Chapter 71: Valley of No Return

"Ah?!" Yan Red Knight exclaimed in astonishment, thinking his eyes must be deceiving him. He hurriedly rubbed them and looked again, only to see the miraculous "Ruyi Divine Vessel" still floating there. He couldn't help but blurt out, "She Meier, is this...is this real? Am I not dreaming?"

She Meier giggled with delight. "Yan Red Knight, are you dazed? What do you think? Isn't this 'Ruyi Divine Vessel' my master created incredible?"

"Incredible! It's beyond amazing!" Yan Red Knight was utterly amazed. "She Meier, your master truly possesses extraordinary powers. Each magical item she crafts is more wondrous than the last... This 'Ruyi Divine Vessel', what wisdom did she use to create it?"

"Yan Red Knight, you needn't worry about my master. Right now, we should worry about your master!" She Meier smiled. With a wave of her hand, the "Ruyi Divine Vessel" gracefully descended, landing smoothly on the ground and opening its sealed hatch by itself. She Meier leapt inside first, then beckoned to Yan Red Knight with a radiant smile. "Yan Red Knight, don't just stand there stunned—come join me!"

Yan Red Knight answered and immediately vaulted into the cabin, sitting before She Meier, both anxious and elated. The hatch closed automatically. She Meier spoke, "Ruyi Divine Vessel, do as I wish," and the vessel slowly began to float upward—at once, Yan Red Knight's heart rose with it.

When the "Ruyi Divine Vessel" ascended to a height of five zhang, it stopped rising and began to move forward at a slow, steady pace, heading straight for the living, breathing boundary of "Death Valley."

"Ah?" Yan Red Knight's expression changed even more. "She Meier, what is the 'Ruyi Divine Vessel' doing? Is it going to crash into the boundary?"

"What do you think?" She Meier deliberately put on a stern face. "Ahead of us is only the boundary—if the 'Ruyi Divine Vessel' doesn't crash into it, what else could it crash into? Are you scared, Yan Red Knight?"

"If you're not afraid, why should I be?" Yan Red Knight replied confidently.

Though his words were brave, his heart was uneasy, for the tragic scene of the five cultivators being shattered was still vivid in his mind. At this moment, he truly feared the "Ruyi Divine Vessel" would meet the same fate upon hitting the boundary.

She Meier saw through his thoughts and couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Yan Red Knight, you're so stubborn, but I can hear your nervous heartbeat. Yet you claim not to be afraid? Hehe... If you cherish your life, there's still time to get off now."

Originally, Yan Red Knight was uneasy, but seeing She Meier so calm and cheerful, he immediately relaxed and joked to himself, "Heh, She Meier, you misheard. That wasn't the sound of nervousness, but excitement—because I'm about to enter Death Valley and seize its treasures!"

"Hehe... Clever!" She Meier laughed. "Yan Red Knight, how do you feel right now?"

"How do I feel?" Yan Red Knight pondered for a moment. "I feel nothing, She Meier. Why do you ask?"

She Meier didn't answer but pressed on, her smile sweet. "Yan Red Knight, at this very moment, you truly feel nothing?"

"I really..." Yan Red Knight didn't finish, suddenly sensing a hidden meaning in her words. He quickly looked down and, through the transparent "Ruyi Divine Vessel," saw lush green grass and fields of flowers below. Delighted, he exclaimed, "Ah? She Meier, have I entered Death Valley?"

She Meier laughed. "Yan Red Knight, your words are off. Let me correct you: it’s not 'I' entered Death Valley, but 'we' have entered Death Valley!"

"Yes, yes, we have entered Death Valley!" Yan Red Knight said, his heart blossoming with joy. "She Meier, your 'Ruyi Divine Vessel' is truly magical—it entered Death Valley without anyone noticing! Honestly, I was worried it might meet disaster passing through the boundary's aura shield... but now I see I was worrying for nothing!"

"Hehehe..." She Meier was very pleased. "If it met disaster, it wouldn't be called the 'Ruyi Divine Vessel'!"

"Exactly, exactly!" Yan Red Knight echoed. Suddenly, he noticed the vessel had ascended another five zhang and was accelerating, flying straight into the depths of Death Valley. He quickly called out, "She Meier, now that we've entered Death Valley, the 'Ruyi Divine Vessel' should land, but instead it’s rising and speeding up. Please make it land so we can look for the Heartfruit and Revival Stone!"

Unexpectedly, She Meier sneered at his words. "Yan Red Knight, do you think passing through the boundary into Death Valley means all is safe? Let me say nothing else—now, lower your head, widen your vision, and look carefully at the meadows, stream banks, thickets, rock crevices, and the depths of the bamboo forest all around..."

"What's there to see?" Yan Red Knight replied absentmindedly, but when he looked down from above and surveyed the surroundings closely, he was terrified!

By the quietly flowing stream, several jet-black giant eels, each two or three zhang long, lay coiled and twisted, opening their huge mouths to discharge electricity into the air with crackling sounds—they seemed to have long become spirits. If the "Ruyi Divine Vessel" hadn't ascended for flight, they would surely have been struck by the powerful currents.

On the grass, a bright red fire snake was coiled, seemingly cultivating, white smoke constantly curling from its mouth. In the thickets, many strange beasts moved in and out of sight, baring their fangs and claws and emitting chilling sounds.

Within a massive rock fissure, a shimmering golden centipede was hidden, its head as large as a bucket, lurking and spitting fire again and again.

In the depths of the bamboo forest, silver threads stretched between tall, sturdy stalks, with many webs left and right, and one after another, enormous fierce blue spiders rested on their webs, also seemingly cultivating...

"Ah!" Seeing all this, Yan Red Knight couldn't help but gasp. "No wonder this place is called Death Valley—danger lurks everywhere, peril at every turn... She Meier, why are there so many spirit beasts here?"

"How should I know? Perhaps it's because the valley is rich in spirit herbs, medicines, stones, and energy," She Meier replied. "Yan Red Knight, do you still want me to land the 'Ruyi Divine Vessel' so we can search for the Heartfruit and Revival Stone?"