Chapter 188: Desert Journey

Lu Xingzhou and his apprentice entered the desert.

Compared to the vast deserts outside, the desert within the Demon Suppression Realm was not large. However, for two humans trekking through it, it could still feel endless.

Lu Xingzhou unfolded a map, intending to check for marked oases and water sources, when the map's original owner came jogging up behind him, making the map unnecessary.

Lu Xingzhou chuckled as he folded the map. "Hey, didn't your protectors say they wouldn't follow?"

Sheng Yuanyao grinned. "Did you actually believe that? Of course, we have to follow secretly."

"So this is 'secretly'?"

"It's secret for others, but why hide from you? Are you expecting others to protect you?" Sheng Yuanyao nudged Anu aside and took over pushing the wheelchair herself. "The map is a public version; many places aren't marked. Come on, I'll take you to an oasis I saw before. The plants there are different from those outside; they'll definitely be useful for your alchemy."

Anu looked at his empty hands, then up at the two who had already pushed far ahead, feeling as if he were in a dream.

Before, they would at least acknowledge Anu, but now they didn't even bother to pretend.

Lu Xingzhou also laughed. "Aren't you going to keep up the act? That Grade Three master over there probably has what they call 'divine sense' and can detect us."

"Can he? I heard that the divine sense of newly promoted Grade Three practitioners is very limited. Oh well, it doesn't matter. Why should the Demon Suppression Division explain how we do things to the Alchemy Academy? If they're so capable, they can go complain to my superiors."

"The 'Young Lord' is certainly bold after her promotion."

"Of course. After we're out, let's go see the flowers at Qingyao Garden. It's been quite lively recently."

Anu trudged through the desert with his hands clasped, feeling like a child abandoned by his parents.

"By the way, your wheelchair can actually move in the desert? What kind of wheelchair is this..."

"Otherwise, why do you think I'm reluctant to give it up? It took many years to build. Wait, where's Qingli?"

Sheng Yuanyao lowered her voice. "I suspect that Mister Wang is up to something. He deliberately argued with Qingli on the surface, intending to send her to the volcano, but he actually kept Qingli there to monitor him."

Lu Xingzhou blinked in surprise. "Oh... you've grown a brain?"

Sheng Yuanyao retorted angrily, "I'm not an idiot, except when I'm too lazy to use my brain in front of you!"

Anu stroked his rounded chin, suddenly remembering that he had once thought Sister Yao was quite clever. Back then, their master was being watched as a suspect, and in fact, Sister Yao never stopped suspecting him; she just didn't pursue it. But when exactly did he start thinking of Sister Yao as a running puppy?

"Alright, alright, clever Commander Sheng." Lu Xingzhou pointed into the distance. "The sand over there is discolored, a bit dark red. What's going on?"

Sheng Yuanyao glanced. "That's where a demonic creature died long ago, and its essence dyed the sand. Hmm... it might not be special to others, but you alchemists might find something to say about it."

Some demonic creatures, like the Flame Demon, had no flesh and blood bodies, while others did, leaving behind bones and blood upon death. Lu Xingzhou nodded. "Let's go take a look. It might be useful."

Setting aside any potential targeting, the main task for this trial was ultimately to collect materials for alchemy. While the actual ranking wasn't important, the trial itself was, after all, a growth exercise designed by the Alchemy Academy for its students' progress. For his own self-improvement, Lu Xingzhou intended to take it seriously and had no intention of slacking off.

Upon arrival, they saw that sand spanning several dozen zhang (tens of meters) had been dyed by demonic blood. The creature's corpse must have been enormous, and a few bones were still faintly visible.

Demonic blood itself could be used for alchemy, but here the flesh and blood had melded with the sand, and over time, in this unique spirit-energy-depleting environment, physical changes might have occurred. Lu Xingzhou scooped up a handful of sand and examined it for a moment, concluding it wasn't suitable for alchemy, but rather more fitting for artifact refining...

