# Chapter 22 — Night of Unease
# Sun City — Inner Refuge District
Night covered Sun City quietly.
Too quietly.
The usual noise of rchants, taverns, and crowded streets had disappeared completely. Instead—
temporary camps filled the inner districts while frightened civilians huddled around spirit lamps and small fires.
Children cried softly.
Guards patrolled constantly.
Cultivators rested while gripping weapons even during sleep.
Nobody truly felt safe anymore.
---
The crimson glow from the eastern mountains still illuminated the distant horizon faintly.
Like an eye that refused to close.
---
Xu Yuan sat atop a damaged rooftop while cold wind passed through the ruined district below.
The city looked different now.
Smaller sohow.
Fragile.
---
Behind him—
Lin Hao climbed onto the roof while carrying two food containers.
“I spent thirty minutes fighting three people for this.”
Xu Yuan glanced backward.
“That sounds less like buying food and more like war.”
“We are literally in war.”
Fair point.
---
Lin Hao dropped beside him dramatically before handing over one container.
The food inside looked questionable.
Even during disasters—
Sun City cooking remained dangerous.
---
Xu Yuan poked the food suspiciously.
“This might kill before the monsters do.”
Lin Hao imdiately pointed toward him.
“Good.”
“Then the city survives.”
“That feels emotionally hostile.”
---
For a brief mont—
both quietly laughed.
Small.
Tired.
But real.
Sotis even simple jokes made heavy nights easier.
---
Below the rooftop—
several younger guards argued while repairing barricades.
“You placed the formation stone backward!”
“How was I supposed to know it matters?”
“It literally exploded!”
“That sounds like poor design!”
Even nearby cultivators almost smiled slightly.
People naturally searched for normal monts during disasters.
---
Xu Yuan slowly looked toward the eastern mountains again.
The resonance inside his chest had cald sowhat after sunset.
But not fully.
It still pulsed occasionally.
Like sothing deep beneath the gate continued calling him silently.
---
And worse—
he still rembered the system ssages clearly.
> Host stability: Low
>
> Unknown observer present
---
Xu Yuan honestly disliked the second line most.
Being watched by ancient horrors already felt bad enough.
Now apparently even mysterious systems were suspicious.
---
Then—
soft footsteps approached behind him.
Xia Yu quietly climbed onto the rooftop before sitting beside him naturally.
No hesitation.
No awkwardness.
Like always.
---
Lin Hao stared toward both of them silently.
Then sighed deeply.
“You two really act married already.”
Xu Yuan calmly answered:
“We’re engaged.”
“That sohow makes it worse.”
---
Xia Yu calmly took so food from Xu Yuan’s container without asking.
Xu Yuan looked offended.
“That was my suspicious food.”
“You weren’t eating it.”
“…Fair.”
---
For several monts—
the three quietly sat together while looking over the damaged city.
Spirit lights flickered throughout the streets below while distant patrols continued moving across rooftops.
Despite everything—
Sun City still endured.
Barely.
---
Then suddenly—
BOOOOM…
A deep heartbeat echoed from the mountains again.
The entire city fell silent instantly.
Even civilians stopped talking.
---
The ground trembled lightly afterward.
Not enough to destroy anything.
Just enough to remind everyone—
sothing beneath the crimson gate still lived.
---
Lin Hao quietly swallowed.
“I hate that sound.”
Xu Yuan nodded slightly.
“Sa.”
---
Xia Yu slowly narrowed her eyes toward the mountains.
“It’s getting stronger.”
Xu Yuan imdiately looked toward her.
“You can feel it too?”
She nodded once.
“The pressure keeps increasing.”
---
For several seconds—
none of them spoke afterward.
Because everyone understood what that ant.
The gate was still opening.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
---
Then suddenly—
Xu Yuan’s vision flickered again.
The rooftop vanished briefly.
Dark endless ruins appeared around him once more.
Black crystal pillars stretched endlessly through darkness while ancient chains crossed the sky overhead.
And before him—
the translucent system screen appeared again.
---
> Initializing…
>
> Synchronizing host soul…
>
> Detecting foreign suppression…
---
Xu Yuan frowned slightly.
Foreign suppression?
---
Then—
another line appeared.
---
> Warning:
>
> Host soul heavily sealed
>
> Potential inaccessible
>
> External curse detected
---
Before Xu Yuan could react—
the female voice from earlier echoed again softly.
> “Do not awaken too quickly…”
Then—
another voice answered from the darkness.
Cold.
Ancient.
Inhuman.
> “The fragnt must return.”
---
BOOM!
Xu Yuan instantly returned to reality.
His breathing beca unstable briefly.
---
Xia Yu imdiately noticed.
“You disappeared again.”
Lin Hao blinked.
“…What does that even an?”
Xu Yuan rubbed his forehead slowly.
“I think my mind is becoming complicated.”
“That sentence explains nothing.”
“Because I understand nothing.”
---
For once—
Xu Yuan sounded genuinely exhausted.
And Xia Yu noticed imdiately.
Her expression softened slightly.
Then quietly—
she leaned closer beside him.
Not dramatic.
Not embarrassed.
Just naturally supportive.
---
Lin Hao stared toward them for several seconds.
Then slowly stood up.
“I suddenly feel very unnecessary here.”
Xu Yuan looked upward.
“You arrived carrying food.”
“That was my entire role in this story.”
---
Even Xia Yu quietly smiled again.
Small.
Brief.
But enough to make the atmosphere lighter for a mont.
---
Then—
far beyond the city—
sothing moved beneath the crimson gate again.
This ti—
the mountains themselves cracked slightly.
And deep inside the endless darkness—
countless crimson eyes slowly opened wider.
Watching Sun City patiently.
Waiting for the seal to weaken further.
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