At this moment, the black dragon's gaze carried a hint of killing intent. It seemed Ning Beichen being bullied had angered it.
However, Ning Beichen signaled with his eyes, telling it not to act.
The black dragon was Ning Beichen's greatest trump card, and now was not the time to use it.
"What do you want us to do for you?" Ning Beichen asked calmly.
"Help me go somewhere and get something," Zhuge Jin said.
"Why choose me? As the City Lord, you should have plenty of people. Don't tell me you fancy my strength, considering I can't even handle a cup of your tea," Ning Beichen said with a hint of sarcasm.
"You don't need to know that. If you get the item for me, I'll not only let you go, but I'll also tell you where your师娘 (shī niáng - paternal uncle's wife/master's wife) is," Zhuge Jin told Ning Beichen.
"You have news of my 师娘?" Ning Beichen asked incredulously.
"Naturally," Zhuge Jin replied.
But how much he knew, or if he was lying, only he himself knew.
"Alright, where do I need to go to get the item for you?" Ning Beichen decided to agree for now. He was not confident he could kill Zhuge Jin, and even with the black dragon, Ning Beichen didn't dare to gamble on the chances of success, because besides himself, there were also Luo Yingying, Liu Yilin, Ye Lanxin, and the newly arrived Haitang.
"Falling Star Sea," Zhuge Jin said three words to Ning Beichen.
Ning Beichen's eyes lit up. He had been trying to find out the location of the Falling Star Sea for a long time, and he never expected Zhuge Jin to ask him to go there to retrieve something.
However, Ning Beichen had also learned from Song Qiuyan that the Falling Star Sea was extremely dangerous, and those who entered had a nearly one-in-nine chance of survival. Perhaps this was why Zhuge Jin asked him to go there.
But regardless of the reason, Ning Beichen was determined to go to the Falling Star Sea, because his master's trace was within it.
"I'll agree to go," Ning Beichen said, after feigning a difficult decision and careful consideration.
However, Zhuge Jin, fearing Ning Beichen might escape, insisted that he leave some people behind as hostages.
Ning Beichen thought for a moment again and nodded in agreement. He hadn't wanted to bring them along on the dangerous adventure in the first place.
"Listen, the Falling Star Sea is too dangerous. I don't feel at ease taking you all with me, and that Zhuge Jin isn't a good person. I want all of you to stay here. Xiao Bu, protect them. If necessary, you can do whatever it takes," Ning Beichen told them. This time, he even planned to leave the black dragon behind to protect Liu Yilin and the others.
"Beichen, I'll go with you. Together, our combined strength can handle most dangers," Luo Yingying said to him at this moment.
"Yes, Beichen, let Yingying go with you. At least you'll have someone to watch your back. Don't worry, we'll be fine," Liu Yilin and the others also spoke up for Luo Yingying.
Ning Beichen thought about it and felt that Luo Yingying had a point. If they encountered a strong enemy, with Luo Yingying there, their combined strength would indeed be greater than him fighting alone.
"Alright then, Yingying will go with me. All of you stay here and be careful of Zhuge Jin. He's not a good person. Find an opportunity to return to the cave at the bottom of the river. If Zhuge Jin makes any moves, Haitang, immediately take them and teleport away," Ning Beichen instructed.
Haitang nodded. Everyone knew it was a critical time, and no one was being willful or crying to go with Ning Beichen to the Falling Star Sea. They all understood that their insufficient strength would only be a burden to Ning Beichen, and by not going, they were providing him with the greatest help.
Soon, Zhuge Jin arranged a large flying mount to take Ning Beichen to the Falling Star Sea.
A few days later, Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying appeared at the Falling Star Sea.
What Ning Beichen hadn't expected was that the Falling Star Sea was not a sea, nor was it related to the sea. Instead, it was a dark space resembling the universe's starry sky, where direction could not be determined and senses could not be used. Furthermore, one had to know how to fly with a sword to enter, otherwise, they would fall into the endless void. The only resting places were the meteorites floating in the dark space.
However, these meteorites were dangerous. Some were inhabited by incredibly terrifying star beasts that had existed for who knows how long. Some of these star beasts could easily hunt powerful human cultivators. Despite the danger, Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying entered the Falling Star Sea without hesitation.
What Zhuge Jin asked Ning Beichen to find was a star coffin, a star coffin buried within the Falling Star Sea. As for what the star coffin looked like, its size, or its location, Zhuge Jin had not specified. He only said that if Ning Beichen saw it, he would know it was what he was looking for.
With no other choice, Ning Beichen, along with Luo Yingying, began their confused search within the Falling Star Sea.
No one knew how large the Falling Star Sea was, because no one who had entered had ever returned alive from its depths, not even the most powerful humans. At least, to date, no one had returned alive from the end of the Falling Star Sea to tell everyone whether it had an end, or what lay at its end.
However, although the Falling Star Sea was fraught with peril, many people had found treasures within it, attracting some desperate individuals who eventually returned alive with their spoils. Thus, driven by greed, people periodically ventured into the Falling Star Sea for exploration.
Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying flew with their swords through the Falling Star Sea. They had been flying for six hours, but besides the dark space, they had discovered nothing.
"There's a meteorite ahead. Let's go rest there and recover our energy," Ning Beichen said to Luo Yingying, pointing to a meteorite in front of them.
With Ning Beichen's current cultivation, he could only maintain sword flight for about eight hours non-stop. Luo Yingying was slightly better, but could only sustain it for about twelve hours at most. Therefore, to conserve enough energy to deal with danger, they had to find a place to rest and recover their energy within five to six hours.
"Okay," Luo Yingying nodded, and flew towards a large meteorite with Ning Beichen.
Soon, Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying landed on a floating meteorite. The meteorites in the Falling Star Sea floated motionlessly in the air. Most of them were safe, but a few were extremely dangerous. However, no one knew which meteorite was safe and which was dangerous; it all depended on luck and personal judgment. These meteorites varied in size. The one Ning Beichen was currently on was enormous, its end not visible at a glance. From the air, it was roughly the size of an ordinary province or city.