Chapter 1 The Night

That day, as night fell.

A battered, black jeep drove beneath a canopy of brilliant stars.

A taciturn man in plain clothes drove the vehicle, while two soldiers in black Night Watch uniform sat in the back. The crimson "Night" emblem on their right arms identified them.

In the distance, mountains rose in layers, shrouded in drifting clouds.

With or without stars or moonlight, being able to vaguely make out the surroundings without the aid of human-made lights suggests just how dazzling the starry sky truly was.

This was Earth, the Great Tibet Autonomous Region, but to Jiang Xiao, it was no different than an alternate dimension.

It was just... too beautiful.

Suddenly, Jiang Xiao felt a tug on his right arm. He turned to see Er Wei pointing out the window.

Leaning forward, Jiang Xiao saw a lake in the darkness. Although it was a lake, it was frozen over in the dead of winter.

"Tsk, tsk..." Jiang Xiao clicked his tongue lightly, taking advantage of the position to whisper, "Where do you think the Void Gate is hidden?"

Er Wei rapped Jiang Xiao on the head with her knuckle, but offered no response.

Jiang Xiao rubbed his hat and straightened up, pursing his lips.

If you don't want to tell me, fine, but why hit me?

As the jeep rattled along, the lake was obscured by a range of mountains. Jiang Xiao swayed from side to side, letting the soldiers in front take him deeper into the mountains.

Half an hour later, the vehicle paused briefly.

From the back seat, Er Wei glanced thoughtfully out the window to the right front.

The old jeep lingered there for about fifteen seconds. Jiang Xiao saw no one, but deducing the situation, he figured that they had stopped for a checkpoint inspection.

Where were the inspectors? Ghosts?

Fifteen minutes later, the vehicle stopped before a mountain forest.

"Knock, knock."

"Huh?" Jiang Xiao jumped, quickly looking to his left. A man was standing outside the window.

The man nodded to Jiang Xiao and stepped back.

Jiang Xiao looked at Er Wei, and the two quickly exited the vehicle.

The black-clad man gestured again, without speaking, and led them into the forest.

So, the Spatial Gate was located underground?

There wasn't a soul in sight along the way, but Jiang Xiao felt like he was being watched. If Er Wei wasn't by his side, Jiang Xiao would have already activated Domain Tear.

I don't care what kind of demons and monsters you are, show your true forms! This deep forest is my Domain Tear's home field!

The trio walked for some time. The surroundings were eerily quiet, save for the "crunch, crunch" of their boots on the snow.

The leader stopped, and Jiang Xiao obediently followed suit.

A hidden entrance opened in the ground, which was indistinguishable from the surrounding environment. Dirt and snow fell away.

The man led them deeper into the tunnel, finally speaking, "The Void Alternate Dimension is very special. You must be careful. Once you fall into the Void Shade's Shade Domain, you might never get out."

Jiang Xiao's expression turned serious, and he nodded lightly.

Indeed, once you were stuffed into the "Spatial Pocket" carried by the Star Beasts here, you might never escape.

Passing several sentry posts, the group finally arrived at an iron gate.

The moment Jiang Xiao touched the gate, he felt something was wrong. He sensed that his Star Power seemed to be sealed.

The iron gate slowly opened, and led by a soldier, the two walked towards the open, black Spatial Gate.

Jiang Xiao noticed how this alternate dimension differed from others. The guards here were truly fully armed, wielding long guns and cannons, seemingly relying more on human technology.

"Near the Spatial Gate, all Star Warriors and Star Beasts are unable to use any Star Techniques." The man gestured at the gate and said, "Good luck, comrades."

Jiang Xiao sighed deeply and stepped into the Void Alternate Dimension Gate with Er Wei.

In the next instant, Jiang Xiao felt like he was back in his own Shade Domain.

This alternate dimension was all too familiar to Jiang Xiao, almost identical to his Shade Domain.

At least on the surface, it looked that way.

The difference was that there were no invisible walls here, and the stone pillars were very tall and large, some reaching over a hundred meters.

"Commander!" A soldier's voice came from behind.

Jiang Xiao turned to see a soldier and the camp behind him.

The soldiers, armed with sophisticated firearms, approached and handed each of them a headset, cautioning, "I suggest again that you bring a squad of comrades with you. They are not only good guides, but we can also take care of each other in times of need."

Er Wei accepted the headset, but shook her head, her voice hoarse and resolute, "No need."

"If you insist, Commander." The soldier nodded and continued, "Contact us immediately if anything happens. Don't be reckless. And be careful not to stray into Shade Domains opened by other creatures. We look forward to your safe return."

Er Wei gestured forward and said, "Let's go."

Er Wei led the way, and Jiang Xiao quickly followed. About a kilometer away from the Spatial Gate-Camp area, the two felt their Star Power return.

It seemed that under the gray and white rocks, there were stones that sealed off Star Power.

Under these measures, the effect was quite good. At least within a kilometer of the camp, Jiang Xiao didn't find any creatures. It was very safe here. The Platinum-level Void Shades had some intelligence and were unwilling to set foot here, sensing that their Star Power was sealed.

