Chapter 285: Heavenly Pit

“Nieyan, it’s been a long time since we last leveled up together,” Yaoyao said to Nie Yan. She missed the tacit understanding they shared while training together. However, she understood that Nieyan was a busy man. Besides training, he often had to divide his attention to handle guild affairs, so they couldn’t train together like they used to.

“Yeah, it’s been a while,” Nie Yan replied wistfully. Seeing the dim expression in Yaoyao’s bright eyes, his heart stirred. Could it be that he had left some impression in Yaoyao’s heart?

Yaoyao was beautiful, gentle, and considerate. If he hadn’t met Xie Yao first, he might have really fallen in love with Yaoyao. However, who could really predict how things would turn out in this world?

When they arrived in the wilderness, Nie Yan looked at Yaoyao and asked, “Do you have a mount?” If Yaoyao didn’t have a mount, they would have to run there.

“I do,” Yaoyao replied, casting a summoning skill. A chestnut-colored horse appeared before Nie Yan’s eyes. Although this chestnut horse wasn’t as tall and nimble as Nie Yan’s Falkner Warhorse, it was still quite clever, only slightly inferior to the Falkner Warhorse.

Koles Warhorse!

Nie Yan hadn’t expected to see another high-level warhorse.

Movement speed +200%!

If this Koles Warhorse wasn’t obtained through completing a quest, purchasing such a horse would cost at least several thousand gold coins!

Yaoyao mounted the warhorse, looking slightly excited. It was her first time riding a horse. Ever since her grandfather decided to invest in the game, she had become the representative of Longyue Capital in Faith, gradually mastering the connections within the game, so gathering some gold coins wasn’t a difficult task for her.

Only after taking charge of Longyue Capital’s affairs in Faith did she realize that Faith wasn’t solely composed of guilds; there were many other organizations, such as gold-farming teams. Players in these gold-farming teams usually didn’t join any guilds. Each team ranged from a few to several thousand members. Their levels were often not very high, and for them, the game wasn’t a form of entertainment, but purely a job. They would stay in one spot continuously grinding low-level monsters, clearing them to obtain in-game currency. They wouldn’t even spare the use of consumables, keeping only the most basic equipment for themselves, selling all the dropped equipment and items to earn game currency, which they would then exchange for credits at the credit exchange hall or sell to acquaintances.

This was their entire gaming experience. The gold they earned each day barely covered some household expenses. They were low-end players that no one respected, yet it was these very people who generated massive amounts of in-game currency. If all the currency they produced were collected, it would constitute an enormous fortune, enough to support dozens of large guilds like Niuren Tribe!

Xie Yao was in charge of directing her subordinates to acquire all the gold produced by these gold-farming teams through various channels. Xie Yao had a kind heart. She understood that these gold-farming players weren’t very skilled, not even qualified as professional players. Often coming from financially struggling families, she always instructed her subordinates to give them more credits. To the financially strong Longyue Capital, that small amount of money was nothing, yet it earned the gratitude of the gold-farming players. More and more gold-farming teams were willing to trade their earned gold to Longyue Capital. Thus, Xie Yao quickly amassed a large amount of gold. One could say she was now a wealthy woman, even richer than Nie Yan.

Purchasing a high-level warhorse was naturally not a big deal for Xie Yao. However, even with money, most players couldn’t obtain a royal pegasus like Falkner.

Seeing Yaoyao summon a high-level warhorse, Nie Yan was surprised, but quickly returned to normal. Thinking about it, if he could obtain the Falkner Warhorse, others could also acquire other high-level warhorses. There was nothing strange about that.

Nie Yan summoned his Falkner Warhorse and mounted it.

Xie Yao’s Koles Warhorse immediately appeared smaller compared to the Falkner Warhorse.

“Let’s go,” Nie Yan said to Yaoyao.

The two horses galloped across the wilderness, Nie Yan slowing his pace so that the two horses moved at nearly the same speed.

Occasionally, one or two groups of players fighting monsters and leveling up could be seen in the wilderness. They stared in astonishment at the two riding high-level warhorses. Ordinary warhorses were rarely seen these days, and high-level warhorses were almost never encountered. Two high-level warhorses galloping across the wilderness was a truly breathtaking sight!

Nie Yan felt the wind whistling past his ears as the scenery continuously passed by on both sides. After a five or six-minute gallop, Nie Yan and Yaoyao passed through a narrow canyon and entered the Crime Domain Canyon.

The scenes of battle from a few days ago were still vivid in their minds.

Yaoyao looked at Nie Yan and smiled, asking, “Coming back here again, how does it feel?”

Nie Yan remained calm, smiling slightly. “What’s the point of thinking about the past? The most important thing is to grasp the present.” Nie Yan’s mind was slightly distracted. This was his own warning to himself. To him, some things were better left in the past. Nie Yan and Yaoyao would be very close friends.

