I built the Jade Capital with the Netherworld

Chapter 199 Worries about the Future
After a moment of stunned silence, the middle-aged man snapped out of it and said casually:

"The village caravan will depart the day after tomorrow; you should come along!"

"the day after tomorrow?"

The young man, still in a daze, stubbornly said, "I...I'm not going!"

"You can't have this!"

The middle-aged man shouted angrily, "Get out!"

The young man gritted his teeth, and after a long while, he took a deep breath, smashed open the ancestral hall door with a "bang," and disappeared into the yellow sand, leaving behind the sound of the wind and sand gradually being covered by the door!
"What fellow Daoist has arrived here? Please come out and greet me!"

The middle-aged man cupped his hands in front of the four directions, and the divine thought nurtured by his cultivation of the fourth level instantly engulfed the ancestral hall, invading every inch of the ground, startling the soul-summoning banner on the beam into fluttering wildly.

After a short while, the middle-aged man withdrew his divine sense, a look of surprise and uncertainty appearing on his face.

The bone bowls and ritual vessels were gone, but there were fresh footprints on the floor of the ancestral hall. The person who came must not have gone far. Could it be that their cultivation level was far higher than his?

"Fellow Daoist, are you looking for this?"

Suddenly, a voice came from behind the middle-aged man, startling him so much that he turned around abruptly, his inner armor hidden under his clothes bulging out of his cloak.

Looking back, I saw a fair-skinned young Taoist priest holding a bone bowl, smiling as he asked a question.

He had only ever seen that obscure level of cultivation in the fifth-grade cultivator, Sha Zun.

"May I ask your name, fellow Daoist? And why did you take the ritual implements from my ancestral hall?"

The middle-aged man cupped his hands in greeting and asked, secretly holding a mountain-suppressing seal in his palm.

"I took what belonged to an old friend."

"Old friend?"

The middle-aged man looked surprised and uncertain: "May I ask, fellow Daoist, are you from the Buddhist sect of the Western Regions?"

Lu Wujiu nodded slightly.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's face showed a struggle, and he tentatively asked, "Sandalwood incense stains your robes, the morning bell tolls in your verses, may I ask which lineage you, Venerable One, have inherited?"

Lu Wujiu said, "Esoteric Buddhism!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the middle-aged man's face changed, and his hands trembled slightly. He said, "Please, senior, demonstrate your secret technique to prove your identity."

Lu Wujiu thought for a moment, then reached out and pointed into the air. As if controlled by a Vajra, countless mantras and Sanskrit texts poured out from his fingertips, like the illusory image of a mandala blooming in the sky, surging into a wheel.

The middle-aged man was shocked. His eyes gradually became bloodshot and red. His lips trembled as he suddenly knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Junior Xia Han pays respects to senior!"

When I looked up again, my eyes were already filled with tears.

Seeing this, Lu Wujiu sighed softly, helped Xia Han up, and said, "You've suffered so much all these years."

Xia Han shook his head, still unable to hide his excitement, and subconsciously looked at the ancestral tablets: "Compared to our ancestors, I am already very satisfied to have met you before the flame of our lineage went out."

Lu Wujiu glanced at the memorial tablet and asked, "What happened all these years?"

Xia Han took a deep breath and composed himself, saying, "To be honest, senior, I am not very clear about this either. I only know that my family lineage was passed down to the Buddhist sect in the Western Regions. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we fled to the Flowing Sands Sea and changed our names and surnames. Since my generation, eleven generations have passed."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but ask, "Senior, have you come here to summon me back?"

Lu Wujiu shook his head: "No, this humble monk has just awakened, and everything still needs to be discussed carefully!"

"Senior, are you one of those people from back then?"

Xia Han was taken aback, somewhat shocked.

Lu Wujiu nodded and asked, "Tell me about the Flowing Sand Sea."

"Yes!"

Realizing that Lu Wujiu was very likely the ancestor who had been sleeping until now, Xia Han simply organized his words and began to introduce him in great detail.

The Flowing Sand Sea is located in the west of the Central Plains of the Nine Provinces, separated by the Central Plains' Xuanmen (mysterious sect) and the Western Regions' Buddhist realm. It stretches across 30,000 miles of desolation, with yellow sand obscuring the sun all year round. There are almost no oases or water sources, only countless sand dunes that stretch and undulate like the spine of a giant beast.

Legend has it that ten thousand years ago, this place was an oasis, but the great war between Buddhism and Taoism shattered the earth's veins, turning it into the desolate place it is today.

Some say that the deep freeze in the desert was not caused in a day, and the reason why the Flowing Sand Sea became a place devoid of Qi was ultimately due to the Buddhist and Taoist sects' abuse of the Spirit Gathering Array, creating a desolate boundary through siphoning.

This argument has gained considerable traction.

Because a powerful being once used his great supernatural powers to try to transform the Flowing Sand Sea, he created a temporary oasis, but it did not last long before it disintegrated.

The ferocity of the quicksand sea is evident!
Such a harsh place should be sparsely populated.

