Sand Sea Demonic Nest 12 Professor Chen shook his head repeatedly: "It cannot be opened. This sarcophagus, the joint tomb of Prince Pumo and his consort, is a national treasure. We currently lack the means, and the environment is unsuitable. Opening it now would destroy the sealed coffin and its contents. Our purpose here is to submit an assessment report to our superiors, requesting formal excavation or the proper safeguarding of this ancient cultural heritage. We will return, let Aiguo bring Chu Jian and the others to finalize the documentation, and I will write the report personally."

It seemed I wouldn't get a chance to see what treasures lay inside the coffin. Though I knew the Professor was correct, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment. I climbed back with them to the sacrificial chamber on the upper level.

Many animal hides had once sealed the stone door of the sacrificial chamber, but I had shredded them all with my flat shovel. Professor Chen explained that these were skins from cattle and sheep, used by the ancient Pumo people to maintain dryness in the chamber and insulate it from the moisture of the Sacred Well. They would bring live livestock into the chamber, slaughter them, and immediately apply the freshly stripped, still-bleeding hides to the cracks of the stone door. The meat and internal organs of the cattle and sheep would be cleanly cut away, leaving only the bones. The stone door would not be opened again until the next sacrificial rite. This bizarre ritual—slaughtering livestock, skinning them, and impaling dried corpses on wooden stakes—was performed to ensure the Sacred Well's water source would never run dry. The ancient desert dwellers believed that the soul of life originated from sacred water, which, in a way, aligns surprisingly closely with Darwin's theory of the origin of life.

We certainly couldn't use camel hides to seal the door now. Aside from the camels, there were no other large animals around, and our nineteen camels were exceptionally precious; we certainly couldn't skin one for a mere door seal. Instead, we used several layers of adhesive tape.

The archaeological team rested in Xiye City for three days before heading south, finally entering the expanse of sand sea locally known as the "Black Desert." Here, no more poplars could be seen, nor were there undulating sand dunes. The drop-offs of the surrounding sand hills were all similar, resembling flat, boundless steamed buns. In every direction across the ground, the scenery was identical, showing no sign of life whatsoever.

I asked Anliman if he had ever ventured into this desert before.

Old Man Anliman offered a wry smile: "This is the hell of yellow sand. Even Old Man Hu Da was unwilling to come here. As for me, I’ve only been here a tiny handful of times—this current trip being one of them. If it weren't for your cadre superiors and Hu Da’s beloved white camel, I would sooner die a hundred times than come here."

Complaints aside, Anliman was renowned as a living map of the desert, and his reputation was well-deserved. His familiarity with the sands was like a woman tending to her pots and pans. Although this was his first time entering this forbidden Black Desert, he could spot the arrow grass and desert sage growing in the sand depressions using his two sand-fox eyes. It was by following the tracks of these plants, combined with his decades of hard-won experience scrambling through the desert, that he managed to guide the team forward.

The desert contains China's largest inland water system, but much of the Tarim River and other water systems have seeped into the sand. Deserts that appear barren on the surface might conceal surging underground rivers deep beneath.

Certain plants that specialize in desert life stubbornly survive by drawing on the minuscule moisture rising to the surface from these subterranean water veins. In reality, besides these few plants, many animals also inhabit this area, though most only venture out to forage during the cold nights.

During the Han Dynasty, and even earlier, the Taklamakan was known as the "Ancient Homeland." At that time, the degree of desertification was not severe; rivers had not yet seeped underground, and oases, towns, garrison posts, Buddhist temples, and relay stations dotted the landscape. Countless caravans transported silk, spices, and tea back and forth across this region until the Yuan Dynasty, when that famous Italian, Marco Polo, still passed through here with a caravan on his way to the Central Plains.

By the time of the Ming Dynasty in China, the Ottoman Empire, spanning across Eurasia, rose to prominence, and warfare obstructed commercial trade between Europe and Asia. That era belonged to the sea. Navigators opened new sea routes, and the primary lines of trade shifted from land to the ocean—this great epoch is also known as the Age of Discovery.

Coupled with increasingly severe desert erosion and the harsh living environment, the numerous large and small states within the desert completely declined. Their past prosperity and glory were swept away by the will of the heavens.

The Black Desert was the first place abandoned by the gods; civilization here ceased by the Jin Dynasty. Legend claims that Hu Da’s wrath swallowed the cities of the heathens, and even today, the Black Desert remains lifeless.

