The sandstorm was still raging, but because of it part of the wind and sand were blocked, and the rocky, jagged Gobi also shielded against the blazing sun.
But even so, Huang Sand City still had to face the terrifying temperature difference of dozens of degrees between day and night.
Only compared to the scorching heat of the day, the night was indeed somewhat better, after all, cold could be alleviated by adding clothing.
Two Gobi people were wrapped tightly, using the light from lanterns to guide their way, heading toward the entrance of the Gobi.
The one leading was an old man, at his waist hanging a Taoist money sword, with a worn bagua ornament hanging on the scabbard.
The younger Gobi man was mainly responsible for carrying heavy things, on his shoulder a hemp sack filled entirely with corpses.
He kept mumbling fanatical and ignorant words, making the old man frown repeatedly, almost ready to scold him.
"Daoist Shashanzi, you said the sixth brother's youngest child had good fortune and didn't die, is it really true he might become an immortal?"
"Azhuo, if one person among a thousand can become immortal, that's already not bad. Don't go speculating about unclear, unexplainable matters."
Hearing this, Azhuo sighed, speaking in a low tone: "Even someone with talent as good as Liu Chuan died on the Immortal Road, better to be mediocre like me."
His expression was somewhat bleak, as if he felt envy toward the corpses that had failed to become immortals.
The accent of the two was almost no different from the residents of Heshan Town in Xiangxiang, showing they must have originally come from the same lineage.
Shashanzi was rather calm, reaching out to touch the dozen corpses inside the sack.
They arrived at the mass grave for piling corpses, skillfully taking up a stone-carved table at the side, preparing to hold a ritual.
Incense made from corpse oil was lit, appearing especially eerie in the gloomy cold of winter.
The two performed the complex ritual meticulously, very similar to Taoist ceremonies for delivering the dead, showing it had been passed down as a tradition.
Shashanzi's original name was Zhang Jun, because he was an officially appointed Taoist priest of Huang Sand City, so he had a Taoist title, although he was only a Taoist specializing in handling corpses.
He began loudly chanting:
"By decree of the Most High, redeem ye lonely souls, all ghosts and specters, all four lives receive grace.
Those with heads transcend, those without rise, killed by spear or knife, drowned or hung by rope.
Those who died in the open, those who died in the dark, those wronged unjustly, debtors and enemies, the ones demanding lives..."
Shashanzi did not at all notice a shadow writhing among the mass grave, quietly extending part of its body to peek out.
Ren Qing was only attached to the ghost shadow, unable to use the ability of the Twin Nightmare Ghosts, only able to observe with blurry vision.
He discovered that the so-called "Taoist" nearby had no aura of spell techniques at all, only chanting the Rebirth Mantra.
As for this Rebirth Mantra, Ren Qing had also seen it in the books of Wuwei Monastery, most likely passed down from ancient Taoism.
According to Heavenly Daozi's notes in the books, his explanation of the mantra's use was rather vague, perhaps not even as well understood as by the Gobi people.
Ren Qing hesitated slightly.
He was several dozen meters away from Shashanzi. If he rushed over, whether or not he was discovered was one thing, but most likely he would dissipate before lasting.
But if the Taoist did not return again soon, would it not be a missed opportunity?
At this moment, Azhuo picked up the sack and walked into the mass grave.
He looked at the hideous corpses one by one, plus the strange sounds carried by the blowing sand, his expression showed some fear.
Azhuo pulled out the corpses from the sack, carefully placing them in the mass grave: "After death may you as wished enter the Hall of Yama, when reincarnated do not be human again, may you early ascend the clouds and attain the Dao of immortals..."
The corpses were placed and arranged one after another, limbs overlapping, perhaps to keep them from being blown away by the sand.
He helped arrange the clothes and crown of the last small boy corpse, in his eyes faint envy flickering.
Azhuo muttered softly: "If only I were you. Father and Mother said it well, hearing the Dao in the morning, it would not matter to die in the evening..."
At this time, the corpse behind Azhuo suddenly twitched. He was so frightened he fell to the ground, legs weak, body trembling all over.
Ren Qing had made a sound at the side to distract, intending to attach to Azhuo's shadow, but suddenly discovered that several corpses in the sack seemed not completely dead.
The corpses were all in the form of children, their whole bodies thin and withered, but clearly still with some vitality, lips trembling endlessly.
Ren Qing hesitated a moment.
The purpose of the ghost shadow was to figure out the situation of the Gobi, so that when the main body crossed the sandstorm it could quickly obtain the Wine God Technique.
But if the ghost shadow hid inside a living person's shadow, its influence was very limited, and if it moved recklessly it might be noticed by cultivators, alerting them.
But these children were already near death, their three souls and seven spirits mostly scattered.
If the ghost shadow possessed the child's Niwan Palace, it would be more stable, even possibly controllable at night; only the risk was that in the daytime the child might suddenly die.
The sandboat's modification was nearing completion, Ren Qing would soon head to the Gobi, and in the short term he had to obtain some results.
If worst came to worst, he could leave the body.
Ren Qing gritted his teeth, the ghost shadow merged into the outermost corpse, which should be Liu Chuan that Azhuo had mentioned.
