Chapter 479: The Boundless Desert, the Lush Oasis, and the Quest for the Wood Spirit Pearl (Wishing

Chapter 479: The Boundless Desert, the Lush Oasis, and the Quest for the Wood Spirit Pearl (Wishing Everyone a Happy New Year!)



February 4, 2025

In this world, Zhongzhou is the center of it all.

Not only does it encompass vast territories, but it is also blessed with the most concentrated Spiritual Energy, and numerous renowned mountains and rivers, as well as blessed lands and heavenly abodes.

Since ancient times, Zhongzhou has been the most coveted destination for cultivators from all over the realm.

Beyond Zhongzhou, the land is equally vast, divided into numerous large and small states.

To the east lies an endless ocean.

To the north, an infinite expanse of icy plains.

Heading south, one encounters a continuous stretch of deep mountains and dense forests.

And to the west, the ultimate destination is a sky filled with sandstorms and an endless desert.

The far west is the desert within a desert.

Here, the heat is scorching, like a blazing furnace.

The air is so dry that it feels like inhaling hot flames.

Even a single breath could potentially scorch the lungs of an ordinary person.

Given such harsh conditions, one would expect this place to be desolate, devoid of human presence, and barely habitable.

Yet, amidst this scorching, arid desert, there exists a distant oasis, teeming with lush greenery.

Within it, several rudimentary houses stand, indicating human habitation.

Suddenly, in the midst of absolute tranquility, under a cloudless blue sky, a figure appeared out of thin air, floating high above the ground.

Lu Qing gazed at the vast yellow sand below, and within it, a small patch of vibrant green caught his attention, evoking a sense of wonder.

"I never imagined that in this scorching desert, a place that should be a no-man's land for life, there exists such a thriving oasis. Could this be the power of the Wood Spirit Pearl?"

As he sensed the ripples of the Spirit Pearl emanating from below, Lu Qing gained a newfound understanding.

Indeed, his purpose for coming here was to retrieve that very Wood Spirit Pearl.

However, the current situation had taken him by surprise.

The Wood Spirit Pearl seemed not to be dormant but had, within this desert, created a miracle of life.

Lu Qing's body slowly descended, observing the oasis below.

The oasis was not large, spanning only about two or three li.

It contained several dozen crude houses, indicating a relatively sizable population.

Trees adorned the area, and children played and chased each other within.

At the center of the oasis was a shallow lake, where fish swam leisurely.

The entire oasis exuded an aura of harmony and tranquility.

As Lu Qing descended, he made no attempt to conceal his presence.

Among the playing children, one of them happened to look up and noticed Lu Qing slowly descending from the sky.

The child's mouth hung agape, eyes wide with astonishment, pointing towards the sky, unable to utter a word for a long moment.

After a while, he finally managed to blurt out, "An immortal!"

The other children followed his gaze, and in the next instant, they too widened their eyes in disbelief.

News of an immortal's appearance quickly spread throughout the entire oasis.

Everyone who witnessed Lu Qing in the sky was utterly shocked.

Before long, an elderly man, appearing frail and aged, was escorted by the crowd to the front of the oasis.

The old man, upon seeing Lu Qing floating in mid-air, widened his cloudy eyes, then prostrated himself, performing a grand kowtow to Lu Qing.

"Greetings, esteemed immortal! What brings you here?"

As the old man prostrated himself, the crowd behind him followed suit, all kneeling down.

"Are you the leader here?" Lu Qing asked calmly.

"This old man is the chieftain of the Yellow Sand Village, from the Qiu clan," the elder replied.

"I have come in search of a peculiar pearl, possibly green in color. Do you have any clues as to its whereabouts?" Lu Qing inquired directly.

Upon hearing this, the old man's body trembled.

The crowd behind him stirred with unease.

The elder looked at Lu Qing, his heart filled with bitterness.

He knew that only the village's sacred treasure could have attracted an immortal capable of flying and traversing the heavens.

Yet, under Lu Qing's indifferent gaze, the elder dared not remain silent.

"Esteemed immortal, indeed, our village possesses such a pearl, but it is our ancestral treasure, passed down through generations.

This oasis has survived in this boundless desert solely due to the protection of that sacred object.

I implore you, immortal, to show mercy and refrain from taking away our sacred treasure.

Without its protection, our Yellow Sand Village will likely be swallowed by the endless sandstorms within three days.

All the villagers will be buried beneath the yellow sand."

As the elder spoke, he repeatedly kowtowed to Lu Qing.

His words were filled with sorrow, evoking a sense of sympathy in those who heard them.

The villagers behind the elder also began to kowtow to Lu Qing.

