Chapter 1921: Blood Moon

Qin Sang, as if performing magic, took out a handful of dark black pills and handed them to Xiao Wu. Three pills were enough for one pot of water.

After boiling, everyone lined up to get water, which Xiao Wu and the others served. One bowl was enough to make a person vibrant and energetic.

These people were naturally very grateful to Qin Sang and Xiao Wu, and even the three young maids received countless thanks.

It was their first time experiencing such a scene. The steam had removed much of the dust from their faces, leaving their cheeks flushed, and they couldn't help but smile.

"Little Immortal Sister, aren't you happy?"

The youngest maid, shorter than Xiao Wu and unable to do heavy work, was assisting Xiao Wu. She looked up with her small face and asked curiously, seeing Xiao Wu's expression remain placid and without a smile.

Xiao Wu served a bowl of the medicinal water to the person in front of her and tilted her head.

"Thank you, Little Immortal! Thank you, Immortal, for saving our lives. Our whole family will worship you every day and bow to you from now on..."

The person bowed repeatedly, expressing sincere gratitude, and carefully carried the medicinal water away.

Xiao Wu thought for a moment and said, "It's quite good."

The little maid became even more puzzled.

Qin Sang's gaze shifted from Xiao Wu to an empty space nearby. "Has the local deity arrived? Why not show yourself?"

A puff of white smoke rose from the ground, revealing a short old man holding a land-measuring staff.

"This humble local deity greets the esteemed immortal," the deity said, bowing.

"This humble Daoist, Qingfeng, dare not be called an esteemed immortal," Qin Sang said, shaking his head slightly. He glanced at the long queue and then changed his tone. "I originally thought there were no deities in this region."

The local deity looked embarrassed and quickly explained, "It's not that this humble deity doesn't want to fulfill his duty. But the world is in chaos, and demons roam freely. Some even dare to hunt deities for food, acting extremely rampant. This humble deity's power is weak, so how dare I show myself? I could only destroy my own temple, retreat into the wilderness, hide among the mountains and rivers, and barely survive. It was only after seeing the Daoist's righteous actions that I dared to reveal myself."

"Are they the demons from Sunset Mountain?" Qin Sang looked to the west.

The local deity nodded. "If it were just the monsters and demonic cultivators from around here, we could still suppress them. But a few years ago, they colluded with the demons from Sunset Mountain, infiltrated our territory, broke through cities, and killed deities. The City God was unfortunately killed in battle, and his statue was shattered. The divine order collapsed, and all the righteous immortal cultivators within our borders were in danger. Even the greatest sect, Shoulong Mountain, was forced to relocate. No one could restrain them anymore..."

As he spoke, the local deity sighed. "I heard that the closer one gets to Sunset Mountain, the worse it becomes. Demons use mortals as blood-food. Some nations have been completely devoured, while others are kept like livestock, fattening up mortals and forcing them to kill each other, using their flesh and blood to build altars and practice evil arts like blood soul cultivation. Countries and righteous immortal cultivators who can protect themselves can only protect their own interests and struggle to survive. I heard the situation is better in the east. Daoist, you must be from the east, right?"

As they were speaking, a commotion suddenly erupted at the back of the queue.

Several burly men pushed their way from the back of the line.

These men had a thuggish air about them, stout and muscular, standing out starkly among the frail common folk.

The leader had a fleshy face with a ferocious glint in his eyes. Everyone else feared them, bowing their heads and avoiding eye contact, afraid of being targeted.

"Boss, the immortal is right there!"

A shirtless accomplice grabbed the leader, pointed forward, and whispered.

There wasn't enough space, so the queue snaked through several turns. They reached the first bend, hiding behind the crowd and peeking through the gaps.

The leader squinted his eyes. "Is it a real immortal?"

"Of course it is, Boss! Look at those who drank the medicine; they're all vibrant and energetic! It must be divine medicine! Immortal medicine! Just one sip could let you live for a hundred years! Let's hurry and get in line, or it'll be gone!" The accomplice licked his lips, his eyes full of greed.

"So many people, what's the point of queuing? How many people can that immortal medicine be split among?"

The leader snorted coldly. He suddenly looked at the people queuing beside him, staring at them without a word.

He didn't need to speak; his gaze was like that of a vicious wolf.

The person he stared at trembled with fear, shrinking back slightly.

As the burly men glared, the queue was forced to yield a small space.

The queue was already crowded, and with the forceful pushing, an elderly person lost their footing and was shoved to the ground.

The elder, agitated, trembled as he pointed at the men. "You! How dare you act so brazenly in front of an immortal..."

"Oh dear! Be careful, old man."

The leader quickly stepped forward, pressed the elder's arm down, and without question helped him up, a look of concern on his face.

But his eyes were like knives, as if saying, "Old fool, your grandpa will remember you!"

Even through the crowd, it was impossible to hide it from Qin Sang and the others.

"Hey! Old local deity!"

Vermilion Bird hopped from Qin Sang's shoulder onto the local deity, startling him. Realizing this fire crow also possessed cultivation, the deity quickly offered a placating smile.

