Night of Despair

What is fate?

It is a predetermined trajectory, a fixed future.

But will the future truly be fixed?

Yu Hong did not know. Perhaps the grand phenomenon would confine people within certain bounds, just like after he acquired the Black Mark, he was destined to rise amidst the dark Source Disaster.

Many things can determine the lower limit. The upper limit might require a lot of elements to reach. But the lower limit does not need that much.

The Red Sky Fruit might already be affecting Feng Xuezi's lower limit.

Yu Hong watched the figure over there holding back countless Black Tide creatures, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

"So, the real danger has always been blocked by Uncle-Master Feng Xuezi, which is why on the other side of reality..."

"You're wrong. This is the reality, the true Mining Star. Where you were before was a powerful closed Array set by Feng Xuezi. Although that Array has started to be infiltrated by some impurities, it's still much safer compared to the outside reality." The Corrupt Traveler explained.

"I brought you in to make you understand what you'll face in the future. Yu Xuezi is sealed by the Array and can't hear the truth of this reality, but you're different, different from all of them." He continued. "Actually, Quan He is also different, but she is far behind you. So we have great expectations for you."

"I'm just a low-level Golden Core Stage." Yu Hong said dejectedly.

"But you can cultivate the Red Sky Fruit." The Corrupt Traveler smiled.

"...I understand. What else do you need, Senior? Just tell me." Yu Hong instantly understood.

"Straightforward! I like straightforward people like you." The Corrupt Traveler patted his shoulder again.

Then he suddenly thrust his hand into the huge tumor on his back with a swish.

His hand, covered with dark red blood, pulled out of the tumor, holding a silver object that looked like a miniature building block model, resembling a circular toy.

"This is a Melting Breath Level heavy-duty defense belt, heavily damaged, about sixty percent broken. If you can repair it, it can ensure the safety of the entire reality Wanxue Palace for fifty years!"

Yu Hong was stunned. So powerful!?

He took over the palm-sized silver object.

It looked like a metal ring, with many intricate symbols carved on the inner side, and dark golden fluorescent dots densely floated in the middle.

These light dots seemed to appear out of nowhere, constantly disappearing and regenerating.

"Give it a try." The Corrupt Traveler's tone was full of encouragement.

Yu Hong glanced at Feng Xuezi, then at the object in his hand.

Did this guy think too highly of him....

He stretched out his hand, placed it on the heavy-duty defense belt, and with a thought, added some skin flakes from his own skin as additional materials for enhancement.

'Enhance the heavy-duty defense belt. Direction, random.'

He decided to test it first.

A black line flashed, as expected, the Black Mark was still powerful, and the Corrupt Traveler senior in close proximity did not notice anything.

Soon, the black line flowed into the heavy-duty defense belt, and a clear countdown appeared: 'April 11th, 15:04'.

'A bit long, but acceptable.' Yu Hong looked at the defense belt, and he instantly understood that this thing was harder to repair than the Red Sky Fruit, probably due to the high degree of damage.

"How about it? Can it be repaired?" The Corrupt Traveler asked, his tone carrying a hint of expectation.

"This... can, but it will take some time, and the cost..." Yu Hong hesitated.

"As long as it can be repaired!" The Corrupt Traveler obviously breathed a sigh of relief. "If you can repair it, I'll give you another item of the same level!"

Yu Hong's eyes lit up, immediately thinking of the Recovery Necklace from before.

This level of good stuff was something he couldn't even dream of before. The Recovery Necklace had no level restrictions on its recovery; at least the Corrupt Traveler senior did not mention any level requirements.

Which means it might allow him to recover every ten seconds regardless of his level.

"Okay! Leave it to me!" Yu Hong immediately pounded his chest to assure. "This thing is indeed very complex, but I have some insight from studying repair techniques for many years."

The corner of the Corrupt Traveler's mouth curled up without speaking.

He and Feng Xuezi had long suspected that this repair ability was likely a superpower of Yu Hong himself. After observing in the dark for a long time, they had discovered that Yu Hong always had various inexplicable magical abilities.

His research abilities were indeed good, but the repair technique that went far beyond his own realm was beyond logical explanation.

So he just listened to Yu Hong's words lightly.

"By the way, the necklace I gave you, you need to know it's useful against most of the troubles you might encounter: injuries, diseases, toxins, curses, negative effects, etc., but it's not omnipotent and has limits. Otherwise, we could have used it to recover from our own injuries long ago." The Corrupt Traveler reminded.

"Of course, its limit is very high, enough for you to use until the Golden Immortal Level. For now, it is essentially unlimited recovery for you. No need to worry. At the Golden Immortal Level, it's not that it can't heal, but it becomes unnecessary as the Golden Immortal can self-recover at any time."

"Golden Immortal, huh? Understood." Yu Hong nodded. That was too far off. He didn't even need to think about it.

"Alright, Feng Xuezi, do you want to greet your apprentice-nephew?" The Corrupt Traveler suddenly shouted towards the distant Feng Xuezi.

"...." Feng Xuezi was speechless. He had been maintaining his posture for so long to create the heavy impression of a lone hero for Yu Hong to inspire loyalty towards the sect. But the shout from the Corrupt Traveler ruined much of that atmosphere....

"He rarely comes, shouldn't you have a good chat?" The Corrupt Traveler laughed.

"Am I in a state to chat?! Can't you see how weak, powerless, and on the verge of collapse I am!?" Feng Xuezi couldn't hold back and turned around yelling.

