Otherworldly Desert Dust

Chapter 327 - 282: Sabotaging One’s Own Execution Ground

The sky was gloomy, and the rain was soft.

Early in the morning, the people of Ya City had all risen early. The lengthy Ancient Stone Street was surprisingly filled with people in straw raincoats, their expressions a mix of helplessness and regret.

Within the prisoner’s cart, the Young City Lord, now hardly recognizable as human, was pushed by several Prison Officers towards the execution ground.

The execution site was right at the city gates, where jade merchants used to trade. Now, they stood on both sides of the road, silently watching the Young City Lord.

"In the end, it’s all because of these jades," someone muttered.

"Yes, possession is a crime. What heinous acts could such a young City Lord commit?"

"Even if he poisoned Jiang Jiutao, it was probably his last good deed for the people of this city."

No one threw rotten vegetables or spat; there were only long, drawn-out sighs.

A lifetime of good reputation, yet unable to escape the fate of death.

"Is it my imagination?" little Prison Guard Qing Lei rubbed his eyes, and upon looking at the Young City Lord again, noticed that his skinny arms and legs seemed to have grown a bit of flesh, no longer just skin and bones.

From skin and bones to a somewhat shriveled thin man, could such a change be so obvious after just one meal?

But when the Prison Guard’s gaze fell upon a scar-faced Martial Apprentice wielding a silver greatsword, all muscle and brawn, he felt indeed that he hadn’t fully awoken. The disparity in strength was not just by one level; after all, Martial Apprentices who cultivated True Qi could throw a punch with several times the force of an ordinary person.

A few servants from Jiang Mansion.

One executioner Martial Apprentice.

To kill a man incapable of fighting back did not require much fanfare.

Moreover, with Jiang Mansion’s plaque hanging on the execution grounds, no one dared to disrupt the proceedings.

The scar-faced executioner simply tied up the prisoner’s hands and feet, dragged him onto the small platform, then drew out his silver greatsword, tilting it towards the sky, the rainwater serving as old wine, soaking the blade!

"Do you have any regrets, such as disrespecting Jiang Mansion?" the scar-faced Martial Apprentice asked with a smile.

This question was obviously not for the soon-to-be-dead Young City Lord but for the living people of Ya City.

To disrespect Jiang Mansion meant this was your end, even if you were the steward of this city, you couldn’t escape a public beheading!

Wu Hen maintained steady breathing.

He felt the continuous drizzle, searching for the Spiritual Factors hidden between heaven and earth.

The meat had been consumed, and there were signs of vitality reviving in his body.

But to break through to a Second Rank Physique, he still lacked some Spiritual Energy.

On his way here, Wu Hen had been practicing the Gathering Spirit Breathing Technique. He had become quite proficient at it, able to collect the Spiritual Dew of heaven and earth even in a barren place like Red Port.

But soon Wu Hen realized something was amiss.

There was no spiritual charm in the air here!

Even poorer than Red Port, it didn’t even compare to his homeland??

That shouldn’t be. This world was abundant with Spirit Plants, mountains with spiritual charm could be seen everywhere, and there were vibrant rivers teeming with life. How could such a world apparently brimming with life be devoid of Spiritual Factors...

Generally, Spiritual Factors begin with the sun and the moon, which bestow their energy upon the mountains and the earth, and the mountains and earth in turn nourish all living beings. Those adept in Breathing Skills can not only absorb spiritual charm through consuming Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures but can also directly assimilate the essence of the sun, moon, and mountains through breathing exercises.

As a Taste Spiritual Awakener, Wu Hen theorized that he could nurture even the most decrepit host body into a thriving one.

At the very least, he could evolve a dying thin dog into a Second Rank Physique in a short time.

That’s why he asked the little Prison Guard to find him demon spirit meat filled with Spirit Power, so that once he left his cell, he could use the Gathering Spirit Breathing Method during the escort to the execution site to absorb the spiritual charm of the world and complete a Physique evolution.

But...

There was no spiritual charm between heaven and earth!

"What’s going on??"

"Even the True Martial Continent is part of the Cultivation Civilization; it’s impossible that there is no Spiritual Energy. Otherwise, how could the demon spirits cultivate, and how could these Martial Artists condense True Qi?"

"Uncle Li Zhongshan said that the myriad worlds cannot be detached from the essence of sun, moon, mountains, and rivers. The Breathing Method I practice theoretically should also work in the barren outer space, as even stellar bodies emit heat, and heat is a broader term for spiritual charm."

Simply put, the Natural Breathing Technique is like an advanced solar panel; as long as it’s exposed to cosmic brilliance, including starlight, it can absorb and convert it into energy.

Wu Hen had already mastered the effect of Gathering Spirit, which was akin to expanding all his pores - turning his solar panels into a several-kilometers-wide solar field, gathering light, absorbing, and converting...

This counted as a rather advanced evolutionary "function."

But there was no light!

The vast curtain of rain seemed like a blackout curtain, preventing the warm sunlight from reaching this world, and no matter how powerful Wu Hen’s solar absorption was, it was useless without light.

"Can it be that I won’t even survive my first day??"

Wu Hen couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. He thought he had garnered enough information from surfing the web, and with his intelligence and talent, he could have flourished despite a tragic start, but in the end, he couldn’t avoid the fate of ending up boxed and buried.

This True Martial World certainly had Heaven and Earth Laws that he was yet unaware of.