Liu Chuan's body was already near death, moisture gone, in the Niwan Palace the soul was only one soul and three spirits remaining.
Ren Qing chose to directly lodge in the Niwan Palace, forcibly replacing the soul with the ghost shadow.
Azhuo lying among the dead could not help but shout: "Daoist, there's a demon!"
Shashanzi frowned, but still forced himself to finish chanting the Rebirth Mantra, then respectfully bowed, before quickly walking toward Azhuo.
"Startled over nothing. At this rate you'll never become an official Taoist priest."
"There really is..."
Before Azhuo could finish, Ren Qing controlled the body to move slightly, instantly even Shashanzi could not help but show astonishment.
"Uh."
Ren Qing continued to make sounds to draw attention.
Shashanzi hesitated for a moment, then approached Liu Chuan's corpse, placing a hand on the neck, and really could sense a faint pulse beating.
The other children's bodies already had no reaction, only in the Niwan Palace a little life remained.
Seeing this, Azhuo asked: "What should we do, Daoist Shashanzi?"
Shashanzi hesitated, pulling out a water bag from his chest, pouring some at Ren Qing's mouth. The latter gulped it down greedily.
Ren Qing thus discovered the Gobi people's absorption of water was extremely exaggerated, not wasting a single drop, firmly locking it in the body.
As more water poured into the child's mouth, his skin also became plumper.
Shashanzi was very puzzled. How could anyone in such a state still survive? Normally, with water lost they would already have turned into a Ze Person.
Ren Qing continued pretending to be unconscious. The sky was already growing bright, daybreak near.
Shashanzi hesitated: "Take him back to the Daoist temple first. If we can find his parents, fine. If not, hand him over to the government. Perhaps he can resume the Immortal Road."
He lifted Ren Qing onto his back, hurrying toward Huang Sand City.
Azhuo quickly followed, and hearing about the Immortal Road, could not help but glance toward the Heavenly Ladder, yearning for something.
Ren Qing took the chance to narrow his eyes. This body's eyesight was much better than the ghost shadow's.
Nearby was yellow sand everywhere, occasionally desiccated corpses hanging on poles, showing not everyone qualified for the mass grave.
Shashanzi soon arrived at Huang Sand City. There were no city walls at all.
Outside the city were more than a dozen half-meter glass domes, inside each a thin Gobi person trapped, their expressions extremely despairing.
Ren Qing quickly realized.
The glass domes were clearly used to collect water. When sunlight shone on them, inside they became like greenhouses, heating up.
The moisture in the Gobi people's bodies would be distilled out.
Even in death, their most valuable resource had to be stripped away.
But seeing Azhuo's look of disdain, the ones inside the domes should be criminals.
Ren Qing did not know why children like Liu Chuan, who died on the path of ascension, had their bodies completely devoid of water.
The town itself was still lively, especially in the hour of transition between night and day.
Various stalls were lined along the street, the goods very crude. Aside from stone utensils, all was meat.
Ren Qing saw it was not human flesh, the meat was pale and fatty.
And among the residents of Huang Sand City, the proportion of Taoists was far too high, thirty to forty percent were Taoists, many familiar with Shashanzi.
Some carried palm-sized jars in their hands. These Taoists were most revered by the Gobi people, even Shashanzi would deliberately step aside.
Taoist decorations were everywhere in the streets.
Most striking was that Heavenly Ladder, where several Gobi were climbing upward, reinforcing the ladder with bones.
But Ren Qing noticed the ladder seemed already to have reached a certain height. The Gobi had begun to build platforms on it.
He was stunned. This distance really was not far from the Qingxu Temple in the clouds. Could it be they really could climb into it through the ladder?
What exactly did Shashanzi mean by immortality?
Ren Qing felt that even if he controlled this body, it might inexplicably die one day in daylight, better to risk a desperate move.
Shashanzi brought the two to a simple stone house, in the hall three stone statues of Taoist ancestors were enshrined with incense.
They were just about to rest a moment when Ren Qing feigned waking. To be safe, he split another wisp of ghost shadow, hiding it in the statues.
But controlling Liu Chuan required at least twenty to thirty percent of the ghost shadow, the remaining wisp could barely last long without dispersing.
By now the sun had risen, time was running short.
Shashanzi breathed a sigh of relief and asked: "Liu Chuan, are you alright?"
Ren Qing shook his head, eyes staring at the Taoist statues, strangely saying: "Shashanzi, I want to become an immortal."
Shashanzi's back went cold. How could a child speak with an adult's voice, and with eyes completely unreadable?
He forced down his doubts, thinking it was overthinking: "I had wanted to send you back to your parents, but since you insist..."
"Then I will ask you again."
"Becoming immortal through the Three Realms is no easy task. Just eating oneself is not something ordinary people can do. Are you sure you still want to become immortal?"
"Certain."
After Ren Qing finished, his expression went blank. Outside was already bright, without the ghost shadow's control, Liu Chuan became like a walking corpse.
Shashanzi stepped forward to check, his face instantly turning iron-blue.
Before his eyes, Liu Chuan had heartbeat and breath, but no reaction at all. In his understanding, this meant the soul had completely scattered.
Then who had just spoken with him?
Azhuo could not help but ask: "Daoist, when will we send Liu Chuan to the government?"
"Immediately."