Oppressive, dark, suffocating.

This was the impression that the current "Eternal Night," completely shrouded by the pitch-black rift above the heavenly dome, left upon the cultivators of Chenping Continent.

The glow of several torches flickered faintly within the boundless darkness, as bone-scraping cold wind swept across the land, pouring into the daoist robes of these few torch-bearing cultivators.

At the lead was a young cultivator of the Qi Sea Realm mid-stage, followed by six cultivators, four of whom were at the Martial Spring Realm, while the other two were also at the Qi Sea Realm.

This group all wore various styles of disciple robes representing the different cultivation sects across Chenping Continent.

Yet at their waists, they all wore tokens forged from ruined immortal artifacts, representing the Guardians of the Dao of Du Cang Mountain.

The torches they held in their hands were not fueled by kerosene or alcohol, or any other liquid that could be used for combustion.

Instead, they directly burned true qi.

For a Martial Spring Realm cultivator, the true qi that naturally flowed through their meridians alone was enough to sustain a torch's flame for half a month.

"Senior Brother Tian, when exactly do you think this end will come?"

Among these cultivators, one of the Martial Spring Realm cultivators trailing behind asked the young Qi Sea Realm mid-stage cultivator at the very front.

"Stop with that ill-omened talk, what end!"

The young Qi Sea Realm mid-stage cultivator addressed as Senior Brother Tian berated.

"But after all, it has already come to this point, Senior Brother Tian."

That Martial Spring Realm cultivator's voice lowered a few degrees, but his words represented that he still did not agree with what Senior Brother Tian had just said.

The other cultivators all fell silent.

These Guardians of the Dao of Du Cang Mountain all clearly understood what was happening across Chenping Continent.

Leaving aside the "enemies from beyond the heavens" that they had heard from the seniors on Du Cang Mountain, just the pitch-black rift in the sky continuing to expand was already enough to cause the laws of heaven and earth across Chenping Continent to completely collapse.

Now, across the vast land of Chenping Continent stretching tens of millions of li, the overarching emotional tone was but one.

Despair.

"...What are all of you thinking?"

After a moment of silence, the leading Qi Sea Realm mid-stage cultivator addressed as Senior Brother Tian no longer continued to insist on his earlier "diplomatic words," and instead asked his junior brothers and sisters from cultivation sects all across Chenping Continent behind him.

"What do you mean, Senior Brother Tian?"

From a position slightly toward the rear, a female cultivator of the Qi Sea Realm early-stage asked.

"About your plans for the future, whether you intend to stay on Du Cang Mountain, or return to your respective sects."

Senior Brother Tian continued asking.

"......"

This question caused all the young cultivators present to fall into a brief silence.

Without exception, every young cultivator present was a heaven-chosen talent of the Chenping Continent cultivation world, having passed through layer upon layer of selection to become a Guardian of the Dao of Du Cang Mountain, able to freely access all the cultivation resources on Du Cang Mountain for their own practice.

But Du Cang Mountain was, to these young cultivators, far too cold.

To them, their respective cultivation sects of origin still held a greater sense of belonging.

"I want to go back."

One of the Martial Spring Realm cultivators was the first to break the silence.

"If the end really is coming...I want to return to my sect."

The "Eternal Night" shrouding Du Cang Mountain was truly too oppressive, too suffocating.

These heaven-chosen talents representing the current Martial Spring Realm and Qi Sea Realm generation of Chenping Continent were all roughly under thirty years of age, and the younger ones among them were even just in their teens.

These young heaven-chosen talents, whose minds were not yet fully mature, naturally found it very hard to bear the pressure that the "Eternal Night" brought upon them.

"But if we think rationally, perhaps Du Cang Mountain is still safer."

Senior Brother Tian said.

"Now the True Persons of Chenping Continent have all gathered on Du Cang Mountain, ready at all times to respond to the 'enemies from beyond the heavens.' Although Du Cang Mountain is completely shrouded in 'Eternal Night,' there is probably no safer place in all of Chenping Continent than Du Cang Mountain."

Indeed.

For these cultivators whose cultivation realms were at most the Qi Sea Realm, the words "Ascending to Immortality" existed almost only as a conceptual understanding.

But at the same time, it brought them an infinite sense of reassurance.

"Wait, up ahead is..."

Suddenly, that Qi Sea Realm early-stage female cultivator halted her steps, looking into the distance by the faint torchlight, and spoke with a grave tone.

"The South Yu Lake forbidden zone."

Ever since more than a hundred years ago, when over a dozen Guardians of the Dao on Du Cang Mountain all died in the cave beneath the lake at South Yu Lake, South Yu Lake had been designated as one of Du Cang Mountain's forbidden zones.

Except under special circumstances, no one was permitted to approach.

"I know, I've walked this road dozens of times, I know how to bypass the forbidden zone and return to Du Cang Mountain."

Senior Brother Tian did not pay much attention to what the female cultivator had just said.

"No, Senior Brother Tian, what I mean is, there's someone in the forbidden zone!"

The female cultivator continued to emphasize.

Someone in the forbidden zone?

The moment these words were spoken, the Qi Sea Realm mid-stage cultivator whom these young disciples called Senior Brother Tian immediately narrowed his pupils, then raised his head to look toward the exposed lakebed of South Yu Lake.

In the hazy glow, a figure appeared indistinctly, its form seeming very small within the vast darkness.

"That is..."

Senior Brother Tian squinted slightly, locking his attention onto that tiny figure.

"Something's off, let's go take a look."

Afterward, this group of young Guardians of the Dao of Du Cang Mountain began heading toward the figure that flickered in and out of sight within the South Yu Lake forbidden zone.

The distance grew shorter and shorter, and that figure became clearer and clearer.

Clad in tattered gray daoist robes, with a sallow complexion and extremely sparse, disheveled hair, his steps staggering and swaying east and west, a black and a white long sword hanging at his waist, bearing none of the immortal elegance and bone-deep dignity that a normal cultivator should possess.

Whether or not he had noticed these Guardians of the Dao of Du Cang Mountain pursuing from behind, that swaying figure merely continued into the distance, and the two long swords at his waist gave off crisp metallic rings from the collision of his footsteps.

"It's an outer way..."

The leading Qi Sea Realm mid-stage cultivator stared intently at the figure in tattered gray daoist robes ahead, and said softly.

This was a very normal judgment.

In recent years, the outer ways that had emerged across Chenping Continent all bore this same disheveled, bedraggled appearance.

These fallen cultivators, driven mad and convinced that Chenping Continent no longer held any hope of survival, indeed would not bother to tidy their own appearance.

And appearing within the forbidden zone of Du Cang Mountain, this matter itself was highly suspicious.

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