On the streets of Cyan Yang City, Qin Yuesheng swiftly traversed the rooftops, the wind whistling in his ears, with almost every step propelling him two zhang forward.
Qin Yuesheng's physical condition was superior to Li Kuiran. The realm of Horse Stomping Flying Swallow was on par with Li Kuiran, who could advance one zhang with one step using the technique. However, Qin Yuesheng's achievement was more than twice that.
The night was alluring.
After rushing around, Qin Yuesheng finally stopped on a rooftop to admire the distant night scenery of Cyan Yang City, savoring the refreshing and exhilarating feeling.
"Horse Stomping Flying Swallow is just a mediocre lightweight skill, yet it's already allowed me to reach this level. It's unimaginable how exaggerated a divine skill level lightweight skill would be—crossing rivers with a single step, flying over mountain ravines, that'd probably be child's play," Qin Yuesheng thought to himself.
After observing for a moment, just as he was about to depart, a familiar figure on the street not far away caught his attention.
Shen Lang!
Though the person wasn't wearing official attire, that striking charisma and presence allowed Qin Yuesheng to recognize him at a glance.
"Common folks don't have much to do at night, what's this person doing out so late, looking to have some fun?" Qin Yuesheng chuckled. He wasn't well-acquainted with Shen Lang, but the latter's aura had impressed him deeply, flicking his gaze a few times before planning to leave.
But just then, a furtive figure about ten steps behind Shen Lang caught Qin Yuesheng's attention again.
The person looked to be at most eleven or twelve years old, his physique somewhat small and thin, a young boy.
As Shen Lang progressed, this person continuously changed hiding places, always following Shen Lang's pace while maintaining a safe distance.
At the sight of this individual, Qin Yuesheng's mind immediately flashed back to the fleeting figure he noticed today outside Fuan Alley.
"Could it have been him during the day too?" Qin Yuesheng's eyes flickered, proceeding to follow from the rooftop.
The trio unknowingly made a roundabout path, until Qin Yuesheng surprisingly discovered Shen Lang had arrived solo at Fuan Alley.
This alley was known as the most dangerous place in Cyan Yang City after dark.
What was his purpose for coming here on foot?
Lying quietly on the back side of the rooftop closest to Fuan Alley, Qin Yuesheng peeked over the rooftop edge, focusing on the motionless Shen Lang standing outside the alley entrance.
And the child following Shen Lang was hiding at the corner of an alleyway, in such a tricky position that it was hard for anyone to detect.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; Shen Lang had no idea someone was trailing him, nor did the child know someone was following him.
Qin Yuesheng glanced around inexplicably, beginning to doubt if anyone was watching him from a spot he couldn't see.
But fortunately, his current position was already the highest near Fuan Alley; there was no angle where someone could spy on him, unless they were flying overhead looking down.
"Is that thing really in there?" Shen Lang muttered under his breath, retrieving a piece of animal hide from his chest.
This piece of hide was smooth in texture, with a cold touch. Both sides were engraved with patterns and characters, but not in the common script of the Great Tang.
Once, Shen Lang was also a wealthy young master, living a carefree and pleasant life.
Until one day, his father married a stunningly beautiful concubine, and the days began to change strangely.
This concubine's beauty was beyond compare, so striking that even Shen Lang couldn't help but be moved upon seeing her.
And from the day of marrying her, Master Shen was infatuated with her beauty daily, unable to extricate himself each night, even indulging during the day. Despite taking numerous Primordial Qi boosting pills, they had no effect, as they were soon taken by the beautiful concubine.
Shen Lang's mother feared for her husband's health, gently persuading him that a man must have restraint.
But Master Shen was bewitched and couldn't heed anyone's words; this lifestyle persisted for months until he finally collapsed.
Severely ill, he entrusted the affairs of Shen Mansion entirely to the head lady and the concubine.
But strange occurrences happened frequently. From that day, the Shen Mansion often saw servants vanish, commonly being those who'd gone out at night to use the outhouse and never returned.
With more and more people disappearing, Shen Mansion became a place of dread, living in constant fear. Eventually, Shen Lang's mother vanished.
The whole Shen Mansion was shrouded in gloom.
One day, a household servant secretly notified Shen Lang to go visit his father discreetly in his quarters, ensuring no one else knew.
When Shen Lang met his father, he discovered the man hadn't been seen for days and had aged tremendously—like someone had stolen thirty years from him.
When Master Shen met Shen Lang, he revealed a startling secret to him.
It turned out that the ancestors of the Shen family were tomb robbers who had stolen three items from a previous dynasty's imperial tomb.
The first item, the Heirloom Seal of the Realm, was sold to a merchant named Yuwen Fenghua. Relying on this item, he claimed the legitimate mandate, raised troops in rebellion, seized the throne, and established the Yong Dynasty.
