NOVPUB"How did you escape from the Red Dust Palace?" Monk Da Zhi asked with puzzlement.
"My mother sent me out," the woman replied.
"She wanted me to stay away from this place and live on my own.
But I hadn’t been away from the Red Dust Palace for long before these people caught me."
"Do you still know the way to the Red Dust Palace?" Xu Zimei inquired.
"I do," the woman nodded meekly and said.
"Then you should come with us," Monk Da Zhi said.
"After all, we saved you, so it could be seen as repaying a debt."
"Why are you going to the Red Dust Palace? My mother doesn’t want me to go back," the woman questioned.
"You just have to take us there, you don’t need to go inside," Xu Zimei responded.
"Alright then," the woman contemplated for a moment and then nodded her head.
"My name is Gu Yue," she said.
After exchanging names, they walked towards the south side of the village.
The south side of the village was close to a river, where several large sailing ships were docked.
However, because there were only three of them, Xu Zimei chose a small flat boat.
The three sat in the flat boat, propelling it with spiritual energy, heading towards the distant Endless Heaven Sea.
...…
The sea was murky, but this tributary was somewhat clear.
The water glimmered, and because of the ice and snow, a thin layer of ice covered the surface.
As the flat boat passed, the ice cracked and gradually melted into the water.
"Can you tell us about the situation inside the Red Dust Palace?" Xu Zimei asked.
"I’m not very clear on it myself," Gu Yue shook her head and said.
"Although I grew up in the Red Dust Palace, I’ve lived alone since childhood, unable to leave because of the seal."
"I see," Xu Zimei nodded slightly.
"I can only take you inside. My mother said it’s dangerous there, and she’s forbidden me from wandering around since I was young," Gu Yue explained.
"Monk, how much do you know about the Red Dust Palace?" Xu Zimei turned to Monk Da Zhi and inquired.
"The Red Dust Palace has Dust Envoys who are in charge of managing it. This is what my patriarch mentioned before," Monk Da Zhi answered.
"Beyond that, I don’t know much; I’ve never been there before."
As the three conversed, after more than three days of travel.
Under the guidance of Gu Yue, who helped them avoid many detours, they finally arrived in the Endless Heaven Sea.
Being one of the Ten Great Forbidden Lands, the Red Dust Palace was vast, covering nearly half of the Endless Heaven Sea.
No matter which continent one came from, in fact, it was possible to enter the Endless Heaven Sea.
Standing on the boundless sea, the cold wind howled, turning the entire sea’s surface a pure white.
"Let’s dive in," Gu Yue said.
Since the Red Dust Palace was in another world beneath the water, the three of them jumped straight off the flat boat.
The winter sea was particularly cold, bone-chillingly so, causing an involuntary shiver.
They continued to swim downwards, following the seawater.
Entering the Red Dust Palace required a formation, which was not uncommon and was widely known across the continent.
It’s just that no one wanted to come here because once inside, one could never leave again for the rest of their lives.
When the three reached the bottom of the Endless Heaven Sea, the sense of oppression was immense.
Those with lower cultivation might have their blood vessels burst directly under the pressure and die from their body exploding.
"Let’s look for the Red Dust Stone," Gu Yue said.
The three nodded and started searching for the Red Dust Stones at the sea bottom.
The formation needed to enter the Red Dust Palace must be constructed with Red Dust Stones.
The sea bed of the Endless Heaven Sea had sunk a great number of Red Dust Stones, all prepared for those who wished to enter this place.
After searching the sea floor for half the day, the three gathered hundreds of stones.
Surrounding Xu Zimei, spiritual energy surged, and with a wave of his hands, the Red Dust Stones began to orbit around him.
Xu Zimei had seen the formation of the Red Dust Palace in the Scripture Pavillion of the True Martial Holy Sect, so it wasn’t particularly difficult for him.
He formed seals with his right hand, and with each seal he made, a Red Dust Stone entered into the void.
After all the Red Dust Stones had disappeared into the void, Xu Zimei beckoned with both hands.
A vast radiance spread from around him.
The Red Dust Stones converged, linking into a formation.
"Do you want to go in?" Xu Zimei asked Gu Yue.
"Although my mother forbade me from entering again, I still want to see them," Gu Yue hesitated briefly before ultimately replying.
"Then let’s go in together," Xu Zimei said, stepping into the formation, the other two quickly followed.
...…
With a tidal wave of darkness engulfing the skies, Xu Zimei felt as if his body had been swallowed by some kind of suction force.
His whole body lacked the strength to resist.
After passing through layers of spatial walls, at some moment much later, the space in front of him seemed to return to tranquility.
Xu Zimei found himself within a city.
Around him were people like himself, one by one emerging from the Teleportation Array.
There were burly men, listless-eyed women, and swordsmen with their sleeves full of longswords.
...
Among the crowd, Xu Zimei saw Da Zhi and Gu Yue.
He waved to them, and they hurried over.
"So many people come to the Red Dust Palace, have all these people seen through the red dust?" Da Zhi wondered aloud in astonishment.
"Who knows," Xu Zimei said with a smile.
He observed the surroundings, not too large for a city; fewer than a hundred people came out of the array, and then the flow gradually slowed down.
Then two men in long red robes and masks approached the crowd.
"We are Dust Envoys, here to guide newcomers to the Red Dust Palace," said the Dust Envoy on the left.
"Follow us. There may be no rules in the Red Dust Palace, but there are some things we still need to explain to you."
The three followed the crowd, led by the two Dust Envoys to a spacious square.
"Find a place to sit," the two Dust Envoys commanded from the highest seats, addressing the few hundred people before them.
Once everyone settled down, the Dust Envoy began to speak.
Xu Zimei listened for a while and understood that no evil was allowed to occur here.
In the territory of the Red Dust Palace, greed, foolishness, lust, and wickedness were not permitted.
The people tended to be self-sufficient, leading independent lives.
After the Dust Envoy finished speaking, he waved his hand and said, "Now you are free to go.
Remember, do not violate what I have just mentioned, for the World-weary Divine Girl is watching over you."
After the Dust Envoy left, Da Zhi muttered, "Living like this, what’s the difference from being a living dead?"
"You don’t understand; some people like it this way, or else they wouldn’t come to the Red Dust Palace in a moment of madness," Xu Zimei chuckled.
"I’m a bit hungry," Gu Yue said, touching her stomach and speaking somewhat sheepishly.
"Then let’s find an inn," Xu Zimei suggested.
"There are no inns here. Since there are no monetary transactions, the people here live alone," Gu Yue reminded.
