Chapter 834: Oasis and Plateau

He Lingchuan thought, "You just want to go to Panlong Ruins, why bother asking me hypocritically?" He said with a serious face, "We've been to Panlong Ruins. It's a den of danger, not a place to approach lightly. Father, once the sun rises, we'll be able to tell our direction. Let's just head back to the city."

His directness surprised He Chunhua.

A general beside him immediately said, "Look at the sky, it's completely overcast. We don't know when the sun will appear. Waiting in the desert indefinitely isn't a solution. The urgent priority is to find water."

They had pursued the enemy in a hurry and hadn't brought much food or water. After a night had passed, both men and horses were extremely thirsty.

A lack of food was manageable, but people couldn't survive without water.

Zhao Qinghe spoke up to remind them, "Travelers who have recently crossed the desert mentioned an oasis near Panlong Ruins. Let's head there first to get some water."

He Chunhua nodded, "Let's head straight for the water source."

At his command, the Blackwater City army headed towards the red light. Most had no objections, only a few grumbled.

Since everyone was disoriented in the desert anyway, it was better to go straight to where there was water.

This time, factions like the Celestial Palace traveled alongside the Blackwater City army again.

Zhang Lianhai and his group, however, were not pleased. They intended to investigate the Panlong Ruins for themselves. If any treasures truly appeared there, their own group was small. While the Blackwater City army had dispatched some troops along the way, they still numbered three hundred. It would be surprising if they didn't rely on their numerical advantage to seize anything.

But the desert was vast, and they couldn't prevent others from passing through.

The red light appeared prominent, but its actual distance was unknown. He Chunhua roughly estimated it was at least dozens of miles away.

Two hours later, the red light contracted and once again dissipated into the surroundings.

By this time, it was broad daylight, but the sun still hadn't appeared. The downside was that the entire army was still disoriented; the upside was that the weather wasn't as hot, allowing both men and horses to press on.

They continued marching until late afternoon (close to 3 PM). The men and horses were exhausted, the soldiers' lips were cracked, and they didn't even have the strength to complain.

Everyone was discontent, but no one dared to leave the formation independently.

Walking alone in the unpredictable desert was tantamount to suicide.

Even the Celestial Palace and Balin people didn't want to scout ahead on their own.

At this moment, a falcon flew down, reporting significant news:

The oasis was just three li ahead!

Upon receiving this encouraging news, everyone suddenly regained their energy and pressed forward eagerly.

Three li it was.

After cresting a low hill, the scent of water vapor wafted over them. Ahead, clumps of green grass appeared, and even small shrubs had begun to sprout.

There was vegetation, though still sparse.

Then, they saw the oasis, a patch of green amidst the vast yellow sands.

It was situated low, precisely behind two massive, crescent-shaped sand dunes. Even on a sunny day, it would only receive direct sunlight around noon.

The oasis was vast, formed by three interconnected small lakes. The water was crystal clear, its edges were lush green, and birds peacefully glided across its surface.

This was a rare sight that most Blackwater City residents had never witnessed!

This was Panlong Desert, once a cursed land where not a drop of rain could survive.

As they approached, everyone immediately felt the temperature drop by at least ten degrees, enveloped by a long-awaited coolness.

The soldiers, without time to marvel, cheered and led their mounts rushing into the oasis.

But He Chunhua ordered them to stop: "Why the hurry? Test it first!"

Even if there was an oasis in the desert, the water quality might not be suitable for human consumption.

A personal guard behind He Chunhua quickly approached the water's edge, took out a small bowl to scoop water, and then dropped a lotus seed into it.

He Lingchuan recognized this guard; his name seemed to be Hu Xuan. A year and a half ago, in Xinhuang Town, Xia Province, he had decisively sacrificed five years of his life to draw the Ghost-Eye Bow for He Chunhua, injuring Dong Rui's ghost ape. He Chunhua had immediately taken him on as a personal guard then.

It appeared he was now General He's confidant.

That made sense. If you did what your superior was unwilling, unable, or afraid to do, you could rise swiftly through the ranks.

Hu Xuan had seized his opportunity.

Under everyone's gaze, the seed sprouted, grew leaves, and bloomed into a small water lily with twelve petals, both inner and outer.

The flower it produced was a fresh, reddish-pink.

Only then did the personal guard report to He Chunhua, "My lord, it is safe to drink."

This plant was called the Desert Lotus. Its seeds could be preserved for twenty years during a drought and would sprout upon contact with water. Its flower color changed according to the water quality: if it was reddish-pink, it was safe for both humans and animals to drink; if blue or purple, it was best avoided; and if black, it indicated the water was poisoned.

Desert Lotus seeds were ideal for testing water quality during long marches or journeys, and He Lingchuan also carried some.

Without waiting for He Chunhua's command, the Blackwater City army surged into the lakes. Both men and horses drank their fill. There was no greater joy or relief than this, like rain after a long drought.

Qiu Hu and others, however, only went to the lake to drink after seeing He Lingchuan nod.

It was clear at a glance which side maintained strict military discipline.

The rock sheep began nibbling on the green grass by the shore after a few sips of water. He Lingchuan also scooped water to wash his face and let out a long sigh, feeling momentarily lost in thought.

This oasis also existed in the Panlong World, though it was much larger there, a standard lake wetland with forests, a post station, and a small temple nearby.

