Chapter 2565: Chapter 2565: A Ruse

The True Gods barely cared about any disputes among the numerous ordinary people. In the divine land, those True Gods who had proven a Godly Way all focused their attention on figuring out a way to enter a Floating Island in hopes of finding better resources.

Likewise, the warriors in the Source World focused on crossing the Sea of Truth after they reached the consummation of True God Realm. Their objective was to reach the Other Shore Realm at the earliest.

However, there was one difference between the Source World and the divine land.

The inhabitants of the divine land were permitted to only live on the outskirts of the divine cities within it, which prohibited them from forming large forces.

The number of divine citizens in the Source World was much larger compared to that of the divine land itself. The divine citizens even went ahead and formed different countries within it. Of course, thirst for power and inheritance of thrones in those countries caused many disputes among people. Wars and fights broke out in hopes of overthrowing each other and taking control.

The Sand Country was just one of the many countries in the Source World.

After all, the divine citizens were not mere mortals. Even though they hadn't entered the Soul Sea Realm, they were not much weaker than the warriors at the Soul Sea Realm in terms of physical strength and endurance.

Half a day later, Maggie had led Zen to travel over a hundred miles.

As she led him, she kept using her protective flute to clear away their path in the raging sandstorm. She even constantly switched their routes.

Noticing Maggie's strange moves, Zen's face revealed a trace of suspicion. He began to suspect her motives. 'Why does she keep changing her direction?' He put his guard up and followed her with caution.

Zen carefully scanned his surroundings. The desert was dull and desolate, and there was almost no scenery which would serve as a landmark. The dunes would change their position every time the wind blew. There was no way to tell where they were.

Although she could use the flute to break through space, how did she know where she was going?

His suspicions grew with every step she took. He kept a careful watch on her.

Zen quickly spread out his spiritual sense secretly and began memorizing the surrounding area of dunes into his mind. He ran his eyes over the place and paid attention to every detail around him. With his present memory, he could remember every significant detail and store it in his mind.

Two hours later, Zen's gaze fell on a dune not far away, and a strange light flashed in the depth of his eyes.

'There are seven dunes. Although the location of them has changed a little, I am sure I have been here before!' Zen thought to himself.

Despite his doubts, Zen remained calm and followed Maggie. He kept a close watch on her and the guards behind them.

The guards looked grim. One of them had a scar across his face. He walked behind the group and kept looking around; it looked as though he was on guard against something.

Another two hours passed, Zen noticed the same seven dunes they encountered earlier. However, this time they had moved for some distance.

At this moment, Zen was almost sure this woman named Maggie was intentionally leading him around in circles.

He wondered what she was trying to do.

Suspicious as he was, he chose to remain calm and silent.

Maggie put her flute down and smiled gently at Zen. “We should be able to find the Sand Country before it gets dark. Then we'll trouble you to help us,” she said softly. A tantalizing smile appeared on her face under the veil. R̃ἁ₦ȰβЕŝ

Anyone who saw that smile would be attracted to her, and Zen was no exception.

However, after realizing she had been leading him in circles, he became vigilant. He even started doubting the pitiful story she told him earlier.

An hour later, not too far away Zen noticed a pale yellow city wall appear in the rolling sand. There stood a large city before him.

The seven dunes stood on one side of the Sand Country.

Zen blinked his eyes several times in disbelief. 'Is that the Sand Country? How did it pop out of nowhere?' he thought to himself.

This time, Maggie smiled faintly at Zen. “Mr. Luo, please come with me to the Sand Country and help me kill the king. If I get back the throne, I will reward you profusely in the Sand Country.”

“Understood.” Zen nodded, agreeing to her wish.

He continued to follow her, in hopes of finding out what she was up to.

The group slowly walked towards the gate of the city. Zen looked at Maggie and asked as he walked, “Since the king of the Sand Country usurped the throne, why didn't he send some people to guard the city? It seems that there is no one guarding the city wall.”

After thinking for a while, Maggie frowned slightly under the veil. She sighed and continued, “All the members of our royal family have been slaughtered. He must be thinking a young girl like me is unlikely to cause any trouble, so there is no need to send any people to guard against us.”

“But I didn't see any other citizens in the Sand Country. Isn't that strange?” Zen asked again.

“The wind and sand are notably strong today, so the citizens might be staying at home. You will see them when you enter the country,” Maggie replied.

As they were talking, Maggie had led Zen into the city.

Just as Maggie had said, Zen saw several citizens walking on the wide streets of the Sand Country.

However, something about the citizens did not sit right with Zen. They were walking strangely. It looked as though they were dragging themselves forward.

He looked closely at them, and his eyes flickered with a green light. With the help of his magic vision, their true identity was laid bare to him. They were not people; they were statues made out of sand!

“Mr. Luo, please follow me to the imperial palace,” urged Maggie. She sounded anxious.

However, Zen remained calm and unbothered by it. He asked indifferently, “There are so many citizens in such a big country. What do they live on?”

Divine citizens were not warriors. If they hadn't stepped into the Soul Sea Realm, they wouldn't be able to live without eating food. Therefore, they needed to grow food and raise animals to survive.

They could not have survived on nothing but sand in the large Sand Country.

“They...”

Zen threw many questions at Maggie along the way. He noticed her taking her time before she could reply to each of them.

However, this time she struggled to give a reasonable answer.

Zen then smiled and looked at her. “Or, there is no one in the Sand Country, right?”

The expressions of Maggie and the guards suddenly changed. She composed herself and answered in an attempt to throw Zen off, “Mr. Luo, are you kidding? How could there be no one in such a big sand city? I...”

Now that Zen was sure she was leading him to an ambush, he let out a cold snort and lightly stomped on the ground with his tiptoe. A terrifying force then spread out and poured down to the ground.

The sand on the ground began to spread like ripples under the surging power. It was like the sand around them had turned into waves.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh...

The ripples spreading around Zen formed a strong momentum that could topple mountains and overturn the seas. The rows of houses in the dust and sand began to topple down, and the citizens turned into piles of yellow sand. Zen stood flaunting his strength to the guards and Maggie.

The overwhelming demonstration of Zen's power caused Maggie and the guards to retreat out of fear. She shouted as she ran, “Mist Summoning Spirit! I have brought you a person! Please show yourself!”

“Hoo, hoo, Hoo...”

At this moment, the wind was so fierce that the seven dunes standing outside the city seemed to have grown hands and legs. They quickly spread to Zen's side.

As they advanced, the yellow sand on the surface dropped grain by grain and revealed the strong green vines underneath. At the top of each vine, a giant mouth with sharp teeth appeared. Their shapes were strange and they looked grotesque.

“Is it a plant... Or a beast?”

Zen stared at it in confusion. He had a hint of disappointment on his face.

Everything he witnessed in the desert was a ruse. The only thing real was Maggie and the guards, who were divine citizens. They had worked so hard to fool him into coming here, and it was all for this so-called Mist Summoning Spirit.