Shengui Changsheng: Start from Zhenwuwei and add some points to cultivate immortality

"It's quicksand!" Desert Eagle roared, drawing his scimitar and slashing forcefully at the sand behind Wind Shadow.

A miracle occurred—with the slash of the curved blade, the range of the quicksand seemed to be restricted. Feng Ying struggled forward, pulling Nangong Yue away from the danger zone. Fu Shaoping also exerted all his strength and finally pulled Nangong Yue back.

The three huddled together, panting, looking at the quicksand that had nearly swallowed them. The sand was still slowly shifting, like a lurking beast.

“This is one of the dangers of the White Sands,” Desert Eagle’s voice remained tense. “Quicksand can appear suddenly and move extremely fast.”

Nangong Yue wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, her face pale: "I...I think I just had a hallucination."

“Normal reaction.” Desert Eagle handed her a water pouch. “Drink some water; it’ll help you stay awake.”

Nangong Yue took the water pouch and drank several mouthfuls, feeling her consciousness gradually clear. She noticed that Fu Shaoping's complexion was also not good, clearly affected by the hallucinations as well.

“We’ll continue.” Desert Eagle stood up and mounted his camel, “but we must be more careful.”

Led by Fengying, the three carefully traversed the white sand. As night fell, the temperature continued to drop, and the desert night was even more dangerous than the day. Desert Eagle lit a specially made windproof lamp, its faint light casting a dim yellow halo around the white sand.

“We must find a suitable campsite before dawn,” Desert Eagle said. “Traveling in the white sand at night is even more dangerous; the temperature drops sharply, and it’s easy to get lost.”

Fu Shaoping looked around and found his vision had become even blurrier: "I can't even see the stars clearly."

“That’s why I say we must absolutely trust Windshadow,” Desert Eagle patted the neck of the camel beneath him. “It can find the safest path in the dark.”

And so, the three of them moved slowly forward across the white sand, the dim light of their windproof lanterns appearing particularly lonely against the eerie white sea of ​​sand. Nangong Yue gripped the jade pendant tightly in her hand, feeling as if it were slightly warming, as if responding to some kind of call from this mysterious land.

As night deepened, the desert silence was broken by the sound of the wind and the clatter of camels. No one knew what awaited them ahead, but none of the three showed any sign of retreating. They all knew that the real adventure had only just begun.
Three days later, the scorching sun blazed high in the sky, baking the endless yellow sand until it was scalding hot. Braving the burning heat, the three finally arrived at the mysterious area that Desert Eagle had described.

At first, the distant scenery was no different from any other desert—golden dunes undulating, gleaming softly in the sunlight. But as the distance closed, a strange change quietly occurred. The color of the sand began to gradually change, transitioning from a warm amber to a pale beige, and finally transforming into a dazzling pure white, as if the entire sea of ​​sand had been bleached by moonlight.

“This is it.” Desert Eagle reined in his camel, his voice low and solemn. He squinted, gazing at the eerie white sand, his eyes revealing a complex mix of emotions—warning, yet tinged with an indescribable fear.

Fu Shaoping dismounted from the camel, and the moment his boots touched the sand, he sensed something was amiss. The sand here was much finer than in ordinary deserts, and the sound it made when stepped on was completely different—not the usual "crunch," but an almost eerie "rustling" sound, like countless tiny insects whispering, or like the murmur of some ancient incantation.

“These sands…” Nangong Yue couldn’t wait any longer and squatted down, her slender fingers gently brushing aside the surface grains of sand. In the sunlight, these grains of sand appeared sickly pale, so fine they were almost like flour. She grabbed a small handful, and the grains of sand slipped through her fingers, yet they gave an unusually cool touch, a stark contrast to the scorching air around her.

Desert Eagle strode forward and grabbed her wrist. "Don't touch too much!" His voice was stern and unyielding. "The sand here can cause hallucinations."

Nangong Yue was startled by his sudden action and instinctively let go of his hand. Fine sand slipped from her fingers, shimmering eerily in the sunlight.

"A hallucination?" Fu Shaoping looked around warily. "Like the one we encountered in the castle before?"

