Chapter 153: The First Red Dot

Qin Feiyang frowned; it seemed the situation was somewhat unfavorable.

Indeed.

Luo Qingzhu's following words confirmed this.

She stated that the desert was not only boundless but also fraught with perils at every turn.

No one had ever walked out of it alive.

The people of Star-Moon City called it the Desert of Death, treating it as a forbidden zone!

Feng Ling'er frowned and asked, "What are the two of you going to the Desert of Death for?"

Ling Yunfei remained silent.

Qin Feiyang did not utter a word either.

Feng Ling'er threatened, "If you don't tell me, I will notify Elder Wan right now."

"Fine, I'll tell you. I'm going to the Desert of Death to investigate the cause of my father's death," Ling Yunfei said in a deep voice.

"The cause of death!"

Feng Ling'er was startled.

"That's right. Back then, my father lost his life precisely because he went to the Desert of Death," Ling Yunfei nodded, a trace of sorrow flashing in his eyes.

Feng Ling'er was stunned; she had not expected such a backstory.

"I'm sorry."

Her face filled with apology.

"It's nothing."

Ling Yunfei forced a smile, though it looked very strained.

"Even so, I still won't allow you to go to the Desert of Death."

"Because you are marching to your deaths."

"You can wait until you become a Battle King, or even a Battle Emperor, to investigate your father's death. There's no need to rush into it at this moment."

"Don't think I'm joking with you. I know both law enforcement elders of the Star-Moon City Martial King Palace. With just a word from me, you won't be able to escape even with wings," Feng Ling'er said.

"Senior Sister, I know you have my best interests at heart."

"But this trip is something I must make!"

"Because I don't know how much longer I have to live. What if I die one day?"

"After all, the path of cultivation is fraught with danger, and the possibility of losing one's life is ever-present. I don't want to carry regrets to my grave."

"Senior Sister, Elder Feng was abducted by Zuo An, and his current fate is unknown. You must be very worried and heartbroken right now, so I hope you can understand how I feel," Ling Yunfei pleaded.

Feng Ling'er looked at Ling Yunfei, her gaze flickering uncertainly.

"Sigh!"

In the end.

She let out a soft sigh and said, "Fine. Seeing how pathetic you are, I won't stop you, but on the condition that I go too."

"Ah!"

Ling Yunfei was taken aback and looked at Qin Feiyang for help.

Qin Feiyang said, "You can come, but along the way, you are not allowed to act willfully and recklessly."

Feng Ling'er's pretty eyes widened in anger as she snapped, "When have I ever acted willfully?"

"You act willfully every single moment," Qin Feiyang delivered a ruthless retort.

Even the Desert of Death was this dangerous, let alone that bizarre place.

Therefore, he had to proceed with extreme caution and eliminate all hidden dangers in advance.

"Little bastard, say that again!"

Feng Ling'er glared at him, grinding her teeth, her lovely eyes blazing with intense fury.

If she were to take off her mask, one would find her quite cute right now.

"It's the same no matter how many times I say it."

Qin Feiyang met her gaze directly without flinching.

On ordinary days, he could make concessions. After all, a man should be magnanimous and accommodate women.

However, when facing serious matters, he would not compromise with any woman!

At this moment, Feng Ling'er experienced a strange illusion.

She felt as though Qin Feiyang had turned into a completely different person.

He exuded the aura of a supreme overlord of heaven and earth!

Especially his gaze—sharp yet carrying a hint of deterrence—which even sparked an impulse within her to look away.

"How could this be?"

"Why am I actually feeling afraid of him?"

Feng Ling'er found it somewhat unbelievable.

Qin Feiyang was merely an Eight-Star Martial Master, whereas she was a Two-Star Martial Ancestor—a gap of several minor realms. If anyone should be afraid, it ought to be Qin Feiyang fearing her, right?

She did not dare to continue locking eyes with him.

Because the fear in her heart was growing increasingly intense.

She was truly afraid that she might lose control and bow her head to Qin Feiyang a moment later.

Her self-esteem and her pride would not permit such a thing to happen.

Therefore, she averted her gaze and sneered, "This young lady is magnanimous and won't lower herself to your level."

In this invisible contest, Qin Feiyang achieved a complete victory.

He shifted his gaze to Luo Qingzhu and asked, "Is there a slightly safer route from Star-Moon City to the Desert of Death?"

"Yes," Luo Qingzhu nodded.

Although the Desert of Death was dangerous, many people loved to explore it. Naturally, they only ventured into the outer periphery and never dared to go deep.

Consequently, over the long course of years, a safe route had gradually been charted out.

However, this safe route was not entirely devoid of danger.

One would still encounter many ferocious beasts along the way.

That depended entirely on luck.

If one were lucky, they would only encounter low-level ferocious beasts.

If luck was poor and they ran into a few Martial Ancestor or even Battle King-tier beasts, their lives would be hard to preserve.

Qin Feiyang smiled and said, "Then could you trouble yourself to draw a map for me?"

"This..."

Luo Qingzhu hesitated for a long moment before nodding. "Very well, please wait a moment."

She then walked over to the desk, picked up a brush, and began sketching.

Before long, a map was presented.

"The locations I marked with red dots are the most dangerous areas. You must be extremely careful."

"In addition, there are three black dots, which are absolutely safe places where you can stop to cultivate and adjust your condition."

Luo Qingzhu pointed at the map and introduced the details to the three of them.

"You really thought of everything," Qin Feiyang muttered.

Although they might not necessarily use the three safe points, he would keep Luo Qingzhu's kindness in his heart.

The night was already deep.

