First time entering the desert
Cang Jingmo agreed to Cang Jingqi's plan.
The desert trip won't take too long, and the Demon Palace is still guarded by many officials, so the two princes' temporary departure won't have too much of an impact.
The Snow Festival hasn't arrived yet, so Cang Jingye can't possibly declare himself Demon Lord.
The selection of this Demon Lord must take place during the Snowfall Festival, a rule established when the previous Demon Lord stepped down.
With the cold season still pending, the new team organized by Cang Jingqi was established.
Han Jiang had no choice but to agree. She couldn't possibly expect Cang Jingqi to send Han Qi away and leave Wen Xu and Cang Jingmo alone, could she? If Cang Jingqi were to harm Wen Xu, it would be another big problem.
"So, how does Your Highness plan to persuade my master?" Han Jiang asked.
"Why not just execute first and report later?"
"Don't even think about it!" Han Tian saw the two whispering for a long time from afar, and upon getting closer, he heard Cang Jingqi saying that Han Jiang should go to the desert with him. "Cang Jingqi! Are you rebelling? You're kidnapping my disciple!"
"Oh no, they're going to read out the full name now." Cang Jingqi thought to himself, "This is bad."
"It's not Your Highness, it's that I want to go to the desert with Sister Wen and Junior Sister," Han Jiang defended Cang Jingqi.
"Xiaoman, you're being silly! The Baiwu Desert is different from ordinary deserts. What if we encounter danger? What if no one protects you while I'm not around?"
Cang Jingqi: "Brother, your insults are really filthy. Am I not human?"
"No! Stay away from my disciple!" Han Tian finally understood that his precious disciple was bound to have a bad time with Cang Jingqi, and might even get lost someday. He quickly took him back to Hanshan.
Han Jiang was pushed back to Hanshan by Han Tian. When she turned around, Cang Jingqi was giving her a look.
Let's just do it first and ask questions later.
Han Tian escorted Han Jiang back to the entrance of the villa, repeatedly telling her not to go to the desert and to stay away from Cang Jingqi.
As soon as Hantian left, Hanjiang turned around and packed her bags.
The farewell at the foot of the mountain was swift; Chicheng gave Wenxu and Hanqi a few words of advice before everyone set off.
Hanjiang sat inside the house with her luggage, waiting.
Through the window, several figures could be seen flying away from the Four Provinces Sect on their swords.
A thin thread slipped through the window into the room, wrapped around Han Jiang's arm, and entangled the jade bracelet on her wrist.
Then she felt a pull, and when she opened her eyes again, she was sitting on Cang Jingqi's folding fan.
"Senior sister?" Han Qi was shocked by the sudden appearance of a person.
Hanjiang greeted them somewhat awkwardly: "Hi~ I'm here to set off with you."
She made an excuse that she was worried about Hanqi, so she asked Cang Jingqi to take her with her.
Cang Jingmo seemed unconcerned, but Han Qi kept trying to get Han Jiang back.
"Since we're already here!" Han Jiang brushed it off.
Under the watchful eyes of the other three, she couldn't speak to Wen Xu and could only continue on her way.
It was evening when they arrived in Yinzhou. From Yinzhou, they could take a boat north to reach Manzhou. The five of them did not plan to rest in Yinzhou, so they found a boat and slept on it for the night.
"Why are you here?" Wen Xu asked. Back in Cangyun Palace, she hoped Han Jiang would stay with Han Qi instead of coming with him.
"Let me help you."
“That’s dangerous!” Wen Xu frowned. “Never mind, you take care of yourself. If I leave with Cang Jingmo alone, you stay with Cang Jingqi and Han Qi.”
"OK!"
Cang Jingmo attached a compass to the bow of the ship, infused it with demonic energy, and then made the ship automatically sail towards Manzhou.
I couldn't sleep at all after the cold rains began to fall. We were getting closer and closer to Manzhou, and the water was becoming increasingly turbulent, causing the whole ship to rock.
It was only thanks to the demonic energy of the two princes that the ship was kept from capsizing.
