"Void Marsh"

"Young Master."

The Crippled Monkey standing behind Chen Fan whispered, "Judging from the current situation, the people are quite enthusiastic about this Mortal Domain Spring Examination."

"We should be able to find quite a few talented people."

"The Logistics Pavilion is paying special attention to a few people; these individuals have a very high chance of winning the Top Ranker."

"Um."

Chen Fan nodded slightly, without saying much; talent reserves are necessary.

The Eternal Night Continent is preparing for its first Mortal Domain Spring Examination. Both the Mortal Domain and its people attach great importance to it, but other departments have not stopped working because of this; instead, they are all busy with their own affairs.

For example, one

On the boundless ocean as far as the eye can see.

A Flying Boat is flying slowly overhead.

Extremely slow.

On the deck of the Flying Boat, a man dressed in the uniform of the Mortal Domain Commerce Pavilion was looking solemnly at the Ghosthide Map in his hand. As the Boat Captain of the Commerce Pavilion, he was responsible for exploring the outside world.

At this point, they were 6,000 kilometers away from the New Continent.

6000 kilometers.

A Sea Domain that has never been explored in the Mortal Domain. On the Ghosthide Map, the nearby Sea Domain is not blank, it is an untouched place.

At this moment.

He encountered a crisis.

With ample Eerie-Stone Reserves in the Mustard-Seed Room the Flying Boat, the speed of the Flying Boat suddenly dropped sharply, without any warning, to the speed of a mere Skeleton Horse. His first attempt was to contact the Mortal Domain.

But.

The Message Talisman is unusable.

Communication was forcibly cut off.

He tried to leave the area, but once he left, his speed would drop sharply again until he came to a complete stop.

Without a doubt.

He was trapped Thousand Meters in the air, in an invisible and intangible but real "Void Marsh," unaffected by any ascent or descent. At this point, there was only one path left for him: to continue exploring.

The man's chest heaved, clearly indicating that he was not at peace.

I felt both excited and apprehensive.

This special situation is somewhat like the discovery of the New Continent or some other strange phenomenon, which means he is about to make a name for himself, but the fear brought about by this completely unknown situation is also extremely strong.

"Boat Captain."

A young man with a look of fear in his eyes strode up from behind and said urgently, "We've tried to contact the Mortal Domain again, but communication has been blocked. We can't get through to our superiors."

What do we do now?

"Don't rush, don't rush."

The somewhat weathered-looking man took a deep breath and whispered, "I once crossed the 'Thunderstorm Sea' twice with Pavilion Master King, a place where death seemed certain. Even in the most perilous situations, there's always a glimmer of hope."

We must not panic at this time.

"What we are encountering now is something we were not trained in at the Private School. This means we are facing something new. At this time, we just need to wait patiently and not run away recklessly."

Mortal Domain Commerce Pavilion Training.

When faced with unknown dangers, going with the flow has a higher survival rate than acting blindly.

After unifying the Mortal Domain, all Mortal Domain Member received supplementary training, mainly covering matters related to special situations, the characteristics of some Strange Entities, and the appearance, effects, and storage conditions of some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

"Clear."

Although the young man beside him was still somewhat flustered, he was clearly much calmer than before. The moment he joined the Commerce Pavilion, he knew that this day might come.

But.

When that day finally arrives, some fear is still unavoidable.

Just then

As the clouds parted and the moon shone brightly, he saw an Island as the mist gradually dissipated.

It is an Island that is not very large, neither as big as "Western Wasteland Island" nor as big as "Huyi Continent". It looks about the size of Nameless Mountain. It is an extremely small and tiny Island in the Sea Domain.

"Walk!"

"Xun Ba, you stay on the Flying Boat. We'll be back before dark."

"You're in charge of providing backup. If you see the Soul Thunder explode, escape immediately."

After taking a deep breath, the Boat Captain ordered the Flying Boat to land on the Island. He quickly drew a mark on the Ghosthide Map in his hand, indicating that there was an unknown Island here. This way, even if he died, the others from the Mortal Domain could fill in the unknown gap in this Sea Domain after they came here and picked up his Ghosthide Map.

He didn't know what was on the Island.

