Chapter 451: Chapter 5: Sand Bandits and Dongque City – Part 2

The Southern Territory, rich and prosperous with abundant resources, hosted the most numerous and proudest Dharma Cultivators, who took root and flourished there. Consequently, the Great Pure Palace came into existence.

The most distinctive feature of the Western Domain is its barrenness; a significant portion of its area is desert.

Due to the infertility, the scarcity of resources, and the harsh environment and oppressive natural conditions of the Western Desert, Body Cultivators, who could adapt to the harsh conditions and even actively seek them out for cultivation, managed to thrive.

The Dragon Elephant Temple, a holy land for Body Cultivators, originated in this Western Desert.

However, the Dragon Elephant Temple differs from other sects.

The location of its sect is not confined to one place.

It has branches in various parts of the Western Domain.

Four institutes, thirty-six temples, seventy-two shrines.

Together, they are recognized as the Dragon Elephant Temple, the invincible Taoist Sect.

…..

Lu Qingshan was flying through the sky with Sword Control.

The Mo Gao Desert was very quiet, with nothing but the sound of the wind.

But this did not mean that there were no living creatures in the wilderness.

As far as he knew, beneath that yellow sand, unknown Sand Demons lurked and hid.

Lu Qingshan looked around; all he saw was an endless expanse, and he ultimately could only look up at the starry sky, find a guide star, and continue onward, venturing deeper into the desert.

In a desert where the only references were sand, the only reliable thing was the eternal stars in the sky.

How vast the Mo Gao Desert actually was, Lu Qingshan had no idea.

After flying for an entire day at the speed of Sword Control, the scenery around him remained unchanged.

After another day, something different finally appeared in the desolate desert filled with sand.

A faint touch of green caught his eye, and the dry air also felt a bit more humid.

Where there is water in the desert, there is an oasis, and where there is an oasis, people inevitably gather.

Lu Qingshan felt a slight stirring in his heart and followed the direction from where the sense of moisture originated with his Sword Control.

Sure enough, not long after, a yellow city appeared at the end of Lu Qingshan’s gaze.

This earthen city was not square but shaped like a leaf, situated in the middle of the desolate desert.

On those yellow city walls, there was a large pattern of a ferocious beast branded upon it.

It was a beast of prey, ready to take flight, its body swirling with flames. Strangely, this predatory bird’s feathers featured a mix of five colors–white, blue, red, yellow, and green, truly a sight of mystical wonder.

A slight movement stirred in Lu Qingshan’s heart; he recognized this creature.

The five-colored bird, a mythical bird from Ancient Times.

The reason it was branded on the city wall was that this five-colored bird was the totem of the Human Race inhabiting this city.

This was also a characteristic style of the Body Cultivators in the Western Domain.

They cultivated the power of totems, utilizing the essence blood of fierce beasts and birds of prey, and through special methods, inscribed beast runes within their bodies, thus possessing a portion of the fierce beasts’ power.

And these fierce beasts were referred to as totems by those Body Cultivators.

Lu Qingshan descended from the sky and slowly approached this ancient earthen city named “Dongque City.”

In the Mo Gao Desert, there were two major forces, one being the Nine Tribes Alliance, and the other, the Sand Bandits,

The Nine Tribes Alliance, as the largest alliance of the nine major totem tribes in the Mo Gao Desert, each controlled an ancient city, of which Dongque City was one.

The Sand Bandits were somewhat special, as they were an organization of Evil Cultivators.

The leader of the group was an Evil Cultivator nicknamed ‘Old Vulture.’

In his early years, due to practicing Evil Techniques, he was cruel and killed countless people, consequently triggering a manhunt by Great Xia.

Having narrowly escaped death, with nowhere to run, he boldly ventured into the Mo Gao Desert, a region untouched by Great Xia’s influence.

The Mo Gao Desert was vast and extremely desolate, barely visited by anyone; how could Great Xia possibly find him there?

Thus, Old Vulture reveled in his freedom, living beyond the reach of the law.

But that was not all; Old Vulture was a cunning man. After settling in the Mo Gao Desert, he unexpectedly gathered a few fellow Evil Cultivators, raised a Great Banner, and started acting as “Sand Bandits.”

They specialized in attacking lone Cultivators in the Mo Gao Desert and extorting and threatening the smaller totem tribes for so-called protection money. They behaved wickedly, and surprisingly they managed a substantial gain since Great Xia’s reach did not extend here and practicing Evil Techniques was unbridled.

Gradually gaining notoriety, more and more desperate Evil Cultivators or Loose Cultivators desiring greater power joined the ranks.

Thus, the Mo Gao Desert’s second major power, the “Sand Bandits,” arose from the ground up.

The Sand Bandits were comprised entirely of lawless Cultivators with no permanent base.

Bold and unafraid as they were unshod, even the native Nine Tribes Alliance harbored deep wariness towards them.

Fortunately, while the Sand Bandits acted without restraint, they still had some limits and at least did not openly provoke the Nine Tribes Alliance. Thus, the Nine Tribes Alliance could only pinch their noses and let the Sand Bandits be.

…..

Lu Qingshan’s purpose for entering Dongque City was very clear.

He was seeking an opportunity known as the Life Thunder Fruit.

The Life Thunder Fruit was a miraculous item born from the lightning of Heaven and Earth.

Lightning was a symbol of destruction and death. Wherever it struck, devastation ensued, and even Cultivators of high realms faced heavenly tribulations of lightning as tests to prevent them from continuously drawing on the Spiritual Power of Heaven and Earth.

However, as extremes meet, from such fearsome lightning, a rare object filled with endless vitality could surprisingly emerge.

Moreover, given the immense destructive power of lightning, it naturally contained infinite energy.

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