The Rivernorth wilderness, the final night of the rainy season.
Near the ravaged Ping City, a "Blood Sacrifice Formation" pulsed slowly like breathing, patiently awaiting its master in the darkness.
Soon.
A man draped in a black cloak, the crimson triangles in his pupils spinning furiously, stepped into the middle of the Blood Sacrifice Formation, accompanied by a host of Eerie Creatures. His face flickered with madness as he placed the Mountain Embryo Corpse on the altar.
The formation was complete!
The next moment—
The Blood Sacrifice Formation erupted with an intense crimson beam of light, piercing the sky like a spear through darkness.
The beam began to rotate rapidly.
The Eerie materials, Eerie stones, and blood swiftly disintegrated, transforming into a crimson torrent that surged into the man on the altar.
A few moments later.
Everything calmed down.
The man now had a scarlet glow, thick and terrifying, about him. The crimson triangles in his eyes had stopped spinning as he savored the immense power within.
His pupils burned with fury at the news of Qiu Kui's death and the exhilaration from his ascension. These emotions intertwined, driving him to the brink of madness.
He abruptly turned in the direction of Nameless Mountain.
In a hoarse voice, he declared, "Avenge Qiu Kui! Retrieve the God-Slaying Spear!"
"King!!!"
Qian Xi and Qian Qiu, standing guard outside the formation, knelt on one knee, celebrating the ascension of their King.
...
Nameless Mountain.
Within the abyss pit.
From the battlement, Chen Fan gave the camp a silent scanning gaze. Every bit of it had been designed and crafted by his own hands. He hardly ever mentioned his past life—nothing there was worth missing dearly.
In his past life, he had been a game designer.
Before a game's release, a final test was always necessary.
Now, he felt like a creator examining his masterpiece, quietly awaiting the ultimate stress test.
The month-long rainy season was his first month in this world.
This world had granted him ample time to develop. Now, it was time to hand in the exam paper.
Though calm-looking, his thoughts were racing. Based on his experience, no matter how thorough the preparations, unexpected events always arose at the last moment. He got to prepare as much as possible for any contingency.
"Check the copper pipes."
Cold white flames flowed from the Level 5 Eerie fire in the camp, coursing through the copper pipes to connect the Cannon Towers.
"Copper pipes intact."
"Check the city walls. City walls intact."
"Check the Eerie stones. Eerie stones intact."
At that moment—
Amid the endless darkness, he saw a crimson pillar of light pierce the sky. Even from so far away, he could sense the menace of that terrifying light beam.
"The Blood Sacrifice Formation is complete."
From the parapet, Chen Fan gazed calmly into the horizon. He did not know how the Eerie King had got another Mountain Embryo Corpse, but he knew one thing for certain: the formation was complete.
The Eerie King... had successfully broken through.
And at that very moment.
Heyhey, who had been dozing by the farmland in the cave, started awake, seemingly sensing something. Trembling uncontrollably, it let out a low growl, its eyes filled with terror.
Without the slightest hesitation, it bolted off, then leaped into the air, vaulting through the gap between the city wall and the mountain, out of the cave, and dashed deep into the canyon, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"..."
Chen Fan frowned slightly. This was the first time he had seen Heyhey so terrified, and the first time he realized it could jump so high. After all, on regular days, it seemed incapable of leaping.
He wanted to shout that the camp was safer than the outside, but before he could utter a word, Heyhey had disappeared.
"Very well."
He murmured.
The Eerie King's target was this camp. It would not waste any effort searching for Heyhey.
"Come, then."
He drummed his fingertips on the parapet, the rhythmic sound echoing the beat of his heart.
Beside him, Zhou Mo's breathing grew ragged. With a tight grip on his blade, he could think of nothing but the "Water Severing Blade Technique" he had practiced relentlessly.
He knew his meager skills would come to nothing in the coming battle, but he had to do something.
Crippled Monkey stood by the side of Chen Fan, holding the God Slaying Spear, but kept his head lowered, his thoughts unreadable.
In a corner of the city wall, Dayu clenched the hem of her clothes so tightly her knuckles turned white.
...
At the same instant.
Across Riversouth Shui City, all those still awake turned to gaze at the crimson light pillar splitting the sky, faintly visible through the darkness.
"That's... the Blood Sacrifice Formation!"
The chap with feminine features paled instantly.
"A Rivernorth Eerie Creature has broken through to Eerie King."
"Are we still heading to Rivernorth?"
"Rivernorth is likely going to be cleansed by this Eerie King."
"No. We return to the valley."
The old man beside him showed little emotion. "The intelligence was flawed. The Valley Lord has just ordered an immediate return."
"With you here, what are our chances of survival if we encounter the Eerie King?"
"One in ten."
"Not bad. One in ten is still something."
"That one chance is if the Eerie King has already eaten his fill."
...
In the darkness outside Riversouth Shui City.
A young man in white, wielding a heavy broadsword, strolled with his eyes closed. As his ears twitched, he momentarily swung the broadsword at a shadow in the dark, and the cry of an Eerie Creature followed.
The youth deftly plucked an Eerie stone from the creature's skull.
He continued onward.
But likely sensing something, his eyes flew open. Through the thick darkness, he saw a crimson pillar of light rising on the distant horizon. After a long pause, he scratched the back of his head.
"Blood Sacrifice Formation..."
"Another Eerie King has broken through."
"Hmm... Rivernorth is off-limits now. Where to go? The rainy season is coming in Riversouth, Rivereast, and Riverwest. Where can I find a place without the rainy season to hunt Eerie Creatures..."
"What a headache."
...
"Rivernorth Old Demon, what is that?"
In an inn, Gongyang Gao's daughter sprawled over the windowsill, curiosity gleaming in her eyes as she gazed at that crimson light pillar.
"..."
From the side, the blue-robed man remained silent for a long time before speaking softly. "That is a Blood Sacrifice Formation. Many will die in Rivernorth tonight. An Eerie Creature is using it to break through to Eerie King."
"Eerie King... is that strong?" the girl asked, tilting her head.
"Very strong."
"How strong?"
"Cultivators at Level 10 are called 'Martial Kings.' An Eerie King is what people refer to as a Level 5 Eerie Creature."
"Hmm..."
The girl pondered seriously before remarking, "Then it seems much weaker than you, Rivernorth Old Demon. Father said you're a Level 9 cultivator, on the edge of breaking through to Martial King."
"Hah."
Rivernorth Old Demon chuckled wryly. "One Eerie King can fight three Martial Kings. Humans are far inferior to Eerie Creatures in combat. Cultivators aren't the mainstream in this world. To put it plainly, should this Eerie King raid your Clan tonight, your Hidden City would be flattened before dawn."
Only then did the girl grasp the severity. "So, are we still going to Rivernorth?"
"No. We'll wait until the rainy season ends in Riversouth. By then, the newly ascended Eerie King in Rivernorth will likely have moved on. That's when we will go."
"But..." the girl fumed, "It sounds unfair. Why are humans only called 'Martial Kings' at Level 10, while Eerie Creatures are 'Eerie Kings' at Level 5? Eerie Creatures seem faster at breaking through."
"It is indeed unfair. So your father was right. The Perpetual Night Continent has become where Eerie Creatures hold sway."