Night of Despair

"This is the life-saving item your martial uncle prepared for you. It contains three full-force magical attacks from him. Use it carefully." The Corrupt Traveler collected his smile, "This thing, using it once can destroy an entire Constant Star System. If not released under special conditions, it could cause immense collateral damage. Use it very, very cautiously!"

"This junior understands! Thank you for your efforts, Martial Uncle Feng Xuezi!" Yu Hong said emotionally.

"Remember, before using this item, you must stand within the circular area three meters behind the dagger. This is the absolutely safe zone; all other places are extremely dangerous." The Corrupt Traveler reminded again.

"Understood!" Yu Hong nodded solemnly.

Quan He, on the side, listened with a pounding heart. She even had some doubts whether the Corrupt Traveler was deceiving them. Such tremendous destructive power, could it really be packed into such a small dagger?

"Alright, are you truly ready this time?" The Corrupt Traveler asked again.

"Yes, everything is ready." Yu Hong and Quan He exchanged a glance and confirmed with a nod.

"Then... let me send you off."

The Corrupt Traveler revealed a slight smile on his face.

He pushed open the door and walked out, a faint layer of Golden Light suddenly appearing on his body.

At the same time, Yu Hong quickly activated the Black Black Spirit, locking the door from the inside. From the window, he watched the Corrupt Traveler outside.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle!!

In the next moment, long-absent colorful lines emerged around the Black Black Spirit, like living creatures. In a flash, they enveloped the entire Black Black Spirit.

Then they began to slowly and very gradually fade away, disappearing.

It seemed as if something was blocking them firmly, far from the usual smoothness of entering and exiting the Wind Disaster.

The Corrupt Traveler snorted coldly and pointed with one finger.

There was a crisp snap.

Invisibly, it seemed as if something was shattered by that finger, and the speed at which the colorful lines surrounding the Black Black Spirit disappeared increased rapidly.

A few seconds later.

All the colorful lines completely dissipated, leaving no trace behind.

Only a deep pit remained on the ground, which was pressed out by the Safe House.

Seeing this, the Corrupt Traveler let out a slight sigh of relief. He glanced towards the Wanxue Palace and suddenly disappeared.

At this moment, in the Wanxue Palace, Yu Xuezi, Bai Sheng, and Hei Ying were gathered together.

Yu Xuezi slowly filled a cup with wine, raised it, and silently made a toast towards the direction of the Black Black Spirit.

"We are returning to our sect. Are you happy?" he suddenly asked.

"Happy..." Bai Sheng nodded with a smile.

"Very happy." Hei Ying also nodded.

But inexplicably, the smiles on their faces carried a certain indescribable quality.

"Yes... This has been our dream for many years... I, as your master, am also very happy." Yu Xuezi drank the wine in one gulp and then raised the empty cup.

"This cup, to tomorrow."

*

*

*

On the floating island within the black vortex.

Feng Xuezi watched the returning Corrupt Traveler.

"Did you deliver the items?"

"Yes. You can trust me to handle things." The Corrupt Traveler said calmly.

"The Defense Belt is now successfully deployed, but... if the matter of Qian Rong is true, it's fine, at most the sect people will come. If it's false..." Feng Xuezi did not continue.

"If it is false, they will invade first, then the Defense Belt will be deployed, which means they will also be enclosed within. This means the Defense Belt can defend against the Black Disaster, but is ineffective against them." The Corrupt Traveler added.

"Indeed... if it truly is them...." Feng Xuezi fell silent.

"Is it the Red Sky Fruit?" The Corrupt Traveler asked.

"It should be. The principle of the Red Sky Fruit theoretically can also be applied to other Source Disasters, so it's normal for it to attract them." Feng Xuezi nodded.

"Then aren't we doomed?" The Corrupt Traveler sighed.

"We are people who should have died long ago. Are you still afraid?" Feng Xuezi raised an eyebrow.

"Afraid? I've traversed many realms for years as Fu Bai; when have you seen me afraid?" The Corrupt Traveler smiled.

"The Red Sky Fruit and the Defense Belt have given us a second hope. Are you willing to give up just like that!?" Feng Xuezi asked again.

"Of course not. With Zheng Rou and Quan He sent off, we have no worries. Whether we win or lose, it hasn't even started yet!" The Corrupt Traveler laughed.

"Yes, it hasn't even started...." Feng Xuezi also laughed.

*

*

*

Countless colorful lines swiftly flitted past outside the Black Spirit Window.

Yu Hong and Quan He quietly watched the scenery outside the window, not saying a word for a time.

Until the colorful lines outside gradually began to darken and turn black.

Plop!

A muffled sound echoed as the entire Black Spirit suddenly plunged into a pitch-black tunnel.

They finally came to their senses.

"Is this the City of No Light you mentioned?" Quan He asked.

"Yes, I'm a bit worried, so I want to consult a senior there," Yu Hong nodded.

"I understand the feeling you mentioned, I feel the same," Quan He said softly, "Don't you think the magic treasures Master gave us at the end were a bit too precious?"

