Outside Of Time

After parting ways with the captain, he contemplated his next journey and decided to head directly to the Bitter Life Mountain Range as his destination.

He intended to find a place to settle down and study the curse while searching for a way to join the Moon Rebel Hall.

Today was his third day in the Green Hair Desert.

He had changed out of his Daoist robe and into local attire, wearing a close-fitting upper garment, baggy trousers, knee-high boots made of animal hide, and a large gray outer robe that enveloped his entire body, providing excellent protection for Ling'er as well.

The winds in this place had the same penetrating force even for cultivators. While relying on their cultivation could resist it for a short period, if they remained exposed to it for too long, it would inevitably deplete their strength.

This was because the spirit energy was thin and sparse in the desert.

At the same time, the winds here also carried a sense of desolation. Prolonged exposure to them would gradually dim one's vitality, leading to an aura of death until becoming like a skeleton.

Only some special creatures could thrive in this environment, adapting to it as if it were their natural habitat.

For example, when Xu Qing checked the direction, a green scorpion that was more than half the length of a person suddenly rushed out from the sand behind him.

Its speed was so fast that it instantly got close to Xu Qing. Its tail flickered with a cold light and was about to pierce him when the shadow under Xu Qing's feet rose, enveloping the scorpion.

The scorpion disappeared and the shadow quickly returned.

From the start to the end, Xu Qing didn't check at all. After entering this place, he encountered many similar ferocious beasts. Every one of them contained a curse in their bodies, and this made Xu Qing very happy.

Hence, he had long instructed the shadow to capture it alive in its body and leave it for later study.

Now that he had confirmed his location, Xu Qing kept the map jade slip and continued forward.

The information the captain had given him about the Moon Worship Region was only a part of it. When Xu Qing arrived this time, he had also invested some effort and resources to acquire more information about Qingsha County.

Hence, he was very clear about the legends here and the direction of the Bitter Life Mountain Range.

Another seven days passed as he moved forward. As he continued deeper, Xu Qing saw some bizarre entities in the green sandstorm.

It was a huge mushroom that was over 100 feet tall.

These mushrooms were like tall houses that stood tall in the desert. Their colors were bright and when seen from afar, one would instinctively yearn for them.

Xu Qing didn't get close. After his gaze swept over, he chose to avoid them.

He wasn't willing to come into contact with such unnecessary trouble. Other than the huge mushrooms, there would occasionally be some illusions in the desert.

It was formed by the wind and sand, transforming into men and women who laughed as they moved forward.

Their voices possessed soul-stirring power. Wherever they passed, a long trail would appear in the desert.

It was as though there were long insects swimming under the desert.

Other than that, there were also pillars that occasionally appeared in Xu Qing's sight.

These pillars were hung with weathered bones, as though they were warning him of something.

Xu Qing stared at these and continued forward. Several days later, he saw a group of colossal creatures with bells tied to them.

These creatures looked like rhinoceroses. Wherever they passed, the sound of bells would spread in all directions. Sitting on them were some tall and skinny nonhumans. Their bodies were also tightly wrapped, leaving only their white eyes which were observing everything in the surroundings.

After encountering Xu Qing, those colossal creatures paused. The nonhumans on them also had vigilant expressions.

Xu Qing cupped his fists and chose to retreat. After some thought, they nodded at Xu Qing and left, not provoking each other.

Just like that, time slowly passed. Soon, a month had passed.

The Bitter Life Mountain Range was in sight.

Under the dim, hazy sky, the world appeared obscure. The Bitter Life Mountains resembled a sword dragon lying within the desert, with numerous peaks rising and falling, spanning over 4,000 kilometers from west to east.