Chen Xingyun had not expected to encounter a deadly storm so soon after entering, and it raged for over half a month, completely preventing him from cultivating.
Therefore, his daily routine now consisted of evading the storm, having long forgotten the passage of time.
Meanwhile, Ning Beichen, in order to check on her condition, had entered the black sphere. To his surprise, Ning Beichen also encountered the storm and nearly lost his life, frantically dodging its attacks just like Chen Xingyun.
At this point, escape was out of the question; merely preserving their lives was a considerable feat.
However, despite being a colossal black sphere, it was not an empty void. On the contrary, it resembled a desolate, lifeless terrestrial world.
The surroundings were barren, filled with only lifeless, black, unknown mountain ranges, strewn with peculiar, jagged rocks. There was no other sign of life.
Fortunately, there were numerous caves where Ning Beichen could take shelter, protecting him from the external storms; otherwise, he would have perished long ago.
Ning Beichen had just narrowly escaped a storm, fleeing for his life, and in his panic, he had stumbled into a cave, thus surviving the ordeal.
The storm outside continued to rage with no signs of abating. Furthermore, it wasn't just one storm; when it started, it engulfed the entire space of the black sphere. There was no hope of circumventing it; the only option was to hide in a cave.
Ning Beichen could not find his master, and upon entering, he was immediately met with a deadly storm, which left him feeling deeply dejected and worried.
His primary concern was his master's well-being, fearing whether he had encountered the storm and if he was still alive.
However, no matter how dejected or unwilling he was, it was futile. Until the storm subsided, he had no means to venture out and search for his master.
Yet, after a few days of being inside, Ning Beichen had begun to discern a pattern in the storm's appearance.
With sufficient caution, it was possible to avoid them.
Unable to leave for the time being, Ning Beichen rested in the cave for a while. Feeling bored, he got up and began to walk around inside.
The cave was not large, with a depth of less than ten meters from front to back, and offered little to explore. However, as Ning Beichen reached the innermost part of the cave, he unexpectedly discovered some carved inscriptions on the wall.
What's more, these were characters Ning Beichen recognized, requiring no translation and no mental energy; he could understand them at a glance.
This was because they were ancient Eastern scripts, although slightly different from the script used today. Ning Beichen studied them and deduced that these characters likely belonged to the pre-Qin period of the ancient Eastern nation.
Ning Beichen felt a pang of disappointment upon realizing they were not left by his master, but he still proceeded to read them.
"Beware of the dark night?"
After reading, Ning Beichen found that it contained a lot of nonsensical rambling, an inexplicable warning, and a symbol that resembled a marker. Ning Beichen surmised it might be a landmark, an entrance or exit, or perhaps a hidden treasure.
Ning Beichen committed this marker to memory, thinking that if the opportunity arose, he might explore it to see what lay within.
What further piqued Ning Beichen's curiosity was the implication that if these inscriptions were indeed left by people from the pre-Qin era of the ancient Eastern nation, it meant that cultivators had already been here during that period.
Unfortunately, besides these inscriptions, the cave contained nothing else. There were no corpses, nor any other items. Perhaps there were once, or perhaps, under the ravages of time, those things had long since vanished.
Ning Beichen did not dwell too much on these matters. His sole concern now was his master's safety.
While his master was powerful and experienced, even the strongest had no resistance against the storms, and even the most experienced could make a misstep.
Ning Beichen approached the cave's exit and glanced outside. The storm still raged, and he had no idea when it would end.
Ning Beichen could only retreat back into the cave and wait. Unknowingly, he fell asleep. When he awoke, he found that the storm outside had subsided, bringing a look of joy to his face. However, as he stepped outside, he discovered that the visibility was nil.
"What's going on?"
Ning Beichen frowned, realizing that even with a flashlight, he couldn't see anything.
The surroundings were eerily silent, giving Ning Beichen the sensation of being sealed inside a jar. Anyone with claustrophobia would not want to stay there for even a second.
But Ning Beichen had no choice; he had to leave to find his master.
If he didn't go out now, and the storm returned, he would have to hide again.
"Dark night, beware of the dark night!"
Ning Beichen suddenly recalled the warning carved on the wall.
"Could it be that now is the dark night?"
Ning Beichen muttered to himself, switching off his useless flashlight.
"Why did the person who carved on the wall warn to beware of the dark night? Is there danger? Is it unseen? Are there monsters? Or enemies? Or something else?"
Ning Beichen couldn't quite figure it out.
But the current problem was: without any light, how could he search for his master?
Even searching with light was like finding a needle in a haystack; without light, it was not finding a needle, but finding a grain of sand.
"Should I wait until daylight?"
Ning Beichen was somewhat unwilling. He feared that by the time daylight arrived, the storm would return.
Rather than face the terrifying storm, Ning Beichen would prefer to face the current darkness.
"The flashlight is useless, ordinary vision is useless, so what about my eyes?"
With this thought, Ning Beichen immediately utilized his special vision.
"It's effective!"
Ning Beichen, using his magical eyes, could see things in the darkness. Although they were merely black and white lines, it was enough for Ning Beichen.
Being able to see gave Ning Beichen less cause for panic. The most terrifying feeling was becoming blind, unable to see anything; even if a monster or enemy approached, you would be unaware.
Ning Beichen made a decisive move and immediately left the cave, searching everywhere for any trace of his master.
Chen Xingyun faced a similar predicament. He encountered the dark night, but unlike Ning Beichen, he lacked his special eyes and could see nothing, just as Ning Beichen had been before, racking his brains for a solution.
Although cultivation of the soul was possible within this place, it was not feasible everywhere.
He had discovered a peculiar spot on a mountaintop where he could cultivate his soul, but storms constantly appeared there, preventing him from meditating with peace of mind.