As night fell, the storm subsided, much to Chen Xingyun's relief. He yearned to cultivate his soul atop the mountain, but the darkness rendered it impossible to see.
Yet, Chen Xingyun was unwilling to give up. He left the cave, fumbling his way, relying on his memory to inch toward the special location.
Master and disciple shared similar temperaments and personalities, neither being the type to surrender easily. This was why they both chose to leave the cave simultaneously.
They had no idea how long this darkness would last, only able to take things one step at a time.
Coincidentally, their directions aligned, both heading towards the specific spot Chen Xingyun was seeking.
Ning Beichen's choice of this location stemmed from the markings left on the wall.
As he didn't know where else to find his master, he instinctively moved in the direction indicated by the markings.
Though Ning Beichen and Chen Xingyun were separated by a considerable distance, Ning Beichen could see. Unlike Chen Xingyun, who was groping in the dark like a blind man touching an elephant, Ning Beichen's speed was immeasurably faster.
Ning Beichen flew through the night on his sword, his pace not too fast as he needed to carefully identify the location of the markings.
While flying, Ning Beichen suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, as if something were following him from behind. This immediately put him on high alert.
"Be careful of the night!"
The warning from the stone wall reappeared in Ning Beichen's mind.
Thus, when Ning Beichen felt that sensation again, his bronze ancient sword had already slashed backward like a waterfall.
A vast expanse of sword light was swallowed by the darkness. Apart from Ning Beichen, everything in the night seemed normal, and no trace of sword light was visible.
After unleashing his attack, Ning Beichen immediately looked back, but found nothing behind him, nor any monsters or enemies.
However, his previous chilling sensation had vanished.
This served as a warning to Ning Beichen: it wasn't that nothing was there, but either he couldn't see it, or it was too fast and had already escaped.
From then on, Ning Beichen became even more vigilant, not wanting to perish here.
What Ning Beichen didn't know was that his master, Chen Xingyun, had encountered the exact same situation. He too had felt a chill down his spine and unleashed an attack, albeit with different moves.
Yet, Chen Xingyun also found no monsters or enemies, leaving him bewildered. However, like Ning Beichen, he became more alert to his surroundings.
Before long, Ning Beichen arrived near the marked spot. Upon reaching this area, the chilling sensation he had experienced earlier reappeared.
This time, Ning Beichen didn't draw his sword. Instead, he quietly activated his Prajna Golden Body, intending to find out what was behind him.
Ning Beichen pretended to be unaware and continued to move forward.
It wasn't that Ning Beichen was bold enough to offer himself as prey. He reasoned that if this thing dared to follow him without attacking, it must not be confident in dealing with him, otherwise, it would have acted long ago.
If it were a powerful demon or the like, it would have simply killed him without all this fuss, why bother scaring him?
Indeed, this time Ning Beichen did not draw his sword, so the chilling sensation did not disappear; it lingered with him.
Ning Beichen ignored it and continued towards his destination.
Along the way, the chilling sensation never subsided, like some creature breathing cold air on the back of your neck.
Ning Beichen stubbornly suppressed the urge to attack, rushing towards his destination, eager to see how long this thing would follow him.
Unbeknownst to Ning Beichen, his master Chen Xingyun had also arrived here, and also had something behind him.
Furthermore, the master and disciple had both thought of the same thing: they chose to ignore the strangeness behind them, wanting to figure out what it was.
Before long, Ning Beichen reached the mountaintop. He confirmed that this was indeed the place marked on the stone wall.
But what was here?
Why was it specifically carved on the stone wall?
Was it a treasure?
Or a relic?
Or some dangerous place?
Ning Beichen was completely in the dark and immensely curious.
Soon, Ning Beichen arrived at the summit. He found nothing out of the ordinary, but with his extraordinary eyes, he could tell that this place was somewhat different from the outside.
However, it was a pity that his eyes couldn't see the thing that was constantly breathing cold air on his back.
Otherwise, Ning Beichen would have beaten the crap out of it.
How dare it try to scare him, Ning Yanwang!
Ning Beichen paid no mind to the presence behind him and continued his inspection. After a short while, he discovered a particularly unique spot.
What made this place unique was a well, and from within the well, some sort of mysterious substance seemed to be emerging.
Ning Beichen sensed no danger from the substance and approached to investigate.
But halfway through his investigation, he suddenly felt something pass by behind him. Without thinking, he swung his sword back.
With a "clang!"
Ning Beichen felt his sword collide with something solid. A powerful force sent him flying backward.
"What was that?"
Ning Beichen had no time to observe. He immediately drew his bronze ancient sword and charged forward.
"Master?"
But as he neared, he saw a figure he recognized intimately, and he cried out involuntarily.
"Ning Beichen?"
The person who arrived was Chen Xingyun. However, he didn't have Ning Beichen's eyes, so he couldn't see him.
"It's me, it's me, Master, I finally found you."
Upon hearing his master Chen Xingyun's voice, Ning Beichen was incredibly excited. It turned out he had just fought his own master.
"Ning Beichen, you... why are you here?"
Chen Xingyun thought he was hallucinating, as it was impossible for Ning Beichen to be here.
"Master, you've been in here for over a month, everyone was worried sick. So I came in to take a look, to see if Master was still alive?" Ning Beichen said.
"Absurd! Do you think your master is that incompetent? Don't forget, your abilities are all taught by me," Chen Xingyun said to Ning Beichen.
"Master, it's just that everyone is worried about you. And Madam, seeing you not come out, she weeps every day." Ning Beichen painted a picture of Song Qiuyan's utter misery.
"Really, what is there to worry about? I've been to places more dangerous than this. This is nothing," Chen Xingyun snorted.
Despite his nonchalant words, his worried expression was clearly visible.