Chapter Twenty-Five: The Realm of Darkness

Boom!

Righteous energy surged forth, vast and overwhelming. Xu Zhe raised his fist and struck straight ahead, landing squarely on the bridge of the skull-faced figure. With a crisp crack, the emaciated body shattered instantly into fragments, bones scattering across the floor alongside two enormous eyeballs.

"Evil spirits meddling, pretending to be gods and ghosts—how tiresome," Xu Zhe muttered, furrowing his brows. His gaze swept onward to the darkness ahead, where only a vast region of shadow remained.

This space seemed to exist independently, a pocket of darkness whose full extent could not be discerned, boundless and endless, with no clear boundary.

"Could this be where those evil spirits usually hide?" Xu Zhe recalled the white-haired old woman he encountered on Soul-Calming Night. She had vanished right before his eyes. At the time, he had surmised that the entrance and exit for evil spirits lay nearby, though he had no means to open it.

Later, upon examining the black iron shard the old woman had given him, which was saturated with sinister energy, Xu Zhe abandoned any thought of hunting the evil spirits.

Yet now, unexpectedly, those malevolent beings had come seeking him—so brazen that they brought their hiding place right into his bathroom.

Intolerable! Evil spirits, how dare you!

Xu Zhe strode boldly into the depths of the darkness, determined to confront these spirits.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

No sooner had Xu Zhe taken his first steps than two round eyeballs, bleeding profusely, rolled out of the bathroom, swiveling about to survey their surroundings. Their pupils contracted, and with a sudden leap, they sprang from the floor.

A sharp crack rang out as the eyeballs burst through the window.

The room was quiet once more, save for shards of glass scattered across the floor.

...

Meanwhile, Xu Zhe had already ventured deep into the region of darkness.

He opened his spiritual senses, scanning all around, but found nothing.

Clearly, this was a barren realm, pitch black as far as the eye could see.

After walking several thousand meters, Xu Zhe suddenly remembered something and turned back. The bathroom door he had entered through was nowhere to be seen.

"Someone... someone's presence... where are you, where are you..." A weak, ethereal voice echoed nearby.

Bang!

Xu Zhe kicked off, launching himself like a cannonball dozens of meters ahead.

"Who are you?" he called out, but his spiritual senses detected no one.

"Ha! Someone, there's really someone..." The weak voice sounded again, tinged with excitement and joy.

This time, Xu Zhe quickly pinpointed the source and rushed over.

Smack!

Suddenly, a sharp sound came from beneath his feet.

Xu Zhe halted, looking down to see a crushed skull and two exploded eyeballs.

---

He paused, lifting his foot and gently brushing the ground with his shoe, then continued forward, calling out, "Who are you? Come forth and speak."

But this time, there was no response. It was as if nothing had ever appeared.

An hour passed, and Xu Zhe stopped calling. He realized that the skull he had stepped on was likely the owner of the voice.

All around was still darkness, endless and infinite.

"This is getting troublesome," Xu Zhe sighed.

His impulse had gotten the better of him. Had he known, he wouldn't have entered. Now, not only had he failed to find the evil spirits, but the door to return was gone.

Thud!

Suddenly, there was another sound ahead, as if something had fallen into water.

Xu Zhe chose not to call out. This time, he responded with a powerful punch.

Righteous energy surged, gathering in his fist, which he hurled at the source of the sound.

Boom!

With a dull thud, reminiscent of a balloon bursting, a beam of light appeared, shining through.

A fist-sized hole had opened before Xu Zhe.

Beyond the hole lay the brightly lit, bustling main street of Tianhe City.

The noise and cheers poured in through the opening.

But soon, the hole began to close, shrinking visibly.

"This..." Xu Zhe was astonished, staring at his fist in disbelief.

I, Xu Zhe, at the threshold of Foundation Establishment, have punched through the void?

Impossible! Even when I reached the Immortal Emperor realm, I couldn't do such a thing, and now, not even at Foundation Establishment, I managed it?

What nonsense.

Xu Zhe knew well that this was indeed an independent pocket of space.

No matter how unstable, it shouldn't be something he could punch through with a single blow.

The only explanation was... he couldn't figure it out!

He stepped back, changing direction.

Within his dantian, spiritual energy surged, transforming into righteous force. He punched fiercely.

Boom—a dull thud echoed as before.

Another fist-sized hole appeared, letting in dimmer light.

Beyond it was a quiet alley in Tianhe City—empty, silent.

"Wait, someone..." Xu Zhe narrowed his eyes. At the end of the alley, several figures flashed past.

Looking closely, they were masked cultivators in black robes, all at Foundation Establishment, carrying unconscious civilians.

---

There were children, elders, and youths—all ordinary people.

"The Cold Crow Army? Why are they capturing civilians?" Xu Zhe frowned deeply. Though masked and robed, their boots matched those he had seen worn by the Cold Crow Army during the day.

The figures vanished at the alley's end.

Soon, the hole contracted and disappeared.

Xu Zhe's expression grew grave. The Cold Crow Army capturing civilians could not bode well; otherwise, why operate so stealthily?

He regretted his carelessness—caught off guard and trapped here...

Oh, now he remembered—not so regrettable after all.

If he could punch through this space, then as long as he struck quickly, unleashing dozens of blows, he could create a large enough opening to exit.

In that case, perhaps he didn't need to emerge inside the city.

"As long as I try different directions, I can find the spot corresponding to outside the city, open a hole, and leave. Then, in front of the Cold Crow Army and Qi Ming, I could walk back into the city from outside..."

At this thought, a shy smile crossed Xu Zhe's face. He felt a little embarrassed.

He disliked showing off in front of others—too flashy, not his style.

Yet, for some reason, the idea made his heart stir with anticipation and a hint of delight.

If it pleased him, then... why not try?

Xu Zhe closed his eyes, recalling the locations of the holes he had punched.

In his mind, he mapped out the three-dimensional layout of Tianhe City, drawing a line between the two points to estimate the direction of the city gate.

Soon, Xu Zhe locked onto the position, opened his eyes, and dashed forward.

Though he had spent over an hour wandering, it seemed he hadn't traveled straight but circled around. Now, he was not far from the Tianjiao Tower.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Xu Zhe stopped, punching rapidly in three directions.

Three fist-sized holes appeared simultaneously.

One opened onto the front entrance of the Changyun Inn, filled with guests.

Another faced the Tianjiao Tower's main door—dark, empty.

The last opened in the center of the main street, directly aligned with the distant city gate.

"Found it," Xu Zhe grinned, revealing neat white teeth, and his figure flickered as he darted forward.

...

...

[Writing muddled until now, I suddenly realize there are only a few minutes left before 2021 arrives. So, this is my final update of the year; the next will wait until next year. In advance, I wish everyone a Happy New Year! May you stand against fifty foes in the coming year. Lastly, please consider recommending and voting. I've heard that after midnight, even books not yet on the shelves can receive monthly votes. Give it a try.]