Otherworldly Desert Dust

To see more clearly, Wu Hen intentionally walked into the stone valley.

There were indeed quite a few people gathered here. Judging by their behavior, they all seemed to be fellow villagers.

Each of them was confused and at a loss, with someone in the crowd constantly yelling. It was their first time coming to this otherworldly dimension, and their mental endurance was very poor.

"We want to go back, we want to go back!"

"Climb up the Soul Nesting Wood and enter the soul flower to go back!"

"Do you smell something strange?"

"Why care about that? I don’t want to stay in this ghostly place for even a minute."

"I’m a student, can I go first?"

A group of people rushed into the stone valley, scrambling to climb up the Soul Nesting Wood.

Yang Qin was also very anxious at this moment. If they didn’t occupy a spot soon, there wouldn’t be any seats left!

Wu Hen, however, wore a cold expression, his gaze fixed firmly on this unusual Soul Nesting Wood.

If observed carefully, one could still notice the difference. The roots of this Soul Nesting Wood were buried very deep, making it impossible to see what was beneath the soil.

Moreover, when someone entered the soul flower pod, the beautiful aurora that should have appeared did not appear. Instead, white worms seeped out from the branches, diving into the petals...

The problem was, the people inside the soul flower were asleep, so those white fungi worms could do anything to them, including drilling into their skulls!

"Can’t you see those white things?" Wu Hen asked.

"No, what are you talking about?" Yang Qin replied, looking confused.

As the soul flowers were occupied one by one, Yang Qin began to panic. The seats were really running out.

"I saw something strange. There’s something wrong with this Soul Nesting Wood," Wu Hen explained briefly to Yang Qin.

Yang Qin was even more puzzled. In her view, this Soul Nesting Wood looked no different from the ones they had seen in the flower valley.

Moreover, the people who entered the soul flower clearly returned home.

"If you insist on lying in there, I won’t stop you," Wu Hen advised with good intentions.

"I... I..." Yang Qin was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to trust her own eyes or this man’s words.

Honestly, Wu Hen felt very uneasy.

In other people’s eyes, this Soul Nesting Wood was pure and beautiful, like a holy tree. However, to Wu Hen, it was full of worms, decayed and horrifying. Lying on such a Soul Nesting Wood was no different from throwing oneself into a nest of venomous insects.

Su Li’s aunt had said, "Don’t just believe your eyes. Everything in the Desert Dust will deceive your senses!"

Yang Qin and those in the stone valley couldn’t see the white fungi worms at all. A significant reason Wu Hen could see them was that he had recently killed an Insect Eyes Half-man and absorbed some of its energy.

"Yaya-yi~~~~~~~"

Hearing the call of the green cicada, Wu Hen chose to turn around and meet up with Mingyi.

Yang Qin stood still, not knowing what to do.

"If I choose the Soul Nesting Wood now, I’ll temporarily return home, but once I wake up, it will be impossible to find a great brother like this again..." Finally, Yang Qin’s wisdom triumphed over temptation. She resolutely turned around to leave the stone valley as well.

Just as Yang Qin turned around, the bark on the trunk of the Soul Nesting Wood slowly opened. If examined closely, one could see that the bark patterns looked like an eye!!

When the bark opened, inside was a milky-white vertical pupil.

Yang Qin felt something watching her from behind. She turned around sharply, only to be terrified by what she saw!

Countless white fungi worms intertwined with each other, forming a milky-white spherical object, like a giant eye, staring at her menacingly!! n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Yang Qin suddenly remembered the handbook her teammates had mentioned earlier. If one encounters a Soul Nesting Wood, they must carefully distinguish...

Because in the otherworldly food chain, some plants also possess deceptive and predatory abilities!

"Wait for me, big brother, wait for me..."

Yang Qin, frightened, ran in the direction where Wu Hen had left.

Honestly, Yang Qin felt that if she had hesitated for another second, she might have been dragged into the stone valley by the Insect Eyes Wood!

Too terrifying...

Really too terrifying!

The humans walking in this otherworldly dimension had finally discovered that the Soul Nesting Wood could return them home and cleanse their souls. How could they have anticipated that there was something in the otherworldly dimension that looked almost identical to the Soul Nesting Wood?

Akin to a pitcher plant, it lured in unwary humans with its sweet nectar, preying on them like mosquitoes and ants!

...

She finally caught up with her brother.

The first thing Yang Qin did was find a bush to change her pants.

Wu Hen was speechless. She was so grown up, yet why did she keep having accidents?

Following the direction of the flying green cicada, Wu Hen reached a large rock.

The green cicada perched on a rock covered with strange flowers, seemingly waiting for Wu Hen to catch up.

