"Ah, you, you, you're just asking for trouble. What are we going to do when I run out of Spiritual Power?"

"I can't control swords, but I can manipulate the sky…" Wang Xiaoqiang said. Actually, Wang Xiaoqiang couldn't manipulate the sky either; he just had the Spiritual Spring—228 Spirit Springs to be exact, which were enough to carry the two of them in flight.

"Haha, well said. Then tonight, I will have to rely entirely on senior," Ye Qingcheng's beautiful eyes twinkled with mischief. "Ah, my Spiritual Power is almost depleted, how about senior takes over for a while? We can take turns flying…"

"All right!" Sword Flight indeed consumed a lot of Spiritual Power, especially when carrying someone else, as burdening as riding a bicycle with someone on the back seat. He readily agreed and with a thought, Wang Xiaoqiang kept twenty-eight Spirit Springs inside his body to shield against the high-altitude gales; two hundred Spirit Springs were released outside his body and, following Wang Xiaoqiang's willpower, took the shape of a flying boat in front of him. This Spiritual Energy Flying Boat, with its five colors swirling, was quite a sight in the night sky, a pity that Ye Qingcheng couldn't see it—only Wang Xiaoqiang had that view.

Seeing the two hundred Spirit Springs form the Spirit Spring Flying Boat according to his will in front of him, Wang Xiaoqiang no longer hesitated. He scooped up Ye Qingcheng's body and leaped into the Spirit Spring Flying Boat.

"Ah~~~~" Since her Cultivation Base was limited, Ye Qingcheng had only ever controlled the sword for flight and had never manipulated the sky or been carried through it. Suddenly being lifted and jumped with by Wang Xiaoqiang, her body felt weightless, which made her cry out in surprise. However, she soon felt as if she jumped onto a soft 'airbag'. This invisible 'airbag' carried both of them forward. Ye Qingcheng recalled her Flying Sword and while putting away her bag, she realized she was still in Wang Xiaoqiang's arms, her beautiful face turning red, and she quickly pushed away from his embrace…

Wang Xiaoqiang awkwardly released the delicate body and hurriedly averted his eyes, gathering his mind to control the Spirit Spring Flying Boat as they flew forward.

Compared to Sword Flight, riding the Spirit Spring Flying Boat was much more comfortable. After all, during Sword Flight, one had to stand on the sword, using Spiritual Power to stabilize one's body, which was tiring for the legs over time and also required use of Spiritual Power to withstand high-altitude winds. Now, however, the two of them were reclining in the Flying Boat as comfortably as lying on a sofa, with a few Spirit Springs in front to block the fierce high-altitude winds, making it as cozy as lying on an airplane.

"Senior… this way of flying… is just too awesome!" Ye Qingcheng rolled her body and stared at Wang Xiaoqiang with her glittering, curious eyes, "How come I've never seen anything like it before?"

Ye Qingcheng had seen fellow sect members at the Golden Core Stage fly through the sky without swords, usually standing upright just like Sword Flight, but without stepping on a sword. She had never before seen someone lying down and flying that way and couldn't help but ask curiously.

"There's still a lot you haven't seen!" Wang Xiaoqiang responded boastfully.

Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang's arrogant demeanor, Ye Qingcheng couldn't refute because he really did seem impressive. She then couldn't help but press the invisible 'airbag' beneath her and asked, "Senior, what is this exactly?"

"This is an airship condensed from True Qi, understand? Without profound True Yuan, you can forget about it," Wang Xiaoqiang said, his tone growing even more boastful.

"Er..." Ye Qingcheng's face showed a look of longing. "If only I could reach this level someday,"

"Just continue with your cultivation...!" Wang Xiaoqiang said. He then lay back, resting his hands behind his head, looking completely at ease.

The Spirit Spring Flying Boat sailed on its own, not requiring him to expend any Spiritual Power because the Spirit Springs were already brimming with Spiritual Power.

"Ah, senior, you can still move True Yuan like this…" Ye Qingcheng, seeing Wang Xiaoqiang in a leisurely mood as if about to sleep, was surprised and her beautiful eyes widened.

