The flying boat sailed onward.
The disciples aboard whispered among themselves, filled with considerable anticipation for the Spirit-Imprisoning Forbidden Land.
Ye Feng, however, seemed out of place.
On past training expeditions, Ye Feng had always managed to be the "know-it-all."
It was as though he knew a little about everything and could always offer some pointers.
It had even made everyone admire him a damn little.
But now, everything had changed.
Ye Feng had become somewhat withdrawn.
She hid alone in a corner of the flying boat, doing nothing and saying nothing.
Of course, that was what outsiders saw.
In reality, Ye Feng was communicating with Elder Long inside the Spirit-Fusing Mirror.
Elder Long had said that the Spirit-Imprisoning Forbidden Land was his home turf.
As a spirit body, his perception was astonishing in a place filled with Death Qi.
He knew wherever secret treasures lay.
Coupled with Elder Long's extensive knowledge, he could spot overlooked treasures even among things that seemed utterly insignificant to others.
A cheat had to have some real skills, after all.
"Elder Long, once we enter the Spirit-Imprisoning Forbidden Land, should I separate from everyone and hunt for treasures alone?" Ye Feng communicated with him through her soul power.
Before, she truly would not have dared leave the group, fearing that Jiang Yantian would kill her without a sound.
But things were different now.
She genuinely wanted to leave the group.
Jiang Yantian's primary duty was to act as their Dao protector, so naturally, he would not leave the main group.
Only by leaving alone could she avoid worrying about Jiang Yantian causing trouble, while also letting Elder Long lead him around in search of opportunities.
Elder Long chuckled. "There's no need to rush. Death Qi permeates the Spirit-Imprisoning Forbidden Land. It can block the presence given off by secret treasures, but it poses no obstacle to me!"
"To avoid attracting Jiang Yantian's attention, stay with everyone at first. I'll mark every location containing a valuable treasure. Once you've separated from them, you can quietly retrieve them and avoid any scramble for them."
Ye Feng trusted Elder Long deeply and naturally followed his every instruction.
"By the way, Elder Long, you said that Death Qi can block the presence of secret treasures. Is there any chance someone else could sense the treasures through it?"
Elder Long shook his head confidently. "There's no need to worry, young friend. It's impossible."
"Death Qi is the Qi of death. Only spirit bodies can perceive through it to the fullest extent. Not everyone has my ability to lodge a spirit body within the Spirit-Fusing Mirror."
"When a spirit body remains separated from its original body for too long, it must either possess someone else or perish, its Dao extinguished."
Only then did Ye Feng let out a deep breath of relief. So this was what Elder Long meant by "his home turf."
"Unless..."
Elder Long suddenly added this, making Ye Feng pause. "Unless what?"
"Unless someone entering the forbidden land has the 'Indestructible Demonic Physique' or the 'Physique of Ten Thousand Demons.' These two physiques are special. They possess Death Qi themselves, allowing them to merge with any soul body or Death Qi. Naturally, Death Qi cannot affect them."
"Or someone cultivates a devouring-type cultivation technique, specifically one that devours souls."
"But not one person in hundreds of millions is like that. They already count as having transcended the Six Paths and are not tolerated by the Heavenly Dao. You couldn't find even one in the upper realm."
Ye Feng nodded. "In that case, there's no chance. Looks like I really will fill my pots and bowls to the brim on this trip!"
Ye Feng was so fucking happy. At last, she had found some consolation.
With Elder Long around, visiting the Spirit-Imprisoning Forbidden Land was like going home.
Ye Feng secretly grinned to herself.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yantian was bored out of his mind.
He stood at the edge of the flying boat, hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the distance.
Sunlight shone upon him, his black robes fluttering in the wind.
However one looked at him, there was a touch of twilight and poetry about him.
Quite a few female disciples of the sect were stealing looks at him, their faces lovestruck.
Luo Xingcai was also stealing looks at him.
