Otherworldly Desert Dust

Ruan Muhuan stood by silently for a long time.

It wasn't that she was aloof; it's just that there was one thing she couldn't quite wrap her head around: she clearly came here to introduce Wu Hen to the Immortals and pledge allegiance to a far-sighted, kind-hearted Immortal—but how did things devolve into this, with Wu Hen launching a revolt and positioning himself as the great Immortal capitalist for the Human Clan??

Earlier, he'd fed her a whole set of theories about how every ounce of capital is drenched in filth—and now it turns out he only hated that he himself wasn't a capitalist? Given the opportunity, he still wanted the spotlight for himself?

That said, the few Immortals Ruan Muhuan had interacted with really weren't all that reassuring. Even the most approachable one among them exuded a condescending air despite their supposed likability.

Whether Immortals would truly fulfill their promises to protect the vast Human Clan and uphold order among them was still up in the air. Over the past decade, in Cang Chu Divine Realm, tensions between the Human Clan had only worsened; internecine slaughter had become all too common. This already proved that the previous generation of Immortals had simply enjoyed themselves in Outer Heaven after crossing their tribulation.

But what Wu Hen was currently doing for remote Human Clan factions was genuinely benefiting humanity. Whether it's those still evolving and unable to fend off the Otherworldly Predators, or those experiencing relative prosperity but suffering under the oppression of upper-class clans—the most critical element is the Nuwa Divine Duan Lineage's ability to help various factions handle their issues, no matter how far-flung the road may be.

Thinking it over, supporting any Immortal paled in comparison to supporting Wu Hen. This Black Immortal had shared hardships with her. His character… apart from being a bit of a lecher, wasn't too bad.

"In that case, shall our True Martial Continent support you, Black Immortal?" Ruan Muhuan deliberated carefully before making this decision.

If you tell your troubles to an Immortal, you'll get a cryptic answer.

But if you share your difficulties with Wu Hen, he'll take tangible action to solve them—far more reliable than any Immortal.

"Why are you joining the commotion, Han Han? I and Rat are merely trying to build some good reputation for our Nuwa Lineage… Think about it, our Nuwa Lineage is so discriminated against in Cang Chu Divine Realm, probably because, during a previous Human Clan meeting, other Divine Realm leaders did something disgraceful, making our entire lineage seem like parasites in the eyes of humanity. This is the perfect opportunity to change that," Wu Hen explained.

Wu Hen had been curious before as to why so many humans in Desert Dust had heard of the Nuwa Lineage. The lineage clearly existed within a closed utopia, yet those self-proclaimed upper-class races treated the Nuwa Lineage humans like rats crossing the street.

After arriving in Infinite City and seeing so many humans gathered, Wu Hen began piecing things together.

The Nuwa Divine Realm was not singular; the Land of Ashes was littered with the corpses of Nuwa Divine Trees. Humanity's predecessors in Cang Chu Divine Realm had likely committed deeds condemned by both humans and gods for selfish gain, leading to a consensus among heroic leaders and gods: Nuwa Lineage humans were not to be treated as humans...

Clearly, the Nuwa Lineage ancestors had blocked every path for their descendants, leaving them to walk through Cang Chu Divine Realm under constant rejection and disdain, careful with every Spirit Awakening, and every step taken with trepidation.

It was high time to alter how Cang Chu Divine Realm viewed the Nuwa Lineage.

The ancestors may have shut the door, but for them, it's: "The predecessors plant trees; the successors enjoy the shade." People are different; you can't use the same rod to beat them all.

"Your reputation in Cang Chu is weak, and you lack support from legitimate Human Clan forces. Our True Martial Continent may not be the strongest among the factions, but we have the largest population base. If we support you, wouldn't it make your claim as Black Immortal more legitimate and help you execute the predecessors-plant-trees plan more effectively?" Ruan Muhuan remarked.

"Han Han, you're now a goddess of a Super Continent, someone looked up to by countless people. Why are you still acting like before when wandering in Jianghu, always ready to entrust yourself fully to others?" Wu Hen advised.

"I have no objections. Either do it or go all out; Immortal this, Immortal that—when we suffered hardships, they never showed up. But when they crossed their tribulations, they suddenly remembered us, after we'd crawled out of the mire. With the True Martial Super Continent backing us, we'll have leverage across Cang Chu Divine Realm. Without it, we'll forever remain sewer rats—cockroaches hiding under floorboards, invisible to sunlight… What usurping? What parasitism? Why can't it be high-dimensional descent—why can't it be messengers sent from heaven to deliver humanity? Every Human Clan member has a culture of praying to gods and inviting Immortals. We're the most ancient Nuwa Lineage, the Holy Spirit guiding Lost Souls, the Bodhisattva incarnate saving all beings from calamity," fumed Rat.

When outside, identity is self-imposed.

The source of Nuwa Lineage discrimination in Cang Chu Divine Realm came from this Infinite City Human Clan meeting.

