Bai Shengyi really wanted to tell Qin Si that he was wrong, but looking at the scene before her, she quietly shut her mouth.
A vast expanse of black clouds descended from the sky, and the valley, which had been wide and open, darkened at a visible speed.
But in fact, upon closer inspection, one could discern that it wasn't black clouds, but countless black crows circling and converging into a single mass.
"Nether crows," Qin Si said faintly, "rumored to be third-tier spirit beasts from birth, leaving no living things in their wake. I've been to Nether Valley five times, and haven't encountered this creature in the first four."
Bai Shengyi chuckled sheepishly and, with a thick skin, said, "It just means we're having pretty good luck today."
Qin Si: ...
He felt his mental fortitude needed more training; this woman might just anger him to death in the future.
Despite his annoyance, Qin Si was quite reliable. He warned her, "Nether crows are very sensitive to the energy of living beings. They should be feasting on other spirit beasts right now and won't bother with us for the moment. Hold your breath and concentrate. I'll get you out of here quickly..."
As he spoke, he made to embrace Bai Shengyi, who instinctively stepped back.
Qin Si pulled her towards him, causing her to bump into his embrace. "What are you doing, you crazy woman? There's a spatial rift behind you. Are you tired of living?"
"It's I who should be asking you, what are you doing?" Bai Shengyi said speechlessly. "Your Highness, can you give me some warning before you act, so I can mentally prepare?"
Thinking that the person who always looked down on her was about to embrace her, Bai Shengyi was naturally startled. However, Bai Shengyi quickly remembered that Qin Si had carried her on his back before...
"Ahem!" She gave a dry laugh, extended her hand, and said, "I was wrong, Young Prince. I'll trouble you."
She suddenly found the title "Young Prince" much more pleasant than "King of the Underworld." She deliberately lowered her voice and said coquettishly, "Young Prince, Young Prince, I was wrong. Please forgive me, my precious~"
"Shut up! Don't call me 'precious' anymore."
Qin Si gritted his teeth, holding her in his arms, yet walking steadily.
Bai Shengyi laughed, "Alright, I won't say it anymore. I'll never say it again!"
It was unclear how Bai Shengyi managed it, but even though she was in Qin Si's arms, he couldn't sense her presence.
If not for the weight in his arms reminding him that she was still there, he would have thought he was holding a ball of air.
Their intended path overlapped with the Nether crows; to get out, they had to pass through the mass of birds.
As Qin Si moved, they drew closer to the Nether crows. Looking at the densely packed flock, resembling a honeycomb, Bai Shengyi unexpectedly thought of the Nether bats in the Mustard Seed layer. Both were gregarious spirit beasts, but the Nether crows lived outside, making for a greater visual impact.
"We're almost there!" Bai Shengyi's heart leaped as they reached the edge.
However, she had clearly rejoiced too soon.
Just as Qin Si's back foot stepped out of the Nether crows' territory, he sensed a rustling sound nearby. Several strange spirit beasts suddenly lunged out from a spatial rift! Qin Si had to accelerate forward, but another spatial rift suddenly formed in front of him!
Qin Si couldn't retract his steps in time and could only circulate his internal spiritual energy for a momentary displacement to avoid it.
Spiritual energy fluctuation!
"Caw!"
With a sharp cry, the Nether crows, having discovered new prey, descended upon Qin Si in a vast swarm!
"Qin Si! Put me down first!"
Bai Shengyi couldn't help but cry out in concern. Qin Si, however, continued to run with her for a few more steps, only setting her down on the ground after the surrounding space stabilized.
"Caw!"
A large portion of the Nether crows was swept away by Qin Si's palm, emitting sharp, high-pitched cries, and more and more of them surrounded the two of them.
Bai Shengyi felt a sense of déjà vu. With a wave of her fair hand, thousands of flames ignited with a "whoosh," painting the sky with azure clouds under the dark expanse.
"Your fire..." Qin Si paused, then chose a more veiled word, "has it advanced?"
