Wei Qing’s body was like a candle flickering in the wind.

He slowly fell backward.

Under the immense pressure from the Pope, he achieved a breakthrough, successfully entering the ranks of Tier Nine.

Even in the narrow gap between life and death, the Urgent Locks fully opened.

In his previous state, akin to a supernova burning fiercely, he was about to fatally wound the Pope, who was also Tier Nine.

He fell at the final step.

If it had been the Wei Qing in his prime, with his Tier Nine body and the Eight Urgencies fully unleashed, his vital energy thriving, the Pope might not have succeeded in this curse killing.

But he had just gone through a great battle and achieved a breakthrough in a desperate situation, using up everything he had was no exaggeration.

This allowed the Pope, at a great cost, to complete this blood curse killing!

Crack.

It was the sound of the crown on the Pope’s head shattering.

His aura was withering to the extreme.

Yet he still walked step by step to the end of the mountain path, arriving in front of the tower representing the array’s core.

"It’s over."

"This time, it really is."

The Pope’s hand covered the tower, and a crack visible to the naked eye appeared at its base.

In the next second, the final core of the Yin Yang Four Symbols Array collapsed with a roar!

Thousands of golden Profound Texts disappeared.

As a backlash, Lin Jingxuan, who maintained the array, coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.

The Knight’s Code burst into black light!

The fallen darkness descended upon North County!

...

A Great Xia Spirit Contract Master still in battle suddenly felt a darkness envelop his sight.

The battlefield vanished.

Everything before him disappeared, leaving only endless darkness.

Crack.

Crack crack.

Something deep in his heart was being gnawed, shattered.

But he did not find anything.

Until the sound vanished, a feeling of loss surged in his heart.

Only then did this Combat Spirit Contract Master realize in horror that his talent, his Contracted Spirit, had disappeared!

He had been completely transformed from a Combat Spirit Contract Master into an ordinary person!

"No, it can’t be, it must be an illusion, an illusion!"

"It’s a lie, all of it, a lie, my Contracted Spirit is gone, my talent for awakening is gone, they’re all deceiving me!"

The voice of despair rang out.

He was sent flying by a slash from an Imperial Knight drawn to the sound.

Crack,

Crack crack.

The body of this Combat Spirit Contract Master was gnawed clean in the darkness.

...

"Sister, sister!"

"I can’t see anything, why, sister!"

Inside the borders of North County, at the home of an ordinary family.

A little girl sat on the couch, trembling.

She couldn’t see.

All around was darkness, boundless darkness enveloping North County.

She and her sister were just sitting by the TV, watching the Celestial Net’s broadcast of frontline battle updates.

Their parents were both Combat Spirit Contract Masters.

They were the pride of both her and her sister.

But now, she couldn’t see.

"Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid." Her sister, sitting not far from her, hugged her tightly.

She gently patted her, soothing her fears.

"It will pass, it will pass."

Her sister’s gentle voice calmed her down.

Crack,

Crack crack.

A subtle noise, like a rodent gnawing on a bone.

As the sister leaned her ear, trying to find the sound’s source.

Suddenly, she felt her arms empty.

Her sister was gone!

She was just about to scream in fear.

In the next second, she too disappeared without a sound.

The couch in the darkness was empty, with nothing left.

...

"Contract the formation!"

"It’s an unknown creature in the fallen darkness, don’t let them target you!"

"A mysterious force is seizing the talents and Contracted Spirit talents of the Spirit Contract Masters!"

Bob, a virtual intelligence, could not be affected by the fallen darkness.

However, aside from controlling the Intelligent Mechanism Legion and fending off attacks from the real world, he had no good solutions.

The consolation was that the higher the Realm, the slower the Spirit Contract Masters and Contracted Spirits were devoured.

Thus, they did not disintegrate immediately.

But as the fallen darkness lingered, the number of Spirit Contract Masters and Contracted Spirits in all of North County being consumed would grow.

Shang Siteng, Gongyang Jin, and Nuannuan, their entire bodies glowing with a faint golden light, isolated the darkness.

As Ancient Divine Soldiers, they were not the same as ordinary Contracted Spirits.

With their position, the Knight’s Code could not currently devour them.

"Is this the calamity of North County that the second martial brother spoke of?"

"Didn’t the second martial brother leave a brocade bag before he left, where is it?"

With only a faint light, the three women drew close, but the surroundings remained black, the light unable to shine through.

Without hesitation, Shang Siteng took out the brocade bag she always carried, and inside was a note:

"When it gets dark, turn on the light."

...

The River Map and Luo Book tried hard to shine, preventing the encroachment of surrounding darkness.

In front of Lin Jingxuan, the Knight’s Code, over time, had its thickness increase visibly! 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

All around it, the black aura grew richer.

In the flipping pages, Lin Jingxuan saw names he was familiar with.

"Horse-Cutting Saber."

"Black Rock Spear."

"Soul Hook."

"Sharp Sword Qi."

"Spiritual Agility."

"..."

On this Knight’s Code, each newly appearing aura meant the disappearance of a Contracted Spirit or Spirit Contract Master.

They were absorbed by the Knight’s Code, becoming recorded auras on its pages!

This was not the holy book for wishing for strength,

It was clearly an evil tome devouring life and refining origins!

"It won’t be long before your talents and Contracted Spirits appear on the Code’s pages."

The twisted black lines on the Knight’s Code emerged again.

Once all the Great Xia Spirit Contract Masters and their Contracted Spirits were consumed, digesting the world’s origin.

The Knight’s Code would indeed take that step, completing transcendence!

"Stop struggling meaninglessly."

"As you, not reaching Supreme Perfection at Tier Nine Ultimate, and having an uncomprehended Original Dao Soldiers, cannot stop the fallen darkness’s advent."

"Surrender, and let me consume you, merging as one, isn’t that better?"

The words the Knight’s Code formed carried intense temptation.

Even Lin Jingxuan was mentally disturbed by these words.

A glimmer of golden light arose in his eyes, bringing back his consciousness.

In the Original Daoist River Map and Luo Book, strands of black air were invading.

In time.

Once fully consumed by the black air, it would merge with the Knight’s Code!

This scene finally matched what Lin Jingxuan saw as a fragment of destiny in the hexagram.

It was then Lin Jingxuan finally sighed in relief.

His somewhat weary voice sounded:

"It’s dark."

"Turn on the light."

Before this seemingly nonsensical Great Xia Ultimate Master.

The Knight’s Code seemed in a good mood, asking in return:

"Where is the light?"

Unexpectedly, Lin Jingxuan really lifted his head, pointing to the distant black sky.

"There."

There was nothing.

No, that’s not right.

A light appeared there!