Emperor Wu Shihuang's handwriting, do not go out of the Milky Way border

"I see!"

Ying Zheng looked at Aiden Barr with a hint of pity in his eyes.

Aiden Barr, however, didn't feel his current situation was particularly bad. After all, the stronger one is, the easier it is to descend into madness—a lesson his race had learned over countless years. But a desire to leave this bizarre world also ignited within Aiden Barr.

Although he knew that if the strange power within him could not be expelled, he would not be able to leave.

But a glimmer of hope still rose in his heart; he longed to see the wonderful world he had heard so much about.

Instead of staying in this world, continuing to rot and degenerate, becoming one of those bizarre creatures.

Moreover, countless years have passed, and outsiders have come and gone in waves. Perhaps the outside world has already found a way to remove the strange power.

Now, Ying Zheng thoughtfully held the stone formed from the Hongmeng Seal, and extracted a small snake from it, which had mutated from a drop of blood.

Then, Ying Zheng activated the Holy Lamp of Light within his body, and its radiant and holy power shone in his hands.

Countless strange forces seemed to be repelled by this light power and dissipated.

At the same time, Aiden Barr, standing behind Ying Zheng, felt a sense of disgust. Then, he realized what was happening and stared at the radiance in Ying Zheng's hand with intense fervor.

That burning gaze was as if looking at a god. In Aiden Barr's eyes now, Ying Zheng was like a savior, leading them to embrace the hope of light, and the power of light that this dark and eerie force he loathed was proof of that.

"Fizz!"

Under the scorching heat of this radiant power, the small snake, held captive in Ying Zheng's hand, struggled desperately. But under the suppression of this radiant power, its life gradually dissipated as the eerie force was expelled.

This was completely useless; the power of radiance purified it entirely.

Perhaps it's because the little snake has been completely devoured by some strange force.

Then, Ying Zheng glanced at Aiden Barr beside him, seemingly casually, before shaking his head helplessly.

After all, he was still useful as my guide to this world. It wouldn't be good if I accidentally purified him completely.

Noticing Ying Zheng's gaze, Aiden Barr gritted his teeth and immediately knelt on the ground, saying:

"Sir, I am willing to participate in this experiment!"

“No need. There are many people like you in this world. You are irreplaceable to me now!” Ying Zheng refused without hesitation.

A look of disappointment mixed with relief flashed across Aiden Barr's face. After all, he only had one life, and he still wanted to leave this place alive.

With Ying Zheng's arrival, hope was within reach, and he did not want to die in the experiment of stripping away the strange power.

"Where is the city of polar night?"

Ying Zheng then asked.

"We don't have the exact coordinates either. The space within this Bone Wasteland is layered, with countless worlds and planes constantly changing. Only by following the guidance of the Polar Night Badge can we find it!"

After Aiden Barr finished speaking, he took out a jet-black badge from his pocket, engraved with a tree-shaped light and shadow.

The moment Ying Zheng saw this light and shadow, he knew it was the symbol of the Tree of Life.

This civilization, also a symbol of a life-bearing cosmic civilization, is extremely powerful and is also a level nine cosmic civilization, having created its own life-bearing cosmic circle.

It seems that the creators of this polar night city are people from the life universe.

The Old Man of the Midnight is an existence that Ying Zheng cannot bypass. This fellow has stayed in this world for countless years and must know many secrets that Aiden Barr does not.

Perhaps he will know what caused the collapse of this once-thriving cosmic civilization.

Therefore, guided by the Night Badge, Ying Zheng directly led Aiden Barr through the endless void, traversing countless worlds and planes.

Soon they sensed a massive city, its walls made of the world itself, standing in the void.

The words "Polar Night" are engraved on the plaque of that city, filled with both eeriness and the power of life, the two complementing each other without any conflict.

The imagery conveyed by those two words told Ying Zheng that the guy had indeed been corrupted by a strange power.

Furthermore, according to Aiden Barr, the nature of the corrupted creatures changes drastically, as if they have become completely different people.

If it weren't for the fact that the essence of life is the same, it would be hard not to suspect that the body has been possessed.

Just as Ying Zheng's gaze fell upon the City of Midnight, a figure in the City Lord's Mansion suddenly raised his head.

His gaze met Ying Zheng's, and his hoarse words carried a hint of madness:

"Is it time for the seal to decline again? Which cosmic civilization has sent cannon fodder this time?!"

