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The inn appeared suddenly and without warning.
Why was that strange?
Because the great desert stretched endlessly in every direction, no people, no shadows, not even a trace of life. How could anyone have built an inn in a place like this?
Still, it was the first building the three of them had seen in days.
They landed on the sand and approached the inn.
“Temple of Desolation.”
Though it was rely an inn, its na was imposing.
The na “Desolation” echoed faintly through the vast desert. The building itself was old, the wooden beams were decaying, and so had been hollowed out by insects.
Inside, a few simple tables and chairs were neatly arranged.
“Anyone here?” called out the Violet Mist Saint Sovereign.
The three entered. As they did, the curtain over the doorway was lifted, and an elderly woman, hunched and frail, shuffled out from within.
“Are you here to stay the night, or to eat?” she asked.
“We’d like a al, and we’d also like to ask for directions,” said the Violet Mist Saint Sovereign with a polite smile. “May I ask what this place is called?”
“Desolation,” the old woman replied.
“Desolation? I’ve never heard of such a place.” The Saint frowned slightly. “Do you know how far we are from the Lotus Pathway?”
“The Path lies within Desolation. A lotus from ten thousand years ago still blooms here.”
The old woman said softly, “You’ve already arrived.”
“Arrived?” The Saint laughed. “You must be joking, elder. There’s nothing here but sand.”
“What does the desert belong to?” asked the old woman.
All three hesitated. Only Xu Zimo answered calmly, “The desert belongs to fire.”
“This was once a vast oasis,” the old woman said. “Until one day, heavenly fire descended and burned the land bare. From then on, the people here either died or left, leaving behind only this one inn.”
“Then why didn’t you leave, elder?” the Saint asked.
“I grew attached to this place. I can’t bear to leave,” she said, shaking her head. “And besides, at my age, where else could I go?”
The three exchanged a look. They still had doubts, but her affairs were her own, it wasn’t their place to pry.
The Violet Mist Saint Sovereign asked again, “Then do you know how we might reach the Huo Heavenly Clan?”
“That, I do not know,” she said. “I’ve lived here all my life, never left this inn, and know nothing of the outside world.”
“In that case, elder, what food do you serve here? We’ll have whatever you recomnd,” the Saint said.
It was clear the old woman was an ordinary mortal. Not a hint of spirit energy flowed within her. Surviving here at all was already remarkable.
“Whatever you wish to eat, we can make it,” she said with a smile.
That confidence seed almost exaggerated.
“Then bring us three bottles of good wine, and whatever dishes you’re proudest of,” said the Saint, smiling.
“There is one thing I should remind you of,” the old woman said with a chuckle. “In this inn, als cost no money. You simply have to pass through a formation.”
“A formation?” The three of them looked intrigued.
“Yes. Whether or not you can pass it doesn’t matter,” she said. “You’ll still eat for free.”
“Interesting,” Xu Zimo said, nodding.
Hearing their agreent, the old woman called out, “Big Zhuang, we have guests! Make a few of your best dishes.”
“The inn has soone else?” the Violet Mist Saint Sovereign asked, surprised.
His divine sense had swept through earlier, and he hadn’t sensed another living presence.
“My useless son,” the old woman said with a smile.
Monts later, a tall, broad-shouldered middle-aged man erged, carrying a tray. On it were steaming dishes, fragrant and appetizing, enough to make anyone’s mouth water.
Beside the tables stood a cabinet filled with jars of wine. The old woman took three bottles and set them before the guests.
“Please, enjoy,” the man said courteously.
“Didn’t expect food this good in such a forsaken place,” the Saint said cheerfully, appetite stirred.
Xu Zimo took a sip of the wine. It had been aged for at least half a year, llow and rich, with a lingering fragrance.
“Good wine,” he said with a nod.
After finishing their al, a pleasure they hadn’t enjoyed in a long ti, they were satisfied. The simplest ingredients, yet sohow turned into sothing exquisite.
“Elder, where’s that formation you ntioned? I’d like to take a look,” Xu Zimo said with a faint smile.
“Follow ,” said the middle-aged man, who had remained silent until now.
They followed him deeper into the inn.
The mont they stepped inside, the Violet Mist Saint Sovereign froze in astonishnt.
“This… this is a pocket world?”
Because before them lay not sand, but clouds and sky, a vast land filled with ancient forests.
Gigantic, primordial beasts soared above them.
The trees here reached thousands of ters high, exuding the raw power of an untad era, as though this place had existed since the dawn of creation.
“What is this place?” the Saint asked quickly.
Xu Zimo closed his eyes briefly, sensing the energy around them before answering, “It’s a formation.”
“How can that be? How can a formation create an entire world from nothing?” the Saint said, still in disbelief.
“You’re right, young master,” said the middle-aged man calmly. “I spent ten thousand years constructing this formation. Even I no longer know how many formations lie hidden within it. Every tree, every blade of grass, every living creature, all of them are ford from the patterns of the formation.”
His voice was steady, his will unshakable.
To have built sothing so vast must have cost him unimaginable effort.
Even he did not know how many formations were interwoven here.
“What was your purpose in creating all this?” the Saint asked.
“I believe formations can give rise to all things,” the man replied. “So I wanted to see if I could create an entire world with them.”
“The limit of formations…” Xu Zimo murmured softly.
Then he asked, “What do you need us to do?”
“This isn’t a single formation,” the man said. “It can evolve into killing formations, trapping formations, illusions, even supportive formations. I’d like you to test it, to tell what flaws remain. Of course, if you find nothing, that’s fine too. This inn has stood for ten thousand years, and every traveler who’s co through has taken a turn in the formation. Don’t feel pressured.”
“Then we’ll try it,” Xu Zimo said with a nod.
The three stepped into the formation.
The instant their feet touched the air within, the world outside vanished completely.
The man activated the formation, and before their eyes, the illusion ca alive, a world that felt utterly real.
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