[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-journey-to-the-end-of-the-night":3,"chapter-journey-to-the-end-of-the-night-journey-to-the-end-of-the-night-chapter-209":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Journey to the End of the Night",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1715512,2193,"Chapter 209 - 209 207 Strange Events in the City","journey-to-the-end-of-the-night-chapter-209",209,"\u003Cp>209: Chapter 207: Strange Events in the City 209: Chapter 207: Strange Events in the City The maid carefully wiped the strings of the guqin and exclaimed with a furious expression, “That ignorant boy, truly presumptuous!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lady in green had a gem dangling on her forehead that reflected a faint, cold color as she smiled, “He’s just a naive child, why bother arguing with him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But he actually compared you, my lady, to a mortal woman!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lady picked up a sycamore leaf and covered one eye, saying, “Mortal women, what’s wrong with that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mortal women, what’s wrong with that?” Baili An picked up the chopsticks to serve Lin Yuan the dishes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fairy or mortal woman, in my eyes, all seek to please the heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are thousands of ways to repay a debt of gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The trope of pledging oneself can indeed make a beautiful story if there’s mutual love and willingness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if the heart is unwilling and one is coerced by gratitude, it’s a different matter altogether.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smiled faintly, “A blasphemy and a grave sin?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If becoming mortal is considered blasphemy, then this Mortal World shouldn’t possess such beautiful customs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This kid, his words really are unpleasant,” the lady in green laughed, seemingly at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She set down the golden cup in her hand, and the moonlight made her bright eyes glisten with slight regret: “I thought he would be a more interesting kid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turns out, his perspective is so narrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he only understands the affairs of young love, how could he achieve greatness?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s a pity, this trial might be too difficult for him to overcome.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She removed the leaf from her eye and lightly lifted her hand, playing the guqin without touching it, yet a clear and distant sound resonated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky was utterly silent, and the stars and moon faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The City that never sleeps, in a moment, seemed as if the sky had collapsed, devoured by darkness, not a sliver of light remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her chilly, clear voice lingered in the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This world is too small to contain what I desire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adhering to the rules for so many years, it might be better to break this heavenly light and peek into the unseen true world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hope this kid doesn’t get devoured by his fears.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The maid sighed, “My lady, you really do like this child.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the lady likes, never seems to stay intact until the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like those Disciples of the past, and so it is with Xianling City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden darkness sent the entire city into a panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the midst of darkness, the lively clapping stopped abruptly, and a girl’s scream resonated in alarm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if in the depths of the unknown, a hand had opened a door of Taboo, releasing a darkness that not only swallowed stars but also unleashed mysterious and unknown horrors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Cultivators in the city were not fearful of darkness, but this particular darkness allowed one to palpably feel something unusual—surging, uneasy, lurking!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The darkness came swiftly and left just as quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t allow anyone the slightest reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, inside the tavern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A beautiful young girl in her prime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her appearance in death was not nearly as beautiful, even somewhat eerie, making one’s scalp tingle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sat peacefully in a black lacquered chair designed for watching operas, her head twisted unnaturally backward, hanging over the edge of the chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her neck was twisted at a gruesome angle with fresh, red bone spurs sticking out from the skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her deathly, contorted expression was filled with deep resentment, her hands stretched forward as though the Evil Ghost was claiming souls, all ten fingers bent grotesquely in different directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyeballs had vanished, as though pecked out by Corpse Crows, thin strands of bloody red nerves dripped from her hollow, bleeding sockets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire venue was silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Baili An, spurred by the sight of blood, swallowed hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah!!!!!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On stage, a young girl playing the clappers turned pale from fear, shrieking and convulsing so violently that the clappers fell to the ground, her voice twisted and hoarse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, her grandfather reacted quickly, covering her eyes and mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he was also pale with fear, he managed to calm her with a steady voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t be afraid, my good child, don’t be afraid, be good, the Evil Ghost won’t eat you, don’t look at these things.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl was obviously innocent and unweathered by life’s storms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His comforting words made her shake even more violently, her lips turning a dark blue color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Murder…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Murder!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Evil Ghost has killed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, the bustling, lively tavern instantly dispersed as if witnessing a nightmare, the crowd declaring affirmations as if reciting protective incantations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baili An glanced calmly at Lin Guiyuan and asked, “Did you see clearly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It turned out that at some unknown point, Lin Guiyuan’s gray eyes had turned a pale, deathly white, resembling the pupils of a dead fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without visible pupils, yet able to see the true world invisible to normal people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baili An’s Corpse Demon eyes excelled in seeing in the dark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, that sudden onslaught of darkness had completely stripped him of his visual senses instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, it was a stripping away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not merely covered by the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden invasive darkness was capable of stripping one’s vision!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Guiyuan’s pupils quickly returned to their original color, and he shook his head, “I couldn’t see anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the tavern, the owner’s face was as pale as death, muttering continuously, “Bad luck, so much bad luck!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is just dreadful!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While his face looked fearful, he shivered as he began closing up shop with practiced movements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grandfather and granddaughter on stage also left hurriedly, not even daring to pick up the scattered Silver Coins, their faces filled with terror as they rushed away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the body on the chair, no one dared touch it, fearing to catch even a hint of misfortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baili An saw that no one seemed inclined to report to the Xianling City Guards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the tavern owner hadn’t sent anyone out, as if certain about something, his actions in closing were very adept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baili An stood up, “Shall we go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving the tavern, Lin Yuan noticed that Baili An wasn’t heading towards the inn but was silently moving toward the western streets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Guiyuan followed quietly behind him, watching Baili An’s back for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His typically stiff and clumsy body suddenly became as light as a breeze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His entire figure was truly ghost-like, his legs turning into a mist, silently floating right behind Baili An.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Lin Yuan didn’t know what Baili An intended, seeing both men hiding their presence, she too summoned a snowflake that transformed into water, her legs becoming a tail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tiny water droplets magically carried her fishtail and body, silently and swiftly following closely beside Baili An.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman’s death tonight was too strange, as if someone had deliberately arranged everything behind the scenes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn’t afford to be careless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of the western alley, a subtle turn appeared, narrow and long; after passing through, it seemed as though one had entered a new world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A world starkly different from the thriving, vibrant Xianling City.\u003C\u002Fp>",1210,"2026-06-06T15:16:24.481Z",1,"novelbin.me","ea7de55a1b3c36e9188da395b94e511b6a4c2fa5c80b690ce308fd1de6b096c3","journey-to-the-end-of-the-night-chapter-210","journey-to-the-end-of-the-night-chapter-208",1594,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fjourney-to-the-end-of-the-night-cover.jpg"]