Confronting Lu Qing, a mysterious being capable of flying, they dared not harbor any thoughts of resistance, only pleading for his mercy and compassion.

Lu Qing looked down at the villagers kneeling before him.

Most of them lacked proper clothing, covering their bodies with leaves or crude woven materials.

It was evident that while they lived in this oasis, they were far from thriving.

One could say they were merely surviving, barely clinging to existence.

However, his expression remained unchanged.

He spoke calmly, "That pearl is of great importance to me, and I am determined to take it."

Upon hearing this, the old man's eyes filled with despair.

But the next thing Lu Qing said made him pause in shock.

"However, I'll give you a choice. If you're willing, I can take all of you out of this desert and find a place with clear waters and lush mountains to settle down."

All the villagers who heard this were equally stunned.

After a while, the old man hesitantly said, "Your Excellency, are you saying you can take us out of this boundless desert?"

"Do you think I would deceive you?" Lu Qing said indifferently, "Of course, the choice is yours. If you prefer to be buried in this desert along with the oasis, I have no objections."

The old man paused.

Indeed, a being like Lu Qing had no reason to deceive them.

If he truly had ill intentions, he would have just taken it by force, and they wouldn't have been able to resist.

"Your Excellency, this matter is of great importance. I need to discuss it with my clan members."

Although he was very tempted, the old man still spoke respectfully.

"I can give you a quarter of an hour," Lu Qing nodded.

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

The old man bowed to Lu Qing.

Turning around, he saw a group of eager eyes.

"Elder, what's there to discuss? Hurry up and agree to the offer!"

"Yes, it's a rare opportunity to have an immortal willing to take us out. It's a once-in-a-thousand-years chance!"

"If we miss this chance, we might never be able to leave this place again!"

"Elder, don't hesitate anymore!"

...

Hearing the villagers' urging, the old man knew there was no need for further discussion.

Obviously, these people were even more anxious than him.

But he also understood the reason for their urgency.

Over the years, the village's population had gradually increased, but the village itself had remained the same size.

Although they could still survive, it had become increasingly difficult.

If this continued, their lives would become more and more challenging.

Stranded in the boundless desert, they couldn't even determine the direction, let alone find a way out.

So, Lu Qing's offer to take them out was like a timely lifeline.

With this in mind, the old man no longer hesitated.

He turned around and knelt before Lu Qing.

"Your Excellency, we've discussed it, and we beg you to take us all out."

"We implore you to take us all out!"

The other villagers also bowed to Lu Qing again.

A smile appeared on Lu Qing's face, "First, take me to see your divine object and confirm if it's what I need."

Soon, Lu Qing was led to an old tree that wasn't very tall but was robust, with an extremely developed root system that formed a small temple-like structure, protecting something within.

It was a green glowing pearl.

"Your Excellency, this is the divine object passed down through generations in our Yellow Sand Village," the old man said nervously.

If he had been worried that Lu Qing was here to take their village's divine object earlier, now he desperately hoped that this was what Lu Qing wanted.

Because only then would his clan have a chance to leave this boundless desert.

Lu Qing examined the green pearl.

In fact, even before coming here, he had confirmed that it was the Wood Spirit Pearl.

Unlike other Spirit Pearls that had remained dormant, this one had been in a state of revival.

He waved his hand, and the Wood Spirit Pearl trembled slightly within the root temple, ready to fly out.

But the next moment, a strange force pinned it in place, and the old tree's roots suddenly contracted, tightly wrapping around the pearl.

At the same time, a surge of anger emanated from the tree, as if scolding something.

"This... this..."

The sudden change startled the old man, who kept retreating in shock.

Pointing at the old tree, his mouth agape, he was filled with astonishment.

He never imagined that the tree his clan had worshipped for hundreds of years could move like a living being.

"Oh, it has developed sentience?"

Lu Qing's eyebrows rose in surprise.

The old tree had hidden its sentience well, even fooling him for a moment.

Of course, this was also because his attention had been focused on the Wood Spirit Pearl.

The dense wood-based power of the pearl had concealed the tree's sentience.

However, a newly sentient tree couldn't possibly trouble Lu Qing.

Suddenly, a transparent flame appeared in Lu Qing's hand.

He said indifferently, "Release the pearl, or I'll burn you to ashes with this flame."

As the Nameless Fire appeared, the old tree's branches and leaves began to tremble.

It instinctively sensed the terrifying power of the flame in Lu Qing's hand.

If it fell on the tree, with its limited cultivation, it would surely be unable to resist and would be incinerated instantly.

However, the old tree was extremely reluctant to part with the Wood Spirit Pearl.

Finally, the old tree sent a wave of pitiful vibrations towards Lu Qing.

