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(Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

(Capitol City Outskirts- The Forbidden Desert)

Xu Lu squinted as blazing hot rays of sunlight fell down on her body. The air was hot and dry which made it difficult to breath.

The ground beneath her feet had changed from grasslands to shifting sand particles that made her sink slightly with every step.

Enormous mountainous sand dunes rose up in the air and cascaded towards the horizon like an endless sea of dust.

The Forbidden Desert was aptly named.

Apart from the villages and tribes who had lived here for generations, this place was clearly inhospitable to life.

The saintess took in a few deep breaths to steady her nerves and then stepped forward.

The missing disciples of the Guang clan were last seen going into the desert for a mission.

She had talked to the sect leader of the clan and some elders and disciples before departing for the desert, but no one gave any useful information.

They all just said variations of \'they just vanished!\' and \'it is a complete mystery!\'. Really unhelpful information truth be told.

Xu Lu could not help but feel a trace of resentment since it was quite obvious by the Guang clan\'s attitude that they were happy to let her do all of the investigative work.

Didn\'t they care about the missing disciples?

All she had learnt from the clan members was that the disciples had taken a mission to harvest a rare herb that grew along the shores of a certain oasis.

It was a rare herb known as the \'Sun\' plant.

Its petals were a brilliant golden colour, and it was said that consuming the herb would aid one\'s cultivation.

What about the locals who owned the land around the oasis? Would the cultivators from the Guang clan ask them politely for the herb or buy it from them?

Come on… don\'t be naïve… you know how they would get the herb…

Xu Lu shook her head and tossed those dark thoughts to the back of her mind. She wrapped a scarf around her head to cover the top of her long black ponytail.

She wasn\'t strong enough to constantly emit a qi barrier around her body so sand could easily get into her hair and other parts of her body.

Xu Lu wandered further into the desert for several hours, but the scenery remained unchanged.

Eventually the saintess started to make a game of counting the number of sand dunes that she passed.

"Four sand dunes… six sand dunes… seven sand dunes…" Xu Lu whispered under her breath as she walked past another set of dusty mountains.

Her cultivation level made it possible to endure the high temperatures and harsh conditions but that didn\'t mean that it was comfortable.

What she wouldn\'t do for a nice cold shower right now…

Xu Lu smiled under her mask and glanced upwards at the sky.

The bright afternoon sun illuminated the sand in a golden glow making the dust seem like rare metals.

She felt like an ant being consuming by the vastness of the world around it.

It was a humbling experience to know that even though she was an immortal… she was nothing compared to nature.

An insignificant speck of dust in the vast cosmos.

Xu Lu\'s footsteps paused as she could feel some kind of barrier in her body crack.

A fresh wave of qi appeared in her dantian and the tiny unicorn merrily frolicking around raised up its hind legs and loudly neighed.

She felt stronger.

But what had just happened?

Xu Lu wasn\'t sure and searched the original Xu Lu\'s memories for any similar instances in the past.

Oh… that\'s what this was.

Cultivation was not just about sharpening the body but also the mind.

She had just received an enlightenment which meant that the flow of her qi would be smoother in the future.

Fascinating…

Xu Lu continued on her journey in a much lighter mood than before and soon saw a blue speck in the distance.

The blue dot was hidden in the shadow of a large sand dune but as she got closer Xu Lu could make out simple tent-like structures around the blue dot.

Wait… a village!

Xu Lu was overjoyed to see a trace of civilisation after roaming around in the desert for hours without any signs of life.

She quickened her steps and her figure blurred and vanished from the spot. When she reappeared, she was only a few hundred feet away from the encampment.

The oasis was beautiful.

Clear blue waters filled a lake-shaped depression on the ground and the lake was surrounded by large leafy palm trees.

There were bright red fruits on the trees and Xu Lu could see children running around beneath the shade and climbing up to pick the fruit.

The men of the village were tending to their goats and camels by leading them to the water for a drink while the women were washing clothes.

It was simple lifestyle.

Suddenly one of the children spotted Xu Lu and quickly tugged the corner of another child\'s shirt.

The child that he grabbed was an older looking boy on the cusp of teenagerhood with golden brown skin and fierce looking eyes.

"Who… who are you?!" the boy shouted with a slight tremor in his voice.

His loud shout attracted the attention of the other villagers nearby and soon others were drawn to the commotion.

Xu Lu raised up her arms peacefully and approached the nomadic tribe with slow steps in order to show them that she meant no harm.

"I am cultivator sent her to investigate the disappearance of five disciples of the Guang clan," Xu Lu calmly spoke.

"Cultivators?" one of the children stuttered and his face showed an expression of fear. The women of the tribe quickly grabbed the girl who stuttered and hid her behind her skirt.

"Oh great cultivator… we meant no disrespect," the older woman knelt down on the ground and placed her forehead on the sand.

"Please… forgive my child… she doesn\'t know any better… please…"

Xu Lu approached the kneeling woman and although the other villagers looked angry and fearful, no one stepped forward to stop her.

The saintess bent down and used her hands to gently lift the shivering woman upright.

"Do not be afraid… I\'m not going to harm anyone here… I am simply going to ask you all a few questions and then I will be on my way," Xu Lu calmly stated.

She could sense how frightened the villagers were as soon as she revealed her identity as a cultivator.

Maybe that was a mistake.

Maybe she shouldn\'t have been so direct. Would it have been better to pretend to be an ordinary desert wanderer?

No… that might have taken too long…

While Xu Lu was contemplating how to interact with the obviously scared tribesmen, an elderly man holding a wooden cane stepped forward.

"Greetings cultivator," the old man spoke softly as he tried his best not to let the terror that he was feeling show on his wrinkled face.

"I am the head of this clan… I… believe that I may have the information that you seek but please… do not harm my people."

"I will tell you everything."