"I do," Yu Hong nodded, "And Senior Corrupt, reinforcing the safe house's protection for me without a word. He's not the type of person to give so freely. This completely doesn't match his character."

Corrupt Traveler usually dealt with him only through transactions. Offering for free like today was very unusual.

"Perhaps, the so-called arrival of our sect member is a complete scam," Quan He said softly. "With such high costs, they wouldn't leave empty-handed."

"....." Yu Hong said nothing more.

Outside the window, the black tunnel sped past. This time, Black Spirit did not tremble at all, remaining incredibly stable, with a faint golden glow on the walls. It was clearly the handiwork of Senior Corrupt.

Time slowly passed.

Not long after, the entire house suddenly trembled, and everything outside the window stopped completely.

The safe house had landed on a vast, black plain at some unknown time.

Through the window in the distance, they could see a silent ruin of buildings standing still, with the wind howling and a thin layer of frost covering the ground.

"We've arrived at the City of No Light," Yu Hong said.

Quan He nodded and pressed her face against the glass, examining the place Yu Hong had recently mentioned multiple times.

"The outside temperature is close to minus two hundred degrees, don't go out. Besides, there are various highly dangerous Unconscious Bodies. This place fundamentally isn't somewhere people at our level should be. It was only the Vitality Ship that forcibly brought me here," Yu Hong said. "Be careful, even inside the house, don't let your guard down."

"Understood," Quan He responded, quickly pulling out pen and paper to start sketching the terrain. "I'll try to map this place."

"Alright," Yu Hong nodded. He stood by the window and softly called out in his mind to Su Dan.

"Senior!?"

"Senior Su Dan?"

"I saw you coming! I heard your noise from far away. The entire City of No Light could feel it." Su Dan's old and impatient voice sounded.

"It's been a long time, Senior," Yu Hong greeted.

"Not that long, just a moment for me. The space-time here is isolated from other places. Since you left, you've been affected by it. Anytime you come back, it's the next moment for me," Su Dan explained.

"Is this the work of the Heavenly Venerate?" Yu Hong asked in surprise.

"It's the handiwork of the Source Disaster. Time's essence is merely a unit describing change. Here, time slows down when you enter and accelerates rapidly after you leave. So, your comings and goings are very noticeable here." Su Dan answered. "It's not a matter of noise, but the time impact you carry."

"I see," Yu Hong understood. He glanced at Quan He, who was unaware he was communicating with Su Dan.

"This is my junior sister Quan He... Senior, can she…?"

"No. She's different from you," Su Dan interrupted. "You haven't realized yet, have you? The fact you can communicate with me directly proves your significant uniqueness."

"Why is that?" Yu Hong was puzzled.

"I'm not sure, but if it were her, she would be affected negatively the moment she heard my voice. I don't know what would happen, so don't try to let her communicate with me," Su Dan advised.

"Alright…" Yu Hong couldn't figure out his own situation either. He had many special traits, making him much more unique than Quan He.

"Alright, tell me, why did you rush back so quickly? There must be something you need my help with, right?" Su Dan's insight was evident, seeing through Yu Hong's thoughts in an instant.

"Your wisdom is unparalleled, Senior," Yu Hong smiled.

"My eyes are brighter than a torch, don't flatter poorly. Your words are laughable, like saying someone is as tall as a mouse," Su Dan retorted.

"Uh… You're right, Senior. I'll get to the point. It's like this…" Yu Hong quickly described a series of recent events on the Mining Star.

"No need to say more, it's a Heart Disaster," Su Dan concluded immediately.

"You mean that Senior Sister Qian Rong and the sect are fake?" Yu Hong asked seriously.

"I don't know. Show me that Meteorite Immortal Brew," Su Dan replied.

This was what Yu Hong was waiting for.

He quickly took out the Meteorite Immortal Brew and placed it on the table.

After a short wait, Su Dan's voice sounded again.

"This is real. It is indeed a Treasure Medicine beneficial to you all."

"Then does that mean Senior Sister Qian Rong is real?" Yu Hong felt a bit relieved.

"I don't know, but even if she's real, it doesn't matter. The Heart Disaster can swap reality and falsehood. Even Qian Rong herself wouldn't know she's a product of the Heart Disaster transformation. Heart Disaster transformations are another form of reality, directing everything towards your destruction, like an alternate tragic ending to a story," Su Dan explained.

"So, you mean an alternate possibility in a parallel world?" Yu Hong tried to understand.

"Parallel world? Similar, but the difference is, Qian Rong and the Qinghe Mountain sect exist in your world. The Heart Disaster can resurrect them from annihilation. It's not difficult," Su Dan elaborated.

"In other words, it's a puppet show staged for us, right?" Yu Hong asked after a pause.

"Yes, what's troublesome about the Heart Disaster is that the controlled person believes they're real and are moving towards their desired direction," Su Dan sighed.

"So… the three-month period…" Yu Hong inquired.

"Without any surprises, the three-month period is the time of ultimate destruction. These three months are to create a semi-belief mindset in you, enhancing the Heart Disaster's infiltration," Su Dan affirmed.