Otherworldly Desert Dust

...

Wu Hen conducted several inspections and confirmed that there were no unstable factors around the Tropical Pavilion.

Being with his family, Wu Hen deeply felt how precious this tranquility was.

Honestly, Wu Hen hoped that everything before was just a nightmare, that everything could return to the way it was, the family eating together, teasing his sister every now and then, and the housekeeper laying his bed in the middle of the night.

"Brother, aren’t you sleepy?" Yu Yu lay on a simple bed, tilting her small head, her hair tied into cute twin tails.

"You go to sleep, I will watch over you," Wu Hen said.

Drowsiness had long since swept over him, but Wu Hen had a premonition.

Once he fell asleep, he would very likely wake up in that Otherworldly Dust. He was really reluctant.

"Tap, tap, tap~"

Yu Yu, barefoot, finally squeezed onto Wu Hen’s narrow simple bed, her small, delicate body curled up in Wu Hen’s arms.

"I’ll watch over you too, until you wake up," Yu Yu told Wu Hen.

Wu Hen laughed and patted her head, comforting, "Actually, I was most worried about you back then, but after seeing you complete that archery, I felt much more at ease... It made me believe that even without me by your side, you can still protect yourself."

"I’ll also work hard not to cause trouble for everyone," Yu Yu said sensibly.

Wu Hen hugged her, listening to her gradually calming breath.

Soon, the sound of her breathing like a little cat’s snoring came. His sister had fallen asleep.

Wu Hen decisively got up and lay down on Yu Yu’s simple bed.

The drowsiness was actually very strong, but Wu Hen still held on.

And at this moment, Wu Hen suddenly felt a slight discomfort in his eyes, followed by a line of text appearing before him.

What’s going on?

Did he eat too many mushrooms?

Why is there a message appearing out of thin air?

"Wu Hen, I’ve received news that you’ve once again awakened from the Desert Dust."

Wu Hen quickly realized he was still wearing the virtual iris.

After it merged into his eyeball, there was no discomfort, and in the tension and busyness, Wu Hen almost forgot about it.

He didn’t expect that this virtual iris could also be used as a communication device.

Wu Hen blinked twice and then spoke softly.

Sure enough, his words turned into text, transmitted in a way he didn’t understand.

"Is it the beauty?"

"Just call me Mingyi, is the environment you’re in now safe?"

"It’s relatively safe."

"Are you in Li City Fan Mountain District?" Mingyi asked.

"Yes," Wu Hen responded.

"Where are you in the Desert Dust?" Mingyi continued to ask.

"In a soul flower of a Soul Nesting Wood," Wu Hen replied.

"So, you also returned through the Soul Nesting Wood?" Mingyi said.

"Is there a problem?" Wu Hen asked, puzzled.

Yuan You was obviously not something found everywhere in the Desert Dust.

"Your Listening Sense is very powerful. When I walk in the Desert Dust, I will release a green cicada. If you hear the sound of the green cicada in the Desert Dust, please follow it. This way you can find our team. We need your listening sense ability," Mingyi said.

"I should be some distance away from the Nuwa God End..." Wu Hen said.

"If you are in the Soul Nesting Wood, then you are not far from us. It seems we can meet earlier in the Desert Dust," Mingyi sent a playful smiley face.

"Actually, I would prefer to meet you here," Wu Hen said.

"There will be opportunities."

Closing his eyes, Wu Hen originally just wanted to stay still.

But the drowsiness surged, and if he didn’t sleep, Wu Hen felt his eyes were going to explode.

Alas, forget it, struggling was useless, face reality!

Wu Hen didn’t resist anymore, letting the drowsiness wrap his consciousness and pull him into another vast dimension…

"Brother?"

"Brother?"

Yu Yu somehow woke up, running to Wu Hen’s bedside, trying to awaken Wu Hen.

But Wu Hen had completely fallen into a deep sleep, unable to wake no matter how she shook him.

Yu Yu’s eyes immediately became moist. Unwilling, she squeezed into the small bed, still wanting to nestle in Wu Hen’s arms.

For a moment, Yu Yu also wished she could step into that damn dimension with her brother, no matter how dangerous, just to stay with him.

...

Among the flowers, colorful blossoms danced into the air with the wind.

But they didn’t go with the wind; instead, like dragonflies, they flapped their petals, conquering the wind and flew back into the flowers.

On the Soul Nesting Wood, a large soul flower was slowly withering. Its petals fell to the ground, rapidly turning to dust.

Inside the soul flower, a man opened his eyes. He looked around the splendid flower valley with calm yet disappointed eyes and couldn’t help but curse, "I knew Bull Demon was like this!"

It perfectly matched Wu Hen’s predictions.

If he returned to the homeland through the Soul Nesting Wood, then as long as he slept in the homeland, it would mean a forced logout.

Surfing at home really felt good, he really didn’t want to face the reality of Desert Dust!

"Ya ya yi~~~~~~ ya ya yi~~~~~~~~"

The sound of cicadas came from outside the flower valley, and with his keen listening sense, Wu Hen immediately caught this sound!

Is that really the sound of the green cicada?

Were he and the beauty Mingyi so close?

Finally, they would meet in the Desert Dust!

