Ning Shan emerged from a corridor of darkness as he stepped into the light—or at least, that was what he expected. Instead, what he found was another form of darkness. As night hung over the world, only the slight light of the stars illuminated his surroundings.

All around him was the wreckage of what he assumed was a man-made structure, composed of steel and glass—an immense amount of both, while he stood on top of it. In fact, this structure seemed designed to allow a man to reach unimaginable heights, scraping the sky—a skyscraper, if you will.

Ning Shan stepped toward the edge, yet darkness spread over the world, blanketing it in curtains of blackness that not even starlight could pierce through. Yet, there was a red tint within this blackness.

He raised his head and saw the origin of this hue. A large crimson celestial object hung into the sky, blocking over one-tenth of the firmament, bathing the world in a dull red glow, barely making its presence known on the ground. A crimson moon would be the best way to describe it.

More than that, what caught his attention was a pillar of light in the distance that seemed to swirl with energy as it sought to reach that crimson moon. Yet the pillar disappeared into the sky as its tip faded into the blackness of night. Its base, however, was massive, easily half its height in diameter. Still, Ning Shan was far too far away to truly understand its scope.

Continuous explosions echoed from below, taking Ning Shan's attention away from the spectacular pillar of light and the red moon above. He stood at the edge of the glass and steel building, only to see flashes of colour burst into the darkness of what seemed like the streets below. Ning Shan strained his ears and listened closely.

There are voices hidden behind those noises... I can't distinguish the words from this distance, but at least it confirms that sentient life exists on this plane.

Ning Shan pondered for a bit, seeking the best approach to this situation. First, even as he searched his surroundings, he couldn't find a way to reach ground level. There were no stairs or ladders. Maybe another exit was hidden within the darkness he had trudged through, yet he wasn't inclined to return.

He hung his head over the void, judging the distance, yet he could only shake his head. Were he at his prime, such a jump would barely register in his mind, especially since he could fly. But now, as he only had the strength of the 2nd level of the qi refining realm, such a drop would most definitely break his legs, if not kill him outright.

What were they thinking making such a tall structure with no way to go up or down? There are even multiple large wells in the middle of the structure that seem to reach deep into the earth.

The explosions below intensified, and now Ning Shan could hear cries of anguish over them. The most probable cause was a fight between two opposing parties. Ning Shan couldn’t waste time standing here anymore. After all, how could he get some answers from corpses?

With a single solution apparent and his mind made up, Ning Shan leapt from the side of the structure, free-falling into the void, gaining speed until he struck the glass panelling enveloping the steel structure within.

His fingers dug into the glass, shattering it as he slid along the side of the structure. Although sharp, glass alone wasn't able to cut his skin, especially now that his flesh was empowered by the red dust he had acquired. Still, using this red dust in this way left him conflicted. After all, this felt like a waste of resources. Still, time was of the essence.

His body slid along the building as his hand dug a deep crevasse into the glass, slowing his descent just enough to remain safe on the landing. However, one thing he hadn't noticed from his vantage point was a gap in the wall—a vast extension of nothing further below, as if a massive creature had taken a bite out of this structure.

As his hand ripped apart the last glass panelling, Ning Shan began falling in earnest as there was nothing to slow him down. The ground came closer with every second, yet he remained calm. After all, how could a man who once could float into the sky be possibly scared of a little fall?

Ning Shan had calculated this fall. As his hand ripped into the glass, he noticed a steel beam further below that he could use to slow down. At the last moment, he pushed himself from the building's side, aiming for this beam. However, he didn't account for how feeble this material was compared to his own body.

After picking up speed, his body rammed into the steel beam, bending it from the impact. Ning Shan dug his fingers into it, ensuring he had a firm grip on it, yet it snapped under the tension and tumbled toward the ground, taking him with it.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

In a split-second decision, Ning Shan firmly planted his feet on the beam's surface before pushing with all his strength. The recoil was intense enough that the steel beam bent slightly from the pressure as it was propelled backwards until it rammed into a nearby building, shattering its facade and leaving a huge hole in it.

As for Ning Shan, he rammed into the skyscraper, shattering the glass as he passed right through before ending his journey with his back encased into a stone column. He took a moment to calm his heart rate as he took a deep breath. It had been a long time since he had felt such a thrill; he couldn't keep a smile from appearing.

That was reckless... Still, I haven't felt this alive since... since the tribulation, really. Maybe losing my cultivation wasn't such a bad thing.

Ning Shan rose and dusted himself, examining his body for any signs of injuries, which he found none. He frowned, finding this perplexing.

An early qi refining realm cultivator shouldn’t be this sturdy. While I don’t know how strong some of this world's materials are, they shouldn't be weak if they can support a structure of this size. I should have at least received some nicks and bruises from this, yet I see nothing. Is this due to the red dust, or is it that tribulation body thing?

