The Sun DisappearsThe Sun DisappearsThe Sun Disappears

Chapter Six: The Moment of Life and DeathUntitled Part 6

Chu Yunsheng hadn't slept for days. He knew the retreat of the monsters was only temporary, and the real crisis had yet to come. Outside, the world was growing ever more chaotic—darkness and fear were swallowing the city whole. People could no longer rely on government rescue or reassurances. Communication signals had become unreliable, the power grid was failing, and survival had become a ruthless struggle as looting and violence spread.

Yet, for Chu Yunsheng, the real threat wasn't the desperate crowds. It was the monsters lurking in the darkness. Though they had retreated once, he knew they would return—stronger and deadlier.

That night, the air outside felt heavier, charged with an eerie tension. Chu Yunsheng had grown used to the cold and silence of the dark world, but tonight was different. A foreboding sense of doom gripped him. He sat cross-legged on the floor, clutching the ancient book, trying to channel celestial energy into his body. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break through the critical bottleneck in his cultivation.

Suddenly, a piercing howl shattered the night's silence. The sound wasn't human—it had a metallic, otherworldly quality that sent shivers down Chu Yunsheng's spine. He sprang to his feet, heart racing, and looked out the window. The darkness seemed to writhe and shift outside, as if something immense and dreadful was stirring within it.

This wasn't an ordinary monster—it was something far worse.

The howling grew louder as the creature approached, and Chu Yunsheng's pulse quickened. Rushing to the window, he saw a massive shadow looming over the street, moving swiftly toward him. The beast was even larger than the one before, its burning red eyes glowing with a terrifying hunger as it tore through the streets toward his building.

"This is it. The moment of life and death," Chu Yunsheng whispered to himself.

There was no escape this time. Every ounce of preparation and training had led to this moment. Moving quickly, he pulled out the one activated talisman from his bag, muttering the incantations from the ancient book, hoping to unleash its power. The talisman glowed faintly, but in the face of the towering beast, its light seemed pitifully small.

The monster's roar was deafening as it closed in, its massive form now right outside his window. Its claws tore through the nearby buildings with ease, sending rubble crashing to the ground. The pressure in the air was suffocating, and Chu Yunsheng's breaths grew shallow. This was it—he had to fight or die.

Just as the monster prepared to strike, the talisman in Chu Yunsheng's hand suddenly flared with intense golden light. It was as if the heavens themselves had responded. The light pierced through the darkness, slamming into the monster, which let out an enraged howl, its body trembling under the force of the energy.

Chu Yunsheng held onto the talisman, pushing it to its limit.

Yet the monster was far too strong. Slowly but surely, it began to shake off the talisman's influence, its red eyes burning brighter with fury. As the creature bore down on him, Chu Yunsheng felt a sudden surge of energy within his body—like a dam breaking, his own celestial energy finally burst free.

In that instant, he felt his consciousness resonate with the flow of celestial energy around him. The talisman in his hand erupted with a blinding light, like a small sun, burning away the darkness. The monster screeched in agony as its massive form disintegrated into black smoke, disappearing into the night.

Chu Yunsheng collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, drenched in cold sweat. He had barely survived the encounter, but he had made it through. And more importantly, he had just touched upon the true power of the ancient book. This was the moment of life and death, and from here, his path as a true cultivator had only just begun.