The endless yellow sand stretched into the distance without end. There was no sign of human habitation!
Broken walls and ancient cities of the past had worn away the totem murals, leaving only a monotonous yellow that spoke of the vicissitudes of a thousand years.
A few withered poplars twisted and stretched their withered bodies. Their withered branches pointed at the transparent blue sky, like hands struggling to break free from the sea of sand, only to be buried by the yellow sand in the end.
Li Qingshan stood at the top of a sand dune and saw everything. "This is the Mirage Sea!"
"It should just be an illusion," Little Ann said.
The sound of the wind carried their voices into the distance.
Li Qingshan crouched down and grabbed a handful of sand. The grains of sand flowed between his fingers. Not a single grain could be seen as fake. There was even a voice telling him from the bottom of his heart that all of this was real.
Under the guidance of the Banyan Tree King's sea map, they found the legendary Mirage Sea without much effort. Although he knew that the Mirage Sea was not simple after Little Ann's warning and might even contain great danger, he still chose to enter the Mirage Sea due to his trust in the Banyan Tree King and the Spirit Turtle's divination. There was no danger to his life here, so he still chose to enter the Mirage Sea.
"As expected of the Clam King of Mirage Sea. This illusion is flawless. However, while it's strange for a sea of sand to appear in the sea, it's not imaginative at all!" Li Qingshan smiled and revealed his pure white fangs.
"But if we can't break the illusion, how can we find the Clam King of Mirage Sea?" Little Ann said.
"Watch me." Li Qingshan said loudly, "Clam King of Mirage Sea, this one is Li Qingshan. I have come to the Mirage Sea to pay a visit under the guidance of the Banyan Tree King. Please show yourself. This is a visitation card!"
The sound wave spread into the distance like a tiger's roar and created ripples on the sea of sand.
However, there was no response. There was only the sound of the wind.
"Hm!"
Li Qingshan could not help but be surprised. He reached into his sumeru ring, but the visitation card that the Banyan Tree King had written for him was nowhere to be found. How was this possible? The sumeru ring was equivalent to an independent space. Was the Clam King of Mirage Sea really this powerful?
"Qingshan!" Little Ann pulled Li Qingshan's sleeves and pointed to the distant sky. At the end of the sea of sand, there was a tall building that connected the sky and the earth. It looked a little vague in the heat waves.
"Let's go and take a look!" Li Qingshan could not understand how he had lost the visiting card, so he decided not to think too much about it. Since the Clam King of Mirage Sea had already responded, everything would naturally become clear once they met and talked.
She didn't use her phoenix wings and flew side by side with Little Ann. They flew very low, and the airwaves they set off plowed a long gully in the sea of sand, forming waves of sand. Under the illumination of the sun, they flashed with a golden light, extremely magnificent.
Li Qingshan made a great vow to travel thousands of mountains and rivers and enjoy all the beautiful scenery in the world. Even though he knew that this sea of sand was an illusion, it was enough for him to enjoy. He looked at Little Ann beside him. Her skin was like jade, and her clothes were whiter than snow. Her black hair fluttered in the wind like a long ribbon. Her black and white were distinct, and there was only a slight smile on her red lips. She was so beautiful that she seemed like the spirit of the world, or even some kind of spirit that had gathered together.
Perhaps it was the effect of this wondrous illusion, but Li Qingshan felt like this was the first time he had seen her like this. He also felt like he had been attached to her for a thousand years. His eyes involuntarily gathered on those red lips, and for a moment, he was mesmerized. He almost wanted to kiss them, but he suddenly shook his head and threw this strange thought out of his mind.
Little Ann only focused on him, so peaceful that it was like she was breathing.
Li Qingshan suddenly smiled, and a child's heart stirred. He flew away from Little Ann and circled around the sea of sand. He used the airwaves to write two large, crooked words: Little Ann.
Little Ann also smiled, and flew up to write the three words "Li Qingshan", but it was graceful and neat.
Li Qingshan was not convinced, and wrote the two words "Nine Heavens". Finally, it was a lot more square, and he could not help but laugh out loud. His hearty laughter shook the sand dunes below, and a stretch of gold flowed down.
Little Ann also laughed, and her laughter was like silver bells, ethereal and dreamy.
They continued forward, and the wind and sand behind them gradually buried the words they had written, leaving no trace.
They flew and played all the way, but the "Mirage" in the distance — this was the name he had given to the tower — was even further away than he had imagined. It only became a little bigger after flying for a long time.
Li Qingshan also stopped playing and stared at the Mirage in the sky. The scope of the Mirage Sea could not be so large. It seemed like it was just as Little Ann said, this trip was not so simple. He hoped that it was just a test!
Little Ann still did not change her expression, and looked at his back as if she was breathing heavily.
Then, they sped up and flew straight toward the Mirage. Suddenly, Li Qingshan's heart skipped a beat. A yellow line rose from the horizon, covering the Mirage that connected the sky and the earth behind it. The yellow line gradually became smaller.
"It's a sandstorm!"
If it was just a natural sandstorm, Li Qingshan naturally would not care, but this was the Clam King of Mirage Sea's illusion. This sandstorm was definitely not so simple.
Not only did the sandstorm cover the sky and the earth, it was also endless.
"Let's go down and hide for a while. I don't believe that it can blow us away!"
