Chapter 243

Chapter 243

Since the black wind appeared, they had been in the space for five months.

The black wind showed no signs of abating; it blotted out the sky and covered the entire desert, making it seem as if the desert was enveloped in endless darkness and raging winds, akin to an apocalypse.

Wen Qiao sat beside him and asked, "Husband, how is it outside now?"

Ning Yuzhou smelled the fresh scent of grass and trees from her, feeling somewhat dazed. Hearing her words, he composed himself and said, "The black wind has receded quite a bit. It will likely take some more time before it completely disappears."

During this period, Ning Yuzhou, while busy, would occasionally check on the situation of the black wind outside the space, gaining a good understanding of its state. Only recently did the black wind show faint signs of diminishing.

Although the black wind had receded significantly, it still posed a threat to them, so they could not leave yet.

Wen Qiao understood that they could not leave the space yet and quickly shifted her attention to what Ning Yuzhou was holding.

Ning Yuzhou held a wooden plaque, but the aura emanating from it was distinctly different. Wen Qiao couldn't quite explain it, but she liked it just by looking at it.

"Husband, what is this?"

Ning Yuzhou handed the plaque over and said, "This is a defensive talisman plaque I made using the divine wood from the Divine Sound Treasure Tree. It repels demons and evil spirits. This is for you. After you bind it with your blood, it won't be lost. In times of danger, it can help defend against harm."

Wen Qiao received it joyfully. The talisman plaque was only the size of a baby's palm, exquisitely crafted. Both sides were engraved with talisman patterns, which seamlessly combined with the wood grain, making it both intricate and eye-catching.

Wen Qiao bit her fingertip and dripped a drop of blood onto it.

As soon as the blood made contact with the plaque, its aura immediately receded, and the entire talisman underwent a transformation, becoming unremarkable and inconspicuous, so much so that it would not draw attention to its peculiarities. It was perfectly suited for the strategy of feigning weakness to gain an advantage, without the worry of being detected and subsequently facing a murderous attempt to seize its treasures.

"I carved two formations on it: one for protection and one for concealing aura. You can use it as a concealment talisman when needed," Ning Yuzhou explained.

Wen Qiao played with it lovingly for a while and then asked, "How many did you make?"

Ning Yuzhou smiled and said, "I made only two. One for you, one for me."

Wen Qiao saw him take out another talisman plaque, clearly a pair with hers, and immediately became excited, urging him, "You should also bind it with your blood."

Ning Yuzhou smiled and did so, and the talisman plaque's aura instantly became inconspicuous.

Then, Wen Qiao took out the seeds of the Thousand Silk Vine, cultivated a vine, and twisted several dark red vines into a thin rope. She threaded the two talisman plaques through it. The dark red rope, adorned with the two plaques, looked like exquisite handicrafts, adding a refined touch when worn.

After threading the plaques, she hung one around her neck and the other around Ning Yuzhou's neck.

"This Thousand Silk Vine is something I cultivated several times. The vine fibers are very strong, perfect for hanging the talisman plaques," Wen Qiao said happily, patting the plaque on her chest.

Ning Yuzhou's eyes twinkled with amusement as he glanced at the plaque hanging on his chest, feeling a surge of joy within him.

He took out the piece of divine wood and said, "Not much divine wood was used to make these two talisman plaques. I plan to make two sets of bead strings next, carving talisman patterns on the beads. The effect should be similar to the talisman plaques."

"Is it difficult?" Wen Qiao asked, worried about his workload.

"Not really, but it does take time."

Just making these two talisman plaques took three months, indicating how challenging these items were to create. Indeed, processing the divine wood alone required considerable time, let alone carving talisman patterns, which was very demanding.

Wen Qiao said, "We're not in a hurry anyway. Don't overwork yourself. Remember to rest and find time to cultivate too."

Ning Yuzhou: "...Don't worry, I understand."

Wen Qiao looked at him with concern. Her husband was excellent at everything except cultivation, which he often neglected unless she repeatedly urged him. Therefore, she found it hard to believe his assurances.

Ning Yuzhou had to say, "I've just advanced to the Primordial Void Realm and need time to consolidate. Refining pills and artifacts is also a form of consolidation."

