Chapter 869: Chapter 458: Night Skull Lao Li’s brows furrowed even tighter. He scrutinized Gu Sheng up and down, as if trying to see something in this young man. He remembered the first time he came here, he was also filled with passion. Dreaming of making a name for himself in this world full of mystery and danger. But after dealing with many things, that passion gradually got worn away by the harshness of reality. "What are you here for?" Lao Li couldn’t help but ask. Gu Sheng smiled slightly, "I’m just more curious." "Curious?" Lao Li’s mouth twitched. He found this reason somewhat flimsy: "Young man, curiosity can kill the cat." "I know." Gu Sheng nodded, moved a bit closer to Lao Li, reducing the distance between them. "But I don’t want to live an ordinary life, I want more experiences and adventures." Gu Sheng said with a smile. "Uh..." Lao Li fell silent. Perhaps he saw a reflection of his former self in Gu Sheng’s eyes and actions. He knew that everyone has their own choices, he, an old fellow, could not sway Gu Sheng’s decision. "Okay then!" Lao Li sighed and said, "But I warn you, it’s not as simple as you think, the Source mine inside is very dangerous." "How dangerous?" Gu Sheng’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued. Lao Li’s expression turned grave, he looked around to ensure no one was eavesdropping. Only then did he whisper, "There are places where the Source mine’s Yin Qi runs rampant, once inside, it’s very hard to come out." Yet even with Lao Li’s lowered voice, someone overheard. The person who heard it showed a surprised expression and stopped what they were doing. They knew the Source mine was dangerous, but didn’t expect it to be to such an extent. However, Gu Sheng’s face didn’t show much surprise, he only said faintly, "Is that so, no big deal." "You rascal, you really don’t know how high the sky is, but since you’ve decided to stay, take care of yourself." Lao Li saw that Gu Sheng seemed unafraid and couldn’t help shaking his head. Then, others started to pack up their things, no longer discussing. As night fell, the lights in the valley gradually went out, and people returned to their residences one after another. Gu Sheng packed his things simply, as he planned to leave tonight. Avoiding the Ji family’s pursuit was the most important thing, no need to linger here. At midnight, the chill deepened. Gu Sheng quietly left his residence, sneaking towards the mountaintop. The mountaintop was the highest point in the valley, from there he could better observe the route to leave. Just as he was about to reach the top, a voice suddenly rang out. "Gu Sheng!" Gu Sheng’s figure paused, almost rolling down. He turned and saw Yao Qing. Her figure appeared particularly cold under the moonlight, her eyes staring intently at him. "What are you doing here?" Gu Sheng asked. Yao Qing didn’t answer his question, but instead asked, "Why are you leaving?" "None of your business!" Gu Sheng replied directly. "Speak! Otherwise, I’ll drag you down!" As Yao Qing spoke, she was about to step forward to pull Gu Sheng down. Gu Sheng hurried to dodge, casually saying, "I have some things to do." "What could be more important than your life? Didn’t you see Jiang Yi and those guys during the day? Leaving will only lead to death!" Yao Qing said rather helplessly. "I don’t need you to care about me!" With that, Gu Sheng climbed to a higher place. Yao Qing frowned as she watched Gu Sheng’s stubborn back, filled with helplessness. She knew Gu Sheng’s temper; once he set his mind on something, nothing could change it. But she couldn’t just watch him court death, after all, they had known each other for a while. "Gu Sheng, why make things hard for yourself?" Yao Qing’s voice carried a pleading tone. In this desolate Northern Territory, she truly didn’t want anything to happen to Gu Sheng. Gu Sheng didn’t answer, only quickened his pace. He wanted to escape this barrier and be free from the constraints of the Shaking Light Sacred Land cultivators. Just then, Yao Qing’s figure suddenly vanished from its spot. The next moment, she appeared in front of Gu Sheng, blocking his path. "Yao Qing, what are you doing?" Gu Sheng’s tone carried displeasure. "I can’t let you go to your death." Yao Qing said coldly. "Sigh..." Gu Sheng sighed deeply. He knew Yao Qing meant well, but he also had his own thoughts. "Yao Qing, I know you’re worried about me, but I must go." Gu Sheng pushed Yao Qing aside and walked forward again. Yao Qing shook her head, knowing she couldn’t persuade Gu Sheng. So she decided to follow behind Gu Sheng, at least this way she could protect him for a while. And so, Gu Sheng continued climbing to a higher place. Yao Qing followed closely, silently without saying more. "Huff, huff..." After a effortful climb, Gu Sheng finally escaped the barrier and came outside. Gu Sheng looked around at the pitch-black night, suddenly feeling a sense of eerie thrill. After all, it was a night so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of you, only the howling wind. The timid wouldn’t be able to take a step forward. "Alright, you go back, we’ll meet again when we can." Gu Sheng said to Yao Qing beside him. "Alright then." Yao Qing nodded helplessly. Just as Yao Qing was about to leave, a cluster of phosphorescent fire sparked in front of them. "Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!" That phosphorescent fire appeared particularly bright in the night, as if an evil eye was staring at them. "What is that?" Gu Sheng’s heart skipped a beat, instinctively wanting to muster his Divine Power to defend. But he then realized his Divine Power was sealed, unable to muster even a bit! His heart sank, preparing to rely on his physical body to resist. "Squeak, squeak, squeak!" At this moment, a strange noise came. The phosphorescent fire suddenly coalesced into a skeleton shape, its eyes flickering with green flames, pouncing towards Gu Sheng. "Swish!" Seeing this, Yao Qing unhesitatingly brandished her longsword. A flash of swordlight streaked by, directly slaying the skeleton. The Spiritual Power within the swordlight instantly turned the phosphorescent skeleton to ashes. "These are Night Skulls from the Northern Territory wilderness, they live by consuming people’s Qi energy." Yao Qing said with a grave voice. Gu Sheng nodded, swallowing nervously. If not for Yao Qing’s intervention just now, he might have fallen victim. At that moment, footsteps sounded from afar. "Someone’s coming!" Gu Sheng called out softly. "It looks like the commotion here alerted other cultivators." Yao Qing responded quickly, shouting, "A Night Skull attacked the barrier, and Gu Sheng came to help." Arriving cultivators saw Yao Qing and Gu Sheng, as well as the phosphorescent skeleton debris on the ground, all showing surprised expressions. They clearly hadn’t expected the seemingly unassuming young man, Gu Sheng, to be able to handle the Northern Territory’s Night Skulls. "Yao Qing, well done." An older cultivator said. Yao Qing smiled slightly, her gaze turning to Gu Sheng. "We need to strengthen the barrier’s protection." Another cultivator said. Gu Sheng remained silent. Although he knew the barrier here indeed needed strengthening, he also understood that these barriers meant little to truly powerful beings. "Let’s go back!" The other cultivators said, starting to head back. Yao Qing gave Gu Sheng a glare, not saying anything, but her eyes said it all. Gu Sheng helplessly shook his head, "Let’s go, back we go!" Hearing this, a smile finally appeared on Yao Qing’s face. Soon, everyone returned inside the barrier together. Before Gu Sheng even got back to his residence, he saw Elder Li Yuan float over. "You’re back?" Elder Li Yuan asked coldly. "B-back." Gu Sheng responded somewhat hesitantly. "Elder, it was the Night Skull, it was preparing to attack the barrier, I discovered it and with Gu Sheng’s help, we killed it." Seeing the Elder’s grim face, Yao Qing hurriedly explained.