However, it is precisely because of its wickedness that it has become a paradise for outlaws, and thus the Flowing Sand Sea is a gathering place for all kinds of forces, including Buddhists, demons, Taoists and monsters.

Lu Wujiu inquired about everything, big and small, and only then did he learn that there were currently four major forces in the Flowing Sand Sea.

They are:
The Great Serpent Sect, which raises sand serpents and extracts black sand gold;
He claims to be a descendant of the ancient Chiyang Sect, and his body is half-desertified by the Sun Dao.
A mirage that can create the illusion of a mirage;
And the Crimson Sun Sect, which cultivates the essence of the sun.

Each of the four major sects has a top-tier expert in the sixth rank.

Rumors suggest that it is backed by Buddhist and Taoist sects.

Beneath the four major sects, there are countless sects, villages, and tribes of all sizes.

The Xia Han family was an inconspicuous branch of the family, located within the sphere of influence of the Da Hui Sect. They had to pay taxes every year in exchange for protection, and their lives were very difficult.

Upon hearing this, Lu Wujiu asked, "I see that the Buddhist light on your body is hidden. Why don't you go to live in the Central Plains?"

Xia Han said, “The Central Plains are xenophobic, and the struggles are even more brutal. I still have a place to stand in the Flowing Sand Sea. If I go to the Central Plains, I am afraid I will be skinned alive and my soul will not be able to escape the conversion of the famous sects.”

Lu Wujiu nodded, asked a few more questions, and after getting a general understanding of the Flowing Sand Sea, he reached out and pointed in the air. A drop of innate primordial energy condensed and grew larger and larger. Enveloped in Sanskrit characters, it floated toward Xia Han.

"You've worked hard all these years!"

"This junior thanks you for your kind offer, senior!"

Xia Han was overjoyed upon seeing this and quickly reached out to take it, feeling the surging primordial energy within, his heart filled with excitement.

That much primordial energy is enough to cultivate a top-three fighter.

"This humble monk is going out for a walk; you may continue with your business!"

After bestowing the primordial energy, Lu Wujiu was about to leave.

"Senior, would you like a guide?"

"Need not!"

"How can I contact you, senior?"

"This humble monk will contact you himself!"

In a few words, Lu Wujiu had already pushed open the ancestral hall door. Looking at the swirling sand and dust outside, he suddenly said, "Don't mention me to anyone."

"Yes!"

Xia Han bowed respectfully, then looked up and saw a sword light disappear into the distance amidst the vast yellow sand.

Seeing this, he breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and brushed away the sand accumulated in the ancestral hall, respectfully lit an incense stick, and then left.

As he stepped out of the ancestral hall, a gust of wind and sand swept over him, sending a chill down his spine.

However, his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

Without changing his expression, he stepped into the village, went straight to the elder's house, knocked on the door, and entered.

"What's the matter?"

Inside the room, the elder, who also possessed the cultivation level of the fourth grade, sat cross-legged on a straw mat. He looked very old and frail, like a dried-up corpse, as if a gust of wind would cause him to fall apart.

“Uncle, the patriarch of Buddhism in the Western Regions has returned.”

Xia Han enunciated the four characters "Western Regions Buddhism" slowly and deliberately.

"Hmm? Where did my Xia family get a Western Region ancestor..."

Before he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room suddenly turned cold, and a chilling killing intent flashed in Xia Han's eyes, as if he wanted to kill him to silence him. The First Elder seemed to suddenly remember something, and excitedly tried to stand up: "You mean, the first ancestor of my Xia family?"

"That's right!"

Where are his family members?

"They've already gone out; they said they were going out to take a look."

"Really? What happened? Tell me all about it, including any details."

"Yes!"

Xia Han then described in great detail how he discovered the disappearance of the bone bowl ritual vessel, the appearance of the Patriarch, and even the Patriarch's questioning.

"Great! With our ancestor back, the prosperity of our Xia family is just around the corner!"

"Yes! In the past two years, my Xia family has been busy with survival and has rarely publicized this matter to the younger generation of the clan. I hope that the elder will organize the family genealogy for future use."

"It's natural."

The elder nodded repeatedly, his orange-peel-faced man flushed red, as if he were honored. Xia Han's shadow fluttered beneath his feet.

Outside the village, Lu Wujiu stood in the wind and sand, expressionless as he looked down at the village behind him.

The village was small, resembling a small city. It was surrounded by sandstone walls formed by magic, and inside there were more than two hundred houses scattered around, with an estimated population of over a thousand.

Given the scarcity of the desert, the only way to support such a large population is through extraordinary means.

Therefore, farmland and livestock pens have been established in the city, and cultivators can be seen from time to time condensing water vapor to promote the growth of crops.

At first glance, the village appears to have almost no ordinary people.

However, most of them do not have a lineage, but merely cultivate a few parts of primordial energy to protect themselves.

This scene is practically Lu Wujiu's blueprint for planning the Nine Paths Land.

Everyone can cultivate themselves, and everyone can attain supernatural powers.

However, the environment here is so harsh that cultivation seems more like a survival skill.

After scanning the area and confirming that no powerful figures were hiding, he dropped a locating artifact and then left.

