When they both reached their destination, the sun had almost disappeared beneath the land. According to the young outsider, they were deep into the Land of Exiles, located at the extreme south of the Western Desolate. As proof of this, Qin Yun could see a massive river, easily hundreds of miles wide, cutting through the land and flowing southwestward.

  On the other shore, Qin Yun saw the same verdure he had seen from further afar. Qin was amazed at the size of those trees. By approximating the distance, he calculated they stood a few miles tall, easily resembling small mountains as if they sought to pierce the Heavens.

  This isn’t what I was expecting when thinking of the Southern Desolate...

  Indeed, on the other shore was the southern part of the continent. As far as he knew, this massive river was but one of four, dissecting the realm into four equal parts. They all originated in the continent's centre, overflowing from the maelstrom at its core.

  It was the origin of the land's vitality, spewing endlessly alongside a massive amount of qi, which was then carried throughout the land through a massive network of rivers and earth veins, nourishing the land.

  However, the massive river standing before Qin Yun seemed stale and sickly. It had long been deprived of any qi, and even the earth veins surrounding it had already run dry. In fact, the river barely flowed forward, resembling a lake more than anything else. Yet, it was a lake devoid of any vitality.

  From what he could see, there were no signs of life to be found within. There were no fish or marine creatures, plants such as algae or seaweed, or microscopic life such as plankton or bacteria. In fact, the water seemed crystal clear if not for the slight grey hue, no doubt originating from the corruption spreading within this land.

  "Did the Exiles ever try reaching the other side?" Qin Yun asked, slightly intrigued. For people who had seen nothing but sand throughout their lives, he couldn't conceive they wouldn't have tried to reach a distant land filled with such verdure.

  "Many times," the man said solemnly. "They were met with failures after failures, death after death. They gave up hope long ago and accepted they will never reach it."

  “What happened?” Qin Yun frowned.

  The young man sighed, turning away from the body of water before walking toward a large rock formation in the distance. After one last look at the distant shore, Qin Yun followed him.

  “You saw the weather, right?” the young man said as Qin Yun nodded.

  "I have never seen such a clear day," he said. "The wind is as dead as can be, and there are no traces of any clouds for miles around."

  “Indeed. Every time they tried to cross this watery grave, they were assaulted by a sudden storm as soon as they reached the midpoint. The boats they created from bones and hides were smashed to pieces by the violent winds and the raging waves. They all drowned in the end. Their bodies now sleep at the river’s bottom. Can you even imagine their shock?” the man said as he turned to face Qin Yun. “We, the desert’s people, drowning to death. It felt like the world itself was mocking us.”

  Qin Yun remained silent, but inside, many thoughts were swirling. Sudden changes in weather weren't uncommon on the ocean, but this was no sea but a river—albeit a large one. This could have happened once, and Qin Yun wouldn't have thought much about it, but for it to happen every time, these people may be closer to the truth than they originally believed.

  I wouldn’t be surprised if the Heavenly Dao tried to keep them contained within the Western Desolate. However, there should be more to this...

  First, the river was already infected with corruption. If the world truly wished to limit its spread, then it had already failed in doing so. From what Qin Yun had read in the Qin Clan's library, many measures similar to the Great Barrier existed within each of the four realms, most likely to keep the corruption from spreading inland. This foreign entity's encroachment wasn't limited to the Western Desolate. Something similar should be happening within each of the four regions.

  Maybe the Heavenly Dao wished to prevent each strand from coming into contact with each other, thus making a united front against the world, piercing through its defence in one fell swoop. Its ultimate objective was undoubtedly the Well of Souls at the continent's centre. Once it did so, the world as they knew it would probably collapse.

  However, why would it take the risk? At the current rate, it's only a matter of time until the world exhausts all its resources. Against an enemy coming from outside this plane, there's just no way it can compete in a war of attrition. Unless...

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  A single notion appeared in Qin Yun's mind, but he almost dismissed it entirely for how preposterous it seemed. Yet, this was the only logical explanation for the way corruption behaved. Despite all its advantages in this conflict, time wasn't on its side. There were probably factors outside of this world to consider, such as an unknown entity currently battling it that it felt desperate enough to try and brute force its way through.

  The situation is much more complicated than I first thought. I really need to hurry and verify this hunch of mine...

  “Have they ever been contacted by what lay on the other side?” Qin Yun asked, but the man only shook his head.

  “Not that I know of," he said. "From what they told me, they tried many things, such as burning a few of the precious wood they could accumulate, using the rising smoke as a signal, but nothing. However, it's also possible they simply didn't want to tell me."

  The man shrugged, yet Qin Yun couldn’t help but frown.

  “Aren’t you supposed to have a good relationship with them?” he asked.

