Chapter 833: The Phenomenon in the Desert

Liao Shan tried his best to command and direct, but the army's collapse was too swift, making the decline irreversible. He ultimately had no choice but to adapt to the situation and lead his troops in a direct northward withdrawal.

The Andong people did not return to the Gourd Mountain encampment because the forces from Blackwater City's South Gate exerted pressure, cutting off their eastern escape route.

As they withdrew, the Blackwater City army immediately erupted in cheers, their morale soaring!

He Chunhua redoubled his efforts, leading his army to relentlessly pursue the fleeing enemy.

No one had expected this battle, where a smaller force triumphed over a larger one, to be won so decisively. Given this, General He naturally moved quickly to consolidate their gains. For the long-term peace and stability of Yuanxi, it was crucial to inflict a severe defeat on the Andong people and force them into submission this time.

That night, the Andong forces fled ahead while the Blackwater City army pursued from behind, both entering the Coiling Dragon Desert along Red Cliff Road.

The chase lasted for three hours.

As they pursued and fought, the Blackwater City army eliminated over three hundred more of the enemy.

The Andong people could not endure it any longer and began to scatter at every fork in the road.

He Chunhua didn't know which group Liao Shan was with, so he had to split his forces, dispatching generals like Zeng Feixiong while he himself continued leading troops northward.

The factions from Heavenly Palace and Baling Kingdom had originally intended to leave the group, but now the Blackwater City army was also charging northward, essentially aligning with their planned direction. It almost seemed as if these thousand-plus soldiers were escorting them into the desert.

Zhang Lianhai and the others felt disgruntled.

Although the Blackwater City army had won and the Andong people were fleeing in disarray, they had realized they were still being used as pawns by He Chunhua! All talk of them being a trump card unit destined to turn the tide, or a spearhead unit to bypass the enemy's rear, was just a big deception!

He Chunhua had simply tricked them into facing the Andong forces' blades, spears, arrows, and halberds, using them as bait to draw away the camp defenders so the real assault team could succeed in one strike.

However, since the battle was won after all, they could only swallow this silent grievance.

Consequently, the various factions showed no good humor toward the He father and son afterward.

He Chunhua's attitude remained warm, as if he didn't perceive their resentment.

Only He Lingchuan knew that his father didn't care about their feelings at all, because once they entered the Coiling Dragon Ruins, everyone would be rivals!

Dawn was approaching.

But the sky was overcast, with no stars to guide them, and even the compass had malfunctioned in the desert. Everywhere was vast yellow sand, and the dunes frequently shifted. At this point, both the pursuing and fleeing armies only dared to follow Red Cliff Road to avoid getting lost in the Coiling Dragon Desert.

Not to mention the exhausted Andong people, even the pursuing Blackwater City army began to tire, their ranks thinning out.

Only a few hundred people remained on each side.

He Lingchuan noticed He Chunhua frequently whispering to Zhao Qinghe, both with solemn expressions.

He rode his horse closer and asked, "What's wrong?"

"You've come at a good time, Chuan'er," He Chunhua said, pointing to a jumbled stone forest about two li away. "Have you seen these scattered rocks before?"

There, hundreds of rugged rocks, varying in shape, stood in the yellow sand, forming a small stone forest. The largest were over twenty zhang tall, while the smallest were only four or five zhang. If one were to turn back time one hundred sixty or seventy years, this place would have been a beautiful landscape of mountains and waters. But now, only yellow sand and colossal rocks remained.

He Chunhua had traveled Red Cliff Road nearly a hundred times, remembering almost every detail. Yet, he couldn't recall ever seeing this particular scenery.

He Lingchuan examined it carefully for a long time, then hissed, "No, I haven't."

"Think carefully."

Even after thinking more carefully, the answer was still no.

Zhao Qinghe and several other personal guards also said they hadn't seen it.

He Chunhua said with a grim face, "Unfamiliar scenery has appeared by Red Cliff Road. Can anyone tell me what's going on?"

Everyone exchanged glances, no one able to offer an explanation.

"There's already talk in the army that this road feels like one we've never taken before," Zhao Qinghe asked, "My Lord, should we continue the pursuit?"

He Chunhua also hesitated.

Since the inexplicable disappearance of the Wild Sand Season, the Coiling Dragon Desert had become even more strange and unpredictable. Now, even Red Cliff Road, frequently used by the army, had subtly changed. It was well known that with primal power protecting the army, no illusions or supernatural obstructions could blind them. Moreover, most of the soldiers were locals, so the last mistake they should make was taking the wrong path. Yet, inexplicably, they were now lost.

While killing the enemy was important, for safety's sake, shouldn't they turn back? Besides, the army was exhausted from the chase, and they hadn't prepared enough food and water before entering the desert.

Considering this, He Chunhua decisively said, "Let's head back."

"Understood."

Zhao Qinghe immediately went to relay the order.

The Soul-Collecting Mirror in He Lingchuan's arms asked him, "You know what's going on with the changes to this Red Cliff Road, don't you?" It had acknowledged him as its master midway and was unfamiliar with Blackwater City or Red Cliff Road. But if even the local natives were lost, this path had definitely become uncanny.

With others nearby, He Lingchuan found it inconvenient to answer, only giving a vague hum.

Of course he knew!

The Red Cliff Road that Blackwater City residents, including He Chunhua, were accustomed to was actually the official road used by the Grand Gale Army and merchants to cross the Coiling Dragon Desert over a hundred years ago. At that time, there were numerous branching paths and forks. After the fall of Coiling Dragon City and the onset of the Wild Sand Season, only a few of these official roads remained untouched by sand erosion, which later generations referred to as Red Cliff Road. The Blackwater City people were used to these few. However, after the Wild Sand Season vanished, many of the branching paths buried under the sand would "occasionally" reappear. Occasionally.

