Chapter 0653: Entering the Eternal Night Domain
Three months later, Ning Cheng stood outside the Eternal Night Domain. Previously, Ning Cheng had guessed that the Eternal Night Domain was just like the Rootless Black City, only another city-like area suspended within the void.
But after arriving here, Ning Cheng knew that he couldn’t be any more wrong about it.
How was this a city? This was simply a starland. Standing outside the Eternal Night Domain, Ning Cheng could clearly feel its majestic, imposing aura.
From a distance, the Defensive Array covering the Eternal Night Domain kept sparking with some lights that resembled the stars in the sky. On seeing this, Ning Cheng went into a trance. He seemed to have recalled the night scenery from Jiangzhou, which gave off similar lights. But this place was unknown miles away from Jiangzhou; at the very least, countless billion miles. Thinking of Jiangzhou, he then thought of Ruolan, who ventured into the starry sky because of him, and if she was doing fine.
Ning Cheng quickly cleared up his mind and stabilised his mood. Within the vast universe, if one wanted to do whatever one wanted to do, then one needs the appropriate strength and influence to do it. Currently, his power was still far too low to command such luxuries.
Outside the Eternal Night Domain, there was a public square suspended within the void. In Ning Cheng’s opinion, this public square was even more extensive than the public square outside the Culmination Starland. Moreover, this public square directly connected one to the Eternal Night Domain.
Ning Cheng carefully landed on the public square, and just as he fell, a white light suddenly erupted from beneath his feet. Ning Cheng felt startled and immediately wanted to escape when two Daoist shadows had already flown over.
“Is this your first time coming to the Eternal Night Domain?” One of the cultivators who came over asked while staring at Ning Cheng.
Ning Cheng, at this moment, had already come back to his senses and couldn’t help but think about that white light? Was it caused by the array that covered the public square? The cultivators who came here, they must have some sort of mechanism to let them move around the array like a jade card. Most likely, because he had no such jade card on him, so the array covering the public square reacted with discharging that white light.
As Ning Cheng’s Spiritual Consciousness infiltrated into the public square, it immediately saw a pattern of lines that blocked him off. Looks like he had not guessed it wrong.
At this moment, around had dozen Spiritual Consciousness had already swept over and landed on Ning Cheng. Sensing the powerful Spiritual Consciousness, Ning Cheng immediately realised that there were quite a few among them with cultivation exceeding the Heaven Seated Realm.
Ning Cheng took in a deep breath and cupped his fists before speaking, “It’s not the first time I’ve come to the Eternal Night Domain. I’m a person from the Su Clan. I was looking for cultivation resources on the outside, and because of some dangers along the way, I ended up losing my storage ring.”
If one lost one’s storage ring, then it would typically mean that one had surely lost everything. As for the array cards, they certainly would also end up lost.
Hearing that this was not Ning Cheng’s first time to the Eternal Night Domain, and even a person from the Su Clan, the two cultivators immediately lost interest. One of them then said to Ning Cheng, ”In that case, you’re gonna have to make up for that array card on your own.”
After saying that, the two people simply did not bother to pay any attention to Ning Cheng and quickly left. Even those Spiritual Consciousnesses that had swept towards Ning Cheng promptly moved away. Apparently, they all thought that since Ning Cheng lost his storage ring, then it would also mean that he lost his array card.
Ning Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. Looks like the Su Clan enjoyed a special status within the Eternal Night Domain. When that Su Clan’s female cultivator had given her that jade strip, it hadn’t mentioned that one would need to obtain an Array Formation Jade Card the first time one came to the Eternal Night Domain. Regardless of if she had done this on purpose, he still had not expected such a reaction.
Ning Cheng walked into a lobby at the edge of the public square and quickly scanned through the area and found a huge sign. Eternal Night Domain’s Array Controlling Jade Card House.
Before going in to get a jade card, Ning Cheng deliberately observed whatever happened in and around it and found that it was more of a rest stop than a jade card hall. He even saw a few cultivators chatting leisurely inside while sipping on Spiritual Tea or Spiritual Wine.