On our very first day of departure, we encountered light wind-blown sand, turning the sky a pale yellow. However, the wind was not strong and conveniently obscured the sun, allowing us to travel during the day.

Shirley Yang used the notebook left by the British explorers, consulting it alongside Anliman to plot our course as we walked. The notebook recorded a location near Xiye City where those explorers had discovered a large cluster of stone tombs. They intended to return for excavation and had thus drawn a detailed route in the journal.

Anliman’s experience, combined with Shirley Yang's notebook, provided significant assistance with distance and bearing, even if precise location pinning was impossible.

When we stopped for the night, Anliman found a slight rise in the terrain. We built a sand wall on the dune crest to shield the camels, then lit a fire for warmth on the leeward side of the dune.

The day’s journey had been particularly taxing, mainly due to the sand-laden wind. Though not intense, the constant blowing was irritating. Anliman grumbled that this was the windy season, and in the Black Desert, this weather occurred, on average, every two days. When there was no wind, the malicious sun would suck the traveler dry of every last drop of moisture.

Fatty quipped, "Hot is good; sweating helps lose weight. A good baking from the sun is quite satisfying, but this ceaseless wind makes it impossible to even talk on the road. It’s really stifling."

Anliman scoffed, "What do you know? This is just the fringe of the Black Desert. It will take another five days to reach the depths. Though I haven't been in, I know friends who have emerged from the deep—survivors who walked out of the Black Desert."

The true terror of the Black Desert isn't the quicksand that swallows people, nor the gold-eating ants that can devour an entire vehicle, nor even the black storms. Deep inside, there is a legendary phantom land. Those who enter see lakes, rivers, beautiful women, divine beasts, snow-capped mountains, and oases. The thirsty and exhausted naturally rush toward these beautiful sights, walking and walking, until they die of thirst and exhaustion, never reaching them. These are all traps laid by devils to lure people to their deaths. However, Hu Da will protect us, Allahu Akbar.

Shirley Yang commented, "What they see is likely a desert mirage. Those unfamiliar with the phenomenon are easily deceived."

Just as she spoke, Ye Yixin approached and pulled Shirley Yang aside. The two whispered a few words to each other, then Shirley Yang turned back to me: "We need to go behind that dune for a moment."

I knew Ye Yixin probably needed to relieve herself and, being timid, didn't dare go alone, so she dragged Shirley Yang along. I nodded to them, reminding them, "Take your flashlights and whistles. If anything happens, blow hard on the whistle. Go quickly and return quickly."

Shirley Yang acknowledged this and walked hand-in-hand with Ye Yixin toward the back of a nearby dune.

Fatty asked me if I had any more liquor.

I said no. "Even if I brought a barrel of strong liquor, you'd drink it all. Drink some hot water and get some sleep. If we don't find a water source in five or six days, we’ll have to start cutting everyone's daily water ration."

I only said that to scare Fatty. Even if we didn't find an underground river, I had ways to guarantee everyone the minimum necessary drinking water.

But that was a last resort—a very troublesome method, though undeniably effective. I learned desert survival techniques when I was in the army. Without water, the desert is a dead end. The human body is two-thirds water; losing 5% of that moisture causes dehydration symptoms.

The main reason Anliman was utterly reluctant to enter the Black Desert was the lack of fresh water. Although there were underground rivers, they were impossible to dig down to. Digging beneath the roots of desert scrub like suosuo—three to five meters down—yields only damp sand and brackish water; drinking it only increases thirst.

Anliman understood this technique as well. I had repeatedly discussed the feasibility of this method with him. We privately agreed that once we reached a point where even the suosuo grass stopped growing, we wouldn't take another step forward—only then did he consent.

Anyone trained in desert survival in the military learns that in the shallower depths of Xinjiang's deserts, the water is often salty due to high mineral content. Digging down from the base of desert plant roots can uncover damp sand and salty water. Through simple solar evaporation and filtration, a small amount of fresh water can be obtained, though little, it is enough to sustain life.

At that moment, the wind-blown sand intensified slightly. A sharp whistle pierced the air from behind the dune opposite us. Everyone started in surprise, quickly grabbing entrenching tools and rifles before running toward the sound. Fortunately, the source was extremely close, less than two hundred paces away. We covered the distance in a few quick strides, arriving instantly.