1869 The Red Mist in the Valley
Deep in the mountains on Planet Eclipse, Han Sen, Xie Qing King, Gu Qingcheng, and Little Silver, were traveling. After Xie Qing King and Gu Qingcheng became Viscounts, Little Silver became one, too.
Now Han Sen was depressed. Little Angel, Zero, and he had not been infected. If they had, it was likely they could have leveled up to Viscount with much greater ease. They wouldn't have needed to practice half as much.
"The environment is stable for now, at least. Why don't we bring more people to this universe, so we can grow and cultivate them? It will be impossible for us to become famous here with only a handful of people." Han Sen was deep in thought.
Han Sen could recruit many from the Alliance, but there were a few he did not feel safe with. One such person was Wang Yuhang. Han Sen was afraid that if he came here, the man would bring terrible luck down on him.
Because Han Sen had provided many xenogeneic genes to his friends and followers, certain people in the sanctuaries had developed very quickly. But he had made sure to only provide such things to those who were close to him. Han Sen's resources were limited, and he couldn't fill the needs of everybody he knew.
With the help of xenogeneic genes, though, many humans and creatures from the Fourth God's Sanctuary had made it to the Alliance. That included Dragon Lady, Death Goddess, Red Pony, and Little Star. They had successfully ascended to the Alliance universe.
The humans who had successfully ascended included Queen, Lin Feng, Wang Yuhang, Tang Zhenliu, and Yi Dongmu. They were waiting to go to the xenogeneic universe now.
Ji Yanran and Luolan had eaten so many xenogeneic genes that they too had ascended to the Alliance. But Han Sen wasn't yet willing to let them cross the divide. He was afraid that if they were there, they'd cause a big problem for him with their attempts to find Littleflower.
The advantage of creatures from the sanctuaries was that they could level up rather quickly by consuming xenogeneic genes. Their biggest letdown, however, was the fact that their genes were unstable. There was no telling what a creature might eventually become.
A xenogeneic that looked like a leopard came prowling out of the mountains. Gu Qingcheng, with her swordair, killed it in a single strike.
Gu Qingcheng's powers were of swordair and not swordlight. Her green swordair was weird, and it resembled something like silk. She could kill enemies at all manners of strange angles.
"Save me some!" Xie Qing King blurted, clutching his silver book.
"You are too slow," Gu Qingcheng said, as she was in the process of cutting up the xenogeneic body and harvesting the xenogeneic genes.
Xie Qing King did not say a word, and he merely closed his silver book.
Han Sen looked at Xie Qing King. Xie Qing King's geno armament and power had been consistently surprising to Han Sen, and they had interested him quite a bit.
After Xie Qing King leveled up to become a Viscount, he had been able to use his silver light to draw pictures on the pages of his book. Whatever he drew could come to life, right out of the parchment. He could practically summon beasts to fight alongside him.
But the shadows he drew did have limitations. For one thing, he couldn't pre-draw a creature, then cast it when the time for battle came. So, he had to draw his desired summons during battle, and that took time.
With Gu Qingcheng there, though, he couldn't draw anything fast enough to fight. By the time he finished drawing something, she'd have killed the xenogeneic already. It was something that didn't make him very happy.
Han Sen was happy, though. He wasn't interested in Baron or Viscount xenogeneics. He wanted to find light treasure.
"What is this?" Xie Qing King looked up to the mountain, confusion etched across his face. Han Sen followed Xie Qing King's gaze, and they examined a red mist hanging across the mountain.
But the mist hadn't come from the sky. It arose from the mountain itself, and it looked rather weird.
"Perhaps we should go and take a look. There could be treasure!" Han Sen's eyes shone brightly.
"Careful. We are only Viscounts, remember. If we encounter a Duke or a Marquise, only Han Sen has a Duke beast soul pair of shoes that he can use to run. We lack such things," Gu Qingcheng said.
"Do I look like the type to run off and abandon you?" Han Sen was hurt by the comments.
"Yes." Xie Qing King and Gu Qingcheng answered sincerely.
Han Sen shrugged his shoulders and picked up Little Silver. Carefully, he snuck towards the place he had seen.
The red mist was like a cloud, but it rippled like a living fire. It was a stunning sight.
