In Ning Beichen's world, there was a saying that humanity's greatest enemy was not natural disasters or man-made calamities, but humanity itself.
And the most unfathomable thing about humans was the human heart and human nature.
Especially human nature, which could not withstand any test in the face of profit. Throughout history, countless people had turned on each other for profit, patricide, regicide, uxoricid, filicide; even royal families were no exception.
However, the route they were flying now had few stopping points. To conserve energy, Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying decided to share a sword, primarily to ensure that if danger arose, the other person would have enough strength to deal with it.
This also had an advantage: they could fly on their swords for longer.
However, being so close together made Luo Yingying quite shy. After all, she was the Sect Master of the Flying Immortal Sect, and this fellow was a disciple of the Flying Immortal Sect.
Although Ning Beichen had never admitted it verbally.
"Ouch, don't move around."
"Ning Beichen, why are you holding my waist!"
"I'm afraid of falling."
"Fall my foot! Let go quickly."
"No, I get dizzy at heights."
"You get dizzy at heights? Ning Beichen, do you take me for a fool?"
"Ah! You scoundrel, your hand..."
Luo Yingying shrieked, letting out pig-slaughtering screams. Instantly, she lost control of her sword, and the two of them spun 360 degrees in the air.
Soon, Ning Beichen's pig-slaughtering screams could be heard. Luo Yingying's fingers were twisting his waist, making him beg for mercy in pain.
"Dare you again?"
"I won't dare this time."
Ning Beichen quickly conceded.
"What about next time?"
"We'll see next time... Ah! You woman, are you a dog? You pinch me and then you bite!"
"Serves you right, for being so handsy."
"Watch out... steady, steady..."
With a loud crash, they both collided with a small asteroid, falling into a disheveled embrace.
"It's all your fault, you scoundrel!"
Luo Yingying pushed Ning Beichen away, got up clutching her head, and delivered a few light punches to him, her face filled with embarrassment.
Ning Beichen chuckled, acting as if nothing had happened.
The journey was too lonely; if he didn't find some amusement, he'd go mad.
Seeing his mischievous grin, Luo Yingying placed her hands on her hips and said fiercely, "Ning Beichen, I'm your Sect Master."
"I know, I know, you're the Sect Master, and I'm your little soldier, I'll fight wherever you point."
Ning Beichen replied with a rogue-like tone.
"You said it. Then jump down now, no flying on swords."
Luo Yingying pointed into the void.
"Forget it, Sect Master, I'll just be a rogue to you then."
Ning Beichen glanced at the dark, lightless void and conceded.
"Ning Beichen, I knew you were a scoundrel!"
Luo Yingying lunged forward, unable to reach him, and started pinching him.
After their playful scuffle, they dispelled the oppressive mood of the silent space, and then continued their journey.
Days passed, and a giant black hole, resembling a devil's eye, appeared before Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying. A single glance at it seemed to pierce the soul.
"Ning Beichen, is this the Abyss Black Hole?"
Luo Yingying asked, trembling, upon seeing the black hole.
"If we haven't made a mistake, it should be."
Ning Beichen wasn't entirely certain, but he thought it was highly probable.
"Then are we going in?"
Luo Yingying looked at the black hole with trepidation. After all, some things required not just courage, but also rationality.
"Don't rush. Let's observe from the outside for a while before deciding."
Ning Beichen told her.
Subsequently, Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying studied and observed the Abyss Black Hole from the outside, and explored its entrance.
After several days, Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying finally made the decision to enter the black hole. After all, some risks were necessary for great rewards; when it was time to take a gamble, they had to do it.
Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying steered their flying sword towards the black hole.
Upon entering, Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying could see nothing, as if they were flying in a completely dark, lightless space. It was a long, awe-inspiring journey. In such a place, even the most powerful cultivators were as insignificant as a speck of dust.
Luo Yingying fearfully clutched Ning Beichen's hand, as if holding his hand was the only thing that could give her a sense of security.
After an unknown period, a faint light appeared in the completely dark space, like a guiding lamp, leading Ning Beichen and the others.
Before long, Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying flew out of the pitch-black space and were greeted by a vast expanse of gray mountain ranges. These mountains stretched endlessly, barren and desolate, like a gray world.
Although it wasn't dark, there was no color here other than gray.
Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying exchanged glances, then landed on a gray mountainside.
"Will there really be Star Stones here?"
Both Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying felt like they had been tricked.
"Let's look around first. Perhaps the Star Stones are inside the mountains."
Ning Beichen said.
At this point, they had no other choice but to stay and study the situation.
However, they soon heard strange noises from the mountains. Before they could investigate, they saw some stones transform into monsters and attack them.
After Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying shattered these monsters, they reverted to piles of motionless stones, leaving the two of them bewildered and increasingly unnerved by the strangeness of the place.
"Ning Beichen, look quickly."
Luo Yingying pointed at a monster they had destroyed and discovered that there were some Star Stones within the pile of rocks.
Ning Beichen walked over, picked up a Star Stone, and said to Luo Yingying with surprise, "They are indeed Star Stones. The bodies of these stone monsters contain Star Stones."
"We're rich, Ning Beichen, rich!"
Luo Yingying said excitedly, cupping a pile of Star Stones in her hands.
Before Ning Beichen could respond, Luo Yingying had already set her sights on other stone monsters, as if to her, they were not monsters, but piles of Star Stones.
"Yingying, let's go!"
Ning Beichen tossed the Star Stones into his hand, drew his bronze ancient sword, and charged at the stone monsters. These were all Star Stones, and they couldn't let them go.
Luo Yingying, as if injected with adrenaline, also attacked the stone monsters fiercely.
These stone monsters were not powerful, and their movements were very sluggish, unable to hit the agile duo. Instead, they were easily defeated by Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying, as if cutting melons and vegetables.