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

After about an hour deep into the white sand sea, the sun had climbed to its zenith, scorching the endless sands. The three of them braved the intense heat, slowly making their way forward. The sand beneath their feet was as fine as powder, each step leaving a clear footprint, only to be quickly smoothed over by the flowing sand, as if this sea of ​​sand was forever swallowing up the traces of its intruders.

“Almost there.” Desert Eagle’s voice was deep and hoarse, his gaze fixed on the distance. Despite having traversed this desert for many years, his eyes still betrayed an undisguised tension. Wind Shadow seemed to sense its master’s emotions as well, its steps becoming exceptionally cautious, each step landing softly, as if afraid to disturb this slumbering land.

Fu Shaoping squinted, trying to penetrate the blinding white light ahead. As he drew closer, the outline of a dilapidated castle gradually came into view. It was a building constructed of grayish-white stone blocks, its tall walls mostly collapsed, leaving only a few stubborn ruins standing. The castle gate was ajar, and a clear crescent moon symbol was carved on the lintel, gleaming eerily silver in the sunlight.

“That’s it.” Desert Eagle’s voice trembled slightly, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the scimitar at his waist. He reined in Windshadow, bringing the camel to a slow stop. Despite having prepared himself mentally, he still couldn’t completely overcome the shock and unease he felt when he actually saw this legendary castle.

Fu Shaoping dismounted from the camel, and the moment his boots touched the sand, he felt an unusual chill. He looked up at the castle; its towering archway resembled a gaping maw, ready to devour any intruder. The castle walls were covered with the marks of time, and a few tenacious desert plants grew from the cracks in the stones, appearing particularly withered under the scorching sun.

“Let’s go in and take a look.” Fu Shaoping gripped the hilt of his sword, his voice firm. He turned to Nangong Yue and found that her gaze was already deeply drawn to the castle, her eyes sparkling with excitement and curiosity.

Nangong Yue took a deep breath, seemingly calming her excitement. She nodded gently, "Okay." With that, she stepped into the castle first, her figure quickly disappearing beneath the archway.

Fu Shaoping followed closely behind, while Desert Eagle cautiously surveyed the surroundings before finally urging Wind Shadow into the castle. Upon entering, a damp, decaying stench assaulted their senses, a stark contrast to the dry, scorching air outside. The castle interior was dark and damp, with sunlight only filtering through narrow windows high up, casting a hazy, shadowy atmosphere over the entire space.

"Watch your step," Desert Eagle warned in a deep voice, his words echoing eerily in the empty castle hall. He dismounted his camel and gestured for Wind Shadow to stop at the doorway. "This place doesn't welcome the living. Wind Shadow is safer outside."

Fu Shaoping nodded, took a torch from his backpack, and lit it with a flint. The flickering flame dispelled some of the darkness, illuminating the narrow corridor ahead. The walls were covered with a thick layer of black mold, which looked particularly eerie in the firelight.

Nangong Yue had reached the end of the corridor. She reached out and touched the stone carvings on the wall: "These runes," her voice echoed in the empty hall, "seem to be some kind of ancient Western Region script, but I've never seen this style of writing before."

Fu Shaoping approached to examine it and found that the runes on the wall were indeed peculiar—they were neither like the seal script of the Central Plains, nor like the Sogdian or Uyghur script commonly found in the Western Regions, but rather a completely unfamiliar writing system. The lines of the runes were winding and complex, and in some places even resembled some kind of mysterious pattern.

"Be careful, there might be traps," Fu Shaoping warned, glancing around. The castle gave him the feeling of a sleeping behemoth, and any rash action could awaken it.

Just then, a slight tremor suddenly came from the ground, a low and slow tremor, as if some enormous creature was awakening underground. The runes on the wall suddenly lit up with a ghostly blue light, the light flickering like will-o'-the-wisps dancing on the stone wall.

"Back off!" Desert Eagle roared, his scimitar drawn, its cold gleam particularly striking in the eerie blue light. His voice carried the alertness honed by years of combat experience. "Prepare for battle!"

