Chapter 714
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This was one of the five great deserts of the Tutankhamun Empire . It was also a place where mutated energy ravaged rather fiercely . There were some extremely tenacious oases in the desert that could provide supplies, but there were definitely more dead zones which put even Mu Zi out .
The surrounding sand was extremely hot under the sun, and even the occasional breeze in the air was extremely warm, carrying the smell of sand . But more often than not, the place was calm and still, as though the whole world was deathly silent . There was usually no wind or sound; there was only the boundless desert and the vicious sun hanging above his head .
A young sand lizard could be spotted lying on the golden sand, enjoying the sun leisurely . Mutated creatures had a much stronger ability to adapt, as compared to humans . Maybe they could not get rid of their need for water, but their living habits had already been completely adapted to the desert environment . The sand lizard appeared to be rather relaxed and carefree as there were no other mutated creatures nearby; thus, it was rather safe . All of a sudden, it rolled over as if it had sensed something . With all four legs on the ground, it scanned its surroundings to get a sense of what was happening .
Soon, it spotted a human silhouette closing in from a distance . Unlike ordinary desert travelers, he did not wear a large brim hat nor a mask to shield himself from the wind and sand . There were no large bags of extra equipment with him as well, and his clothes were extremely thin . The temperature in Tutankhamun deserts could fluctuate greatly . Even though it was extremely hot in the day, one could almost freeze to death at night . But that man obviously did not care at all . He only wore a thin shirt and carried a small backpack, but he did not look like a refugee who had been robbed either . His strides seemed strong and he walked at an extremely fast pace . The sand lizard was several miles away when it first saw him, but in just a few tens of seconds, he had already reached a position only a few hundred meters away from it, giving the lizard the shock of its life . The lizard immediately rushed to dig a hole and disappeared without a trace .
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That silhouette was Wang Zhong . He had already entered the central part of the Morradis Pink Desert . It had already been 10 days since he left the Katchirda Village .
This was the place Mu Zi recommended to him .
He traveled with only a small backpack and had even left his Skylink behind . He felt as though he was back in his childhood where he was not burdened by anything . Although the surroundings were empty and silent, he felt inwardly enriched .
Was the desert as dead as a doornail? Wang Zhong had once thought so . Even when he was trapped in the desert with Gong Yi and the others for almost half a month previously, it had yet to make him change his mind .
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However, after he calmed his mind and spent a few days in the desert alone, he realized that this seemingly empty world was actually full of vitality . Whether it was ordinary creatures, mutated creatures, or even desert plants, they all had tenacious vitality . Although they might not be spotted on the surface of the desert, they definitely existed . Wherever they might be — be it hiding under the surface, hiding behind sand dunes, or hiding in places that could have them stay unnoticed — they blossomed with the brightest vitality .
It was exactly like what Mu Zi said: the more he walked, the more he saw . Naturally, the more he saw, the more experience he gained . It was a completely different feeling and sensation . Mu Zi got his current power from having explored the whole of the Tutankhamun Empire .
It had only been 10 days and Wang Zhong already had an unshaven and unkempt appearance, but his eyes had also grown sharper . Everything around him appeared to have a different meaning . He was just like a newborn baby, greedily breathing in the air of the world, looking curiously at the different colors of the world, as well as learning and memorizing everything he had seen .
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The desert was not totally dry although there was indeed a lack of water . Even after the environment had gone through certain changes, the desert actually remained the same . It was just that the vitality here had changed; it had become stronger, and this meant that water would be gathered by plants . However, ordinary people were not able to see them as they were kept underground, usually in the rhizomes of huge plants .
Therefore, it was extremely difficult for ordinary people to find water . However, it was a different case for Wang Zhong . He had the Great 5 Elements Constitution; thus, he could feel the existence of various elements .
Through unremitting practice, one's intuition could lead him to find the resources hidden under the sand . As long as one tried to carefully feel the power of water flow in the air, he would find the source of water . No matter how subtle it was, it would still diffuse into the surroundings .
However, although this method was feasible, it required a lot of practice . In the beginning, Wang Zhong made many errors in his judgment . Although he could feel the power of the water element of the air, he would often dig for water in the wrong place . The power of the water element would often be diffused over a large area in the desert; thus, one would have to discern its source, direction, and also the range it was spread over . The requirement for being able to do that had reached an indescribably harsh level; one had to have a thorough perception and understanding of the 5 Elements .
However, through careful discerning and continuous practice, Wang Zhong gradually integrated himself into the desert, becoming more adapted and accustomed to the area . As such, his ability to identify the water element in the complex airflow became better and stronger, a state similar to the Mind's Eye but at an even higher level . It was more natural now, and it allowed a deeper insight into the environment and seemingly integrated itself with the surroundings . The Mind's Eye had transformed from an ability which needed to be activated into a seemingly passive ability which would automatically sense the surrounding elements .
Finding water was just one of the many prerequisites for survival in the desert . To survive and complete the journey, one would need more than just water .
Food, endurance, and ability to face danger were also necessary . The polarization of mutated animals in the desert was rather large . The weaker ones were really weak . Small mutants like sand scorpions and sand lizards were purely snacks for New Humans . They were basically at the bottom of the food chain in the entire desert . Even several mutated plants fed on them, not to mention powerful mutated beasts .
Wang Zhong never stopped observing, and he discovered a very interesting phenomenon . Perhaps people in the desert had not thought of it this way, but the phenomenon existed nevertheless . These small mutated animals — who were at the bottom of the food chain, specifically sand lizards and sand scorpions — had the largest population in the desert and appeared to be the most prosperous species, even though they had the most natural enemies .
As nature evolved, it endowed them with other abilities such as a rapid birth rate much faster than normal, in spite of creating so many natural predators for them .
One example would be the mutated iguana . Wang Zhong had studied them in biology class . They used to lay eggs once a year in the glorious era, and each ovulation could produce about three to six eggs . Since entering the dark ages, not only have they grown in size, they could now lay eggs six times a year, which was equivalent to once in two months, and around forty to one hundred eggs could be spawned each time . Their entire growth cycle was greatly shortened . It only took them six months to reach adulthood, which was definitely terrifying .