Wen Qiao finally understood. Although she rarely saw him cultivating, whenever he said he would, his cultivation level would soon improve, seeming effortless. Now she realized that refining pills and artifacts was part of his cultivation method. When his experience and spiritual energy accumulated enough, he could advance. This was similar to those who cultivated through alchemy or artifact crafting, but no one else could do it as effortlessly as he did.

Realizing this, Wen Qiao apologized, "I misunderstood you."

It wasn't that he didn't cultivate, but rather his method was different from ordinary cultivators.

Ning Yuzhou smiled and said, "My cultivation method isn't exactly normal. It's understandable that you would misunderstand. I should have explained it better to avoid your worries."

Wen Qiao touched the talisman plaque on her chest and looked at him, saying, "So, I won't urge you to cultivate anymore?"

"...No, you should still do that."

Ning Yuzhou hadn't told her before because he enjoyed her urging. Her concern made him feel warm. But without her encouragement, he lacked motivation, even when his spiritual energy was sufficient.

Wen Qiao stared at him with her clear, beautiful black eyes, reflecting his face, making him see his own awkward expression.

Suddenly, Wen Qiao grabbed his hand and earnestly promised, "Husband, don't worry. From now on, I'll call you when I cultivate."

Ning Yuzhou, at a loss for words, pulled the earnest girl into his arms, hugging her tightly, as if to release the sudden surge of affection and emotions.

Wen Qiao blushed slightly and hugged him back, burying her face in his chest.

His body carried the fragrance of medicine and the ink of talismans, forming a contradictory yet noble aura, just like Ning Yuzhou's impression—elegant and warm.

For a moment, the bamboo hut was filled with tender affection.

Until two oblivious beasts rolled in, seeing the couple cuddling, and pounced directly on Wen Qiao's shoulders.

Ning Yuzhou's smile faded, and he coldly said, "You won't get any spirit pills for a month."

Wen Guangun and Wen Tutu were shocked. Why would Brother Ning withhold their spirit pills? What had they done wrong?

How could Brother Ning be so heartless?

Ning Gege ignored them and, with cold indifference, announced his decision before picking them up one by one and tossing them out of the vine house.

***

Another month passed before the black winds in the desert gradually disappeared.

Only after the black winds completely vanished did the desert return to normal—endless yellow sand under the blazing sun, unbearably hot.

They returned to the desert, stepping onto the continent's teleportation array.

Wen Qiao cast several wind spells, lifting the yellow sand to reveal the buried teleportation array once again.

Ning Yuzhou inspected the teleportation array. "It seems that the black winds in this desert target living creatures on the surface, but they don't affect the teleportation array beneath the sand."

Wen Qiao felt relieved. Although she didn't know why the teleportation array was here, it could be an escape route for them. They might need it to travel to other continents in the future, so they didn't want it destroyed.

From this, they could infer that the desert periodically experiences black winds, during which no creature can survive.

Wen Qiao said, "Husband, let's leave quickly before the black winds come again. We should see where this continent is."

Although this wasn't the Sacred Martial Continent, they needed to figure out where they had landed to plan their next steps. With their sea map, as long as the continent wasn't too remote, they could find information about it, so staying a while longer wouldn't be a problem.

Ning Yuzhou agreed and decided to set up a protective array around the teleportation array to make it easier for them to use it in the future.

After Ning Yuzhou finished setting up the protective array, the two of them leaped onto their flying sword and left.

The endless yellow sand stretched out before them, and they had no idea where they were, so they chose a random direction to go.

Ning Yuzhou took out a compass, checked its readings to confirm that they could still navigate in the desert, and then put it away.

They were heading east.

After flying over the yellow sand for half a day, they couldn't resist landing on the ground.

Wen Qiao took out a piece of stone golden python vine and nurtured it, creating a canopy of greenery above their heads to shield them from the scorching sun. Then, she fetched some water and drank a large bottle of it.

After drinking, she looked at Ning Yuzhou and saw that he was also sweating profusely, his throat parched as he drank water.

She noticed the two fluffy creatures looking listless, their fur radiating heat, clearly struggling in the intense heat of the desert.