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng frowned slightly. It seemed this guy hadn't come in voluntarily, but was forced.

However, Ying Zheng didn't care; he only wanted to know the information this guy had gathered.

Moreover, according to Ying Zheng's perception, this guy's strength is still at the eighth level of the universe level, and has not broken through to the ninth level of the universe level.

But that makes sense; to break through a realm, one needs to absorb a massive amount of power.

In this world, absorbing these strange powers to break through is practically suicide. Unless he wants to completely degenerate into a strange being, he wouldn't dare to do it.

Therefore, his fate was sealed the moment he was corrupted by the strange power.

"I apologize for coming uninvited!"

Ying Zheng stepped out and appeared inside the city lord's mansion. He spoke with a slightly apologetic expression.

In response, the figure clad in black robes raised his head, revealing his aged face, upon which countless bizarre and crazed human faces moved.

This scene terrified Aiden Barr, causing him to involuntarily take a few steps back, his expression filled with immense fear as he cried out:

"Shadow of a Thousand Faces!"

"You little rascal, you may lack strength, but you have quite the knowledge. It seems you have a considerable family legacy!"

"The old man of the polar night said calmly."

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng looked at Aiden Barr with curiosity and said:
"what happened?"

Aiden Barr couldn't help but say:
"The Thousand-Faced Shadow is a terrifying being in our legends. It is said that those targeted by the Thousand-Faced Shadow will become its food, the sign being the appearance of a thousand faces on their faces. It is said to be the transformation of a fallen ninth-level cosmic being!"

What Aiden Barr said is probably true; this is indeed the mark left by a level nine powerhouse of the universe. Otherwise, the Old Man of the Midnight Night wouldn't have been unable to remove it, and could only suppress it.

"That's right. I faced a crisis back then and was attacked by the Thousand-Faced Shadow. Although I escaped, I was marked. I've been suppressing it for years, but now I'm almost at my breaking point. Coming to me at this time is not a wise move!"

The Old Man of the Polar Night gazed leisurely at Ying Zheng, the meaning of his words self-evident.

Meeting those empty pupils, Ying Zheng felt a chill run down his spine.

But thinking of the Holy Lamp of Light and the Jade Pendant of the Heavenly One Saint Lord, he also had something to rely on. Ying Zheng said solemnly:

"I may not be able to expel the strange power within you, but erasing this mark is something we can do together!"

Hearing this, the Old Man of the Night looked at Ying Zheng with anticipation in his eyes. After all, no one wants to die, even if it means being corrupted by strange forces and barely surviving, it's better than being devoured by the Thousand-Faced Shadow.

"Can you really do it? This is the power of a great being. With our strength, it's impossible for us to drive it away unless you're carrying a forbidden artifact of the great being level!" the Old Man of the Midnight asked sharply.

“That’s right!” Ying Zheng did not deny it. He casually summoned the Holy Light Lamp from within his body, and its gentle radiance instantly enveloped the entire city lord’s mansion.

The guards inside the city lord's mansion paled instantly, their eyes filled with terror and disgust. However, the overwhelming power of light, like divine might, prevented them from making any rash moves. Moreover, there was no sound of fighting coming from inside, so they could only stand there, awaiting their master's orders.

Feeling the stinging pain on his body, the Old Man of the Midnight Night's eyes flashed with surprise: "This power is simply the nemesis of this strange force! Moreover, the master who forged this holy lamp must have been at least a great being. Fellow Daoist, you truly have a knack for this!"

Then, the power of the Great Dao of Life flowed through the Old Man of the Polar Night, and a verdant radiance enveloped him, no longer repelled by the Holy Light. At the same time, he saw hope in the Holy Lamp of Light.

With the Holy Lamp of Light present, it was indeed possible to erase the mark left by the Thousand-Faced Shadow, and even to erase the strange power that was eroding one's own essence. Therefore, a look of longing appeared in the eyes of the Old Man of the Midnight, no longer resigned to his fate as before.

However, his gaze shifted between Ying Zheng and the Holy Lamp of Light. He knew in his heart that Ying Zheng's strength was in no way inferior to his own, and with the Holy Lamp of Light, which could suppress strange powers, he had no chance of winning.

So, the Old Man of the Night suppressed his greed and looked at Ying Zheng solemnly: "What do you want?"

