Chapter 637: The Great Drama Premieres

"Next, you will witness a precious scene from ancient times." A hoarse voice echoed as the image manifested in the minds of all beings.

"It fully records the scene where the ruler of this great domain, which lies beneath our feet, once slayed the Scarlet Mother. This footage has always been abhorred by the gods, and as a result, it was forbidden for countless ages. Only today, after the passage of vast time and monumental changes, have we finally discovered it and are now revealing it completely before you."

The tone of these words was ancient, as if they emanated from the depths of time, carrying a sense of lament and profound emotion.

"I hope that everyone within this great domain—whether cultivators or mortals, regardless of your race, you who are forever caught in a cycle of suffering and destined fate—will remember this immensely precious footage. For after this viewing, this imagery will once again be sealed away by the gods."

At this very moment, the wind swept across Sacrificial Moon!

In the Sacrificial Moon Great Domain, regardless of their location or environment, all beings simultaneously experienced images and sounds appearing in their minds. The visuals were incredibly clear, the audio completely pure, all manifesting through this remarkably sudden and forceful method.

Initially, most people were bewildered. However, as they quickly observed that others were similarly dazed, realizing that everyone around them was experiencing the same phenomenon, a sudden wave of panic arose, followed by widespread commotion.

This commotion spread across various tribes and cities, akin to an unprecedented storm engulfing the entire great domain.

Some cities, already reduced to ruins after previous periods of madness and despair, housed inhabitants who had long succumbed to apathy. Yet, this new commotion stirred even their numb hearts.

Dressed in rags, they emerged from the ruins, appeared from underground burrows, or struggled to rise from among the corpses, all gazing blankly at the sky.

Even though the crimson sky offered no images, this action seemed to allow them to perceive the visuals in their minds more clearly.

Such figures were ubiquitous throughout the Sacrificial Moon Great Domain—some solitary, others in groups. In the wilderness, more refugees, who had been silently advancing with no destination or sense of direction, even to the point where some would simply lie down and close their eyes as they walked, now paused.

But at this moment, with the appearance of the images in their minds, their hearts began to tremble. In other cities, nestled within major clans, while they too had experienced periods of chaos, they remained relatively stable. However, the impending arrival of the Scarlet Mother hung over them like a suspended blade.

Trapped beneath this poised blade, they could only accept their fate, unable to resist or even dare to struggle. The sudden appearance of images and sounds stirred their otherwise deadened hearts. Yet, the most profound impact was felt by the cultivators of the Sacrificial Moon Great Domain, particularly those from the Inverse Moon Palace.

Scattered across various locations, some serving as tribal leaders, others as powerful sect figures, they too had panicked a month ago with the appearance of the Red Moon Star. Yet, their will to resist endured, leading them to form one resistance team after another.

However... not all cultivators were like those from the Inverse Moon Palace. Many more, in truth, lacked the courage to defy the gods. After all, non-resistance offered a slim chance of surviving until the Scarlet Mother's arrival, whereas resistance could mean instant death in conflict with the Red Moon Temple.

Consequently, the appearance of these images had a profound impact on them.

The same powerful impact also rippled through the hearts of the Red Moon Temple's cultivators.

And so, under the watchful eyes of all beings, this grand drama officially commenced. In the scene, the firmament rippled in layers like fish scales, as countless blood clouds rapidly formed and converged, eventually obscuring the entire sky, as if a blood prison had been imposed upon the heavens.

Thunder rumbled and echoed, as black lightning bolts erupted from the colliding clouds, weaving together to form a continuous barrier, like the barred gates of a blood-soaked prison.

An oppressive atmosphere permeated the scene.

The earth too was blood-red, with countless skeletons piled into at least ninety-nine hundred and ninety-nine peaks.

Each peak, towering a thousand zhang high, stood in concentric circles across the landscape, forming a colossal formation.

Endless blood flowed from beneath these nearly ten thousand corpse-mountains, converging at the very center to form a vast, blood-red lake.

Within the lake, a woman, her back to all beings, was cleansing herself in the blood. She had long hair and snow-white skin, and her form exuded allure. As she bathed in the crimson fluid, a song resonated.

"Someone transforms, freely soaring, riding the wind and waves in pursuit of a path, rushing to the Red Moon Ocean, traversing the resplendent frontiers. The reincarnation of all beings is mere fantasy; all flesh and blood is sustenance. The sun burns, my eyes cannot bury my ideals. I look up at the vast expanse; above the Red Moon, I am soaring."

The song wafted, spreading in all directions. Within its notes lay resolve and persistence, seemingly brimming with dreams.

Yet, behind this dream-like soundscape lay nearly ten thousand mountains of corpses, the countless skeletons of sentient beings, and the chilling background music of this song.

That was the sound of weeping, endless wails, which formed the very melody of this dream. It was conceivable that along her path to seeking this dream, such mountains of corpses were not limited to this single location. And now, as she sang, the blood-red lake churned, vaguely revealing nearly ten thousand tentacles within, all connected to the surrounding corpse mountains.

As they writhed, having offered their fresh blood, the corpse mountains rapidly withered, their flesh transforming into nutrients that flowed into the woman in the blood lake.

Simultaneously, countless souls, amidst ever more desperate wails, and as the mountains of flesh and blood collapsed one by one, surged into the mouth of the woman in the blood lake.

