# 205
**Chapter 205: Goddess of the Night**
Straight Blade, cloak, Coat of Arms.
These are the three standard pieces of equipment every official Night Watch member possesses. For some special Night Watch members, the Straight Blade can be replaced with another weapon of the same material, and the cloak’s style varies depending on the team. For example, after joining a special squad, one receives a cloak in that squad’s color.
Ordinary Night Watch cloaks are dark red, as the color hides bloodstains. The Mask Squad’s cloaks are gray, the Phoenix Squad’s are gold…
But only the Coat of Arms cannot be replaced, reissued, or altered. For every Night Watch member, it is unique.
It is the life of a Night Watch.
It allows those without Forbidden Ruins to temporarily activate them, and those who already possess Forbidden Ruins to advance an entire major realm in a short time—even if it costs them their lives.
It is the final trump card of every Night Watch member, their last shred of dignity and faith in the face of despair—
Just like the four vows engraved on its back.
Clearly, Instructor Hong’s act of faith had been… interrupted.
“Qiye, you…” Instructor Hong stared blankly at Lin Qiye. He never imagined his final moment of glory would end like this.
Lin Qiye stepped in front of the three, facing the terrifying fireball that was still gathering power, and spoke calmly:
“Leave the rest to me.”
He slowly closed his eyes. A mysterious aura emanated from his body. His lips parted slightly.
“Possession…”
The soul of the Goddess of Night from the asylum pierced through the mental fog and descended upon the mortal world. Smiling, she gazed at the eyes-closed Lin Qiye and stepped forward… merging with his figure.
Within Lin Qiye’s body, atop the [Night] divinity, now resided the soul of a true goddess.
His short black hair grew at an astonishing speed, transforming into long, flowing black locks that cascaded to his waist. His skin visibly refined, the once sun-darkened tone from training becoming fair and delicate.
His long lashes trembled slightly as he slowly opened his eyes. They sparkled like stars—deep and mysterious.
A powerful aura erupted from his body. The pressure of a true deity descended upon the mortal world. Just one glance at him inspired reverence.
Baili Pangpang and the others witnessed this transformation, mouths agape, eyes filled with utter disbelief.
This… was Lin Qiye?
Yes. Lin Qiye.
Lin Qiye opened his eyes.
And so,
Night fell.
The boiling lava, the gathering fireball, the glowing crimson light filling the cave—all vanished in an instant. It was as if someone had forcibly snuffed out every source of light.
The lava remained. The fireball remained. But the light was gone…
Darkness now ruled the world.
And in this world of darkness, only one figure remained the center of attention.
His long black hair drifted gently. He wore a black military coat, its hem fluttering in the wind as if merging with the night. His hand rested on the hilt of his blade. In the darkness, his star-bright eyes calmly gazed at the Flame-Vein Earth Dragon above.
It was like an eternal painting.
In the pitch-black world, the fireball—stripped of its light—turned grayish-brown. The Flame-Vein Earth Dragon seemed to sense something was wrong. It stopped charging and roared, launching the massive fireball directly!
The building-sized fireball shot forward like a meteor about to crash into Earth, carrying terrifying energy as it plummeted—like the end of the world.
In the sky, the grayish-brown fireball rapidly expanded. Lin Qiye’s eyes remained calm as still water.
*Clang—!*
A soft sound rang out.
From beneath his black military coat, a Straight Blade glowing with blue light was drawn.
A blade flash slashed across the fireball like lightning. The fireball froze mid-air. A black thread appeared on its surface, and endless darkness poured from its center, instantly enveloping the entire sphere.
And so, the fireball—capable of destroying the entire Jinan Mountain Range—dissipated like a popped bubble, vanishing into the void of darkness.
The Flame-Vein Earth Dragon’s devastating strike had been erased by Lin Qiye’s blade like a mere illusion.
“This place is too small. Let’s change locations.”
Lin Qiye spoke calmly. His voice was more neutral than usual, yet carried an undeniable authority.
With that, he raised his left hand and pointed at the rock ceiling above.
A black beam shot from his fingertip, instantly piercing nearly two kilometers of rock. The stone in its path vanished without a trace, leaving behind a massive circular tunnel.
The tunnel stretched endlessly upward, disappearing into the distance.
This was [Erosion of Utter Darkness], a God’s Ruins covering two kilometers. It tore through the thick earth in an instant, creating a direct path from underground back to the surface.
Lin Qiye’s figure flickered, transforming into a streak of black light that flew beneath the Flame-Vein Earth Dragon. He placed a hand on its scales—and in the next moment, both man and dragon vanished!
He had pierced the rock to reconnect with the sky above. Only under the cover of night could he use [Night Flash].
The Flame-Vein Earth Dragon was powerful—but only underground. Once the battlefield shifted, its strength would plummet.
Of course, Lin Qiye didn’t just do this to remove the dragon. He had a more important goal.
“He punched a tunnel back to the surface!” Baili Pangpang exclaimed. “We can follow it and get out!”
Instructor Hong squinted at the nearly vertical tunnel above and looked at the others. “Can you fly?”
“Leave it to me.” Baili Pangpang patted his chest. The [Jade Radiance] on his chest gathered into a large golden sword shadow, hovering in front of the three.
They stepped onto the sword and flew upward.
“I’ve never carried three people before… it’s a bit heavy,” Baili Pangpang muttered as the golden sword wobbled slowly upward, barely faster than an elevator.
“I could run straight up the wall, but that’d split us up. At a time like this, it’s better to stay together. We still don’t know where the other enemy is hiding,” Instructor Hong said, glancing back at the receding cave.
…
Above the clouds, beneath the night sky.
Two figures appeared in the air. The Flame-Vein Earth Dragon flapped its wings, the red flame patterns on its body glowing as it stared ahead with wary eyes.
Opposite it, Lin Qiye hovered in his black military coat, the Straight Blade in his hand reflecting the moonlight. Black crows fluttered around him, eerie and mysterious.
“Now, this is my domain,” Lin Qiye said calmly.