"I want to know all the information you've gathered since you came to this world, especially the strange events you encountered and your meeting with the Thousand-Faced Shadow. I want to know the whole story!" Ying Zheng said without hesitation.

Upon hearing this, the Old Man of the Night was not surprised, after all, these were the only bargaining chips he could use to attract Ying Zheng.

Recalling the information he had gathered and the object he had seen, the Old Man of the Polar Night revealed a deep fear in his eyes: "Alright, I promise you!"

At this moment, Ying Zheng directly took out the Divine Rules Contract, on which the marks and radiance of the gods appeared.

"You actually brought out something like this? It must be quite expensive!" The Old Man of the Night's pupils contracted, then he joked.

"There's nothing I can do about it, after all, we're complete strangers. If you're hiding something, I'll be in big trouble. I don't want to end up like you!" Ying Zheng said helplessly.

Moreover, anything protected by the Thousand-Faced Shadow is undoubtedly extraordinary, possibly even involving the truth behind the corruption of the Dark Universe Civilization. Therefore, bringing out this Divine Rule Contract was a last resort. This contract embodies the contract power of the master of the Gods Universe Civilization, which is also a level nine cosmic civilization, but whose divine path is completely different from the path Ying Zheng is currently taking.

Even if a level nine powerhouse of the same universe level violates this top-level divine rule contract, they will be severely injured, because it contains their own power.

"Fine, I'll sign!" The Old Man of the Night said helplessly, looking at Ying Zheng's unyielding stance.

After the two signed their true spirit names, two forces surged into the divine rule contract. Accompanying this was a tree-shaped phenomenon formed from the power of the Old Man of the Midnight, carrying a strange and corrupting power that even eroded the radiance of the gods. Fortunately, the power of the divine rule contract itself and the power inputted by Ying Zheng suppressed it, preventing any abnormal changes.

After the contract was signed, Ying Zheng immediately took out the Holy Lamp of Light and unleashed its radiant power to suppress the Old Man of the Night. The Old Man of the Night contracted his protective power, began to suppress his own resistance, and pressed towards the mark of the Thousand-Faced Shadow.

At this moment, thousands of faces, wailing endlessly, appeared on the aged face of the Old Man of the Polar Night. They roared and howled... But under the combined suppression of the two, the mark of the Thousand-Faced Shadow remained unchanged, and wisps of power dissipated. As the Thousand-Faced Phenomenon gradually faded, it finally disappeared completely.

Ying Zheng put away the Holy Lamp of Light, and the Old Man of the Midnight, whose back had been bent, gradually straightened, his aged face regaining its youthful appearance. He laughed wildly with joy, "Finally, I'm rid of the mark's influence! I no longer have to worry about that guy's arrival!"

However, Ying Zheng interrupted his maniacal laughter: "I have already helped you remove the mark of the Thousand-Faced Shadow. Now you can tell me what you encountered back then!"

Upon hearing this, the Old Man of the Midnight Night's expression turned grave: "Back then, the moment I entered the Dark Universe, due to spatial turbulence, I arrived at a hidden place. It seemed to be located in the center of the Dark Universe, where I saw an altar built upon the foundation of the world. The instant I saw that altar, I was corrupted by a strange power and fled in a panic. The commotion attracted the attention of the Thousand-Faced Shadow, and I finally escaped using countless means..."

As the Old Man of the Polar Night recounted his story, the focus gradually shifted to the colossal altar built upon the foundation of the world. This was very likely a sacrifice performed by all the powerful beings of the Dark Universe civilization, utilizing the full strength of their entire being. The question then arises: who was this being they were sacrificing to?
What kind of being could possibly warrant such a sacrifice? They were level nine cosmic-level powerhouses, the most supreme beings standing in the endless void. In this void, what being could be more revered than them? Suddenly, Ying Zheng had a hunch: could it be an being transcending the void?
Thinking of this, Ying Zheng's pupils contracted. But since the creation of the endless void, no one had ever been heard of transcending it. Moreover, how did the Dark Universe civilization know that they could contact that being through sacrificial rituals?
Moreover, judging from the current state of the Dark Universe, they might have actually made contact! It's just that something went wrong, leading to their complete annihilation...

Perhaps some are still clinging to life; otherwise, the Dark Universe wouldn't have sealed itself off. If this strange power were to spread, the current situation would only worsen. After all, this power cannot be killed; until a method of purification is developed, it can only be sealed away, which will undoubtedly affect countless lives. (End of Chapter)