But obviously...

When the Flying Boat descended to the Island, it was able to land normally without any feeling of being obstructed.

Soon.

The Flying Boat landed on the edge of the Island. There was no beach, only large Pebble of Pebble, all of them round and thin, making it a perfect playground for children, especially for skipping Pebble.

Of course, the four people who stepped off the Flying Boat at this moment didn't have much time to look down and examine the Pebble.

Instead, some, with wary expressions, advanced towards the center of the Island in Arrow Formation.

"Be on guard."

The Middle-Aged Man at the front took out a Left-Hand Matchlock engraved with mysterious patterns from his pocket, and then took out a small, Eerie Stone from his left pocket and stuffed it into the notch at the back of the "revolver" in his hand.

A flash of White Light followed.

The Vein Patterns on the revolver emitted a faint white light, indicating it was ready to fire at any moment.

This is a weapon called a "Pocket Cannon" produced by the Mortal Domain Individual Weapons Workshop.

"Pocket Cannon": Yellow Grade, no Cultivation requirement for use, each activation requires "500 Eerie Stone", power is equivalent to a level 1 Green Grade Cannon Tower.

Its power is considerable.

It has the power equivalent to a level one Godslayer Cannon.

For a single person, this power is already quite good.

Each of the four of them carried a weapon.

The Artifact Pavilion gave each of their Commerce Pavilion members who went out to explore a weapon.

Besides.

Each person also carries a "Soul Thunder".

"Soul Thunder": Yellow Grade, no Cultivation use, explodes after the holder dies, with power equivalent to a full-force strike of a level 2 Godslayer Cannon, the explosive attack cannot harm members of the same Camp faction, cost 1000 Eerie Stone.

The normal organizational structure of the Mortal Domain Commerce Pavilion is five people per group.

The four of them disembarked from the Flying Boat to explore, while one person remained on Flying Boat. The youngest man stayed Flying Boat so that if anything unexpected happened to them, the Flying Boat could immediately escape. Although they couldn't escape, at least they could preserve a glimmer of hope and make it easier for the Mortal Domain to find them.

The Island's edge is covered with large swathes of these Pebble.

In the center of the Island lies a jungle.

But no green leaves were visible.

They were all dead wood.

Not long after.

The four of them then stepped into the jungle, which exuded an aura of decay.

The Middle-Aged Man at the head of the group looked up at the withered tree that was at least forty or fifty meters tall. It was leafless, and at Dusk, the bare Branch looked like menacing ghosts.

The man's breathing became increasingly rapid, and none of the three people beside him spoke; their faces all looked somewhat tense.

This is a completely unknown place.

There is no record of such a place in the Mortal Domain; they have to rely on themselves for everything.

The Boat Captain, carried the cannon in his hand and constantly surveyed the surroundings. There wasn't a single fallen leaf on the ground, nor any sign of decay, which meant that this jungle was likely to remain in this decaying and desolate state indefinitely.

Quiet.

Extremely quiet.

There were no birdsong, no cricket chirping, no crawling sounds of Soil, and no sounds of wild animals running around. Apart from their footsteps, almost no other sounds could be heard.

I wonder if it's just my imagination.

Or it could be due to Zhang Suo.

He felt his heart beating faster and faster, the sound growing louder and louder, like thunderclaps that were almost deafening, and his nerves were stretched to the limit at that moment.

The next moment

A barely perceptible disturbance sounded to their left.

But in such silence, this slight movement almost instantly woke them up!

"Boom!"

Almost simultaneously.

The four of them turned around in unison, swiftly pulled out their hand cannons, and fired them to the left. Crimson Light Bullet out, stirring up the Soil and causing several nearby dead trees to crash to the ground.

"Who!"

The Boat Captain, his lips trembling slightly.

Each hand cannon shot costs 500 Eerie Stone, but no one cares about this cost at the moment.

No one responded.

After confirming there was no movement, the group cautiously moved to the left. Apart from seeing a few craters left by bombs, there was nothing unusual, as if they were hallucinating.

The Boat Captain the group remained vigilant; this was definitely not Illusion. Before they knew it, the sky grew even darker, Eternal Night was about to descend. Worse still, this was already past their scheduled return time to the Flying Boat. For some reason, time seemed to be flowing much faster.