None of the five of them rested much; they sat there until dawn.
Manzhou was a place used by the imperial court to exile criminals, and almost the entire Manzhou was desert.
After Cang Jingmo explained his purpose to the governor of Manzhou, the group followed the directions and arrived at the junction of the desert and the residential area.
Chi Jin brought a piece of white jade to the Four Continents Sect, saying it was the base of the Tranquility Bead, which was discovered along with the bead. Although the Tranquility Bead had disappeared, fortunately, the base remained.
Han Tian used the base to make a compass to guide people.
The Baiwu Desert is barren for miles around; one will lose one's way in less than a hundred miles.
The wind and sand roared, making sword flight unusable. The five tied ropes around their waists and moved forward together. Han Jiang was in the middle, and Wen Xu cast a protective spell on her.
The yellow sand stretched as far as the eye could see, obscuring everything. Each step landed on the soft sand, offering no support. Han Jiang bent his left arm to shield his eyes, tilted his head slightly, and squinted at the compass in his right hand.
"The sandstorm is raging right now, let's find a place to rest first, and continue our journey once the sandstorm stops!" Cang Jingmo said.
"Where can we find a place?" Han Jiang asked.
Cang Jingqi pulled Han Jiang to a stop: "Right here! A Mo, let's use demonic energy to create a place!"
The five people sat cross-legged, and two of them used their demonic energy to block the wind and sand outside, creating a peaceful space.
Wen Xu distributed water to everyone, saying, "This won't last long; the Hundred Waste Desert will devour our spiritual energy."
Han Jiang: "How can we find the Tranquility Pearl? If it's buried underground by sandstorms, are we supposed to dig it up from the ground?"
“It is said that this place was once an ocean,” Hanqi said.
As winter approached, I recalled a geography book that said the world's highest peak was once an ocean. I couldn't help but sigh at how a place that was once buried deep under the sea is now ravaged by sandstorms.
A huge sandstorm swept in, nearly tearing down the barrier formed by demonic energy. The compass in Han Jiang's hand spun uncontrollably, but it could not point to a clear direction.
The compass operates on spiritual energy, but the Hundred Waste Desert absorbs spiritual energy, so the compass cannot operate for long.
They had already traveled some distance in one direction, but now the compass could no longer indicate the direction. Which way should they go?
This situation seemed to have taken Wenxu by surprise.
Wenxu remained silent, pondering as he tried to recall the location of the Tranquilizing Pearl mentioned in the book.
Hanqi continued, "Legend has it that there was a lost empire beneath the ocean. And when the ocean disappeared, the empire also disappeared."
Han Jiang believed that if it was a legend in such a book, it must be true, so he said, "If the empire really exists, then treasures like pearls must be in the imperial palace. If we can find some ancient castle, perhaps we can find the Tranquil Pearl."
“Yes!” Wen Xu exclaimed in delight.
She leaned close to Hanjiang's ear: "Hanjiang, you reminded me, the Tranquil Heart Pearl is in an ancient castle."
"What are you two whispering about? We're all in the same boat now, so share whatever you have to say," Cang Jing said.
"I remember reading in a book that in the Baiwu Desert, you can see lost ruins by looking in the direction the sun sets."
This book is probably the one that Han Jiang and Wen Xu transmigrated into. Thinking of this, Han Jiang smiled at Wen Xu.
"Then let's set off immediately." Cang Jingmo was the first to stand up.
The sun sets in the west. Hanjiang put away his compass and took out a south-pointing chariot.
"North is up, south is down, west is left, east is right... this way!" Han Jiang led the way.
Cang Jing retorted, "Han Xiaoman, are you chanting some kind of spell?"
"Don't worry about it, just follow me, you can't go wrong!" Han Jiang has always been confident in her sense of direction.
Under the direct sunlight, and while they also had to consume demonic energy to erect a barrier, the two princes' expressions grew increasingly grim.
It was past noon, but the scorching sun was still so bright that it was hard to see.
The sandstorm subsided by the afternoon. The two removed the barrier; they no longer needed to worry about it being blown away.
