The canyon was like a hideous wound across the mountain, with sheer cliffs on both sides as if cleaved by a giant axe, stabbing sharply into the roiling, cloud-choked sky.
The rain suddenly intensified.
A torrential downpour hammered the rocky walls, creating a vast mist.
On the sky-high cliffs, a few black dots struggled through the storm and dense fog—solitary birds flying against the wind.
And below these swooping birds.
On the cliffs of the canyon, a few ancient, gnarled pines clung miraculously.
"Birds here?"
Zhou Mo was a little surprised. It had been a long time since they'd seen birds, or indeed any creature other than Eerie Creatures. Seeing these birds gave them a sense of security, a feeling that this desolate wilderness wasn't inhabited only by their group.
"Before we entered the mountain, I saw many trees on the slopes. Maybe there are wild boars or something, we could hunt some game."
"We could save the bones to make soup when winter comes."
"That sounds really good."
"..."
Chen Fan didn't join the conversation. He wore a slight frown, gazing at the mist produced by the rain as it hit the ground, somewhat puzzled.
The drainage of the wasteland was unique.
Normally speaking.
With continuous rain like this, a flood should have broken out long ago.
But the wasteland was covered in countless tiny fissures. All the rainwater vanished into these cracks, drained completely clean.
Here it was different.
After entering the canyon, the ground no longer had cracks. The floor would have been too compact to drain water. Yet, the rain beating the ground simply turned into mist and vanished.
Simply... disappeared.
He had been watching for a long time. There was almost no standing water.
This was somewhat illogical.
Normally, rainwater should gather and flow along the canyon towards the sea.
...
After traversing the kilometer-long canyon, they finally reached the village hidden within the mountain.
It was vast in area, its width far exceeding that of the canyon.
At this moment, only a little less than a pot of tea's time(15 minutes) remained before the Perpetual Night descended.
A golden light had already begun to shimmer, enveloping the entire village like an eggshell, its range much larger than his Level 4 Eerie Fire's, enshrouding the entirety of the village--a huddle of abandoned houses.
"..."
Chen Fan stood before the village, looking up at the encircling cliffs.
A few ancient pines and other plants grew sporadically on the cliffs, as if the village sat at the bottom of a dry well. Only... he kept feeling this place somewhat resembled something.
Just then—
Zhou Mo's voice sounded.
"Station Master, look."
They saw Zhou Mo take a hammer from one of the convoy's chests, walk to a mound of earth in front of the village, leap into the air, and smash it down heavily onto the mound. When he withdrew the hammer, a large pit had already appeared in the mound.
"Doesn't this pit look like the place we're in now?"
"It does."
Chen Fan nodded lightly. He finally realized what this place resembled. It was as if someone had struck the mountaintop with a hammer, creating a hammer-shaped crater.
"Hey? You know, it really does look like it."
Pockmark Wang stepped forward, crouched beside the mound, and said with some surprise, "Look, this pit made by the hammer is exactly where we are now. And what the hammer handle squashed is that canyon, which just happens to be bolt-straight, without a single curve."
"Have to admit, a Level 2 cultivator packs some real punch."
"You caused cracks all around the ground with that blow."
"That was a powerful strike."
The voices abruptly ceased.
He suddenly thought of something, froze in place, instinctively looked up at the others, and found everyone in synchronic silence. Clearly, they had all realized something.
The wasteland was covered in fissures.
Where these cracks came from was unknown.
The wasteland had a rainy season every year, and it rained occasionally on other days too. It wasn't perpetually arid, so this shouldn't be caused by drought. Yet, from the moment they entered the canyon, the cracks had disappeared.
"Impossible."
After a long while.
Zhou Mo took a deep breath, suppressing the panic in his heart, then shook his head and said firmly, "I'm a Level 2 cultivator. I know better how much physical strength increases with each level."
"If someone could really smash a hammer crater into this mountain with one blow, causing the wasteland to be covered in cracks..."
"That would require at least a Level 100 cultivator."
"Although I don't know where the end of the cultivator path lies, I believe there definitely isn't a Level 100. Even with infinite Eerie Stones, a human lifespan doesn't allow for cultivation to Level 100."
"Alright."
Chen Fan spoke up, breaking the somewhat tense atmosphere. Standing in the rain, he said softly, "If it really is like that, isn't it also good? At least it proves the outside world is even more incredible."
"Pockmark Wang, isn't your dream to go explore the outside world? This suits your wish."
"Moreover..."
"This is just our speculation. If this place were a deep pit created by a powerful being with a hammer, then the ground here should be unusually compact. After all, the original mountain rock would have been compressed underground. It wouldn't have cracked from your single hammer blow."
"That's true." Zhou Mo laughed, scratching the back of his head. The atmosphere gradually relaxed.
Dayu, hesitating for a moment, said softly from behind, "That mound is my father's grave. I mixed tree sap into the soil when building the grave, so it wouldn't be ruined by heavy rain. The ground around it is also that kind of soil."
"The ground here is very hard. You wouldn't smash cracks elsewhere."
"Before I left this place, I collected scraps of everyone's clothing and built a grave for them here."
"..."
"..."
Everyone instantly froze in place. Zhou Mo was the first to react. He immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed three times to the smashed mound before him, mumbling 'Forgive me, please'. Then he frantically started pushing the surrounding soil back into the hammer pit.
"Dayu... I..."
"It's okay."
Dayu shook her head, not minding it. "My father would be happy for me, seeing that I have a new family who treats me well. He wouldn't mind this."
"Alright."
Chen Fan led the way toward the depths of the village. "It's getting dark. Everyone, get moving. Let's build a simple camp first to get through the night."
Crippled Monkey hurriedly carried chests from the carts and followed.
Pockmark Wang, standing at the back of the group, patted the still frozen Zhou Mo on the shoulder and teased with a grin,
"I'm not a good person. I've done plenty of bad things."
"But even if I did every bad deed imaginable, I've never smashed someone's father's grave right in front of them."
"Not bad."
"That was a powerful strike."
Zhou Mo didn't know how to retort. Looking at Dayu's back as she had already started working, he pulled a long face, filled with embarrassment. There wasn't even a headstone; how was he supposed to know it was a grave?
...
The Perpetual Night descended.
Darkness enveloped the entire world, yet the light of the natural Eerie Fire zone domed the village.
The range was not small.
And in the center of the village, a few walls had risen, forming a simple fort.
Within the silent village, only the sound of rain pattering on the ground could be heard.
The rain had lessened.
The sound of rain was no longer hurried and furious; instead, it had become tranquil.