The sky above us seemed like an infinite canvas, embroidered with the silver dust of stars. In this part of the world, the night sky had always been striking in its depth; a thick, inky indigo swallowed the horizon, leaving only myriads of flickering points that illuminated our path with a cold light.
At this altitude, the air was ice-cold and crystal clear, and the stars were unusually bright, as if they had drawn closer to the earth to fill the void that had opened in the heights.
The forest beneath us vanished at an incredible speed. Our priority was to fly as far as possible from the city of Fish Head using energy crystals. After all, the city had likely been razed in the attack, so our best bet was to put maximum distance between us and the ruins. Fortunately, my spatial ring—along with the Demonic Cultivator's ring—held a vast supply of energy crystals. The survivors we had rescued, being only first and second-stage cultivators, wouldn't have lasted hours on their own strength, but with these crystals, we could fly for as long as we pleased.
Glancing down, I watched the shifting beauty of forests, fields, and hills. For flight, the cultivators used massive, surfboard-like devices called "Birds."
They were covered in intricate runes and featured a dedicated compartment for magical fuel.
"Where are you from?" The question caught me off guard, but I decided it was time to test the waters.
"I lived in Fish Head, the city by the water, until... this happened."
"Mr. Lin, you must have been part of the Overlord's family, then?"
"No, certainly not. I was a merchant; that's how I managed to hoard enough crystals. What about you guys? Where are you from?"
The Elder raised an eyebrow slightly, weighing his response.
"Our sect was ambushed by demonic cultivators. Nearly everyone perished, and those who survived were taken prisoner for their rituals, experiments, and sacrifices. That is how we met."
Turning back, I looked at the others. A tight-knit group of youths, all seemingly under twenty, flew behind us. Leading them was a tall, broad-shouldered young man with sharp features and tightly set lips; though his clothes were soiled from captivity, they were clearly made of expensive silk. Just behind him were two twins, strikingly identical with the same anxious brown eyes; they kept glancing at each other, seemingly exchanging thoughts without a word.
The fourth was a girl with short-cropped dark hair; despite her pallor, her forward gaze held an unyielding will. Bringing up the rear was the youngest—a scrawny boy who looked around in terror, clutching the edges of his flight board tighter than anyone else.
Likely, there were thousands, tens of thousands of such young talents in that sect—the future of humanity. History showed that year by year, the relationship between cultivators and ordinary people was improving: evolving from total slavery to the current state of slight disdain. In the future, these boundaries would surely have blurred into a state of balance.
Much like how racism and prejudice in my own world were eroded by globalization, international trade, and the blending of cultures, the same could have happened here. But now, that future was gone.
The demons would destroy everything, leaving nothing of current humanity... if, of course, all of this was real.
A feeling—a mix of melancholy and sharp curiosity—washed over me. Even though I wasn't truly a part of this world, it was hard to grasp the sheer scale of the catastrophe. These weren't just "cardboard cutouts"; they were living people with their own histories.
"What is your name?"
"I am Bao Zhan. I was an Elder of our sect, which was part of the Great Ocean Sect Alliance. It comprised all thirteen sects near the Fish Ocean, but since the demon attack, I haven't been able to contact any other Elders. By the way, I was the youngest Elder in the Alliance," he said with a touch of pride, before nodding toward my companion.
"And what about this gentleman?.."
"Spider-Man. Just call him that. He has no past."
I glanced at Spidey. He was on a different "Bird," looking perfectly composed. He was meditating, likely trying to stabilize his mind, which had suffered for years from desynchronization.
"What were your enemies like? How many attacked? From which direction?" I needed more information; any scrap could be the lifeline we'd need in a crisis.
"I cannot say for certain. I was out hunting with my disciples when the attack began. One of them received a distress signal, and we tried to flee, but we were intercepted by a cultivator. He killed those who resisted and chose to keep us alive. I know nothing more."
Either he doesn't trust me, or he truly knows nothing, I thought.
"I see... And regarding the City of Gray Knights—why are you so sure they'll even let us through the gates?"
"Our clan leader had connections with the Overlord's right hand. we'll use that. We have no other choice anyway. Staying in the forest is a waste of time and a direct path to the River Naihe. What about you?"
"Similar situation. I had a wealthy client who owed me—a city official. I'm hoping to use him to get inside," I replied, squinting slightly. "About the demons... as a cultivator, do you truly believe this invasion is real?"
"Do you have doubts?"
"At first, I didn't. The demon's projection was truly shocking, but given enough time, even a mid-tier demonic sect could pull off a trick like that. A day has passed. In that time, they could have easily wiped out all life in the surrounding area, yet not a single demon has appeared. It's suspicious. Could it be a ruse by the demonic sects to draw attention away? A ploy to seize a powerful artifact, or simply a desire to sow chaos?"
My companion remained silent for a few seconds, then clenched his fists and stared into the distance.
"That is not it. I am absolutely certain the demons have invaded our continent once more."
"Why?"
The Elder turned his head and looked me straight in the eye.
"We cultivators know far more about the invasion than most. It's not just rumors; ancient scrolls and artifacts of the past have been analyzed by the greatest minds of the Continent. The Ten Great Sects and the Great Cities reached a single conclusion. Before the first demon attack, strange things happened across the world: trees stopped blooming, the meat of animals turned sweet, some species were born with two heads... A multitude of unrelated events that struck fear into common folk globally. This time, there was nothing. Not a single omen until the attack itself. But one shocking event occurred afterward, as if the world itself were reacting to their arrival."
I frowned, trying to piece the puzzle together, but the answer eluded me. As I searched my memories for a clue, Bao Zhan raised his index finger toward the sky. I followed his gesture, looking up. The night sky, carpeted with brilliant stars, appeared before me in all its majesty. The beauty pierced through to my very soul, and then—the ice-cold realization hit.
"The moon is gone,"
the Elder said softly. "Twenty-eight hours have passed since the attack. Exactly twenty-eight hours ago, the moon vanished from the sky. This is the true omen. A summons for all of humanity."