Han Jiang, who spent most of her time lying in the villa reading, couldn't keep up with the other four in terms of stamina. Her steps became heavier and heavier, and the middle of the rope bulged backward. She had to rely on Han Qi and Wen Xu on her left and right to pull her along.
She's going to die here before she even finds the Tranquility Pearl.
Even with five people tied up with ropes, she couldn't help Wen Xu get rid of Han Qi.
This is practically a tribulation she's been brought upon herself!
In a daze, I seemed to see a structure in front of me that resembled a tower.
A massive city floats in mid-air.
"A mirage?" Han Jiang asked Wen Xu beside her.
Wen Xu said, "It seems there really is such a city in the desert, which is why we can see it through the reflection of light. Let's continue searching."
Han Jiang couldn't help but wonder, no matter which direction he went, all he saw was a mirage.
She stood there, stunned, adjusting the compass in her hand: That's right, we're heading west.
"What does the book say?" Han Jiang asked Wen Xu quietly.
"They entered the desert and came to an ancient castle." Wen Xu's words made him feel guilty; it was a useless plot description.
Hanjiang really wants to beat up the author of this book.
"Look at your expression, don't be angry. I admit this book isn't very good," Wen Xu comforted her.
The original text makes no description of how the castle was found.
However, the system will definitely provide a logical solution, otherwise the plot cannot proceed.
Once we find a way to break the deadlock, things will fall into place naturally.
“It doesn’t look like a typical mirage; it’s more like an illusion,” Cang Jingmo said. “While absorbing spiritual energy, the Hundred Desolate Desert uses a portion of that energy to create illusions. This should be a combination of a mirage and an illusion. If we break the illusion, the mirage will disappear.”
The problem is, how do you break a mirage that's floating in mid-air?
Flying on a sword is impossible in the desert, and even Cang Jingqi's folding fan can't fly. Even if you throw out a talisman, it will be blown away by the wind immediately, preventing it from reaching its intended destination.
“Non-physical illusions can be broken with willpower.” Han Jiang took out a white jade compass and had Han Qi pour spiritual power into it.
When the Tranquility Bead was first discovered, it was found to have the effect of calming the mind and focusing the spirit, helping people to calm their restless spirits and inner unease, hence the name Tranquility Bead.
As for the base of the Tranquility Bead, Han Jiang doesn't believe it's just an ordinary base; perhaps it can serve a similar function as the Tranquility Bead.
Two things that come together either restrain each other or have the same medicinal effect.
Before leaving, I checked the white jade cold sky and found that it did not have the effect of bewitching people, so its effect is most likely the same as that of the calming bead.
Hanqi used his spiritual power to disassemble and reassemble the white jade compass, which then floated among the five people.
The five people closed their eyes one by one, clearing their minds of desires and expectations.
Perhaps it was because they were all so eager to find the sandcastle that the mirage appeared in the form of a city.
Under Hanqi's control, Baiyu emitted a white halo.
As the cold front descended, a refreshing breeze greeted me, clearing my head considerably.
The city vanished, just as the white jade and the Tranquil Pearl shattered, disappearing without a trace with the wind.
The illusion vanished, and a real city appeared before them.
Half of it is buried underground, with only the roof exposed.
The city gates had long since collapsed, and the city walls were in ruins.
Unlike contemporary architectural styles, it is very likely the legendary lost ancient city.
They were trapped in the illusion for several hours, just as the sun was about to set.
A fiery red ball hung above the city, exuding an eerie aura at dusk, before finally sinking into the sea of sand along with the ancient city.
"Let's go in, regardless of whether the Tranquility Pearl is inside or not," Han Qi led the way.
As darkness fell, the situation in the desert became even more unpredictable.
More than finding the Tranquility Pearl, they needed a place to shelter from the sandstorms and endure the low night temperatures.
"Found it so easily?" Han Jiang asked incredulously.
Wen Xu smiled and said, "You don't know this. You can't go wrong by following the male and female leads. The protagonist's halo is much stronger than we imagine."
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