Desert Eagle's expression grew even more serious: "It's more dangerous than that. In the white sand, hallucinations can directly affect your sanity, making it impossible to distinguish between reality and illusion." He pointed into the distance, "See those dunes? They look normal now, but one wrong step and the view before you will completely change."

The three stood at the edge of the sand, a stark contrast—behind them were familiar golden dunes, while before them lay an eerie, pure white world. This visual impact involuntarily instilled unease.

"Are we really going in?" Nangong Yue stood up, her voice trembling slightly. Despite her usual boldness, she couldn't completely overcome her fear in the face of this unknown white sand sea.

Desert Eagle took a specially made water pouch from the camel's back, took a swig, and wiped his mouth. "I was here ten years ago, and I know how dangerous it is. But the 'Moonlight Castle' you're looking for is inside." He paused. "And time is of the essence—the sandstorm season is approaching. If we don't act now, this desert will become a true death trap when the winds arrive."

Fu Shaoping walked to Nangong Yue's side and gently comforted her, "With Feng Ying leading the way, and Desert Eagle's experience, we should be able to get through safely." He turned to Desert Eagle, "Are you sure the route is okay?"

Desert Eagle pulled a yellowed parchment from his saddlebag, covered with dense markings of various symbols: "This is a map I risked my life for. The dangers of the white sands aren't just on the surface; complex layers of quicksand lurk beneath." He pointed to a winding route on the map, "We must follow this 'safety belt,' for even half a step off course could lead to utter destruction."

Nangong Yue took the map and examined it carefully. In addition to the usual topographical markings, the parchment was covered with all sorts of strange runes, some of which were even repeatedly smeared, showing the anxiety and unease of the mapmaker.

“These runes,” she asked, frowning.

“It’s a warning.” Desert Eagle put away the map. “There are some places I can’t explain—the sand suddenly shifts, the compass malfunctions, even time seems to be out of control.” He patted Windshadow on the neck. “Luckily we had it to guide us, otherwise we wouldn’t have even made it to the first day.”

The camel "Wind Shadow" seemed to understand its master's praise, letting out a cheerful cry and gently nuzzling Desert Eagle's arm with its nose.

Fu Shaoping inspected the equipment, hanging a specially made compass on his waist: "Do you mark the location of the water source on your map?"

“There’s no fixed water source in the white sand,” Desert Eagle shook his head. “We can only rely on these water bags.” He patted the bulging water bags on the camel’s back. “These have been treated using a special method to preserve them for a longer time in extreme environments.”

Nangong Yue noticed that Desert Eagle's equipment was far superior to theirs—his water bladders were not only more numerous, but also coated with a special grease that gleamed faintly in the sunlight. Clearly, he was well-prepared for the dangers of this desert. "Ready?" Desert Eagle asked in a deep voice as he mounted his camel.

Fu Shaoping and Nangong Yue exchanged a glance, then nodded simultaneously.

The three mounted their camels again and slowly stepped into the eerie white sea of ​​sand. As soon as they entered, Nangong Yue sensed something amiss—the air seemed drier, and the temperature was rising rapidly. Even stranger, her vision began to blur, and the distant sand dunes appeared to be constantly distorting and warping.

"Concentrate!" Desert Eagle's voice suddenly rang in my ears. "Don't be fooled by illusions!"

Fu Shaoping also noticed the anomaly. He saw that the sand dunes in the distance seemed to be moving slowly, as if they were alive. Even more unsettling, he clearly saw Nangong Yue's figure flash by in his field of vision, as if she were being pulled by some invisible force.

"Nangong!" he called out hurriedly, reaching out to grab her.

Just then, the Wind Shadow suddenly let out a loud screech and abruptly turned to one side. The Desert Eagle swiftly pulled a rope from its saddlebag and threw it precisely to Fu Shaoping: "Grab it!"

Fu Shaoping grabbed the rope, feeling a powerful force pulling him. Almost simultaneously, he saw Nangong Yue's body begin to fall backward uncontrollably, and the sand beneath her feet began to flow as if it were alive!
"It's quicksand!" Desert Eagle roared, drawing his scimitar and slashing forcefully at the sand behind Wind Shadow.