However, after its demonic energy was worn away, its quality was quite ordinary. That's why it had been exposed for so long without anyone digging it up.

Lu Xingzhou collected a small bag of sand for later use and continued to dig through the sand to examine the skeleton.

Back in the Dragon-Tiger Secret Realm, the power contained within the Dragon-Tiger bones might have been completely absorbed during alchemy, leaving behind only meaningless, calcium-rich dry bones that couldn't be used. Although much of the demonic energy in this current skeleton had been eroded, it still retained a significant amount of unique dark demonic power. Lu Xingzhou pondered for a moment, then extracted a piece of the spine.

Sheng Yuanyao asked curiously, "What are you doing? Making a spear? Many people have studied this bone; it looks tough, but it's not good enough for a weapon. Its grade is too low."

Lu Xingzhou shook his head. He sent a burst of spiritual energy into the spine and pulled out a clump of dark green, moss-like substance.

As the moss appeared, a wave of dark power rushed forward. As if prepared, Lu Xingzhou waved his Soul Pennant, and the power vanished without a trace.

Sheng Yuanyao's expression changed.

This skeleton was not far from the desert's edge, and trial participants were as numerous as ox hair, yet no one had ever discovered anything inside it. Yet Lu Xingzhou found something almost immediately upon arrival.

Lu Xingzhou chuckled. "You can't be blamed for this. This place was primarily used for Demon Suppression Division trials, and the Alchemy Academy rarely comes here. The perspective of Demon Suppression Division members is different from alchemists. It's unlikely that you'd consider marrow evolving into small items... In fact, its quality is quite ordinary; it retained the Grade Four upper-tier level of the demonic creature before its death, which is much better than the exposed bones and blood, but it's not exactly a treasure. It's just perfectly suited for our current alchemy task."

Sheng Yuanyao watched eagerly as Lu Xingzhou put away the moss. "What's it for?"

"It's quite poisonous, a dark soul-type material. I can't immediately think of what to refine with it; it depends on other ingredients. Hmm... perhaps refining antitoxic pills using poison to counter poison might work, but it depends on the specific ailment."

Sheng Yuanyao felt a little disappointed. She had thought following him would bring her good fortune, but it turned out not to be the case.

Lu Xingzhou weighed the spine. "It's a bit too brittle for a spear, but it's quite suitable for refining into a staff for my Human Sovereign Pennant. It certainly won't crack as easily as my current one, and it will probably even slightly enhance the Pennant's effects. I'll take it."

Sheng Yuanyao looked disgusted. "Can't you just give up this evil Soul Pennant method?"

"My martial cultivation technique has been replaced, but I haven't found a place to seek out a Taoist cultivation technique yet. There's no other way."

"How about I find you a Taoist cultivation technique from the Demon Suppression Division?"

"If possible, I still want the Taoist cultivation part that complements the Yin-Yang Extreme Intent Art. Anyway, my martial cultivation technique is sufficient for now, so there's no rush for the Taoist part." Lu Xingzhou turned his wheelchair. "Let's go. Let's keep looking for things."

The group continued deeper into the desert. On the periphery, two figures appeared, both frowning slightly.

One was Daoist Xuanqing, and the other was none other than Chen Yu, who had just tried to team up with Lu Xingzhou.

Neither of them went to the volcano, where most people went. They had each gone to different places, then circled around, and followed Lu Xingzhou.

"In terms of 'discernment' for the trial assessment, Lu Xingzhou is still outstanding," Chen Yu sighed. "I certainly wouldn't have considered the substance within the bone marrow. It's 'darkness under the lamp'."

Daoist Xuanqing's expression was also not good.

It's easy to comment when watching others do the heavy lifting. Lu Xingzhou found things with ease, making it seem like any alchemist could find them. But as alchemists themselves, they knew they wouldn't necessarily have thought to look there. Otherwise, though not many, there had been Alchemy Academy students who came here for trials in the past. Why had previous participants missed it?