After the three of them got close, they found that the red mist was rising from a valley. The valley, filled up with that mist, looked like heaven. What might have lurked beyond the strange vapor, however, was something they could not see.
"Should we go in and take a look?" Gu Qingcheng looked down into the valley and frowned.
She could not see anything. The red mist was too thick for their eyesight to penetrate. It didn't actually hurt their eyes, but it did stop them from looking at what was inside.
"I don't know what lies inside. I'd wager it is too dangerous to go in, though." Even with Teeth Rabbit shoes, Han Sen did not want to take the risk. He was still too weak, and carelessness could cost him his life.
"Now you can watch me." Xie Qing King spoke with absolute confidence. He summoned his silver book and began casting with his wonderful silver light. He was scribbling something rather quickly.
Within a second, the shadow of a silver leopard leaped out from the pages of the book. It looked exactly like the one Gu Qingcheng had just killed. This one was just a silver shadow, though. It wasn't comprised of actual flesh.
"You can draw anything you like with this book?" Han Sen asked with surprise.
"Yes, but they only stay around temporarily for now. I can only draw creatures that exist in the universe, too. The drawing has to be pretty accurate to generate the creature, as well." After Xie Qing King said that, he commanded that the leopard head into the valley.
"If you draw a King class xenogeneic, would it have King class power?" Han Sen asked.
"Of course not. The shadow's power depends on the caster's strength—mine. That being said, some of the creatures I have drawn can carry their own element. Still, the power scales back in comparison to me," Xie Qing King explained.
"Whoa, that is already so very good!" Han Sen looked at Xie Qing King strangely.
Xie Qing King was a man with a very bad temper. It was strange to see him take to drawing in a fight instead of immediately using his fists.
Roar! The leopard had been inside the mist for a while when an awful screech was heard. Then, nothing. The valley returned to silence.
Xie Qing King's face changed. The leopard drawing in the book was shattered.
"What happened?" Han Sen asked Xie Qing King.
"I don't know, but I have a connection with the shadow. I can feel what they feel, but I cannot see through their eyes. After he entered the mist, something killed him quickly," Xie Qing King said
1870 An Enemy That Cannot Be Seen
Han Sen and Gu Qingcheng frowned. The shadow Xie Qing King had drawn had possessed the power of a Viscount. It had been destroyed within one second, so whatever lurked inside the valley was scary.
"There is no need to rush. Watch this." Xie Qing King flipped open his book and drew something else with his fingertips.
Not long after, another leopard came leaping out of the pages. It didn't run straight into the valley, and instead came to heel and crouch near Xie Qing King.
Xie Qing King kept wagging his finger across the book, and after a few minutes, another four leopards joined the first. When done, he said, "Okay! This is the maximum I can do."
He commanded the five leopards to enter the mist of the valley, all in a horizontal line.
Each leopard ran forward at the same time, all together, but they kept a few yards of space between them. When they entered the valley, there was a movement from within the fog.
But then, all too quickly, the valley echoed with the sounds of squealing again. The red mist of the valley rumbled and swirled, as the pictures on Xie Qing King's book began to disappear, one after another.
Within a mere few seconds, the pictures of all the leopards had been erased. It likely indicated that the shadows that had been spawned and sent into the mist had been destroyed.
Xie Qing King's face turned pale. The death of the leopards meant nothing to him, but he had exerted a lot of his own energy by summoning so many. That had cost him a lot.
"So, did you find out what's going on inside the valley?" Han Sen asked Xie Qing King, looking right at him.
Xie Qing King told him, "I don't know what's going on. I didn't see anything, but when the leopards were killed, one second elapsed between each death. So I assume the leopards were all killed by a single entity. I can also guess that if a creature can kill my shadows so quickly, the creature must have four times our potential speed. It could be an Earl or higher, but with a hidden power."
"If it is an Earl, that's nothing to sweat about. I have the Teeth Rabbit shoes, remember? The speed of those is no worse than an Earl, and I also have the new Marquise xenogeneic armor. I may not be able to activate its full potential, but it can most certainly protect me from the attacks of an Earl." Han Sen looked up to the sky and noticed another magnetic storm that was raging. He could not see the moons of Narrow Moon from where he was, so it was unlikely he'd be gifted their strength.
