Chapter 184: The End of the Red Moon

Chapter 184: The End of the Red Moon

*Smack!*

Number Two slapped Lu Xiaozhao to the ground and turned to leave, grinding his teeth in hatred. Damn human, daring to play tricks on him!

Number Two? What kind of name was that! It sounded terrible!

Lu Xiaozhao held his face, surprised to find that the slap didn't hurt at all, certainly not as much as Lu Yan's. He moved his jaw around, then got up from the ground while cursing, "Hmph, so fierce. I shouldn't have called you Number Two; I should've called you Number Six!"

Lu Xiaozhao had no desire to linger in this godforsaken place any longer. Lu Yan was recruiting troops to deal with the wanderers; what if Sido used him to threaten Lu Yan? He needed to escape, he had to find a way out!

However, the cave twisted and turned, its complexity bewildering. After days of study, Lu Xiaozhao realized that Sido's spirit body was hibernating in the lava at the cave's entrance, surrounded by countless wanderers guarding him. Escaping would be harder than ascending to heaven.

"You'll die even if you manage to escape. That sliver of divine consciousness Sido hid within you hasn't been extracted yet. Right now, your priority should be figuring out how to resolve this."

Though Lu Xiaozhao was a reincarnation body, he was fundamentally still human, needing food and water. Every day, wanderers would come to deliver meals to him. Today, the wanderer who brought the meal had a surprisingly gentle voice, as if she were a young girl. Seeing Lu Xiaozhao repeatedly trying to escape, she couldn't help but finally speak up to remind him.

Lu Xiaozhao was startled upon hearing her words, his gaze flickering with suspicion. "Who are you?"

The black mist remained silent, but the air around it began to tremble. Her form suddenly elongated and slimmed down, eventually transforming into a clear and beautiful young girl. She looked strangely familiar:

"My name is Arou. It was Xing Yuan who sent me to save you."

Lu Xiaozhao had a good memory for beautiful women. Staring at Arou for a moment, he finally seemed to recall something, pointing at her in surprise, "You... You're the wanderer caught by the patrol team in the inn before, aren't you?"

He had assumed she was long dead, never expecting she was still alive.

"Shh."

Arou made a gesture to quiet him down. "I can't stay here too long or I'll be recognized. The red moon is about to disappear. You must find a way to get Sido to extract that remaining sliver of divine consciousness from your body. Only then can I notify Xing Yuan and the others to come rescue you."

Sweat broke out on Lu Xiaozhao's forehead as he whispered urgently, "I want to, but how do I make him extract it?"

Arou pondered for a moment. "Sido values this body of yours. The reason he hasn't extracted the consciousness yet is likely due to fear of your escape. How about this..."

She leaned close to whisper something in Lu Xiaozhao's ear, then infused a wisp of black energy into his body. "I don't know if this method will work, but it's better than doing nothing. Desperate times call for desperate measures."

The wanderers in the cave all presented themselves in their original forms. After speaking, Arou transformed back into a mass of black mist and left this makeshift prison, leaving Lu Xiaozhao alone, hesitant to speak.

After a long time, Number Two finally returned. He really didn't want to see this detestable human, Lu Xiaozhao. However, if Lu Xiaozhao died, it would be inconvenient for him to explain to Xing Yuan, so he came to check on his condition.

"Tsk, looks like you're doing well here. You've even gained some weight."

Number Two took on human form, leaning against the cave entrance. His appearance was similar to Xing Yuan's, but upon closer inspection, not quite. He was overly feminine. Lu Xiaozhao had been eating when he saw Number Two. He immediately put down his bowl and approached, looking at Number Two with bright eyes, trying to curry favor. "Number Two, you finally came. It was my fault last time. Can I apologize to you?"

Number Two was annoyed at being called by his name. "No!"

Lu Xiaozhao was taken aback. "Why not?"

Number Two was fed up. "No means no. There's no why."

In a critical moment, Lu Xiaozhao was quick-witted. "Is it because you don't like being called Number Two? Then how about this, let me give you a new name. You can take my surname, Lu."

Number Two finally looked at him, slightly intrigued but also不服气 (unconvinced). "Why should I take your surname?"