Ever since the silk cloth incident, Luo Xingcai had suddenly found herself somewhat afraid to look Jiang Yantian in the eye.
Nor could she regard Jiang Yantian as a fellow elder or as her own disciple.
Her feelings were quietly changing.
Now, seeing Jiang Yantian silently gazing into the distance, a solitary figure, she thought he looked a little melancholy.
She also felt that he was still upset over losing the silk cloth, or perhaps trying to let go of a love that should not exist.
In short, the more she speculated, the more awkward she felt.
In truth, Jiang Yantian was neither feeling melancholy nor pretending to be world-weary.
He was pondering philosophical questions.
He loved learning, and a love of learning gave rise to many philosophical questions.
Does carrying a baby for ten months count as unlawful imprisonment?
If a pregnant woman hits someone, does that count as a group assault?
If I punch myself and it hurts, does that mean I'm strong or weak?
If I overcome myself, have I won or lost?
Knockout drugs make people fall asleep, while laxatives wake people up and send them straight to the latrine. If I give Ye Feng both at once, will she shit the bed?
Does shit-scented perfume still count as perfume?
As Jiang Yantian pondered, he also felt that experiments ought to follow.
He would start by giving Ye Feng laxatives and knockout drugs.
He would see whether Ye Feng shat the bed or broke through the knockout drug's effects and struggled toward the latrine.
Philosophical questions always needed to be tested.
Practice yielded truth.
As he pondered along the way, the flying boat had unknowingly come to a halt above the entrance to the Spirit-Imprisoning Forbidden Land.
This was as far as the flying boat could go.
Mainly because restrictions at the entrance to the Spirit-Imprisoning Forbidden Land prevented it from flying inside.
From above, they could already see encampments belonging to quite a few sects and factions.
They were all waiting to enter at midnight.
The flying boat slowly descended, landing five hundred meters from the forbidden land.
The people of the Mysterious Spirit Sect also began setting up camp.
Even from several hundred meters away, they could still feel the gusts of chilling wind blowing out from within the forbidden land.
They made people shudder without being cold.
"As expected of the Spirit-Imprisoning Forbidden Land. It's rather frightening. Did you hear that? Those howling sounds."
A female disciple from the formation lineage looked nervous.
"I heard them. Those cries are really creepy. They must be vengeful spirits!"
"That's an old cat in heat. I told you to study more, but you insisted hauling manure was better!"
Jiang Yantian stood straight atop a towering tree, gazing toward the Spirit-Imprisoning Forbidden Land.
A layer of Death Qi shrouded the entire forbidden land.
It was an utterly sinister, baleful place.
Yet he happened to possess the Indestructible Demonic Physique, and this Death Qi was also the finest nourishment for his physique.
Not only that, but this Death Qi also concealed quite a few peerless secret treasures.
Although the forbidden land opened once every hundred years, it had already endured endless ages.
During that time, wave after wave of people had come without interruption.
The reason those secret treasures remained was precisely because the Death Qi had not dispersed, leaving them undiscovered and unclaimed.
Fuck, some things really are decided by providence.
Secret treasures left for endless ages, never discovered by anyone, just waiting for Ye Feng to claim them.
Elder Long inside Ye Feng's Spirit-Fusing Mirror was a spirit body, so naturally, Death Qi did not affect him.
Once he entered with Ye Feng, he could locate secret treasures for her in minutes.
This forbidden land really had been tailor-made for Ye Feng.
Had Jiang Yantian not possessed the Indestructible Demonic Physique and its innate immunity to Death Qi, he truly would have had no way to discover these things.
"Elder Luo, I'll scout the surroundings. Lead the disciples in setting up camp first!"
Jiang Yantian sent a voice transmission into Luo Xingcai's ears, then silently entered the Spirit-Imprisoning Forbidden Land himself.
The restrictions in this accursed place could not hinder Jiang Yantian at all.
When the demonic physique emerged, ten thousand ghosts submitted. The restrictions were nothing but decoration.