He Lingchuan had scooped water for his horse here many times and had even caught a five-pound fish, which he roasted and ate with a wooden board.

Time had passed, spanning one hundred sixty to seventy years, and the small lake had returned.

So, what about Panlong City?

He gazed into the distance.

At this moment, Zhang Lianhai was also looking out, because a vast plateau had appeared on the horizon at the edge of their vision.

The towering slopes, rising hundreds of feet from the ground, exuded a majestic and desolate grandeur even from this distance.

He murmured, "That's Chiba Plateau."

On Chiba Plateau lay their destination:

The ruins of Panlong City!

The Celestial Palace had sent urgent messages twice, instructing them to quickly ascertain the reason for the changes in Panlong Desert, and had dispatched new reinforcements.

Almost a year ago, with the dramatic upheaval in Xu Mountain, the Celestial Palace and the gods had significantly increased their concern for Panlong Desert.

On previous trips into the desert, Zhang Lianhai had circled countless times without finding it. This time, following the Blackwater City army, they had been guided by the red light.

Why was that?

Was it because the mirage's light had only turned red a few days ago, signaling the imminent appearance of a treasure?

With water aplenty, the horses began grazing on the green grass by the shore, but the men's stomachs rumbled with hunger. Most soldiers had run out of their dry rations, and seeing others put biscuits into their mouths, they could only swallow hard.

Although the oasis was pleasant, the fish in the water were no longer than a pinky finger and would hide from people, so they couldn't be caught for food.

The Blackwater City army had captured many horses while pursuing the Andong people. Zhao Qinghe approached He Chunhua to ask for permission to slaughter a horse for meat.

A horse weighed over six hundred catties; slaughtering just one would be enough to feed so many people meat.

He Chunhua waved his hand, "Why kill a horse?"

He asked He Lingchuan, "You still have those fragrant pellets, don't you?"

How did Father know he had them? He Lingchuan could only offer some of the original fluid.

He Chunhua then ordered a captured Andong soldier to be slaughtered. He had a black jar placed inside the soldier's clothes and poured foul-smelling liquid onto the corpse, then dug a large pit in the sand and half-buried it.

Having led troops and managed logistics, he knew that at this moment, a warhorse was more valuable than a captive.

Soon, there was movement beneath the sand.

Everyone heard rustling sounds from beneath their feet, and parts of the sand began to sink.

Then, something violently dragged the captive's corpse into the sand.

The rope tied to the captive snapped taut.

The creature beneath the sand pulled again with force, and the finger-thick rope broke.

"Boom," there was a tremendous explosion.

Something exploded beneath the yellow sand, sending sand over half a zhang high. Those standing nearby even felt their feet go numb from the shock.

He Chunhua waited for a few breaths. Seeing no new movement underground, he pointed at the sandy ground and ordered, "Dig it out!"

The soldiers immediately began digging and soon unearthed a massive creature from beneath the sand:

It was about thirteen meters (four zhang) long, round and very plump, resembling an eel or an earthworm, with segmented body.

It was too large for them to hoist, so they simply dug away the sand around it.

Zhang Lianhai and other outsiders also came to watch, "What is that?"

They seemed to have seen such large creatures when entering and leaving the desert.

"A Sand Dragon, a special product of the sand sea," He Lingchuan explained to them. "A few months ago, these things would attack travelers. Now, they usually just hide quietly underground and don't come out much."

Other deserts also had Sand Dragons, but they were usually not this large. The unique species in Panlong Desert were influenced by the Great Cauldron. Now that the Great Cauldron had changed, their aggressiveness had vanished along with the malevolent energy, and they had reverted to being subterranean scavengers.

This Sand Dragon had a large hole in its belly, clearly the result of the explosive jar.

Unable to drag it, they simply cut off large chunks of skin and flesh, removed the stringy sinews, then peeled the skin, washed the meat, seasoned it with salt, and roasted it over a fire.

Sand Dragon meat was fatty and tender, much like eel, and had always been a delicacy on the Blackwater City people's tables. Zhang Lianhai and the others were initially repulsed, but after eating a few pieces of roasted meat, they no longer minded.

Such a huge creature was enough to feed the entire army for many meals.

After resting for about two more quarters of an hour at the oasis, these expedition teams parted ways with the army, eager to head to Chiba Plateau.

They left without looking back, as everyone clearly understood that once inside Panlong Ruins, all would be rivals, and any camaraderie from their previous cooperation against the enemy would be gone.

He Chunhua refilled his water skin, pointed at Chiba Plateau, and said to He Lingchuan, "Let's go there too."

"Huh?" He Lingchuan looked unwilling. "Still going?"

"Have you forgotten why Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu came last time?"

He Lingchuan grumbled, "Didn't that black dragon say the Great Cauldron was integrated with Panlong City and couldn't be taken out?"

"There's a new variable now, otherwise why would so many people be flocking towards it?" He Chunhua said sternly, "Actually, Sun Fuping wasn't wrong about one thing: the Great Cauldron can sway the course of battle. Dong Haoming's rebellion is ceaseless. If we can acquire the Great Cauldron, it would be a great fortune for Dayuan!"

If he could release the Three Corpse Worms to assist, quelling Dong Haoming's rebels would be effortless!

"Then Father, you go ahead." Using grand principles to pressure someone — how was this tactic any different from Sun Fuping's back then? He Lingchuan picked his ear. "I'll stay here and guard the rear for you."