Chapter 29: Eternal Darkness

The Sea Mountain Art was originally a very ordinary cultivation art, and its ability to separate anomalous substances was also quite ordinary. Such cultivation arts were common in the Southern Phoenix Continent, mostly practiced by minor families and small factions. Even when cultivated to Great Perfection, the combat power gained was not particularly high, and its descriptions often contained exaggerations. Phrases like 'Specter can move mountains, Titan can shift seas' were typical exaggerations.

However, with Xu Qing, the Sea Mountain Art unleashed unprecedented power, a level perhaps never even reached by its creator. His Specter Shadow at the fifth layer was comparable to the sixth or seventh layer of others cultivating the Sea Mountain Art, and now, at the sixth layer, a Titan Shadow had directly formed. Though only a nascent Titan, its power already far surpassed that of the Specter. One could imagine that when Xu Qing's Sea Mountain Art reached the seventh layer, the Titan Shadow would likely undergo a complete metamorphosis. By that time, for all other cultivators, the Sea Mountain Art would have reached its limits. But for him, there was still a path forward.

"According to the Sea Mountain Art's descriptions," Xu Qing murmured, sitting in the infirmary, a strange glint in his eyes, "a Titan Shadow only forms at the tenth layer, and only after Great Perfection does the Titan Shadow transform into an adult form. But based on my progression, the seventh layer should allow for transformation into an adult form. So what about the eighth layer? The ninth, tenth, and even Great Perfection?"

Xu Qing's heart was filled with intense anticipation. He lowered his head and examined his body. There was no need to test his speed and strength this time; he could already clearly feel a power brewing within him, far surpassing that of his fifth layer. The strength of this power astonished even himself. His speed was likewise astounding. Xu Qing had a feeling that if he sprinted at full speed now, the wind would be his only impediment. He didn't know what level he currently was at within the camp. But he was certain that even two cultivators at the seventh layer of Qi Condensation, like the black-robed elder from a few days ago, who specialized in spells, could be killed by him now.

After a long while, Xu Qing took a deep breath and looked down at the ground around him. It was dark outside, and the room was pitch black, but he could still faintly sense the presence of his shadow. His breakthrough seemed to have affected his shadow as well, causing it to absorb more anomalous substances, and the connection between them had become closer and more subtle.

In silence, Xu Qing gazed at the ground. Time slowly passed. The sky outside gradually brightened. As sunlight streamed in, inside the makeshift infirmary, beside Xu Qing, his shadow emerged from obscurity, becoming increasingly distinct.

The moment it appeared, Xu Qing's eyes narrowed sharply. This was the moment he had been waiting for. As his thoughts extended, he clearly saw his shadow subtly twist. Gradually, the shadow's right hand slowly lifted.

Xu Qing's breathing grew heavier as he stared at the shadow. He controlled its hand to move across the ground. When it stretched into the dark, the shadow merged with the darkness and became invisible. But Xu Qing's expression remained calm; he could feel that the shadow was still there. He continued to control the shadow's hand until it reached a small compartment, slowly creeping towards it, and grasped a medicinal herb. The moment the shadow grasped the herb, the herb instantly became rich in anomalous substances, turning directly bluish-black.

Xu Qing's control reached its limit at that moment. With a ringing in his head, the extended part of the shadow instantly retracted, returning to its original state. After a good while, Xu Qing lifted his head. His eyes were bloodshot, and his head throbbed intensely. He immediately closed his eyes and began to regulate his breathing. An hour later, Xu Qing opened his eyes; the throbbing pain in his head had subsided.

"Still can't control it flexibly." Xu Qing gazed deeply at his shadow, then composed himself. He wasn't in a hurry. Following this progression, he would eventually gain complete control over it. At that time, his shadow... would become his most clandestine trump card.

After a brief rest, Xu Qing raised his hand and grabbed, and the mutated herb instantly flew to him. Once it landed in his hand, Xu Qing lowered his head to examine it closely. "It's exactly like the herbs in the pharmacy that had been invaded when the deity's eyes opened."

"So, the shadow's ability allows it to infuse anomalous substances into anything it touches?" Xu Qing murmured, and tried to control the shadow again. Time passed like this. Two hours later, Xu Qing had a general understanding of the shadow's abilities. It couldn't always emit anomalous substances to invade surfaces; only under his control would touched objects be mutated. This characteristic, if used unexpectedly, possessed astonishing lethality. However, Xu Qing always remained wary of his shadow.

He then looked at the spot on his chest where the purple crystal was embedded. Xu Qing could feel that this purple crystal could restrain and suppress the shadow.

After a long while, Xu Qing withdrew his gaze, put down the herb in his hand, and looked at the small compartments around him. The herbs inside them were now almost entirely gone, and all of them were piled in the stone basin. Glancing at the stone basin, Xu Qing sighed. He was reluctant to throw them away. After some thought, he decided that this black medicinal liquid, if used well, could also be a weapon. So, after some consideration, he kneaded the liquid from the stone basin into individual pills, coating them with a layer of seven-leaf grass juice as a membrane. He ultimately produced dozens of pills with black interiors and green exteriors.

"Let's call them Black Pills." Xu Qing put them away and walked out of the infirmary. He planned to go out and collect more herbs and also figure out a way to catch a Black-scaled Wolf. Using Black-scaled Wolves as test subjects had been very convenient for Xu Qing lately. Now, after leaving the canyon, he headed straight for the temple cluster. He arrived quickly but didn't stop, sprinting deeper into the forbidden zone. The herbs deeper within were more abundant than those outside. Moreover, Xu Qing had explored the deeper areas more than once or twice. Although the explored areas were not very large each time, his gains were always substantial.

