Chapter 1153: A Strange Realm
Lin Wushuang nodded. She also felt it was time for her to be independent, and couldn’t always rely on Chen Tianlong.
If one day, Chen Tianlong wasn’t by her side, what would she do? So, she still needed to be self-reliant.
Thinking of this, Lin Wushuang took a deep breath, encouraged herself a bit, and said with a slight smile, "Mm, got it."
Over there, Liu Ting, Bing Ruxue, Hao Shuai, and Du Nong had apparently received the task too. They were frowning, looking at the desert, really not knowing what to do.
But in Chen Tianlong’s opinion, this desert was just a façade, a barrier set to mislead the participants initially.
He believed there would definitely be an oasis, where they could get what they wanted. Although he didn’t know what specific tasks Lin Wushuang, the three girls, Hao Shuai, and Du Nong had, he was certain it was something not available here.
"Everyone, let’s keep looking for suspicious places. I think this isn’t where we’ll find the final mission items."
Everyone understood Chen Tianlong’s words and considered them reasonable, so they started searching in all directions.
Unfortunately, over half an hour passed without finding anything. The moon slowly dimmed down, and Polaris appeared on the other side of the sky.
Seeing the stars, Chen Tianlong couldn’t help but recall past events.
It was a peaceful night then. The five-year-old Chen Tianlong and his father sat in the pavilion of their courtyard, watching the stars. His father occasionally stroked his little head and said, "Tianlong, you see, that’s Polaris. When you feel lost, helpless, or disoriented, it’s your guiding light. As long as you bravely head towards it without turning back, you’ll see the most beautiful sky."
"Chen Tianlong, what are you thinking about?" Lin Wushuang looked at Chen Tianlong blankly staring at the stars, a bit lost.
"Huh?"
Lin Wushuang’s words pulled Chen Tianlong back to reality, but he felt very excited, as if he had thought of something, deciding to try it later.
The group searched for quite a while without finding anything. Hao Shuai was almost giving up, so he sat down in the desert and began eating some rations and water.
Seeing Hao Shuai not searching anymore, Du Nong also simply sat down with him.
Indeed, searching for things in the dead of night was a bit challenging. Despite a full moon, the moonlight was quite hazy, and it was quite windy here, so the clouds slowly rose.
The moonlight was occasionally obscured, making it appear dim.
Seeing Lin Wushuang standing like that, Chen Tianlong felt a bit pained and said, "Wushuang, take a seat for a while. I’ll go see over there. If I find anything, I’ll call you all."
During the day, Lin Wushuang’s body didn’t feel anything, but now after quieting down, she did feel a bit affected. So when Chen Tianlong suggested that, she felt a bit tired and nodded in agreement.
Chen Tianlong gave a meaningful smile, then took the Dragon Slayer Sword and walked into the depths of the night.
After walking for about ten minutes, he looked back and could barely see Lin Wushuang and the others.
Now that he was alone, Chen Tianlong remembered his father’s words again. His father was his idol—a scholar knowledgeable in astronomy, geography, and folk customs.
"Father said to boldly walk towards Polaris, and I’ll see what I want. Is that true?" Chen Tianlong, although outwardly slightly skeptical, was still willing to believe his father’s words.
So, Chen Tianlong began searching for Polaris. In the desert at night, it was somewhat difficult to discern directions clearly.
However, Polaris was the brightest star in the northern sky, so Chen Tianlong kept it in mind as his father had told him from a young age.
Regrettably, there were many stars, but most were extremely dim, lacking the described large, round star his father had mentioned.
Chen Tianlong shook his head and smiled wryly, "Maybe that’s just something father said to amuse a child."
After a long, deep breath, Chen Tianlong surveyed his surroundings and suddenly noticed a large rock about ten meters ahead. The rock was large and wide, but irregularly shaped, somewhat elliptical with uneven surfaces.
Chen Tianlong simply decided not to sit on it. Instead, he leaned against the rock, sat on the sand, took out a bun and a pot of water from his bag, took a bite, and then tilted his head back to drink.
At that moment, Chen Tianlong inadvertently found a surprisingly bright star in the upper front direction. He quickly stood up, rubbed his eyes, and looked again, only to find the star gone.
He felt very frustrated. What was this situation? Had he thought about it so much that he started seeing illusions?
That wasn’t likely. Just now while drinking water, he hadn’t thought of Polaris for a moment.
He shook his head and returned to his previous position, repeating his previous actions, and at that moment, he was stunned again. The star suddenly appeared in front of him again.
This time, Chen Tianlong didn’t immediately get up to look. Instead, he stood up slowly, keeping his eyes on the star in front without looking away.
This way, the star remained in sight. He thought for a moment, finding it strange, so he decided to validate his thoughts.
So, he took a large step to the left, about a meter or so. The star disappeared again when he looked. Returning to the previous spot, the star reappeared.
To further verify his thoughts, he took a large step to the right from the rock, with the same result: nothing in sight. Then, Chen Tianlong’s lips curled slightly as he smiled, saying, "So that’s it. It can only be approached facing this direction. If I’m right, the place we’re looking for is over there."
Thinking about this, Chen Tianlong walked forward without delay, planning to return for Lin Wushuang and the others once he confirmed the place.
After walking for a while, Polaris grew ever brighter and rounder. Looking at the star, Chen Tianlong felt extremely excited, thinking, "Is this what father meant by heading towards Polaris without looking back leads to what I want to see?"
So, he walked on with unwavering belief, and after about five minutes, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
Turning around, Chen Tianlong saw it was Lin Wushuang. She happily said to him, "Chen Tianlong, I found where we need to go. It’s not far to the south. Come quickly."
Hearing what Lin Wushuang said, Chen Tianlong was momentarily unresponsive, and said directly, "Really? How did you find it?"
"Of course, I wouldn’t lie to you. I accidentally discovered it just now, seeing the horizon over there slightly brightening. I thought the sun was rising, so I walked over. It turned out to be another world, so I hurried back to find you," Lin Wushuang said firmly.
Chen Tianlong really trusted Lin Wushuang. But just as he was about to step forward, he immediately pulled back.
Remembering his father’s words, he stopped and said to Lin Wushuang somewhat awkwardly, "But my dad said only by following Polaris all the way will I reach the place I want to go. He wouldn’t lie to me."
He then pointed to Polaris, saying, "Wushuang, look. It’s amazing. As long as I take one step sideways, be it left or right, it’s gone. So I think there’s something fishy, and ahead must be the place we’re looking for."
"Chen Tianlong, do you not believe me anymore?" Lin Wushuang seemed a bit angry, but more so hurt.
"No, it’s not that. I mean...."
"No need to say more, I’ll go myself then."
Just as Chen Tianlong was about to say something, Lin Wushuang interrupted him.