Xie Zhouxing looked down at his hands as darkness began to seep from his fingertips.
First came a very faint wisp of shadow.
Then, like ink dripping into clear water, the shadow spread rapidly, wrapping around his wrists, shoulders, back, and waist.
His hospital gown was swallowed by the night.
When it reappeared, it had transformed into a luxurious and mysterious long black robe.
The fabric was like a flowing night sky, its hem adorned with faint, dark silver feather patterns.
The collar and shoulders looked as though they were covered in a layer of black feathers, shimmering faintly with his every movement.
The Sorrowfeather Robe.
A companion artifact that coexisted with his Talent under his Dark Elf form.
Xie Zhouxing felt the long-lost power coursing through his body.
Every muscle, every inch of bone, and every breath felt as though they had been reforged by the night.
The monsters that had just forced him into a desperate escape now seemed laughably slow in his eyes.
He raised his head, his amethyst-like eyes reflecting the pack of eerie green monsters.
A wild, unbridled smirk slowly curled on Xie Zhouxing's lips.
“Disgusting things.”
“Your doomsday has arrived.”
The monsters also seemed to sense the change in him.
They growled uneasily, but hunger ultimately overcame their instinctual fear.
The thickest vine lunged first, and in the next instant, countless vines shot toward Xie Zhouxing simultaneously from the ground, the stone walls, and the ceiling of the nest.
Thorns fell like rain as tiny mouths clicked open and closed. The dense mass of shadows almost completely submerged him.
Xie Zhouxing was completely fearless as he casually raised his hand.
“Night.”
The shadow beneath his feet suddenly expanded.
Darkness rose from the ground like a tidal wave, instantly swallowing his figure.
The vines plunged into the darkness, only to feel as if they had fallen into a bottomless sea.
There was no sound at all.
In the next second.
Several dark streaks of light sliced through the nest, so fast they seemed not to exist at all.
The charging monsters froze in place.
The massive vine monster, which resembled a rotting giant tree, still had its split human face wide open in a silent roar.
The vines behind it hung suspended in midair.
A few breaths later.
Splat.
The first vine snapped in half.
Then the second, the third, the fourth...
Hundreds of vines were sliced clean through as if by an invisible blade, the cuts unbelievably smooth.
Dark green liquid sprayed out violently, but the blood did not even touch the ground.
The darkness gaped in midair like countless invisible mouths, swallowing every bit of splattering flesh, mucus, and severed limbs.
The nest fell silent.
Only the dull thuds of the monsters' carcasses hitting the ground remained.
Xie Zhouxing stood in the center of the darkness.
His long, curly black hair cascaded behind him, his purple eyes coldly scanning the surroundings.
Every monster had been sliced to pieces, yet not a single drop of blood had splashed onto him.
He remained completely spotless.
Still, Xie Zhouxing wrinkled his nose, his beautiful eyes filled with undisguised disgust and loathing.
“So disgusting.”
He waved his hand, and the darkness welled up from the ground once more, swallowing the remains in the nest.
“Clean it up.”
Xie Zhouxing coldly spat out.
It was unclear who he was speaking to.
The darkness writhed silently, like the most loyal servant, devouring the last trace of filth for him.
Xie Zhouxing turned and walked toward the path leading to the surface.
He no longer needed to rely on his hearing to navigate; the night world was unbelievably clear in his eyes.
Through the thick layers of stone, he could even see the swaying outlines of the ruins on the surface, the collapsed high-rises in the distance, and the broom hovering in midair.
On the broom lay a person.
Xie Zhouxing narrowed his eyes.
Cen Yao was actually sleeping.
She lay on the broom, her posture excessively relaxed.
The moonlight fell upon her face, tracing her soft features.
Her long black hair draped down, her eyelashes resting quietly on her eyelids, making her look as if she were immersed in an extremely sweet dream.
A wave of anger welled up in Xie Zhouxing's chest for no reason.
He had almost been turned into emergency rations by the monsters underground.
His waist had almost been snapped by the broom and the vines, and he had exerted so much effort to dodge those attacks for so long.
And Cen Yao was up here sleeping?!
No way.
He couldn't let her have it so easy.
He spread his black wings.
The wings were not made of physical feathers, but were condensed from the thick night.
The edges of each black feather shimmered with a faint silver light, and when spread, they almost completely blocked out the moonlight behind him.
In the next instant, Xie Zhouxing's figure flashed.
He transformed into a black afterimage, flying toward Cen Yao.
He planned to drop in front of Cen Yao suddenly to give her a good scare.
To let her know just how severe the consequences of abandoning this young master were.
But just as he flew near her...
Bang!
A loud crash echoed.
Xie Zhouxing slammed headfirst into a transparent barrier.
His forehead went numb from the impact, and his vision momentarily blacked out.
He stumbled back half a step in midair.
Xie Zhouxing clutched his forehead, his face turning pale from the pain.
What on earth was that?
He raised his hand to feel it.
His fingertips touched an extremely hard barrier of magic power.
And it was transparent?
Xie Zhouxing: “...”
“Cen Yao!”
The name was practically squeezed out from between his gritted teeth.
Cen Yao finally opened her eyes with satisfaction.
She had been awake for a long time.
When the broom found her, she knew there was a high probability Xie Zhouxing would be fine.
Later, when the sky darkened completely and a powerful surge of energy suddenly rippled from underground, she became even more certain of her judgment.
So, she had simply set up an isolation barrier around herself and lay on the broom, waiting for him to come out.
Sure enough.
The first thing Xie Zhouxing wanted to do after coming out was to scare her.