Wu Hen couldn’t help but feel a bit excited. After all, being recognized by Mingyi’s squad meant he’d get to shore, even in the Desert Dust, and he still wanted to mingle with the best!

"Beauty, here I come!"

Wu Hen didn’t waste time, got up and walked through the flower valley.

But after a few steps, realizing he had a lot of things to carry, he glanced at another soul flower that was about to wither.

The maid had to come.

After all, she had mastered the small skill of collecting pure food.

He was indeed more suitable for the combat role in the team; the trivial tasks could be left to Cha Cha, saving a lot of hassle.

Not delaying any longer.

Wu Hen waited on the side for a while.

By the stream, Wu Hen was surprised to find his face now resembled his own by seventy to eighty percent!

Wow, the soul flower cubicle even comes with a cosmetic effect!

No way!

When Yang Qin wakes up, she will surely recognize him as her classmate of two and a half years. How could he make her his servant then?

Maintaining mystery and strangeness brings more reverence.

"Little Yi, can you give me some handsome decorations on my face?" Wu Hen asked.

Little Yi understood quickly, and soon White Bright Crystal Whiskers seeped out of Wu Hen’s cheeks, forming a supple silver mask over the upper half of his face! n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Wu Hen looked at his reflection in the stream again.

Perfect!

Devilishly charming, that was him!

"Don’t sleep, don’t sleep, don’t sleep..." At this moment, some murmurs came from the Soul Nesting Wood.

Wu Hen looked up to see that the soul flower above had completely withered, and Yang Qin was still mumbling frantically, refusing to get up, as if as long as she didn’t open her eyes, she would still be at home.

No choice, Wu Hen climbed up and gave her a few slaps to wake her up.

"Ah... who are... big brother!" Yang Qin was startled but found some familiarity in the devilishly charming face.

"It’s me, take your stuff, it’s time to go," Wu Hen said lightly.

"Big brother, how did you mutate? Are you still human?" Yang Qin didn’t understand why this mysterious big brother now had a very mysterious face decoration.

"Just a decoration, don’t waste time, I have important work," Wu Hen said.

"But..."

"Don’t waste time. I tried, a Soul Nesting Wood can only be used once. Don’t expect to return to home by going to other blossoming soul flowers."

"Oh, oh, wait for me." Recognizing the reality, Yang Qin quickly packed her bags and followed the increasingly mysterious man.

...

Following the sound of cicadas, Wu Hen entered a forest.

The vegetation in the forest had strange colors, like a kaleidoscope, and wasn’t even static.

Wu Hen believed the forest flowed like a river. Entering here an hour before and an hour later might be completely different!

Luckily, the cicada calls were very clear with strong penetration. Wu Hen just had to follow them to avoid getting lost.

Along the way, Wu Hen saw many bizarre creatures, each with their own survival laws. They were not weak nor terrifying, but humans were not their prey...

"Is it that stone valley ahead?" Yang Qin asked.

They had walked a long, long way.

Yang Qin was exhausted.

Wu Hen hadn’t expected that although he could hear the cicada call clearly, the distance was very far, almost feeling they had walked for days and nights in the forest...

Fortunately, his soul had been cleansed in the Soul Nesting Wood, and nearing the Nuwa God End, the contamination lessened. Otherwise, Wu Hen might have found Yang Qin charming, too!

"It’s here."

Wu Hen finally found the green cicada on the trunk of a strange tree.

Others might find the cicada call ordinary, but to Wu Hen, it was like a locator.

Wu Hen tried to catch it, finding it was not a creature but a sophisticated mechanistic insect.

Wow, Mingyi the beauty was using high-tech!

"Big brother, big brother, look at the stone valley. There’s a Soul Nesting Wood!" Yang Qin suddenly exclaimed in excitement.

Wu Hen moved to a clear view and looked into the stone valley, seeing indeed a Soul Nesting Wood.

However, this Soul Nesting Wood looked close to withering, its vitality far less robust than the previous one.

"Don’t shout; there are others below," Wu Hen glared at Yang Qin.

"They should be our countrymen. After I woke up in the homeland, I informed the higher-ups about the Soul Nesting Wood’s ability to bring us back. They took it very seriously and said they’d take special care of me..." Yang Qin said.

"So these people are here particularly because of that news, looking for the Soul Nesting Wood," Wu Hen stroked his chin.

"Yes, yes, we can go back home again!" Yang Qin was still excited, not expecting it to be so smooth to find another Soul Nesting Wood.

"I have a mission," Wu Hen said.

He needed to meet up with Mingyi.

Though this brief return to the homeland provided some solace, Wu Hen looked further ahead.

"I can’t go on, need to hurry, or there won’t be space in the soul flower..." Yang Qin said.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Wu Hen saw something incredible.

At the base of the soul flower on that Soul Nesting Wood, there were numerous white fungal filaments, wriggling like seagrass worms. As someone entered the soul flower to sleep, the white filaments inserted into the flower body like tubes...

This soul flower didn’t seem to be nurturing human life but rather a parasitic container for white worms!

Wu Hen gasped in shock!

There was something wrong with this Soul Nesting Wood!

Suddenly, Wu Hen thought of the parasitic Insect Eyes Half-man infiltrating the homeland!