As I was staying guard, the weather seemed to change. Fog as red as blood began gathering on the dirt. It was so thick one would think it was liquid red water.
"Interesting phenomenon," I mumbled, and just as I spoke, I felt a shiver running down my spine. Something out there is watching me.
"Everyone, ready up for battle!" I said. But nothing came back, no reply, and no words were spoken.
I turned to the cave and went inside, everyone was dead asleep.
The fog had penetrated into the cave and seemed to have caused them to doze off, I couldn't even wake them up.
"Shit," I cursed then pulled out several talismans I had on me. I splattered them across the ground and they erected a protective barrier that stopped the fog from coming in.
"Y, protect them."
Y came out of my Poison God's Book and stood tall at the front of the barrier.
"Lord, are you venturing out this night? It seems to be dangerous," Y spoke.
"Yes, it seems that something is out there, and as long as we're here, we're nothing but sitting ducks. I'll take X with me, don't worry, before we become prey, we'll be the one hunting tonight," I said and walked out.
The feeling of being watched continued to pressure me as I looked left and right, but there didn't seem to be anything in the vicinity of the cave. Not that I could see it if it was, the atmosphere was just that dark.
"X, follow me closely," I said then moved forward. Weapon in hand, and several explosive pills in the other.
***
"Are you sure you want to head out tonight? I have a bad feeling," said the Grand Elder.
"It's not like I have a choice, A red Night happens once every ten years. I cannot miss the opportunity. This should help calm the pain for some time. I cannot afford to miss the opportunity."
"Let me at least put a couple of guards to go with you," said the Grand Elder.
"No, I'm not sure of anyone's loyalty right now, no matter who. I must do this in secret, and you cannot allow any of the sect members to know. This is a night when all of my cultivation will have to be sealed. And I cannot trust anyone right now," she said.
"As you wish Sect Master," the Grand Elder said. "I'll prepare all you need for your journey, the dome should be fully risen by now, you must make haste."
Soon, the Sect Master took the holding bag prepared by the Grand Elder and headed out in the darkness of the night, unbeknownst to any of her sect members, she headed deep into the red forest.
After an hour of flight, she arrived to a massive blood dome that seemed to emerge only once every ten years, by the effects of the Red Night.
This Dome is in fact the barrier protecting a small miraculous pond, it is what the Sect Master needed to reduce some of the pain from her chronic affliction.
Once she arrived to the Dome, she used a special red candle, that she lit up. The candle's light tore apart a portion of the barrier, revealing a blue pond that seemed to be exuding a slight amount of heat.
The sect master then removed her clothes and dipped inside the pond, starting meditation.
This is where the pond's effects began as they eroded her Qi causing immense pain, but at the same time, they eroded the vile Qi inside her body that was causing her constant agony with every breath she ever took.
A long night awaited the sect master.
***
"God fucking damn it!" I cursed as I swiped my sword for the millionth time as it felt.
Hundreds upon hundreds of palm sized moths were following after me, and they were after blood. Literally, my blood.
Each of these moths weren't powerful on their own, but the sheer number of these pesky little fuckers following me made it a pain in the ass to stop and deal with them. Not to mention this stupid sticky fog, none of my poison skills are working, I threw several poison pills but the blood fog was simply too thick for the poison to spread and the moment my poison came in contact with the fog, it would cause it to drop down to the ground.
The only thing that remotely worked were my explosive pills, but I'm already out, so what I needed to do was simple.
Leg it. and leg it I was.
I ran high and low, sliding under giant tree roots and jumping over high bushes. I sent my Divine Sense scanning the area around me in hope of finding somewhere to run to.
I still regret not going back to the cave where Y was, as for X, he sadly was very inadequate in fighting small sized enemies since he was fully decked out in bullets and weaponry.
Shooting this endless sea of Blood Moths was nothing but a waste of bullets as all the bullets that I have on me and on X combined wouldn't make a dent in the number of these creatures.
I needed somewhere to hide.
As my Divine Sense was extended, I came to find an interesting area. It seemed that it completely blocked divine sense from penetrating it, and felt like a giant Dome.
I headed there as fast as I could, if it could block Divine Sense, it could definitely hide me if I'm near or inside this dome.
Rushing in, I arrived to the dome, and for a moment I regretted it. This was not a building as I had hoped, but a literal giant dome of blood. It looked like a cocoon that was about to birth a vile creature.
I had no time to waste though, so I pressed my hand on the dome trying to gage its inner size, and my hand was immediately repelled.
"Formation?" I muttered, this whole thing is a formation, how did it come to be? It also looks like a natural made formation.