Li Qingshan said, and brought Little Ann to the ground, under a stone pillar that was almost drowned in yellow sand. This place was also in ruins, but the only thing that could protrude out of the sea of sand was this enormous stone pillar. There were some incomprehensible words and blurry images carved on it, but they all felt vaguely familiar.
Li Qingshan looked closely. No! He did not know whether to laugh or cry. The words were English, which he had learned in his previous life, and the images were mathematical numbers! What? However, these things did not exist in this world. Could this illusion actually reflect one's thoughts?
There was no time to think carefully. The whistling grew louder and louder, as if there was a huge mouth that connected the sky and earth blowing. In the blink of an eye, the sandstorm swallowed them, and the sky darkened.
Li Qingshan discovered that his choice of hiding behind the stone pillar was the correct one. The intensity of the sandstorm actually made even his mind waver. He pulled Xiao An into his arms instinctively, but as he gazed into the distance, he was actually unable to see what was happening thirty meters away.
He sighed inside. If this kind of power remained in the sky, they would definitely be blown away. The stone pillar carved on it was like a rock, allowing the sandstorm to attack it.
"I wonder when it will pass," Li Qingshan said to Little Ann who was as light as a feather in his arms, and hugged her even tighter.
Little Ann said something, but her voice was swallowed by the wind.
"What did you say?" Li Qingshan asked telepathically. Before Little Ann could answer, he suddenly heard a bull's moo. It passed through the sandstorm clearly. The sound was so familiar and intimate, as if it was ringing in his heart.
Li Qingshan stood up and looked over. In the dark sandstorm, the blurry silhouette of an old bull was looking back at him.
Li Qingshan's eyes widened. He clearly saw a broken horn on the bull's head. Although he could not see it clearly, he was sure that it was green. He could not help but be shocked. This was the greatest secret hidden in his heart. It was even greater than his transmigration and reincarnation.
Reincarnation and the memories of one's past life were nothing in the World of the Nine States. However, the existence of the green ox far surpassed this world. It was an existence above the Six Paths of Reincarnation and above the Nine Heavens.
Xiao An, who was beside him, seemed to have seen nothing and leaned quietly in his arms.
Was this also an illusion created by the Clam King of Mirage Sea? But it was too real!
The ordinary Oxen gave off an indescribable presence. The sandstorm and even the entire Mirage Sea seemed to distort as if it could not hold on.
"Wait for me!"
Li Qingshan said before rushing towards the black ox. Even if it was a hallucination, he wanted to see the big brother who had given him everything and parted with him for a very long time again!
Little Ann reached out to grab the hem of his clothes, but it slipped out of her hands powerlessly. She watched as his figure disappeared into the sandstorm.
The sandstorm was stronger than Li Qingshan had expected. Even with his strength and cultivation, it was difficult for him to move. The enormous force pressed down on him, forcing him to bend his body and walk towards Oxen.
Oxen waved its tail and turned to walk into the sandstorm with its usual calm attitude.
Li Qingshan's call was blown away by the sandstorm. His heart skipped a beat, and he looked back. The sandstorm obscured his vision. He was unable to see the stone pillar and Xiao An in the sea of sand. Suddenly, he felt rather lost, but he had no time to think too much about it. He chased after the black ox as hard as he could.
The world was dusky yellow. Only that figure was clear. It was leading him into the unknown.
But no matter how Li Qingshan chased, that figure was so far away. It gradually moved further and further away until it completely disappeared into the sandstorm. A bull's moo came from the distance.
"So it was just an illusion?" Li Qingshan panted as he knelt on the sand. He suddenly opened his arms and shouted at the sky with the loudest voice he could muster, "I will go! Above the Nine Heavens, I will definitely go! "
The sandstorm gradually subsided. Li Qingshan found the stone pillar. It had almost been submerged by the sand. The words and diagrams on it had all been worn away by the sandstorm.
Below the stone pillar, there was nothing!
"There … seems to be something here …" Li Qingshan had a puzzled look. He reached out and touched the stone pillar.
The stone pillar shattered silently. It turned into dust that was finer than sand and drifted away with the wind like smoke.
Li Qingshan stood on the sand dune for a long time. He looked around. There was only a sea of sand and he was alone. He felt a slight pain in his heart. His eyes were a little moist. He shook his head hard and looked at the mirage in the sky.
He still remembered. "I have to go there to find the Sea Serpent King!"
With an inexplicable reluctance, he continued to move forward. He always wanted to look back, but he hated looking back the most. He gritted his teeth and strode forward. Soon, the sand dune was left behind, and it was no different from the thousands of other sand dunes.
The wind blew gently. Li Qingshan's face was gloomy. He kept moving forward toward the mirage. The scenery on the road became more and more monotonous. There were no ancient ruins or ancient poplars. There were only sand dunes, like waves on the sea of sand.
The sandstorm became denser and denser. He could only give up on flying and walk on the sea of sand. After walking for who knew how many days, or how many years, the sun always hung high above his head. It shone down scorching light, making him feel anxious.
Even with the Divine Earth Power, he felt tired. A layer of dust fell on his body. But he couldn't stop. The mirage was still there, getting closer and closer.
Finally, after another sandstorm, Li Qingshan looked around. There was only an endless sea of sand. He stared at the sky.
"There … should be something there?"
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