“Where are we going?” Yaoyao asked. Nie Yan’s route seemed a bit off. He wasn’t heading toward the entrance of the Dark Cave but going in another direction.

“Just follow me. I know the terrain here,” Nie Yan said. He had a special way to reach the location where the Crime Domain Black Lotus grew. Although Yaoyao was a bit puzzled, she still followed him.

Two or three minutes later, Nie Yan and Yaoyao arrived at the foot of a mountain. Ahead, on flat ground, was a deep sinkhole. The dark sinkhole was pitch black and unfathomable, not knowing where it led. A stream of dark energy emanated from it, giving off a sinister and terrifying feeling.

Nie Yan pulled his horse to a stop and jumped off.

Yaoyao also dismounted her horse.

“This is the place,” Nie Yan looked down at the deep pit and asked Yaoyao, “Do you have a feather falling device?”

“I do. I have a Feather Falling Ring,” Yaoyao replied. Many of the equipments she had were top-tier; how could she not have a feather falling device? It was something every high-end player must have!

“Since you have a feather falling device, it will be convenient. Let’s put the horses away first,” Nie Yan said. He was surprised to find that Yaoyao’s equipment was indeed quite good. Nie Yan recalled his Falkner Warhorse.

Yaoyao also recalled her horse, looking at the dark sinkhole. She felt slightly nervous. Would there be something down there if they jumped?

No one knew what was inside the dark sinkhole, but the deep cave easily evoked thoughts of snakes and other creatures.

“We’ll jump together, and activate feather falling after about ten minutes of falling!” Nie Yan told Yaoyao. In his previous life, he had tried jumping down this sinkhole, which could directly reach the depths of the Dark Cave.

Yaoyao hesitated slightly and nodded, still feeling a bit uneasy.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine,” Nie Yan comforted Yaoyao. Hearing Nie Yan’s words, Yaoyao felt somewhat reassured.

“One, two, three, jump!” As soon as Nie Yan finished speaking, the two of them jumped down together into the endless darkness. The wind whistled past them as they rapidly descended.

Nie Yan started timing, glancing sideways. Through his dark vision, he could barely see a blurry figure—Yaoyao.

Their falling speeds were roughly the same.

In such a dark place, the surroundings were pitch black.

Suddenly, a soft body pressed against him. Instinctively grabbing something while falling, Yaoyao unconsciously hugged Nie Yan. Nie Yan’s mind buzzed. His hands were on Yaoyao’s back, and even through her robe, he could feel her smooth skin. Nie Yan’s chest also felt a soft sensation. This familiar yet unfamiliar touch stimulated Nie Yan’s nerves, bringing a faint, elegant fragrance.

Nie Yan’s mind was flooded with lustful images: Yaoyao’s graceful body, like an exquisite jade porcelain. That day, they had both wanted to merge into each other’s bodies.

But soon, Nie Yan calmed down. It was all just a magnificent dream. To him, it was like a fleeting moment of beauty in the sky, brilliant yet transient.

Yaoyao hugged Nie Yan, feeling a sense of security and calm. Yet she was also embarrassed. It was the first time she had been so close to Nie Yan. Today was unexpected.

“Yaoyao, use feather falling now,” Nie Yan said, activating the feather falling skill on his feather falling gem. Their falling speed suddenly slowed down. Hearing Nie Yan’s deep voice near her ear, Yaoyao hurriedly activated the skill on her Feather Falling Ring.

The two slowly floated down and finally landed on solid ground.

It had taken about fifteen minutes. The two finally landed deep inside the dark cave. It wasn’t particularly dark here. The surrounding walls were made of some unknown ore, emitting a faint glow, allowing Nie Yan and Yaoyao to see the path under their feet.

“Let’s go inside. We’ll soon reach the place where the Crime Domain Black Lotus grows,” Nie Yan said, hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and turned toward the depths of the cave.

Looking at Nie Yan’s back, Yaoyao felt a pang in her heart. Nie Yan always seemed indifferent toward her, and this coldness made her heart ache.

Yaoyao took a deep breath, shifting her thoughts. She felt slightly comforted. Nie Yan’s ability to walk away in such a situation proved that his character was trustworthy. It seemed that what Xiaoling had told her—that Nie Yan had ignored Jiang Yingyu’s advances—was indeed true.

Yaoyao silently followed him.

The deep, maze-like cave occasionally had cold winds blowing from its depths, and the growls of monsters echoed from within.

Nie Yan could feel the strong dark energy around him. If holy word mages, priests, or paladins used holy word spells here, their effects would be greatly diminished.

When they reached the end of the cave and looked into the distance, there was a vast underground lake. The water was as black as ink. In the center of the lake, a black lotus bloomed silently. That was the Crime Domain Black Lotus Yaoyao was searching for!