With little time on my hand before the horde of Moths come my way, I pulled my Divine Brush and began writing inscriptions redirecting and changing the command of this natural looking formation. It took me less than a breath to finish writing, since this was a natural made formation, the laws it was using were simple, a denial of entry for anyone who isn't in the possession of some special item.
I just needed to deduce the item's effect, then fake the fact that I don't have it, into a fact that I have a similar item.
Immediately, the dome opened up for me and I got inside, then it closed as soon as I was inside but one of those stupid moths managed to get inside.
I grabbed it by hand then crushed it, "Damn fucking pest," I sighed as I looked around
What pulled my attention weren't the ungodly amount of spiritual herbs that were growing inside the dome, nor was it the warm glistening pond. But a woman who seemed to have had her face turn blue from sheer terror as she gazed upon me.
She was naked, but I'm sure no one would be as terrorized or blue faced when seeing someone even if they were naked.
Not to mention, she wasn't human, since no human would ever look as beautiful as that, especially if you add two horns on her head.
'A demon race?'
"Hello," I said.
But didn't receive a reply, the woman however immediately went to a holding bag that was right next to her, but she couldn't open it.
Terrorized she muttered, "Don't come any closer!"
I held both my hands up, "Relax, I'm not here to harm you, I'm just hiding from the moths outside." I said.
"Like I would believe a human!"
'Ah this damn mentality again. But I wouldn't blame her, humans are ass,'
I sighed.
"Here," I said as I placed down my sword far away from me and so I did to my holding bag.
Usually I would never do this, especially since someone this hostile, but it was clear form one look that she was completely mortal.
Which came as a surprise, since Demon Race are born as cultivators, but she didn't have an ounce of Qi on her, not a single bit.
I looked around at all the herbs and didn't see a single stalk missing, she wasn't here for the herbs, and looking at her inside the pond seemed to be the reason for her coming here. Why would a mortal ever cross such a distance in this dangerous forest to take a dip in this water? Well the answer is simple, this water is special.
"I guess you're ill?" I asked.
"…"
She didn't reply. And I found it rather rude to use my Divine Sense to scan another woman, I've learned my lesson from Yuyu, she did not like it.
"Leave this place!" she said.
"Like hell I would, it's a fucking nightmare out there," I said.
She grumbled for a bit before saying, "Then stay there, don't move, the monsters will all leave by morning, don't even take a step or I'll end my own life," she said.
"Wow, wow, chill who do you think I am?" I asked.
"A human!" she said as if it was an insult.
"Oh…right, we do tend to have a very bad reputation, but don't judge all of us by the actions of one, hell I didn't even do anything to you and we're talking like civilized people aren't we?"
"That's because you don't know what I'm capable of!" she said.
"Like hell I don't, you're completely mortal right now, hell you don't even have enough Qi to open your holding bag. And if I had any ill will toward you, you think you would kill yourself faster than I could take action?" I said.
My words caused despair to fully submerge this woman.
"Anyway, I'm Shen Mo," I said.
"Yao Hua," she said.
"Nice to meet you," I said clasping my hands.
"Now, if I were to take an educated guess, you're ill," I said as I sat down.
"…"
"I'm a bit proficient with medicine, so no need to be too wary, and I'm also bored and have no one to talk with, also this could help pass the time till morning and I will leave you be," I said.
"Yes… I'm sick, but it's not something you can manage," she said "Not even the divine doctor was able to fix this, and the only thing that could stop some of the pain is this pool." She said.
"Is that so…" I said, "Would you mind me taking a look?" I asked.
"Yes I would, I don't trust you!" she said.
"Then what if I give a heavenly Vow that I will not harm you or bring any ill will towards you," I said.
"You will just waste your time, no one can fix this Destruction," she said.
"Wait, you said Destruction? Are you suffering from a Poison Destruction?" I asked.
"Yes…"
"This is intriguing, I've never seen a Destruction this calm," I said.
"Calm? What do you mean calm, do you know how much agony I suffer every day?!" she said.
"Just calm down, what I'm talking about is, your body is completely fine, I've treated an Ice Destruction Poison once, but from you I can't feel any of the effects," I said.
"It's not an Elemental Destruction, it's a Poisoned Soul Destruction," she said and sighed.
"Oh, this is rather interesting, but would you believe me if I said, I can fix that?" I said.
The person in front of me looked dubious of my words, "I wouldn't believe the words of a human," she said.
"Sigh, well I guess I can't help it then," I said I shrugged and sat down meditating waiting for morning.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om