Shadows Fall, the Veil of Eternal Night

The world fell silent, the battlefield deathly still.

What?

What's happening?

The cultivators of the Holy Alliance trembled, their pupils shaking violently, their throats constricted as if gripped by an invisible hand. Even breathing became difficult.

"Who… who are these people?!"

"Shadow Garden? We've never heard of such a faction!"

"Their aura… it's terrifying!"

Honestly, everyone's minds were buzzing with shock.

Weren't their enemies supposed to be the Netherfrost Divine Realm?

So what was happening now?

"Not the Netherfrost Divine Realm? Could this be a third-party force?!"

"Impossible! There has never been a precedent of a third party interfering in the Great Thousand War!"

"Wait! Don’t you remember? Some disciples from the Holy Alliance were attacked in the Western Netherworld—the attackers left behind traces pointing to Shadow Garden!!!"

"What?!"

Empress Linglong’s expression darkened as her gaze flickered between Shadow Garden and the Netherfrost Divine Realm, her heart filled with doubt.

She had initially thought these people were Su Muwan’s hidden cards, but judging by the reactions of the Netherfrost Divine Realm’s members, they seemed equally shocked.

Could she have been wrong? Was this new faction actually unrelated to the Netherfrost Divine Realm?

Thinking this, she raised her head and glared at Phantom, demanding, "What have you done to the real Han Tianqing?!"

At her words, Phantom’s poker-faced mask gleamed eerily under the moonlight. Slowly raising his hand, he replied in a hoarse, low voice:

"Oh, he’s right here."

As his voice faded—

Hum!

A figure appeared beside Phantom, also wearing a mask.

But when he removed it, everyone was stunned.

Because the man was none other than the Lord of the Frostbloom Holy Domain—Han Tianqing himself!

The Second Elder of the Frostbloom Holy Domain, Han Wujiu, was in seclusion attempting to break through to the Eternal Realm, so he wasn’t present.

But the Third Elder, Han Shuangyue, was there. Her eyes burned with grief and fury as she glared at Phantom. "You scum! What have you done to my brother?!"

Phantom glanced at her indifferently. "We’ve… given him a new life."

Everyone: !!!

All eyes fixed on the figure who looked exactly like Han Tianqing but radiated an eerie, unnatural aura.

A wave of horror surged through their hearts.

What… had they done to Han Tianqing?

Meanwhile, Qin Luo "solemnly" stepped in front of Su Muwan, his voice grave. "Young Mistress, be careful. These people are dangerous!"

Su Muwan blinked, her peripheral gaze flickering toward the "Qin Luo" beside her.

She was about to respond when she suddenly froze.

Because she realized her jade hand radar had mysteriously stopped working!

This bastard… when did he pull a switcheroo?!

Gritting her teeth internally, she played along, putting on a "wary" expression as she coldly demanded, "Stop with the theatrics! Who are you really?!"

This act dispelled most people’s suspicions.

They had initially thought these backstabbers were arranged by the Netherfrost Holy Domain.

But clearly, they weren’t.

Phantom didn’t answer. Instead, he stepped aside slightly, as if welcoming the arrival of a supreme being.

And then—

BOOM!!!

The sky tore apart!

A pitch-black spatial rift split the heavens, unleashing an endless tide of chilling energy that seemed to devour even light itself.

Thud… Thud… Thud…

Heavy footsteps echoed from within the rift, each step making the earth tremble.

Thump! Thump!

The hearts of the allied cultivators clenched as if gripped by an invisible hand. Those with weaker cultivation directly collapsed to their knees, blood streaming from their seven orifices!

"What… what kind of monster is coming out?!" Lei Wuji’s voice trembled, his lightning spear nearly slipping from his grasp.

Finally, the figure fully emerged from the rift—

Cloaked in a robe woven from purest shadow, its edges fluttering without wind.

His face was hidden behind a weeping oni mask, its tear streaks as crimson as blood, striking terror into all who saw it.

Phantom and the others knelt in midair, their voices ringing out in unison.

"All hail our King!!"

BOOM!!

The entire battlefield was thrown into chaos.

"Their King?!"

"That masked monster is their ruler?"

"Impossible… this pressure… what realm is he in?!"

Even Empress Linglong and the other domain lords paled.

Though they had suppressed their cultivation to the peak of the Sovereign Realm, their insight remained.

The weeping oni’s aura made them feel as insignificant as ants facing a heavenly tribulation!

Just what was going on?!

Among the crowd, Su Bailian "shivered" behind Tian Zixing, though inwardly, she rolled her eyes.

Seriously?

This guy was obviously Qin Luo himself!

Her love radar was going haywire—there was no way she’d be fooled!

Ugh, so this is just another scheme by those two lovebirds?!

Tian Zixing, mistaking her fear for genuine terror, silently stepped forward to shield her.

Su Bailian gave him a "grateful" look, her eyes glistening with tears like a frightened fawn.

Qin Luo—disguised as the weeping oni—swept his gaze across the battlefield before settling on the Holy Alliance.

His voice, a horrifying amalgamation of countless tormented souls, reverberated through their very souls:

"You who call yourselves lords of the Holy Domains, arbiters of life and death…"

Slowly raising his hand, his voice turned as cold as the abyss:

"Yet you fail to realize… it is time for a new era in the Great Thousand World."

With those words, the Shadow Generals behind him took a synchronized step forward—

"Today, we invite the lords of the Holy Domains—"

"To die."

Hum—!

In an instant, the world lost all color!

Space itself tore like cloth, revealing an endless void beyond.

[Eternal Night Veil]—Activate!

A two-kilometer radius of absolute darkness erupted, severing all light, sound, and spiritual perception in an instant!

The allied cultivators panicked as they realized their spiritual energy had vanished—like stones sinking into the ocean, completely untouchable!

"An anti-spiritual field?! How is this possible?!"

"My artifacts… they’re useless!"

"My techniques—I can’t use them!"

Terror gripped them all as despair finally set in.

Their power was intertwined with spiritual energy.

Without it, they were left with only their physical bodies—how could they possibly fight?

But the true horror came next.

From the darkness, countless shadow creatures surged forth like a tide—

Phantom Owls, Shadow Titans, Bone Dragons… their forms flickered between reality and void, immune to all physical attacks as they pounced on the allied cultivators!

"No… stay away!"

"Help me! Aaaah—!"

Screams filled the air.

A Supreme Realm cultivator slashed at a Phantom Owl, but his blade passed through its body as if cutting air!

The next moment, the owl’s claws pierced his chest, tearing his soul straight from his body!

"These things… they’re incorporeal?!" Bai Wuchen’s voice shook. "Physical attacks don’t work… and we can’t use spiritual energy either! We’re doomed!"

What the hell?!

No physical or magical attacks—how were they supposed to fight this?!

Empress Linglong’s eyes nearly burst from their sockets as she roared, "Run!! Get out of the field’s range!!"

But the next development shattered all hope—

The weeping oni figure simply raised his hand.

BOOM—!

Squelch! Squelch!!

Dozens of Sovereign Realm experts froze mid-air, their bodies crumpling like puppets under an invisible force!

The sound of bones shattering was unmistakable, blood gushed violently from all seven orifices!

"Annihilate."

"CRACK—!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!!!

Within the domain, the relentless explosions of flesh and blood echoed endlessly!