Alger rested his chin on his newly-acquired shield, his voice heavy with concern as he addressed the group:
"To be honest, relying on just us to defend through the entire night might be... difficult."
Liu Ping glanced at Alger's shield before turning inward, taking quick inventory of his own belongings:
Blade, Snow Shadow: Reliable and deadly, a lifeline in the coming fight.
Fan: Dismantled and useless, more of a hindrance now.
Storage Bag and spirit stones: A finite reserve, precious but depleting.
Bamboo hat: Useful for concealing identity but of little use in combat.
Battle armor: A critical defense, though its limits were well known to him.
Formation plate: The most potent tool in his arsenal, but one he dared not use openly. 'How could a scavenger like , fresh from the wilderness, master such profound formation techniques in just two days? No one would believe it.'
He sighed inwardly, tallying the rest of his supplies:
Cultivation pills: A small stash remained, vital for replenishing energy.
Shady talismans: Mostly expended during earlier fights.
Blank talismans: Still several bundles left, but crafting them into sothing useful required ti and spirit power—luxuries he didn't have.
'If I waste what little spirit power I have making talismans, I'll have none left for the fight ahead. And without spirit power tonight... how will I survive?'
Liu Ping turned his gaze toward the bartender, his mind racing.
Bartender...
The man was a mystery, a figure who exuded an air of resourcefulness and cunning. In Liu Ping's experience, he was one of the most enigmatic and capable individuals in the entire town.
If even he doesn't have a solution, then...
Liu Ping's grip tightened on Snow Shadow.
'If Dark Mist Town can't be defended, then there's only one choice: escape. But escaping ans running into the wilderness, into the unknown. And in the wilderness... there are fates worse than death.'
The oppressive silence was broken only by the distant, eerie sounds of the encroaching night. Darkness crept ever closer, swallowing the horizon inch by inch.
As the second round of bells echoed ominously through the town, the group felt the air thicken with tension. Darkness lood closer, and an oppressive weight seed to press down from all sides.
Karadur's voice broke the silence.
"Bartender, do you have any way to help us out?"
The bartender, leaning back with an air of weariness, sighed deeply.
"You focus on defending. I'll recover my strength first. If it gets critical and you can't hold, I'll step in."
The group exchanged uneasy glances. There was no guarantee of survival, even with the bartender's intervention.
Dāng—dāng—dāng!
The third chi of the bells rang out, signaling the final call to action.
The Night's watchn began to mobilize, heading toward the outer walls of the small town. Karadur took command with sharp efficiency.
"Alright, we split into four teams—each of us takes a direction to defend."
Old K frowned.
"The north, south, east, and west walls are too far apart. We won't be able to see each other, let alone help in ti if sothing goes wrong."
Liu Ping shrugged lightly.
"Then if you're in trouble, scream for help—loudly. At least we'll know, even if we can't reach you in ti."
Alger gave a short laugh, his grip tightening on his shield.
"Simple, but smart. I like it."
Suddenly, the bells grew louder, reverberating with an unnatural resonance. A new notification appeared in midair, projected like a ghostly script before their eyes:
[Attention!]
[A spatial anomaly has occurred:]
[The World of Death and the Current World are now overlapping.]
[The laws are stabilizing the connection between the two worlds. All beings are now subject to the World Principle: "Spreading Death."]
[Explanation: The entire World of Living is now under the influence of the World of Death.]
[It is advised to remain within the boundaries of the town, as venturing outside may result in being drawn fully into the World of Death—with no possibility of return.]
Darkness crept in from all directions, slowly consuming the entirety of Dark Mist Town.
The four defenders swiftly moved to their assigned positions, each scaling the city wall they were tasked to guard.
Liu Ping was stationed at the western wall.
Beyond the town, the wilderness had fully rged with the World of Death, taking on an eerie, desolate appearance, like a realm frozen in twilight.
Adjusting the Double-Barreled Shotgun slung across his back, Liu Ping ensured the mini submachine gun was fully loaded before turning his attention to the horizon.
