The Ten-Thousand-Mile Desert was not safe; sandstorms swept through from time to time. Air freight was not cheap either, so planes could only carry goods with high added value.
But as the Extreme Western Lands were the last corner of the Heavenly South that had not been unified, Mo Caihuan had long wanted to visit. She had therefore specially prepared Weather Airships for this journey.
These airships flew at higher altitudes to monitor weather changes on the surface. If they proved effective, they would be introduced elsewhere as well.
Weather forecasting was extremely important. No form of production could do without weather information.
Although the Heavenly South enjoyed springlike weather all year round, extreme conditions still occurred occasionally.
As long as they knew about sandstorms in advance, they could prepare, making the desert crossing much safer.
Eight Weather Airships had been prepared.
The planes crossing the desert were fixed-wing transports, but their wings carried anti-gravity formations rather than engines. Simply supplying Spirit Stones allowed them to lift a hundred tons.
They had gathered plenty of information before departure. The region west of the Ten-Thousand-Mile Desert was known as the Extreme Western Lands. There were only two countries there, and the cultivators of that region excelled at mechanical puppets.
The Extreme Western Lands were also home to the Thousand Bamboo Sect, founded by the Great Evolution Divine Monarch, who had swept across the Heavenly South thousands of years ago.
Mo Caihuan was no cultivator; she was merely visiting two mortal countries as an envoy. Of course, if the opportunity arose, she still hoped to acquire Puppetry.
Puppetry was quite powerful, after all. At first, cultivators' bodies could not compare to various wondrous materials. At higher stages, however, cultivators' bodies became the strongest materials of all, rendering puppets useless.
For mortals, puppets were still very useful. Some could even develop consciousness of their own, which was fascinating.
With preparations complete, they set off.
This time, Mo Caihuan brought along Food Immortal, who had already acquired a body: that of a young boy with a spiritual root whose soul was damaged.
The boy's parents had also agreed to Food Immortal's possession and signed a body donation form.
The boy was only fourteen. He had fallen into a reservoir while fooling around, and by the time he was rescued, he had been left in a vegetative state.
Having acquired the boy's body, Food Immortal had none of a grandmaster's imposing presence. Instead, he looked like a wet-behind-the-ears youngster.
Inside the plane, everyone sat in their seats.
Food Immortal said, "The Extreme Western Lands produce a plant called five-flavor herb. It makes an excellent seasoning. Even Great Jin doesn't have it."
"Have you been to the Extreme Western Lands, Senior?"
"I have." Food Immortal spoke nostalgically. "The Extreme Western Lands are poor in resources, with few ingredients available. Most dishes are flour-based, but they taste quite good. In particular, there's a spirit beast called a Spirit Sheep. I've always preferred wild game, but even I have to admit that Spirit Sheep taste divine. I'll definitely eat another hundred on this trip."
Mo Caihuan said, "I hear the cultivators there all like using puppets."
"That's right. The Extreme Western Lands don't have many medicinal herbs, but they do have plenty of metals containing spiritual energy, so cultivators have to adapt to local conditions. I'll also look for materials for the Leftover Cauldron this time. If I find everything, I can buy a thousand Spirit Sheep." All he thought about was eating.
With the Weather Airships keeping watch and detecting extreme weather in advance, the route was quite safe.
Soon, the plane reached the center of the desert. Food Immortal said, "Land for a moment."
"Is something wrong?" Mo Caihuan grew alert.
"There's an oasis below, with a Crescent Moon Spring. Its water is sweet. Add some when making flour-based dishes, and they taste even better," Food Immortal said with a perfectly straight face.
Only fine food could make him stop.
"Is there any danger?" Mo Caihuan asked worriedly. "Senior, you're only at the middle Foundation Establishment Stage now. It would be bad if we ran into trouble."
"Don't worry. If we encounter danger, I have a magical treasure to handle it," Food Immortal said calmly.
"Land." Mo Caihuan ordered the pilot to descend.
There was indeed an oasis, and a crescent-shaped spring as well, bubbling with crystal-clear water.
"This is the one." Food Immortal beamed. "The first time I visited the Extreme Western Lands, I was still at late Golden Core. I nearly died in the Ten-Thousand-Mile Desert. Fortunately, I found this oasis."
Mo Caihuan kept watch on all sides, afraid a dangerous enemy might appear.
"Don't be nervous. I didn't encounter anything the last time I came," Food Immortal said calmly.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than reality slapped him in the face.
With a whoosh, a mechanically intricate flying sword tore through the air toward the plane.
