Otherworldly Desert Dust

Hundreds of guests attended the night banquet in total silence, whether man or woman, all eyes were fixed upon the Northern Guardian Lady, the men stunned by her beauty, and the women sighed at her dazzling presence.

This powerful aura caused even the citizens of Wudu City in the distant tall pavilions to quieten down; naturally, they knew who the Northern Guardian True Monarch was, yet they had never had the opportunity to witness her...

Southern Guardian Monarch Wei Pan sat there with a humble smile on his face, a stark change from his previous angry accusatory demeanor.

"What brings the Northern Guardian Lady to such a grand mobilization of forces? Even if there are thieves, it is within your power to deal with them. These honored guests come from foreign realms and are the very ones the Martial Gods instructed us to receive with great honor. Unless there’s a matter of principle at stake, please try not to cause alarm," Wei Pan spoke more politely than usual, especially since his counterpart stood directly in front of him.

"Had you not been so incompetent, I wouldn’t have had to draw my sword in the dead of night," the Northern Guardian Lady didn’t offer even a shred of face in return.

After hearing this, Wei Pan’s face darkened.

One might have expected him to erupt, but instead, Wei Pan lowered his voice to a powerless tone of warning, "Ruan Muhan, do you truly believe that no one in Wuting can restrain you?"

"Your guests are problematic," the Northern Guardian Lady suddenly swept her gaze over all the guests present.

"What?" Wei Pan’s eyes widened.

"A demon snuck into the Palace tonight and stole Demon God Bones. There are few from the Demon Clan who can evade the Martial God’s inspection. The only explanation is that some Little Demon has transformed into foreign guests and brazenly stepped into our Palace," said the Northern Guardian Lady.

Instantly, the silver-helmeted martial artists who had surrounded the place stepped closer, their gaze never leaving the more than thirty guests for a moment.

"How... how is this possible? Do you have proof of this claim?" Wei Pan asked.

No sooner had Wei Pan spoken than the Northern Guardian Lady threw a piece of human skin in front of him, still wearing the formal attire for receiving guests, identical to that worn by all present at the night banquet!

Wei Pan was rendered speechless.

He realized immediately that his failure to notice had allowed a demon to transform into human form and infiltrate Wuting. Had the Northern Guardian Lady not observed this in time, who knows what disaster might have ensued!

"Have any Demon God Ancestor Bones been lost?" Wei Pan asked.

"Three have been recovered, one is still missing," the Northern Guardian Lady said.

Wei Pan relaxed a little upon hearing that only one was missing, but he knew he was bound to face the Martial Gods’ censure and didn’t dare show the slightest arrogance. He hurriedly said to the woman in front of him, "I, the Southern Guardian Monarch, will certainly cooperate fully with the Lady in investigating this matter."

After clarifying his stance, Wei Pan’s gaze swept over the more than thirty foreign guests who had been detained, then said, "Honored guests, Demon God Ancestor Bones are missing, and a powerful demon is hiding among you. Please, remain in Wuting for some more days. Once your innocence is proven, you will surely not be inconvenienced, and we ask for your cooperation with our Northern Guardian Lady."

The guests immediately became restless, and some expressed their discontent.

But their dissatisfaction was swiftly suppressed.

"Luoshui, since you’re mainly responsible for receiving, tell the Lady if you’ve noticed anything unusual while receiving the guests," Wei Pan immediately commanded Princess Wu Gu Luoshui.

Gu Luoshui came forward to pay her respects, but she appeared more at ease in front of the Northern Guardian Lady, evidently having known each other for a long time.

"Two guests were spotted by divine inspection, one resting inside the hall, the other is this man, a guest from the Holy Sect," Gu Luoshui’s eyes betrayed a hint of hostility, coupled with some suspicion.

This individual arrived today, and the incident occurred tonight.

Far too suspicious!

The Northern Guardian Lady approached Wu Hen, her phoenix eyes scrutinizing him intently.

Yet Wu Hen’s gaze changed, his heart pounding, ready to leap out of his chest!

What Northern Guardian Lady...

Isn’t this my Han Han?

Han Han, how I’ve missed you, come here and give your big brother a hug!

"You... do not approach with such an attitude, the Northern Guardian Lady is not someone you can disrespect at will. Keep the respect you ought to have!" Gu Luoshui, noting Wu Hen’s ardent gaze, immediately chastised him in anger.

"Where do you come from?" the Northern Guardian Lady didn’t mind his attitude, but was conducting a routine interrogation.

Wu Hen subconsciously wanted to declare his identity, but then abruptly remembered that Lu Yun had died, his transference had failed too, and if he were to reveal himself as Lu Yun now, he might even provoke a hostile reaction...

Unlike the previous awakening, awakening within a host body as a soul would release a biological signal of the Human Clan, generating a sense of recognition and cordiality in the host’s friends and family, both emotionally and physiologically willing to accept.

However, the shock of a temporary virtual awakening was different; not only could the Nuwa God End not release a biological signal, but it would cause the host’s family and friends to feel a severe aversion, even believing that a human had invaded and taken possession of their loved one, totally unacceptable to them. In the True Martial Continent, this was especially regarded as evil possession, punishable by death.

Wuting held an even greater taboo against those possessed by evil.

Wrong place, wrong time...

To be honest, Wu Hen truly wanted to see Ruan Muhuan, but the failure in transference also meant that their relationship might well have come to an end, and the truth was not something to be shared lightly.