In the end, he had been careless and not cautious enough in his analysis.

"How come, you refuse to even express regret now?" the scar-faced martial apprentice sneered as he asked.

Wu Hen lifted his head, wanting to use Spiritual Vision to seek the sun and moon of this world, but the thick rain clouds obscured the stars, rendering the Gathering Spirit Breathing Method ineffective. He couldn’t evolve; he couldn’t break free from these shackles.

Raindrops pattered on Wu Hen’s forehead, washing his filthy cheeks clean.

Your journey continues on NovelBin.Côm

Suddenly, Wu Hen remembered something.

Rain!

This rain was different from what they had previously known. Wu Hen recalled that when he chatted with the kitchen chore-worker, the latter had shown great surprise when discussing the rain.

Could it be that the rain in the True Martial Continent was unusual?

Or perhaps...

"Could you let me stand in the rain a little longer?" Wu Hen asked the executioner.

"Of course, your time hasn’t come yet; I have the final say," the scar-faced martial apprentice said, smiling.

He was not in a hurry to chop off the head of this Young City Lord.

As a martial apprentice, he was at the very bottom of the martial artists, and occasions to showcase his might before all the citizens of the city were rare. Although the job was not very good, it came with prestige, which meant that people in this city would have to treat him with utmost respect. The longer he stood here, the deeper an impression his face would make on the city’s people.

One had to wield even the tiniest bit of power to its fullest extent.

Wu Hen immediately began gathering energy and focusing, like a seed in parched soil greedily absorbing the dew from heaven and earth.

The rain might just be the Spiritual Dew of this world.

Therefore, the Spiritual Factor was likely hidden within the rainwater.

Rainwater couldn’t be directly consumed, but Wu Hen began to absorb the spiritual charm from the raindrops. When he first made contact with the rain, he felt a sense of solidity, like interacting with grains.

But soon, Wu Hen discovered that once he stripped away the husk of these grains, what was inside was plump rice, filled with energy.

"They’re indeed hidden in the rain; these raindrops have a layer of the outer husk, enclosing the spiritual charm within, preventing it from dispersing into the air of this world. So the beings in this world do not practice the refinement of Spiritual Energy, but rather the absorption of spirit rain!"

Wu Hen realized all at once that the source of Spiritual Dew in this world was not the sun, nor the moon, nor the vast mountains and rivers but this relentless rain.

In an instant, Wu Hen felt enlightened, as all his body’s pores opened up due to absorbing the Spiritual Energy from the rain, causing his sinews, bones, and skin - like wilted vegetation - to rejuvenate, gaining both flexibility and vitality, and forming a strong root-like structure within!

The rain washed away the filth from Wu Hen’s skin, including the shedding of dead skin, and gradually new flesh began to show from underneath. His originally shriveled body slowly gained a bony, fleshy appearance, with joints and muscles showing a robust sense of power...

Wu Hen had become like a person who was severely dehydrated, and after absorbing the rainwater, his body swelled up, instantly regaining its liveliness.

Revival from deadwood!

Little Prison Guard Qing Lei watched this scene from a distance, in disbelief.

This time he did not rub his eyes because he was sure that the Young City Lord was undergoing a transformation!

"Creak, creak!"

The shackles that bound him started to make noises as his formerly stooped spine began to straighten bit by bit.

The scar-faced martial apprentice was still scanning the citizens of the city with an eye of pride, enjoying the sense of superiority he had worked hard for ten years to achieve.

Finally, the chore-workers beside him nudged him, hinting that something was amiss with the Young City Lord. Only then did he lower his gaze to see the prisoner, who had shed a thick layer of mud from his body, now looking robust and strong, realizing that the person’s realm might have broken through!

"Rebel, you’re seeking death!"

The scar-faced martial apprentice was furious. He gripped the handle of his sword with his other hand, exploding with brute force, as he furiously slashed at the death-row inmate!

"Boom!"

With a loud shout, Wu Hen shattered the shackles on his wrists and ankles, swiftly bent to the side, and evaded the silver greatsword that whizzed past his neck.

"You think you trash can kill me?"

Wu Hen casually drew an iron sword from the execution rack, and while his opponent was off-balance, he chopped it down onto the martial apprentice’s neck!

"Spurt!"

Blood gushed from the neck as the scar-faced martial apprentice’s head tumbled down.

That special scarred face rolled to the edge of the execution platform, facing the populace of Ya City with eyes wide open in shock!

His expectation had been met; everyone in the city would remember this moment, remember his face that could not close its eyes in death.

"I’ve already killed Jiang Jiutao; who are you to swagger before me?" Wu Hen huffed coldly, tossing aside the iron sword that hadn’t even been stained with a drop of blood onto the platform.

The people of Jiang Mansion had never taken a down-and-out Young City Lord seriously, even if the executioner was just a lowly martial apprentice.

They were also convinced that no one would dare to disrupt their family’s execution ground, but they hadn’t anticipated that a man condemned to death could revolt and seize his own execution ground.

"Young City Lord!"

The crowd also stood stunned, watching this unbelievable scene, uncertain whether to feel joy or worry.

Joyful because the kind-hearted Young City Lord had broken free of his shackles and survived.

Worried because the people of Jiang Mansion would not let this go.

"I will return, everyone take care," Wu Hen, following the customary practice of the Young City Lord, bowed to the citizens of the city, then turned and fled, swiftly heading towards Monkey Town.