"Now that Sheng Yuanyao is openly following him, trying to undermine what Lu Xingzhou finds, it's very troublesome... Do you have any ideas?" Xuanqing finally asked.

Chen Yu shook his head. "No, Sheng Yuanyao is openly with him. Unless you dare to kill her too."

Xuanqing's face turned as black as a pot. "Are we just going to watch?"

Chen Yu mused, "Entering the desert might be Lu Xingzhou's biggest mistake... because if anything unexpected happens in the desert, sandstorms can easily kick up and obscure visibility. When the situation becomes chaotic, Sheng Yuanyao might not be able to tell what's going on."

Xuanqing nodded. "There must be dangers deep in the desert. I don't believe he can maintain such a carefree attitude the whole way."

In terms of alchemy skill, Xuanqing surpassed Chen Yu.

However, when it came to combat power, Chen Yu concealed his abilities far better than Xuanqing.

As a retainer of Prince Jin, he was a Grade Four practitioner.

"Furthermore..." Chen Yu whispered, "The entrance to the second layer of the Demon Suppression Realm is very well-hidden by the Demon Suppression Division; they wouldn't let just anyone know about it, to prevent unauthorized entry."

Xuanqing's expression flickered slightly. "You mean... the second layer's entrance is in the desert?"

"Yes, although it's tightly sealed and impossible to stumble into by mistake. But if the timing is right, and you and I suddenly open it, we might be able to trick Lu Xingzhou into entering... Even if Sheng Yuanyao knows there's a second-layer entrance here, she probably wouldn't expect someone to play this trick."

An excited look appeared on Xuanqing's face.

The Demon Suppression Realm had five layers in total. The first layer contained demonic creatures below Grade Three, while the second layer was entirely populated by Grade Three creatures! It was said that the deepest, fifth layer, suppressed a super-grade demonic creature, though its veracity was unknown.

Even if the demonic creatures in the second layer had been weakened by the Demon Suppression Realm and no longer possessed their full Grade Three power, there were still many that were not dead. How much cultivation did Lu Xingzhou's group possess? Entering would essentially mean they wouldn't be able to get out.

At this moment, Lu Xingzhou and his companions had arrived at a small oasis.

"I discovered this oasis myself," Sheng Yuanyao introduced enthusiastically. "It's not marked on the public maps. That year, I made a desperate comeback nearby and defeated a Wind Demon here."

Anu felt that he had stopped playing this "wait for praise" game three years ago...

However, Lu Xingzhou was exceptionally experienced at humoring children. "Commander Sheng truly is the best. You must have been at the top of your class in that year's Martial Arts Hall trial, right?"

Sheng Yuanyao's eyes crinkled with laughter. "I was first! So don't think you're the only top scholar around."

Lu Xingzhou looked around. The plants in the oasis were indeed unlike any he had seen outside, mostly unusual mutations caused by demonic qi contamination and the Demon Suppression Realm's unique aura. Whether they were suitable for alchemy was another matter; at least the plants in this particular oasis didn't seem very suitable.

They felt extremely gloomy. These plants, supposedly symbols of vitality, emanated an aura of death.

Lu Xingzhou surveyed for a while, then quietly asked, "Anu, have you found anything?"

Anu, who had been communicating with the plants, now replied, "There's something wrong with this oasis... It's not formed by groundwater. Information from underground is blocked."

Plant roots delve deep into the earth, knowing its secrets more clearly than anyone.

Sheng Yuanyao's face changed. "If it's not formed by groundwater, then what is it?"

Anu hesitated for a moment. "There seems to be a huge skeleton underneath, with a thick layer of soil accumulated above the bones. As for why water keeps emerging, we might have to dig down to find out. It could even be... corpse fluid, purified by the spiritual energy of this place."

Sheng Yuanyao's face turned pale as she recalled her past experience of joyfully drinking water at this oasis. She clutched her stomach, ran to the side, and threw up noisily.