DreamersGN Chapter 18 Entering the Mist, Incense God
Chapter 18 Entering the Mist, Incense God
Inside the Ling family's specially supplied armored vehicle, the group remained silent.
They were leaving the city when a minor accident occurred on the way.
A man shouted his name and suddenly ran into the road, where he was hit and killed by a small truck.
The traffic accident caused a traffic jam, and their car was stuck on the road, unable to move forward or backward.
Left with no other choice, Long Yutian directly contacted the person in charge of the group and asked them to clear the lane so that their car could go first.
"Another person deeply cursed." Modi glanced at the corpse on the road and concluded, "He offered his true name to the Black Goddess, which led to the curse and his suicide."
"It's the Black Heavenly Buddha Mother again, and it's another curse." Long Yutian had lost count of how many suicides caused by curses had occurred during this period.
These suicides exacerbated the chaos, leaving the once-stabilized Greenfield City in a state of panic.
"In this new era shrouded in mist, chaos is inevitable. At least Green City is much more stable than other cities." Mordy rested his hand on the window sill, bored, and took out his phone to check the intelligence.
Comparatively speaking, the curse on Green City isn't a big problem, because there are always cities that are even more unlucky than them.
Redwood City is occupied by the Frostbite Giant Spider, a Titan that has built its nest in the city center.
In Haiyan City, fog rolled in with giant waves, submerging the entire city. It is said that someone photographed the silhouette of a colossal creature in the waves.
In addition, there are zombies, ghosts and other supernatural beings ravaging various cities. Compared to them, the curse of the Black Goddess who haunts Green City is nothing.
At least Greenfield City can maintain a certain level of order.
"This world should have developed to the cyberpunk stage, but this disruption has veered it completely off course into a global fog-filled apocalypse."
Modi couldn't say whether the change was good or bad.
The Ling Group was quite efficient. After a short while, the lanes gradually cleared, and their vehicles continued towards the border.
At the front-line camp, an armored vehicle came to a stop.
As soon as Modi and the others got out of the car, they smelled a bloody stench. Looking up, they saw dismembered limbs at the edge of the mist, none of them human.
"Another wave of beasts just arrived," the camp leader explained. "I don't know where all these damned animals came from."
"I estimate that most of them are not native creatures, but came from another world," Modi guessed.
As research into the mist deepens, the theory that it connects to another world is being believed by more and more people.
Besides, there aren't that many wild animals outside Greenfield City that can be used for curses and mutations.
"After this beast tide, it is estimated that another new beast tide will appear in 12 to 24 hours. During this time, there should be a significant reduction in the number of cursed creatures in the mist."
After the person in charge finished speaking, he saluted Modi.
In his view, such an act of venturing into the fog was extremely risky, but someone had to do it.
Modi returned the salute, then turned and left with his men.
In just seven days, the curse has become stronger. If the Black Heavenly Buddha Mother is not killed soon, his flesh and blood puppet will burst.
Although he made several backup plans, this was tantamount to drinking poison to quench his thirst, and he would die sooner or later.
Standing before the mist, the group stepped into it without hesitation.
The fog surged, and looking back, the path behind was no longer visible; only the faint outline of a companion could be seen.
This is the effect of the spell [Marking], which can be used to pinpoint the location of a marker within a certain range, ensuring that the marker does not get lost.
"Follow me, everyone."
Modi took the lead, striding forward through the mist according to the [Curse Tracing] ritual that established a connection between himself and the village.
The others followed behind him, remaining vigilant.
The scene they saw was no longer a vast expanse of white, but a new perspective provided by various spells.
Bloodline Detection, Malice Detection, Danger Detection...
In addition to spells that provide perception, they also possess various spells and ritual effects that conceal their form.
[Assassin's Footwork], [Scent Concealment]...
To ensure they wouldn't be discovered by the curse of the Black Goddess, Mordi went to great lengths.
The materials for spellcasting alone are reduced by more than half. Fortunately, the Ling Group has begun to research plant-based spellcasting materials and is attempting to cultivate them artificially.
After traveling through the fog for about an hour, Modi suddenly stopped and made a gesture of warning.
Everyone stopped, drew their guns, and stood ready.
While the fog can disable sophisticated electronic devices, most firearms will still be usable.
With his eyes fixed on the distance, Modi raised his right hand, and a blood-red thorn flew out, piercing into the depths of the mist.
With a soft "whoosh," the mist returned to calm.
Bloodthorn dragged a corpse back, a cursed rabbit-shaped creature whose head was nothing more than a tube of flesh.
Sucking on the blood of the cursed creature, he quickly drained it into a dried-up corpse through the bloodthorn.
"Tsk, the replenished Cold Blood True Qi isn't enough to cover the consumption."
Despite killing a cursed creature lying in ambush, [Danger Sense] told him that the real danger was not yet over.
With a casual flick of his wrist, he deliberately tossed the dried corpse into a certain spot in the mist.
A tiger's roar rang out, a fierce wind swept in, and a cursed tiger-shaped creature burst out of the mist.
With less than a meter between them, he suddenly drew his greatsword, wielding it with the agility of a dagger, and easily cleaved the cursed creature in two vertically.