"Wait here." Gu Qingcheng stopped Han Sen, who was on the verge of entering himself. She pulled out Pure, and a green aura danced across the blade. Then, the sword came alive in a swirl and flew forward into the valley.
Dong!
Pure flew right into the mist, and shortly after, a crunchy noise sounded. Then, Pure flew back out and right back into Gu Qingcheng's hands.
"My sword was attacked once," Gu Qingcheng said, then sheathed the weapon.
"Okay, I'll go and take a look." Han Sen donned his Marquise armor and put on his rabbit shoes. He clutched Ghost Teeth Knife in one hand and held his Knife Blank firmly in the other. Then, with much care, he started to step inside.
It was times like this that Han Sen actually started to miss Wang Yuhang. If the man was there with him, all Han Sen would only have to get Wang Yuhang to stand outside the valley and shout. He would probably draw whatever was inside out, and there'd be no need to go inside.
Han Sen carefully walked into the mist. While the mist had color, he didn't feel anything when it brushed across him.
After a few steps, that changed. All of a sudden, he felt horrid. He wanted to go forward, but he was struck in the back. It was a powerful strike, and he staggered forward.
Before Han Sen was able to stabilize himself, something else came at him again. It got his arm.
The creature in the red mist traveled quietly, and actually catching sight of it seemed impossible. Han Sen was very fast, but he didn't know where he should move until the attacks had already happened. By the time the strikes came, it was too late to dodge. By the time he moved, he'd already been hit.
Luckily, though, Han Sen had the Marquise armor on. It meant the attacks didn't actually hurt him.
Han Sen ran out of the valley after getting hit again, but the thing inside the mist did not follow. He took a look at what had happened and noticed the scratch marks across his suit. Surprisingly, they weren't very deep.
"What is it?" Xie Qing King and Gu Qingcheng ran up to him to ask.
"Old Qing is right. There is an Earl creature there. Its speed and power aren't too shabby, and it uses the red mist for cover. It's practically invisible. I got attacked before I even saw it, every time. I was hit a few times, but even then, I wasn't able to catch a glimpse. The red mist might have the added ability of masking the senses, because I wasn't even able to hear its movements," Han Sen said.
"This is bad news. If it's in there and it won't come out, then we can't fight it. Entering the mist is pointless, even with the armor that you're wearing." Gu Qingcheng frowned.
"It'd be great if there was some way to draw him out," Xie Qing King said.
"If he dared to come out, he'd have followed either my sword or Han Sen." Gu Qingcheng shook her head.
"It shouldn't be too hard to draw him out, but we'll need the help of a specialist," Han Sen said.
"Wang Yuhang?" Xie Qing King and Gu Qingcheng had thought about him, too.
"There is something awfully strange about this valley. There are creatures guarding this place for a reason. I am afraid that something important might be about to happen here. We can't delay this," Gu Qingcheng said.
"I gave Wang Yuhang some xenogeneic genes, and after he ate them, he managed to break through. He was able to absorb Life Geno Essences, and after he maxed out, he went to the Alliance. We should be able to bring him here fairly easily. But the people out there know how many people Planet Eclipse currently holds, and the documents are all in files. If someone else shows up, it might be difficult to explain. I have to use the recruitment excuse to bring him here," Han Sen said.
"Then let's go quickly and bring more people over. Planet Eclipse has a lot of resources, so the more people the better. With the small amount of us here, there's not enough to pay the taxes we must pay in a few years," Gu Qingcheng said.
"This is what we can do, then. You guys can stay and hunt in the vicinity, just don't go too deep. And also, keep an eye on the valley. I'll be right back," Han Sen said that, then returned to base.
After returning, Han Sen gave Knife Queen a call. Knife Queen knew he'd need more people, so she agreed to his request and sent him an airship. After Icebird Duke picked him up, they left Narrow Moon to recruit.
"Where would you like to recruit people this time?" Icebird Duke was sounding much friendlier with Han Sen now.
Han Sen had been number one in the Moon God Festival, and he was the very first person to have ever been personally blessed by the Moon God. So, that had certainly boosted his reputation and goodwill.
Learning Teeth Knife and Teeth powers in such a short time wasn't something that could be accomplished with luck alone. However he had done it, it made Icebird Duke look at him differently.