"Is someone a Venerable here?"
The owner of the training ground looked at the scattered debris with a look of utter despair.
Anyone who could shatter the targets was at least a Super Expert, if not a Venerable. The owner dared not investigate, lest he anger the powerful individual.
"Yingying, have you truly made up your mind? You don't have to risk this with me."
Ning Beichen said to her.
"I want to. Is it any of your business?"
Luo Yingying shot him a glare.
This time, Ning Beichen boldly took her hand. Luo Yingying struggled for a moment, then let him hold it.
No map was needed to reach the thundercloud layer; they just needed to keep moving within the Falling Star Sea.
The reason no one had found the end of the Falling Star Sea was precisely because the thundercloud layer blocked the way. No one had successfully passed through it and returned alive.
Thus, the thundercloud layer was also known as the minor end of the Falling Star Sea.
They might not return from this journey, so Ning Beichen decided to let his true feelings show.
"Should we tell Yilin and the others?"
Luo Yingying asked.
"No need. If we return, it will be as if nothing happened. If we don't, telling them will only worry them. They are no longer children. Stepping onto this path means entrusting one's fate and future to the unknown. No one can protect them forever."
Ning Beichen, still holding Luo Yingying's hand, spoke calmly.
"They'll be angry with you if they find out later."
Luo Yingying said.
"Rather than let them worry, I'd prefer they be angry with me."
Ning Beichen replied.
"You are such a heartless person."
Luo Yingying pinched his hand.
"One cannot stand firm without being heartless. Alright, let's get ready to go."
Ning Beichen changed the subject.
"Okay."
Luo Yingying squeezed Ning Beichen's hand tighter, interlacing their fingers.
The journey to the thundercloud layer was extremely perilous. Aside from the thundercloud layer itself, they had no idea how many dangers they would encounter on the way. They might perish before even reaching it.
However, neither of them retreated. Great terror in the face of death required great courage, and they both lacked that courage.
Although they had used a lot of star stones, star stones were not omnipotent and could not grant them significant advancements in a short period.
Therefore, Ning Beichen chose not to continue cultivating there, but planned to cultivate along the way to the thundercloud layer.
As the two left the human cultivators' stronghold, they glanced back one last time. Perhaps they would never have the chance to return. Even if they survived the thundercloud layer, they might not pass this place again.
They flew their swords through the dim Falling Star Sea, which seemed as vast and endless as the cosmos.
Along the way, they encountered no human bandits or robbers, not even a single star monster, only endless darkness and silence.
If they hadn't been in each other's company, prolonged exposure to such an environment could easily lead to psychological problems.
"Ning Beichen, does it feel colder to you?"
Luo Yingying shivered and said to Ning Beichen.
Ning Beichen nodded. Since arriving in this area, they had noticed the temperature dropping continuously. Now, both his and Luo Yingying's hair were covered in frost.
"Yingying, we've been flying for a long time. Let's find a place to rest."
Ning Beichen said to Luo Yingying.
"Okay."
Luo Yingying was also tired, and with the cold, she could barely hold on.
"There seems to be a place to rest ahead. Let's go take a look."
Ning Beichen grabbed Luo Yingying's hand and accelerated towards a white spot in the distance.
About half an hour later, Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying landed on a meteor covered entirely in white snow.
Though called a meteor, it was more like a small planet. However, this planet was entirely white, and the accumulated snow, built up over countless years, was unfathomably deep.
Ning Beichen found a sheltered spot, dug out a snow cave, and they hid inside, finally feeling a hint of warmth.
Then, Ning Beichen took out food he had brought from his world from his storage artifact. Soon, he had set up a hot pot in the snow cave, much to Luo Yingying's surprise.
"Hot pot! Ning Beichen, you brought hot pot!"
Luo Yingying was incredulously delighted.
"I knew you'd like it. Come, my dear Sect Master."
Ning Beichen said to Luo Yingying with a smile.
"You brat."
Luo Yingying glared at him, but the temptation of hot pot was too great. She began to feast with Ning Beichen.
"And sesame paste too! Ning Beichen, how did you know I like Anran's sesame paste?"
Seeing her familiar sesame paste, Luo Yingying became even happier.
"You always go there with Liu Yilin and the others for hot pot, how could I not know?"
Ning Beichen chuckled.
This was the experience gained from frequent adventures. It was unavoidable before, but now that he had a way to store things in large quantities, why not make his adventures more comfortable?
After a feast, which even included red wine, soon both of them were sweating.
As Luo Yingying did not suppress her cultivation, her eyes gradually became hazy. She got drunk and, in a daze, had no idea what happened.
When she woke up, she found herself in Ning Beichen's embrace, which startled her greatly.
However, she quickly realized her clothes were still on, which relieved her. It seemed she wasn't the only one who got drunk last night; Ning Beichen was too.
Luo Yingying opened her large, bright eyes and looked at Ning Beichen's sleeping face. She suddenly felt a happiness she had never experienced before, not even before her powers were sealed.
"Perhaps... this isn't so bad."
A thought suddenly popped into Luo Yingying's mind, startling her again.
"No, I'm much older than him, and I'm the Sect Master. Besides, he has a girlfriend. How can I have such thoughts?"
Luo Yingying hastily told herself, and immediately wanted to pull away from Ning Beichen's embrace. But her heart resisted, and in the end, she couldn't bear to push him away. She gently rested her head on his arm.
"Let's just call it a fated entanglement."
Luo Yingying tried to convince herself in her heart.
"Perhaps we won't even make it back from the thundercloud layer. Why dwell on so much?"
Luo Yingying found a suitable excuse for herself, then comfortably closed her eyes, resting her head on Ning Beichen's arm, and sighed in her heart.
"Ning Beichen's arm feels so comfortable!"