Cen Yao propped herself up on the broom and looked up.
Under the night sky, Xie Zhouxing was hovering not far away.
His black hair cascaded down to his hips, black wings spread behind him, and the Sorrowfeather Robe outlined his tall, slender figure.
He was so beautiful it was almost surreal.
Especially those amethyst-like eyes, shimmering with a faint light in the darkness like two gems soaked in moonlight.
Only right now, those eyes were filled with tears from the impact.
Cen Yao's gaze drifted downward.
In the center of Xie Zhouxing's forehead, a large red bump was swelling up at a visible rate.
She fell silent for a second.
Then, unable to hold back, she teased, “Oh.”
“My, that bump sounds like a perfectly ripe melon.”
Xie Zhouxing's expression froze.
A flush of sheer embarrassment instantly rushed to his fair, beautiful face.
“Cen! Yao!”
Cen Yao sat on the broom, resting her chin on one hand as she watched him with great interest.
She wanted to hear what kind of biting insult he could muster.
In the next second, however, Xie Zhouxing suddenly cast his eyes down.
His beautiful purple eyes became misty and bright, the corners of his eyes flushed red.
His long eyelashes trembled slightly.
Then, he pressed his hands together and bowed his head slightly toward Cen Yao.
His moist, red lips parted: “Don't say another word.”
“I beg of you.”
Cen Yao: “...”
She was completely choked up.
She had never expected Xie Zhouxing to react this way.
The heap of retorts she had prepared instantly got stuck in her throat.
【Hiss...】
【Slurp~】
【Gulp~】
【Enough! What are these sounds? You guys are making me hungry! No way! I'm Lady Witch's loyal follower in life, and I'll be her ghost in death!】
【Honestly, Xie Zhouxing is actually... kind of cute.】
【Yeah, yeah, and so pretty! Especially after his transformation—that black outfit looks so good, luxurious and mysterious. Is it a companion of his Talent?】
【Ah, oh? Oh, right, right! They say it's a Talent companion artifact called the Sorrowfeather Robe.】
【Am I the only one who thinks he looks like such a babygirl? He looks so hot, I want to put a collar on his neck.】
【Sister upstairs, aren't you afraid he'll track you down and blow you to pieces in real life?】
【If it fulfills my wish, I'd gladly let him blow me to pieces!】
【Do you Night King fans feast on this level of luxury every day? This is too much! You didn't even share. Do you even consider us brothers?】
【Exactly! Night King fans, stop playing dumb, speak up!】
【Uh... would you believe us if we said we've never seen the Night King like this either?】
【Heh, do you think I'd believe that?】
【Misty eyes, flushed eyelids, plump pink lips, looking so pitiful... hehe~】
【Returning from a mission, the strong wife pins her husband against the door and dominates him.】
【The powerful, mysterious wife and the delicate, beautiful husband.】
【Can you guys upstairs be normal? I'm scared.】
【Cough, alright, stop babygirling him, let's analyze something serious.】
【I'll start. Lady Witch's strength has completely redefined my view of her. Her magic is just too powerful, and she has no obvious weaknesses.】
【Not only is it strong, but it's also highly practical, and the visuals are stunningly beautiful. It's practically the ultimate tool for showing off that I've always dreamed of.】
【Xie Zhouxing's Talent is also terrifying. Those monsters just now were sliced to pieces by the darkness in a single instant.】
【Plus, he's blind during the day and regains his sight at night. That contrast is just too massive.】
【A high-damage Witch, an Elf who rules the darkness at night, plus Siren who controls minds, and the soft and cute Nuo—who could possibly withstand this lineup in a dungeon?】
【I really want to become a thigh accessory for these big shots. That way, my safety is guaranteed, and I can admire handsome men and beautiful women every day while watching their dramas.】
【Just keep dreaming. If all else fails, go to sleep. You can have anything in your dreams.】
Cen Yao looked at Xie Zhouxing.
Outside the isolation barrier, the long-haired youth still had his hands pressed together, his purple eyes holding a hint of defiance, but mostly showing how helpless he was against her.
Cen Yao cleared her throat.
“Fine.”
“I won't say it.”
Xie Zhouxing was just about to breathe a sigh of relief.
When Cen Yao added, “But that bump on your forehead really is quite round.”
Xie Zhouxing: “...”
He took a deep breath, darkness swirling gently around him.
Cen Yao immediately raised her hand. “Hey, don't do anything rash.”
Xie Zhouxing gritted his teeth. “This young master doesn't hit women.”
“That's good to hear.”
“But I can have the night steal your broom.”
Cen Yao lowered her head to hug her broom, which also nestled alertly into her arms.
“You are truly shameless.”
Xie Zhouxing raised his chin, resuming his arrogant expression.
“What do you mean shameless? This young master calls it outsmarting you.”
Seeing him recover his spirits, Cen Yao suddenly smiled.
“Alright.”
“Since you got out on your own, don't just stand out there.”
She waved her hand to remove the isolation barrier. “Let's go find my teammate.”
Xie Zhouxing's black wings folded slightly. He glanced at the broom Cen Yao was sitting on, then let out a soft huff.
“This time, this young master will fly on his own.”
With that, he flapped his black wings and took the lead, flying into the night sky ahead.
Only, after flying a few meters, he turned back.
“Cen Yao.”
“Hmm?”
“Keep up with me.”
Xie Zhouxing stood in the night, his black hair and robe fluttering in the wind.
He raised his chin, his tone as arrogant as ever.
“The night belongs to me tonight.”
“This young master is covering you.”
Rate on N.U.