Others didn't know how to navigate, but He Lingchuan did. When he patrolled the Coiling Dragon World, he had traversed these branching paths countless times, and had even watered his horse and caught wild rabbits in the very stone forest He Chunhua had just pointed to.

From the Cang Province of old to today's sand mountains, no one present felt more emotional than He Lingchuan. He had shed sweat and blood for this land, yet in the blink of an eye, a hundred years had passed. All that was in the past.

Setting these thoughts aside, He Lingchuan knew very well that both the fleeing Andong people ahead and the pursuing Blackwater City army were actually heading towards the Coiling Dragon Ruins! And they were taking a shortcut. This mysterious drawing force came from the Grand Square Flask.

Of course, he said nothing.

Just then, a sandstorm suddenly erupted in the desert. Strong winds whipped up yellow sand, cutting at people's faces. The world turned a dim yellow, and living people couldn't see their hands in front of their faces.

Both the front and rear armies were startled, thinking the Wild Sand Season had returned. However, this sandstorm contained no Three-Corpse Worms, no phantoms, and no vengeful spirits of the Grand Gale Army. It was just a simple sandstorm.

But in the desert, even a simple sandstorm could be deadly. He Chunhua could only direct his army to quickly rush into the stone forest two li away for shelter. The rugged rocks there, some as broad and thick as screens, could block the fierce wind and sand. The wind was ferocious; though not as strong as the flesh-stripping, bone-scraping gales of the Netherworld, it could easily knock a thin person to the ground and bury them beneath the yellow sand.

Most Blackwater City soldiers were locals, familiar with the desert and Red Cliff Road. After finally finding shelter under the rock face, they quickly pulled out their kerchiefs to cover their heads and faces, then, along with their mounts, lay down behind the massive rocks. Faced with nature's fury, humans were helpless, able only to pray for the sandstorm to pass quickly.

The sandstorm raged for two full hours before finally subsiding.

Everyone climbed out of the sand, each covered in dust, with sand even clinging to their eyelashes.

He Chunhua shook the yellow sand from his cloak, looked around, and then was stunned: "Where's Red Cliff Road?"

They had been following Red Cliff Road the entire time, but after the sandstorm, all that remained was a vast sea of sand, and Red Cliff Road had vanished! Was it buried by the yellow sand?

He Chunhua immediately dispatched scouts to reconnoiter in several directions. Generals kept coming to inquire about the next plan. Everyone wanted to know how to proceed. The soldiers had pursued the enemy all night and were now tired and thirsty, in need of rest.

The army's trained hawk flew into the sky, circled for a while, then descended to report, "Within a thirty-li radius, there's only desert. There's no road." He Chunhua asked it, "Can you fly back to Blackwater City?" The hawk's answer was no; its sense of direction seemed to have failed.

Soon after, the ground scouts returned, reporting that no signs of Red Cliff Road could be found anywhere. The road seemed to have vanished from the surface. The Andong people's whereabouts were also unknown; presumably, they were lost just like them.

Even He Chunhua, usually so vigilant and composed, felt a moment of bewilderment. The defense of Blackwater City had been a resounding success up to this point; they could now return triumphantly. But where was the way home?

He Chunhua immediately sought out Zhang Lianhai, hoping to see if Heavenly Palace had any means of escaping their current predicament.

"Direction?" Zhang Lianhai scoffed slightly. "My lantern spirit never gets lost. But we have somewhere else to go; we don't have time to accompany you back!"

Just as He Chunhua was about to try persuading him, Qiu Hu suddenly said, "You haven't tried it; how do you know it still works?"

A servant behind Zhang Lianhai retorted, "Nonsense! Our Heavenly Palace's Ever-Burning Lantern Spirit has endless miraculous uses; you are ignorant!"

Ling Jinbao, an elder from Jianyang Gate nearby, coughed and said, "How about you let us see for ourselves?"

Zhang Lianhai had no choice but to take out a platinum candle from his robes, light it, and softly say to the hovering lantern spirit, "Point out the direction of Blackwater City." The lantern spirit flew into the air, swaying left and right, remaining silent for a long time. Everyone watched eagerly, waiting for it to determine the direction. Finally, the lantern spirit flew back, shrinking into a tiny ball on the candle, revealing Zhang Lianhai's very displeased expression.

Qiu Hu, with arms crossed, asked, "Can it find the way?"

Zhang Lianhai's servant said in disbelief, "N-no way?" How could the Ever-Burning Lantern Spirit, having long been revered and nurtured in Heavenly Palace, fail to recognize direction because of a mere oddity? How could this Coiling Dragon Desert be so mysterious?

Zhang Lianhai's face was ashen.

Fortunately, a sentinel not far away suddenly shouted, relieving him: "Movement ahead!"

Everyone climbed out from behind the rock wall to look, and in the distance ahead, a vibrant red light shot straight into the sky. By now, it was already dawn, but that light was even more dazzling than the usual glow of dawn. Soon, a strange phenomenon appeared in the sky: the inverted city, like a mirage, reappeared.

Zhang Lianhai and the others immediately said, "We're going there." Without needing to say more, everyone knew the Coiling Dragon Ruins were there.

The various factions exchanged a few whistles, preparing to separate from the Blackwater City army and head towards the red light.

He Chunhua's mind raced. He asked He Lingchuan, "Chuan'er, what do you think? Should we follow the red light, or find another way home?"

The plot of this volume is about to become dramatic again. To ensure a smoother reading experience for everyone, starting from this chapter, I will return to daily updates of 6000 characters.

Love you all, muah.