Poison God's Heritage

"Calm down," I said, placing a firm but gentle hand on Tao Yang's trembling shoulder. Her body was rigid with anger, her golden eyes swirling with a mix of disbelief and fury. I could feel the storm raging within her—pain, betrayal, confusion—but I needed her to hold it together. The truth had cut deep, and she was teetering on the edge.

"I wish it were a lie," I continued softly, my voice carrying a weight that even I hadn't intended. "But it's the truth. Even I felt it when I was Soul Searching, something was missing."

Her gaze met mine, and for a moment, the fierceness in her eyes flickered. She wasn't just angry—she was devastated. The weight of history, the lies that had been twisted around her family's legacy, hung heavily on her, but there was no time for grief, no time for reflection. Not now.

Before she could speak, Law's voice broke through the tension, sharp and urgent. "We've got a problem," he called out, his hand already gripping his weapon as he stepped toward the edge of the pit.

I turned just in time to see three white rakshasa leap from the darkness below. Their grotesque forms were twisted mockeries of life—spindly limbs, pale, veiny skin stretched tight over bones, these quadrupedal entities with praying mantis-like arms and eyes that burned with savage hunger and teeth that slobbered in a viscous slime. They landed heavily near the group of ascendants, their snarls and clicking sounds sending waves of fear through the mortals nearby.

Panic erupted immediately. Screams filled the air as the weaker humans, those not used to the presence of such creatures, tried to scramble away, tripping over each other in their desperation to escape. The noise reverberated through the cavern, their terror a palpable thing.

"That's what you get!" one of the ascendants shouted, his voice filled with crazed devotion. His eyes were wild with a manic faith as the rakshasa stalked toward him. "This is the power of our true lord! The Liberator has sent us deliverance! You'll finally know the true pow—"

His words were abruptly cut short. One of the rakshasa lunged, its arms wrapping around the man's head with terrifying speed like scissors. With a sickening crunch, the creature ripped his head clean off, blood spraying in a wide arc as the beast began gnawing on the skull like a piece of fresh meat. The sound of bones crunching echoed ominously.

The remaining ascendants stood frozen in shock, their defiance turning to horror as they realized that the very creatures they worshipped as emissaries of their so-called Liberator had no sense of loyalty. Their promises of deliverance were empty. The rakshasa knew nothing of alliances—only hunger.

"There is no deliverance for you," I said, my voice cold and unforgiving as I stepped forward. My gaze swept over them, a mix of pity and contempt. "You're dealing with abominations that know nothing but hunger and death."

Before the creatures could advance further, Meng Hao exploded into action. He launched himself at the nearest rakshasa with terrifying force, moving faster than any of the creatures could react. His hands latched onto the creature's head, and with a brutal headbutt, he smashed his forehead into its skull. The impact was like a thunderclap, sending the rakshasa flying back into the pit, its body broken and limp.

The Jade Dragon was just as swift. In a flash of movement, his spear was drawn, and the rakshasa closest to him was sliced into three clean pieces. The precision was perfect; the creature didn't even have time to snarl before it was reduced to a pile of twitching body parts on the floor.

But it was Tao Yang who stole the moment. Her fury had reached a boiling point, and the third rakshasa, which had moved dangerously close to the remaining ascendants, was obliterated by a single, devastating punch. Her fist connected with the beast's skull, and in a blinding explosion of bone and flesh, the creature was annihilated. Nothing remained but a mangled heap of remains, barely recognizable as once being alive.

Her golden eyes burned with a fury that hadn't yet subsided, and the air around her crackled with the remnants of her power.

Before any of us could catch our breath, a loud explosion echoed from above. Dust and debris fell from the ceiling, and with a thunderous crash, a gaping hole appeared. The Blue Sun's group descended through it, their arrival as dramatic as ever.

"What's the situation?" Blue Sun asked, her sharp gaze taking in the carnage and the trembling ascendants. She didn't flinch at the sight of blood or the mangled remains of the rakshasa. It was clear she had seen worse.

I didn't waste time. Through divine sense, I quickly explained what had transpired—the rakshasa's attack, the lies of the Liberator, the truth Tao Yang had uncovered. As I relayed the information, her expression grew grim, her lips thinning as she processed the gravity of the situation.

"So, where do you think this Liberator is?" she asked, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the massive hole in the ground.

I pointed toward the abyss. "Down there. Far below us, but that's the quickest path to him."

Law, ever the pessimist, spoke up, disbelief in his voice. "You're saying we should go down there, into the heart of where these rakshasa are concentrated? Fight our way through Heaven knows how many of them just to reach a Sun Stage cultivator who controls an entire planet of monsters?"

"Yep," I said with a smirk. "That's the plan."

Law glanced around, as if hoping for someone to protest. But none of us did. Every face was resolute, ready. We had come too far to turn back now. There was no other choice.

"And what about these guys?" Law asked, gesturing toward the captured ascendants and the settlers huddled together in fear.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

I waved my hand, opening a portal to the Lord of Lords Pagoda. A stream of puppets emerged, their movements swift and efficient as they encircled the ascendants and began helping the settlers. They moved with mechanical precision, already securing the situation before any further chaos could erupt.

"They'll handle it," I said simply, watching as the puppets ensured the safety of those who remained. And guarded those who would be our prisoners. There was no mercy for those who wronged the weak.

Law still seemed skeptical. "You sure we should all go down there?"

"Of course," I replied, stepping closer to the edge of the pit. "Why else would I have gathered all of us?"

I looked back at the group, already seeing their resolve. "So, who's ready to meet this Liberator?"

Meng Hao grinned, his usual cocky smile flashing. "I'll go first," he said, and without waiting for an answer, he leaped into the darkness below, disappearing into the abyss.

"I can't let the juniors take the lead," the Jade Dragon said with a smirk, arms crossed as he jumped down, cutting a heroic figure even in free fall.

I chuckled.

Show-off.

"Well then," I muttered, giving one last look to the scene around me before leaning over the edge and diving headfirst into the blackness. The wind rushed past me, but there was no fear—only anticipation of what was to come.

The others followed without hesitation, their forms vanishing into the pit one by one. Tao Yang lingered at the edge, her golden eyes filled with determination, her heart heavy with the revelations she had uncovered. But there was no hesitation in her movements as she jumped, her resolve unshaken.