There still were a few cultivators inside trading amongst each other, but Ning Cheng found that they did not use celestial coins, the main form of currently commonly used in the four grand starry skies. Instead, most of the cultivators used Starry Sky Crystals, while a very few cultivators among them used Perpetual Moon Pills.
“Hey, why are you here?” Just when Ning Cheng wanted to go in to get the Eternal Night Domain’s Array Formation Jade Card, a voice from behind called out to Ning Cheng.
Ning Cheng also recognised the female cultivator; she was one of the three people he had met back then.
“Ning Cheng greets Senior Apprentice Sister.” Ning Cheng had only recently said that he was a person from the Su Clan. Since someone from the Su Clan had appeared here, he quickly rushed up to greet her.
“So you’re called Ning Cheng. Did you find out that our Little Miss is getting married and came here to congratulate her?” The female cultivator did not seem to regard him as an outsider. Seeing that Ning Cheng had come here, she immediately thought that Ning Cheng came to congratulate the Su Clan’s Little Miss for her wedding.
When people thought that Ning Cheng had come here for the first time, a lot of Spiritual Consciousnesses had kept a close eye on him, making him get a sense of the dangers of the Eternal Night Domain. Now hearing about the female cultivator he met back then, whom this girl addressed as Little Miss, Ning Cheng immediately followed up and spoke, “Yeah, I heard about it while roaming outside; so I decided to come back. I hope I managed to make it on time.”
It was truly a coincidence that he had just arrived at the Eternal Night Domain and the Su Clan’s Little Miss was about to get married.
“Naturally, it’s not too late. I’m anyway here to pick up people. You can go there first. I’ll wait here for a little while longer for the others.” When the female cultivator heard that Ning Cheng came here to offer congratulations, her tone immediately turned polite.
Ning Cheng immediately took advantage of the situation and spoke, “Although I just returned, I don’t have an invitation. Moreover, I don’t even know Senior Apprentice Sister’s name.”
The female cultivator giggled and took out an invitation before handing it over to Ning Cheng, ”I’m called Ji Min. It’s just an invitation. You can go ahead first. I have to pick up someone.”
Ning Cheng’s Spiritual Consciousness immediately scanned the invitation and realised that the female cultivator who sent him the jade strip was called Su Baijiao and the man who was about to marry Su Baijiao had the name Duan Gantai.
“Many thanks, Senior Apprentice Sister Ji Min. But since I just returned to the Eternal Night Domain, I still need to get an Array Controlling Jade Card…..” Ning Cheng had some Celestial Essence Crystals on him; but when he looked back at the Celestial Essence Crystals that he owned, they seemed inferior in quality compared to what he saw here. As for Perpetual Moon Pills, he had wholly used them up. Since this woman expected him to come here bearing gifts, then he might as well ask another favour from this Ji Min.
“Such a trivial thing, you don’t need to buy it. I have an extra here.” Ji Min took out a jade card and put it into Ning Cheng’s hand before continuing, “This is an anonymous jade card, so remember to give it back before leaving the Eternal Night Domain. Okay.”
Although she treated Ning Cheng as a guest, in Ji Min’s eyes, Ning Cheng was obviously less important of a guest. After stuffing the jade card into Ning Cheng’s hand, she quickly rushed off.
Ning Cheng hung the jade card at his waist and once again walked up onto the public square. The while light under feet finally disappeared. Seeing that, he felt relieved. In any case, he completed the first task to obtain an entry into the Eternal Night Domain. From now on, even if it were people from the Eternal Night Domain, no one would dare to come to inquire about him, at least not openly.
……
Entering the Eternal Night Domain from the public square suspended in the void, Ning Cheng quickly realised that he had forgotten to ask Ji Min about Su Clan’s location.
The Eternal Night Domain was not exactly a city. This place was no different from a starland. Moreover, it not only contained many cities, it also had many corner cities and a few sectarian forces.
Ning Cheng stopped a cultivator in the Celestial Bridge Realm before taking out a Jade Scale Pill and spoke, “This friend, I lost my Eternal Night Domain’s jade strip map. Do you have one? Let me buy it from you.”
