Chapter 1260: Bizarre

Han Wuxian stepped out of that bizarre, law‑chaotic canyon and once again bathed in the slightly thin yet "normal" worldly spiritual energy and sunlight. After nine years cut off from the world, struggling on the brink of life and death to comprehend the Dao, seeing the "heavenly sun" again made him feel as if he were in another age.

He still has that slender appearance, his aura restrained, his cultivation wave still seemingly suppressed around the Divine Transformation Stage, not much different from before entering Star‑Fall Valley. Yet a true great power, upon close inspection, would notice a subtle sense of harmony surrounding him, as if by standing there he were in a delicate balance with the ground beneath his feet, the breathing air, even the sky above. The golden seal on his forehead and the cold brand intertwine, no longer jarring, but seeming like part of his existence.

The most striking thing is his eyes—calm, deep, as if they could contain the birth and death of stars, the return of all things to the void. No longer a deliberate sharpness, but a natural expression after perceiving the essence.

He slightly adapts to the relatively "gentle" law environment of the outside world; his divine consciousness spreads outward like a silent fine rain, extremely hidden. It is not a broad scan, but a capture of information carried by the wind, listening to the earth's whispers, reading the "memory fragments" this land has left over nine years.

Information pours in.

He "hears" some scattered rumors about himself—mostly still at the stage of "the Dao‑master of the Return‑to‑Void bears the Heavenly Dao Forbidden Seal, barely surviving in Ten Thousand Souls Mountain Range", occasional mentions of those who moved in Star‑Fall Valley, often linked to mysterious ruins or natural disasters, not directly tied to him. This slightly reassures him; it seems that informed ones like Star‑Extending Sovereign have remained silent, and his previous golden cicada shedding plan also worked.

He also "sees" some changes. The ancient seal on the far northern ice plain seems to have been initially taken over by the Heavenly Craft Sect together with other forces, now in exploratory trials; the disturbances of the Eye of Return‑to‑Void in the South Sea are becoming more frequent, attracting more overseas cultivators; the former allied powers such as Flowing Cloud Alliance and Xun Wind Valley have stable territories, but appear to face new challenges and covert infiltration.

"Nine years… not little change." Han Wuxian knows this in his heart. The cultivation world never stops turning because anyone is absent. He, once a "storm‑making figure", after nearly twenty years of silence, has long been forgotten or regarded as a thing of the past by many.

And that is exactly what he needs now.

He has no intention of returning to Ten Thousand Souls Mountain Range. The target there is too great, and that phantom body likely cannot be sustained much longer. He needs a new starting point, a place where he can act low‑key, observe the situation, and gradually verify his newly realized path.

He recalled that when his divine consciousness swept, about tens of thousands of li to the northwest, he sensed a region called "Sinking Sand River". There the spiritual energy is relatively thin, the environment harsh, with flowing sand and poisonous miasma, a place of exile for low‑level cultivators and mortal realms, teeming with all sorts of people, information cut off, perfect for hiding his trail.

Decision made, Han Wuxian no longer lingers. His form shifts slightly, without employing any flashy evasion technique, merely merging into the wind, taking a step, and already dozens of li away; the speed seems unhurried yet carries a strange, as if space itself pushes him forward fluidly. This is a natural use after deeper understanding of spatial laws, consuming almost nothing and hard to notice.

Several days later, Sinking Sand River region.

Turbid river water drags massive yellow sand, roaring as it rushes toward an unknown distant. Both banks are barren gobi and occasional wind‑eroded, riddled earth forts. The air is filled with dust and a faint whiff of decay.

Han Wuxian assumes the guise of an ordinary‑faced, aura only at Foundation Establishment Stage gray‑robe wandering cultivator, pays a few low‑grade Spiritual Stones, and easily blends into a crude cultivator gathering called "Yellow Sand Assembly". Here dragons and snakes mingle, there are fugitives evading enemies, resource‑poor low‑level cultivators, and scouts from various factions, all bearing varying degrees of guard and numbness.

He rents the most inconspicuous stone house in a market corner, sets a simple concealment seal, and counts as temporarily settled.

He needs to precisely know, under the balance of the Heavenly Dao Forbidden Seal and the new brand, how much power he can safely mobilize, what level of methods he can employ. Each day in the stone house, using that strand of essential transforming Return‑to‑Void qi, he practices subtle decompositions: turning a stubborn stone into the purest sand grain; guiding a breeze to accelerate removal of air's impurity; even attempting the finest cycles of "Return‑to‑Void" and "Nourishment" on his almost imperceptible "vitality". Every practice he closely watches the forehead brand's response, constantly probing and memorizing that invisible "boundary".

Entering and exiting the market's taverns and tea stalls—places where low‑level information flows fastest—he contracts all aura, like the most ordinary listener, piecing together the world's changes from idle chatter, complaints, and even bragging of wandering cultivators and merchants.

He heard rumors that "Heavenly Craft Sect has harvested richly from ancient ruins", also that "a treasure has emerged in the South Sea, drawing great powers to fight", and even vague whispers of "the western extreme demon trace reappearing"… These pieces, though hard to verify, are enough to give him a rough outline of the current situation.

Sinking Sand River is not wholly dead silent; the law of the strong eating the weak also exists here. Some evil cultivators, sand bandits, or beasts corrupted by strange forces become Han Wuxian's best experimental subjects.

He does not act personally, but as a hidden observer behind the scenes. When an evil cultivator tries to plunder a passing caravan, he may induce a hint of Return‑to‑Void, silently dismantling the core of its artifact so it fails at the crucial moment; when a beast polluted by dead‑silence qi goes mad, he may guide its abnormal energy, accelerating its self‑collapse, causing a "natural" death.

These actions are extremely subtle, leaving no trace, yet perfectly embody his new concept of "guiding Return‑to‑Void, following the cycle". He can feel that each successful "guidance" deepens his understanding of the Return‑to‑Void path, and the forehead brand also seems… to tacitly approve this "order‑aligned" behavior.

One day, Han Wuxian was strolling through the market when he suddenly felt something, looked up toward the eastern horizon.

He saw a ragged bluish evasion light stumbling crookedly toward the Yellow Sand Assembly, followed closely by three black evasion lights bristling with murderous aura, clearly in pursuit.

The one being chased was a young female cultivator dressed in Qinglin County attire, cultivation only at early Golden Core stage, now pale, spirit power scattered. The pursuers were three cultivators in uniform black robes, faces grim, cultivation at mid‑Golden Core stage, ruthless, evidently disciples of some evil sect.

This scene is not uncommon in Sinking Sand River; most surrounding cultivators watch coldly, some even showing schadenfreude.

The female cultivator, seeing she would be caught, flashed a strand of desperation, crushed a rescue jade talisman, a faint light shot toward Yellow Sand Assembly, but received no response.

"Hmph, a mere Qinglin County scout dares to pry into my Black Sha Sect affairs? Submit yourself, I'll give you a pleasure!" the leading black‑robed cultivator sneered, a jet‑black claw shadow already leapt in mid‑air toward the girl's heart!

The girl had no escape, closed her eyes to await death.