问一个关于链表的比较无脑的问题，求解答

# include <stdio.h>
# include <malloc.h>
# include <stdlib.h>
typedef struct Node
{
intdata;
struct Node * pNext;
}NODE, *PNODE;
PNODE create_list(void);
void traverse_list(PNODE pHead);
bool is_empty();
int main(void)
{
PNODE pHead = NULL;
pHead = create_list();
traverse_list(pHead);
return 0;
}
PNODE create_list(void)
{
int len, i, val;
PNODE pHead = (PNODE)malloc(sizeof(NODE));
if (pHead == NULL)
{
printf("分配失败, 程序终止!\n");
exit(-1);
}
PNODE pTail = pHead;
pTail->pNext = NULL;
printf("输入链表长度: ");
scanf("%d", &len);
for (i = 0; i < len; ++i)
{
printf("输入第%d个节点的值: ", i+1);
scanf("%d", &val);
PNODE pNew = (PNODE)malloc(sizeof(NODE));
if (pNew == NULL)
{
printf("分配失败, 程序终止!\n");
exit(-1);
}
pNew->data = val;
pTail->pNext = pNew;
pNew->pNext = NULL;
pTail = pNew;
}
return pHead;
}
void traverse_list(PNODE pHead)
{
PNODE p = pHead->pNext;
while (p != NULL)
{
printf("%d ", p->data);
p = p->pNext;
}
}
以上是程序，创建链表的函数中
pTail->pNext = pNew;
pNew->pNext = NULL;
pTail = pNew;
既然以上三句话把pTail和pNew的指针域都变为空了，话说链表是怎么保存的？还是我理解有误？