Li Yan was not the kind of evil person who enjoyed killing and robbing, which was why the cultivation world was spared another shadow assassin whose name would make people's blood run cold.
"I see that Fellow Daoist Shi shows no fear of Ge'ergan. Could it be that you have some way to counter him? Or does the 'Obscuring Gate Dark Robe' have some flaw that can be seen through? Hehehe... I'm just asking out of curiosity. If it's inconvenient for Fellow Daoist Shi to say, then you don't have to answer my question."
Li Yan added another sentence. He knew that his question was actually a bit abrupt. Although Shi Pozhu had promised to reveal information about Ge'ergan to him, his question might touch upon a huge secret of the "Obscuring Gate Dark Robe," or it might even involve the secrets of Shi Pozhu's own cultivation method. The other party might not be willing to tell the truth.
However, Shi Pozhu shook his head upon hearing this.
"The method I'm about to mention might disappoint Fellow Daoist Zhang. It's experience. Experience in the Chaotic Flow Space! No cultivator of the same rank has yet discovered a flaw in that 'Obscuring Gate Dark Robe.' But in this Chaotic Flow Space, you can't just hide your figure anywhere. If you choose the wrong location, a black hole might suddenly appear and swallow you, or overlapping spatial fragments might mince you as you're lurking. It's also possible that you've been hiding in a certain place for a long time, and everything seems fine, but when you launch a surprise attack to kill someone, a sudden change occurs in your surroundings, instantly sealing you in a fatal space. Therefore, the routes chosen by experienced cultivators when they travel may seem random, but they are all carefully selected. It's basically very difficult for any cultivator to hide near the path they take!"
At this point, Shi Pozhu looked at Li Yan with a helpless expression.
"According to you, the route Fellow Daoist Shi is leading is actually like walking on the edge of a knife, with a bottomless abyss on either side!"
Hearing this, Li Yan couldn't help but look at the path he was following. His Divine Sense had actually been secretly circling the surroundings all along. Indeed, in many places along the way, his Divine Sense would feel a bone-chilling tremor.
"Hahaha... Fellow Daoist Zhang is perceptive. That is indeed the case!" Shi Pozhu laughed heartily, his face showing nothing unusual, as if he were used to it.
"If I encounter that person in the future, I must be more careful, especially in this Chaotic Flow Space."
Li Yan secretly committed Ge'ergan's name to memory. That person's armor was truly something to be feared, and it was not easy to see through.
"Fellow Daoist Shi said you've been waiting here for more than forty years just for a starfall beast. Does that mean that starfall beasts are relatively rare in the Chaotic Flow Space?"
Li Yan suddenly remembered that he had been in the Chaotic Flow Space for dozens of days but had not encountered a single starfall beast.
"Hehehe... a word of advice, fellow Daoist. Unless it's necessary, or you've come specifically to hunt starfall beasts after your cultivation is profound, it's better to encounter these things less! Starfall beasts are indeed rare in the Chaotic Flow Space. After all, we can tell just by looking at the environment here. A normal living being needs to cultivate to at least the Nascent Soul realm to enter. So the demonic beasts that can appear here are all very powerful. They either have tough hides and thick flesh, or they have innate divine abilities to resist the dangers of the Chaotic Flow Space.
"Take that third-rank 'Libei Beast' I encountered, for example. If it were on the Wind God Continent, even those fourth-rank demonic beasts might not be its match. Its speed is so fast that even with my Divine Sense, it's very difficult to track. Even when I set up an ambush, it still managed to seize a sliver of an opening and escape in an instant. To put it bluntly, if my magical power didn't far exceed this beast's, and if its attacks could break through my defense, I don't know how many holes would be left on my body."
Shi Pozhu said with some helplessness, his tone laced with self-deprecation.
"So when Fellow Daoist Zhang is traveling in the Chaotic Flow Space, don't be misled by the rumors in some classics. This place is fraught with danger, not just terrifying things like black holes, but also any starfall beast you might encounter."
Li Yan nodded. He felt that Shi Pozhu's words were from the bottom of his heart and not an act.
"However, precisely because the environment here is extremely harsh, starfall beasts do not reproduce everywhere, only in specific areas. This is also one reason why they are not easy to encounter. If you travel in the Chaotic Flow Space for years in the future, you will know the approximate distribution range of starfall beasts in the areas you pass through."