The cultivator on seeing that the Jade Scale Pill in his hands was a real Grade 4 Celestial River Medicinal Pill, quickly took out a jade strip and stuffed it into Ning Cheng’s hands. Then grabbing Ning Cheng’s medicinal pill, he immediately turned away. Exchanging a Jade Scale Pill for an ordinary Eternal Night Domain’s regular jade strip map, who would be stupid enough to refuse it?
But the cultivator quickly realised something. Even if someone lost the Eternal Night Domain’s Jade Strip, why would one take out a medicinal pill to exchange for it? The Eternal Night Domain had too many places to buy such jade strips. At this moment, he fully realised something. It must be that cultivator’s first time in the Eternal Night Domain. Usually, the cultivators who came to the Eternal Night Domain, as long as they did not have too high cultivations, were all fat sheep.
……
Ning Cheng’s Spiritual Consciousness only needed to scan the jade strip once before realising that the Su Clan had its base in the Eternal Night Domain’s largest City, the Eternal Night City. According to the map within the jade strip, Eternal Night City was undoubtedly the largest city within the Eternal Night Domain and was located nearest to the Eternal Night Public Square.
Following the directions marked in the jade strip, Ning Cheng quickly reached the Eternal Night City in just an incense stick worth of time. The Eternal Night city had no walls, only a layer of array formations surrounded it, acting as a layer of defence.
After entering the Eternal Night City, and under the Clear Light Array Formations, one could clearly see the many festive signs on both sides of the street, the celebratory signs set up by the Su Clan for Su Baijiao’s wedding. Looking at this, Ning Cheng realised that Su Clan held a high position in the Eternal Night City and even in the Eternal Night Domain.
Although there weren’t many people on the street, Ning Cheng’s Spiritual Consciousness swept around and found several Heaven Seated Powerhouses. Sensing that, he quickly recalled his Spiritual Consciousness and did not dare to sweep out casually again.
Just a few thousand meters down the Eternal Night Street, a luxuriously styled doorway appeared in front of Ning Cheng. On the door, he found several big words inscribed in flamboyant font, Eternal Night’s Su Clan. Showcasing the Su Clan’s status within the Eternal Night Domain and displaying its imposing aura.
The front of the Su Clan’s doorway was decorated in even more festivities, and two Heaven’s Mandate Cultivators stood on each side of the door to receive guests. Of these four cultivators, any one of them had cultivation comparable to Ning Cheng.
Ning Cheng took out the invitation and spoke, “I’m here to attend Senior Apprentice Sister Baijiao’s wedding.”
“Honourable guest, please come in.” The four Heaven’s Mandate Cultivators bowed to Ning Cheng at the same time and then ushered him through the door behind them.
Although Ning Cheng prepared some gifts, he had no opportunity to take them out; moreover, the four cultivators showed no indications of accepting any gifts at all. Therefore, Ning Cheng gave up the idea of giving any gifts and entered through the doorway.
As soon as he entered through the doorway, a pretty-looking server came towards him and bowed.
At this moment, another cultivator came inside with an invitation. The four people at the doorway also bowed towards this cultivator before ushering that fellow through the door, while another female cultivator came up to the cultivator to lead the way. Ning Cheng noticed that this cultivator also did not bring out any gifts.
This cultivator had a Heaven Seated Cultivation; therefore, Ning Cheng pretended to stop out of respect and let the cultivator in the Heaven Seated Realm walk in front. Since Ning Cheng stopped, the female cultivator leading the way for him also stopped.
That Heaven Seated Cultivator didn’t know that Ning Cheng wanted to follow behind him and see what he did. He just thought that Ning Cheng was only showing respect to the seniors as a junior, and nodded in Ning Cheng’s direction out of courtesy.
To the disappointment of Ning Cheng. The female cultivator guiding him did not follow the Heaven Seated Cultivator, but turned towards another direction and took him over to the other side. She soon brought Ning Cheng through an arch and into a huge lobby. Although he called it a lobby, it was better to say that it was no different from the main hall.
As Ning Cheng took in everything, he observed that the main hall contained luxurious and opulent decorations with nearly a hundred people already sitting in the main room. Looking at the absence of a Heaven Seated Cultivator among them, Ning Cheng realised that there was a difference between how the guests were treated here. Heaven Seated guests obviously didn’t sit with them.