He could sense that this was not the Nine Nether Desolate Fire; this fire's power was far greater.
Bai Shengyi didn't intend to hide it from him. She nodded, "Yes, its name is Shifang. Isn't it nice?"
Qin Si didn't want to answer such a childish question. A swirl of spiritual light appeared on his hand, and ice-elemental spiritual energy instantly froze a large area of Nether crows.
Poor things, these crows were either frozen or roasted. After dominating the Nether Valley for so many years, this was the first time they had encountered such formidable opponents. They became even more excited and charged forward!
These humans' spiritual energy was abundant; they were definitely delicious too!
"Young Prince, this won't do. Let's slip away... Young Prince, dodge quickly!" Bai Shengyi's eyes widened in alarm as she saw a crow dozens of times larger than an ordinary Nether crow lunging at Qin Si.
"Bang!"
The two collided, stirring up fierce spiritual energy vortices that sent Bai Shengyi flying into the center of the Nether crow gathering.
"I..."
Bai Shengyi was furious! What kind of luck was this?
Qin Si was anxious and wanted to bring Bai Shengyi back, but the great crow, though only ninth-tier, had a hide as tough as a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, possessed immense strength, and insisted on a direct confrontation. For the moment, he couldn't free his hands.
"Honestly, do you want me to overturn your entire nest?"
Bai Shengyi also became enraged. Using her old trick, she took out wine jars and explosive talismans, throwing them into the areas with the most Nether crows, and summoned the Samsara Brush, lightly painting the sky.
"Boom!"
Where the brush tip passed, flames blazed. The Shifang Nether Fire was clearly the nemesis of these Nether crows. The Nether crows cried out in agony as they were burned to ashes, falling to the ground. In no time, the entire sky was ablaze with a vast azure hue.
Seeing the Nether crows suffering heavy casualties and on the verge of extinction, the great crow let out a strange cry. The Nether crow flock suddenly parted in the middle, forming a gap, and countless crows turned to flee through it.
"You're not allowed to run!"
Bai Shengyi shouted in anger, her frustration nowhere to go. The Samsara Brush unconsciously drew a stroke in the air, instantly forming an arrow. The arrow, carrying a faint flame, shot towards the gap!
"Rumble!"
A flash of pale lightning streaked across the sky, and the world seemed to tremble thrice.
"What happened, what happened?" Bai Shengyi almost stumbled to the ground, clutching the Samsara Brush tightly in shock.
Qin Si, after batting away the great crow, rushed to Bai Shengyi's side, startled, and shouted, "Bai Shengyi, are you trying to poke a hole through the heavens!"
He was truly amazed by this woman. How could a Foundation Establishment cultivator possess so much power! She had nearly pierced a hole through the Divine Revelation Continent's barrier!
The Nether crows had long since fled this terrifying place with rustling sounds. Bai Shengyi was out of sorts.
"I didn't do anything."
Bai Shengyi felt wronged, wanting to cry but having no tears. She had merely started a fire and gotten a little carried away playing with it.
Qin Si, having lived for over twenty years, felt for the first time that speaking required immense patience.
"What did you do over there just now?"
"Set fire."
"Does setting fire make heaven strike you with lightning?"
"Where did it strike me? I'm fine, aren't I." Bai Shengyi felt Qin Si's words were problematic. "Besides, the sky is so fragile. How could a Foundation Establishment cultivator possibly break it? Don't joke around."
Qin Si: ... He felt exhausted. He also wanted to know how Bai Shengyi, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, had almost broken the continent's barrier!
The culprit, the Samsara Brush, hid in Bai Shengyi's spiritual sea, minimizing its presence and daring not to make a sound.
Seeing that Bai Shengyi genuinely didn't understand and was about to insist on finding out, Qin Si no longer lingered on the topic. His face darkened, and he said, "It's getting late. Let's head back quickly."
"Okay, but I don't think I can walk anymore." Unbeknownst to her, her spiritual energy was once again depleted, her hands and feet felt weak, and she didn't want to move.