The next second, the ground cracked open, and several sand snakes darted out from the crevice! They moved like lightning, their sharp teeth gleaming coldly, and grains of sand fell from their scales like fine stardust in the eerie blue light.

The sand snakes appeared with astonishing speed. The first sand snake pounced on Nangong Yue, who was closest to it, almost the instant the ground cracked open. It opened its blood-red maw, revealing sharp fangs, its target aimed directly at her throat.

"Watch out!" Fu Shaoping shouted, his sword already drawn. A flash of cold light appeared, and the sword energy swept across, severing the sand serpent in half, turning it into a wisp of black smoke and dissipating into the air. But more sand serpents were pouring out of the cracks; they moved swiftly and attacked with precision, clearly not ordinary desert creatures.

Although Nangong Yue was startled by the sudden attack, her years of martial arts training allowed her to quickly regain her composure. She gathered spiritual energy at her fingertips, and a beam of azure light shot out, accurately striking a sand snake that lunged at her. The sand snake let out a piercing hiss after being hit, its body twisting violently before finally collapsing to the ground and dissipating into sand.

The Desert Eagle's scimitar danced like a whirlwind, tracing silver arcs in the eerie blue light. Each of his strikes was precise and ruthless, slaying every approaching sand serpent. But the sand serpents were simply too numerous, surging in from all directions, seemingly endless.

"These sand snakes... could they be monsters guarding the castle?" Nangong Yue asked in shock as she fought. Her sleeves were soaked with sweat, but her movements remained steady and powerful.

Desert Eagle's expression turned grave: "It seems this place is more dangerous than the legends say. These aren't ordinary sand snakes—they emanate spiritual energy; they're puppets controlled by some force." He cleaved two sand snakes that lunged at Fu Shaoping with a single stroke. "Watch out for their fangs; a bite would be troublesome!"

Fu Shaoping's swordsmanship was sharp and precise, each strike capable of slaying a sand snake. But the longer the battle lasted, the more uneasy he felt—these sand snakes seemed to possess some kind of strange regenerative ability; even if their bodies were severed, as long as their heads remained intact, they could continue to move.

"Their weakness is their heads!" Nangong Yue suddenly shouted, her spiritual energy attack already shattering the skulls of several sand snakes. "Once their skulls are broken, they can be completely wiped out!"

This discovery made the battle easier. The three adjusted their tactics, focusing their attacks on the sand snakes' heads. Gradually, the number of sand snakes emerging decreased, and the cracks in the ground began to close.

As the last sand serpent was vanquished, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence. The eerie blue light gradually dimmed, and the runes on the walls returned to their stillness. The three were still catching their breath, their bodies covered to varying degrees with sand and black smoke.

"These sand snakes... could they be monsters guarding the castle?" Nangong Yue asked again, her voice still filled with disbelief. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, cautiously looking around, fearing that more monsters might suddenly appear.

Desert Eagle sheathed his scimitar, his expression grave. "It seems this place is more dangerous than the legends say. These sand serpents aren't natural creatures, but puppets controlled by some force." He pointed to a crack in the ground. "Look there, there are ancient runes along the edge of the crack. These sand serpents must have been summoned through some kind of mechanism."

Fu Shaoping nodded in agreement: "This castle must be hiding some important secret to have such tight defenses." He turned to Nangong Yue, "You just said these runes are special?"

Nangong Yue approached the wall, carefully observing the runes that had just lit up: "These runes are neither Western Region script nor Central Plains script, but an ancient writing system I've never seen before. Their lines are intricate and complex, some even resembling some kind of mysterious pattern." She hesitated for a moment, "And I feel like these runes are responding to my jade pendant."

As she spoke, she took out a jade pendant from her waist. In the firelight, the pendant gleamed with a warm luster, and its patterns seemed to bear a subtle resemblance to the runes on the wall. Desert Eagle leaned closer to examine it: "What's so special about this jade pendant?"

Nangong Yue hesitated for a moment, then finally decided to tell the truth: "This is a family heirloom, said to be able to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. I've worn it since I was a child, but I've never seen it glow like this before."

Desert Eagle pondered for a moment: "It seems this castle has some connection to your family. Perhaps..." He suddenly paused, glancing warily into the depths of the corridor, "Someone's coming."

