Otherworldly Desert Dust

Dealing with those mythical species within the Scroll Realm had made it so that handling ordinary Great Demon Spirits wasn't too difficult.

After all, the ultimate goal of those demons that had cultivated for thousands of years was to attain mythological status. A small fairy from the Scroll Realm that guarded the mountains, upon being placed in this True Martial Continent, would be revered as an ancestor by all of the Demon Clan, including the Tianpeng Mountain Pig.

Wu Hen already held a certain level of strength and had attained a higher level of understanding of their habits and abilities.

Whenever the wisdom AI reminded Wu Hen which clan the Demon Spirit before him belonged to, how it cultivated in the forests, and which Mountain Immortal Monarch it worshipped, Wu Hen could immediately identify their ancient lineage.

A hundred years of cultivation made one a Little Demon.

A thousand years of cultivation barely qualified one as a Great Demon.

Over ten thousand years, they were Demon Saints revered by countless demons...

When Demon Saints leapt over the lofty Heavenly Mountains and ascended above Cloud Peak to become a mythical species, they tragically found themselves reduced to beasts of burden in the Scroll Realm, no different from their primal inception in the wilderness, dominated by the terrifying bipedal apes—a despairing thought, without a doubt.

Wu Hen needed a large amount of soul breath. Little Yi was no longer satisfied with just Heavenly Light, which was but a single grain in Golden Fried Rice; it required a full bowl.

Fortunately, in the True Martial Continent, Demon Spirits were as common as weeds, harvested at will, and they would grow back come next spring.

Among the Human Clan, only a few could truly assimilate the energy within the spirit rain. The unceasing spirit rain in the True Martial Continent truly nourished the gazillion Demon Spirits in the mountains and woods. These special Spirit Plants between heaven and earth could significantly increase their cultivation...

Initially, Wu Hen thought those Great Demons of hundred, thousand, or ten thousand years really lived that long.

But in fact, these figures were merely a measure of cultivation. A decade-old fairy, if it devoured a Spirit Fruit of a thousand years, gaining a hundred years of cultivation, could then be considered as a hundred-year-old demon.

However, all Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that increased cultivation were fiercely contested. Some Wise Demons, who had grasped the Gou Dao, were neither hasty nor impatient, residing all year in primitive caves, relying solely on time to slowly increase their cultivation. While becoming a Demon Saint of a thousand or ten thousand years truly required such an extensive span, their advantage lay in their difficulty to die... Persisting, persisting, as other fairies died, and occasionally finding a treasure gifted by the heavens, they could unknowingly become a Demon Saint of a generation.

Such Demon Saints were actually more challenging to deal with.

They possessed strength, but were sly and cautious; at the slightest disturbance, they ran faster than rabbits while other Little Demons were still pondering.

Logically speaking, a thousand or ten thousand years seems like an inconceivable number, especially to humans who live less than a hundred years. Yet, in the True Martial Super Continent, where Demon Spirits are counted by the gazillion, in the Demon Spirit Kingdom, such beings are not rare. They emerged through the millennia, ultimately becoming the Demon Spirit Country Lord, a status revered by all demons.

Wu Hen enjoyed dealing with those irritable demons, greedy for living flesh like demons coveting Tang Monk. In terms of strength, ability, and battling, the Ancient Clan capabilities that Wu Hen learned in the Scroll Realm made it easy for him to handle them.

But Wu Hen had his headaches too, like the truly ancient Demon Saints that lived for thousands of years and had Cultivation of ten-thousand-year Level. They were the crafty Predators of the Otherworldly Desert Dust, hiding in the dark and waiting for opportunities. Should the situation change, they would flee. Wu Hen needed to defend the Nuwa God End Pure Land Thin Realm and could not venture deep into the mountains. Although he had cultivated the patience of a Hunter, willing to pursue for months on end, he also had his official duties...

Fighting demons day after day was fulfilling nonetheless.

There were some who, by sheer luck amidst many, achieved the status of a Demon Saint. Wu Hen encountered several and did not hesitate to stew them for Little Yi's nourishment.

"This rain holds the Power of Time."

"Indeed, it's not only those cultivating Demon Spirits. All the flora and fauna in the mountains are also cultivating—after absorbing the spirit rain, they show a decade's growth in a month, which is no wonder they can generate hundred-year Spirit Fruits, or even millennium-old trees..."

"Yeah, it's a pity most of these Spirit Plants are circled by the Demon Spirits, who are the only ones that can find them. The Human Clan of the True Martial Continent can mostly only increase their Cultivation by hunting these Demon Spirits."

"Heaven and earth nurture demons, humans and demons battle, humans rely on demons to achieve Ascension, yet demons also periodically harvest Human City..."

Wu Hen and Shen Wenhai sat atop Wood Cloud Top, gazing out at the boundless, rain-shrouded continent through the thin realm.

This was a world of humans and demons; it was unclear whether humans were eating demons or demons were eating humans, or perhaps demons were eating demons, and humans were eating humans.

The hierarchy among demons was very clear.

As was the hierarchy among humans.

"Oh right, I forgot to tell you something," Shen Wenhai said.

Wu Hen took a sip of his aged wine, his gaze still distant, waiting for the next sentence.

"We escaped from Red Port, and Nuwa God End activated the Power of Time. It seems Time Travel has some side effects, causing time to flow even slower within the Pure Land Thin Realm," Shen Wenhai said.

"If the flow is slower, then it's slower. These past few months have been very fulfilling for me; it feels like it just flew by," Wu Hen said unconcernedly.