"What can this demon immortal command?"

Vermilion Bird twisted its neck to stare at him. "You're the local deity here. Even if you didn't dare show yourself, you wouldn't be unaware of what these people have done, would you?"

"As long as it's near Wudu Mountain, I know! I know everything!"

"I ask you, among these people, who has committed rape, pillage, or even eaten living humans?"

As the saying goes, what man does, Heaven sees; there are deities three feet above one's head.

Every action of these people was seen by the local deity and remembered. He raised his land-measuring staff and pointed them out one by one, recounting their deeds as if they were treasured possessions.

Upon hearing this, Vermilion Bird opened its mouth and spat out a ball of fire, which split into sparks and scattered.

'Bang! Bang! Bang!'

The burly men were laughing and chatting when they suddenly fell backward, each with an almost imperceptible small hole in their forehead.

Similar situations occurred elsewhere, causing waves of commotion.

Qin Sang looked at Vermilion Bird.

"You only said you and Xiao Wu don't kill people; I never said that! Isn't it a waste to give the elixirs to such people?" Vermilion Bird hummed a little tune it had learned from the mortal world, avoiding Qin Sang's gaze, and hopped onto Xiao Wu.

Qin Sang said, "These people are heading to Duzhi Kingdom ahead. I observe that Duzhi Kingdom is not in chaos, and its laws are strict, so it should not tolerate evildoers."

The local deity cupped his hands. "What the Daoist says is true. This humble deity also intended to report these people's actions to fellow deities in Duzhi Kingdom. However, this demon immortal's actions are truly gratifying! All you esteemed immortals are exceptionally benevolent and righteous, a blessing to the common people, a fortune for our generation, and a blessing for the world!"

"You don't need to flatter me. This humble Daoist is no saint who saves the world and aids its people. I can only provide them with a full meal, enough to sustain them for a few days until they reach Duzhi Kingdom and find their own way."

Qin Sang shook his head. "One can save them for a moment, but not for a lifetime. One can protect one place, but not the entire world!"

He had said that he would find an opportunity to suppress Xiao Wu's demonic intent by healing and saving people.

But he knew very well what his goal was.

He also understood that this was the way the world was, and his individual power could not change it.

He had no unrealistic notions; everything was left to fate and his own inclination.

A flicker of disappointment crossed the local deity's face. He had personally seen the sect leader of Shoulong Mountain, whose bearing was far inferior to the Daoist before him. He had initially thought that an enlightened master had descended to save the world and turn the tide.

Pot after pot of medicinal water was distributed.

The sun set, and the intense heat subsided somewhat.

The last hint of evening glow was obscured by the mountain shadows, and dusk enveloped everything.

Just then, Qin Sang, who was speaking with the local deity, instinctively felt something unusual and suddenly looked up!

In the night sky, which had not yet completely darkened, a faint moon shadow appeared.

The moon shadow hung high in the sky, extremely far from the ground, unreachable. Its light was faint, even weaker than the surrounding starlight.

Gradually, however, the moon underwent a strange transformation. A faint red glow appeared at the edge of the moon's halo.

The red light seemed to emanate from behind the moon, becoming very noticeable within a few breaths. It wasn't a pure red, but a blood-red crimson, forming another bloody ring outside the moon's halo.

The red light continued to expand, becoming larger than the halo and brighter than the moonlight, even staining the moon itself with blood.

This scene looked as if a blood moon had risen behind the main moon, but from the ground, the true appearance of the blood moon couldn't be seen, as it was obscured by the moon.

Two moons shining together!

No, it was three moons shining together!

Qin Sang's pupils constricted slightly. He noticed that with the appearance of the red light, another slightly darker patch of moonlight appeared under the main moonlight. It was less than one-tenth the size of the moon, but clearly larger than a star, resembling a small dark moon.

This dark moon was slowly orbiting the true moon, sometimes hidden within the bloody light behind it, and sometimes appearing in front of the moon, blending with its light, making it difficult for ordinary people to detect.

The blood moon, the main moon, and the dark moon—three moons shining together!

The local deity, seeing Qin Sang's action, also looked up at the sky. Witnessing the celestial phenomenon, he showed a surprised expression.

The moonlight was stained blood-red, casting a bloody hue over the land. Even mortals noticed something was wrong.

"Oh my! Look at the sky!"

"The moon has turned red!"

"A blood moon! It's the legendary blood moon!"

The red moonlight fell upon the ground, dyeing the earth and mountains with a faint bloody tint.

Everyone felt as if they were submerged in a sea of blood. Those who had witnessed the horrors of battle were especially triggered by painful memories, their faces filled with terror.

"This is an omen of war and slaughter!"

"An ominous sign... an ominous sign... The moon is stained with blood, everyone will die, everyone will die..."

They had just been saved by an immortal, escaping their suffering, but unexpectedly a blood moon appeared, turning the world crimson!

Fear spread, plunging them into deep panic.

