"As you say, it is indeed true that the Northern Cold Immortal Territory is becoming increasingly restless." Han Li said with a normal expression, following the female cultivator disguised as the Palace Lord's words.

"This concubine dares to ask, what brings the esteemed guest to this Yuanhuang City?" the female cultivator asked.

"To be honest, I wish to go to the Desolate Wilderness Realm, and I plan to leave the city tomorrow," Han Li said after considering it.

"Leave the city? Are you traveling with companions?" The Palace Lord's female cultivator seemed somewhat surprised and stopped walking, asking.

"I have no companions, I am accustomed to traveling alone," Han Li shook his head and said.

"Please forgive my bluntness, and I have no intention of offending you, but... with your cultivation level, if you were to leave the city alone, it would be no different than offering yourself to tigers and wolves," the Palace Lord's female cultivator said with a slight bow.

"What do you mean by that, madam? Is there some great danger outside the city?" Han Li asked, puzzled.

"Esteemed guest, you may not know that outside Yuanhuang City lies a vast sand sea stretching for millions of miles, filled with bottomless quicksand pits. Not only can pedestrians not pass through it, but even desert beasts born elsewhere cannot gain a foothold here. Only by taking the large ferryboats within the city can one reach the desolate wilderness continent on the other side," the Palace Lord's female cultivator explained.

"Since land routes are impassable, cultivators can fly over it. Is there some danger in the air?" Han Li asked without any change in his expression.

He had not seen the danger of this sand sea with his own eyes, so he did not take it too seriously in his heart.

"Even Golden Immortal cultivators probably wouldn't dare to be so bold as to rashly fly into that sand sea area. We are close to the Desolate Wilderness Realm here, and Yuanhuang City has rarely seen fierce beasts since the last war, but powerful desolate wilderness creatures often roam in that sand sea. Once targeted by them, even late-stage True Immortal cultivators often meet a tragic end," the Palace Lord's female cultivator continued.

Hearing her tone, Han Li knew that she was not exaggerating, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"In addition to that, even if you are lucky enough not to encounter beast attacks, there are many mirages and sand sea illusions waiting for you. If you get lost in them, if you're lucky, you might have a chance to return to Yuanhuang City after wandering around for hundreds of years. If you're unlucky, I'm afraid..." the female cultivator said, hesitating, but her meaning was already very clear.

"Where does one board the ferryboat you mentioned?" Han Li asked after pondering for a moment.

"The beacon tower on the west gate is the ferry terminal, but these ferryboats only run twice a year. You're lucky to have arrived just in time, there's still half a month until the next ferry departs," the Palace Lord's female cultivator answered after thinking for a moment.

"I still have one thing I don't understand. Cultivators entering the sand sea are easily attacked, wouldn't a ferryboat full of cultivators be even more likely to attract fierce beasts?" Han Li asked with some doubt.

"Esteemed guest, you may not know that these sand sea ferryboats are made by the City Lord's Mansion. It is said that they have special mechanisms that outsiders cannot know, which can conceal the aura of the entire boat, making it impossible for desolate wilderness creatures to detect it," the female cultivator answered.

"In that case, taking this ferryboat would be foolproof and allow one to reach the other shore?" Han Li raised his eyebrows slightly and said.

"Esteemed guest, you jest. There is no such thing as foolproof. In fact, eight years ago, the ferryboat had an accident. It was ambushed by a True Spirit beast, the boat sank in the sand sea, and there were heavy casualties," the female cultivator said with a wry smile.

"Since the ferryboat can hide its aura, why was it ambushed by a fierce beast?" Han Li asked, somewhat surprised.

As they spoke, the two bypassed a Nine Dragon Shadow Wall and arrived at the back courtyard.

"It is said that there was a True Immortal Realm Desolate Hunter cultivator on board who, during a previous Desolate Hunting operation, killed a nest of juvenile Nine-Eyed Dragonflies, angering the True Immortal level Nine-Eyed Dragonfly who was out at the time. It smelled the cultivator's bloodline aura from the bloodstains in the nest, which is why the subsequent disaster occurred," the Palace Lord's female cultivator pushed aside a branch from an ancient tree and walked past, continuing to speak.

"Desolate Hunter cultivators, referring to cultivators who enter the Desolate Wilderness Realm to hunt exotic beasts, right?" Han Li said with an "oh" and asked again.

"Yes, and no. Hunting desolate wilderness beasts is indeed part of the Desolate Hunter cultivator's goal, but it is not all. Collecting strange flowers and herbs growing in the Desolate Wilderness Realm, and mining some spiritual minerals and gems are also among their purposes," the Palace Lord's female cultivator continued.

"In that case, countless cultivators must have entered the Desolate Wilderness Realm over these long years. I wonder if any maps of the Desolate Wilderness Realm have been circulated, even if they are incomplete," Han Li stopped and asked.

"No. If you go to the shops these days, esteemed guest, you must be careful. Ten out of ten of those guys who peddle maps of the Desolate Wilderness Realm are swindlers," the Palace Lord's female cultivator also stopped, shook her head, and said.

"Why is that?" Han Li asked, puzzled.

"Over the years, countless cultivators have indeed entered the Desolate Wilderness Realm, but their range of activities is very limited. Almost all those who dare to venture deep into the Desolate Wilderness Realm and are able to return alive are high-level Immortals above the Golden Immortal Realm. And legend has it that those who can cross the Desolate Wilderness Realm and reach the neighboring Black Mountain Immortal Territory can only be Great Powers above the Grand Unity Realm. How few are such people? And how many of them would draw maps and circulate them?" The Palace Lord's female cultivator smiled and said.

