Darkness surged like a tide.
A hazy glow floated through the air.
Beneath its halo, Zhong Kui Yueji and Ning Wuye walked on, one ahead of the other, never straying outside its light.
It was the Ten Thousand Year Mermaid Pearl. The merfolk had dwelled in the deep sea since ancient times, far beneath the reach of the sun and moon, where it was dark as pitch all year round. They had a unique method for refining lighting pearls, known to the world as mermaid pearls, which could illuminate objects in even the deepest darkness.
The older the mermaid pearl, the more precious it was. The Ten Thousand Year Mermaid Pearl before them was a treasure from the Liulan Dynasty's Secret Treasury.
If placed in the outside world, it would be bright enough to illuminate several cities, shining as brilliantly as the moon.
But here, it could light only a few yards around them.
As it hung high overhead, it continuously released a fresh, watery mist, as if drawn from the depths of the sea, from places rarely visited by humankind. It dispelled the irritation and distress brought on by Eternal Night Whisper.
Where its faintly blue light fell, the desolate landscape of the Gobi Desert emerged in full.
Sensing the presence of living beings, snakes, rats, insects, and ants fled in every direction. Yet some especially treacherous vipers lay concealed beneath the sand and gravel, waiting for a chance to strike.
Ning Wuye flicked a finger. A streak of Sword Qi sliced through three black blind snakes that had lunged at them. He frowned slightly.
The Ten Thousand Year Mermaid Pearl's light was limited here. The two of them could see only a few yards around themselves. Neither Spiritual Sense nor any other means could detect what lurked in