Chapter 162: Desecrating Midnight
Xu Zhi didn’t believe a single word that came out of the cat’s mouth.
When it said “a bit troublesome,” what she heard was “a huge pain in the ass.”
But in this gloomy forest, there was nothing but muddy ground and those tall, black, unnervingly straight trees. She had no clue where to even start looking for bones. For now, she could only work together with this cat—temporarily.
Strange, really. Xu Zhi had never imagined that one day she’d end up partnering with a talking, clearly untrustworthy cat.
Though truth be told, both of them were scheming something behind the other’s back.
The black cat led her deeper into the forest. As they walked, Xu Zhi never let her guard down—she kept scanning their surroundings, ready to bolt at the first sign of danger.
Who knew if this creature was leading her into a trap?
It was entirely possible.
Yet, none of the scenarios she had expected happened. Xu Zhi made it safely to some unknown part of the forest behind the cat.
She honestly couldn’t tell where she was anymore—no sense of direction, no way to distinguish east from west. She relied only on her enhanced memory to keep track of her path. After all, the entire forest looked disturbingly identical.
So identical that it felt unnatural—everywhere she turned were those same black trees, the same hazy moon hanging motionless overhead, and a faint, icy mist curling around her ankles. The cold air bit into her skin, and even though it was deathly silent, the quiet made her spine crawl.
“We’re here.”
The black cat stopped before a tree.
“My remains are buried beneath this one,” it said. “Dig them up.”
Xu Zhi narrowed her eyes. “All these trees look exactly the same. How did you recognize this one?”
The cat looked at her—and suddenly let out a sharp, mocking laugh, “Exactly the same? No, no. Every tree here is unique.”
“You wanted to know what this place is, right?”
It leapt forward a few steps, landing under the tree it had pointed out. Though it turned its back to her, it twisted its head around at an unnatural angle, showing that same eerie grin as before.
“Consider this a gesture of goodwill,” it said softly. “I’ll tell you why I can recognize it. Because this tree—”
“—is my tombstone.”
“Would you fail to recognize your own grave?”
Xu Zhi thought, That’s hard to say—I’ve never had the chance to find out.
The cat’s voice drifted through the mist like smoke, “Every tree here is a tombstone, each with bones buried beneath it. You’re standing on a land made of flesh and corpses.”
“This is a mirage within Midnight—the Fallen Ground, the cemetery of the gods.”
Its eyes curved like twin crescent moons as it added playfully, “Of course, creatures like us can’t be called gods. There aren’t many true ones buried here. Still, even the weakest of the dead were stronger than you.”
As it finished speaking, the cat’s form dissolved into blue mist, and its voice carried an edge of malicious delight.
“Human, hurry up and dig. Otherwise, those who heard me speak will be here soon!”
Xu Zhi didn’t even have time to process what the cat had just revealed—she instantly realized it wasn’t helping her out of kindness. It was forcing her to act quickly.
Every secret had its guardians. Since the cat had just blurted out forbidden knowledge, it must have alerted something nearby. She needed to move—fast.
Still, instinct told her that digging up the cat’s bones wasn’t going to be as simple as it sounded.
But there was no turning back now. She needed the bones, and the secrets the cat held. So she gritted her teeth and went for it.
The moment Xu Zhi stepped up to the tree, she felt a surge of unease. As soon as her blade pierced the soil, the world erupted.
It was as if the heavens tilted and the earth convulsed. The forest roared in fury, the ground trembling violently beneath her.
The black cat’s laughter rang in her ears.
“As the first living being in centuries to dare disturb this soil, you’ve made history.”
Of course—it had bad intentions all along.
“It’s only an illusion born of His wrath,” the cat called out gleefully. “Keep digging! If you’re too slow, you’ll stay here with me forever!”
Xu Zhi cursed under her breath. Easy for you to say— illusion or not, the whole world was shaking!
The roar of thunder filled the air. A crushing pressure bore down from the heavens, threatening to flatten her for her audacity.
The lantern in her hand swung wildly as the ground heaved, but she didn’t dare steady it—if she dropped it, she’d be finished.
She crouched low, stabbing her blade into the ground to anchor herself, then, using one hand, she fished out a [Lamp]-type core and placed it into the lantern.
The glow brightened instantly. The tremors weakened slightly.
So it was working.
Seizing the moment, Xu Zhi dug fiercely with her blade until she struck something hard among the soft soil. She pried it loose—and unearthed a strange bone.
It was gray, about half a meter long. The lower end resembled a joint, while the upper part branched like a pair of ram’s horns. Even freshly unearthed, it was spotless, emitting a faint, sacred glow.
Just as she lifted it free, the quaking stopped. A gust of wind swept past her, and suddenly her palm—still clutching the bone—burned like fire.
She gasped and dropped it, raising her hand to see her skin writhing, flesh twisting under invisible heat until a red, flame-shaped scar branded itself into her palm.
It looked like… a door.
Xu Zhi’s eyes darkened. Without hesitation, she took up her blade and calmly sliced away the branded flesh.
New skin quickly regrew—but the mark remained, seared into her regenerated palm like a parasite clinging to bone.
“Give it up,” the cat’s mocking voice whispered. “That’s the Mark of Midnight’s Desecration. You can’t get rid of it.”
“Hehehe… Pick up the bone and run, human. They’re already here.”
Xu Zhi showed no panic. She calmly stooped to retrieve the bone and asked, “Was this your doing?”
“Mine?” The cat sounded almost amused.
“If I had that kind of power, I’d have left this cursed place ages ago.”
“This isn’t my fault. You disturbed what slumbers in Midnight—now you bear its consequence.”
So, it wasn’t that the cat’s bones were special. No matter whose remains she unearthed, it would have been counted as—Desecration.