There's no going back now.

They need to remain stationed in place.

"Stay put."

The Boat Captain, his face wary, gave the order.

Upon hearing this, one of his Subordinate instinctively reached behind him, where the Eerie Fire, bound by ropes, was. But when his hand touched his back, his expression suddenly changed drastically, and his voice began to tremble. "Captain... Boat Captain, the Level-3 Eerie Fire I carry is gone."

That's all.

The Boat Captain's face instantly turned grim. He strode up behind his Subordinate, but the bound Eerie Fire was nowhere to be seen; only the severed ropes swaying in the wind remained. Their Commerce Pavilion was now their most important department.

Therefore, any good things are given to them first.

Their ropes were no ordinary ropes, but Level-10 Cable, from a building in the Mortal Domain. At their Max-Level Effect, they were extremely sturdy, far more resilient than ordinary ropes. Their cross-sections were extremely smooth, meaning they could be easily cut.

The next moment

One of the men completely broke down, his face contorted with terror as he screamed and ran wildly out of the jungle, trying to escape back to the Flying Boat before nightfall. "Come back!"

The Boat Captain growled anxiously.

However, the man had lost his mind and was running wildly with his head down, ignoring everything else, letting out a roar mixed with sobs. The Boat Captain did not stop him, but lowered his head and thought quickly with a grim expression. The Pavilion Master once said that the more this situation was, the less he should rush. The Pavilion Master was able to cross the Thunderstorm Sea twice back then, so he could also get out of here alive.

First

His original plan was to return to the Flying Boat before dark, but before he knew it, it was already dark, and even if he ran towards the Seaside, he wouldn't be able to get back in time.

If the flow of time hadn't been accelerated.

That is.

Some kind of creature, or rather, Strange Entities, influenced their perception, causing them to unknowingly pass through the Dusk.

Furthermore, the fact that such a heavy, Eerie Fire disappeared from the Subordinate's Subordinate without any reaction further proves one point: the initial commotion on the left was merely to attract their attention; their true aim was to steal the Eerie Fire from them.

Why steal the Eerie Fire?

Because it's getting dark.

But would Strange Entities capable of easily severing Level-10 Cable be afraid of Eerie Fire?

In the Jiangbei Wasteland, any slightly stronger Strange Entities can attempt to break through the Eerie Fire; during the Rainy Season, almost any Strange Entities dares to do so.

One conclusion can be drawn.

There are only two possibilities.

If it weren't for an extremely powerful and Strange Entities with some kind of twisted sense of humor, intending to slowly torture them to death in the Eternal Night, letting them perish in the absolute darkness.

Or perhaps it's this Strange Entities, extremely aggressive but extremely weak defensively, and unable to get close to the lit Eerie Fire.

If it's the former, they accept it.

If it's the latter, then they still have a glimmer of hope.

However, he glanced at his two Subordinate beside him. He couldn't tell them his speculation at this moment; the Strange Entities was most likely hiding in the shadows, staring intently at them.

He could only try his best to appease them.

Looking at the rapidly darkening light around them, he said as calmly as possible, "From now on, the three of us will stand back to back. Do not make any rash moves without my order."

"Listen to me."

"Just as the Domain Lord led the Pavilion Master away from the Jiangbei Rainy Season, and just as the Pavilion Master led me through the Thunderstorm Sea, I will lead you away from here." His gaze was fixed on the depths of the jungle.

Since Lao Yao has run away...

He was waiting for Lao Yao's Soul Thunder to strike. If, as he suspected, the Strange Entities's defenses were extremely weak, it might be killed instantly by Lao Yao's Soul Thunder. However, he hadn't heard an explosion for a long time. Could it be that the Strange Entities hadn't gone after the lone Lao Yao?

Or perhaps they weren't killed immediately.

Soul Thunder can only be detonated upon death.

It cannot be detonated intentionally.

He's actually not Intelligence.

Not exactly an Intelligence man, he initially belonged to the Wild Wolf Gang of Northbank City, but now, as the Boat Captain, he had to force himself to come up with a plan. Just then...

