Chapter 57: Zhang Fan Goes Berserk, the Flame of Li Fire Blazes

One moment the spirit stirs in turmoil, and the great night of darkness brings heavenly retribution.

This is the greatest calamity feared by cultivators: if the soul enters the great night of darkness, it is like a drowning man—strength has no outlet, qi has no path; roaring waves swallow all, and even with Golden Core mastery, one falls in an instant, destroyed by calamity, as if heaven and earth had plunged into eternal blackness with no hope of emergence.

“The great night of darkness… how is this possible… you… who are you?”

Cao Wushang’s soul suddenly trembled in horror, its trembling voice echoing faintly—heard only by himself.

In this moment, he lost all composure; his eyes held only shock and terror.

The great night of darkness—he had never heard of it, never imagined that a cultivator’s inner vision could manifest as the [great night of darkness].

Know this: it is a calamity no cultivator can overcome; if one enters the great night of darkness, the soul must perish—how can arts remain unbroken, how can immortality be sustained!? Yet Zhang Fan…

How could his soul still return to cultivation after the great night of darkness!?

Hum…

At this moment, Cao Wushang had no time to ponder further; his soul trembled and sought to retreat from Zhang Fan’s Xuanguan.

In an instant, the surrounding darkness surged like a tide, pulling relentlessly at Cao Wushang’s soul.

In that moment, Cao Wushang’s soul was like a drowning man, thrashing wildly, exhausting his strength to no avail.

“Great Sect law: Spirit Ignites, Flame Burns!”

Suddenly, Cao Wushang’s soul burst into flame, its blazing light threatening to pierce the darkness, carving a path through it.

The suffocating helplessness, the sense of imminent sinking, seemed to recede under this radiance.

Cao Wushang’s soul surged upward, desperate to escape the darkness, daring not to linger a moment.

Boom…

At that instant, the surrounding darkness coalesced violently; the blazing light vanished utterly, and in the fading glow, a palm’s silhouette emerged from the dark, accompanied by the clanking of heavy chains, seizing Cao Wushang’s soul in one grip.

“You… who are you…?”

Cao Wushang’s eyes bulged, staring into the formless dark, his face stripped bare by primal terror.

Clank… clank… clank…

No reply came; beneath the unseen force, Cao Wushang was dragged deep into the darkness, then a strange chewing sound echoed faintly—sound so vast it was silent, traceless and complete.

The night grew deep.

In a quiet alley, Cao Wushang lay sprawled among broken stones, his breath faint, intermittent.

“Aaahhh…”

Zhang Fan slowly rose to his feet, clutching his head, feeling as if his skull would split open—something at his third eye threatened to burst forth…

He bowed his head, letting out a pained roar; the air around him twisted and grew searingly hot.

Hum…

A gale erupted; Zhang Fan took one step forward and vanished in a blur.

…

Yujing City, eastern suburbs.

University City, Yangshan Park.

“Big Brother Dong, your talisman really works—what we just saw… was really a ghost!?”

Along a long, winding mountain path, a group of university students held flashlights, huddled close behind a tall, slender boy—clearly their leader.

“Ordinary people’s souls fall into stillness, their spirit-mind stirs—normally they cannot see such things… but after drinking my talisman water, you can perceive ordinary impurities.”

Shen Xiangdong, sensing the awe and reverence in their gazes, smiled.

Though only a sophomore, he was highly regarded on campus; even many seniors revered him as divine, simply because he possessed “true skill”—having demonstrated it once or twice, his prestige was firmly established.

Tonight, he had promised to show them the so-called “supernatural phenomena,” for University City, especially Dongda, was rife with terrifying legends.

Just now, they had seen with their own eyes the “woman in a wedding dress” beneath the crooked tree in Yangshan Park…

Legend said she was a young woman, one of a university couple nearing graduation; the man abandoned her for another, and she, unable to bear it, hanged herself in the very tree where they often met, still wearing her wedding dress…

Since then, all manner of rumors had spread from this place.

“That girl was so pitiful—I saw her crying just now…”

“Can’t she leave? Shouldn’t we find that unfaithful man and bring him here?” “I always thought talisman water was fake.”

The group chattered excitedly, one after another.

“Daoist talismans aren’t just paper with a few scribbles,” Shen Xiangdong said coolly.

Crafting talismans is an art.

Even the talisman paper alone has over a hundred classifications; the simplest “yellow paper talisman” requires thirteen ingredients and over twenty steps to make, and in the hands of a Daoist of the Talisman Sect, a single brushstroke can capture ghosts and gods.

Not to mention the talisman brush, talisman ink—each is painstakingly crafted.

The Shen family has produced talismans for generations; even the Maoshan Shangqing Sect orders vast quantities of talisman paper, brushes, and ink from them annually.

“The talisman paper I burned contained glutinous rice paste, ginseng powder, pearl dust…” Shen Xiangdong said calmly.

Crafting a single talisman demands great labor and materials; moreover, the Daoist must infuse it with true yang…

Thus, after drinking the talisman water, a trace of true yang enters their bodies—though their souls remain unawakened, they can temporarily perceive ordinary invisible things.

“Big Brother Dong, so… now we can see all those supernatural things from now on?”

At this moment, a sweet-faced girl in a short skirt exclaimed excitedly.

“Not exactly…” Shen Xiangdong shook his head.

“You’ve ingested only a trace of true yang—enough to glimpse minor spirits, but some things remain invisible.”

“What things can’t we see?” someone asked.

“For example… things even I can’t handle,” Shen Xiangdong’s gaze sharpened.

“Huh? Then if we really encounter one…” the sweet-faced girl looked frightened.

“Don’t worry—those things rarely appear,” Shen Xiangdong reassured them.

At these words, the group relaxed slightly.

Hum…

At that moment, a strange sound came from nearby.

“What was that?” Shen Xiangdong’s ears twitched, instantly alert.

“There was no sound,” the group exchanged glances.

Shen Xiangdong frowned and walked toward the sound, finding a figure seated in the dense forest ahead—head bowed, muscles rippling, emitting pained growls.

“This is…”

Shen Xiangdong’s face turned pale; the man’s eyes glowed with blazing white light, while seething black qi churned around him, terrifying waves surging forth, shaking the forest into trembling.

“Big Brother Dong, what are you staring at? It’s windy—let’s go…”

The group gathered around, pulling at Shen Xiangdong.

“You… you can’t see it?”

Shen Xiangdong’s face turned ashen, instantly alarmed.

“Big Brother Dong, what are you talking about? Don’t scare us!”

Shen Xiangdong’s heart jolted; he turned again—the shadow wrapped in seething black qi slowly rose, his white eyes burning brighter; each roar he emitted sent terrifying waves rippling outward, bending the surrounding trees.

“What did this man eat? Some kind of potent tonic he can’t digest?” Shen Xiangdong realized the truth, his astonishment deepening.

Roar…

At that moment, the strange figure roared; the air around it twisted violently, and a pillar of fire erupted skyward, instantly engulfing the forest…

“Oh my god, it’s on fire! Forest fire! Call for help!”

The group retreated in panic; in their eyes, they saw no anomaly, no truth beneath the illusion…

To them, it was merely a summer forest fire.

But in Shen Xiangdong’s eyes, it was the terrifying figure, radiating mystery between black and white…

“Daoist true fire!?”

“What on earth is that thing?” Shen Xiangdong’s face trembled; a voice screamed inside him—when he regained his senses, the strange figure had vanished.

(End of Chapter)