This scene caused the minds of all beings in the Sacrificial Moon Great Domain to reel. Through the curses within their bodies, they immediately recognized the woman as none other than the Red Moon Scarlet Mother!

Just then, a world-shattering bolt of lightning suddenly rent the blood-red firmament. A pair of colossal hands stretched forth from beyond the heavens, tearing apart the crimson sky.

A deafening roar, at this moment, shook heaven and earth. The firmament was directly torn in two, revealing a colossal rift. From within, endless light, in beams thousands of feet wide, shone forth in all directions, illuminating everything, dispelling the crimson hue, and suppressing evil.

As the blood clouds collapsed, a middle-aged man in a golden robe emerged. His expression, inherently awe-inspiring without anger, caused the heavens and earth to rumble with his first step. The blood clouds continued to explode, and the earth trembled violently.

The entire world seemed to churn. The blood-red lake on the ground surged with colossal waves, and countless red tentacles continuously lashed within. The woman abruptly lifted her head, fixing her gaze on the newcomer in the sky, and a piercing shriek erupted from her mouth.

Her body, directly coiling the blood lake, surged towards the firmament.

The blood lake spun into a vortex, instantly manifesting an overwhelming surge of blood that seemed poised to devour everything.

In the firmament, the arriving middle-aged man, his face expressionless, continued his descent without pause, taking his second step.

With that single step, the blood-red vortex shattered into fragments, exploding to reveal the woman's true form within.

Her upper body resembled that of a human, but her lower half was composed of countless tentacles, an utterly hideous and chilling sight.

Next came the third step: the sky trembled, then abruptly collapsed into countless fragments that rained down upon the woman. The earth also caved in, forming immense fissures. The woman, caught between heaven and earth, shrieked even more piercingly, spat blood, and was forced backward.

The fourth step followed.

Heaven and earth shattered. The woman's body, severely injured, fell to the ground, whereupon the middle-aged man's fifth step descended. He landed, planting his foot firmly on the struggling woman's head, pressing it mercilessly into the earth.

Having completed these actions, he lowered his head, his expression still impassive, and spoke calmly.

"The Ancient Emperor chose to disregard your actions due to your origin, unwilling to accumulate too much karma with your homeland. However, your song is discordant and disturbed my fourth son's dream."

The calm voice echoed in all directions and reverberated deeply within the hearts of all beings in the Sacrificial Moon Great Domain, igniting an unprecedented surge of emotion that erupted like colossal waves.

This scene was simply too shocking. For mortals, witnessing the exalted Scarlet Mother being held down by a single foot, pinned to the ground with all her struggles proving utterly futile, was overwhelmingly impactful.

And the sole reason for this entire event was merely that her song had disturbed the dream of the other party's fourth son.

Faced with such a subversive scene, all beings instinctively found it difficult to believe. Yet, every transformation and surge of power within the image felt profoundly real.

Consequently, their hearts were inevitably stirred. Yet, ultimately, hesitation outweighed acceptance for the majority, particularly among the powerful figures of the various races within the Sacrificial Moon Great Domain, whose skepticism was profound.

The visuals of the first act alone were insufficient to truly shake their resolve. This, however, was within the Team Captain's earlier predictions, which is why this grand drama was divided into two acts.

As the first act concluded, the image gradually blurred until it dissipated, and the hoarse voice once again echoed in the minds of all beings.

"Next, after the burning of one stick of incense, the second act of this precious historical footage will be revealed to you."

Simultaneously, at the recording site, the Young Master closed his thousand-zhang sky-gazing lens and nodded.

"That will do."

The moment he spoke, Ning Yan, who was playing the ruler, swiftly lifted his foot. All traces of majesty instantly vanished from his face, replaced by an expression of nervousness and obsequiousness.

The ground ghoul stood up expressionlessly, casting a cold glance at Ning Yan.

Ning Yan also shivered, realizing that his final kick had indeed used almost all his strength.

The entire scene, from beginning to end, had felt remarkably natural and perfect due to the covert magical coordination of the Young Master, the elderly patriarch, and their associates.

Consequently, Ning Yan had the illusion that all the oppressive power was truly emanating from him, causing him to become deeply engrossed in his role.

"Prepare to switch places; the second act is next!"

The Young Master's gaze swept over Ning Yan, giving him further instructions, then began to direct Wu Jianwu on the specifics of his entrance and Chen Erniu on the method of striking with his blade.

During this time, Princess Mingmei, Old Eight, and Fifth Sister also offered their input, ensuring the first act's plot appeared as realistic as possible.

Thus, half an incense stick's time passed. The Young Master opened his sky-gazing lens, and Ning Yan and the others took their positions. As the image began to appear in the minds of the outside world's beings, they were about to start their performance.

However, in an instant, a sudden wind arose at the scene, carrying an ancient aura. It stirred everyone's hair and clothing, transforming their collective thoughts into a world-shattering surge of killing intent.

This killing intent, even in its nascent stage, caused the ground to rumble and the very colors of heaven and earth to shift.

All those preparing to perform immediately changed their expressions. Whether it was Ning Yan, Wu Jianwu, You Jing, Li Youfei, or even the Team Captain, they all simultaneously turned their heads, their gazes fixed on Xu Qing.