Then solve the problem at the source. They wouldn't question what the ancestors did, but henceforth, any Nuwa Lineage individual arriving there must enjoy the treatment befitting an Immortal incarnate.

Wu Hen's initial mindset was simply to play around.

No one expected the two female heroes to grow more driven, both deeply virtuous, and thinking for the betterment of the entire Human Clan.

"Alright, henceforth, address me as Black Immortal Lord," Wu Hen nodded.

"Supreme Black Immortal!" Rat corrected his wording.

"Ah!"

...

The Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet Immortals were still rallying other Human Clan factions. With their previous connections to upper-class clans, they effortlessly secured support from powerful Human Clans. Yellow Immortal gained Totem Sacred Sect's backing, while Green Immortal aligned with the Da Xuan Emperor Dynasty. Correspondingly, many other races affiliated with these upper-class clans essentially had no right to vote independently; they followed their masters' picks unquestioningly.

"Though it's just a closed-door meeting, Immortals and the top Human Clan leaders generally signal their alignments. This hastens the process of rallying other Human Clan factions. Most Human Clan members have never interacted with others in Cang Chu Divine Realm before; they're as clueless as we are and had never met an Immortal before," Ruan Muhuan commented.

Observing the closed-door Immortal meeting, Ruan Muhuan increasingly felt Wu Hen's insights into Immortal capitalism hit the mark, sharply exposing how Immortals enslave Human Clan citizens in more sophisticated ways.

Wu Hen had long realized this Otherworldly Dust was advanced in many aspects—except thought. The vast gap in combat power rendered equality among people impossible.

Technological civilizations, such as the Da Xuan Emperor Dynasty, indeed practiced more internal human rights equality, since everyone relied on developed weapons for survival—where there are weapons, equality follows. However, once they possessed powerful weaponry, their outward behavior became horrifying—brutalizing and trampling on other clans, including technologically advanced Human Clans. Entities like Grand Canyon City went unpunished; in fact, they were supported and celebrated internally within Da Xuan—deeply abnormal.

"In half a month, the Heaven-Respecting Ceremony will take place. At that point, public support for each Immortal will become evident. The Immortal Tribulations are extremely potent and will trace karma. The fate of the Immortal will also influence the clans bound to them…" Ruan Muhuan explained.

"So it's like a gamble, huh? Prosperity or decline hinges greatly on this decision," Wu Hen nodded.

"Infinite City's laws—even the Immortals can't fully grasp yet—they only know that binding their Immortal Tribulation with the Human Clan increases their odds of success."

"Oh? So the Heaven-Respecting Ceremony isn't so much mystical as it is powered by Infinite City itself?" Wu Hen queried with surprise.

"Mm, that's what an Old Martial God once mentioned to me. The specifics will only become clear then," Ruan Muhuan replied.

"This half-month, there'll probably be plenty of conflicts, huh?" Rat chimed in.

"Indeed—covert Immortal competitions, overt Human Clan struggles, and each god's hidden calculations…"

"It's bound to be fascinating."

...

The name "Black Immortal" quickly spread across Infinite City.

The effect was surprisingly unanimous; everyone viewed Wu Hen as a clown.

The Immortals didn't care about a pretender. The majority-been-fused-to-Immortals strong Human Clans deemed the Nuwa Lineage leader a joke, while more remote and isolated factions… were surprisingly keen on the idea.

Black Immortal had become their "folk remedy."

Heavy dose, high efficacy.

The issues facing distant Human Clan factions were trivial to Immortals, unworthy of their interest—mere mosquito legs...

But Black Immortal embraced them all. He had countless Spirit Awakeners behind him, ready to help—be it how to grow crops in barren lands or how to save an entire tribe from extinction. Write down your wish, and it would be granted!

In truth, Wu Hen didn't need to do much.

Nuwa Divine Duan's current powers were no longer weak, and most clans facing calamities lagged behind Nuwa Divine Duan's evolution. Dispatching even human elites or top Spirit Awakeners ensured celestial interventions.

Imagine, the entire Human Clan nearly annihilated by a mere Purple Robed Master of a little Holy Sect before—yet now, millions of Human Spirit Awakeners could overshadow the Purple Robed Master. A start-up Heavenly Brilliance Realm was commonplace; one in every hundred humans was Heavenly Lights.

Rat monitored the statistics.

She was confident the Black Immortal name could stick, proving Nuwa Lineage now had the capability.

...

"Utter nonsense! Has Ruan Muhuan lost her mind? Our entire Martial God Institute entrusted such weighty decisions to her, considering her stellar track record in recent years and the support she enjoyed from True Martial citizens. To let her represent our True Martial Super Continent in making this choice—even if she picked the weakest Immortal Peng Feng, us old guys wouldn't have uttered a word. But she… she actually chose the Yellow Rat Spirit among mouse-like riffraff?? Isn't it evident at a glance whether he's a True Immortal or a False Immortal?" Hundred Lakes Mansion seethed with the wrath of Martial God Chang Chou, his roar nearly shattering the surrounding elaborate antique courtyard into rubble!