Chapter 534: Sea of Sand

"That is true. The Northern Frost Immortal Domain is indeed becoming increasingly unsettled these days." Han Li said, following the palace-robed female cultivator's lead.

"I dare to ask, what business does our honored guest have in Yuanhuang City?" the female cultivator inquired.

"To be honest, I intend to go to the Wildlands and plan to leave the city tomorrow." Han Li thought for a moment before replying.

"Leave the city? Are you traveling with companions?" the palace-robed woman asked, seeming somewhat surprised as she stopped walking.

"No, I prefer to travel alone." Han Li shook his head.

"Forgive my impertinence, and I mean no offense, but with your cultivation level, venturing out alone would be like offering yourself to tigers and wolves." The palace-robed woman gave a slight bow.

"What do you mean by that? Is there great danger outside the city?" Han Li asked, puzzled.

"You may not know, but beyond Yuanhuang City lies a vast sea of sand spanning millions of miles, filled with bottomless quicksand pits. Not even desert beasts from elsewhere can stand there. Only by taking the large ferry within the city can one reach the Wildlands continent on the other side." the palace-robed woman explained.

"If land travel is impossible, cultivators can fly over. Is there danger in the air as well?" Han Li asked, his expression unchanged.

He had not seen the perils of the sand sea firsthand and did not take them too seriously.

"Not even True Immortals, let alone Golden Immortals, would dare fly recklessly into that sand sea. Since the last war, few fierce beasts appear near Yuanhuang City, but powerful Wildlands creatures often roam the sand sea. Once targeted, even late-stage True Immortals often meet a miserable end." the palace-robed woman continued.

Hearing her tone, Han Li knew she was not exaggerating, and his brow furrowed slightly.

"Moreover, even if one avoids beast attacks, there are mirages and illusions. If lost, the lucky might wander for centuries and return to Yuanhuang City; the unlucky might..." She trailed off, but her meaning was clear.

"Where does one board this ferry you speak of?" Han Li asked after a moment's thought.

"The beacon battlements on the west gate serve as the ferry dock. However, the ferry only runs twice a year. You are fortunate; the next departure is in half a month." the palace-robed woman replied after a pause.

"One more thing: if cultivators are easily attacked in the sand sea, wouldn't a ferry full of cultivators attract even more beasts?" Han Li asked, puzzled.

"You may not know, but these sand sea ferries are built by the city lord's mansion. They are said to have special mechanisms that hide the entire ship's aura, preventing Wildlands creatures from detecting it." the woman answered.

"So taking the ferry guarantees safe passage to the other side?" Han Li raised an eyebrow.

"You jest. Nothing is guaranteed. In fact, eight years ago, an accident occurred: a true spirit beast ambushed the ferry, sinking it in the sand sea with heavy casualties." the woman said with a bitter smile.

"If the ferry can hide its aura, how was it ambushed?" Han Li asked, surprised.

As they spoke, they rounded a nine-dragon screen wall and entered the rear courtyard.

"It is said that a True Immortal-level hunter had killed a nest of young nine-eyed salamanders in a previous hunt, enraging the adult nine-eyed salamander, which tracked the hunter's blood aura from the nest, leading to the disaster." the palace-robed woman continued, pushing aside a branch from an ancient tree.

"Hunters—those who hunt beasts in the Wildlands?" Han Li asked.

"Yes and no. Hunting Wildlands beasts is part of their work, but not all. They also gather exotic plants and mine spirit ores and gems." the woman continued.

"Over the long years, countless cultivators must have entered the Wildlands. Are there any maps of the Wildlands, even incomplete ones?" Han Li stopped and asked.

"None. If you visit shops these days, beware: every vendor selling Wildlands maps is a fraud." The palace-robed woman also stopped and shook her head.

"Why is that?" Han Li asked, puzzled.

"Countless cultivators have entered the Wildlands, but their range is limited. Those who truly venture deep and return alive are almost all Golden Immortals or above. Legend says only Taiyi or greater powers can cross the Wildlands to reach the neighboring Black Mountain Immortal Domain. Such people are rare, and how many would draw maps?" the woman said with a smile.

"True. That explains why no genuine maps circulate." Han Li nodded and continued walking.

"You must be drawn to the Wildlands to come to Yuanhuang City. You can explore the already charted areas and perhaps gain some fortune." The palace-robed woman smiled gracefully.

The chat made the journey seem short, and soon they arrived at a courtyard in the second-class district.