  “Ultimately, we belong to different tribes,” the man said nonchalantly. “Despite the ties that bound our two tribes, without Lady Nalia, it’s all pointless.”

  "Nalia? Is it because she is a seer? Is that position so valuable that it can influence an exiled tribe?"

  “It’s... complicated,” the young man sighed. “Lady Nalia is related to them.”

  "How is that possible?" Qin Yun asked, slightly shocked. "She told me her blood was tainted by the blood of the Mainland, which was why she was exiled to the Great Barrier. They even expected her to die for it.”

  “Yes... and no," the young man said, looking slightly conflicted. "These are just some rumours I heard from my clan's elders, but Lady Nalia's parentage is unorthodox. For example, did she tell you her father is the current High Chieftain of the Tribes, and her brother was the one to lead the assault on what you call the Great Barrier?"

  Qin Yun was surprised, but thinking back on it, it seemed to make sense. Someone possessing the power of a seer, able to peer through the veil and uncover mysteries that even the Heavenly Dao couldn't keep contained, simply wouldn't be born into an ordinary family.

  Stories of heroes who rose up from their peasant ancestry to rule over the world with their own strength and cunning, relying on their own potential, were merely that: stories. In the real world, those who possessed absolute power would crush these types of people early. They would never allow those who could threaten them to rise up. It would simply be foolish.

  As such, most of the power remained concentrated in a few families, and through different marriages, the power would be consolidated further, allowing the birth of extraordinary beings. There is an old saying common throughout the land: Power that relies on luck is not true power; only purpose enhances power. Old families never do anything at random.

  “What about her mother?” Qin Yun asked, now intrigued.

  “That’s the part many won’t talk about, but also the main reason used for Lady Nalia’s exile.”

  "Let me guess," Qin Yun interjected. "She originated from the exiles we are about to meet. Probably someone of great importance, enough so that went to great lengths to rid themselves of Nalia."

  With eyes slightly narrowed, the young man jerked his head to the side, his gaze searing a hole straight through Qin Yun, yet he only returned a smile.

  “How?” the young man muttered.

  “Mere reasoning,” Qin Yun shrugged. “Your words led the way to the answer. I merely reasoned my way through.”

  “I see...” he said, yet his tone made him look slightly unsure, but it only remained so for a brief moment. He soon returned to his usual expression. “You’re right. Lady Nalia’s mother was indeed from this tribe. She was the current chieftain’s daughter, to be exact.”

  “Was?” Qin Yun asked.

  "Indeed, she died a long time ago. Neither Nalia nor I had the opportunity to truly get to know her."

  Qin Yun frowned. He could feel the sadness in the young outsider's voice. However, it seemed not to be his own sadness but on behalf of someone, most likely Nalia herself. Still, there was one point Qin Yun couldn't make sense of.

  “If both of Nalia’s parent were members of the desert tribes, why did she say her blood was tainted? Was it because her mother was one of the exiles?”

  “It’s much simpler than that,” the man sighed. “You’ll see when we arrive. Speaking of which, you can see it from here.”

  The young man pointed toward a large rock formation sprouting from the desert sand. It was large, almost like a mountain, yet made completely from rocks. Not the slightest bit of vegetation was found upon its surface, nor even a single oasis within sight. And yet, Qin Yun could see some slight irregularity within the rock itself.

  One of its surfaces was a sheer cliff, rising hundreds of meters in the air. The cliff itself was far from smooth. There seemed to be countless grooves digging deep within, most likely carved by the wind as it hit the rock wall through an untold amount of time. There was no telling how long this rock mountain had stood against this erosion nor how tall it had been at the start. But now, everything was well-rounded, except for the few jagged rocks where they broke apart.

  However, something caught Qin Yun's attention. Hidden within the many crevasses, he could see many holes that differed from the rest. There were tool marks all around the opening, alluding to the fact that this was a man-made construct and not carved by the passage of time.

  “Is that where they live?” Qin Yun asked, feeling slightly cautious now they were nearing their destination.

  "One of their many outposts," the young man replied. "In this part of the desert, oases come and go with the seasons, so they must always remain on the search for water. They can never remain in the same place for too long. With any luck, they might still be here or not be too far away. Let's go."

  Although Qin Yun felt this to be too convoluted, he agreed that this place was inhospitable to human life. While a large river flowed but a few miles away, it wasn't safe for consumption—it was filled with the battling energies of the Heavenly Dao and corruption. Any organisms trying to quench their thirst with it would be torn apart by their raging antithetic energies. The only outcome would be death.

  "Alright, let's hope they're still here," Qin Yun said, yet his voice lacked the optimism it once did. Although this seemed necessary to gain some much-needed time before the outsider's subsequent attack on the fortress, he couldn't help but think he was just wasting time.

  “I really don’t want to have to chase them all over the place,” he muttered under his breath.