A miracle occurred—with the slashing of the curved blade, the quicksand seemed to be contained. Feng Ying struggled forward, pulling Nangong Yue away from the danger zone. Fu Shaoping also exerted all his strength and finally pulled her back.

The two men, panting heavily, huddled together, staring at the quicksand that had nearly swallowed them. The sand was still slowly shifting, like a lurking beast, ready to strike again at any moment.

"This is the first test of the white sands," Desert Eagle's voice remained tense. "Quicksand can appear suddenly and move extremely fast. Even more terrifying is that it can create the illusion of being pulled towards the earth's core, leading to misjudgments."

Nangong Yue wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, her face pale: "I definitely felt something pulling me just now."

“That’s a combination of illusion and reality.” Desert Eagle handed her a water pouch. “Drink some water; it will help you regain your senses.”

Nangong Yue took the water pouch and drank several mouthfuls, feeling her consciousness gradually clear. She noticed that Fu Shaoping's complexion was also not good, clearly affected by the hallucinations as well.

“We’ll continue.” Desert Eagle stood up and mounted his camel, “but we must be more careful.”

Led by Feng Ying, the three carefully traversed the white sand. As time passed, Nangong Yue gradually discovered that this sandy land contained some kind of strange pattern—the flow of sand grains seemed to follow some mysterious rhythm, and the patterns on the ground were constantly changing, as if conveying some unknown information.

“Look there,” she suddenly pointed into the distance, “the shapes of those sand dunes.”

Fu Shaoping and Desert Eagle followed her gaze and saw that the sand dunes in the distance were arranged in a peculiar pattern, like giant runes embedded in the ground. These "runes" cast eerie shadows in the sunlight, constantly changing as the sun moved.

“This didn’t happen naturally,” Desert Eagle said, his voice tinged with shock. “Someone—or rather, something—is deliberately maintaining this arrangement.”

Fu Shaoping took out the compass and found the needle spinning wildly: "The compass is completely malfunctioning."

“As expected.” Desert Eagle tightened the reins. “The white sand will interfere with all navigation tools. From now on, we must rely entirely on the Wind Shadow and the map.”

Just then, the jade pendant in Nangong Yue's hand suddenly emitted a faint light, and a warm temperature emanated from it through her clothes. She looked down in surprise and discovered that the patterns on the jade pendant seemed to have some kind of connection with the "sand dune runes" in the distance.

"Shaoping, look," she was about to speak when she suddenly froze—the scene before her eyes blurred again, and the distant sand dunes began to twist and deform, as if the whole world was melting.

"Don't look into the distance!" Desert Eagle warned sharply. "Keep your eyes on Wind Shadow's hump!"

Fu Shaoping caught the swaying Nangong Yue, feeling her trembling slightly. Even more frightening was that his own vision began to malfunction—he was standing on flat sand, yet it felt like he was going downhill; the wind and shadow were right in front of him, yet their distance seemed to fluctuate.

"Hold on!" Desert Eagle's voice seemed to come from a great distance. "We must find safety before the illusions completely take over!"

Just at this critical moment, Fengying suddenly let out a joyful neigh and quickened its pace. The three of them felt the ground suddenly become solid, and the illusions around them weakened.

"Found it!" Desert Eagle breathed a sigh of relief. "The geomagnetic anomaly in this area can temporarily counteract the illusion caused by the white sand."

The three of them collapsed onto the sand, panting heavily. Nangong Yue's jade pendant still emitted a faint glow, and Fu Shaoping's compass needle finally returned to normal.

"What exactly is this place?" Nangong Yue murmured to herself, her voice filled with awe.

Desert Eagle gazed at the distant sea of ​​sand, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "Legend has it that 'Moonlight Castle' is a gateway connecting reality and illusion. We may be stepping into the corridor leading to that door."

As the sun set, it dyed the white sand a blood-red hue. In this eerie twilight, the three silently adjusted their gear, preparing for an even more perilous journey. For they all knew that the real test had only just begun. (End of Chapter)