Han Li glanced around and saw a three-sided courtyard with a main house and two side rooms, enclosing a small garden planted with colorful flowers and young immortal herbs.

The palace-robed woman took out a green jade plaque inscribed with the words "Listening Rain Pavilion" and waved it in the air.

The restriction array covering the courtyard immediately opened, and a fragrant breeze wafted out from within. Two graceful figures in maid's attire fluttered out and bowed to Han Li and the others.

"These maids are all Core Formation female cultivators, pure in body. If the honored guest takes a liking to them and bestows some fortune, tonight will be their lucky chance on the path of immortality. If not, they can simply brew tea, sweep, and handle miscellaneous chores." The palace-robed female cultivator presented the jade token and spoke.

"No need. I am used to being alone and require no attendants." Han Li took the jade token and said indifferently.

Upon hearing this, the two maids, whose beauty was no less than the palace-robed cultivator's, showed a trace of disappointment in their eyes but dared not say anything.

"Then they are not fated. The honored guest may rest for a while; the banquet will be delivered shortly." The palace-robed female cultivator's expression remained unchanged as she smiled.

"Much obliged." Han Li said, tossing a brocade pouch.

The palace-robed female cultivator caught it smoothly, concealed her hand in her sleeve to check, and immediately changed expression slightly. Surprised and delighted, she said with some trepidation, "The honored guest is so generous, I feel quite embarrassed. How about I change you to a first-class guest courtyard?"

"No need. This place is fine. You may all withdraw." Han Li waved his hand casually and turned to enter the courtyard.

The palace-robed female cultivator was stunned for a moment, then a smile curled at the corner of her mouth. She took out a top-grade spirit stone with extremely dense spiritual energy from the pouch, examined it carefully, glanced at the two maids, and sighed, "Your fortune is still insufficient."

The two maids were naturally deeply regretful, their expressions mournful.

……

The next day, Han Li rose early and left the Misty Garden.

After resting for a night, the Golden Child was full of energy. Following behind Han Li, he ran a few laps on the street, already holding a large handful of various delicacies.

"Uncle, are we leaving now?" The Golden Child bit into a meat bun and said reluctantly.

"Not yet." Han Li replied noncommittally and walked toward the west city gate, soon arriving at the west gate ferry.

"Uncle, what are we doing here?" The Golden Child tilted his head and asked.

"Wait for me here a moment." Han Li said to the Golden Child, then walked toward a nearby black building. He came out shortly, holding a black spirit talisman engraved with a large ship pattern.

"What's this..." The Golden Child grabbed the talisman and asked curiously.

"A ferry ticket."

Han Li then briefly explained the ferry matter to the Golden Child.

"Uncle, not to brag, but with our strength, why bother taking a ferry? Flying straight over would be faster, wouldn't it?" The Golden Child curled his lips and said dismissively.

"We are new to the Barbarian Wilderness Domain. It's better to be cautious. Besides, since there is a ferry to cross this sand sea, why not take it?" Han Li said with a faint smile.

The Golden Child tilted his head and thought for a moment, then quickly shook his head, no longer dwelling on it, and lowered his head to enjoy the food in his hands.

Han Li put away the ticket and headed toward the bustling commercial district in the city.

Although he now had a variety of pills and items, most were plundered from the storage devices of Gongshu Jiu and others, and might not be useful to him. Since crossing the Barbarian Wilderness Domain was fraught with danger, he needed to make further preparations.

Moreover, this place was near the Barbarian Wilderness Domain, and the city surely had many materials unique to that domain, worth a visit.

However, Yuanhuang City was vast, and many areas were restricted by arrays, making it impossible to probe with divine sense. Blindly wandering would take a lot of time.

Thinking this, Han Li entered a nearby general store that seemed of considerable size, bought a book introducing Yuanhuang City, and quickly flipped through it, gaining a rough understanding of the city's layout.

After putting away the book, he continued forward and soon arrived at a quite prosperous area in the inner city.

This place was completely different from elsewhere—it was a huge white jade square.

Centered on the white jade square, nearly a hundred wide streets radiated outward in all directions.

Above the square, a white palace hovered, entirely white as jade.

Countless fist-sized white runes spiraled and danced around the entire palace, emitting white light that enveloped the white jade square and all surrounding street areas.

This place was called Tongtian Street, the largest trading district in Yuanhuang City, bustling with streams of people, a lively scene indeed.