Hearing this, Li Yan's expression moved.
"Then does Fellow Daoist Shi know of any place that sells maps of the distribution of starfall beasts?" Li Yan suddenly asked.
Shi Pozhu smiled slightly upon hearing this. "Fellow Daoist can go to the largest business or auction house on a certain continent to take a look. These types of maps are often drawn by cultivators themselves, but they are also limited to the range of their own activities. However, some large businesses will specifically collect such maps, and then re-compile and sell them."
After hearing Shi Pozhu's answer, Li Yan did not press further. He knew that this Shi Pozhu must have such a map. But Li Yan would not ask to buy it. Shi Pozhu's meaning just now was very clear; he had no intention of selling. Li Yan was well-versed in the principle of not speaking deeply with those he had a shallow relationship with.
And so, the two of them continued to move forward, one after the other. After flying for about an hour, Shi Pozhu's speed finally slowed down. His Divine Sense constantly probed in all directions, and he became cautious, a complete change from his previous casualness.
Li Yan followed behind expressionlessly. He guessed that they were probably getting close to their destination.
As expected, after Shi Pozhu had repeatedly probed with his Divine Sense for about half a cup of tea's time, he beckoned to Li Yan. His speed suddenly increased again, and with a turn, he changed direction.
Soon, a vast, dark meteorite belt appeared in front of them. Shi Pozhu's figure did not stop at all. Instead, with a flash, he stepped into the dense meteorite belt at an even faster speed. He stepped on a pitch-black meteorite about a mu in size, then looked back at Li Yan.
That meteorite was like a large piece of charred black stone, its surface covered with dense black pits, like a honeycomb.
Seeing Shi Pozhu rush into the meteorite belt, Li Yan couldn't help but pause, stopping in his tracks, a sharp glint flickering in his eyes.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang!"
Shi Pozhu looked at Li Yan anxiously. It was clear he didn't want to stay here for too long, lest he be seen by others.
The next moment, the sharp glint in Li Yan's eyes disappeared. With a flash, he also flew onto that meteorite. Only then did the expression on Shi Pozhu's face relax.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang, you'll have to watch my footing carefully from now on. Don't step wrong or touch anything randomly. This meteorite belt is very unstable. If you make one careless mistake and disrupt the balance here, the consequences for both of us will be truly tragic."
Shi Pozhu looked into Li Yan's eyes and said with a solemn expression.
"Don't worry. I don't want to get myself killed here without getting any benefits either!" Li Yan answered calmly.
Seeing that Li Yan did not show the panic of a newcomer, Shi Pozhu felt a little more at ease, but he was still constantly praying in his heart.
'You'd better not be faking it. Otherwise, I won't let you go even as a ghost!'
Bringing Li Yan over was a last resort. Since they had already come this far, there was nothing more to say.
Shi Pozhu tapped his foot on the black charred stone. The next moment, his entire person brought out a long, slanted shadow and drilled into the gap between two meteorites that were staggered vertically, almost touching each other. When his figure passed through that gap, not even the corner of his clothes touched the edges of the two meteorites. He disappeared into it with a flash.
Li Yan did the same, and also slipped through the long, narrow, slanted gap between the two meteorites. This made the tense Shi Pozhu, who had just flown in, finally breathe a sigh of relief.
What entered Li Yan's eyes was an ocean of meteorites of all sizes. They were layered on top of each other, intertwined, some connected vertically, some floating side by side. Li Yan even saw some vine-like plants hanging from the bottom of some meteorites. Although their colors were either gray or black, they still gave Li Yan a sense of a strange scene.
And so, under Shi Pozhu's guidance, the two of them crossed one area after another. Apart from occasionally tapping the tip of their foot on a certain meteorite, the two of them would not make any extra movements to touch other areas.
The meteorites Li Yan saw were of various shapes. The large ones were dozens of mu in size, and the small ones were perhaps only the size of a fist. At first, after flying a short distance, Shi Pozhu would turn back to look at Li Yan, his speed not very fast. After the two had flown for a cup of tea's time, Shi Pozhu no longer looked back, but focused entirely on flying.
