Lu Zong then spoke slowly, "I have a feeling that Han Chong's dreams are controlling us. Everything he dreams of will become reality; in other words, his dreams will come true."

The others froze, speechless, staring blankly at Han Chong. "Han Chong, did you hear that? Lu Zong just said that your dreams will manifest in reality. Whatever you dream of, you will have."

Han Chong was stunned too. Lu Zong’s words seemed plausible. Ever since meeting Lu Zong and the others, he had felt an unusual quality about himself, almost as if he could predict the future. The only difference was that the more he worried about something, the more it happened, and the more he thought about something, the more it occurred—it went beyond mere dreaming.

She explained her idea to everyone. Even Lu Zong was astonished, his mouth slightly agape, while Lu Sha was absolutely overjoyed. "Then we're saved! Think about it, we ran into that spaceship, and it brought us ashore."

Han Chong tried hard to think, but there was no change around them. Finally, he exclaimed in frustration, "It's useless. I've actually been holding onto the hope that we’d stumble upon some miraculous encounter to get us out, but it never happened."

Lu Zong was inwardly horrified. "Could it be that only the terrible things come true? This is truly baffling."

Han Chong said nothing more, simply staring blankly at the floor. There was nothing for it now; all he could do was try his utmost to control his thoughts.

Lu Zong didn't comment. He just glanced at the crestfallen Han Chong, then knelt down and pulled him up. "Let's go. I refuse to believe that a few living people like us can't get past those desiccated corpses."

With that, he strode out confidently, taking the lead toward the front.

The others behind followed suit.

All along the way, Lu Zong kept reminding Han Chong, "Han Chong, don't think about those messy things. Try to focus on what we'll do after we get out—like going out for Western food, eating swan, that cake slathered with oil, the honey-glazed beef, and so on and so forth."

The Fatty in the rear heard Lu Zong listing so many delicious foods, and his stomach couldn't help but rumble. Lu Sha tugged on Ma Xiong’s arm. "Ma Xiong, I’m so hungry."

Ma Xiong looked at her delicate little face, extended his arm, and said, "Eat, eat."

This sight completely killed Lu Sha’s appetite.

However, as they walked further, they discovered that the tables, chairs, and other furnishings were becoming denser, and the decorations were growing more numerous and lavish. Of course, these were all ethereal, intangible things, yet when touched, they felt undeniably real.

Lu Zong looked at Han Chong, who raised both hands and said, "I didn't think of these things. These weren't conjured by me."

Lu Zong sighed. "It seems what must be faced must be faced. We can’t escape it."

The Fatty asked fearfully, "What is it, Lu Zong? Are we in trouble?"

Lu Zong replied, "It seems the Queen is finally going to summon us. She's finally decided to see us." Seeing Lu Zong's grave expression, the others didn't say much, only feeling that he looked genuinely frightening like this.

After only a few more steps, they saw handmaidens lining both sides—those translucent figures in blue who floated in mid-air, constantly circling like angels, so graceful, so beautiful, that the three men were nearly dumbstruck.

The Fatty exclaimed excitedly, "Ma Xiong, did you see that? What does this mean? It means we were indeed bathed and dressed earlier, and these lovely ladies gave us massages!"

Ma Xiong felt a flicker of desire too, deeply cherishing that period of time.

But Lu Zong grew increasingly worried. He wondered in what form the Queen would appear—as an angel, as a dried corpse, or as a living person? What would her attitude be then? Joy, sorrow, pity, or worship?

From afar, Lu Zong noticed several wooden-like objects standing erect about three hundred meters ahead. These were the only solid, non-ethereal things in the area. He quickened his pace, urging everyone to hurry, for he saw a glimmer of hope for survival.

The people behind also noticed the solid objects and followed Lu Zong toward the wood.

As they drew nearer to the wood, they found the ornaments increasing: bricks and tiles, jars and pots, pearls and jade, cabbage and radishes, root carvings of human bodies, and so on. It looked as if these were offerings to the Queen; this place was a crystal mausoleum.

They were getting closer to the Queen, and their breathing grew more ragged, especially Han Chong, whose forehead began to bead with sweat the size of soybeans for some unknown reason. Lu Zong continuously cheered him on. "Han Chong, keep it up, hang in there a little longer. Maybe we can get up there. Do you remember that ear? Maybe if we crawl into that ear, we can be saved."

Han Chong nodded, though he knew the hope of survival was extremely slim. But if he didn't persevere, the hope for survival would be zero.

However, his head began to ache more intensely, as if a voice were constantly buzzing in his mind, warning him not to go any closer. It resonated in his head with a persistent drone; he felt his brain was about to collapse, on the verge of tears but unable to cry.

Seeing Han Chong in such distress, Lu Zong secretly pondered if the Queen had forced her soul onto Han Chong. If that were the case, he would never be reborn.

Thinking of this, he glanced forward and suddenly realized that those wooden objects were nothing less than coffins. No wonder Han Chong’s head hurt more the closer they got. If he guessed correctly, his own desiccated corpse, the Loulan beauty, must be inside those coffins.

At this moment, he forgot all his fear. He only felt that the thing ahead was an old friend he had finally found after crossing mountains and wading rivers; he should be happy. He entered a state of excitement he couldn't control.

Not good, he thought, I’m being controlled by the Queen's emotions! Fortunately, his reaction was timely; otherwise, he might have been possessed by the surrounding spirits. He quickly turned back to look at the other three. "Be careful, everyone. It's incredibly easy to get possessed here. Keep your minds focused at all times and don't let your thoughts wander, or the consequences will be dire."

The others nodded.

They walked a few more steps and finally entered the area, only to see that they were indeed coffins, and inside one of them lay his own dried corpse, the Loulan beauty.

However, she had transformed from a dehydrated state into a living, breathing body, appearing like a great beauty in deep slumber. Lu Zong mused that he hadn't realized how beautiful she was before.

The Queen seemed to be asleep, and none of them dared to disturb her. They simply stared quietly at the Queen's mesmerizing face, and before they knew it, a restless urge began to stir within them. Could it be that he had fallen in love with her?