87: Chapter 87 Night Visit

At 3:00 AM on Friday, Chen Zhen opened his eyes from his Cultivate session.

[Fragment Perception] was pulsating wildly.

In the southeast, that speck of light—fifty kilometers away.

He stood up and walked to the window.

Outside, the night was deep, and the city lights flickered in the distance. The eastern sky was pitch black; nothing could be seen.

But in his perception, that speck of light was approaching at an extremely fast speed.

Forty-five kilometers.

Forty kilometers.

Thirty-five kilometers.

Not coming for him?

Thirty kilometers.

Twenty-five kilometers.

Twenty kilometers.

It was definitely coming for him.

Chen Zhen took a deep breath and retrieved that stack of Talisman from his Storage Space.

He stuffed thirty Attack Talisman into his pockets, stuck twenty defensive Talismans onto his body, and held five Invisibility Talisman in his hand.

He walked out of the Secret Base and stood in the open space outside.

The night breeze blew past, carrying the chill of early autumn.

Ten kilometers.

Five kilometers.

One kilometer.

It was here.

In the eastern night sky, a beam of dark blue light cut through the darkness and descended from the heavens.

The light landed ten meters in front of him, exploding into a dazzling halo.

As the halo dissipated, a silhouette stood there.

The Young Woman.

She had long hair and was wearing strange attire.

It wasn't modern clothing; it looked like some kind of ancient robe, dark blue, embroidered with silver-white runes.

Her face was very pale, unnaturally so, and her eyes were pale gold, shimmering in the night.

Qi Refining Level 5.

Chen Zhen looked at her, and she was looking at Chen Zhen as well.

The silence lasted for three seconds.

The woman spoke: "Are you the one who holds a Fragment?"

Her voice was very soft, but every word was as clear as if it were ringing in his ears.

Chen Zhen did not answer.

The woman waited for two seconds; seeing he didn't speak, she wasn't impatient.

She looked around, her gaze sweeping over the entrance of the Secret Base, over the faint light of the Talisman on the walls, and finally landing back on Chen Zhen.

"Over a hundred Talisman," she said. "Quite well prepared."

Chen Zhen looked at her.

"Who are you?"

The woman smiled.

"My name is Yun Xi," she said. "Like you, a Fragment holder."

She took out a dark blue stone from her bosom; it was slightly smaller than Chen Zhen's, but the light was pure, flashing in her palm.

The third Fragment.

Chen Zhen's pupils contracted slightly.

Eighteen Fragments, and now three had appeared.

"Why did you come looking for me?"

Yun Xi put the Fragment away and looked at him.

"To ask for your help."

"Help with what?"

Yun Xi was silent for two seconds.

"Do you know how many Fragments there are in total?"

"Eighteen."

"Do you know what will happen after they are all fused?"

Chen Zhen did not answer.

Yun Xi waited for two seconds; seeing he didn't speak, she continued on her own.

"The Heavenly Road will open. The Star Radiance Realm will connect with this world. When that happens, the barrier between the two worlds will disappear."

She looked at Chen Zhen.

"Do you know what that means?"

Chen Zhen thought about it.

"It means things from over there can come over, and things from here can go over."

Yun Xi nodded.

"Correct. But don't you find it strange—why eighteen? Why at this time?"

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

Yun Xi continued: "Eighteen Fragments correspond to eighteen Fragment holders. Once all are gathered, the Heavenly Road opens. But the Fragments are not distributed randomly—each one has its own position, its own mission."

She stared into Chen Zhen's eyes.

"Do you know what position the Fragment in your hand corresponds to?"

Chen Zhen's heart stirred.

"East Mountain."

Yun Xi was stunned for a moment.

Then she smiled.

"You know quite a lot."

She put away her smile and said seriously: "Yes, East Mountain. The node that Fragment corresponds to is East Mountain. The one I have corresponds to North Mountain. There are fifteen more, corresponding to fifteen different nodes."

"Only when they are all collected and all nodes are activated simultaneously will the Heavenly Road truly open."

Chen Zhen was silent for a few seconds.

"You want me to help you collect the Fragments?"

Yun Xi shook her head.

"It's not helping me. It's cooperation."

She pulled a small booklet from her bosom and threw it to Chen Zhen.

Chen Zhen caught it and opened it.

Inside was a map—a map of China, with eighteen red dots marked on it.

East Mountain, North Mountain, West Mountain, South Mountain, Kunlun, Changbai, Qinling, Wuyi...

Next to each red dot, a number and status were written.

East Mountain: Activated (Fragment holder confirmed)

North Mountain: Activated (Fragment holder confirmed)

West Mountain: Not activated (Fragment whereabouts unknown)

Kunlun: Activated (Fragment holder confirmed, but status abnormal)

...

Chen Zhen stared at the "Kunlun" red dot for a few seconds.

Status abnormal.

