"Why do you have so many just in case? What if the day of sacrifice is only once a year? What if there are other treasures in it? Why don't you think about it?"
Xiao Hua was also speechless towards Huang Ming. He hadn't realized that Huang Ming was deliberately provoking him.
"I would like to think on the bright side, but the chance is too small, so I still don't want to take too many risks."
"Damn it, Huang Ming, the more dangerous the place, the more likely there are treasures. Hey, come on, I'm too lazy to tell you. I'll go with you. You go find your compound stone and I'll go find other treasures." Xiao Hua was impatient.
"Hey, this is what you said, I didn't force you to follow me!".
Huang Ming smiled proudly.
"Tch, if I don't want to go, can you force me? Hey, wait, were you deliberately provoking me just now?"
Only then did Xiao Hua realize that he had been hit by Huang Ming's provoking technique.
"I said Huang Ming, you are really boring. Just say you need my help and that's it. Do you think I'm like you? I go around so much that I almost made you vomit blood."
Xiao Hua rolled his eyes at Huang Ming again.
"Hey, you don't understand this. It's better to be brave than to be brave. If I tell you clearly, you will definitely not go, and at least you will make things difficult for me. Hehe, okay, since you have decided to go together, then you Tell me when to leave."
Huang Ming was very proud.
"Well... the sooner the better for this kind of thing. Only by refining the natal magic weapon can we continue to practice the subsequent exercises, and there is also a powerful magic weapon. Then, let's go tomorrow."
"Okay, then I'll book the flight now."
Huang Ming was very excited. If he could really find the compound stone, then he could conquer the spiritual red sword, and he would no longer have to worry about not having a magic weapon.
So the next day, Huang Ming and Xiao Hua took a flight to Urumqi.
According to the records in the jade slips, the ancient temple containing the "compound stone" that Huang Ming was looking for was sealed by ancient cultivators in Lop Nur, located in the eastern part of the Taklimakan Desert in the Tarim Basin.
It is said that this temple, which was sealed by ancient cultivators, was a holy place for practice and sacrifice by witch cultivators in this world in ancient times. It contains not only various monsters, insects and beasts that existed in ancient times, but also a humanoid demon cultivator called a troll.
It is said that this ancient troll advocates martial arts, loves magic, and naturally likes to collect all spiritual stones.
The compound stone Huang Ming needed was regarded as a treasure by these ancient trolls because it had the special effect of connecting the spirituality of other treasures, and was enshrined in the altar of the temple for a long time.
Huang Ming and Xiao Hua took a bus from Urumqi to Qiangruo. From here, walking eastward, they can directly enter Lop Nur. The temple they are looking for is said to be hundreds of miles north of the center of the lake in Lop Nur.
Lop Nur, located at the lowest point of the Tarim Basin, was once the second largest saltwater lake in China. Because its shape is like a human ear, it is also known as the "Ear of the Earth".
At its largest, Lop Nur once covered more than 20,000 square kilometers. The Tarim River, Kongque River, Cheerchen River, Shule River, etc. in the west all converged here.
However, due to climate change and the impact of human water conservancy projects, the water in the upper reaches of Lop Nur has continued to decrease, and the area has also continued to shrink. Around the 1970s, Lop Nur was completely dry.
After Lop Nur dried up, the surrounding ecological environment changed dramatically. All the herbaceous plants died, and the Populus euphratica forest, the guardian of sand control, also died in patches. The nearby Taklimakan Desert advanced towards Lop Nur at a rate of three to five meters per year. Within a few years, Lop Nur was completely destroyed. It is integrated with the Taklimakan Desert.
Before this happened, not long after Lop Nur became a place barren of grass, it got a new name, that is, the "Sea of Death."
Because long before Lop Nur was completely dry, many bizarre and strange events had occurred in this area. Therefore, after Lop Nur dried up, many explorers wanted to uncover this veil.
However, the final result is that more unsolved mysteries have been added to Lop Nur, the most famous of which is the "Pisces Jade Pendant". And the "mystery of Peng Jiamu's disappearance" remains unsolved to this day.
The ancient temple that Huang Ming and Xiao Hua were looking for was originally sealed at the bottom of the Lop Nur lake by ancient cultivators. However, because Lop Nur has dried up, the original entrance has been lost, and they have to search again.
Taking advantage of the moonlight, the two of them flew to the center of the lake in Lop Nur with their magical weapons. They took a check-in photo in front of the monument in the center of the lake before turning back and flying north.
This was Huang Ming's request. He said he had come here all the time, so he felt sorry for himself if he didn't take a photo and check in. Xiao Hua couldn't resist Huang Ming's mortal thinking, so he had no choice but to accompany him.
More than an hour later, Huang Ming and Xiao Hua arrived at a small canyon about 260 kilometers north of the center of Lop Nur Lake, where they sensed a trace of mana fluctuation similar to an enchantment seal.
In fact, this is not a canyon, but a deep trench at the bottom of the original Lop Nur Lake.
On a certain rock wall of this deep trench, they discovered a mountain fissure that could be entered sideways. The mana fluctuations of the sealing barrier came from this mountain fissure.
After entering the rift for about five or six minutes, they arrived at a square stone chamber that resembled an ancient tomb.
On the wall facing the crack in the stone chamber, there is a double stone door more than three meters high. The stone door has been damaged, and you can see a dark passage behind the stone door.
The two of them did not hesitate. Xiao Hua took out a moonstone from his storage bracelet and raised it above his head, entering the passage first. Huang Ming also took out a moonstone and followed.
This passage was very wide and long, and of course, it was also very dark. Through the light of the moonstone, Xiao Hua and Huang Ming discovered that both sides of this passage were covered with murals.
The mural records what seems to be a blue humanoid creature with fangs performing some kind of ritual in an altar in a square, and their sacrifices are stones.
"Liangdan, why do I have the feeling that we are tomb robbers?".
Huang Ming muttered.
"Steal a hair, we immortal cultivators are here to hunt for treasures. You just stay in a hot pot restaurant and you don't know how big the world is. You have to go to those sealed secret realms to open your eyes."
Xiao Hua scolded Huang Ming.
"Damn it, aren't I curious? Why do you talk so much nonsense?"
Huang Ming was unhappy.
"Well, well, let's not talk about you. Let's take a look at the murals first."
Xiao Hua ignored Huang Ming.
After watching for a while, Xiao Hua touched his bald head.
"Hey, why do I feel like this sealed temple is like a small city-state? Huang Ming, come here and see."
Xiao Hua waved to Huang Ming, and Huang Ming came over.
"You see, judging from these murals, the altar is on the edge of the square in the center of the temple. If we want to reach the square, we must first pass through the main street after entering the gate, and then cross the left side at the end of the main street. This is the only way to get there."
"The entrance and exit of this temple seem to be different. We have to go through the passage on the other side of the square to reach the temple exit."
Xiao Hua pointed to the mural and explained to Huang Ming.
"What? We're going through the whole temple?".
Huang Ming was a little nervous again.
If this temple is really a small city-state, and you have to pass through the square in the center of the temple to get out, then the chance of encountering monsters will greatly increase, and you might actually encounter an infant demon cultivator.