Lu Xiaozhao suggested, "Then pick your own surname. Choose from the Hundred Family Surnames."

Number Two pursed his lips, thinking for a moment before saying, "My surname will be Xing."

He and Xing Yuan were brothers; if the older brother's surname was Xing, the younger brother's should be as well.

Lu Xiaozhao realized, "That makes sense. You look so much like Xing Yuan, you must be related. You should just follow his surname. His name is Xing Yuan, so you can be Xing Bo."

Number Two was uneducated, frowning as he asked, "Why does he get to be Xing Yuan and I have to be Xing Bo?"

Lu Xiaozhao explained earnestly, "Your names together mean 'vast knowledge.' How great is that? Trust me, I'm a college student. This name is perfect."

Number Two wasn't sure if the name was good or not, but it sounded better than Number Two. He frowned, not having decided whether to accept the name when Lu Xiaozhao hesitantly approached him. "Since you're related to Xing Yuan, you must be a good person, right? You'll definitely help me, won't you?"

Number Two gave him a half-smile, scanning him. "What do you want me to help you with?"

Lu Xiaozhao stammered, "If, I mean, if Sido extracts that sliver of divine consciousness from my body, could you help me escape?"

It was Number Two who had hidden him in the illusion space before, and no one had noticed. With his help, escaping would likely be much easier.

Number Two thought Lu Xiaozhao was dreaming, but considering he helped him choose a name, he reluctantly replied, "Sure, when you're dead, I'll be responsible for taking your corpse out."

Lu Xiaozhao wasn't offended by his words. Seeing that Number Two's stance had softened, he grinned. "Then it's settled!"

Initially, Number Two didn't know what Lu Yan was planning. But late that night, a human's mournful cries echoed through the cave. A low-level wanderer dragged Lu Xiaozhao out of his cell and threw him heavily in front of the lava pool, his tone panicked.

"Sido, something's wrong with this reincarnation body!"

Lu Xiaozhao's body had transformed into a "half-human, half-demon," with a human upper body and a black tail for legs. His face was flushed, the tail swelling and shrinking like an inflated balloon, as if it might burst at any moment.

*Gurgle*

The previously calm red lava suddenly bubbled, and a shadowy figure slowly floated out. The old man's hunched form was faintly visible. Though his face was indistinct, it felt as if sharp eyes were staring at Lu Xiaozhao.

"What's wrong with you?"

Lu Xiaozhao ignored him, rolling on the ground in agony, groaning in pain, "My stomach! Why is it so painful, like it's going to explode!"

His performance was incredibly convincing. He even slammed his head against the ground several times, blood appearing, as if he was suffering unbearable pain. "Kill me! Kill me! My head is about to explode!"

Number Two, hidden in the shadows, realized what Lu Xiaozhao was attempting. He felt contemptuous but still flew forward. "Sido, is it possible that the sliver of divine consciousness you left in this human body is becoming uncontrollable?"

In reality, it was just Arou's essence that she had fused into Lu Xiaozhao's body that day. The two energies were restless, each wanting to consume the other, fighting inside him, creating the illusion that he was about to explode.

Upon hearing this, the Priest seemed to sigh, his voice old and unable to hide his disappointment: "Humans are lowly and greedy, their bodies so fragile. I thought he could hold on until the time of the reincarnation ritual, but I didn't expect him to fail now."

As soon as the Priest finished speaking, his originally small and aged body suddenly swelled up, growing taller and larger, almost reaching the cave's opening above. A piercing sound of air being sucked in came from his throat, a strong wind assaulting Lu Xiaozhao right on top of his head.

Lu Xiaozhao felt a sudden suction force coming from his crown, as if it wanted to pull his brain out too. Terrified, his face turned pale, and panic filled his expression. Unfortunately, the surroundings were under a restraining force, leaving him immobile.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, a thin, crimson thread slowly emerged from Lu Xiaozhao's body, like a crystal-clear glass filament—it was clearly that sliver of divine consciousness belonging to the Priest. As this sliver of divine consciousness was extracted, Lu Xiaozhao's originally black tail instantly transformed into two legs, completely reverting him back to human form.

