Desert Currents and the Legacy of the Wise

The desert night wind is like a knife, whipping my face with fine sand.

Li Xian walked in front, each step sinking up to his ankles, the orange-gold energy faintly flowing within the mark between his brows, like a candle flickering in the wind. Xiao Lingshan followed closely behind, the Green Wood Token hanging at her waist, occasionally emitting a green light—she was focusing all her efforts on sensing the almost nonexistent traces of life in the desert.

"Stop." She suddenly pressed her forehead, closed her eyes, and examined the area closely. "To the left front... about three miles away, there's a strange fluctuation of life. It's not plants, nor animals... it's like... the earth itself breathing?"

Peng Shitao's medicine box suddenly made a soft "click" sound. She hurriedly opened it and saw that the pair of small dolls—Musheng and Lingyu—were trembling slightly, and the orange-gold halo flowing on their bodies was three times brighter than usual.

"They're resonating..." Peng Shitao's eyes widened. "Something around them is attracting them!"

Binglan knelt on one knee, pressing her palm against the cold sand: "The tremors came from three directions, and the pursuers are flanking us in a fan shape. The nearest cavalry unit is less than two miles away."

"Sister Chunmeng's feint didn't hold everyone back." Xiao Lingshan wiped the sweat from her brow. "Eunuch Zhao has divided his forces."

"800 meters northeast, rock fissure." Superman hovered low in the air, his robotic arm projecting a 3D terrain map. "But there are regular energy readings there, suggesting possible man-made structure ruins. Risk level... cannot be assessed."

Li wiped the sand from his face and looked at the crowd. The pursuers were behind them, and the road ahead was unknown. But the energy readings of the ruins were stable and orderly, unlike a trap.

"Is the 'vitality' that Xiao Lingshan sensed located in the direction of the ruins?"

"Yes," Xiao Lingshan affirmed. "And that aura... was very gentle, even carrying a sense of compassion."

"Compassion?" Bingwei frowned. "How can inanimate objects have emotions?"

"It's not an inanimate object." Li shook his head, a analytical glint typical of a science student flashing in his eyes. "Energy fields can affect human perception. If the energy in the ruins is pure and powerful enough, it can indeed transmit fluctuations similar to 'emotions.' Just like how standing under a thousand-year-old tree, one feels a sense of peace."

He looked toward the ruins: "The pursuers have closed in, we don't have time to detour. The ruins could be a trap, but they could also be... a sleeping sanctuary. Let's take a gamble."

The entrance to the crevice was half-hidden by a weathered stone carving depicting a giant, scaled claw pressing down on the earth—the earth god totem "Earth Dragon Suppressing the Mountain." The five people bent down and crawled in. The passage was narrow, and every ten steps along the rock wall was a glowing yellow crystal, its light as soft as moonlight.

After walking more than thirty steps, a sudden enlightenment appeared.

This is a circular hall transformed from a natural stone cave, about five zhang high and more than ten zhang in diameter. In the center of the hall, on a three-foot-high stone platform, floats a huge yellow crystal—a regular icosahedron, each face of which is slowly rotating, with a liquid-like halo flowing inside, as if it were breathing with life.

Around the crystal, in each of the five directions, sat a skeleton. The skeletons remained in a meditative posture, their clothes long since weathered away, but their bones were as lustrous as jade, faintly glowing with a yellow light. Most breathtaking were the rock walls—covered with intricate star charts, energy flow diagrams, and countless fine ancient characters.

"Three hundred years..." an aged voice echoed from the depths of the hall, "Finally, someone has stepped into the eye of the ley lines."

An elderly man in a yellow robe emerged from the shadows, leaning on a wooden cane. His hair and beard were completely white, and his face was withered, but his eyes were as clear as a child's. He moved without making a sound, as if he were one with the earth. His gaze immediately fell on Li Xian's brow, and his pupils contracted slightly.

"The wisdom of the wise... and... the fluctuations of primordial essence?" His voice trembled. "Young man, where do you come from?"

Li Xian clasped his hands in greeting: "This junior, Li Xian, was forced into this place by pursuers. I hope you will forgive me, senior."

