Qian Ye looked up at the sky, where a black sun gave him an eerie sense of unreality. Though it hung clearly in the sky, he couldn’t pinpoint exactly why it felt so unreal.
Qian Ye’s pupils contracted, and his eyes changed color as he tried to filter different wavelengths of light. But no matter which vision he used, the black sun remained unchanged, hovering in the sky without any variation. Even after filtering out extreme spectrums, the black sun still stayed, unaltered.
This suggested that the black sun might be directly projected into Qian Ye’s consciousness, unaffected by traditional means of perception shielding.
If that were the case, then was the black sun truly real? Qian Ye pondered deeply.
He redirected his gaze from the black sun, scanning the hundred-meter-high airspace, observing the terrain around him. The area he could see was rugged and mountainous, but one direction showed signs of flatter ground. Qian Ye focused intently, peering to the limit of his long-distance vision, but he couldn’t see much more.
After a moment of thought, Qian Ye decided not to rush into deeper exploration and continued to survey his surroundings.
The Inner World was not a desolate place; it was teeming with life. Many mountains were covered with peculiar giant trees, and the ground was filled with dense shrubs. If not for the alien appearance of the local creatures, one might mistake this for a vibrant, habitable world.
But this world was not safe.
Not only because of the powerful Night Eternal experts who had entered before, but also because the active dark essence in this realm could give birth to terrifying life forms.
Qian Ye suddenly remembered a perplexing question. Given the nature of the Inner World’s primal essence, ordinary experts couldn’t survive. After his initial analysis, he estimated that anyone below the rank of War General would be contaminated by the active dark essence within minutes, and this contamination was irreversible.
So, why had the dark races driven hundreds of thousands of soldiers to the Valley of Black Sun? Ordinary warriors couldn’t even enter the Inner World, and if they did, they would die. Even a viscount could only last a little longer. Only those at the rank of marquis or above could move freely in this world. Counts could enter, but they faced various restrictions in terms of protection and cultivation.
As for what lay within the Inner World, that was now less of a concern. A world with a sun, far vaster than the Outer World, was itself a priceless treasure.
In the forest, a werewolf warrior descended from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground. He flipped and sprang up, shaking his head, and glanced around, somewhat confused.
Suddenly, he grimaced in pain, clutching his throat, gasping for air, but only managing to exhale, not inhale.
In moments, the werewolf count was on his knees, face red, with dark essence surging through his body, threatening to explode.
At the critical moment, a large hand reached out, placing a mask over the werewolf’s face. The werewolf count could breathe again, taking a deep breath, and looked up to see his savior.
Standing before him was a demonspawn warrior, exuding the aura of a marquis.
“Count Zach Aidan, a renowned legend among the werewolves, I didn’t expect to see you in such a state,” the demonspawn marquis said.
Zach stood up, speaking softly, “I was careless. Regardless, thank you.”
The demonspawn marquis replied, “Though my brother once lost to you, it was a fair fight, and there’s nothing to complain about. Here, even I feel danger, so how about we team up?”
Zach’s face, behind the mask, showed hesitation, and he finally said, “You saved my life, so I’ll set aside some pride and join you.”
“Not only do we need strength, but absolute cultivation. You’re still a bit short of marquis level, and while that gap might be negligible outside, here, the primal essence amplifies its impact, as you’ve experienced. I have a spare suit of armor that should help you.”
The demonspawn marquis took out a suit of armor from his backpack and handed it to Zach.
Zach accepted and put it on. With the armor isolating the external essence, his condition improved. He cursed, “This damn place!”
The marquis nodded, “The dark essence here is toxic. I don’t know how to deal with it if we stay here long-term.”
“Is there a way back?”
“No.”
Zach’s face turned grim, “Coming from a noble lineage, don’t you know a way back?”
“I meant, we don’t. There is a way, but it requires the entry of the monarchs into the new world to establish a return portal. Until then, we can’t leave.”
Zach sighed, “If I knew this, I wouldn’t have suppressed my rank and pursued bloodline purity.”
“It’s too late for that, but your strength will be useful here.”
“Where are we going now?”
The marquis said, “I don’t know. Let’s try to contact others first.”
He took out a flare, threw it into the sky, and it exploded in a burst of light. This signal could travel far and was unaffected by terrain.
However, there was no response. After a while, the marquis said, “Looks like we’re lucky to have landed together. Let’s go and find others.”
Zach nodded and was about to follow when a small shadow flashed, leaping from the bushes and dashing past him, vanishing into the forest.
“That fast!” the marquis exclaimed.
Zach remained calm, “It’s manageable.”
Another dark blur appeared, and Zach, prepared this time, struck like lightning, snatching the creature from the air.
It was a dog-sized creature with four eyes and long ears, oddly cute.
The marquis approached, frowning, “It’s probably herbivorous, but how can it be so fast? Most vampire counts can’t match that speed.”
Zach said, “Nothing is strange in this place. But at least we have dinner.”
Neither the demonspawn nor the werewolf feared toxins, so they didn’t worry about the meat.
The small creature, seemingly understanding, started struggling.
Zach laughed, “Clever little thing. Does it know we’re going to eat it? It’s quite strong… Wait! I can’t hold it!”
The tiny creature suddenly unleashed explosive power, prying open Zach’s fingers. The werewolf count reacted instantly, applying more force, trying to crush the dangerous creature.
But the creature’s fur was extraordinarily tough, like a high-tier hide armor. Zach couldn’t penetrate it, and the creature slipped away.
With a kick, the creature sent a shockwave, leaving deep gashes on Zach’s arm and pushing him back. The creature dashed like an arrow, flying past the demonspawn marquis and into the forest.
The marquis, stunned, was about to speak when Zach shouted, “Watch out!!”
He turned to see the creature, with its ears spread like wings, spiraling back. As Zach warned, it lunged at the marquis, its mouth expanding to bite something much larger than its head. It bit down on the marquis’ shoulder!
The marquis’ shoulder armor was pierced, and a chunk of flesh was torn off. The creature chewed on the armor and flesh, swallowing it.
Holding his wound, the marquis gasped, “It’s carnivorous!”
Zach, serious, lunged with all his might. This time, he caught the creature, crushing its bones.
The creature’s eyes turned pure white, emitting a piercing scream. Soon, the same cries echoed from all directions, and countless shadows leaped from the forest, surrounding the two Night Eternal warriors.
“So many?!” the marquis sucked in a breath. A moment’s hesitation had led to his injury, and now, even before tending to his wound, he drew his weapon.
Each creature was as strong as a viscount, and there were likely hundreds. Even fully healed, neither could withstand such a mass attack.
Even the fierce and bloodthirsty Zach paled.
The horde didn’t attack immediately but waited until they completely surrounded their prey. Then, they pounced. The marquis and Zach burst into their most intense combat, their demonic and dark essences forming a killing storm, but the horde overwhelmed them, and their screams soon followed.
Meanwhile, Qian Ye was entering a forest, where he saw towering trees reaching a hundred meters tall.
The forest was dark, with faint winds and occasional bird calls or beast roars.
Qian Ye walked a short distance when a black shadow shot out from the grass, brushing past him, and headed deeper. Qian Ye grabbed it, plucking the creature from the air.
Examining the creature, Qian Ye couldn’t fathom its speed. Turning it over, he noticed its long, large ears, which seemed to function like wings.
But no bird, even in the Inner World, could fly that fast. It must be using primal essence!
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