Indeed, this was the downside of being a temporary visitor, not another kind of rebirth. It is closer to parasitism in the realm of life. The Human Clan generally perceives such conscious entities as maggots decaying their loved ones, with everyone naturally repulsed by maggots on their friends and relatives, a reaction ingrained in their genes. Although the real situation wasn’t as severe as a maggot infestation, the emotional origin was generally along those lines.

As Wu Hen set foot in the True Martial Continent with a Desert Dust Life, he wandered while pondering how he might meet his old friends...

On the one hand, he was confident. Confident that the love was sincere and strong and that even if the other person found out he was a soul transmigrator, they would still acknowledge the relationship. On the other hand, he felt uneasy. Shen Wenhai had repeatedly stressed that the physiological responses of the Human Clan were etched in the genes. There were far too many cases in the journey of visitors where those who gave their genuine love were ultimately killed by the hands of their beloved.

You should not lightly challenge human nature. Once the truth is known, no matter how close you are to their ideal, or how well you fit their aesthetics, it will cause a deep discomfort...

Of course, he couldn’t sever ties with Wu Hen just like that.

What he believed in was that in this world, only emotions are the most real.

It could be said, but it had to be done slowly.

"I’m asking you a question!!" Gu Luoshui, as if she had found someone to back her up, said angrily.

"I just came from a desolate border where Ancient Dream Demons reside," Wu Hen said.

Mentioning the Ancient Dream Demons and the desolate border, Ruan Muhuan’s eyes showed a trace of movement. After briefly losing herself in memories, she quickly returned to her cold, glacial demeanor and then inquired, "Why have you come here?"

"To meet an old friend," Wu Hen said.

"Which old friend?" Ruan Muhuan said.

"You…" Wu Hen pointed at her with his finger, then continued, "One of your lost Martial Gods, surnamed Du."

"There are no Martial Gods surnamed Du, don’t lie!" Gu Luoshui said.

However, Ruan Muhuan stopped Gu Luoshui’s questioning; she seemed to know something.

"I will verify this. Please stay a few more days within Wuting," Ruan Muhuan said.

"Alright." Wu Hen nodded, happy to stay longer.

You said earlier you unified Jianghu and became the Martial Arts Queen ruling over a section of Wuting, eh, Du Mao? That guy doesn’t even know where he is to this day; relying on him is hopeless. Better to look forward to the Valkyrie you personally trained.

It had only been three years, and she had reached such a proud realm!

Wu Hen was indeed shocked, his gaze constantly fixed on Ruan Muhuan, unwilling to look away.

In three years, she had changed dramatically.

As if she had shed all worldly aura in an instant. To be honest, Wu Hen hadn’t recognized her at first, merely stunned by the beauty of this icy jade woman. Only after taking a closer look did he become overwhelmingly excited!

"Is that the Northern Guardian Lady??"

"She’s so dominant and beautiful!"

"She was unknown three years ago, but now she wields great power in Wuting. She is a once-in-an-epoch talent among Martial Cultivators, continuously breaking through realms over these years. Those high-ranking in Wuting even predict that she has a great chance of becoming the next Martial God!"

"Hahaha, look at that Holy Sect Guest who was so arrogant just now, he’s like a bashful youth in front of the Northern Guardian Lady. What does dancing for the Commandery Princess amount to? If he had the guts, let the Northern Guardian Lady dance for him!"

"Damn, that image though—too beautiful. No one dares to even think that…"

"Stop dreaming. If you dare say such a thing, with one stroke of her sword, she could toast on the corpses of your nine clans."

"Eh, why is Wudu City’s gate closed??"

"What’s happened? Why is the city suddenly locked down???"

...

The lockdown of Wudu City was clearly a command issued by Ruan Muhuan.

A demon had infiltrated Wudu, even stealing into Wuting to take a Demon God Ancestor Bone, a matter significant enough to alarm the Martial Gods.

Stealing the Demon God Bone, but why?

It was said that Demon Gods possess an immortal body, and if their bones were placed in a certain rainwater, they could be resurrected.

No one wanted the dead Demon Gods to come back to life; such an event could cause immense upheaval for the entire True Martial Continent and Wuting.

Thus, after Wudu City was sealed off, people were panicked, all speculating which of the Demon Clan in human guise was hiding where, and where within Wudu was that missing piece of Demon God Ancestor Bone now!

Wu Hen returned to the hall they had arranged for him.

But now he had an observer by his side, who was none other than Princess Wu, Gu Luoshui.

Considering his strength, Wu Hen was a prime suspect, and although nothing was proven yet, Gu Luoshui had to watch him closely. If he turned out to be a descendant of the Demon God, who had used some sorcery to take over the body of a Holy Sect member, any negligence on her part would be an even greater fault.

"You still owe me a solo dance," Wu Hen said with a smile, looking at Gu Luoshui who followed closely.

"This matter can wait for now, we can settle it after everything is cleared up," Gu Luoshui said.

"What realm is your Northern Guardian Lady currently in?" Wu Hen asked curiously.

"What are you implying?? Are you thinking of challenging our Northern Guardian Lady?" Gu Luoshui asked with a hint of hostility.

"A friendly sparring, just to enhance our relationship," Wu Hen said.

"Delusional, you think I don’t know what you men are thinking. You may have beaten me, but you are still far from comparing to our Northern Guardian Lady. A toad wanting to eat swan meat!" Gu Luoshui said.

"Her dance must be more beautiful than yours," Wu Hen said. Read exclusive adventures at NovelBin.Côm

"You… you dare!!" Gu Luoshui trembled with anger. This man was so audacious, fantasizing about the Northern Guardian Lady dancing for him, clearly having heard the far-off mockery!