Chapter 373: The Long Night Descends
The bed creaked and groaned all day, finally falling silent the next morning.
Xu Sanyan sat in the stone pavilion and beckoned Chunmei over. “Go out and buy some beast-repelling powder for me. Get the best kind.”
“Yes, sir,” Chunmei replied obediently, though she didn’t know what he needed it for.
Xu Sanyan leaned against the stone table, deep in thought. His recent seclusion had lasted about twenty days. Since time flowed at roughly the same rate in the secret realm as in the real world, that meant twenty days had also passed there.
The long night had already descended upon the secret realm.
Xu Sanyan planned to seize this opportunity to visit the realm and assist the Dog Clan’s ancient elders in returning to the embrace of the Dog God as quickly as possible.
Sending Chunmei to buy the beast-repelling powder was part of his plan. When he entered the secret realm, he would appear alone in the Southern Mountain. For safety’s sake, he needed to take precautions.
Before long, Wang Zixuan, her clothes neatly arranged, strolled over and nestled beside him. Her radiant complexion and delicate charm betrayed the joy she had experienced the previous night.
“Husband, Father summoned me the other day to discuss something. He said that since our last parting, the eldest daughter of the main branch has secretly fallen for you. She pines for you day and night, unable to sleep. He suggested you take another concubine as an equal wife. What do you think?”
Xu Sanyan wondered what the Wang Clan Head had said to her to make her willingly share her husband.
He tightened his grip on her neck, slowly increasing the pressure. A faint red mark appeared on her delicate, pale neck.
“You agreed?”
“Heh~ I’m just discussing it with you, Husband~”
Wang Zixuan didn’t dare resist, her face flushed as she struggled to answer.
Xu Sanyan tilted his head slightly. This must be the First Madam’s idea. That woman seemed to have great faith in him, continuously investing in him.
“Alright, handle it as you see fit.”
Xu Sanyan rose and summoned Xiazhu. “Prepare water for my bath.”
“Yes, Master.”
In the bathing chamber, Xu Sanyan retrieved a porcelain bottle and poured all the pool milk into the tub. The milky-white liquid slowly diffused, turning the clear water into a milky-white bath.
Just over twenty drops of pool milk had transformed an entire tub of water.
Pool milk could be taken internally or used externally. He had consumed the previous drop; this time, he planned to soak in it.
Xu Sanyan stripped naked and stepped into the water. The moment he entered, it felt as if he had sunk into quicksand. Countless invisible hands seemed to push from all directions, forcing the pool milk into his body.
His skin gradually grew hot, followed by a faint burning sensation in his flesh—the pool milk was taking effect.
Xu Sanyan closed his eyes, focusing on the changes in his body. Since completing his third blessing, his physical body had undergone significant improvement. However, having not engaged in combat for a long time, it was difficult to gauge his exact strength.
Still, he estimated that ordinary Peak Stage Soul Refinement cultivators would likely struggle to match him.
Xu Sanyan’s physical body had undergone multiple enhancements: first through the heavenly earth treasure, the Blood-Red Dagger; then through the Dog God’s blessing; and now with the pool milk.
This triple reinforcement had made his physical body as sturdy as a magic artifact—incredibly resilient!
Many could attest to this, including Wang Zixuan, Xiang Tan, Chang Yulian, Chang Yinu, and countless others…
There were simply too many to name.
In short, Xu Sanyan was confident he could withstand ordinary magic artifacts!
A man must be tough!
Lost in thought, Xu Sanyan realized the pool milk had been almost completely absorbed. The burning sensation faded, leaving his body feeling tighter and more refined.
“The effect is good, but there’s too little…”
He shook his head, stood up from the tub, stretched on his tiptoes, and grinned in satisfaction.
My second brother is invincible!
A moment later, Chunmei returned with the medicinal powder and the Soul-Summoning Incense Xu Sanyan had requested earlier.
Carrying the secret realm fruit on his back, Xu Sanyan left the city and found a secluded spot to re-enter the Secret Realm World.
The moment he opened his eyes, Xu Sanyan’s heart clenched. He found himself in a pitch-black forest, where visibility was less than ten meters even with his eyes wide open.
If Xu Sanyan’s vision was this limited, ordinary people would likely struggle to see even a meter ahead.
He was certain this was no ordinary night. Instead, it felt as if some inexplicable force had devoured all light in the world.
Xu Sanyan vaguely recalled an experiment from his past life: a color so intensely black that it absorbed all light, leaving no reflection even under direct illumination.
When such absolute darkness descended, all light vanished.
His gaze darted around warily as he quickly retrieved a Beast-Repelling Sachet from his storage pouch and fastened it to his person.
This is the long night…
Xu Sanyan looked up at the sky. The once-bright moon had vanished. Xun Ancai had mentioned that the long night would last approximately forty days, and judging by the time, nearly half of it should have already passed.
As his gaze swept across the surroundings, Xu Sanyan suddenly paused, letting out a soft “hmm.” He noticed an arrow carved into a tree trunk with a knife, its origin unknown.
“Heh,” Xu Sanyan chuckled, a corner of his mouth curling upward. This must have been carved by Xun Ancai, afraid he’d lose his way back.
The arrow pointed him in the right direction. Without it, he’d have struggled to find his way back, mainly because it was too dark to see the path clearly.
Xu Sanyan groped his way down the mountain, following the markers placed every few dozen meters. Though the pace was slow, he was grateful he hadn’t taken a wrong turn.
Awoo~!
The forest echoed with the roars of wild beasts, occasionally punctuated by the death throes of their prey.
Xu Sanyan couldn’t see, and neither could the animals. But honed by the constant struggle between life and death, they possessed keen senses of smell and hearing. Losing their sight didn’t hinder them as much as one might imagine.
Awoo~!
Suddenly, a sustained, low growl erupted from the side, rapidly closing in on him—clearly targeting him.
Xu Sanyan froze, then slowly shifted his feet until his back pressed against a tree trunk, reducing the directions he needed to defend.
He felt for the Beast-Repelling Sachet on his person, his brow furrowing in frustration. Was this thing useless?
Whoosh~!
A fierce wind rushed toward Xu Sanyan as he narrowed his eyes. A beast resembling a tiger leaped from the shadows, pacing nearby as if sniffing for something.
Its thick lower limbs shifted back and forth, and its body was covered in jet-black scales, giving it an imposing and extraordinary appearance.
Xu Sanyan squinted slightly, then reached behind him into his storage pouch and drew a broadsword. His great halberd was being nurtured within his body, but without spiritual power, he couldn’t retrieve it. He would have to make do with the sword for now.
The tiger pinpointed his location and pounced instantly.
Whoosh!
A dark blur flashed past, carrying a foul, bloody stench. The night was so dark that Xu Sanyan’s reaction was a split-second too slow. At the last moment, he twisted his body frantically to dodge.
Bang!
The tiger’s claws grazed his head and slammed into the massive tree behind him. Wood splinters exploded as a deep gash appeared in the trunk.
Xu Sanyan’s eyes darkened with concern. Such formidable physical strength, he thought, gauging the creature’s power from that single strike. This thing is no weaker than me.
Encountering such a ferocious beast so soon after leaving Southern Mountain was truly terrible luck.
(End of the Chapter)