"What does that abnormal mean?"

Yun Xi was silent for two seconds.

"That Fragment holder has already lost control."

Lost control.

Chen Zhen remembered the chaotic and violent speck of light in the southwest direction.

"What happened to him?"

"Something went wrong during the Fusion of the Fragment," Yun Xi said. "Now he is neither human nor ghost, killing anyone he sees. Three Fragment holders have already died."

Chen Zhen's heart jolted.

Three.

"You came to me to deal with him?"

Yun Xi nodded.

"Of the eighteen Fragment holders, three have died. There are fifteen left. Two of them are willing to cooperate, but the others are scattered. If that one who lost control isn't eliminated, everyone will die."

She looked at Chen Zhen.

"I need a helper. You look like you're the right material."

Chen Zhen was silent for a few seconds.

"Why do you trust me?"

Yun Xi smiled.

"Because you didn't run."

She turned and looked at the city in the distance.

"When I first landed, you were standing there, motionless. Over a hundred Talisman were stuck on your body, five Invisibility Talisman were in your hand, but you didn't run."

She turned her head and looked at Chen Zhen.

"Anyone who dares to stand there and wait for me is either a fool or truly capable. You don't look like a fool."

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

Yun Xi waited for a few seconds; seeing he didn't answer, she wasn't impatient.

She took a jade plaque from her bosom and threw it to him.

"Once you've decided, use this to contact me. Inject your spiritual power, and I will be able to sense it."

She turned around, and dark blue light rose from her body.

"By the way, that little apprentice of yours has good talent. Teach him well."

The light exploded, and she disappeared into the night.

Chen Zhen stood there, looking at the jade plaque in his hand.

Qi Refining Level 5, faster than him, stronger perception than him, and three companions.

That out-of-control Fragment holder had killed three people.

And he, currently at Qi Refining Level 4, was alone.

He gripped the jade plaque tightly.

Cooperation?

Or do it himself?

He didn't know.

But he knew it was coming soon.

4:00 AM, Secret Base.

Chen Zhen sat cross-legged in the center of the Eight-Talisman Chain Array, with the map Yun Xi had given him laid out in front of him.

Eighteen red dots.

East Mountain, North Mountain, West Mountain, South Mountain, Kunlun, Changbai, Qinling, Wuyi, Emei, Qingcheng, Longhu, Maoshan, Luofu, Hengshan, Songshan, Huashan, Hengshan, Taishan.

All famous mountains.

Every node was on a famous mountain.

He stared at the "Kunlun" red dot for a long time.

Status abnormal. Lost control. Killed three people.

Who would be next?

He activated [Fragment Perception].

Seventeen specks of light.

The middle-aged man at Qi Refining Level 7 in the northeast direction was still in the same place.

The old man in the due north direction was still in seclusion.

The Young Woman in the southeast direction—she had already left, heading west.

The chaotic and violent thing in the southwest direction was still heart-palpitating.

And Shen Mo's small Fragment was flickering nearby.

He retracted his perception and closed his eyes.

The spiritual pearl in his Dantian rotated slowly.

Stellar Energy flowed through his body.

At 6:00 AM on Friday, Chen Zhen opened his eyes right on time.

He hadn't slept all night, but he was in high spirits.

He stood up and walked out of the Secret Base.

Outside, the sky was already bright, and the morning light was sprinkled on the rooftops of the city, shimmering with golden light.

He took a deep breath and walked home.

Halfway there, his phone vibrated.

Shen Mo's message: "That small Fragment lit up again last night. Very bright."

Chen Zhen replied: "I felt it."

Shen Mo replied instantly: "Did something happen?"

Chen Zhen thought for a moment and replied with one word: "Yes."

Shen Mo was silent for a few seconds.

Then he replied: "What do you need me to do?"

Chen Zhen looked at this message and was silent for a long time.

Then he replied: "Study well in class."

At 7:00, Chen Zhen stepped into the classroom.

Zhang Meng was making up homework in the back row; seeing him enter, he shouted as usual: "Help! Lend me your English homework to copy!"

Chen Zhen threw his workbook over.

Zhang Meng caught it and buried his head, copying furiously.

Chen Zhen walked to his seat and sat down.

Su Xiaoya, in the seat in front, turned around; her eyes were red.

"Chen Zhen, my mom had another dream last night."

Chen Zhen looked at her.

"What did she dream of?"

Su Xiaoya lowered her voice.

"That old man said: 'She has left. But she will come back.'"

Chen Zhen was silent for a few seconds.

"Tell your mom not to overthink it."

Su Xiaoya nodded and turned back.

Chen Zhen opened his book and looked at the English words on it.

She had left.

But she would come back.

Yun Xi would come back.

That out-of-control Fragment holder would come too.

He closed the book and looked out the window.

The sunlight was nice, and the sky was very blue.

But the storm was coming soon.