Feeling his Star Power return, Jiang Xiao activated Cherished Light.

Er Wei leaned against a huge stone pillar, broke off a piece of gravel, and crushed it in her hand, saying, "Exactly the same."

"Yeah, exactly the same. It's too familiar." Jiang Xiao praised in a low voice, but asked in confusion, "But aren't there supposed to be mountains and lakes here?"

"There are mountains and lakes, but they're far away. You just can't see them." Er Wei casually pointed in a direction and said, "The colors are the same as the rocks here. The mountains are all gray and white."

"Oh." Jiang Xiao looked down at the gray and white rocks beneath his feet, which resembled the surface of the moon, with round craters.

"Open Domain Tear. It's more efficient that way," Er Wei said.

"Okay." Jiang Xiao's eyes turned red, and dark clouds began to gather in the dim starry sky.

Light rain began to fall, and within Jiang Xiao's perception range, some strange creatures appeared.

Some "people," some... seemingly foolish "people."

They had extremely slender bodies, thin as sticks, and only one leg.

How should they be described?

Um... scarecrows?

But their arms were very long, and they were about two meters tall. Their arms, thicker than their bodies, almost dragged on the ground when they hung down.

Um... if they had knees.

So how did they walk?

Did they hop on one leg?

Jiang Xiao wondered to himself, feeling that in the light rain, the bodies of the "scarecrows" disappeared and reappeared constantly.

Jiang Xiao blinked and turned to look at Er Wei.

"What is it?" Er Wei asked softly, adjusting her combat cap.

Jiang Xiao grinned and said, "They are really awesome. They don't walk at all. They just teleport."

Er Wei nodded and asked, "What else did you find?"

"There's one over there. Let's go take a look," Jiang Xiao said, pointing to the right front.

The two quickly moved forward. Unlike Jiang Xiao's Shade Domain, the environment here had ups and downs. The two climbed up a hillside, and Jiang Xiao squatted down, pulling Er Wei's arm and crouching.

"It looks very cute and innocent, not like a Platinum-level Star Beast at all," Jiang Xiao whispered.

Er Wei squinted and saw the figure standing there like a scarecrow, looking up at the sky without moving.

Er Wei subconsciously looked up, finding nothing. She didn't know what the Void Shade was looking at.

It had stone skin, and the skin was gray and white, almost the same color as the rocks underfoot. Its oval stone head was pockmarked, with circles and a ruby-like eye embedded in it.

This creature's structure... was too bizarre.

Jiang Xiao said, "I'll Silence first..."

As soon as Jiang Xiao spoke, the Void Shade standing not far away disappeared!

The next second, Jiang Xiao's expression changed. While crouching, he supported himself with one hand and kicked directly behind him!

Bang!

"Crack!!!" A strange sound rang out, and the Void Shade was kicked away.

Er Wei's eyes narrowed. With a wave of her hand, a giant blade of mist, condensed and compressed into platinum gold, appeared in her hand.

Er Wei had just turned around when she slashed her blade behind her.

The Void Shade that Jiang Xiao had kicked away had teleported behind Er Wei again.

Clang!

The misty blade in Er Wei's hand collided with the Void Shade's stone "hand," making a strange sound.

Rather than a hand, it was more like a stone hammer. The Void Shade's limbs... uh, three limbs were all relatively rounded. Whether it was its single foot or its fists, they were all oval gray-white stones, without any fingers or toes.

Regardless of the shape of its stone hands and feet, one thing was certain... they were really hard!

Er Wei's giant blade didn't even break off a single pebble from its stone hand.

"Cha! Cha!" The Void Shade's ruby-like eyes radiated a strange light, and a strange sound came from its small stone mouth.

The next moment, Jiang Xiao opened his mouth wide, as if he saw himself at the World Cup.

The Void Shade's body flickered rapidly, circling Er Wei's tall figure and attacking wildly. The thick stone fists, like two heavy hammers, constantly slammed into Er Wei's body from all angles.

For a time, even Er Wei, who was strong, seemed a little overwhelmed. Although she was fighting a single Void Shade, it was as if she was being besieged by a group of them!

Fortunately, the Void Shade teleported very quickly, but its heavy stone body made its attack speed slow, which gave Er Wei a chance to resist.

The battle between the two moved all the way down the hillside.

In fact, the Void Shade didn't need to teleport back and forth at all. With its defense, Er Wei's Mist Blade couldn't even break its stone skin.

"Hey! I'm over here!" Jiang Xiao stood up. "Are you looking down on me?"

Why only hit her and not me?

Am I just a decoration?

Is it because her aura is stronger than mine?

Is it because the Star Power fluctuation in her body is greater than mine?

Or is it because her figure and appearance are more heroic than mine?

Or is it because... Damn it! Thinking about it, I am really a little brother...

Jiang Xiao's eyes were red, and he raised his hand to cast a Diamond Silence!

Bang!

In an instant, both Er Wei and the Void Shade stiffened slightly.

Tears streamed down Jiang Xiao's face, and a blessing of light fell.

I am not a little brother!

I am a father who can both Silence and Bless!