Chapter 753: Revisiting the Panlong Ruins

Chapter 746: Return to the Dragon Wastes!

He could breathe freely amidst the choking sandstorms that suffocated others, strolling leisurely through the Dragon Desert, a place that struck fear into the hearts of merchants. Only in his presence did this deadly desert seem subdued, even timid, and at times, almost gentle.

Soon, he left Red Cliff Road and stepped into the desert. This was the domain of the Three Corpse Worms and vengeful spirits; anyone daring to venture here, regardless of the sandstorm season, usually met a terrible end. Yet, after He Lingchuan walked tens of meters, nothing happened. Giant tornadoes swirled around him, sucking tens of thousands of tons of sand into the sky, then sweeping it across the desert faster than flying arrows. However, a faint red light emanating from He Lingchuan made him immune to it all. This was the elemental energy of the Grand Gale Army, serving as his pass for the sandstorm season.

At this moment, this deadly desert was his personal domain. He could stroll freely as if it were his own backyard, completely unhindered. This was a unique privilege in all the world. Unfortunately, no one else was there to witness this wondrous sight.

Then, a colossal creature suddenly emerged from the dunes, resembling an eel or a worm, only magnified hundreds of times in size.

An Earth Dragon.

This was a familiar species to He Lingchuan; the last time he entered the Dragon Desert, the Blackwater City army had used Earth Dragons to pull their boats. The one before him was larger than any He Lingchuan had seen before, over nine zhang (nearly thirty meters) long. He Lingchuan was startled when such a large creature suddenly blocked his path. But the Earth Dragon did not open its mouth to attack; instead, it slowly swam towards him, most of its body sinking into the sand, revealing only a section of its back before remaining motionless.

The message was clear. Who sent it? He Lingchuan had a good idea. Highly skilled and courageous, he felt no fear; he leapt onto the Earth Dragon's back, stepping on its arched segments before sitting down.

The Earth Dragon then began to move, slowly at first, then swimming faster and faster, gliding past one mountainous dune after another. Riding on its back, He Lingchuan surveyed the vast sandy sea; it was like riding a whale through stormy seas. The heavens were vast, the mortal world boundless.

After observing for two kèces (about thirty minutes), He Lingchuan closed his eyes to rest. It seemed the Earth Dragon no longer needed his guidance and would automatically carry him to his destination for this journey—the Dragon Wastes.

Time was indistinguishable during the sandstorm season. After an unknown amount of time, the Earth Dragon slowed down, and with a final flick of its tail, it came to an abrupt halt. Before him lay the endless expanse of the Scarlet Plateau. The Earth Dragon stopped in front of a land bridge. He Lingchuan dismounted and quickly walked forward, coming face to face with the massive Dragon Wastes.

The South Gate tower remained grand and desolate, ruined and decaying, just as it had been when he last left, and as it had been for over 150 years. The once mighty fortress on the frontier had long become a heroes' tomb. The Earth Dragon did not leave but followed him through the South Gate. Inside the city, there was no sandstorm, much like the calm eye of a hurricane.

Walking through the deserted ruins, he navigated with ease on his second visit, and after many twists and turns, he quickly found the original entrance to the Dragon Secret Realm—the well in front of the Mitian Temple. After the last decisive battle involving the He father and son, Sun Fuping, Nian Songyu, and others, the well was no longer passable for entering the secret realm. When He Lingchuan reached the well, he saw it was still dry, though the bottom had a faint reddish tint. To open the passage between the real and illusory worlds, water had to be poured into this well.

He had come prepared; several of his storage spaces were filled with clear water, which should barely be enough to create a shallow layer at the bottom. But before he could act, the Earth Dragon behind him suddenly arched its body and lifted its massive tail into the well.

Oh, what's with this posture?

He Lingchuan summoned Fusheng and performed a saber flourish before the Earth Dragon. The cold glint of the blade did not deter the creature. He understood. He jumped onto the edge of the well and made a vertical cut on the Earth Dragon's tail to draw blood. This creature, nine zhang long, gushed pale red blood like an open faucet, filling the air with a pungent, coppery smell.

The bleeding continued for a long time. When its wound finally stopped bleeding on its own, the well bottom had accumulated a finger's depth of water. Honestly, the sight was not pleasant. Only then did the Earth Dragon give a start and flee outwards without looking back. The mysterious force that had controlled it finally vanished.

He Lingchuan stood by the well, facing the temple, and said loudly: "Da Fanghu, I have tried to communicate with you several times through the divine bone necklace, but to no avail, so I had no choice but to come in person."

Perhaps due to the vast emptiness around him, his words echoed repeatedly. "I have risked life and limb for you, and my contributions are immense. Now, I demand an equal return!" He Lingchuan paused for a few breaths, listening as the echoes slowly faded around him: "Return... return... return!"

"Our fates are intertwined, and I have rushed back from thousands of miles away," he said, each word clear and forceful, "I only ask for a definitive answer—can you help me deal with Naruo Tian?"

The echoes continued, reflecting from all directions, and the only words he eventually heard were "deal with Naruo Tian."

The Fusheng Saber suddenly trembled twice and rang out with a long, clear clang. He then plunged the saber into the well water. Though it was clearly only a finger's depth, this time the saber didn't reach its hilt, and he couldn't touch the bottom. Sure enough, the passage between the real and illusory worlds was open again.

He popped a turtle pearl into his mouth, then pinched his nose, and plunged into the crimson blood pool!

Splash.

The water here was indeed very deep. He Lingchuan found himself back in the red ocean; whether he swam up or down, it stretched boundlessly. This time, he had descended in his true body, rather than his spirit form, as usual. He didn't know if it was because of the turtle pearl in his mouth, but he could breathe freely underwater. For him, this ocean was usually just a fleeting scene, something he passed through quickly before entering the Dragon World. However, today was an exception.

He Lingchuan had expected to enter the Dragon World in his true body this time, but instead, he was just in the vast ocean, unsure where to swim. But he was not alarmed, because the divine bone necklace had begun to glow. This must be Da Fanghu's response to him.

Before long, a dark shape vaguely emerged from the depths of the sea, small at first, but growing larger the closer it got. He Lingchuan, of course, knew what it was—

Other than He Lingchuan, no other living creature seemed to have appeared in this ocean until now. There was only one master of this ocean.

The giant red shadow.

This time, the giant red shadow swam straight towards him, without pausing or changing direction. He Lingchuan finally experienced the pressure of the Hundred-Faced Nightmare from before; the closer this thing got, the more unbelievably massive it appeared! How long was the giant shadow? He Lingchuan estimated it was over one hundred zhang (300 meters) long.

Since reclaiming the lid of the pot, the giant red shadow seemed to have grown even larger. Despite so many encounters, he still hadn't seen its true form. Now this leviathan swam toward him, getting closer and closer…

Then it opened its abyssal maw and swallowed He Lingchuan whole!

(End of Chapter)