Otherworldly Desert Dust

The stability of the Virtual Era stems from the Divine Realm barriers.

And the stability of these barriers, in turn, originates from the Pure Land City-States.

Now, the Pure Land City-States have erected numerous Peace Towers, built from mystical town stones collected from other worlds, which also contain the power of Yuan You to block the prying and invasion of alien species.

Yet within the True Martial Continent, there exists an abundance of demon spirits with keen senses of smell and vision. Once they approach, it is necessary to dispatch patrollers to eliminate them.

Wu Hen had not expected to find himself back among the patroller corps, tasked with clearing the threats surrounding the Nuwa Divine Realm thin realm.

The benefits of being a senior worker are quite apparent, as a portion of the Yuan You collected each month is offered to guardians, and now that human spirit awakeners have grown strong and adapted, the total amount of Yuan You collected is an astonishing figure, equivalent to Wu Hen ensuring the peace of the Pure Land City-States while the city's mightiest timely pay the stability tax.

In addition to this, the Nuwa Divine Realm has shown special favor toward Wu Hen, who, when idle, would sit beneath Nuwa Yan to cultivate using the Natural Breathing Technique, continuously solidifying his realm.

"Holy Cultivation itself also requires powerful demon blood."

"The evolution of one's physique also cannot be separated from the tempering of combat."

"Contending with those strange demon spirits also helps in enhancing perception.

Wu Hen also knew that since the Nuwa Divine Realm had just stepped into the True Martial Continent, it would inevitably attract the covetousness of those powerful and evil demon spirits. Unless they could display enough power to deter them, the divine barrier of the Nuwa Divine Realm would still be shattered.

Once demon spirits invaded, the hard-earned stability of the Virtual Era would enter into turmoil again.

To be honest, Wu Hen felt reassured seeing that group of people from all over the world gathering offline, and he also hoped that people would always live life free-spiritedly without having to endure despair and pain.

Consider it contributing to this Virtual Era. Furthermore, the Nuwa Divine Realm never shortchanges its own. During the guardian phase, blessings from Nuwa can be attained.

"The True Martial Super Continent is divided into countless continents, and between these continents lie Demon Saint Hero Passes. These passes divide the territories of each continent and the connectivity between them is very poor..."

"Unless a martial cultivator reaches a certain realm and forcefully passes through on their own strength, or a large group of martial artists assemble to form a very solid army capable of sweeping over a Heroic Pass. Only then will there be frequent interaction between two continents."

"However, the reproduction and growth of demon spirits are also incredibly fast. The corridors that constantly link continents require martial artists to be stationed for long periods. If they fail, the corridors between the continents may be occupied by demon spirits and turn into Demon Ridge, making it difficult for ordinary people to pass through."

"It's a bit like the remote villages through forested mountains; the paths between villages need to be maintained. Even if just a few months pass without attention, brambles and trees will overgrow and engulf the roads, reverting them back to primal forests. To reclaim them requires the combined effort of all able-bodied villagers."

"Therefore, the martial artists in each region actually grow within a relatively closed environment. The territories they reside in tend not to have overly powerful entities. Once a martial artist of exceptional talent is born, such a martial artist is summoned by Wuting to cross through the Demon Country Stronghold and enter into a continent where high-level martial artists gather."

"Their martial cultivation system is already very mature. Even if environments are independent, talented martial artists still have the strength to stand out; they can still step out of their 'village'."

"And because of such laws, every awakener needs to stand out in their current environment in order to have the strength to cross the Heroic Passes. This way, we can all gather together in the True Martial Continent."

"Of course, if you're lucky enough to awaken on the Main Continent, you can avoid the ordeal of breaking through Heroic Passes. But that also means there's a multitude of powerful martial artists above you, constantly suppressing you, and you might be crushed by a misstep. In general, for most of us, awakening on some remote continental territory is a blessing."

During the defense period, Wu Hen also learned some of the laws of the True Martial Continent.

Put simply, the True Martial World is an otherworldly place where true martial artists and demon spirits coexist, having reached some sort of balance.

Considering they are outsiders to this world, should a martial god discover them, they would definitely face the god's attack.

Thus, it's somewhat more stable for the Nuwa Divine Realm to enter into the mountains and rivers of the True Martial Continent.

Within the mountains and rivers, one is bound to deal with demon spirits.

Demon spirits are extremely powerful, and only the strongest in the True Martial World can deter them. Humans are still in a stage of growth and adaptation in another world, yet to completely free themselves from the bottom of the food chain. They have just entered the Virtual Era where, thanks to virtual equipment, mass evolution and martial cultivation are possible; naturally, a secure developmental process is needed.

Wu Hen understood that he needed to protect this era for all of humanity for some time, as besides himself who had entered a higher dimension, there were not many who could contend with the True Martial Continent's demon saints and demon gods.