Meanwhile, not long after Xu Qing entered the forbidden zone's depths, in the area at the edge of the forbidden zone behind him, a group of people were slowly exploring forward. This group numbered over a hundred, comprising men and women. They were surrounded by numerous guards, and even five or six powerful middle-aged cultivators who vigilantly scanned their surroundings. Those they protected were the young men and women who had once camped outside the main settlement. Their arrival seemed like a leisure outing, with no visible tension in their expressions and continuous laughter echoing from them.

Their guide was Old Stone, but at this moment, his face was filled with helplessness. He occasionally glanced at the young men and women, seeing their leisurely demeanor, and sighed inwardly. "'This is a forbidden zone...'" Old Stone hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back. He knew his words would go unheeded. These people, who had always lived in the city, believed they understood the dangers of the forbidden zone, but in reality, they understood far less about its horrors than scavengers did. The former knew through books and conversations, while the latter had experienced it firsthand.

"'I hope everything goes smoothly and nothing goes wrong. Once this mission is done, I'll retire and never come to the forbidden zone again,'" Old Stone murmured inwardly, moving forward with apprehension and vigilance.

No one noticed that among this group of young men and women, a beautiful girl in a long green dress with long black hair, while chatting and laughing with a blue-robed youth trying to flatter her beside her, was subtly scattering some medicinal powder with her right hand. As the wind blew, these powders, colorless and odorless, dispersed, like some kind of catalyst, gradually causing changes to appear in the depths of the forbidden zone.

Xu Qing quickly sensed these changes. Moving cautiously in the depths of the forbidden zone at this moment, he clearly felt that there were far fewer anomalous beasts in the forbidden zone today. He even saw a normally aggressive lizard whose aura was comparable to the sixth or seventh layer of Qi Condensation, lying hidden in the mud. Even when Xu Qing approached, it didn't attack, as if it was wary of the outside world. This made Xu Qing extremely vigilant. He looked at the forbidden zone's jungle around him. A sense of unease rose in his heart. So, after gathering some herbs, Xu Qing prepared to withdraw.

But just as he was about to retreat, a chilling aura suddenly erupted from even deeper within the distant jungle. This aura instantly spread, causing the surrounding trees to almost freeze solid. Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. He suddenly dodged, then looked up, and immediately saw translucent jellyfish flying out from the depths of the forbidden zone. Among these jellyfish, six were enormous, followed by hundreds of smaller ones. They swept through the air, heading towards the temple cluster. It was as if something in that direction was strongly attracting them.

The moment he saw these jellyfish, Xu Qing's presence also caught the attention of the jellyfish swarm in the sky. One of the large jellyfish paused in mid-air, and as it turned to face Xu Qing, more than half of the countless eyes on its tentacles suddenly opened. At that instant, a crisis erupted within Xu Qing. He felt his entire body's flesh and blood tremble, and at that very moment, the Titan Shadow abruptly appeared behind him, letting out a silent roar towards the jellyfish in the sky.

Xu Qing squinted. He was no longer the third-layer Qi Condensation cultivator who had been utterly powerless against such an oppressive aura. Now, as his blood and qi swelled within him, and the Titan Shadow roared behind him, the jellyfish that had looked at him seemed to hesitate. Perhaps the allure from the direction of the temple cluster was greater, or perhaps it sensed danger from Xu Qing. After a moment of hesitation, it turned and floated away.

Not until the jellyfish had gone far did Xu Qing finally exhale. Looking around the forbidden zone, he felt increasingly that this place was too strange today. So, his body swayed, and he quickly departed.

"'Where are they going? To the temple cluster? Or an even more distant direction beyond the temple cluster? I hope it's not the temple cluster, just passing by; otherwise, I'll have to take a detour...'" On the way, Xu Qing's eyes showed contemplation, but his speed didn't decrease. He moved like a long streak, weaving through the jungle.

Time passed gradually. An hour later, as rumbling sounds echoed from afar, Xu Qing leaped onto a treetop, gazing towards the distant temple cluster. It was still half an hour's journey from the temple cluster, so he could vaguely discern its general outline. The moment he looked, Xu Qing's expression darkened. The scene he had feared had materialized. The swarm of jellyfish was now in mid-air above the temple cluster. Faintly, it seemed someone was fighting them, with intermittent rumbling sounds. The distance was too great, and Xu Qing couldn't clearly see the combatants. After some thought, he cautiously approached.

Meanwhile, within the temple cluster, Old Stone's body trembled, his lips quivered, as he gazed around in despair. Around him lay numerous corpses, all belonging to the attendants and guards brought by the young men and women. As for the young men and women, they had lost their previous carefree attitude. Each was pale and injured, in a state of disarray and terror. The remaining guards and attendants were protecting them while slowly moving outwards and fighting desperately. The hundreds of smaller jellyfish were launching a frenzied assault on them. Meanwhile, in the sky, battling the five or six large jellyfish, were the five powerful middle-aged cultivators brought by the young men and women.

"'How could this happen? How could this happen...? Everything was fine just a moment ago...'" Old Stone, trembling, frantically moved with the young men and women, but he was old, and after only a few steps, a small jellyfish passed through the guards and rapidly lunged at him. He couldn't dodge in time. The next instant... the jellyfish floated directly through Old Stone's body, taking his heart and devouring it, then headed straight for the young men and women. Old Stone's body collapsed, convulsing uncontrollably. Blood flowed from his chest, spreading around Old Stone, and blood uncontrollably spilled from his mouth. As if quicksand was covering everything he knew, he murmured the last words of his life.

"'The qualification to enter the city... can't be bought anymore...'"

Old Stone lay there with open eyes, his breath fading, motionless. Everything before him became an eternal darkness.