The Flowing Sand Sea is vast and boundless. Not to mention outsiders, even locals can easily get lost in it without special methods.

Lu Wujiu had only flown a dozen miles when he felt like he was lost.

It really looked exactly the same from all sides, but fortunately he had a wide range of knowledge and, although he wasn't a local, he had many methods to identify directions.

After flying for several hundred miles, Lu Wujiu finally spotted a figure.

It was a caravan, with dozens of long-haired pack animals carrying mountains of goods, lined up in a long, winding line, slowly making their way through the desert.

The procession was protected by monks at the front and back.

Seeing this, Lu Wujiu casually pulled out a shadow, which transformed into a headscarf and a long robe to cover his body, making him look like a desert dweller, before landing.

When the caravan saw someone descending from the sky, the leader immediately came forward to greet them.

"I am Gao Ze, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of the Golden Scale Merchant Guild under the Tianhe Sect. May I ask your name?"

His self-introduction, seemingly open and honest, was actually more of a show of force. After all, the fact that he dared to fly so freely in the quicksand sea spoke volumes.

"I am new to this land and have lost my way. I wonder if you have any maps for sale? If you could also provide local information, that would be even better."

Lu Wujiu asked in a loud voice.

Upon hearing this, Gao Ze breathed a sigh of relief and took out a low-quality jade slip from his person, saying, "This is a map of the surrounding three thousand miles. It's just a small token of my respect!"

Lu Wujiu took it into his hand, scanned it with his divine sense, and nodded slightly when he caught sight of the mark of Xia Family Village.

"Friend, what information would you like to know? I, Gao, will answer all your questions without reservation."

"I am new here, fellow Daoist, please feel free to tell me what you think is important."

"In that case, I'll do as I please!"

Gao Ze breathed a sigh of relief and then casually began to introduce himself.

Lu Wujiu listened intently, occasionally interjecting with questions, all of which concerned the content Xia Han had mentioned. Gao Ze felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that Lu Wujiu was reminding him not to speak recklessly.

After a long while, having asked most of the questions, Lu Wujiu casually flicked out a glass bead and said, "This Awakening Bead can ward off bewitching spells. I'll give it to you, fellow Daoist. Farewell!"

With that, he transformed into a streak of sword light and vanished.

Seeing this, Gao Ze breathed a long sigh of relief.

An'an gasped in amazement as she looked at the glass bead in her hand.

The material of this bead is clearly formed from quicksand, which is quite ordinary. However, when magical power is infused into it, it has a cooling effect and refreshes the mind, indicating that it is engraved with Daoist marks.

Such a weapon-forging technique is truly exquisite!
In this desert where everyone lives in constant fear, to be able to develop such skills, this person must have an extraordinary background!
Unfortunately, I forgot to ask for his name.

However, even if I ask for your name, I'm afraid we'll never cross paths in this lifetime.

Amidst sighs and reflections, Gao Ze returned to the caravan and ordered it to continue its journey.

After Lu Wujiu obtained the map, things became much more convenient for him.

They would either sneak into villages or pretend to be passersby to gather information about the Flowing Sand Sea, and only returned to Xiajia Village four days later.

"Second Uncle, did our ancestors really come from the Buddhist sect in the Western Regions?"

Under a thick sand willow in Xiajia Village, a group of children gathered around an old man, chattering incessantly.

"Of course, would I lie to you?"

"But why don't we go back?"

"Yes, yes, I've heard that the Buddhist regions of the Western Regions are a land of gold, with gold everywhere and granaries overflowing with millet."

"Hehe, good question. Let me ask you, how about Viper Valley?"

"it is good--"

"Then why don't we go?"

"Because there's a large snake gate there..."

A group of children chattered about various reasons, and some even started arguing and quarreling, so much so that their shadows jumped around.

Outside the village, Lu Wujiu watched this scene with a smile on his lips.

He was wondering whether to establish a cross-border passage with Xiajiazhai as the core.

He was able to travel to and from the Central Plains through the Arhat mandala linked by the human skin book.

The Arhat Mandala also uses bone bowls as its entrance and exit.

Therefore, he had to find a place to put the bone bowl.

Although the quicksand sea is vast, placing bone bowls haphazardly is risky; even if something goes wrong, having someone guarding them provides some reassurance.

While he was pondering, his vital energy quietly ran out, and his figure flickered before completely evaporating in the sunlight.

The next moment, at the entrance of the Human Skin Book Altar, Lu Wujiu himself quietly opened his eyes, an uncontrollable joy appearing on his lips.

Indeed, one can reach the Central Plains by passing through the altar gate.

This means that the Five-Rank cultivation level will no longer be his limit, and the potential threats from the Flesh and Blood Guanyin and other altars will have the opportunity to be completely resolved.

He let out a long breath, sealed the West Altar Gate, and then his figure disappeared.

He needs to make some preparations before he can explore Middle-earth.

In particular, the Nine Paths must be unified as soon as possible to completely eliminate any worries about the future, so as to integrate resources and bring them under one's control.

(End of this chapter)