The interior of the spacecraft was not spacious; it took less than three minutes to walk from one end to the other. Consequently, everyone grew bored as time passed. Within the spacecraft, there was nothing to do but cultivate.
However, before heading to the Xi Du world, Ning Beichen planned to visit Ya Daier's world first. The primary reason was to find energy to replenish the spacecraft. Furthermore, the world where Ya Daier and her companions resided was precisely on the route to the Xi Du world, so this detour did not conflict with his main journey.
Ya Daier and the other two were a bit panicked. They hadn't expected Ning Beichen to send them back, yet they also held some anticipation. After all, returning to their own world meant they could escape this devil's control.
Yet, before reaching Ya Daier's world, Ning Beichen first encountered highway robbers, causing the people inside the spacecraft to cry out in excitement, rolling up their sleeves and eager to go fight. For the past three months, they had been cooped up and felt as though they were molding; now, something fun had finally arrived.
Ning Beichen observed the cultivation levels of these robbers and found them not particularly formidable. He thus agreed to the group's request. Even Liu Yilin eagerly joined the fray. Ning Beichen, meanwhile, took on the strongest among the robbers, leaving the rest to the others.
These robbers had initially thought they had found easy prey, but instead, they encountered a pack of ferocious wolves. They immediately began to wail and flee in all directions. However, in the vast emptiness of space, without spacecraft, how far could they possibly escape?
Soon, these robbers were eliminated by the bored women. Except for Haitang, everyone else had participated. If one couldn't defeat an opponent, two or three would gang up. Jin Yuehe, in particular, possessed the cultivation of a Venerable. Although Luo Yingying was not a Venerable, her combat experience was extensive. Under the leadership of these two women, the robbers were completely overwhelmed, unable to retaliate.
They even captured three spacecraft. However, Ning Beichen found these spacecraft to be far inferior to his own. But Ning Xiaoling delivered good news: the energy from these captured spacecraft could be used for theirs. This immediately spurred Ning Beichen to action. "Find them!" he declared. "Locate the robbers' lair!" He was confident that there must be a robbers' den nearby, and it would surely contain more spacecraft and energy.
Thus, Ning Beichen began to loiter in the vicinity, partly to lure out more enemies and partly to search for the robbers' lair. As expected, a few days later, more bandits appeared. These bandits, unfamiliar with Ning Beichen's spacecraft, which resembled a coffin, did not take them seriously. The outcome was, naturally, tragic. Their attempt to rob turned into being robbed themselves.
Not long after, Ning Beichen's spacecraft found what appeared to be a robbers' lair in a certain location. Upon entering, he confirmed his suspicions and, like a ravenous wolf, charged in. The robbers' side lacked Heavenly Venerables, making them no match for Ning Beichen. In less than three hours, their lair was flattened. However, these robbers were poor; they had little of value. Ning Beichen took what he could use and then set fire to the remnants of their lair. Still, he did not find a significant amount of energy from this lair; for his spacecraft, it was not even a drop in the bucket.
Ning Beichen was not without gains, though. By interrogating the captured bandits, he learned the locations of several larger bandit factions. He then decided to go and eliminate them all. After all, reaching the Xi Du world would take days, not one or two, and certainly not one or two years. There was no need to rush. The real tragedy would be running out of energy mid-journey.
"Clang, clang, clang..."
"Enemy attack!"
Before long, Ning Beichen's spacecraft appeared outside another bandit den. "What's all the panic? It's just one spacecraft. Everyone, come with me!" The bandit leader, leading his men, surrounded Ning Beichen's spacecraft. In his eyes, the opponent was merely one spacecraft, and a rather comical one at that, likely not piloted by a powerful expert. However, when Ning Beichen killed him with a single punch, he realized the opponent was a Heavenly Venerable. He felt an overwhelming sense of "what the hell." A dignified Heavenly Venerable had personally come to deal with someone as insignificant as him. Had he accidentally dug up the Heavenly Venerable's ancestral grave at some point? Sadly, the bandit leader had no time for such thoughts as he met his end.
The remaining bandits were then dealt with by Luo Yingying and the others as if slicing through vegetables. Even Ya Daier and her companions joined the fight. How could these robbers possibly be their match? If they had any real talent, who would choose to be a disreputable bandit, unless they considered plundering their lifelong hobby and career?
This time, Ning Beichen profited handsomely. This bandit den was far wealthier than the previous one, especially with an entire warehouse of energy discovered. Ning Beichen felt an urge to drag the deceased bandit leader back and kiss him repeatedly, thanking him for his immense contribution. Ning Beichen felt no psychological pressure in robbing robbers; their possessions were obtained through force, so him robbing them was perfectly reasonable. No one could fault Ning Beichen for this.
Not long after, Ning Beichen also cleared out the third bandit lair, reaping similar rewards. It was so profitable that Ning Beichen briefly entertained the thought of becoming a bandit himself. However, it was merely a fleeting thought; he had no intention of actually becoming a bandit.
Soon, the spacecraft left the area and continued its journey forward. It even towed one of the captured spacecraft behind it, ensuring they had a backup in case of unforeseen circumstances.
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. Ning Beichen arrived in an unfamiliar place. This location was neither Ya Daier's world nor the Xi Du world; it was an entirely new environment. Ning Beichen discovered the presence of cultivators and went to investigate, only to find that this place was a trading hub for cultivators. Here, both legal and illegal items could be traded. Ning Beichen also brought the items he had acquired from the bandit lairs to sell.
However, these were minor matters. The crucial point was that this trading post was maintained by three Heavenly Venerables, who were reportedly siblings. Furthermore, the cultivators who came here to trade were almost all powerful individuals. While it wasn't a place where Heavenly Venerables were as common as street dogs or Venerables as plentiful as barking canines, at least three out of every ten people present possessed the cultivation of a Heavenly Venerable, indicating a true gathering of formidable experts.