The night was unnervingly silent.
Standing vigil, Liu Ping scanned the wilderness, his senses sharpened to catch even the faintest disturbance.
Ti crawled by, but nothing unusual happened.
He exhaled softly, allowing the tension in his body to ease just a little.
'Since awakening, how many days have passed?'
He began to reflect.
Foundation establishnt.
Joining the Grand Profundity Palace.
Learning that the Cultivation World was no longer its own master but a plaything for greater powers.
The danger surrounding him was suffocating, but his low cultivation base forced him to focus on re survival, leaving no room to explore deeper truths.
The Grand Profundity Palace...
When can I return there?
The secrets left by his master, hidden within the Seven Great Factions, still lingered out of reach.
Though he had entered the Grand Profundity Palace, his foundation establishnt stage was insufficient. It would take ti—ti to grow stronger, to finally unravel the mysteries left behind.
Liu Ping's thoughts drifted until his spirit sense suddenly alerted him to sothing.
Snapping back to the present, he turned his gaze outward.
In the wilderness beyond the town walls, a figure appeared.
A little girl.
This ti, the little girl looked distressed, her body bearing several wounds that bled profusely.
Liu Ping beckoned her over.
The girl walked toward him step by step before leaping gracefully onto the city wall. She perched on a nearby pilaster, her movents light and fluid despite her injuries.
"Were you hurt?" Liu Ping asked, concern evident in his tone.
"I'll be fine. Do you have anything to eat?" she replied, brushing off his concern.
"There's no sign of monsters for now, but..." Liu Ping hesitated, then added
"Even sothing you living people eat would be fine."
He reached into his pack and handed her a field ration.
"It's really awful..." she muttered, grimacing after taking a bite.
"Well, the situation is limiting right now. Just bear with it for now. When things settle, I'll cook for you, and I promise it'll taste much better" Liu Ping said, placing his mini submachine gun on the pilaster beside him.
The girl set the ration down and looked at him intently.
"What is it?" Liu Ping asked, puzzled by her sudden scrutiny.
"I've always wanted to ask... what does it feel like to be alive?" she asked softly.
"To be alive is to feel joy," Liu Ping replied. "In a world like this, it ans not being controlled by any monster, to act according to your own will. That freedom—it's the pleasure of living."
"You're quite an unusual guy" the girl said with a faint smile.
"Why do you say that?" Liu Ping asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Before you regained consciousness, what was your role in the Cultivation World?" she asked.
"I was a diviner. I could calculate anything, but it cost my lifespan. Because of that, I rarely used those abilities," Liu Ping explained.
"That's it? Don't you have so other mysterious identity, like those odd fellows?" she pressed.
"Fine, to be honest, you could say I was the strongest in the Cultivation World" Liu Ping said, his tone half-joking.
"If that's true, then Lady Agony shouldn't have overlooked you. How did you avoid being controlled?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Because, before the world changed, my master killed " Liu Ping said, his voice calm but tinged with a somber undertone. "In a way, I was already dead before Evernight arrived. That's how I avoided the tribulation."
"Your master?" the little girl asked.
"Yes, the one who taught fortune-telling."
"And?"
"He's just a little worse than ," Liu Ping replied with a faint smile.
The girl studied him intently before speaking. "The current situation is dire. Even I have to find ways to survive. That's why I'm asking you all these questions."
"Dire? What do you an?" Liu Ping asked, his expression turning serious.
"For now, let's set that aside," she said. "You live in this world. What's the one thing you truly want to accomplish?"
Liu Ping responded without hesitation. "To give the people of the Cultivation World peace—to free them from being controlled."
"And if you can't achieve that?" she pressed.
"I'll find a way—"
She interrupted, her voice sharp. "No. You don't understand what I an. I'm asking what you'll do if, no matter what thod you use, it's impossible to free them. What then?"
"Impossible?" Liu Ping frowned.
"Yes," she said firmly. "There is no way to save them. This is true despair."
