The sky grew darker, the tumbling clouds obscuring the few stars, allowing no light to penetrate.
The atmosphere within the entire space was terrifyingly somber.
The middle-aged man from the Demon Extermination Division looked at Ji Chang and asked earnestly,
"Are you sure?"
He was referring, of course, to the threat.
Ji Chang nodded and said expressionlessly,
"Yes, I am sure."
The man became enraged, his voice like a thunderclap that shook heaven and earth. He pointed at Ji Chang and shouted,
"You can stop me, but can you stop everyone else? Do you know how many forces have come in this darkness? It's several times more than when they attacked the Nangong clan!"
Upon hearing this roar, countless people on the Nangong mountainside showed fear.
Undoubtedly, in their current state, they could not endure another war, let alone a larger-scale conflict involving the Demon Extermination Division.
Ji Chang remained silent for a moment, then spoke without expression,
"Lord Liu Ti, I understand what you mean."
"There are many ghosts hiding in this darkness."
"Xu Mu's identity can no longer be concealed. The powers of the world will soon launch a joint assassination, but at the latest, it will be after tonight."
"The number of people coming tonight might be large, but their strength... heh."
With that, Ji Chang's intentions were clear.
Liu Ti shook his head, his face grave, and said,
"They have numbers, and their strength is also formidable."
"Perhaps they cannot do anything to you, but they can certainly kill this Xu Mu."
Ji Chang shook his head.
"I said, Xu Mu cannot die, at least not tonight."
"Whoever tries to kill him, I will kill."
Liu Ti asked, "Even if this reignites a bloody disaster, and your recently resurrected loved ones die?"
Ji Chang nodded. "Yes."
Liu Ti looked into Ji Chang's eyes. Deep within his pitch-black pupils, there was a brown hue like autumn leaves, as if a tiger lay hidden within, fearless of any danger, ready to pounce and tear him to shreds at any moment.
Such a gaze made Liu Ti inexplicably fearful, and it further convinced him that Ji Chang could indeed break through to the Domain Lord realm at any moment and that he truly possessed the power to kill him.
"The Demon Extermination Division is only here to offer amnesty," a hoarse voice from an old man behind Liu Ti spoke up when he found himself in a dilemma.
"We will not make the same mistake twice."
"Since he is unwilling to return to Great Xia, then we shall leave."
Liu Ti looked at the old man with disbelief and asked, "Just let Xu Mu go like this?"
"Governor, even if we let Xu Mu go, he will still die in the hands of others. Why don't we..."
The old man interrupted, sternly reprimanding,
"Silence! You have no right to speak here!"
The Governor was enraged, causing Liu Ti to fall silent. He cupped his hands and retreated. The old man cast a deep look at Ji Chang, then turned to Xu Mu and asked,
"If we do not act tonight, does that count as you owing the Demon Extermination Division a favor?"
Xu Mu remained silent for a moment, then replied,
"If it does, then the Demon Extermination Division owes me a life."
The old man knew Xu Mu was referring to the matter with Yao Huo. After a moment of silence, he asked,
"Can we consider it settled?"
"After all, he has also been punished."
Xu Mu shook his head and said,
"Unless you help me tonight."
"Kid, don't push your luck!" Liu Ti snorted coldly, pointing at the night sky around them and saying, "It is already a grace for us not to act tonight."
"Thank you," Xu Mu replied.
Everyone was stunned. The old man smiled wryly and shook his head, waving his hand, "Fine, since it cannot be easily resolved, you will have to settle this account with Lord Yao Huo yourself later."
"Demon Extermination Division, follow me!"
With that, the old man waved his sleeve, leading a group of cultivators in red robes and official attire, and departed, their destination unknown.
Seeing this, Xu Mu turned to the direction of the Hunter's Alliance and asked, "If I do not join your alliance, what do you intend to do?"
Among the Hunter's Alliance, the man holding a large saber, named Liu Zhang, looked at Xu Mu and smiled without hesitation, saying, "Then naturally, we will let you leave."
