An old man stood atop a mountain, gazing over the desolate land. The earth was deathly still, silent, cold, and dark.
Countless corpses lay scattered across the ground. There was nothing living to be found, not even a single plant. Black had become the eternal dominant tone.
Fuzi's voice rang out. Ning Que's final words—Though I stand in darkness, my heart turns toward the light—made Fuzi burst into laughter.
At the Academy's Back Mountain, Ning Que collapsed shortly after successfully climbing the mountain.
The next day, he formally came to Back Mountain to pay his respects to his senior brothers and sisters, only to see someone who surprised him. The cripple in the wheelchair from the Old Book Tower actually held a high position in Back Mountain, and all his senior brothers and sisters treated him with considerable respect.
"Sir!" Remembering their unpleasant first meeting, Ning Que could only steel himself and step forward.
"Ning Que, congratulations on entering the Second Floor."
"Thank you, Sir. Please forgive my earlier offense."
"Why would I hold it against a little fellow like you?"
Ning Que had only been in the Second Floor for three months when trouble broke out in the north.
The Golden Tent Royal Court had already submitted to the Wastelanders. Its hundred thousand-plus cavalry had all pledged their loyalty to the Demon Sect.
Moreover, the nights in the Far North were growing longer and longer. Countless Wastelanders began moving south and had already appeared on the grasslands!
The nations under Xiling had originally been free to enter the grasslands as they pleased. But now, by order of the new Chanyu, anyone affiliated with Xiling who entered the grasslands without permission would be treated as an enemy. And enemies would be killed without mercy!
Clearly, Xiling would never tolerate such