There was no moon in the sky, and the area outside the city was pitch black, clearly unsuitable for traveling.

The three of them stayed at the Treasure Pavilion for the night.

Deep in the quiet night, Qin Feiyang stood by the window, gazing at the pitch-black firmament, motionless like an old monk in meditation.

Hum!

A long time must have passed.

He sensed the image crystal stored inside his cosmos bag begin to hum and vibrate.

When he took it out, the image crystal shone with a brilliant light, and a phantom rapidly condensed.

It was none other than Fatty!

"Boss Jiang, is everything going smoothly?" Fatty flashed his standard, wretched smile.

Qin Feiyang nodded and said, "It's going quite smoothly so far. Have there been any major events in Yan City these past few days?"

Fatty thought for a moment and replied, "No major events, but the First Prince came looking for you a couple of days ago."

Qin Feiyang raised an eyebrow and asked, "What did he want with me?"

"He wants you to help refine ten pills of Top-Grade Crimson Fire Glazed Pill, seemingly as engagement gifts prepared for the Lin family. Fatty already has the medicinal ingredients right now, Boss!"

"Boss, are you going to help? If not, Fatty will return the ingredients to him tomorrow."

"In Fatty's opinion, we shouldn't help with this favor. Who asked him to steal your woman, Boss?" Fatty said with full disdain.

Qin Feiyang frowned and said, "Let me say this again: I only regard Lin Yiyi as a younger sister."

"She's a younger sister now, but who knows about the future?" Fatty chuckled wickedly.

Qin Feiyang's face darkened as he said coldly, "You should be thankful I'm not in Yan City right now, otherwise you'd be skinned alive even if you survived. Keep the ingredients for the ten portions of Crimson Fire Glazed Pills for now. Also, notify me the moment there is any news about the Blood Rakshasa Token."

"Understood!" Fatty saluted smartly.

Qin Feiyang rolled his eyes and asked, "Is there anything else?"

"Nope! Wish you a smooth journey and hope you pick up a few more babes. I'm out of here!"

As soon as Fatty finished speaking, his phantom rapidly dissolved.

Qin Feiyang chuckled, shook his head, put away the image crystal, entered the ancient castle, and continued practicing the Return Formula.

The next day.

Early morning.

A fine drizzle drifted down from the sky, and the weather grew increasingly cold.

After bidding farewell to Luo Qingzhu, the three of them headed straight for the city gate.

Ling Yunfei lowered his voice and said, "Could you tell? Luo Qingzhu actually wanted to come with us too."

"Yeah," Qin Feiyang nodded.

Last night, he had already seen through it, but he simply chose not to point it out.

"Is anyone heading to the Desert of Death?"

"If so, let's go together so we can look out for each other on the way."

Outside the city gate, a dozen or so people had gathered—men and women, old and young—all possessing quite impressive strengths.

Among them, a burly man in black was shouting enthusiastically.

When the three of them walked past, the man immediately stepped forward, grabbed Qin Feiyang's hand, and smiled, "Little brother, are you heading to the Desert of Death?"

Qin Feiyang raised an eyebrow, pushed the man's hand away, and shook his head, "We aren't going."

"Then I'm truly sorry."

The man in black offered an apologetic smile, turned around, and resumed shouting.

However, a trace of disdain flashed in his eyes.

Two pale, tender-faced punks and a delicate little girl—let alone going to the Desert of Death, they'd probably be scared to pissing their pants on the way.

This hint of disdain was clearly captured by Feng Ling'er, and an icy aura erupted from her slender frame.

"Let's go. There's nothing to argue about," Qin Feiyang said indifferently.

Ling Yunfei smiled, "Senior Sister, we agreed not to act willfully."

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, Feng Ling'er took the lead and walked toward a small path.

"Oh!"

"Isn't the path they're taking the one to the Desert of Death?"

The group of black-clad men exchanged perplexed looks.

An elderly man in green-clothing said indifferently, "You're overthinking it. They haven't even grown their facial hair yet; you couldn't pay them to go to the Desert of Death."

The others nodded in agreement, their expressions full of contempt.

"I'll endure it!"

Feng Ling'er clenched her delicate hands tightly, her gaze icy cold.

Had it not been for their prior agreement, she would have already flown into a rage.

The narrow path was only a meter wide, winding and twisting deep into the recesses of the deep mountains. Flanked by dense forests and covered with fallen leaves, the air carried a damp, rotting scent.

The chilly drizzle soaked the three of them to the bone before long.

Qin Feiyang took out the map, inspected it carefully, and said, "The location of the first red dot is ten miles away from here. Let's aim to reach it before dark."

Whoosh!

The three of them burst into full speed, hurtling down the path like lightning.

Along the way, they indeed encountered quite a few ferocious beasts, but they were predominantly low-level ones.

After all, this region was still under the jurisdiction of Star-Moon City, and high-level ferocious beasts dared not approach.

Seeing that dusk was falling, the three finally arrived at the location of the first red dot, stopped beneath a large tree, and looked ahead along the path.

The path was completely deserted.

On both sides, trees clustered together, bushes thrived, and wild grass grew as tall as a man.

Yet, after observing for a moment, they could not spot any danger.

Ling Yunfei frowned and asked, "Was Luo Qingzhu exaggerating things?"

"She has lived in Star-Moon City for years and is extremely familiar with this region; she wouldn't talk nonsense," Feng Ling'er said as she picked up a fist-sized stone from the ground and hurled it onto the path ahead.

Testing the waters with a stone!

However, when the stone landed on the ground, it triggered no reaction at all.

All around remained dead silent!