I have to get lucky right away.

Chapter 625 Cactus Leader
A few hours later, as the sun began to set and the temperature began to drop sharply, Chen Xuan finally caught sight of the so-called oasis.

Because of the desert terrain, they couldn't ride motorcycles, so walking naturally slowed them down.

However, as he got closer, Chen Xuan couldn't help but feel excited. Although he had only been in the desert for half a day, the sight of yellow sand made him feel tired and numb.

As the patch of green in his field of vision gradually expanded, his steps became lighter.

The closer you get, the more you can feel the vitality of this oasis. Date palms and tamarisk trees stretch out their branches, subtly defining a territory that doesn't belong to the yellow sand.

Seemingly in order to make the most of the precious land, the village mentioned by the prisoners was not built inside the oasis, but rather right next to a date palm grove on the outskirts of the oasis. A stone building, about ten meters high, stood out like a crane among chickens in the center of the houses, most of which were only about three meters high. On the outskirts of the village, some simple defensive fortifications made of stones and sandbags could also be seen.

At the village entrance stood only two guards in long robes, their features obscured by the wide fabric (Note ①). Upon seeing the patterns on Feng Xue and her companions' robes, the guards refrained from any pleasantries, simply bowing respectfully before allowing them to enter.

Upon entering the oasis, the atmosphere of life immediately comes to mind. Low mud-brick houses line both sides of the simple roads, with women spinning or making pottery in front of their doors, and men mostly working in the fields or tending to date palm trees. It looks like an ordinary desert settlement that depends on the oasis for survival.

But Feng Xue's brows furrowed slightly.

That's too "normal".

It's so normal it's almost unsettling.

According to the priest, this was an outpost on high alert, having received a divine decree. They had just dispatched a small team to attack the "enemies of order." Whether the attack succeeded or not, this settlement shouldn't appear so peaceful and serene.

At the very least, there should be some tension, such as increased patrols, mobilization of soldiers, or people staying at home and afraid to go out.

But now it seems that the people here are completely unaware of the existence of the "enemy of order" and continue to live their lives in an orderly manner.

"Brother, something seems off." Chen Xuan also noticed something amiss and said in a low voice, "Why are they acting like nothing happened?"

"Okay, be careful." Feng Xue responded calmly, her extrasensory perception spreading out like an invisible spider web, carefully examining every detail of her surroundings.

He noticed that some of the "farmers" working in the fields, although their movements seemed to be weeding or watering, their muscles were always in a subtle state of tension, and their eyes would occasionally glance at them, the outsiders.

Some of the "women" who seemed to be chatting idly in front of the house were knitting in a way that was too regular and mechanical, and they hardly made eye contact with each other, as if they were carrying out some kind of surveillance mission.

Most importantly, he didn't even see a single child!
The entire oasis appears calm on the surface, but in reality, undercurrents are surging, like a large net that has already been woven, waiting for prey to step into its core area.

"Interesting, all of them are Oscar winners?" Feng Xue chuckled inwardly, but outwardly remained oblivious, following Totohotep towards the temple. He didn't care about any ambush; he only cared if what he wanted was there.

The closer they got to the temple, the stronger the sense of being watched from the shadows became. The houses along the road became sparser, replaced by gardens planted with drought-resistant shrubs and cacti. Just as they reached an open area, only a hundred meters or so from the temple gate, something unexpected happened!

The seemingly harmless, variously shaped desert plants on both sides of the road suddenly came to life and launched an attack on the three of them at an absurdly fast speed!
The cactus, covered in sharp thorns, stood upright, wielding its thorny limbs as weapons to attack. The largest cacti swelled up, seemingly to serve as human shields.

Further away, several date palm trees rustled, their seemingly plump fruits transforming into deadly missiles! Each fruit, imbued with a sedative and paralyzing power, was poised to strike!
"Good heavens, it's a monster!" Feng Xue had to admit that he had overlooked it. Because spiritual vision had become a standard skill, he had mistaken these things for normal plants at first glance!
However, at this level...

"Chen Xuan, it's all up to you!"

"Huh?" Chen Xuan, who was expecting to see the big shot display his power, was suddenly thrown off balance by this remark. But Feng Xue didn't give him time to react, continuing to walk towards the temple, even reminding him:
"We can't finish off all these bastards, let's deal with the controller first!"

"Ah... okay..." Chen Xuan responded subconsciously, then sighed and was about to go and cause trouble for the "villagers".

However, these plant monsters were not as sluggish as they seemed. Before he had taken more than a few steps, a huge cactus, three meters tall, had already rolled in front of him.

Chen Xuan's face darkened. Facing such an enemy, he channeled his inner strength, lowered his stance, and combined his power and energy to unleash a punch—a fist technique he had created over the past few days, integrating the power of his destiny and the various martial arts techniques taught by Feng Xue.

"Fokkeyou!"

Without any contact, just by being hit by the wind from the punch, the cactus instantly shattered. Chen Xuan felt relieved and was about to take a step when he suddenly felt a sharp pain all over his body!
"Why does it even have a damage reflection effect?"

Chen Xuan stared wide-eyed. He had already tried his best to avoid physical attacks because his opponent was covered in thorns, so why was he still getting a counter-injury?
He didn't have time to think much. As the cactus collapsed, a dozen cacti surrounded him, and on the outer edge was a tamarisk with long, slender branches that could whip people with great pain. Above him, a large number of dates rained down on him.

Looking at the sharp thorns on the cacti, Chen Xuan felt a chill run down his spine and immediately shouted:
"Brother, I can't handle this! These things are too troublesome!"

Feng Xue had already reached the temple gate, focused on deciphering the defensive divine spell that was completely different from her own system. Hearing Chen Xuan's words, she couldn't help but roll her eyes:

"Otherwise what? You think the journey to the West is troublesome? Just think of it as passing through the Wooden Immortal Temple!"

"Wooden Immortal Temple? Brother, let's be honest! Whose Wood Immortal Temple is full of cacti?" Chen Xuan was still holding on, but when he heard Feng Xuelai say that, he almost choked.

Feng Xue sighed and turned her head to say:

"It's Thorn Ridge, so it's normal for it to have a lot of thorns. Besides, who said it's all cacti? There are jujube trees and willow trees too, aren't there? Oh, I see. You're complaining about not having Apricot Fairy, right? It's alright. The journey to the West is tough, but once we've finished, I'll take you to heaven and earth to enjoy the ultimate bliss!"

"Is this the key point?!"

(End of this chapter)