It punched two holes in the metal skin. Fortunately, the plane contained little precision machinery. It was essentially a metal can held aloft by formations, so a few holes did not prevent it from flying.
"Who's there?" Food Immortal bellowed.
Four puppets emerged from the sand around the oasis. All were humanoid, refined from red alloy, and they charged without a word.
Mo Caihuan hurriedly picked up her machine gun and fired back.
The puppets did not dodge, coming straight at her without giving the crude kinetic weapon a second thought.
But this was no ordinary kinetic weapon. It was one of the forms of Anti-Cultivator Weaponry specially developed by the Mo Kingdom-Formation Bullets.
Every bullet fired bore a formation. On impact, an internal magic array converted its kinetic energy into strong acid, delivering an elemental attack.
The formations converted kinetic energy into chemical energy, combining the advantages of bullets and strong acid.
The strong acid struck the puppets, corroding the patterns on their surfaces, but they did not stop. They continued charging toward Mo Caihuan.
Meanwhile, Food Immortal also made his move. With a flick of his sleeve, he sent out a pair of iron chopsticks. Like swords, they darted through the air and stabbed toward the puppets.
The puppets' movements were clumsy, and their grade was low.
"Break!" Food Immortal did not take his opponents seriously at all. The two chopsticks whistled through a puppet's chest and plucked out a Low-Grade Spirit Stone.
"I knew these were nothing but cheap little toys." He flicked his hand again, sending the chopsticks at another puppet.
Watching the crimson puppet charging toward her, Mo Caihuan poured every bullet into its chest.
The puppet's arms transformed, extending two straight sword blades. Its speed suddenly surged, like a beast that had caught the scent of prey and awakened its hunting instincts. Clearly, it had been programmed to accelerate once an enemy entered its attack range.
Mo Caihuan could not move her muzzle fast enough to track it. Like a master of exquisite lightness arts, the puppet appeared before her in the blink of an eye.
Its twin swords closed in from either side.
Mo Caihuan's gaze sharpened. She sank low, gathered her strength, and unleashed a punch with the power of an early Foundation Establishment spell, shooting forth like a dragon's roar and a tiger's howl.
Though launched later, her fist struck first, slamming into the puppet's chest.
After seeing Food Immortal's method, she had concentrated all her shots on the enemy's chest to thin its outer armor. Now, her punch drove straight through the puppet.
"I've already finished off three, and you've only taken down one. Too slow," Food Immortal said smugly.
Mo Caihuan said nothing and remained on guard. These four low-grade puppets could not act independently. There had to be another enemy.
The flying sword that had pierced the plane had vanished. She frowned, then suddenly felt a faint tremor beneath the oasis. Immediately, she said, "Underground!"
With a whistle, a flying sword shot up beside Food Immortal's feet, heading straight for his chest.
"Haha, I spotted you ages ago," Food Immortal laughed. "Do you really think I'm some rookie fresh out in the world? The desert is the best camouflage. Where else would you hide if not underground?" With the iron chopsticks in hand, he forcibly clamped the flying sword between them.
The flying sword was no ordinary object either. With a whoosh, it split into six smaller swords, then reassembled in midair after breaking free.
"All flash and no substance." Food Immortal smiled disdainfully. His two iron chopsticks moved high and low, one intercepting the flying sword while the other probed for the hidden enemy below.
Although Food Immortal's body only had Foundation Establishment cultivation, his divine sense was at middle Golden Core, and his experience was at early Nascent Soul. Though the iron chopsticks were merely a Talisman Treasure, a weak replica of a magical treasure, his control over them was exquisitely precise.
Before long, the flying sword fell, and the sand turned red.
Blood welled up from underground. Then a chopstick flew out, with a Storage Bag dangling from its tip.
The blue Storage Bag landed in Food Immortal's hand. He opened it, took a look, and chuckled. "Not bad at all. There are plenty of puppet-refining materials, and some Spirit Stones too."
Mo Caihuan picked up the flying sword that could separate and recombine, examining it curiously as she tried to understand its structure.
The ruined puppets could not go to waste either. They were loaded onto the plane to be taken back for study.
"Why did he attack us?" Mo Caihuan asked.
"How would I know?" Food Immortal said. "A lot of cultivators aren't right in the head. They act as though the whole world is their enemy and wish they could kill everyone except themselves. If it weren't for tasting fine food, I wouldn't want to cultivate all over again at all." Having fought in the Righteous-Demonic War, he had been left with psychological scars from the infighting among cultivators.