"If it's slower here, it means that our homeland and the outside world are moving faster," Shen Wenhai said.

"What do you mean?" Wu Hen immediately realized something.

"Nuwa God End has been slowly correcting it... The time flow rate should not be much different now," Shen Wenhai said.

The more Wu Hen listened, the wronger it seemed, and he stared at Shen Wenhai.

With an awkward smile, Shen Wenhai lowered his voice and explained, "I thought you knew."

"The few months I've been guarding this place, has it already been several years for our homeland and the True Martial World?" Wu Hen inquired.

"Yes, you're truly deserving of being Lord Wu Hen, incomparably intelligent with an unmatched capacity for understanding!" Shen Wenhai said.

"Damn it, why didn't you tell me earlier!" Wu Hen angrily said.

"No choice there, you see, we only managed to escape Red Port and evade those high-dimensional insects by using the Time Travel of Nuwa God End. Using such Divine Skills is kind of like overextending ourselves. You could think of it as a backlash from the Power of Time. The universe adheres to a balance after all. We sped up time to flee an area, which implies that after an overload, there's a period where time slows down; that's how we achieve temporal equilibrium," Shen Wenhai said.

Wu Hen remained silent, but he couldn't hide the murderous look in his eyes.

Shen Wenhai continued with an apologetic smile and said, "The Red Port Dark Domain is actually very vast. Even with Space Wander, it would still take years to completely navigate out of the Dark Domain. It's the same principle as interstellar travel... In short, it would theoretically take over three years to escape the Red Port Dark Domain. The Time Travel made our journey shorter, but the time we skipped needs to be filled. That's what we're doing now, filling in the time, about three years or so."

"So, you mean to say that these past few months I've spent here are just the time-filling phase, and in reality, three years have already passed in the outside world?" Wu Hen asked with utmost seriousness.

"Pretty much," Shen Wenhai said.

"But that doesn't make sense. When I entered the True Martial World before and when I returned to my homeland, I didn't notice any difference in the flow of time," Wu Hen said.

"The flow of time in your homeland is consistent with the True Martial World. It's only here in the Pure Land Thin Realm that the time you feel you're guarding for what seems like a few months is actually several years outside," Shen Wenhai explained.

"I'll strangle you!" Wu Hen instantly transformed into a ferocious dog and pounced on Shen Wenhai.

Shen Wenhai didn't even have the chance to call the Guard Team before Wu Hen had him pinned to the ground, his eyes rolling back, nearly suffocating.

"Dare to screw me over, I'll hang you on the edge of the atmosphere to keep the sun company!" Wu Hen roared.

"Calm down! Calm down!! Look, there's a blessing. We've applied for a Nuwa blessing for you. You can strengthen one Perception, after all, you've made such a huge contribution and sacrifice," Shen Wenhai howled.

"One?? I can enhance my Perception myself!"

"Two, then. You can increase your Spiritual Sense to Third Rank!!" Shen Wenhai immediately said.

Wu Hen promptly lifted Shen Wenhai up and brushed the dust off his body, smiling as he said, "Brother Wen Hai, such a big man and crawling on the ground, get up and we can talk."

Spiritual Vision can be elevated to Third Rank!

That's a good thing indeed!

Increasing Perception is as difficult as ascending to heaven, and the evolution of Perception is completely unrelated to Cultivation and Martial Power. No matter how Cosmic Level your combat power is, if your Perception is low, you're still like an insect trying to view the sky.

"Shall we not talk about the rest, and head to receive the Nuwa Yan's blessings?" Shen Wenhai said.

"No problem, let's go!"

Shen Wenhai walked ahead, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the person behind him was smiling.

He seriously suspected that Lord Wu Hen had realized something about the disparity in the flow of time in Pure Land Thin Realm. He hadn't mentioned it, perhaps waiting... waiting for him to compensate for the lost three years of youth!

After all, it felt like just a few months to Wu Hen.

"Three-color Mountains and Seas have also safely arrived, and we'll be staying in the True Martial World for some time longer. Once you've finished overseeing, would you like to take a walk through the True Martial Continent?" Shen Wenhai attempted to change the topic.

"Of course," Wu Hen nodded.

Months of sea travel for the seafarers meant that they deserved to enjoy some time on land.

When it comes to enjoyment, naturally, nothing beats the months spent wandering the Jianghu with Ruan Muhuan...

Three years!

Three years, Han Han hasn't gotten married, has she?

"Will I be traveling incognito again?"

"No need for that, go as a Desert Dust Life," Wu Hen said.

"Do you need arrangements? Our alliance has prospered," Shen Wenhai said.

"Forget it, I'm sure as soon as I go, I'll trigger some major crisis, and it'll inevitably be up to me to calm things down. Without me, it thrives, even flourishing day by day... I've got it now. Humans are like Schrödinger's cat, alive and dead when I don't interfere, and when I do, it's a disaster. Forget it, let them survive or perish on their own, I'll enjoy the tranquility alone!" Wu Hen said.

"Hehe, you're a high-dimensional human now, and you've become quantumly entangled with us humans," Shen Wenhai flattered.

"My Han Han getting married? You'll die first!" Wu Hen coldly said.

"Don't worry, she's still single," Shen Wenhai said.

"Are you using superdata to pry into my private life?" Wu Hen cursed.

"There's no need to pry. You're disconnected from our society and the True Martial World. You'll know once you go," Shen Wenhai said without elaborating further.