Chapter 262

Chapter 262: Is This the Mystery of Eternal Night?

An immortal!

Since the arrival of Eternal Night, countless years had passed without the birth of a single immortal.

Immortals had long since faded into legend.

If not for the occasional discoveries of ancient artifacts, forbidden zones, and hidden texts that spoke of immortals, humanity might have abandoned hope altogether.

Over time, people had come to accept a singular truth—the world had no immortals. That was why this era was known as Eternal Night with No Immortals.

But now, someone had appeared, boldly claiming to be an immortal.

He called himself Thunder Saint Monarch.

He was a being of the immortal path.

And more importantly, his realm was the Great Path Palace.

Zhang Yang, Yilie, and the others did not fully understand the realms beyond the immortal path, but they knew one thing—a sage’s ultimate breakthrough led to the realm of immortals. In other words, this individual’s cultivation was far beyond any immortal known to them.

The Realm of Thunder, isolated beyond the Southern Region and the Forbidden Land, had existed for an eternity. Its origins had long been lost to history. No one knew where it had come from, yet countless people had ventured into it, hoping to comprehend its mysteries.

Some had indeed managed to attain sainthood through the Realm of Thunder.

But such cases were rare, far too few to uncover its true secrets.

Yet now, an immortal had emerged from its depths.

What did this mean for the world?

They had never expected that hidden within the massive handprint on the mountain wall was an immortal.

Although he was not in his true form, he looked as if he might vanish at any moment, his memory remained intact, and he had a mission.

He had been tasked by the Human King to guard this place, to watch over the absolute territory of all races, the Forbidden Land.

Yet, even in his hazy form, this immortal figure possessed unparalleled power. As he stepped into the Forbidden Land, he seemed like a supreme deity, causing the boundless light to surge once more.

At that moment, they finally understood. This was an immortal light!

It was also the eruption of immortal path power.

Zhang Yang finally comprehended why he had been able to elevate the Slaughter Thunder Saint Power to its perfected level in an instant, an achievement so effortless it still felt like a dream.

An existence beyond their understanding of the immortal path viewed the saintly path as nothing more than ants beneath his feet. For such a being, elevating Zhang Yang’s Slaughter Thunder Saint Power had been too easy.

Zhang Yang’s heart surged with emotion, his mind still reeling from the shock.

He watched as the figure of the Thunder Saint Monarch disappeared into the ruins of the Forbidden Land. His gaze followed the immortal light as it soared into the sky, his heart pounding.

Would this place truly transform into an immortal land?

In this vast world, the immortal path had been severed.

If an immortal land were to reappear, then… could immortals truly return?

Before he could finish his thoughts, a deafening thunderclap echoed from the summit of the Nine Heavens.

Dark clouds rapidly spread across the once-clear sky, descending ominously as if they were about to crash into the earth itself. The suffocating pressure made it difficult to breathe, causing all living beings on the ground to tremble in fear.

In that instant, Zhang Yang experienced a strange sense of déjà vu.

This scene was eerily similar to the moment when he had been pursued by the crimson lightning.

Millions of lightning bolts roared through the sky like thunder dragons, writhing within the endless black clouds.

Boom!

Then, indescribable lightning poured down from the heavens, striking all areas where the immortal light had erupted.

The lightning was black, like ink!

Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes, unconsciously clenching his fists.

This lightning… it strongly resembled the Ascending to Heaven Calamity he had once faced.

Of course, the power of this black lightning far surpassed anything he had ever encountered. He couldn’t even begin to gauge its strength. He only knew one thing, if a single bolt struck, he would die.

Yilie would die.

Su Baishi would die.

Ying Wuji would die.

Everyone here would perish.

It was terrifying.

As the endless lightning rained down, the earth moaned, the mountains and rivers wailed, and the immortal light shattered.

Amidst the boundless lightning, Zhang Yang could vaguely make out the hazy figure of the Thunder Saint Monarch, and then, suddenly, it dispersed.

As if he had been torn apart.

But it wasn’t over yet.

The entire Forbidden Land began to dissolve before the pitch-black lightning.

Yes, true dissolution.

This land, this space, it was not merely being destroyed. It was being evaporated, erased entirely, as if it had never existed.

In mere moments, it was completely gone.

Then, the Daybreak Sun emerged once more.

The sky cleared, revealing an endless expanse of blue, untouched by a single dark cloud.

Gazing into the distance, they saw that the Forbidden Land had vanished.

The once-imposing mountain range had been completely erased, replaced by an unfamiliar and untouched expanse of land.

Looking further, they spotted a familiar sight, a mountain range stretching across the earth’s vast expanse.

"The Falling Star Mountain Range of the Western Desert!" Yilie gasped in shock.

Su Baishi trembled and muttered, "The Forbidden Land is truly gone—wiped out completely. Not a single trace remains. It has… merged directly with the Falling Star Mountain Range of the Western Desert."

"This is the Mystery of Eternal Night!" Ying Wuji exclaimed in horror.

Zhang Yang stared blankly, struggling to process what had just happened.

Gone.

The Forbidden Land, an enormous region that could accommodate millions, had vanished in an instant.

Not just destroyed, but erased from existence.

The space itself no longer remained, as if it had been forcibly cut away from the vast world.

What once lay separated by the Forbidden Land was now directly connected.

The Falling Star Mountain Range, once far away, was now within reach.

The Southern Region had lost a piece of itself.

"Eternal Night… Eternal Night!"

Zhang Yang’s heart surged with emotion.

Memories of his Ascending to Heaven Calamity flooded back.

Black lightning!

Like a wrathful judgment from the heavens!

The Ten-Thousand-Meter Ghost King had transformed into the calamity!

Then, he recalled something even more terrifying, the Ghostly Divine Platform.

It was said to be the unseen force behind all major events in the Southern Region.

Looking at the scene before him, Zhang Yang realized something—

Eternal Night was riddled with mysteries.

And worse—

It was filled with dangers capable of destroying the vast world itself.

"Eternal Night with no immortals!"

Was this the true meaning of that phrase?

"Anything related to immortals is directly destroyed… Even at the cost of erasing a part of the world itself, making it vanish completely."

"In such a world, how can one become an immortal? Does stepping onto the immortal path mean contending with such a power?"

"And is this truly a permanent disappearance? Or has it merely been sealed away?"

"If someone becomes an immortal… can what has vanished return?"

His mind spun with countless questions.

It felt as if he had touched upon a fragment of Eternal Night’s ultimate secret—yet at the same time, he felt even more lost.

"Hehe…"

A chilling laugh suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

It was Yilie laughing.

Then, Su Baishi and Ying Wuji joined in.

The three of them snapped out of their fear and shock, regaining their senses. They had never dared to dream of immortality. In their eyes, achieving sainthood was already the pinnacle of success. Even at the saint level, true greatness was difficult to attain. They were not super geniuses like Qiu Yinong, so their fleeting hope of immortality had long since turned into despair. The only path left to them was the pursuit of sainthood.

"Without immortals, without the protection of the Realm of Thunder—what are you?" Yilie sneered.

He stepped forward, his expression filled with malice.

"You little brat, are you ready? I will treat you well. I want to torment you until you wish you were dead. Of course, you could just kill yourself now—but don’t worry, I have secret techniques. The moment you die, I will extract your soul. Even then, you will continue to suffer. Your life will become a never-ending nightmare, and even death will be a luxury beyond your reach."

Su Baishi and Ying Wuji flanked him, closing in on Zhang Yang.