Ang slowly walked toward the oasis. The Camelback Beast trod across the soft sand, making faint rustling sounds.
The surrounding magical beasts immediately became alert. They stopped drinking, raised their heads, and watched him warily.
The sand snakes curled slightly, ready to strike at any moment; the short-toothed beasts let out low growls and crouched slightly, poised to flee or attack; the sand rats burrowed underground in twos and threes, while the giant scorpions nearby waved their stingers, their carapaces gleaming with a cold, eerie light beneath the setting sun.
However, Ang showed no hostility. He simply stood quietly to one side, observing the creatures' movements.
This oasis seemed to be some kind of special neutral ground. Even though magical beasts of different species gathered here, they did not attack one another.
After only a few breaths, seeing that Ang made no further move, the magical beasts gradually relaxed and lowered their heads to drink again.
Only the silver ant continued staring at him with its compound eyes, as if trying to gauge the level of threat he posed.
The Camelback Beast, meanwhile, lowered its head comfortably and gnawed on sea buckthorn grass, chewing leisurely.
Ang rested beside the oasis for a while and noted down its location.
As time passed, the desert temperature gradually climbed, making travel through the scorching Sand Sea increasingly difficult.
During the day, the sun hung high in the sky like a blazing fireball, baking the sand until it was searing hot. Even experienced travelers found it difficult to march through such an environment for long.
To conserve his strength, Ang changed his strategy. He rested in concealed places during the day and continued traveling after nightfall.
Along the way, he found three more oases, making his journey much smoother.
But as he ventured deeper