Blood and entrails were scattered all over the ground. The cursed tiger-shaped creature thrashed about twice and then lay still.
As the blood flames ignited, the group sheathed their weapons and continued their advance.
On the way back, they occasionally encountered enemies, mostly ordinary cursed creatures like snakes and deer.
Some of them were things they had never seen before, such as the cursed tree that fed on flesh and blood.
This large tree blocking the road has consumed a lot of blood and gore; its vines are like tubes filled with sharp teeth.
To prevent it from harming the world, the kind-hearted Modi burned it to ashes with his blood flames.
Because its roots are made of flesh and blood, the Blood Flame can penetrate deep into the ground, not even sparing the roots.
"We've finally arrived." After passing the cursed tree that blocked their way, the fog around Mordi and his party finally dissipated, and a country dirt road appeared before them.
"Is this our destination?" Long Yutian frowned. Despite the bright sunshine, he felt a chill.
It felt as if I were in an underground tomb.
Having grown accustomed to life in the graveyard, Modi wasn't particularly uncomfortable; in fact, the chilling atmosphere gave him a sense of returning home.
It would be even better if it wasn't caused by a curse.
They hadn't walked far along the dirt road when they stopped again. A hunched old man had appeared in front of them at some point.
The henchmen immediately drew their guns and stood guard, while Mordy placed one hand on the hilt of his sword and held a gun in the other, ready to unleash the Ashina style swordsmanship at any moment.
"If you continue down this path, you will surely suffer a bloody disaster."
The old man fanned himself with a tattered palm-leaf fan, held a wooden cane, and looked helpless.
"Go back, don't die in there like those people before you."
[Maliciousness Detection] No malice was detected, but [Danger Perception] told him that the old man was quite capable.
Moreover... this old man communicates with them through spiritual means; otherwise, they simply cannot understand what he is saying.
After examining the ragged old man whose attire didn't resemble that of a modern person, Modi noticed something unusual through his [ethereal vision].
Even though he was in a place so heavily cursed, the old man was not tainted by any curse. On the contrary, he exuded a righteous and peaceful aura, unlike ordinary people.
He deepened his senses and suddenly smelled incense, which made him feel much more energetic.
A guess formed in his mind. He raised his hand, signaling the henchmen to lower their guns, and used the [Language Proficiency] ability to probe:
"Why do you say that, sir?"
"Judging from your attire, you must have come prepared. You probably already knew, didn't you?" The old man took a few steps, shook his head, and said, "Go back. You are no match for Him."
"How will we know if we don't try?" he retorted. "Besides, we're already under His curse; going back is just waiting to die. We might as well take a gamble and fight our way out."
Having said that, he continued speaking without waiting for the old man's reply:
"I can tell you're no ordinary man, so why stay here and venture out into the fog?"
The old man remained silent for a moment, then noticed his unusual behavior. He activated his divine eye and gave him a serious look.
In an instant, the multicolored magical light almost blinded his eyes.
Tears streamed down my face.
"...Now I understand why you dared to trespass into Lianxin Village."
It turns out they all possess unique skills.
Wiping away his tears, the old man dared not look at them with his divine eyes any longer.
"Although I don't know which sect or school you belong to, or perhaps you are cultivators from another realm, please introduce yourselves first."
"I am the local earth god of Lianxin Village, or rather, I used to be, but now, I'm afraid I've long been forgotten."
Land? Land God?
"No wonder there was no curse on the old man, and he even smelled of incense. It turns out he is the local earth god. My apologies for my ignorance."
As a veteran player of [Eternal Realm], Mo Di has naturally experienced many different worlds, including those of the Xianxia and mythology genres.
Therefore, he also knew about the gods of incense offerings, and even had been a god appointed by the Heavenly Court in one of his save files.
The Earth God was very pleased with Mo Di's flattery, and stroked his beard with a smile.
However, he did not forget the main point and still advised everyone: "The curse is becoming more and more powerful, and I'm afraid it will break the seal soon. I advise you to think things through carefully."
"Old man, could you tell us what's going on inside?" Mo Di tried to gather information about Lianxin Village.
"Come to my little temple, I'll explain everything to you there."
Led by the local earth god, the group moved into a small temple.
Modi glanced at it briefly and saw that it was indeed small and overgrown with weeds. The altar and the floor were covered in dust, indicating that it had not been maintained for a long time.
"Ever since He bewitched the people of Lianxin Village, no one has come here for a long time." The Earth God didn't mind the dirt and sat down on the ground.
The "He" he refers to is clearly Krishnamurti.
When Modi asked about His origins, the Earth God simply shook his head, indicating that he didn't know much either.
"I don't know his origins, I only know that he is an evil god who is skilled in witchcraft. When he first came to Lianxin Village, he was already seriously injured and was sealed away by me and the former village chief of Lianxin Village with all our might."
"Unfortunately, as time passed, the villagers of Lianxin Village gradually forgot about this matter and were bewitched by Him, while I also gradually weakened due to the mist and lost my cultivation."
"If this continues, He will soon be broken."