"Er... don't just look at my relaxed appearance. In reality, it's still very exhausting…" Wang Xiaoqiang no longer dared to boast. If he went on, Ye Qingcheng would stop believing him, so he gave a perfunctory response and changed the subject, "How does it feel? Awesome, right?"

"Awesome…!" Ye Qingcheng mimicked Wang Xiaoqiang's pose, resting her arms behind her head, looking up at the full sky of stars, admiring their radiant splendor with a content and happy expression in her eyes.

"If you want to sleep, go ahead..." Wang Xiaoqiang said.

"Can I really sleep like this?"

"Of course, you can… Don't you trust my ability?"

"I trust your ability, sure, but you know what, senior… I don't trust your character," Ye Qingcheng gave Wang Xiaoqiang a glare "Are you hoping that I fall asleep so you can take advantage?"

"Hey, you're insulting my character now; I'm going to tickle you..."

Seeing Ye Qingcheng's face flush red, Wang Xiaoqiang hastily withdrew his hand.

Ye Qingcheng turned away, leaving her back to Wang Xiaoqiang.

As the Spirit Spring Flying Boat entered the Sichuan Burial Ground, the air grew colder. Being high up, the air was naturally colder, and Ye Qingcheng, not yet at a Cultivation Base where she was unaffected by the cold, involuntarily wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.

Wang Xiaoqiang had Fire Element Spiritual Energy in his body, so naturally, he did not feel the cold. However, seeing Ye Qingcheng shivering from the cold, his heart softened and he wanted to hold her to warm her up, but he dared not, fearing that he would truly be regarded as a lecher. In a flash of inspiration, his gaze fixed on the Spirit Spring Flying Boat below him, and with a thought, the two hundred Spiritual Springs on the boat shifted to a uniform red hue, emitting Fire Element Spiritual Energy. Instantly, the Spirit Spring Flying Boat became as warm as a heated brick bed.

Ye Qingcheng, who was bitterly cold, felt warmth coming from the invisible "air cushion" beneath her, banishing the chill from her body surface and making her feel cosy all over. Elated, she immediately flipped over and stared at Wang Xiaoqiang "Eh? Senior, can your True Yuan generate heat?"

"Er, no, actually this is a kind of Fire Element Magic." Wang Xiaoqiang did not dare to admit it; it was known that Spiritual Energy was just Spiritual Energy, whether it was nature's spiritual energy or the condensed True Yuan, none had temperature, or to put it another way, there was a cool sensation. Only his Five Elements Spirit Spring could emit intensely hot Fire Element Spiritual Energy.

Using Fire Element Magic as the explanation clearly stood up to scrutiny because inside Taiyi Sect, there indeed existed Fire Element Magic, Water Element Spell, and other Five Elements magics. For example, Ye Qingcheng's "Water Dragon Technique" was a Water Element Spell.

Ye Qingcheng no longer doubted and comfortably enjoyed the warmth transmitted from the Spirit Spring Flying Boat, "Senior, can you teach me your Fire Element Magic someday. Would that be alright?"

"Sure, when your cultivation base reaches the Golden Core Stage, then you can cultivate this Fire Element Magic..."

"Golden Core Stage... that's too far away... I'm only at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage," Ye Qingcheng grimaced and puckered her lips.

"The Path of Cultivation... remember to stay grounded and take it step by step; you can't be rash and covetous of quick results," Wang Xiaoqiang repeated a line he had read from an immortal hero novel in the past, to advise Ye Qingcheng.

Ye Qingcheng nodded at his words, accepting Wang Xiaoqiang's viewpoint. Right then, Ye Qingcheng glanced downward, "Hey, stop lying there. We're here..."

Wang Xiaoqiang sat up on the Flying Boat and asked, "Where are we?"

"The Gate of Hell."

"What...? The Gate of Hell..."

"Giggle, look how nervous you are. To ordinary people, this place is called the Gate of Hell, but to us, it doesn't really qualify as the Gate of Hell..."

