Chapter 164

Before leaving, Lu Fang paid a visit to his third senior brother Wang Fu, instructing him to keep a close eye on the Wenguan Marquis's mansion during his absence.

After arranging everything, he officially joined the ceremonial procession and arrived near the Qintian Court of the Zhou Imperial Palace.

As a special envoy of Zhou, there were many personnel for protocol and protection—initial estimates put the total at over three hundred.

Lu Fang wore his court robes and entered an ancient teleportation array with the ceremonial team, the largest array he had ever seen.

Such arrays generally exist only at borders or special locations.

The Zhou royal family held Luo Sha in high regard, hence they had specifically installed this teleportation array within the palace.

The teleportation array activated.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Fang appeared on a stretch of scorched earth, where the distant horizon glowed crimson—not from sunset, but because the sky itself was red, staining the land with the same hue.

This color made him instinctively expect extreme heat, yet surprisingly, it was not hot at all.

Instead, under a gentle breeze, it felt as cool as standing by the sea.

Due to Luo Sha's unique location, Zhou's teleportation array could only deposit travelers at a distance, in this scorched earth region.

Once leaving this place and traveling a short distance further, one would reach Luo Sha.

This region had day and night, but due to its position, nights lasted exceptionally long while days were comparatively short.

The daytime landscape was monotonous: aside from the sky's peculiar crimson hue, everything else looked identical.

But the night was dazzling.

At night, the sky over the scorched earth resembled a mysterious, shifting curtain—moments ago filled with stars, the next instant transformed into aurora-like streaks of color, precisely what the Chancellor had described.

And if you were lucky, you could glimpse tiny alternate worlds—their shapes, their colors, faintly visible.

"What a wondrous place."

Lu Fang sat in his sedan, lifted the curtain, and looked up at the sky, his eyes filled with astonishment—he had anticipated its uniqueness, but had underestimated its beauty.

Pure awe.

Utterly beautiful.

It seemed not of this world at all.

"It changed again!"

As Lu Fang marveled, in the blink of an eye, the brilliant aurora above turned into a meteor shower—unlike the fleeting streaks of his past life, these meteors appeared in vast sheets, raining down across the entire night sky.

Like endless fireworks, never ceasing to bloom.

"What a miraculous place."

He uttered his admiration sincerely.

At that moment, the procession suddenly halted. A armored general on a Wuguang beast rode up to his sedan—this Wuguang beast was not real, but conjured from righteous qi.

Not very practical, but extremely imposing.

It also signaled great strength.

Lu Fang recognized this general—Yue You, a Super-Ninth-Rank War-Confucian, responsible for the entire journey.

Lu Fang needed to do nothing; Yue You had arranged everything. In their conversations, Lu Fang clearly sensed Yue You's exceptional intellect.

Though Yue You appeared only in his forties, he had earned great military merit resisting barbarians in the northern frontier and risen to the rank of Supreme General.

Even after leaving the Zhenbei Army and returning to the capital, the Son of Heaven had preserved his title of Supreme General—a mark of profound favor.

"What's going on, General Yue? Why has the procession stopped?"

Lu Fang asked, puzzled.

Every member of the ceremonial team had been meticulously selected; several days of night travel posed no issue.

He had previously discussed the itinerary with Yue You, expecting continuous travel.

This sudden halt was clearly unusual.

Yue You noticed Lu Fang's concern and quickly reassured him: "Marquis Wenguan, no need to worry. Our scouts sent a transmission talisman—they detected movement ahead. We wait for further reconnaissance."

Lu Fang frowned, hesitating: "Isn't this region only home to Luo Sha? Could Luo Sha pose a threat to us?"

He had once heard the Chancellor mention that due to its unique location, this place carried some danger.

But when he had asked for details, the Chancellor had changed the subject, and he had forgotten to press further.

Yue You smiled: "Marquis Wenguan, you overthink. We're very close to Luo Sha—no one dares provoke trouble here, especially not when they see the Zhou banners. Even if someone harbors ill intent, they'd flee as far as possible."

"So there truly is danger here. I'm curious—where does it come from?" Lu Fang pressed.

Yue You sighed: "The scorched earth region is vast—far larger than imagined. The area directly controlled by Luo Sha is extremely limited, compounded by local history and customs."

"There are many factions opposing Luo Sha here, though all are tiny and insignificant."

"Beyond factions, there are also heinous outlaws—rejected and wanted by Luo Sha—dangerous ghost cultivators and Luo Sha demons."

"Oh." Lu Fang raised an eyebrow slightly.

He had never heard this before—this place was more complex than he'd imagined.

Yue You smiled broadly: "It's said that deep within the scorched earth lie mysterious places connected to various small upper realms—places brimming with peril and opportunity alike."

"This has drawn countless foreign races to the scorched earth, seeking breakthroughs."

"Undoubtedly, the depths of the scorched earth are filled with unknown dangers and human conflicts."

"Anyone who survives deep in the scorched earth—whether foreign race or human—is a ruthless force. One must remain vigilant upon encountering them."

"But we need not fear such a force as ours. Minor factions dare not offend Zhou. Even the King of Luo Sha will treat us with courtesy. As long as we avoid the scorched earth's depths, we'll encounter little danger."

After hearing Yue You's explanation, Lu Fang gained a general understanding of Luo Sha, its surrounding factions, and the region's geography.

"General Yue, you mentioned many foreign races enter the scorched earth's depths—how do they get in? Isn't this a special place?"