"True, if you put it that way, then it's indeed unlikely that real maps would be circulated," Han Li continued walking and nodded.

"Esteemed guest, you must also yearn for the Desolate Wilderness Realm, which is why you came to this Yuanhuang City, right? At that time, you can explore the already explored areas a little, and you will surely have some good fortune and gains," the Palace Lord's female cultivator smiled charmingly and said.

This leisurely chat made the journey seem short, and the two soon arrived in front of a courtyard in the Grade B Garden.

Han Li glanced over and found that the courtyard was in a three-sided layout. In addition to the main house, there were two side rooms on the left and right, with a small garden in between, planted with some brightly colored, recently grown immortal herbs.

The Palace Lord's female cultivator took out a cyan jade pendant with the three characters "Listening Rain Pavilion" written on it and waved it in the air.

The layer of restriction formation covering the courtyard immediately opened, and a fragrant breeze drifted out from the courtyard. Two graceful figures dressed in maidservant attire emerged from within and bowed to Han Li and the Palace Lord's female cultivator.

"These little maids are all female cultivators in the Core Formation stage, and they are pure. If the esteemed guest takes a fancy to them, bestowing some good fortune would be a stroke of luck for their immortal path. If you don't take a fancy to them, then let them brew tea and sweep the floor, doing some chores," the Palace Lord's female cultivator offered the jade pendant and said.

"No need, I am used to being alone and need no service," Han Li said lightly as he took the jade pendant.

Upon hearing this, both maids, whose appearances were excellent and no less than the Palace Lord's female cultivator, faintly flashed a hint of disappointment in their eyes, but they did not dare to say anything more.

"Then they are not fortunate enough. Esteemed guest, please rest for a moment, the banquet will be sent over soon," the Palace Lord's female cultivator said with a smile, her expression unchanged.

"Thank you for your trouble," Han Li said, raising his hand and tossing over a brocade pouch.

The Palace Lord's female cultivator caught it smoothly. She secretly examined it in her sleeve, and her expression changed slightly. Surprised and delighted, she said somewhat fearfully, "Esteemed guest, you are too generous, it makes this concubine blush with shame. How about changing you to a Grade A Garden courtyard?"

"No need, this place is quite good. You may all leave," Han Li waved his hand casually, turned, and entered the courtyard gate.

The Palace Lord's female cultivator was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. She took out a top-grade spirit stone, extremely rich in spiritual energy, from the pouch and examined it carefully for a moment. She glanced at the two maids and sighed, "You are still not fortunate enough."

The two maids were naturally full of regret in their hearts, and their expressions were mournful.

...

The next day, Han Li got up early and left Misty Smoke Garden.

Jin Tong, having rested for a night, was full of energy at the moment. Following behind Han Li, he ran around the street a few times, and already had a large handful of various delicacies in his hands.

"Uncle, are we leaving now?" Jin Tong said, somewhat reluctantly, with a steamed bun in his mouth.

"Not in a hurry," Han Li replied noncommittally and walked toward the west gate. Soon, he arrived at the west gate ferry terminal.

"Uncle, what are we doing here?" Jin Tong tilted his head and asked.

"Wait for me here for a while," Han Li said to Jin Tong and walked toward a nearby black building. He came out after a moment, holding a black spirit talisman in his hand, with a large ship pattern inscribed on it.

"What is this..." Jin Tong grabbed the spirit talisman and asked curiously.

"A ticket."

As Han Li spoke, he briefly told Jin Tong about the ferryboat.

"Uncle, not to be rude, but with our strength, why do we need to take a ferryboat? Wouldn't it be faster to fly over directly?" Jin Tong curled his lip and said dismissively.

"We are new to the Desolate Wilderness Realm, so it's best to be cautious. And since there's a ferryboat here that can cross this sand sea, why not take it?" Han Li said with a faint smile.

Jin Tong tilted his head and thought for a moment, then quickly shook his head, stopped thinking about it, and enjoyed the food in his hand.

Han Li put away the ticket and walked toward the prosperous streets of the city.

Although he now had many pills and items on him, most of them were plundered from the storage magical artifacts of Gong Shujiu and others, and they might not be useful to him. After all, crossing the Desolate Wilderness Realm was full of dangers, and he still had to make some preparations.

Moreover, since this place was close to the Desolate Wilderness Realm, there were definitely many materials unique to the Desolate Wilderness Realm in the city, making it worth a visit.

However, Yuanhuang City was very large, and many places were restricted, so divine sense could not be used to explore. Wandering around blindly would take a lot of time.

Thinking this, Han Li walked into a nearby general store that seemed to be quite large and bought a book introducing Yuanhuang City. He quickly flipped through it and gained a general understanding of the situation in Yuanhuang City.

He put away the book and continued walking forward, soon arriving at a rather prosperous area in the inner city.

This place was completely different from other places. It was a huge white jade plaza.

Centered on the white jade plaza, the surrounding wide streets, nearly a hundred in number, radiated outwards in all directions.

And in the sky above the plaza, a white palace was suspended, its entire body as white as jade.

Countless large white runes revolved around the entire palace, emitting bursts of white light, covering the white jade plaza and all the surrounding street areas.

This place was called Tongtian Street, the largest trading area in Yuanhuang City, with a bustling crowd, looking quite lively.