"How come I've never heard of a Gate of Hell in the Kunlun Mountains?"

"Then you are uninformed."

Ye Qingcheng gave Wang Xiaoqiang a sidelong glance and pointed to a valley below while speaking to Wang Xiaoqiang, "See that valley there? That valley is Death Valley, also known as the 'Gate of Hell of Kunlun Mountain.' If we descend, you will see the valley is strewn with wolf pelts, bear skeletons, hunter's rifles, and solitary graves on desolate mounds, exuding a sinister and frightening deathly aura to the world.

That region has significant magnetic anomalies, with a wide distribution of anomalies. The deeper into the valley, the higher the magnetic anomalies, and the valley's magnetic anomalies, under the electromagnetic effect, create discharges with the charges in the clouds. This discharge phenomenon turns this place into a thunderstorm area. The targets of the lightning strikes are often the protruding rocks of the valley and animals that enter the valley.

It is said that shepherds living in the Kunlun Mountains would rather let their cattle and sheep starve to death on the Gobi desert due to lack of lush grass than dare to enter that old, silent deep valley in Kunlun Mountains with abundant grass. This valley is Death Valley, and the valley is strewn with wolf pelts, bear skeletons, hunter's rifles, and solitary graves on desolate mounds, exuding a sinister and frightening deathly aura to the world. Below is a real story witnessed by a geological team from the Xinjiang Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources.

In '83, a herd of horses from the Alar Ranch of Qinghai Province strayed into Death Valley due to grazing on the rich grass in the valley. A shepherd braved the valley to look for the horses. Days passed without any sign of him, while the herd reappeared. Later, his corpse was found on a small mountain. His clothes were torn, barefoot, eyes wide open in anger, mouth agape, still clutching his hunting rifle, in a state of refusing to rest even in death. What is puzzling is that no wounds or signs of attack were found on his body.

Not long after this tragedy, a nearby geological team was also struck by the peril of Death Valley. It was July 1983, a scorchingly hot time outside, yet a sudden snowstorm inexplicably occurred near Death Valley. A thunderclap roared along with the snowstorm, causing the cook to faint on the spot. According to the cook's recollection, the moment he heard the thunder, he felt his entire body go numb; he blacked out and lost consciousness. The next day when the team members went out to work, they were shocked to find that the original yellow earth had turned black, like ash, and all the animals and plants had been "struck dead."

The geological team quickly organized to survey the valley. After the survey, they found that the magnetic anomalies in the area were extremely noticeable, with a wide range and higher values deeper into the valley. Under the effect of electromagnetic forces, the charges in the clouds and the valley's magnetic field caused electrical discharges, turning the area into a zone with frequent thunderstorms, and the lightning often targeted running animals. This hypothesis is the best explanation for the series of incidents that occurred one after another.

That region has significant magnetic anomalies, with a wide distribution of anomalies. The deeper into the valley, the higher the magnetic anomalies, and the valley's magnetic anomalies, under the electromagnetic effect, create discharges with the charges in the clouds. This discharge phenomenon turns this place into a thunderstorm area. The targets of the lightning strikes are often the protruding rocks in the valley and animals that enter the valley..."

After Ye Qingcheng finished speaking, she suddenly pointed to another valley and said to Wang Xiaoqiang, "See, that is the Land of Sacred Emptiness, which is also where our Taiyi Sect is located..."

Following her direction, Wang Xiaoqiang saw a faint purple mist shrouding the sky above the valley and pointed to ask, "What is the mist over the Land of Sacred Emptiness?"

"That's actually a misty maze array set up by our ancestral master..., to prevent outsiders from entering the Land of Sacred Emptiness. That's also why ordinary people can't reach the Land of Sacred Emptiness. Harsh weather, treacherous terrain, the terrifying magnetic field, and the misty maze array make it impossible for ordinary people to pass these four hurdles, otherwise, they wouldn't be ordinary people..."

As Ye Qingcheng spoke, the Spirit Spring Flying Boat had already reached the airspace above the Land of Sacred Emptiness. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to qidian.com to vote for tickets and monthly passes, your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)

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