Ning Shan shook his head before reaching the edge overlooking the streets below. He looked down, only to see he was much closer to the earth than expected. From this height, he could simply jump down unscathed, which he did promptly, landing on top of what seemed to be a horseless steel carriage.

The metal construct crumpled as his feet rammed into it, collapsing on itself as if it was merely made of paper. A moment later, Ning Shan emerged from the wreckage, looking at his surroundings inquisitively.

This place was desolate, devoid of vegetation. Similar vehicles were parked alongside the street, signs of rust apparent on the metal their bodies consisted of. Most of the surrounding buildings were dilapidated; most of their front facades had crumbled, revealing the rot within. In fact, a pungent smell of decay permeated his surroundings, yet it was masked by a much stronger stench that Ning Shan couldn't recognize.

He turned his head as it seemed to be coming from behind him, yet all he saw was a spark before the steel carriage burst into flames, creating an explosion of light that slightly blinded him. He felt a heat wave crash on his skin, and his lungs burned slightly as he tried to breathe. Fortunately, he had enough time to wrap a bit of power around his body, preventing his clothes from catching fire.

A few seconds later, Ning Shan opened his eyes to see the remains of the metallic vehicle that broke his fall glowing an incandescent red as a dark plume of smoke rose into the night air. He waved his hand, dispersing the blackened cloud that assaulted his nose as he retreated slightly, his eyes narrowed.

What kind of metal construct can just burst into flames? Was it due to that scent? I recall some sort of black water back home that smelled similar. It was prone to burning, but I’ve never heard of it exploding, much less creating such large fireballs...

As he stood there, slightly taken aback by what had happened, the sound of countless small explosions slowly growing closer to his position brought him back to reality. He debated whether it would be a good idea to follow the sound but chose against it. Instead, he rushed across the street, entering what seemed like an abandoned building.

After making sure the structure was vacant, Ning Shan positioned himself on the second floor, peeking out of a broken window toward the end of the street where the fighting sounds originated.

I’ve been much too reckless as of late. The sounds seemed to be coming toward here, so let’s just wait and see.

Ning Shan didn't have to wait long before a group of five individuals emerged from the corner of the street. Their features were hidden behind what seemed like masks, yet those masks felt truly unique. Their faces were completely hidden beneath, except for their eyes, which could be seen through two large openings covered in a transparent material akin to glasses but sealed somehow.

Their mouths and noses were also covered under a mask that protruded from their faces, ending in two round pieces of metal on each side of their cheeks. Ning Shan couldn't help but frown, wondering what type of creatures would wear such strange masks.

As for their clothes, Ning Shan had never seen anything like it. Unlike the long robes he was familiar with, those individuals wore thick jackets and pants, which covered most of their skin, while also sporting thick leather boots and gloves. It seemed as if the very atmosphere of this world posed a threat to their existence. Even the rest of their heads were hidden beneath hoods. Ning Shan had no way of knowing if they were even humans, except that they were bipedal as he was and had the same number of limbs.

Seeing their attire, Ning Shan grew somewhat suspicious. He examined himself again, seeking any abnormality, yet he found nothing—at least on the surface. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he realized he may have overthought. Still, this was something he had to keep in mind. After all, he was in a foreign land. There was no telling what this new environment may do to him in the long term.

His gaze returned to those fives before the weapon in their hand caught his attention. They all had different shapes. Some were long and tubular, made of black metal with the same protuberance meant for those individuals to hold them. Others were barely bigger than their hands, while some were as large as one of their bodies.

Yet they all seemed to produce the same effect, namely, a flame and an explosive noise from one end. They held those objects forward, aiming them all in the same direction. Something seemed to be ejected from the opened end, yet it was much too fast for Ning Shan to discover what it was.

Yet one thing was certain; he knew what powered those artifacts. A small red crystal was embedded into the side of each of those weapons.

No wonder... Without qi, how else could they produce those continuous explosions without those red crystals powering them? Still... what are they fighting?

This question wouldn't linger in his mind for long as he saw their opponent emerge shortly after them. It was tall, at least as tall as his vantage point on the second story of this building.

The creature's hind half was quadrupedal, akin to most land animals, yet it also possessed a front half that stood upright with many deformed limbs that flailed around aimlessly. Its skin was dark grey, the same mix of flesh and metal he was now accustomed to, almost as if they had fused together. The only difference from the creatures he had encountered until now was that the cloud of dust suspended near his body wasn't red—as all the others were—but a light orange.

As the five individuals discharged their weapons toward that creature, Ning Shan could see their projectiles impact its body, yet they left no discernible marks. In fact, it seemed to only infuriate it further. The creature opened its maw, showing countless rows of serrated teeth, then uttered a most deafening cry.

Let’s sit back and see how they overcome this...