Even the local deity murmured, "With the blood moon appearing, will the world truly be plunged into misery and death?"

In the Fiery Domain Daoist Sanctuary.

Qin Sang's main body also emerged from his cave dwelling at this time, gazing at the blood moon in the sky, just like his avatar.

He had been in the Great Thousand world for over three hundred years, yet this was the first time he had seen a blood moon. He had never heard of such a strange phenomenon before.

Why was this happening? Was it a normal celestial phenomenon, or was there some deeper mystery?

"Has a blood moon appeared before?"

Qin Sang asked the local deity.

The local deity hesitated. "This humble deity once saw the writings of a mountain god. It recorded blood moons. He gathered and compiled ancient texts and learned that blood moons appear irregularly, sometimes every few hundred years, sometimes every few thousand years. Sometimes they vanish after an hour, sometimes they only disappear at dawn. There's no pattern, and the reason is unknown, but it's speculated to be an ominous sign..."

Qin Sang became thoughtful.

The chaos in the world, as the local deity spoke of, was pure nonsense. Qin Sang was certain that the blood moon wasn't shining only on this place, but extended unknown tens of thousands of miles away.

At this very moment, it was likely that the entire Great Thousand world was illuminated by the blood moon. Even if it was an ominous sign, it couldn't be foretelling only this place.

Even the entire territory under Yundu Heaven's rule likely wouldn't constitute even a corner of the Great Thousand world.

Since it recurred every few hundred or thousand years, which was a kind of pattern, perhaps it was a special celestial phenomenon of the Great Thousand world, or perhaps someone was performing a great divine ability.

Qin Sang couldn't help but recall the Southern Heavenly Gate hidden within the moon.

"Don't be afraid! There's an immortal here; the immortal will save us!"

"Immortal, save us!"

After the initial panic, someone shouted.

The crowd seemed to awaken from a dream and once again knelt and prostrated themselves, begging for protection.

Qin Sang kept gazing at the blood moon in the sky. He saw that after the blood moon and dark moon appeared, they didn't change further, maintaining that state.

Unable to discern the reason, he no longer focused on it and continued to ask the local deity, "Do you know of any sects or forces nearby that are renowned for lightning magic?"

According to Qin Sang's deduction, the magic altar was nearby, though the range was somewhat broad, possibly within several neighboring countries.

The local deity pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "This humble deity enjoys making friends the most, and before the great chaos, I had a wide network of acquaintances. I know about those famous sects. At most, they might also cultivate one or two lightning-controlling techniques, but none truly rely on lightning magic or established their sect based on it."

Qin Sang frowned, thought for a moment, and continued to ask, "Are there any reclusive masters?"

"There are indeed recluses, but I'm afraid they wouldn't count as masters for a Daoist such as yourself," the local deity subtly flattered, then disclosed everything he knew.

Qin Sang noted everything. Starting the search for the magic altar by checking sects and cultivators was naturally the fastest way. If that didn't work, he would have to search inch by inch.

Next, Qin Sang inquired about the demons and monsters in the vicinity, then released his spiritual sense, extending it beyond Wudu Mountain.

In the distance, cultivators in the mountains and demons acting wildly in the mortal world—no evil entity could escape detection.

'Whoosh! Whoosh!'

In the mountains, the wind shifted, and the sky changed color.

Without warning, a fierce gale swept through the mountains, bringing a flurry of flying sand and rolling stones.

The cultivators in the mountains inexplicably felt a chill and uneasiness.

The sudden evil wind, coupled with the blood moon in the sky, made this night too eerie.

They shivered, wanting to return to their cave dwellings and lairs.

Qin Sang raised his hand and grabbed forward.

All the demons and monsters targeted by Qin Sang suddenly felt a powerful force restraining them, rendering them immobile. Then, a massive force lifted them into the air.

Even demons within their cave dwellings and lairs were not spared; their formations and restrictions were useless.

'Whoosh! Whoosh!'

The fierce wind swept up figure after figure. These figures struggled desperately, but it was in vain.

Beside the dirt road.

'Thud! Thud! Thud!'

The local deity stared blankly at the horizon, watching as demons flew out of the mountains and crashed hard in front of him, one after another.

Most of these demons had higher cultivation than him, and he dared not provoke them. Yet, at this moment, they were like chicks, disheveled and utterly helpless.

In the blink of an eye, a large pile of them accumulated on the ground: monsters and evil cultivators who practiced demonic arts, each one utterly terrified.

Qin Sang ignored the demons' pleas for mercy. He flicked a point of spiritual light, which entered their glabella, effortlessly controlling their souls.

Finally, he took out a wisp of soul light, sealed it into a jade pendant, and handed it to the local deity.

"This humble Daoist observes that you are not content with the current state of affairs and must have ambitions. Take this jade pendant; with it, you will have the power of life and death over them. Whether you execute them according to their crimes or command them to help you slay demons and eliminate evil, you may dispose of them as you see fit."

"This... this... this..."

The local deity held the jade pendant, his lips trembling. A venerable local deity, he was so agitated he couldn't speak.