He Lan Tianxia

Jiang He spent two full hours fiddling with the Wild Tyrant Wall, but to no avail. He mustered his courage and stepped forward to report, "Your Highness, I suspect this is just a hole, not a secret passage."

"I can tell you with certainty that this is indeed a secret passage, not a cave," Murong Junlan affirmed. "There is a restriction here. I tried to break it just now, but I failed. However, I have already seen that this is just a fake wall."

"That's strange." The woman walked over and looked at the colorful hibiscus flowers. "Your Highness, do you have a handkerchief?"

Murong Junlan didn't know what the woman wanted the handkerchief for, but he still took it out of his pocket and handed it to her.

The woman took the handkerchief, wrapped it around the black hibiscus flower, and pulled hard. A plume of black mist shot out.

"Danger!" Murong Junlan leaped forward, catching the woman and knocking her to the ground. Realizing that falling like that would hurt her, he rolled a few times on the spot. The woman was terrified, still in shock, panting heavily as she clung to Murong Junlan.

"Thank you, my lord."

Murong Junlan stared blankly at the delicate face so close to him, her breath as sweet as orchids. Just as he was about to kiss her, he heard Jiang He's concerned voice.

"Your Highness, are you alright?" Jiang He stepped forward to check the black lily that had fallen to the ground, then turned to look at the two people still embracing, only then belatedly realizing how much of a hindrance they were in. So, he finally added a completely unrelated remark, "This subordinate will go fetch some water."

Jiang He finally left. The woman then realized her posture was awkward, and her face flushed instantly. She struggled to get up, but Murong Junlan pulled her up, causing her to fall back down, their lips meeting in a sudden kiss. Both of them looked startled…

When Jiang He re-entered, Murong Junlan and the other person were examining the black domino flower in their hands. Strangely, the domino flower had withered. Jiang He gave them some wild fruits and then began fiddling with the wall again.

"Your Highness, the wall is moving!" Jiang He exclaimed in surprise.

After touching the wall, Murong Junlan told everyone to move aside, then pushed a palm towards the wall of the giant lily. With a loud "boom," a large hole appeared in the wall, much to the delight of the three.

"Your Highness, it really is a secret passage."

"Let's go in and take a look." The three of them had barely taken two steps after passing through the large hole when a sudden gust of wind swept in, sending sand and stones flying. Before they could figure out what was happening, they suddenly felt their feet sink into the ground and plunged into a dark abyss...

When Jiang He opened his eyes, he saw a desolate, barren world, devoid of life. He struggled to sit up, but couldn't find anything to hold onto. Wait, he seemed to be lying on a boat. No, it felt like he was lying on a leaf, the water rushing past his ears, giving him a sense of floating. Jiang He dared not move, letting himself drift aimlessly on the water, which was rather pleasant. Just as Jiang He was enjoying floating on the water, several large waves crashed over him. Hey, hey, what's going on? A whirlpool made Jiang He dizzy, followed by a huge column of water that tossed him into the air before slamming him back down, shattering his previous comfort. Jiang He had just broken out in a cold sweat when another giant wave slammed into him, slamming him directly onto the shore.

"Look, this looks like General Jiang." In his drowsy state, Jiang He heard someone calling him, "General Jiang, wake up quickly." Jiang He opened his eyes, and the person next to him was delighted.

"General Jiang has woken up."

"Where is this?" Jiang He asked timidly.

"It's the capital, Yan State."

"Heh, so fast, that really is a shortcut." Jiang He grinned, then fell asleep again.

……

The sudden turn of events caught Murong Junlan off guard, but his superior martial arts skills allowed him to quickly regain his composure and gather his energy. He reached out and grabbed a vine, but just as he was about to pull, the vine snapped. He immediately gathered his energy, slowing his descent. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew up from beneath his feet, carrying a strong smell of sand and dust, which splattered everywhere, making it difficult for Murong Junlan to open his eyes.

Suddenly, with a "thud," Murong Junlan fell into a sand pit. He shook the sand off his head, opened his eyes, and saw that he was completely submerged, with only his head sticking out. He tried to pull himself out, but he sank deeper and deeper. Helpless, he had no choice but to stand still. Looking up, all he could see was an endless expanse of yellow sand in the boundless desert.

Where is this place? Where is Jiang He? Where is Yan'er? He called out their names with all his might, but there was no response. He regretted trusting the Wubei prince's shortcut. Even if he had forced his way out of the city, things wouldn't be this bad. He had been tricked, but it was too late. Was he, Murong Junlan, going to perish in the desert today? He was unwilling to accept it.

Just then, an eagle flew overhead. What could an eagle do for him? Murong Junlan racked his brains trying to think of what the eagle could do. When the eagle flew directly overhead, he even considered using his Silver Ring Illusion to pin it down and then use the momentum to escape the sand dune. However, remembering how enormous he was to the eagle, he hesitated. Just then, the eagle's tail flicked up, and damn it, it started pooping! Murong Junlan, who was opening his mouth wide, immediately lowered his head, but with a slight effort, he sank further down, the sand reaching his chin. The bird droppings landed right on his nose. Murong Junlan, unable to contain his anger, cursed the eagle's ancestors in his mind.