Just as Wu Hen arrived, suddenly, a big crack opened in the middle of the rock, and a long tongue instantly wrapped around the green cicada, swallowing it into the rock’s stomach!

Yang Qin, who had just changed her pants, was almost scared to wet herself again.

She stood there trembling, her face pale.

Wu Hen couldn’t believe it either. A mechanical green cicada eaten by a rock!

Looking closer, Wu Hen realized it wasn’t a rock at all but a large toad with skin similar to mossy rock. It slowly opened its lantern-sized eyes, pupils rotating. It was unclear whether it could see the motionless Wu Hen and Yang Qin!!

"This creature, its strength is probably not inferior to that of a seasoned warrior!" Wu Hen took a deep breath, having a rough estimate of the creature’s capabilities.

If he could avoid it, all the better. If humans weren’t part of its diet, that would be perfect!

"Spit it out, you bastard!!"

Suddenly, a delicate yet angry voice echoed above the forest, followed by a graceful red figure swooping down!

Wu Hen focused his eyes, seeing only a pair of shiny legs under the sunlight, striking with a harsh wind and slamming heavily on the stone moss toad’s head!!

The stone moss toad flattened, its body deflating like a punctured balloon.

A large amount of gas spewed out, and after taking this kick, the toad turned into a round little boar, quickly rolling into the forest!

However, as it tried to roll away, the toad found itself blocked by a whirlwind that instantaneously appeared before it...

"Bam bam bam bam!!!!"

The graceful legs rained down on the toad’s belly like a storm, kicking it into the air without a chance to land!

"Spit it out!" the woman shouted angrily.

Finally, the stone moss toad realized it had met a formidable opponent and quickly spat out the mechanical green cicada from its stomach.

Seeing the green cicada covered in slime, the woman delivered a final kick, sending the disgusting toad flying out of sight!

Wu Hen stood still, legs feeling numb and brain in a daze.

Such an elegant, stunning, and curvaceous woman... so fierce, so likable!

"Miss Mingyi??" Wu Hen tried calling out tentatively.

The redbird-like beauty turned gracefully, spotting Wu Hen.

However, her eyes instantly showed a stern expression, her focus on Wu Hen’s half face covered in a white mask.

"Wu Hen, you’re indeed parasitized," Mingyi said, her posture upright and slender. She approached Wu Hen, her demeanor entirely different from what he had seen before, like a noble and cold war princess.

"You misunderstand, it’s just a decoration," Wu Hen realized immediately, taking off his stylish mask.

Seeing Wu Hen’s removable half-face, Mingyi’s eyes flashed with confusion. She couldn’t tell if Wu Hen was normal or parasitized by a Pupil Worm.

"Come here, let me see your eyes," Mingyi said, motioning Wu Hen to move closer.

As Wu Hen stepped forward, he noticed Mingyi’s unusual attire. Her entire body was covered in a red combat suit, with the sexy and flexible fit of leather, yet appearing as sturdy as titanium alloy metal. Wu Hen couldn’t tell if it was a light mecha or a hard fighting outfit.

"Take a good look while you can. If you’re truly parasitized, this might be the last time you can take it all in," Mingyi’s eyes sparkled like a silver moon, her beautiful smile blooming like a holy orchid.

Wu Hen awkwardly smiled, "So, are you here to eliminate me? Considering I told you I woke up in a Soul Nesting Wood?"

"There’s an order from above. Anyone parasitized by a Pupil Worm, including Spirit Awakeners, must be eliminated!" Mingyi said.

"Oh..." Wu Hen nodded, "I see. So, may we meet again in this Desert Dust in this manner."

"Come here!" Mingyi said somewhat angrily.

Wu Hen hesitated for a moment, then sighed and walked over to Mingyi.

Mingyi placed one hand on Wu Hen’s shoulder. Just as Wu Hen thought he was about to be subdued, she took out a small vial filled with a colorful liquid from her bosom and began pouring it into Wu Hen’s eyes.

"Don’t move. With the weakening of the Nuwa Divine Mother, there aren’t many genuine Soul Nesting Woods left. Most Soul Nesting Woods people encounter are fake. Your body has already been infiltrated by Pupil Worms, but they haven’t started acting yet!" Mingyi said as she cleansed Wu Hen’s eyes.

The Five-Colored Liquid flowed into Wu Hen’s eyes, and he felt no discomfort. He actually felt his eyes were cleaner and less tired than before.

"Hmm? You seem normal?" Mingyi was surprised. The Five-Colored Liquid had no reaction.

"Looks like I was lucky, encountering a genuine Soul Nesting Wood," Wu Hen chuckled.

"Oh, I violated team regulations to come here and even stole this precious Five-Colored Liquid from the captain!" Mingyi puffed her cheeks, mumbling like a little goldfish, "All worried for nothing!"