Liu Ping was silent for a long mont, then said, "If you're determined to show despair, perhaps I'll find a way—perhaps..."
"Perhaps what?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Since they've beco soone's property, I could buy them back," he said calmly.
"And what would you use to buy them?" Her gaze was piercing.
"The life of Lady Agony" Liu Ping replied without flinching.
The little girl stared at him for a mont before breaking into a smile, one that seed both approving and enigmatic. "I'll give you a small gift."
She pricked her finger, letting a single drop of blood fall. Drawing a pattern in the air, she left the drop suspended midair before Liu Ping.
"What's this for?" Liu Ping asked, staring at the floating blood.
"My blood ans that this place belongs to . There should be no monsters coming tonight. What you really need to deal with seriously is the space-hidden ti in the second half of the night," the little girl said.
She leaped lightly over the city wall, her figure quickly disappearing into the darkness.
Once the little girl was gone, Liu Ping slowly turned his gaze back to the drop of blood. lines of small words quickly appeared in his mind:
[Crimson Lord's Blood.]
[Extrely poisonous, lifeless in essence, capable of invoking the art of darkness.]
Extrely poisonous?
Liu Ping paused for a mont, pondering. He ford a quick seal with both hands, and the blood hovered, sealing the thumb-sized blood, floating silently in midair.
This type of blood was rare—almost unheard of—and far too wasteful to only serve as a simple warning. Its real value lies elsewhere.
— For example, selling it for money.
Given his current situation, Liu Ping's strength had yet to improve, and many battles required resources. He needed a way to increase his revenue and reduce his expenditure—finding ways to generate inco was becoming essential.
If monsters appeared in the first half of the night, he'd handle them himself. If not, he could release the blood when the ti ca.
Preserving the drop of blood was crucial.
After a brief mont of contemplation, Liu Ping took out a jade bottle, emptied its contents of dicinal pills, and carefully sealed the drop of blood inside.
He sat in the quiet darkness of the night, awaiting the arrival of any monsters.
An hour passed.
Suddenly, a series of dense sounds echoed from the wilderness beyond the city wall. The sounds drew closer, and a white light began to approach the city, its glow strikingly beautiful in the night.
Liu Ping raised his head and fixed his gaze on the white light, intrigued by the unusual phenonon.
But the white light resembled a wide path, dozens of ters wide, wriggling along the ground. On either side of the light were densely packed, thin feet.
The dense sounds from earlier were made by these feet as they scuttled across the earth.
"Really interesting... It's like a centipede, but with a human face," Liu Ping murmured to himself.
The white light was emitted from the monster's shell. The creature itself was massive, its length seemingly endless, and it appeared to be quite difficult to handle.
Liu Ping activated the breath restraining technique silently, then took out the bamboo hat that helped conceal his presence, placing it on his head.
The centipede-like monster didn't leave, instead continuing to look around in place, its many eyes scanning the area.
Liu Ping thought for a mont, then took out a formation plate and quickly perford a series of hand gestures. A flash of spiritual light erged from the array plate, brushing lightly over Liu Ping's body before disappearing.
"Extre Micro Portable Formation Pervert's Clothing!"
This was a close-fitting formation that Liu Ping had created himself. Similar to other concealnt arrays, it could hide a practitioner. The key difference, however, was that this array was exceptionally small and could only cover one person. Moreover, once activated, the array would fluctuate, revealing the user's presence if their spiritual power wasn't controlled carefully.
However, it had its advantages—it could move with the person.
Back then, soone had asked him to develop this particular array formation and had promised him a substantial sum of spirit stones. Liu Ping thought it was a wonderful idea, so he accepted the paynt and began the research and developnt process.
Unfortunately, that individual was caught in an act, and several fairies swiftly executed him, sending him to be reincarnated.
When Liu Ping learned of this after successfully completing his research, he realized that such a scandal should not be spread. Therefore, the creation of this formation technique remained in obscurity, hidden from the world.
And now...
And now, this array has finally found its practical use!
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