Bird droppings clung to his nose, the stench mixed with the heat wafting over him. The fastidious Murong Junlan couldn't stand it, so he slowly reached up to touch it. Hmm? His hand bumped into something halfway up. He slowly pulled it out; it was a small notebook. What a piece of junk! Who was in the mood to read at a time like this? He was about to throw it away when his eyes caught a glimpse of the word "secret" out of the corner of his eye. Looking closer, he saw a secret manual? He couldn't resist. He turned to the first page, his eyes lighting up: Desert Self-Rescue Method? Could this be what they meant by "not destined to die"? Murong Junlan excitedly read on. Yes, this was the long-lost desert self-rescue method. So it was here; no wonder it was lost. He silently memorized the key points and then began to practice according to the manual's instructions.

With everything prepared, Murong Junlan mustered his strength, took a deep breath, and sprang out of the sand dune with a "whoosh." He then performed dozens of beautiful 360-degree turns, landing in a low-lying area. Just as he landed, the eagle swooped down. Still furious about the earlier insult, Murong Junlan unleashed a swift, silver ring illusion, trapping the eagle. The eagle flapped its wings, screeching in protest. Protesting? Then let's have a contest. Murong Junlan gave the eagle a mocking look, then withdrew the silver ring illusion. The eagle was free, its eyes wide, claws outstretched, flapping its wings as it charged. Thus began a fierce battle between man and eagle in the desert. This battle propelled the essence of the secret technique that Murong Junlan hadn't fully digested to a new level.

The eagle grew tired and flew away alone, leaving Murong Junlan behind. Murong Junlan could now walk freely in the desert. His resentment had dissipated, and he was grateful to the eagle for this unexpected gain. Murong Junlan searched the desert several more times, but after failing to find Jiang He and the woman, he decided to leave. When he was parched, he encountered a camel caravan. Upon inquiring, he learned that the caravan was on its way to the Wubei Kingdom to deliver tribute of cloth and grain. Truly, heaven was on his side! Murong Junlan was already planning to go to the Wubei Kingdom to settle scores with Crown Prince Qin Nan. So he boarded the camel caravan and headed towards the Wubei Kingdom.

Upon arriving in the Wubei Kingdom, Murong Junlan went directly to the royal palace to demand Qin Nan's return from Luo Xie. Luo Xie had been suspecting that the Wubei Crown Prince had released Murong Junlan and his group. Seeing Murong Junlan aggressively confronting the Crown Prince and declaring he would not let Qin Nan off easily, Luo Xie hesitated, unsure whether to hand Qin Nan over.

You can hesitate, but Murong Junlan can't wait; he needs to find his Yan'er. Just as Luo Xie was wavering, a sharp sword was held against Qin Nan's neck.

"Tell me quickly, where did you hide my Yan'er?"

"Your Highness, didn't I send you to the secret passage?" Qin Nan was unaware of what had happened to make Murong Junlan so angry.

"Looks like you're tired of living," Murong Junlan said coldly, shifting the sword in his hand, and a trickle of blood flowed down.

"Your Highness, I swear on my life that I have no ill intentions towards you." Sensing Murong Junlan's anger, Qin Nan guessed that something serious must have happened.

"How do you explain the secret passage?" Murong Junlan gave Qin Nan no chance to catch his breath.

A secret passage is a secret passage, what other explanation is there? "Your Highness, has something happened?"

"You know it well enough."

"Your Highness, although I, Qin Nan, am not exactly a great man, you must let me know what happened before I die."

"Very well, I'll let you die peacefully today." Murong Junlan briefly recounted what had happened in the secret passage.

Unexpectedly, Qin Nan became excited after hearing this. "The Overlord Wall? The Black Overlord Flower? These are things that only happen once every thousand or ten thousand years! You actually encountered an ancient secret passage?" Qin Nan hurriedly asked Murong Junlan for a chance to verify. "If Your Highness doesn't believe me, come with me to the study to check and you will know."

Murong Junlan was skeptical, but to find Yan'er, he had no choice but to believe it. Qin Nan pulled a yellowed book from the bottom of a trunk, flipped to a page, and handed it to Murong Junlan. Sure enough, it described the once-in-a-millennium Wild Overlord Wall, and also stated that the abyss would lead to three different places: the Jia Salt Lake, the Geli Desert, and the Er Snow Mountain…

"Excuse me, Crown Prince Qin, but I'll trouble you to come with me to the secret passage." Murong Junlan didn't want to stay a moment longer. He tossed Qin Nan a bottle of golden gunpowder, and the two immediately went to the secret passage in secret. Strangely, the Overlord Wall from that day was gone, the abyss was gone, and the two continued walking until the exit was actually on the banks of the surging Yellow River.

Qin Nan handed the book in his hand to Murong Junlan, "Your Highness, you may need this book, I'll give it to you." Then he knelt down with a thud, regretting, "Your Highness, I am willing to accept your punishment." After saying that, Qin Nan swung his long sword and slashed it straight at his neck.

Murong Junlan waved his right hand, and Qin Nan's sword clattered to the ground. Murong Junlan said coldly, "Bring them back as atonement."