"You said that without this Wood Spirit Pearl, you won't be able to withstand the heat of the Boundless Desert and will eventually wither away?" Lu Qing sensed the vibrations from the old tree and had a sudden realization.

After contemplating for a few breaths, he said, "I must take this Wood Spirit Pearl, but if you don't want to wither and die here slowly, then come with me.

I'll find you a blessed land where you can take root and live comfortably, and it will also help you cultivate better in the future.

This place is ultimately a desert, and the Earth Qi is thin.

Even with the Wood Spirit Pearl, your cultivation will still be difficult to achieve."

Upon hearing Lu Qing's words, the branches and leaves of the old tree trembled slightly, as if pondering something.

Lu Qing was in no hurry. He stood quietly, waiting, and the Nanming Lihuo in his hand did not extinguish.

He didn't take immediate action, only hesitating because this old tree had grown in the Boundless Desert and had developed its spiritual consciousness, which was truly remarkable.

But if this fellow didn't get the hint, he wouldn't mind burning it as firewood.

Fortunately, the old tree was a bit rigid but not stupid.

After a moment of consideration, it made a decision and sent out a vibration.

Lu Qing felt it and raised an eyebrow, "You want to follow me and cultivate under my protection? That's simple, I can agree to that."

Among all things in the world, it was extremely difficult for plants and stones to develop spiritual intelligence.

This old tree had spiritual intelligence, and although its combat power was negligible, it was still very useful for tasks like arranging Earth Qi, serving as an array eye, and consolidating array formations.

After all, it was just a tree, and it could be planted anywhere.

It was easy for Lu Qing to provide protection.

Hearing Lu Qing's assurance, the old tree emitted a wave of joyful vibrations.

Without Lu Qing's urging, it voluntarily loosened its root system and sent the Wood Spirit Pearl to Lu Qing.

Lu Qing didn't hesitate; he reached out and held it, instantly feeling an incredibly dense vitality emanating from the pearl.

The Wood attribute represented vitality.

The most peculiar aspect of this Wood Spirit Pearl was the endless vitality it contained within.

It was because of this that this Lush Oasis had been able to persist for so long in the Boundless Desert.

After sending out the Wood Spirit Pearl, the old tree's location also trembled.

Its massive root system, deeply embedded in the ground, slowly withdrew.

At the same time, the tree itself gradually shrank.

In the end, it transformed into a small tree, over three feet tall, with countless tiny rootlets.

Then, with a light jump, it landed in front of Lu Qing.

"You even have this ability?" Lu Qing was surprised, but he smiled and waved his hand, creating a vortex that sucked the old tree in.

The old tree was startled, but the next moment, it felt itself falling into a strange space.

Lu Qing's voice then echoed from above.

"Stay here for now, and after we leave, I'll find a good place to release you.

For now, you can rely on the power of the Wood Spirit Pearl to maintain yourself."

As his words fell, a green treasure pearl landed in front of the old tree.

Hearing this, the old tree felt slightly relieved.

Since Lu Qing had even placed the Wood Spirit Pearl inside, he must not be deceiving it.

It immediately extended several rootlets, touching the Wood Spirit Pearl, absorbing the Wood attribute power within to sustain itself.

After settling the old tree, Lu Qing turned to the village chief of Yellow Sand Village, who had been standing by, dumbfounded.

"Old man, go and have your tribesmen pack up and prepare to follow me to leave this place."

The elder woke from a dream, hurriedly replying, "Yes, yes! Immortal, please wait a moment, we'll go and prepare right away!"

He rushed outside, his heart filled with excitement.

Lu Qing's divine display had truly demonstrated his immense abilities.

He no longer had any doubts that Lu Qing could lead them out of the Boundless Desert.

The power of hope was always strong.

The villagers of Yellow Sand Village didn't keep Lu Qing waiting for long; they quickly gathered in the center of the village.

"Immortal, we're all packed and ready," the elder said, carrying a small bundle on his back as he approached Lu Qing.

"Mmm," Lu Qing nodded.

He took a look and noticed that the villagers didn't carry much with them.

The most they had were dried foods like fish jerky.

Some also carried small wicker baskets.

Other items were scarce.

Even cooking utensils like pots and pans were hardly seen.

They were all impoverished.

This wasn't surprising, though.

After all, this small oasis had limited production capacity, and resources were scarce.

So, even with generations of accumulation, the villagers still had very few possessions.

Lu Qing didn't say anything.

He casually waved his hand, creating a vortex that sucked all the villagers into the Lihuo Cauldron.

Then, he transformed into a radiant beam and soared into the sky, flying out of the Boundless Desert.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end