"Accidentally entered?" Huang Yan laughed, his laughter hoarse like the wind passing through sand dunes. "The ley lines have a spirit; they only let those who are meant to come. I am Huang Yan, the thirty-seventh generation guardian of the Desert Earth Sect. Sit down, children; I can 'hear' the stories of you."

He sat down on the ground, tapping the ground lightly with his wooden cane. The sand and stones beneath the five men automatically rose up, forming five flat stone mounds.

Huang Yan's gaze swept over the five people, finally settling on Li Xian's face: "There are two forces merging within you. One is the mark of 'wisdom' left by a sage, and the other... is more ancient and vast, like a 'guest' from the depths of the universe."

Li Xian was deeply shaken. He had never told anyone the whole story about Boltzmann's brain.

"Senior has insightful eyes." He took a deep breath. "This junior has indeed received some... inheritance from beyond the heavens."

Huang Yan nodded, not asking for details, but instead looking at the star map on the rock wall.

"Three hundred years ago, a 'star raft' crashed into Peach Blossom Village. Everyone thought it was the only fallen star, but that's not true." He said slowly, "With the star raft came two 'secondary ships.' One crashed into the deep ocean, and the other... landed right here in this desert."

Xiao Lingshan's eyes widened: "So this is...?"

"This is the site where the secondary ship crashed, and also one of the 'Three Powers Earth Vein Hubs' established by the sages." Huang Yan pointed to the suspended icosahedral crystal. "This object is called the 'Heart of the Earth Core,' the core of the secondary ship, and one of the three keys that regulate the balance of the continent's earth veins. The hub of Peach Blossom Village is dominated by 'Wood,' maintaining the cycle of life; the hub overseas is dominated by 'Water,' governing climate and ocean currents; and this place is dominated by 'Earth,' stabilizing the earth's veins."

He paused, a look of reminiscence in his eyes: "After the sage descended, he taught the theory of energy strings and laid down the 'Sky Net' in the sky—a network composed of countless energy nodes that could transmit information across thousands of miles in an instant. As a result, the continent ushered in a century of prosperity, and all sects, dynasties and families relied on the Sky Net for communication."

"And then what happened?" Peng Shitao asked.

"Later..." Huang Yan smiled bitterly, "The power of heaven and earth is beyond human comprehension. Three hundred and seventeen years ago, the celestial phenomena changed dramatically. An unprecedented black spot appeared on the surface of the sun, which continued to erupt for three whole months. Historical records describe it as 'Mars guarding the heart of the sun, and a red streak piercing the mid-sky.' When that solar geomagnetic storm swept in, the entire sky turned blood red."

He got up and walked to the rock wall, pointing to a star map area covered with cracks.

"The Skynet shattered during the geomagnetic storm. Countless energy nodes overloaded and exploded, falling like a meteor shower. The overseas water vein hubs were directly impacted and completely annihilated. The earth vein hubs here were also severely damaged, and only thanks to the sacrifices of generations of guardians that they were kept afloat."

Li Xian suddenly remembered something: "Senior, now that the Skynet is destroyed, are there any other means of long-distance communication?"

"Impossible." Huang Yan shook his head decisively. "Skynet is a creation from a bygone era; its principles have long been lost. What various forces use now are merely old methods like communication talismans and bird messages, which have limited range and are easily intercepted. Unless..."

He looked at Li Xian: "Unless someone finds the remnants of the Skynet and forcibly activates local nodes using evil magic! But that's playing with fire! The Skynet remnants are extremely unstable; once overloaded, the backlash could destroy a city!"

The cave was completely silent. Li Xian thought of the communication crystal from the Kingdom of Tushita and Origin Nobutsuna's words, "I want the complete living one," and a chill ran down his spine.

"They're chasing me... not just for my creation abilities," he murmured. "They want to use my energy to stabilize the activated Skynet nodes?"

"Very likely." Huang Yan's expression was grave. "If that's the case, the continent is in grave danger. A forcibly activated node is like a powder keg, and the primordial energy within you... is the best stabilizer and catalyst."

Huang Yan walked back to the heart of the Earth's core, gently stroking the surface of the crystal, his eyes filled with reluctance.