Wen Qiao poured two bowls of water, and the two beasts eagerly rushed over to drink.

After drinking, they perked up a bit.

Wen Qiao pondered, "Husband, this desert isn't normal."

"Indeed," Ning Yuzhou squinted at the dunes ahead, thinking aloud. "The temperature here is too high, affecting even cultivators."

Cultivators usually have strong adaptability and are unaffected by extreme temperatures, but in this desert, they were easily affected. The heat was unbearable, and their bodies instinctively craved water and food.

Realizing the desert was abnormal, Wen Qiao wanted to leave quickly, lest the two fluffy creatures dehydrate and turn into dried husks.

She asked them, "Do you want to stay inside the space?"

The two fluffy creatures shook their heads firmly. While hiding in the space was nice, there was no little seedling there, making it too boring. They preferred to endure the heat outside with the little seedling.

Seeing they refused to go inside, Wen Qiao didn't force them. She made sure they drank plenty of water before continuing their journey.

By evening, the desert's temperature had dropped slightly.

Wen Qiao had initially planned to continue traveling, but as night fell and the temperature continued to drop, they had to stop and quickly found a sheltered dune to set up camp for the night.

As soon as they set up their tent, Wen Qiao noticed that the desert had frozen over.

The fine yellow sand had turned into chunks of ice, creating a smooth icy surface that emitted a chill, making them shiver uncontrollably.

Wen Qiao nurtured a piece of stone golden python vine, only to find that it quickly froze and became very hard.

Fortunately, Ning Yuzhou had already set up a defensive array, so the lack of the vine didn't matter.

Wen Qiao hurriedly crawled into the tent and hugged the two fluffy creatures together for warmth, her voice trembling as she said, "Husband, it's actually frozen outside."

Ning Yuzhou had already felt the sudden drop in temperature. Seeing her face turn pale from the cold, he quickly pulled her into his arms and casually tossed the two furry balls aside.

The tent had a constant temperature array, and his body was warm. After a while, Wen Qiao finally felt less cold.

But she didn't get up, instead taking the opportunity to stay in his embrace.

"Still cold?" Ning Yuzhou held her, wrapping her in his coat.

Wen Qiao replied, "A little bit."

So Ning Yuzhou continued holding her. When the soup in the alchemy cauldron was ready, he poured it out and brought it to her.

Wen Qiao didn't want to keep him waiting to feed her, so she got up and drank the soup herself, discussing the desert's abnormalities with him.

When they traveled through the moving desert before, although the temperature difference between day and night was significant, it wasn't as extreme as this one. Clearly, even without the black winds at night, this desert was far from safe.

After finishing the soup, Wen Qiao felt warm all over.

Wen Tuantuan and Wen Guangun climbed onto her, and Wen Qiao held them, stroking their paws. "This desert's temperature is really unfriendly; you need to be careful."

Even with their fur, they couldn't withstand the cold here.

The two fluffy creatures indicated that if Wen Jiejie was really cold, they could warm her bed.

Luckily, Ning Yuzhou couldn't understand them; otherwise, he would have deducted another year's worth of spirit pills and forbidden them from playing with Wen Qiao again.

***

The night deepened.

A faint crescent moon hung in the sky, its pale light casting over the frozen desert, enveloping the entire world in silence and a chilling atmosphere.

Click! Click!

An ear-grating sound echoed across the quiet desert as cracks began to appear on the ice, spreading like a spider web.

The cracks on the ice grew larger, and finally, a smooth, flat head emerged from the surface.

Soon after, countless patches of ice cracked open, revealing one multi-legged creature after another. Covered in shattered ice, they dragged their massive bodies across the ice, undeterred by the surrounding cold.

Before long, they surrounded a small tent standing in the desert.

Beside the tent lay a frozen plant, which was swiftly sliced apart by sharp claws, scattering on the ground. Other multi-legged creatures rushed forward, their mandibles piercing into the plant, crunching away.

Just as the other multi-legged creatures were about to pounce on the tent, a sandy-yellow eggshell rose up, protecting the tent.

When those multi-legged creatures' mandibles struck the sandy eggshell, they snapped off immediately.