However, within ten years, due to his excessive indulgence and extensive construction without moderation, he was overthrown by the Li family, who labeled him as the top tyrant oppressing the world, thus paving the way for the current Great Tang.
The second item, the Ice and Fire Evil Divinity Token, was sold to a third-rate martial artist named Gongsun Haoji. He deciphered a divine skill from the token called the 'Ice and Fire Evil Divinity Way,' which he used to dominate the martial world and established the Ice and Fire Divine Sect, becoming a top martial arts faction known throughout the land.
The third item was a piece of animal hide, but due to its unappealing appearance, no one wanted to buy it, and so it remained unsold. After learning of the fortunes of the previous two, the Shen ancestor regretted deeply.
Having given away the opportunity for imperial power and martial arts mastery to others, he decided that the third chance must not be lost.
Thus, the animal hide was passed down through the Shen family, with each generation's patriarch attempting to unlock its hidden secrets to elevate the family's status to be renowned across the world, but unfortunately, no one succeeded.
The only breakthrough they made was discovering that the secret recorded on the hide was significantly connected to Cyan Yang City, prompting the Shen family to relocate from afar and establish roots in Cyan Yang City.
Master Shen handed the animal hide to Shen Lang and revealed the truth that his beautiful concubine was actually from the Demon Sect. Her reason for marrying into the Shen Mansion was to acquire the animal hide and seize the Shen family's opportunity.
During her time in the Shen Mansion, the concubine had been secretly administering a slow-acting drug to Master Shen, which rendered him in his current state. She hadn't killed him yet purely because she hadn't found the item.
Under Master Shen's instructions and arrangements, Shen Lang secretly left the Shen family with the animal hide and went into hiding, while Master Shen stayed behind to engage in a final battle with the demon woman. One day, when a big fire broke out at the Shen Mansion, everything vanished into dust.
Thus the Shen family's fortune declined, but only Shen Lang knew the true reasons behind it.
Over the years, he diligently researched the secrets of the animal hide and finally made a considerable discovery.
Fuan Alley, that's the opportunity recorded on the hide.
However, the extent of Shen Lang's deciphering wasn't very deep, and he didn't know how to obtain the opportunity within Fuan Alley, so he dared not enter recklessly lest he followed in the footsteps of those unfortunate souls.
As Shen Lang repeatedly examined the animal hide, the child who had been following him suddenly emerged from the hiding place, immediately catching Shen Lang's attention.
"Who's there?" Shen Lang gripped the animal hide tightly and shouted, turning around.
"Shen Lang, not being able to find the secret of the Celestial Demon Map is troubling you, isn't it?" The child stepped into the moonlight, and it was then Qin Yuesheng noticed that at some point he had donned a mask, covering his entire face.
"You know me, who are you?"
"Rest assured, I am definitely not your enemy. I just want a share of the gains."
Qin Yuesheng couldn't help but hold his breath; the sudden change had caught him completely by surprise.
"You know this?" Shen Lang shook the animal hide in his hand.
"Of course, that's the Celestial Demon Map. This place is where the Celestial Demon's Mind Realm is located. If done correctly, you can use the Celestial Demon Map to open the Celestial Demon's Mind Realm and reap its benefits."
The other party not only knew his name but also seemed to have an in-depth understanding of the animal hide he held. Having spent years trying to decipher its secrets, Shen Lang felt a stir of excitement at the other party's words.
"What method, do you know?"
The child smiled and said, "Of course, as long as you're willing to share whatever we find there with me fifty-fifty, I'll help you open it."
Shen Lang pondered for a moment, then eventually nodded in agreement, "Alright."
"Give me the Celestial Demon Map, and let's hurry."
Taking the Celestial Demon Map from Shen Lang, a flicker of hesitation crossed the child's eyes, but he quickly hid his expression and began sliding his hands over the map.
Due to the distance and the night, Qin Yuesheng couldn't see what the child was doing. But in a blink of an eye, a purple light suddenly shone from the Celestial Demon Map's surface, instantly making Shen Lang and the child disappear from the spot without a trace.
"What?!" Qin Yuesheng immediately got up. He was sure he had been watching the whole time; the two hadn't entered Fuan Alley nor left. They had vanished into thin air so inexplicably.
This method was truly extraordinary.
"Impossible, could two living people just evaporate into thin air?" Qin Yuesheng immediately leaped off the rooftop and rushed toward the entrance of Fuan Alley.
Just as he reached the place where Shen Lang and the child had been standing, there was a sudden flash of purple light in the air, and Qin Yuesheng felt a massive suction force pulling at his body, leaving him unable to move or resist.
With a sudden blackness before his eyes, he vanished from the spot.