"We have found a piece of Spiritual Soil in a Three-color Mountains and Seas area on the Main Continent that is suitable for us to settle in. And the Spirit Sea there greatly aids the recovery of the vital energy of the Nuwa Divine Realm. Lord Wu Hen, you just need to escort the Nuwa Divine Realm to the Three-color Mountains and Seas," said Shen Wenhai.

"Alright, I'll serve as a darts master then," Wu Hen said.

"We are also collecting data on various demon spirits and have synchronized it with your Virtual Iris, which has been upgraded to perform intelligent analyses on the demon spirits you encounter," Shen Wenhai said.

Wu Hen nodded, aware that they would generally offer him the best equipment.

"Speaking of which, how is Chief Li doing?" Wu Hen asked.

"He doesn't concern himself with the matters of the True Martial Continent; he is researching the Cang Chu Divine Realm," said Shen Wenhai.

"Oh, that's the bigger rapids indeed, and a significant test for us as well," Wu Hen nodded.

"Don't worry, Chief Li has always been like that... He probably won't leave his research unless there's a matter of life and death," Shen Wenhai said with a smile.

"I'm not worried about his condition," Wu Hen said.

Remembering the scene he had seen in the Ancient Dream Demon, Wu Hen understood that, in essence, Li Feng was just like him, with a core belief that was completely in line with his own.

"The True Martial Continent is like a trial ground for us, relatively friendly to all of humanity, as long as the existence of the Nuwa Divine Realm goes undetected," said Shen Wenhai.

"Yes, everyone indeed needs such a buffer zone."

...

Since he had agreed, Wu Hen didn't dwell on it and started his new role that very day.

The changes in Pure Land City weren't significant; it still resembled an ancient tribal city, but inside the city-state, many marvelous mutant beasts coexisted. Occasionally, one could see flocks of spirit birds, vibrant as Qingluan and phoenixes, flying beneath the massive branches of the Divine Tree, sometimes descending into the Five-Colored Pure Land to gift the soil with seeds that would grow into spirit trees.

The city lacked significant technology, but a bridge had been built from the homeland to the city, allowing people to move between their homes and Otherworldly Dust more freely.

The people within Pure Land City lived as Desert Dust Life forms, carrying their most precious souls, making every battle fought here brutal, with no second chances like those using virtual helmets in the homeland.

The days spent guarding were fulfilling.

Wu Hen would interact with these unique Demon Spirits and often had to step into several Demon Country Strongholds.

In the process of killing these powerful Demon Spirits, Little Yi had the opportunity to enjoy hearty meals, replenishing the nourishment he needed.

Every week, Shen Wenhai would supply pure Yuan You to cleanse Little Yi of the impurities left by the high-dimensional insect, the Black Unihorn...

The energy of the Black Unihorn was vast, and it was the first time Wu Hen saw Little Yi instinctively use it after absorption, rather than needing an initial "detox."

Fortunately, although the Demon Spirits of the True Martial World were dangerous, Wu Hen had yet to encounter any approaching the level of the Black Unihorn. With his current strength, often just releasing his Kingly Aura was enough to scare those Demon Spirits into fleeing into the forests.

"It seems there's hope to breakthrough to a Fifth Rank Physique."

"I've been eating more meat lately, and surprisingly, my body is getting stronger."

"With a Fifth Rank Physique, even if my physical body were to walk about the True Martial Continent, it should be less likely to perish abruptly."

"But my Perception still needs improvement; when I fought with that Ear Beast King recently, my hearing seemed to change; it definitely had a Fourth Rank Listening Sense. If I hadn't had other senses to rely on, I might not have touched even a hair on its body."

"It's a pity it got away. If I had killed it and braised its ears, maybe my Listening Sense could have advanced a realm."

"I'm puzzled though; my Holy Infant inside is already colossal, why haven't I seen a breakthrough yet? Could it be that human genetics limit it and the path to Holy Cultivation advancement is sealed, requiring a Spirit Key?"

"The Spirit Key is in the Cang Chu Divine Realm, taken under the wing of my second sister, Cai Lan..."

"So, my Holy Cultivation probably won't evolve at all, should I just let it be for now?"

"Perhaps I should try martial arts training? The environment here is right for it."

"Ah, forget it, that stuff doesn't seem to mesh well with me, otherwise, I wouldn't have awakened as a once-in-a-millennium martial arts dud; sometimes you have to trust Mother Nuwa's arrangement, there's no need to waste time on that."

"Then train my Perception."

"Strengthen my Physique."

"Elevate these two aspects, and once on the True Martial Main Continent, I'll roam their kingdoms to collect those rare metals, outfitting Little Yi from top to bottom in the finest..."

"Its evolution isn't sealed; working on Little Yi does give a sense of achievement."

"Sigh, training Han Han also gives me a sense of achievement. It's been forty days since I last saw Han Han, and I miss her..."