Chapter 953: There’s a Problem With That Boy

The City of Eternal Night.

An ancient city famous throughout the Netherworld for too many years to count.

Rumor had it that the island the city was built upon was actually the remains of a long-dead dragon turtle. It was fully three hundred miles across.

The city was shrouded in darkness year-round. Even the nearby seas were covered in dark, dense clouds. No light got through.

However, every district of the city was thoroughly lamplit. The blazing lights were like a long, radiant dragon, dispelling the city’s darkness.

Two days later.

When Wang Chonglu saw the ancient city in the distance, he visibly sighed in relief.

Throughout the ages, the City of Eternal Night had always been the only safe haven in the boundless Sea of Bitterness.

No matter what dangers one encountered while exploring the Sea of Bitterness, so long as they reached the City of Eternal Night, they could enjoy its protection.

Similarly, no matter how vicious and malevolent someone was, they dared not cause trouble within city limits.

Doing so wouldn’t just provoke the ire of every other cultivator in the city; those who acted up died suddenly and inexplicably.

Such inexplicable deaths had indeed occurred here before.

It was for this reason that throughout the ages, the City of Eternal Night had remained the one truly safe place in the Sea of Bitterness.

“Young friend Su, I plan to visit the Timekeeper directly after entering the city. What are your plans?” asked Wang Chonglu.

His wounds had healed somewhat, and he was in a decent mood. Once he arrived safely in the City of Eternal Night, his mood would improve even further.

However, he was already entirely unwilling to spend any more time traveling with this incomparably arrogant little junior.

Su Yi’s words had humiliated him on numerous occasions already. On several occasions, he felt so stifled that he wanted to lash out and beat Su Yi up.

But he repressed the impulse each time.

No matter what, Su Yi had saved his life. How could he possibly repay this benevolence with violence?

Of course, more importantly, Wang Chonglu was still injured, and he suspected that if things came to blows, he wouldn’t be a match for this Spiritual Revolution Realm young man…

“I want to see him too,” said Su Yi. As he spoke, he put away the Unsinkable Boat.

“You’re going to see him too?” Wang Chonglu was flabbergasted.

Su Yi laughed. “I came to the City of Eternal Night to see the Timekeeper in the first place. Is that so strange?”

The corners of Wang Chonglu’s lips twitched, and he was inwardly dejected.

Ugh, I won’t be able to cast off this insufferable pipsqueak just yet!

“Should the opportunity arise, I’d like to take a stroll through the Dark Market and see if I can find anything interesting,” said Su Yi spiritedly. He was already walking toward the distant City of Eternal Night.

The “Dark Market” was similar to other city’s black markets, but its existence was common knowledge to the city’s inhabitants.

There, you could purchase all sorts of rare treasures found only in the Sea of Bitterness.

If you were lucky, you could happen upon unimaginably precious goods. It was much like picking up a grand stroke of fortune.

When someone exploring the Sea of Bitterness visited the City of Eternal Night, they typically stopped by the Dark Market. This had been true throughout the city’s history.

Of course, it wasn’t at all unusual for someone to get ripped off, either. The world had never lacked unscrupulous merchants.

Su Yi had visited the Dark Market in his past life, and he’d acquired no small number of quality goods.

“Don’t just stand there. Keep up.” When Su Yi noticed that Wang Chonglu had fallen behind, he couldn’t help but turn his head and urge him on.

Wang Chonglu gnashed his teeth, feeling inwardly aggrieved.

When did the lofty Thunderflame Demon Monarch fall so far? Even a junior dares order me around now!

Forget it! I’ll accompany him to visit the Timekeeper. I want to see just what this kid is after. Let’s see if he’s still this arrogant in front of the Timekeeper!

Wang Chonglu took a deep breath, then silently caught up.

The City of Eternal night was quite lively.

Numerous cultivators came and went in a hurry throughout the surrounding waters.

Even before entering the city, waves of commotion emanated from afar.

“Isn’t that the Thunderflame Demon Sovereign?”

“It really is the old devil!”

“Shh! Pipe down! Do you want to get yourself killed?”

“Strange. Why is someone as terrifying as the Thunderflame Demon Sovereign following a young man like some kind of servant?”

The sound of discussion emanated from the area around the city gates.

When he heard others describe him as Su Yi’s servant, Wang Chonglu almost lost control of his murderous impulses. He looked over and glared.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The cultivators immediately paled with fright, and their souls practically left their bodies.

Only then did Wang Chonglu feel a bit better, and he paid those trivial minor characters no further heed.

Although Su Yi was walking ahead of him, he took all of this in, and he couldn’t help but find it funny.

This old devil is quite amusing. He doesn’t just like bragging; it seems he values his reputation more than his life! If he goes on like this, I'll end up laughing my butt off.

The City of Eternal Night was thoroughly lamplit, and its pedestrians came in all stripes. Their ranks included no shortage of non-human lifeforms, but all of them were cultivators.

Even the weakest person here was in the Spiritual Revolution Realm!

After all, ordinary cultivators had no means of crossing the Sea of Bitterness and arriving here.

When people recognized Wang Chonglu along the way, it caused quite a few uproars.

The Thunderflame Demon Sovereign was a mighty, influential expert of the far reaches of the Sea of Bitterness. His reputation alone was rough to make others pale at the mere mention of his name, yet now, he’d appeared in the City of Eternal Night. How could this not draw attention?