At this time, neither of them had said another word. Li Yan could also see that since entering the meteorite belt, Shi Pozhu was also extremely nervous, focusing all his attention on flying.
In the dark space, among the layers of floating meteorites, two blurry figures flickered and extinguished... then flickered and extinguished again as they moved forward, like two pellets constantly bouncing and falling…
Li Yan silently memorized the route and distance he had come!
About an hour and a half later, just as Li Yan felt his patience was about to run out, Shi Pozhu in front of him suddenly landed on the edge of a floating meteorite. He then turned back and sent a voice transmission to Li Yan.
"We're here. You can stand anywhere on this meteorite. As long as you don't shatter it, it won't affect the movement of the meteorites here!"
Then he casually drew a circle in front of and behind himself, indicating that Li Yan could land anywhere.
From this one point, it could be seen that although Shi Pozhu appeared rough and hearty, he was actually as meticulous as a hair, considering even the smallest details. He had previously told Li Yan to watch his footing carefully and not to make a mistake, just follow him. Now that he was standing still on a meteorite, he couldn't possibly let the flying Li Yan step on his head. Of course, Li Yan wouldn't be that foolish either.
With a flicker, Li Yan's figure landed about thirty zhang to the right of Shi Pozhu. He looked around.
The meteorite they were standing on was about three hundred zhang in size. In front of them was a small peak a hundred zhang high, occupying seventy to eighty percent of the entire meteorite. The mountain was like it was composed of countless thin, black rock sheets, like the tips of knives pointing straight up, making the entire small peak look like a completely dark, wide at the bottom and pointed at the top, "sharp" thorn bush.
And where they had landed was more like a flat area extending from the foot of the mountain. Around this meteorite were dense clusters of meteorites of various sizes, both far and near, surrounding this place.
"Even if someone knew there was a 'Libei Beast' here, it would be extremely difficult to find its exact location."
Li Yan thought to himself. He had been silently calculating in his heart. They had flown for more than two thousand li in this meteorite belt alone. Besides, cultivators were usually unwilling to easily enter a meteorite belt.
Just as Li Yan was thinking, a faint light flashed from the storage ring on Shi Pozhu's hand, and an item had already appeared in his hand.
Li Yan's Divine Sense swept over and found that it was a dark gray compass.
Shi Pozhu then seemed to randomly fiddle with it with his fingers. Then, the small black peak in front of Li Yan lit up with a blue light, which flashed across the surface of the mountain and disappeared.
Then, a wave of black broken patterns flowed across the surface of the mountain, like a wave rising and falling silently on the surface of the mountain. After a blur, the mountain became clear again. Although the small peak was still the same small peak, a gray-white pavilion had appeared halfway up the mountain.
The pavilion was built against the mountain, like a large umbrella, covering an area of more than ten zhang. In the pavilion was a circle of long stone benches, with a square stone table in the middle. Perhaps because of its age, or because it had been hit before, a large piece of the roof of the pavilion was missing. Even the long stone bench below the gap was broken by a large section. In this vast and silent Chaotic Flow Space, it looked so lonely and desolate.
"As expected, a concealment formation was set up!"
Li Yan thought, not surprised.
Although few people came here, and it was a perilous meteorite belt, since Shi Pozhu could find this place, others also had a chance of appearing. So, when Shi Pozhu was out looking for help, he would definitely find a way to conceal this place to prevent others from discovering it. At the same time, he had to trap that "Libei Beast" to prevent it from taking the opportunity to escape.
Watching Shi Pozhu's movements, Li Yan remained silent at the side. He noticed some easily overlooked things. That is, whether it was Ge'ergan's sneak attack, or Shi Pozhu's protective light shield and the magical power light when he attacked, they were all intentionally suppressing the dazzling light. Even the blue light emitted by the concealment formation just now was suppressed by Shi Pozhu in an instant.
In the Chaotic Flow Space, a single point of light was like a bright target. Everyone tried their best not to expose their position.
As Li Yan looked up at the pavilion, Shi Pozhu had already put away the compass in his hand.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang, that's where the 'Libei Beast' is hiding!"
As he spoke, he flicked his finger, and a streak of black light shot toward the pavilion halfway up the mountain.