"Bang—!"

Lu Xiaozhao fell heavily to the ground; this time, the pain was real, and he couldn't get up. He felt as if half of his soul had been forcibly taken away, his entire body aching unbearably. His mind felt rusty, unable to think straight.

After the Priest retracted that sliver of divine consciousness that belonged to him, his body visibly returned to its original state at an alarming speed. He then calmly instructed:

"Watch over this reincarnation vessel; don't let him escape."

"Yes."

Number Two took the initiative to take on this task. Wrapping himself around the nearly unconscious Lu Xiaozhao, he dragged him into the inner cave. Meanwhile, the Priest's body sank back into the depths of the lava to resume hibernation.

Lu Xiaozhao was still conscious. Enduring the pain, he grabbed onto Number Two's body. The mass of black mist felt cold to the touch, providing some relief to his scalded skin. With difficulty, he opened his mouth and said,

"Xing... Xing Bo... can you think of a way to help me escape?"

Number Two glanced at him, repeating the same words: "Sure, just hurry up and die. When you're dead, I'll take you out."

Lu Xiaozhao, who was already weak with only half a life left, was instantly revived by these words. He glared at Xing Bo and exclaimed, "How can you be like this? Don't you have any compassion?!"

Number Two replied matter-of-factly, "I'm not human; I'm a Wanderer."

Rescuing Lu Xiaozhao would bring him no benefits, instead inviting the Priest's pursuit. Why should he foolishly save someone when he had already done enough by helping put on a show in front of the Priest?

Hearing this, Lu Xiaozhao was so angry that his liver hurt. But upon reflection, he realized that at least the divine consciousness had been retrieved, so the suffering wasn't entirely in vain. He decided to obediently stay here and wait for Lu Yan to rescue him. Grinding his teeth, he spat out, "I know I can't rely on you. When my brother comes, he'll level this place to the ground sooner or later."

Number Two transformed into human form and leaned against the cave entrance, boneless. Hearing this, he gave a half-smile, his disdain unspoken: "Your brother is still human, no matter how powerful he is. How can he fight against so many Wanderers?"

Lu Xiaozhao clenched his teeth. "My brother is a lightning user, fifth rank! Fifth rank!"

Number Two laughed so hard his shoulders shook. "What a coincidence, my brother is also a lightning user, sixth rank."

Wasn't it just about having a brother? Who didn't have one? Pfft~

While they bickered in the cave, unbeknownst to them, Xiao Rou had long since returned with news, reporting that the divine consciousness within Lu Xiaozhao had been extracted by the Priest, making it possible to rescue him at any time.

During this period, Lu Yan had been tirelessly converting ability users. The original five-element team had gradually expanded into a seven-element team—metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and ice. Apart from lightning, which was still only represented by him and Xing Yuan, other ability teams had gained quite a few members. They practiced their abilities daily, hunted Wanderers, and prepared themselves for the impending war.

Upon receiving Xiao Rou's message, Xing Yuan couldn't wait for Lu Yan to finish training the team. He immediately leaped off the defensive wall to find him.

Seeing Xing Yuan's figure from afar, Lu Yan subconsciously paused his work and led Xing Yuan to a secluded corner. "Why do you have time to come see me today?"

Xing Yuan relayed the news to him, concluding, "Now that Lu Xiaozhao is no longer a threat, we can move at any time to rescue him."

Hearing this, Lu Yan was slightly surprised, realizing that things had progressed so smoothly. The tension in his face for the past few days finally eased, revealing a hint of joy, barely concealing his surprise: "Really?!"

Xing Yuan raised an eyebrow indifferently, his dissatisfaction visible: "What, you don't believe me?"

Lu Yan rubbed Xing Yuan's head forcefully, his smile flickering: "Don't pick a fight. I just wanted to confirm it."

Xing Yuan pouted but unexpectedly dropped a bombshell: "There's another piece of news—the Monitoring Institute has finally released their results."

Lu Yan looked puzzled. "What results?"

Xing Yuan remained silent but pointed wordlessly at the dark sky, his expression suddenly serious and solemn: "The red moon will disappear in three days."

Thunderbolt out of the blue!!!