Even more surprisingly, from time to time, older generation experts would step forth and exchange pleasantries with Wang Chonglu. All of them were utterly respectful.

Wang Chonglu merely nodded subtly in response, but he paid these greetings little heed.

Still, the feeling of being respected alleviated much of his pent-up displeasure.

“Greetings, Your Excellency!”

Suddenly, a group of experts appeared and bowed to Wang Chonglu.

When the passersby saw this group, the formerly lively streets were instantly silent. Many of the cultivators instinctively moved further away.

Thunderflame Mountain’s Thirteen Demon Generals!

These were the Thunderflame Demon Sovereign’s thirteen strongest subordinates. Each was an Imperial Realm old devil, and each was vicious and temperamental. Their collective prestige was mighty indeed.

It was already rare for the Thunderflame Demon Sovereign to appear in person. Thus, while there were people who recognized him, most were older-generation cultivators or those who’d lived in the City of Eternal Night for a long time.

However, the Thirteen Divine Generals of Thunderflame Mountain were familiar to everyone in the boundless Sea of Bitterness.

When the whole group appeared and bowed to Wang Chonglu, the sight only made it increasingly obvious just how lofty and transcendent Wang Chonglu’s status was.

Wang Chonglu couldn’t help but grin and wave. “Rein it in a little. Don’t startle other people. After all, this is the City of Eternal Night, and we have to follow the rules.”

“Yes, sir!” All thirteen of them voiced their assent.

Wang Chonglu couldn’t help but look ahead. He wanted to see Su Yi’s reaction.

But to his astonishment, Su Yi just continued ahead, entirely unperturbed, as if he hadn’t even noticed this. Rather, he noticed, but he completely disregarded it all.

This filled Wang Chonglu’s heart with inexplicable dejection.

This blatant disregard reminded him of the idiom "amorous gazes are wasted on the blind"!

“Your Excellency, is there a problem with that boy?” a man in black said in a low voice.

The other demon generals all looked at Wang Chonglu too. They’d all realized that their leader seemed to be paying a lot of attention to that blue-robed young man walking up ahead.

Wang Chonglu waved dismissively. “It has nothing to do with you. Wait in Skyjade Tower. Once I’ve finished my business, I’ll come looking for you.”

With that, he chased after Su Yi.

The Thirteen Demon Generals looked at each other. All of them were completely befuddled.

Why does His Excellency care so much about a young Spiritual Revolution Realm cultivator?

This scene attracted the attention of many of the onlookers, too.

Within a nearby restaurant, a gray-haired young man muttered to himself, “The Far Shore was targeting him, yet this old devil made it back alive. I really wouldn’t have expected that.”

He looked young, but his eyes contained the vicissitudes of countless years. His fair hands fiddled with a blood-red flying sword shaped like a weaver’s shuttle.

Suddenly, a girlish voice emanated from the flying sword. “Your Excellency, should we go chat with that old demon and see if we can put him to use?”

The gray-haired young man shook his head. “Anyone targeted by the Far Shore is doomed. I most certainly don’t want to get mixed up in that mess.”

He paused, then said thoughtfully, “It’s actually the young man Wang Chonglu was following who strikes me as a bit strange.”

The shuttle-like flying sword exclaimed in its girlish voice, “Is there a problem with that boy?”

The gray-haired young man’s gaze was suddenly distant and serene, like an unfathomably deep whirlpool. “Just now, I caught a whiff of a familiar presence on that boy. It’s truly strange.”

The girlish voice seemed quite surprised. “For you to find it out of the ordinary is proof enough that there’s a problem with him, and a big one, too. Your Excellency, how about we find an opportunity to have a chat with him?”

After a moment’s silence, the silver-haired young man said, “Forget it. We’ve come to the Sea of Bitterness to investigate the Burial Ground of the Dao. It wouldn’t do to get distracted.”

He then flipped his hand and put the flying sword away, and the girlish voice fell silent.

…

A dense row of buildings stood in the city’s southeastern corner alongside the city walls.

Right up in the corner, there was a run-down courtyard.

It looked old and worn. The walls were dilapidated, and the gate was flecked with rust. The branches of a massive tree obscured the walls behind it.

Su Yi stood before the tightly shut gates, then said casually, “You knock.”

His commanding tone made the veins bulge on Wang Chonglu’s forehead, but he held back and snorted coldly. “Kid, you ought to celebrate that this is the City of Eternal Night. Otherwise, benefactor or not, I’d make you realize what happens to those who don’t respect their elders!”

Su Yi laughed, but thought nothing of it.

Wang Chonglu, meanwhile, straightened up his clothes, solemnly approached the courtyard, and gently knocked on the tightly shut gates.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He knocked just three times, but it seemed to take a lot out of him. When he lowered his hand, he let out a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his brow.

Su Yi didn’t find this at all strange. Only those of at least Profound Serenity Realm cultivation could knock on the gates to his courtyard.

Even if others gave it everything they had, they could forget about making the door produce even the slightest peep.

And trying to barge in was tantamount to suicide.

In the past, a few people who didn’t understand the full picture guessed that the courtyard hid enormous secrets, and they barged right in, heedless of the consequences.

However, without exception, every last one of them disappeared from the face of the Netherworld!