing robes, revealing extremely exaggerated and grotesque bodies.

Their bodies were shocking, as if they had undergone chaotic growth. Large strips of flesh hung down, and some even had limbs and faces growing on their bellies.

And those flesh strips now independently raised themselves, swaying in all directions.

This scene made the parrot gasp, its eyes wide.

Xu Qing's gaze swept over them, his expression unchanged. He had already noticed this when he first arrived here, so there was little surprise now.

He walked past these murmuring, prostrating deformed ones.

Step by step, he left the earthen city and reached the cliffs at its edge.

From here, the world was a vast expanse of white. The whimpering wind raged and swirled, and the entire world seemed to have become a white ocean. Countless grains of sand moved with the wind, blowing onto Xu Qing, falling into his clothes, and attempting to burrow into his flesh.

But the next instant, as a golden light flashed around Xu Qing's body, all these sand grains fell away.

Sensing Shadow's direction, Xu Qing tightened his collar, swayed forward, and transformed into a long rainbow, leaving the Bitterlife Mountain Range and entering the vast desert.

His robes billowed, swallowed by the wind and sand.

Within the desert, Xu Qing sped forward. In this wind and sand, the countless grains of sand enveloped him from all directions. Faintly, a greedy sensation emanated from everything.

Moreover, a vital force permeated this world, causing the bodies of beings within it to undergo uncontrollable growth under this invasion.

And those sand grains constantly tried to burrow in, wanting to parasitize the flesh.

The white wind carried a catalytic force.

If the sand grains truly were insect eggs, it would explain their catalytic effect: they catalyzed all living things to become hosts for the eggs to parasitize and nourish themselves.

Most of those catalyzed would eventually be drained and die.

Only a small number could escape after finding shelter in a mountain, which explains the deformed ones in the various earthen cities of the Bitterlife Mountain Range.

However, their bodies were irreversible; they coexisted with the parasitic insect eggs within them. Those flesh strips were likely formed by the insect eggs.

Walking through the wind and sand, Xu Qing quietly observed, understanding in his heart. At the same time, he released his Poison Ban power, spreading it around his body, forming the only black patch in this white wind and sand.

All sand grains, upon touching this black mist, would sizzle, then become discolored and fall to the ground as if dead.

But there were too many sand grains, and Xu Qing understood that while he had ways to resist, he couldn't stay in this white desert for too long, so he increased his speed.

Thus, time slowly passed, three hours went by. In the white desert, few cultivators could be seen. It seemed only Xu Qing was traveling through this desert, and the ground was different from what Xu Qing had seen before.

The Azure Sand Desert used to have sparse vegetation, but now, within this white sandstorm, white grass had grown from the earth. The grass grew rapidly, initially finger-length, quickly reaching over half a person's height.

An endless expanse of white grass swayed in the wind, a scene of storm and grassland coexisting that Xu Qing had not witnessed elsewhere.

Until those white grasses blossomed into white, cotton-like flowers, resembling dandelions, carried by the wind. They drifted like white feathers across the sky.

The color of the wind, therefore, became even whiter.

The greed within the sand grains grew even stronger. The sky-filling white wind, white sand, and white fluff intensified, as did the catalysis within this desert. In this wind, Xu Qing could feel every inch of his flesh internally mutating, showing signs of independent contortion.

It seemed to want to separate from his body, to grow continuously until it collapsed.

This malice from all directions made Xu Qing frown. He paused for a moment, and the Poison Ban power within him erupted, spreading outwards.

One zhang, three zhang... In an instant, Xu Qing expanded his poison to ten zhang, forming a black storm. Then, guided by the sensation in his heart, he continued to speed forward.

He had already sensed Shadow's location, and as they drew closer, their connection strengthened. Shadow had clearly noticed Xu Qing too, and intermittently sent out feelings of grievance and calls for help.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. His earlier judgment was correct; something had indeed happened to Shadow. He swayed and accelerated his pace.

At this moment, Shadow was wailing in pain within the white wind and sand, some distance from Xu Qing.

Under normal circumstances, its cries would be inaudible to living beings, but not now.

It was pinned to the ground!

A bronze dagger stained with golden blood had impaled it firmly into the white grass, rendering all its struggles futile; it could not break free in the slightest.

And with every struggle, the dagger emitted golden light, creating a downward pulling force that continuously suppressed it. With each suppression, Shadow was repeatedly severely wounded.

The black curtain it had transformed into was covered with dense dandelions. They were entrenched within it, their roots deeply embedded in Shadow's body, constantly devouring its vitality and forcibly trying to assimilate it.

This was the reason for Shadow's painful wails.

At the same time, there were more than ten figures around Shadow.

They wore white robes, standing in the wind and sand. Their specific appearances were obscured, as their robes covered everything and shielded them from the surrounding wind and sand.

Only their white eyes were visible, coldly staring into the distance.

"Has your master not arrived yet?" the leading cultivator among the group glanced at Shadow struggling on the ground, spoke calmly, then raised his hand to form a hand seal, pointing it at the dagger.

Instantly, the dagger pinning Shadow shimmered with light and sank another inch deeper, emitting more golden light. Shadow's screams became even more shrill and agonizing.

"The sound is not pleasant enough," the white-robed figure said calmly, unmoved by Shadow's cries.

He then raised his hand, about to continue the suppression, but at that moment, he seemed to sense something, looking up at the horizon. His more than ten companions also noticed it one after another, all looking coldly into the distance.

Shadow also became excited, letting out a cry for help.

In the distance, a black storm had now appeared between heaven and earth.

It seemed to be a source of contamination; whether dandelions or sand grains, upon approaching this storm, their color would instantly change.

White dandelions turned black, and so did the sand grains. They encircled the storm, becoming part of the black storm.

And wherever the storm passed, the white grass immediately turned black, then withered.

It arrived like a messenger of death, descending upon the world.

Seeing this scene, the white-robed figures were all inwardly shaken.

They had been waiting here for Shadow's master, originally full of confidence, but the blackness they now saw instinctively reminded them of the legends of the Azure Sand Desert.

Their minds instantly became alert. Even the leading white-robed cultivator's breath hitched, his eyes showing solemnity as he stared at the rapidly approaching black storm and the vague figure gradually emerging within it. He shouted, "Halt, intruders!"

The storm did not stop; the figure within continued to approach with a terrifying aura.

A cold, emotionless voice, like an icy gale, swept across the world.

"You seek death!"