Eternal Night has arrived.

He saw a thick darkness, as always, rushing in from the horizon and enveloping the entire Island in the blink of an eye.

"Call."

He took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes. This was the first time he had stood in the Eternal Night without the protection of the Eerie Fire. The extreme darkness, even with his eyes closed, brought a sense of oppression that made his breathing quicken.

He could feel the backs of the other two people pressed tightly against his, and they were also trembling.

Don't panic, don't panic.

He reassured himself as if in a hypnotic state, and gripped the hand cannon tightly in his hand.

It's a profile of that unknown, Strange Entities lurking in the darkness.

A solitary, Strange Entities.

Unable to leave the Island.

The island was devoid of any life, and no one ever passed by. It was incredibly boring, and it's unclear how long it had existed. Under such circumstances, if humans were suddenly seen landing on the island, the first reaction would certainly not be to kill them, but to slowly toy with them.

To kill time when I'm bored.

The opportunity he needed to seize was the chance that his opponent didn't intend to kill him immediately, but instead wanted to toy with him.

Just then

A gentle breeze swept by, carrying with it the teasing laughter of mischievous children.

A chill ran down her neck first, followed by a belated sharp pain. Warm blood flowed slowly down her neck; the wound wasn't deep, and it felt more like the caress of a wife, a ghost, with eyes full of love, towards her husband.

Gentle yet deadly.

The man didn't react at all; he just stood there with his eyes closed, as if he were in a meditative state.

He had never been so focused in his entire life.

He even had time to let his mind wander.

He had thought that he might also feel fear and break down when facing death, but he didn't expect him to be so calm. He was even a little impressed with himself.

The next moment!

Another gentle breeze swept by, this time affecting my right arm.

The sound of clothes being torn rang out.

Perhaps because he appeared the calmest, the Strange Entities in the darkness did not harm the other two. Instead, it kept staring at him, and this time, amidst the faint laughter, he heard a hint of dissatisfaction.

Just like...

Humans used water to enclose an ant, wanting to see it struggle and stumble around. But the ant remained motionless, seemingly oblivious. This illustrates the dissatisfaction of a higher being when a lower being doesn't follow its script.

Soon.

A gentle breeze swept by again, this time with a whooshing sound.

He had a gaping wound on his abdomen, a much more severe one, with blood gushing out uncontrollably. Yet the man remained standing motionless, his lips twitching involuntarily from the pain, without even taking out the healing Altar Water from his robes. In the natural world...

Many creatures, when captured by their powerful enemies, do not struggle, but rather wait to be devoured as if awaiting death. What they are waiting for is the moment when their enemies relax their guard, at which point they unleash all their remaining strength and escape in an instant.

That's exactly how he is right now.

A breeze came again, and again, with increasing speed and frequency.

However

He remained standing there, motionless.

From the initial faint laughter, a hint of anger could now be detected; clearly, this Strange Entities was not satisfied with its prey's reaction.

Finally!

It's no longer a gentle breeze.

Rather, it is an entity.

He felt the physical texture.

Almost instantly.

The man, his eyes tightly shut, Ground Spikes, grabbing a sticky object in front of him. Without a second thought, he gripped the hand cannon in his right hand, pointed it forward, and pulled the trigger, firing.

"Boom!"

An explosion rang out, and he felt the thing he was holding suddenly go limp, with a sticky liquid splashing all over him.

There wasn't enough time to react.

Pull the trigger again.

Until the thing in my hand completely softened.

The man then released his grip and continued to stand patiently in place, waiting for several breaths before taking out a porcelain bottle from his robes and Altar Water inside.

"Boss, are you alright?"

A Subordinate beside him asked, his voice trembling slightly. Although they couldn't see what was happening because of the darkness, they could roughly guess what had happened from his voice.

"Fine."

The man spoke slowly in a hoarse voice.

"Stay vigilant; there might be more than just this one Strange Entities in the darkness."

He didn't even know what kind of Strange Entities he had killed, but he was certain that its defense was indeed very weak. Just as he had guessed, a direct hit from the hand cannon would almost certainly kill it instantly. In addition to its extremely strong attack power, the creature was also extremely fast.