122: Taboo, Red Haze

Chu Jiang and the others followed behind the old man.

Upon arriving at an abandoned melon field, the old man, holding a steel fork, surveyed the land with sharp eyes.

After a dozen breaths,

“Whoosh!”

The old man’s steel fork seemed to have X-ray vision; with a whoosh, it pierced through the wasteland, accurately striking and pulling out a blackened marmot.

“There aren’t many edible things in the wasteland, and this ground treasure rat is one of them. It’s less contaminated, and after purification by the Priest, it can still be eaten!”

“Of course, outside, you call it a marmot, and it’s not worth much!”

“But here, it’s a rare and highly nourishing item!”

The white-haired old man smiled indifferently, seemingly very satisfied with the prey before him. Though called a marmot, it was actually about the size of a small pig.

“Elder, is just one enough?”

“I see over a dozen more in this field!”

Wang Chao was not surprised by the pig-sized marmot; this place had undergone some strange changes, and biological mutations were no longer uncommon.

“Edible carnivorous animals in the wasteland are few and far between. To avoid draining the resource, we only hunt one every few months.”

“To maintain the ecological balance here!”

The old man secured the marmot on his steel fork and replied.

However, a hint of surprise flashed in Chu Jiang’s eyes when he heard the old man’s words.

...

An hour later,

Led by the old man with the steel fork, a village came into view.

Within the village, twenty-odd households were nestled amidst lush trees, brimming with vitality, like a paradise in this eerie world.

There were even a few rice paddies.

Although not large in area, it was incredibly surprising in such a place.

Just then,

A fierce wind suddenly swept through Ghost Moon Cave, followed by a red haze rapidly spreading from afar, and the Death Qi in the air intensified.

“Oh no, this is the red haze, one of the three great taboos of the wasteland! It turns normal people or animals into terrifying demonic creatures, making them lose their sanity!”

“Quick, into the village!”

“The Priest has set up a Formation in the village; the red haze cannot approach!”

The white-haired old man’s face paled with alarm, his voice urgent, as if he had seen something utterly terrifying, shouting for everyone to quickly enter the village to take shelter.

“Hmm!”

Chu Jiang nodded, “You two go in first, I still have something to do.”

“Yes!”

As soon as they finished speaking,

Chu Jiang suddenly took a step forward.

Thunder flashed around him, almost illuminating the entire sky.

He charged alone into the red haze.

Fu Yunxuan and Wang Chao immediately left without lingering.

“Hey, young man, why are you so disobedient? That’s one of the three great taboos of the wasteland; it leads to death! Come back quickly!”

The old man was anxious.

Every time this red haze appeared, it meant death, having devoured countless lives over hundreds of years. The entire wasteland, only Gu Yue Village was safe.

Why did he charge into it?

“Elder, my lord’s strength is extraordinary, no need to worry!”

Fu Yunxuan said calmly.

She could sense something terrifying contained within the red haze.

She didn’t understand why her lord chose to stay, but she had full confidence in Chu Jiang’s strength; this red haze should not be able to harm him.

Due to the extremely fast spread of the red haze,

The group quickly entered Gu Yue Village, avoiding the red haze’s invasion.

At the entrance of Gu Yue Village,

Several people were already there to greet them.

Due to the appearance of the red haze, they dared not venture out of the village rashly.

Once, Ghost Moon Cave was prosperous and thriving, a pure land isolated from the world.

Tens of thousands of people lived here.

As the environment of Ghost Moon Cave became increasingly harsh, with the mass appearance of mutated demonic creatures and elusive taboos, the population here rapidly dwindled.

Gu Yue Village became the only safe haven in this wasteland.

“Third Master, why didn’t you stop that young man just now? Entering the red haze means certain death; even if he miraculously survives, he’ll lose his sanity and become a half-human, half-demon monster!” a young man said.

“I tried to stop him, but that young man was too fast. As soon as I spoke, he was gone,” the white-haired old man said, feeling dejected.

“Is this red haze really that terrifying?”

Wang Chao saw how all the people of Gu Yue Village were facing it as if a great enemy was upon them, and he couldn’t help but feel a little worried.

“This red haze was created by Ghost Moon hundreds of years ago. His original intention was to save his wife, but the experiment failed, and there was a leak.”

“Then it swept across the entire world at an astonishing speed, causing the creatures of this world to mutate, and hundreds of thousands of people died.”

“Even the strongest Grandmaster from your outside world, if they come into contact with the red haze, will become demonized and turn into neither human nor ghost monsters.”

“For this young man to directly intrude into the red haze, there is absolutely no chance of survival. We can prepare for his funeral; our Gu Yue Village just happens to have a coffin.”

The young man said bluntly.

“What?”

Wang Chao’s expression changed.

Although his lord was invincible among the Grandmaster Realm, he was still a Grandmaster-level, and stepping into this red haze carried immense risk.

“Who are you cursing?”

A hint of displeasure flashed in Fu Yunxuan’s eyes, and a touch of anger appeared on her face.

“No need to worry, I observe this young friend, he does not seem like someone destined for a short life.”

“Little Long, why don’t you apologize to our guests!”

A young man dressed in coarse linen clothes appeared before everyone, his eyes wise, his demeanor steady, and his every word carried great authority.

“Greetings, Priest!”

The villagers of Gu Yue Village looked at him with fervent eyes, respectfully saying.

“I’m sorry, but I really wasn’t lying. Anyone caught in the red haze, whether passively or actively, will not have a good outcome.”

The young man, called Little Long, continued, his eyes firm, still somewhat unconvinced.

Wang Chao’s pupils constricted, and he looked at the Priest of Gu Yue Village. He couldn’t see through this person’s strength; he was at least Grandmaster Peak, or even Great Grandmaster level.

However, it was normal for him to possess such strength, being able to lead Gu Yue Village to survive for hundreds of years in such a harsh environment and having methods to counter the red haze.

“Greetings, Priest. If my lord does not return later, may I request your assistance in rescuing him? I will certainly offer a generous reward.”

Wang Chao cupped his hands, speaking neither humbly nor arrogantly, making his request.

Chu Jiang was not only his superior but also the hope of the Yunzhou Demon Suppression Division.

He could not be lost.

“Of course!”

“However, the red haze is fraught with danger. Remember not to leave my one-zhang radius later!”

The Priest of Gu Yue Village looked solemn and did not hesitate much, directly agreeing.

At this moment, the red haze had already swept to Gu Yue Village. Some flowers, plants, and trees growing near the village entrance rapidly withered after being touched by the red haze.

Even large stones were disintegrated into a sky full of yellow sand.

When the villagers saw the red haze approaching, although they knew it was impossible for the red haze to break through the Formation set up by the Priest of Gu Yue Village, their bodies still involuntarily retreated a few steps.

The fear brought by the red haze taboo was too heavy.

The Priest looked at the red haze, a hint of solemnity flashing in his eyes, “This red haze… I hope he doesn’t go too deep, otherwise even I will be helpless.”

The red haze had evolved again; this eerie world was truly becoming more unstable.

Hearing the Priest’s words,

Even Fu Yunxuan began to worry a little; this red haze was actually so terrifying.

She wondered if her lord could withstand it.

Meanwhile, Chu Jiang in the red haze was a completely different scene.