"You see, his spirit is still very strong, don't worry." The Corrupt Traveler turned back and smiled at Yu Hong. "If he was really about to collapse, he wouldn't even have the energy to speak."

"Mmm...." Yu Hong was speechless, looking at Feng Xuezi who was full of energy and glaring at him, feeling slightly more at ease.

He saw Feng Xuezi's palm in front, continuously releasing pure golden light.

The golden light rapidly expanded, forming a light screen, becoming a giant light wall that connected heaven and earth, firmly blocking the Black Tide.

All the monsters that touched the light wall would quickly ignite in golden flames, turning into torches and burning up within seconds.

Clearly, this was an energy level he couldn't comprehend.

"Rest assured, Martial Uncle. I will not fail you and will repair the heavy defense belt as soon as possible!" He bowed deeply towards Feng Xuezi in the distance.

"I believe you! This place is not suitable for you to stay long. Once you've finished observing, leave quickly," Feng Xuezi's eyes softened as they settled on Yu Hong.

"Yes. Please, take care, Martial Uncle." Yu Hong bowed again.

Now he understood, whether looking at the records in the classical books or judging from various signs, Feng Xuezi was the pillar supporting Wanxue Palace, preventing it from being destroyed by the Source Disaster.

Previously, he had always been puzzled. Wanxue Palace on the Mining Star, clearly situated in the depths of the Source Disaster, faced far less danger than many other places outside.

It now seemed...

Yu Hong's gaze fell on the endless swarm of Black Tide monsters outside the golden light wall.

Any one of the monsters out there emitted an extremely horrifying Red Value Radiation, much stronger than those like Marissa he had faced before.

And here, they threw themselves forward, attempting to extinguish even the smallest golden flame from Martial Uncle.

Here, they could only act as cannon fodder, with the mere hope of living an extra second being a rare luxury.

"Martial Uncle, just how strong is the Source Disaster?" he suddenly asked.

"...The Source Disaster has no end, but being able to preserve your strength within it is a visible feat..." Feng Xuezi softly replied. "If you can reach the Golden Immortal level, you will see that realm too."

"I understand." Yu Hong nodded.

"Alright, don't delay anymore, go now." Feng Xuezi forced a slight smile onto his face. "Don't worry, these trash in front of us are just a breeze to me, not worth mentioning."

"Please excuse me then, I will come to see you again later." Yu Hong said.

"Enough stalling!" The Corrupt Traveler grabbed Yu Hong's shoulder, "Let's go!"

Swoosh!

In the next second, the two disappeared from the spot.

Only Feng Xuezi remained, standing amidst the ruins, sighing.

His gaze sharpened again as he looked at the Black Tide monsters ahead.

In the depths of the countless Black Tide monsters, a humanoid black shadow with extremely elongated arms stood silently, staring at him through the creatures.

The shadow's arms spread wide open, the lengths several times its body, resembling two thin lines attached to its form.

"Have you come? Tree Puppet..." Feng Xuezi's eyes became serious as a semi-circular halo faintly appeared behind him, with dozens of colorful planets revolving within it.

*

*

*

In front of the Black Black Spirit Safety House, the Corrupt Traveler placed the heavy defense belt in Yu Hong's hands.

"It's all up to you, how long will it take to repair it?"

"About five months." Yu Hong replied. This matter was urgent, and he planned to set aside everything else, and begin the repairs as soon as he finished integrating the trait.

"Good, I look forward to your good news. I also have something great prepared for you!" The Corrupt Traveler was in high spirits, "To be honest, before meeting you, I always felt gloomy and hopeless, seeing nothing but a bleak future. But now, it's different. For some reason, I feel like the future will be different from the past."

"You flatter me, Senior." Yu Hong felt it was a bit exaggerated.

"It's not exaggerated at all. You underestimate your impact." The Corrupt Traveler patted Yu Hong's shoulder again.

"Keep it up. I have many good things waiting for you to repair and many treasures for you to exchange!" he said, laughing. It was a laugh completely different from before.

The previous sense of oddity and pessimistic gloom had entirely vanished.

Amidst the laughter, the Corrupt Traveler disappeared.

Yu Hong was left standing at the safety house's entrance, looking out at the dense sea of trees, exhaling deeply.

He turned, opened the door, entered, and locked it behind him.

He went straight to the Cultivation Room and started a new round of seclusion.

His master Yu Xuezi was injured, and he had to swiftly complete his current tasks and consolidate his strength to deal with the potential dangers and troubles that might arise.

Yu Hong sat cross-legged, activated the Cultivation Room defense array, closed his eyes, and entered the Consciousness Space.

Time passed, and the sky outside gradually darkened.

The array above Wanxue Palace continued emitting golden light, contending with the overwhelming descending Black Tide.

The golden flames burned fiercely, illuminating half the Mining Star, turning night into bright day.

Yu Hong, using this golden light, waited for the fusion with the Black Mark to be completed.

The golden light streamed through the window, casting a faint golden hue on half of his face.

He entered the corner of his mind where the Trait Light Ball was, seeing the final minute of the countdown.

He waited a moment.

Click.

Finally, the countdown reached zero.

The entire light ball flashed slightly, then became still.

Yu Hong felt a surge of joy, quickly stepping forward to touch it.

'Fusion of Ancient Moon Divinity and Heaven and Earth Rotation complete, acquiring new trait: Ancient Moon Divinity.'