The three quickly extinguished their torches and hid in the nearby shadows. Footsteps approached, accompanied by the soft clanging of metal. Soon, a burly figure appeared at the end of the corridor—a strong man in leather armor, carrying a battle axe, his face bearing a fierce expression.

“They’re the caravan guards.” Desert Eagle breathed a sigh of relief and stepped out of the shadows. “Looks like we weren’t the first to enter this castle.”

The burly man was visibly startled when he saw the Desert Eagle, then his expression turned wary: "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Desert Eagle bowed respectfully: "I am Desert Eagle, your guide. These two are guests from the Central Plains; we have come together to explore this castle."

The burly man sized up the three of them, his gaze lingering for a moment on the jade pendant in Nangong Yue's hand. "Central Plains people? This isn't a place for you." He sheathed his battle axe. "I am Alimu, the caravan's guard leader. We entered this castle ten days ago, searching for the legendary treasure, but now," his voice lowered, "we've lost three companions."

Fu Shaoping asked warily, "What happened?"

Alimu's expression darkened. "They vanished without a trace, like they were swallowed by sand. And," he lowered his voice, "we discovered some strange things—the runes on the walls glowed on their own, mysterious patterns appeared on the ground, and even..." He hesitated, "we heard singing, like a call from underground."

Nangong Yue felt a chill creep up her spine: "Singing?"

Alimu nodded: "Yes, an ancient and eerie song, as if summoning something. My two companions disappeared after hearing the song."

Desert Eagle pondered for a moment: "It seems this castle does indeed hide a secret. What do you plan to do now?"

Alimu gritted his teeth and said, "We've decided to keep going and leave immediately after finding the treasure. But we need a guide—Desert Eagle. Would you be willing to lead the way? The reward is generous."

Before Desert Eagle could answer, Fu Shaoping spoke up: "We also have our own purposes, and I'm afraid we cannot lead the way for you."

Alimu showed a disappointed expression, but quickly regained his composure: "Then you'd better be careful, this castle doesn't welcome outsiders." With that, he strode away with two of his men.

After they had walked a distance, Nangong Yue asked in a low voice, "Should we follow them? Maybe we can get more information from them."

Desert Eagle shook his head: "No, they've lost their way. Following them will only be more dangerous." He turned to Fu Shaoping, "We'll continue according to plan, but with even greater caution."

The three continued deeper into the castle, the corridors growing narrower and the runes on the walls becoming increasingly dense. As they progressed, the air became more humid, and the temperature gradually dropped, a stark contrast to the scorching desert outside.

After walking through a long corridor, they came to a hidden door. The door was almost integrated into the wall, and it would have been nearly impossible to spot it had it not been for Desert Eagle's extensive experience.

“This is…” Fu Shaoping reached out and touched the door, feeling that the patterns on it were similar to the runes he had seen before.

Desert Eagle took a specially made key from his saddlebag: "I found this in some ruins years ago. I never thought it would come in handy here." He inserted the key into the lock, turned it gently, and the door opened silently.

Behind the door was a circular chamber with a stone platform in the center, upon which rested a yellowed parchment scroll. The walls of the chamber were covered with even more intricate runes, and the floor was paved with regular stone slabs, each engraved with a tiny symbol.

Fu Shaoping cautiously stepped forward and unrolled the scroll. Ancient script was written on the parchment—

"A pearl in the desert, hidden beneath the moon; a sword pointing to the heavens, traces of immortals can be found."

Nangong Yue read the sentence aloud, her brows furrowed: "What does this mean?"

Desert Eagle pondered, "Perhaps the true 'Moonlight Castle' has yet to be revealed." His gaze fell on the stone platform in the center of the secret chamber. "These runes and inscriptions suggest that this is only part of a much larger secret."

Just then, the jade pendant in Nangong Yue's hand emitted a faint light again, creating a strange resonance with the runes on the stone platform. The three exchanged surprised glances, seemingly realizing something.

"It seems we've found the right direction." Fu Shaoping put away the scroll, his gaze resolute. "But the real challenge has only just begun." (End of Chapter)