Xu Mu let out a hum and turned to the Wine Immortal, saying, "Senior, let's go."
From the Golden Silver Merchant Guild, the burly middle-aged man saw this and immediately took out a golden mirror that emitted a heavy golden glow. He asked the Wine Immortal,
"Baiyun Daoist Temple, are you certain you will protect Xu Mu?"
The Wine Immortal looked at the man and said dismissively,
"Which eye of yours saw me protecting him?"
After speaking, the Wine Immortal drew his sword and made a move as if to cleave the golden mirror, scaring the merchants into hastily dodging.
Seeing them flinch, the Wine Immortal, who had only been posturing, revealed a trace of mockery on his face and said,
"This is Nangong family territory, and I am a guest elder of the Nangong family. You came uninvited, so naturally, I will escort you out. It has nothing to do with that damned Xu Mu."
Jin Chuanrong, holding the mirror artifact, was taken aback. He then glanced at Nangong Huaitian, who held the array eye staff, and a hint of fear flickered in his eyes.
Afterward, he led his men back ten thousand meters into the night sky. The golden mirror in his hand continuously shone on Xu Mu, appearing to be some kind of tracking artifact.
Seeing this, the Wine Immortal took out his wine gourd and sprinkled a sea of wine, obscuring Xu Mu's aura. The golden mirror immediately lost sight of Xu Mu.
Jin Chuanrong's expression turned grim. He turned to the Daoist Tian Shui and asked, "May I ask what this means?"
Tian Shui said calmly, "The Wine Immortal acts on his own, it has nothing to do with the Daoist temple."
"As long as you have enough strength, you can kill the Wine Immortal tonight. I will not intervene."
"You say that now, but you'll seek revenge later!" Jin Chuanrong cursed inwardly upon hearing this. He then attempted to activate the golden mirror again to lock onto Xu Mu.
But at this moment, he suddenly realized that Xu Mu had already vanished from the Nangong clan's peak.
Jin Chuanrong froze, then spotted two figures, one old and one young, rapidly departing in the distant sky. They were none other than Xu Mu and the Daoist Wine Immortal.
Jin Chuanrong gritted his teeth and was about to lead his men across the night sky to pursue them, but he was once again stopped by Daoist Tian Shui.
"This is the airspace of the Nangong clan."
"If you want to kill or fight, go around."
"You've got nerve!" Jin Chuanrong's face was ugly. He had no time to entangle with Daoist Tian Shui and could only lead his men around the mountain range to give chase.
Meanwhile, other forces hidden in this night sky also emerged, their powerful auras locking onto the two figures in the distance, turning into streaks of light in pursuit.
"Elder, should we..." Nangong Huaitian looked worried, about to ask Nangong Mao Guan if they should help Xu Mu. But upon turning, she suddenly found that Nangong Mao Guan had disappeared, as had Ji Chang, who had been standing there moments before.
"They won't discover it for a while."
A familiar voice suddenly echoed from below. Nangong Huaitian lowered her head, only to see the rock layer wriggling. Xu Mu's figure slowly revealed itself, with the Wine Immortal beside him.
The two of them had been there all along.
It was Ji Chang and Nangong Mao Guan who had left.
Nangong Huaitian's beautiful eyes lit up, "An illusion!"
Xu Mu emerged from the cliff face, smiling and complimenting, "Not bad, not too foolish after all."
"However, this will be discovered before long."
"Miss Nangong, I truly must leave now." Xu Mu stepped onto a white cloud and turned his head to say.
Nangong Huaitian asked with concern,
"Where are you going?"
Xu Mu did not answer, merely smiling faintly, while the Wine Immortal controlled the clouds to fly away.
Beneath the night sky, Xu Mu stood on the cloud, his entire body enveloped in viscous, ink-black power. As a night walker, the darkness provided him with special protection.
However, from now on, Xu Mu could no longer traverse the night as a human being, for he was about to be hunted by the entire world.
From now on, he could only be a ghost.
A ghost in the night.