The Magical Oasis
The five continued north for five days.
The desert is still the same desert. Golden sand dunes stretch endlessly, seemingly without end.
But Tang San sensed something different.
His senses detected an extremely faint trace.
It was a life force he was very familiar with.
In the heart of this desert known as the "Land of Death," amidst a desolate landscape devoid of any signs of life for hundreds of miles, there is surprisingly a breath of life.
Tang San stopped in his tracks.
He stood atop the sand dune, closed his eyes, and fully unleashed the perception of the Blue Silver Domain.
The Spiritual Power spread outwards like an invisible net, covering an area of several miles in radius.
That faint sign of life grew clearer and clearer, like a lamp lit in the darkness, guiding the way.
"Third Brother, what's wrong?" Dugu Yan asked, walking over to him with a puzzled look in her eyes as he stopped.
Tang San opened his eyes, pointed northwest, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes. "Over there, there's a very rich and pure life force."
The four girls were stunned.
Is there any sign of life in this land of death?
"Let's go take a look." Tang San took the lead and walked in that direction.
After crossing more than a dozen sand dunes and climbing a very tall sand mountain, the sight before them made all five of them stop in their tracks.
It was an oasis.
In this desolate land of endless yellow sand, in the heart of the frigid desert, there truly is an oasis.
The oasis is small, only about three or four kilometers in circumference, like a green gem set in a golden sea of sand.
The oasis was covered with lush, verdant grasses.
In the center of the oasis, there is a tree.
It was an incredibly tall tree.
The five of them had never seen such a large tree before.
The tree trunk was as thick as a house, and its canopy was like a huge canopy, almost blocking out the sky over the entire oasis.
The branches droop down like countless green waterfalls, swaying gently in the breeze.
The leaves are emerald green, each about the size of a palm, with clearly visible veins, and gleam with a crystalline sheen in the sunlight.
The entire tree emitted a faint blue-gold light, a gentle and pure light that brought an indescribable sense of peace and warmth.
In this place that is utterly unsuitable for life, there is an oasis, and there is such a tree.
Tang San immediately felt very strange.
But beyond the bizarre, there was an indescribable sense of awe.
This is the power of life, a miracle created by life in this extreme environment.
The moment the five of them descended the sand dune and stepped into the oasis, it felt as if they had entered another world.
Outside, the desert winds are biting cold, with temperatures dropping to minus twenty or thirty degrees Celsius, but inside the oasis, it's warm as spring.
The sandstorms couldn't get inside; they were blocked on the outside, thus forming a ring of sand dunes that encircled the entire oasis.
The chill in the air was dispelled by a gentle energy, replaced by a moist scent with the fragrance of grass and trees.
A strong sense of life washes over you; one breath and you feel every pore on your body open up, as comfortable as soaking in a hot spring.
The fatigue, dryness, and cold accumulated in the desert were all washed away at this moment.
But at the same time, they felt an invisible force repelling them.
The force was gentle, like a hand gently pushing against their chests, preventing them from moving forward.
The deeper you go into the oasis, the stronger the repulsive force becomes.
The five people resisted the repulsive force and walked step by step toward the trunk of the tree.
At first, the repulsive force was very slight, like a gentle breeze on the face, almost imperceptible.
When we got about a kilometer away from the tree, the repulsive force became noticeable, as if there was an invisible wall of air blocking our way, and we had to exert extra effort to take each step forward.
When she reached 900 meters, Dugu Yan stopped.
She gritted her teeth, wanting to take another step forward, but the repulsive force suddenly increased, pushing her back two steps.
"Third Brother, I can't go any further." Dugu Yan's voice carried a hint of helplessness. "That force is too great; my body can't take it any further."
Tang San nodded, indicating that she shouldn't force herself.
Dugu Yan found a patch of grass at the edge of the oasis, sat down, and began to regulate her breathing.
The repulsive force pushed her away, but it didn't harm her; it merely prevented her from getting closer.
Xiao Wu and Shui Bing'er also tried to continue walking forward.
They reached a point 600 meters away, but like Dugu Yan, they could not get any closer.
"Third Brother, I can't go either." Xiao Wu and Shui Bing'er exchanged a glance and said at the same time.
Tang San gestured for them to retreat to Dugu Yan's side.
Now only Tang San and Ye Lingling continue forward.
Her steps remained relatively steady, and the repulsive force seemed to have a much smaller effect on her.
Tang San, however, felt fine; the repulsive force hadn't affected him much so far.
The two took a deep breath and continued walking forward.
When she reached a point less than 300 meters away, Ye Lingling's body began to tremble slightly, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, clearly indicating that she could not go any further.
"Third Brother, this tree seems to be choosing who to approach," Ye Lingling said softly. "Its repulsion towards each of us is different. Yan Yan is repelled the most, then Bing'er and Xiao Wu, and I'm the least repelled. But none of us can get close to it."
After pondering for a moment, Tang San had already formed a guess in his mind.
This is about a person's life attributes, or rather, the affinity of those life attributes.
The stronger a person's life force and the higher their affinity, the closer they are to a great tree.
Dugu Yan's Martial Soul is the Jade Phosphorous Flood Dragon, which is primarily poisonous and clashes sharply with the life attribute.
Although Xiao Wu is Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form with extremely strong vitality, her vitality is biased towards combat and bursts of power.
Shui Bing'er's Ice Phoenix Martial Soul is the Ultimate Ice, and its life attribute is not outstanding.
Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia Emperor is a pure healing-type Martial Soul with a very high affinity for life, which is why it can go the furthest.
His own Blue Silver Emperor, as the emperor among Plant-type Martial Souls, possesses the ultimate in pure life force.
This is much like a test; only those with similar backgrounds can truly approach it.
Perhaps there's some unknown opportunity here!
Tang San said, "Lingling, go back to a comfortable place and wait for me. I'll try to get to the tree trunk."
Ye Lingling nodded slightly, then turned and walked towards Dugu Yan and the others.
Tang San took a deep breath and continued walking towards the tree trunk.
The repulsive force was also present in him, but much smaller than he had expected.
But when they reached 100 meters, the repulsive force was already very strong, and Tang San's pace slowed down.
Fifty meters, thirty meters, ten meters.
At a distance of ten meters, the repulsive force reached its maximum, like an invisible wall blocking the way.
Tang San gritted his teeth and fully activated the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Power within his body. Blue-gold light surged from his body, enveloping his entire being.
He moved step by step toward the big tree.
When Tang San finally reached the tree and placed his palm on its trunk, the repulsive force vanished instantly, as if the tree had accepted him.
The trunk is very rough, and the bark is layered like dragon scales, each piece about the size of a palm.
But the touch is warm, like touching a living being.
Just as Tang San was marveling at the wonder of the tree, it suddenly lit up.
The blue-gold light enveloped the entire tree in a dazzling glow.
The light grew brighter and brighter, turning the entire oasis blue and gold.
Blue-gold light surged into Tang San's body through his palm, like a rushing river flowing along his meridians to his limbs and bones.
Tang San was very familiar with that feeling.
It felt exactly the same as when the Blue Silver King sacrificed himself, but the energy was much greater, purer, and gentler.