If it wasn’t external, was it locally produced?

“What do you mean?”

Shen Ying took a bite of a fruit and turned to look at them. “You two have never examined the Spirit Qi of this world?”

“Spirit Qi?” Lonemoon paused, subconsciously releasing his divine perception. “What has this got to do with Spirit Qi…”

Wait a moment!

He stopped midway in his speech again, because not only did he sensed Spirit Qi, he also realized that the surrounding Spirit Qi wasn’t weak, not inferior compared to those worlds that with abundant Spirit Qi in their plane. But they were in a sea of darkness. In theory Spirit Qi was the purest, it cannot be mixed with other auras, not to mention Yin Qi, demonic aura, the dark auras, they repel each other. Even when they were in Void Land, while all sorts of energies were mixed together, Spirit Qi also repelled them, so it wasn’t rich.

However, it was different here. Though they were in this darkness, the surrounding Spirit Qi was very gentle and stable, there wasn’t any repulsion, as if even the Spirit Qi was completely unfeeling towards this darkness, like it was naturally part of it.

“How could this be?” What exactly was this darkness?

“Why don’t you take a closer look.” Shen Ying added again.

Both of their exchanged a glance, looking solemn, they closed their eyes and let out their divine perception. Lonemoon started surveying the surrounding Spirit Qi whereas Yi Qing went into the meridians of the cultivators outside and started his examination. No matter whether it was the surrounding Spirit Qi or that had been led into the cultivators’ bodies, there wasn’t the five elements Spirit Qi that they were familiar with, but strands of a black, special aura.

Lonemoon opened his eyes abruptly. “Damn! What was that?”

Yi Qing also reached out and activated a shred of the spirit qi in his body as verification. A small white light appeared in his hand at once, completely different from the darkness around, but in seconds, it was swallowed by the darkness, the light that had been dyed black disappear but the aura remained totally the same.

“Could it be that the aura here isn’t Spirit Qi?!” Lonemoon was shocked.

“It is Spirit Qi.” Shen Ying suddenly refuted, using her fruit to point next door. “Aren’t their cultivation all very normal?”

“But this color…”

“Well, every plane has its disparities.”

But this was way too big a disparity?

Hold on! After going on for so long, she still hasn’t come to point on what the darkness was?

“Master.” Yi Qing seemed to have caught something and asked in a low voice, “If the Spirit Qi of this plane was like this in the first place, then why is it that the Spirit Qi we saw when we were outside this darkness previously was different?” When they’d first arrived at the border of light and darkness, the Spirit Qi there was normal.

“Yeah!” Lonemoon also thought of this question, why was the white area normal then?

“Perhaps it hasn’t spread there?” Shen Ying said.

“Spre…” Yi Qing fell into a momentary daze before his eyes widened abruptly. “Master means to say, this darkness might have existed in this plane from the start but someone let it out, that’s why it led to such a situation?”

“Mm.” Shen Ying nodded.

“How is that possible?” Lonemoon was still confused. “How are you sure that this darkness wasn’t brought in by an invader?” If this darkness wasn’t the work of an invader, how could it have spread through the entire plane. The plane tree we saw earlier, it was almost turning black entirely.

“Because everyone is alive.” Shen Ying pointed to the door and said, “Lots of them.”

Lonemoon was dazed for a moment before he came back to his senses. That’s right! If the so-called ‘Fallen Night’ was really the work of an invader, then with his ability that was strong enough to deal with a manager, how could these mortals of a little world survive. Besides, it was quite a big number of people, more importantly, the order of the little world had zero signs of chaos.

Invaders that entered other planes with ill intentions only have two motives, they either, like the scoundrels of the Big Dao Organization, want to absorb the energy of the plane to strengthen themselves, or like the invader Shen Jing had dealt with, here for territory. They wouldn’t take any pity on the living creatures on the plane, it was even necessary to remove those living creatures.

Unless this invader was especially st*pid? On top of snatching territory, he even intended on taking over the care of the children? Only, if the living creatures are not wiped out and the plane isn’t destroyed, even if he killed off the manager, there would come a day where the plane consciousness selects a new manager, wouldn’t all his efforts be in vain?

So no matter how they looked at it, this darkness doesn’t seem to be something invasive. Shen Ying was right, it could have belonged to this world from the start but for some unknown reason, was let out by the invader.

Lonemoon still could not figure out the other party’s intention in doing so. “Seems like we have to first find the source of this darkness before we can dig out that invader.”

——————

For the next few days, three of them stayed on the spirit boat, at ease. More and more people came on board too.

Shen Ying was used to idling around and didn’t find it boring. However, those few female cultivators who didn’t really pay her any attention at first suddenly showed so much enthusiasm towards her. Not only would they gather over to talk to her occasionally, they even beat around the bush to get information about Lonemoon. Those smiles were so amiable and friendly, everyone was an expression of a competent stepmother.

As a filial daughter, looking at this bunch of people who had designs on her father, Shen Ying naturally – without any questions, without holding back, without hesitation, sold her Father Niu.

“Oh, you’re asking about what my Father Niu likes…”

Three days later.

The spirit boat finally landed in an immortal city, everyone alighted and entered the city while those cultivators from the sects also prepped to return.

Shen Ying and gang left late, when they got off, there weren’t many people around. They were intending on entering the city to get some information but a female cultivator suddenly came chasing frantically. She looked rather familiar, seeming to be one of those who had stayed with Shen Ying, her name seemed to be Lu Lin.

“Young Master Lonemoon please stop for a moment!” Perhaps because of the rush and pursuit, her face was flushed.

“Is anything else the matter?” Lonemoon asked.

Lu Lin’s face became even redder before she spoke a moment later. “Um… what plans do you have from now on? Are you returning to your sect? May I know what sect you all are from? If it’s on the way, why don’t… why don’t you all join us, we can take care of each other during the journey too.”

“There’s no need.” Lonemoon smile politely. “We are itinerant cultivators, no sects, we shall not disrupt fellow Daoists anymore.”

“I see…” She instantly wore a look of disappointment as she stared right at Lonemoon’s face, seeming to be in a daze.

Lonemoon felt goosebumps rise for no reason and frowned, saying, “We still have matters to see to, we shall take our leave.”

Lu Lin only seemed to sober up then. “Hold on!” Then she shoved the storage bag in her hand over. “Please take this. I am Lu Lin, a disciple of Dawning Pill Sect, if there is anything in the future, feel free to come to Dawning Pill Sect to look for me!” With that said, she gave him a deep stare, as if fearing his rejection, she did not wait for his response and turned around, walking away quickly.

“…” What the hell?

Lonemoon faltered, he had been cheating people for so long, but this still his first time encountering someone who rushed to give him money before he even acted?

He subconsciously opened the bag for a look, his mouth twitching at once, it wasn’t spirit stones or artifacts inside but a pile of ingredients, spirit fruits, snacks and whatnot.

Why did she give him this?

-_-|||

Lonemoon instinctively turned his head and looked at Shen Ying beside him.

“What have you said to her?”

“Nothing!” Shen Ying looked very innocent.

“If you said nothing why did she give me a bag of food?”

Shen Ying thought for a moment then added seriously, “Perhaps it’s because Father Niu you’re… more handsome!”

“…” Mm, that made a lot of sense, he shall accept it! But somehow something felt amiss.