Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

"I've heard that some things have happened in the Short-Lived Realm these past few days. Do any disciples of the Holy Sect know more about it?"

At this moment, the words kept echoing in Qian San's mind. In his memory, the one that caused the short-lived cholera epidemic was a willow tree.

Just as he was about to speak, he saw a white light flying towards him.

"Fellow Daoist! No, Senior, Senior! If you want this earth dragon, this humble brother..."

Although he couldn't discern any earth-shattering aura from that glimmer of white light, Qian San felt extremely uneasy. His intuition told him that if he made contact with it, he would most likely end up like Zhao Wu.

He dared not think about the scene of Zhao Wu's chest exploding, and only staggered backward, begging for mercy while looking for an opportunity to escape.

But how could he possibly escape? As Ye Xuan raised his finger, the white light suddenly accelerated.

Having personally experienced the white light entering his body, Qian San's mind went blank for a moment. He forgot what it felt like, but he clearly felt his consciousness becoming increasingly blurred.

A few breaths later, the spiritual energy in his dantian stirred, and then the immortal seed circulated throughout his body, absorbing all the body's energy before reaching his chest.

"puff."

With a muffled thud, foul-smelling blood splattered onto the barren yellow earth. Qian San's entire body fell backward, his chest exploded, and his flesh and blood nourished a sturdy willow sapling before he gradually lost his breath.

Ye Xuan walked to Qian San's side, bent down and took the storage bag and identity token from his waist.

It was exactly the same as Zhao Wu's, both being gray wooden plaques with the words "Holy Ancestor" engraved on the front and nothing on the back.

"Registered disciple".

As his fingertips brushed the edge of the token, he gained a general understanding of the Holy Sect's so-called advancement rules through fragments of their memories.

In Qian San and Zhao Wu's memories, the outer sect of the Holy Sect was a place with a strict hierarchy, fierce competition, and even disciples who would stop at nothing...

In contrast, Qian San's memory of the "changes in the short-lived world" was even more vague, and not much different from what Zhao Wu knew.

The Holy Sect obviously did not publicize this matter extensively, and only rumors circulated among the outer disciples that "a long-lived species is causing trouble in the lower realm" and "the lineage of immortals has been severed."

As for who exactly did it and how, the ordinary disciples had no idea.

"It seems that the Holy Sect has not yet confirmed my identity, or is unwilling to make it public."

Ye Xuan placed the two tokens side by side in his palm, a deeper plan forming in his mind.

However, at this moment, his attention was more focused on what Qian San had revealed—

Three relatively intact array flags, two thunder talismans with different functions, a protective shield, and a elixir that appears to temporarily enhance cultivation.

The array flags can be combined with one's own perception to continue hunting earth dragons in this wasteland. While items such as thunder talismans, protective shields, and elixirs are not very useful, they are still fine for occasional emergencies.

After storing all these items in his storage bag, Ye Xuan approached the earth dragon.

He lightly touched the dragon's head with his fingertip, probing its body with his senses. Sure enough, this dragon's cultivation was higher than the previous one, and deep within its skull was a golden crystal the size of a grain of rice.

Using his own spiritual power, he drew out the crystal, held it between his fingers, and examined it closely. He could clearly feel that it emanated extremely pure earth vein spiritual energy.

He put away the gold crystal and looked up at the end of the wasteland.

At this moment, the sky was dusky, the clouds hung low, and the air was filled with the dry smell of dust.

According to their memories, this wasteland was sparsely populated with spiritual energy and lacked resources. Only deep underground lay ancient earth veins, which occasionally gave birth to earth-elemental spirit beasts such as earth dragons.

The "natural disaster" that the two mentioned earlier actually refers to the sandstorms that occur in the wasteland every few days.

A celestial phenomenon that can erode spiritual power and wear down flesh and blood. Without specially made protective talismans from the sect or sufficient cultivation to resist it, Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot survive more than half an incense stick's time in a sandstorm.

"Talismans..."

Ye Xuan searched through their storage bags, but apart from the only remaining travel talisman, he found no other talismans.

That's true, after all, they were punished and sent to this wasteland, not specifically to hunt earth dragons.

Taking out the last remaining travel talisman, Ye Xuan placed the two corpses together before leaving.

Zhao Wu's chest was hollow; Liu Miao had drained his flesh and blood, leaving only a shriveled skin covering his skeleton. Qian San was slightly more "complete," as Liu Miao was still growing, and his face still retained the fear and resentment he felt before his death.

Ye Xuan stood still for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand and pressed down.

A surge of blue and white energy emanated from his palm, transforming into a soft halo that enveloped the two corpses. Within the halo, their physical bodies quietly vanished, leaving only their respective Taoist robes behind.

A willow branch brushes against one's body, leaving no trace of death.

After doing all this, Ye Xuan turned and looked southeast, "Holy Sect..."

Considering that he had only been in the Realm of Immortality for half a day, he had already encountered disciples of the Holy Sect one after another. They even knew a little about what was happening in the Realm of Short Life. What about the Holy Sect itself?

How much do those who truly determine the life and death of short-lived species really know about their own existence?

Ye Xuan's plan was to enter the so-called number one sect in the world of immortality, and before that, he naturally needed a legitimate identity.

He reached into his robes and took out Zhao Wu's token. Wisps of bluish-white energy swirled around his fingertips, slowly seeping into the wood, while his entire sensory power surged into it.

A moment later, the special patterns inside the token appeared before Ye Xuan's eyes. He channeled a wisp of spiritual power into it, and the bloodstains that had disappeared due to Zhao Wu's death began to reappear.

As Zhao Wu's spiritual power dripped in, a very faint blood-red halo immediately appeared on the surface of the token. Although it was not as vibrant as the original owner's, it was enough to fool ordinary inspections.

Ye Xuan tied the token to his waist and changed into a crimson and white Taoist robe that barely fit him, which was in Zhao Wu's storage bag.

After dressing properly, he slightly adjusted his posture, his bones making a soft cracking sound. His face gradually became leaner as his aura shifted, and a unique expression appeared between his brows...

At first glance, it bears a striking resemblance to the deceased Zhao San, with six or seven points of similarity!

Without lingering, he activated the travel talisman, and his entire figure instantly transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the southeast.

About an hour after Ye Xuan left, a strange wind suddenly swept through the depths of the wasteland.

At first, it was just a gentle breeze swirling sand, making a soft rustling sound as it swept across the mounds. But soon, the wind intensified, and a howling sound, like ghosts wailing and wolves howling, seemed to fill the air. The yellowish sand was swept up and soared into the sky, transforming into a massive sand pillar connecting heaven and earth, sweeping across the entire wasteland.

The sandstorm arrived as expected.

The raging sandstorm engulfed the mound, burying the already inconspicuous bloodstains as well...

After traveling through the night, the light from the travel talisman grew dimmer and dimmer, and Ye Xuan's figure finally fell into a dense forest.

The trees in this forest are quite peculiar; they have no branches or leaves, and their trunks are charred black as if struck by lightning, showing no signs of life.

In Zhao Wu's and the others' memories, this was called "Thunder Sandalwood," a type of wood specially cultivated by the Holy Emperor.

As dawn broke, the outline of a range of undulating mountains could be faintly seen on the horizon, and the outer gate of the Holy Sect was nestled among them.