"This object is bound to the earth's veins and to my life. After I die, it will automatically disintegrate to prevent it from falling into the hands of villains. But the energy released when it disintegrates will be enough to destroy everything within a ten-mile radius."

He turned around, his gaze piercing: "Young man, now that the pursuers have come, we cannot let them leave alive. Otherwise, once the news of your possession of the Primordial Essence spreads, there will be nowhere for you to hide in the world."

"What are your plans, senior?"

Huang Yan waved his hand, and the sand in the center of the hall rose automatically, forming a detailed desert terrain model.

"Although the earth vein hub is damaged, it still retains its last function—'earth vein resonance'. I can burn my remaining lifespan to draw upon the earth's energy within a radius of fifty miles to create three 'quicksand killing arrays'."

He pointed to three glowing points on the sand table: "Here, here, and here—these are natural weak points in the desert's ley lines. With a little guidance, they can form vortexes of quicksand that devour everything. Your task is to lead the three groups of people to these three locations respectively."

Li Xian stared at the sand table, his mind racing.

"They won't easily divide their forces."

"So they need a reason." Huang Yan smiled, a smile brimming with wisdom. "Like... fragments of the Earth's core? Like... your internal strife and subsequent escape? Like... betrayal by some 'traitor'?"

His gaze fell on Bingwei.

Bingwei trembled all over.

"Young lady, you carry the aura of the Linghan Palace's Ice Soul Profound Technique, and a trace of... the chilling aura of the Demonic Sect," Huang Yan said slowly. "If you 'defect' and tell the Heart-Eating Ancestor that Li Xian is critically injured and dying, that his companions are fighting amongst themselves, and that the Earth's core is in some ruin... how much would he believe you?"

Bingwei's face was pale. She looked at Li Xian, then at the outside of the cave—there lay the past she wanted to escape, and the sense of belonging she had just found.

After a long while, she raised her head, her voice calm: "Is there anything you need me to do?"

The plan was finalized quickly.

Bingwei, carrying Li Xian's "personal jade pendant" and the forged "ruins map," went to the Heart-Eating Ancestor.

Li Xian was responsible for containing the main force, Qin Xiao, using the "Fragment of the Earth's Core" as bait.

Xiao Lingshan and Peng Shitao remained at the hub to assist Huang Yan in stabilizing the formation. Binglan provided mobile support.

Before leaving, Huang Yan took out a roll of ancient animal hide from his bosom and solemnly handed it to Li Xian.

"This is the core mental cultivation method of the Earth Sect, the 'Hou Tu Zai Wu Jue', as well as some string theory notes left by the sage. I observe that although the energy within your body is strong, it lacks order, like a river flowing without a dam."

Li Xian accepted it with both hands. The animal hide was warm to the touch, and it was covered with intricate diagrams of human meridians and countless formulas for the flow of energy, all drawn with some kind of luminescent pigment.

"The 'Hou Tu Zai Wu Jue' is not good at attacking, but excels at protecting, nurturing, and sensing the earth." Huang Yan instructed, "When you practice it to a deep level, you can feel the earth's pulse, borrow the earth's power, distinguish the authenticity of minerals, and detect vibrations thousands of miles away. You bear a heavy responsibility, so I hope you will make good use of this method and not fail the earth's great virtue."

He then looked at Xiao Lingshan: "Your Green Wood Token actually originates from the same source as the Earth's core. When I activate the grand formation later, you can try using the Green Wood Token as a bridge to connect with the core energy. This will be of great benefit to both you and the token."

Finally, his gaze swept over everyone, and his voice suddenly became ethereal:

"Children, a great battle is about to begin, and life and death are uncertain. I have only one last request—if we win this battle, please take the 'remains' of the Earth's core and find a deserted place to let it return to the earth naturally. This is the Guardian's... final mission."

The five bowed in unison: "We will remember this."

Huang Yan smiled, sat cross-legged back in front of the Earth's core, and formed a hand seal.

"Well then... let's begin."

The light from the Earth's core suddenly intensified, and the entire underground space began to tremble. The ancient patterns on the rock walls lit up one by one, and the final layout left by the sage three hundred years ago was reactivated at this moment.

(End of Chapter 51)