Land of Death

(Dear readers, please leave a paw print in the reviews. Sixue begs you to bookmark and recommend this story. Thank you! Please don't mind Sixue being a bother. Starting out on Qidian really isn't easy. Thank you, everyone.)

Deep night. The darkest hour in the Abyss.

Pinpricks of light shone from Er Dongsheng's treehouse. A small lump of solidified animal fat sat in a little stone bowl, burning. Its light was faint, but it reached every corner of the room.

Er Dongsheng had brought the fat with him. When a campfire wasn't practical, it made a decent substitute. But that little lump was nearly spent, and finding more wouldn't be easy. Other Demons didn't carry the stuff. Only an oddity like Er Dongsheng insisted on lighting a lamp at night.

Though he had become a Demon through and through, he still couldn't shake some habits from when he had been human.

By its light, he studied the map in his hands. It was crude, pieced together from scraps of hide. Crooked markings crowded its surface so densely that looking at them gave him a headache.

"System, scan this, sort it out, and show me!" This was a job for the system, which excelled at collecting and organizing information. Eager to complete its database, it nagged at him every day, driving him to taste all sorts of things—plants, animals, anything strange it didn't recognize. He often thought that if his resistance weren't so strong, and if a tiny taste weren't enough, he would have met God long ago.

A moment later, the system sent a clearer map into his mind. This revised version was much easier on the eyes.

"Mm, here's the Trading Camp. Then this must be my home." Following the long, winding line that marked the mountain range, Er Dongsheng found it.

"And here's a danger marker. Looks like someone else knows about that eerie Frozen Forest."

"And this..."

The map belonged to Xierjie's people. Er Dongsheng had borrowed it because, after what had happened yesterday, he urgently needed to understand the surrounding terrain.

He remembered that earth-shaking roar, the trembling ground, and the fire raging across the sky. Even now, the terrifying sight left his mouth dry.

"Heavens, it's only been a hundred years. Is the Land of Death awakening again?" Xierjie and her sister stared blankly at the red glow on the distant horizon. Black mushroom clouds kept billowing outward.

"Land of Death?" Er Dongsheng was puzzled. He had no knowledge of it in his memories. Something momentous had clearly happened, but he didn't know what.

"Yes, the Land of Death. It's the most dangerous and mysterious place in this region. Every five hundred years, it rises from underground without fail. Lava pours out, flames fly everywhere, and countless living creatures are forced to leave their homes." Xierjie gazed toward the horizon, her expression forlorn.

"Yes. We had to leave that lovely place where we once lived. I never thought we'd have to move again after only a hundred years here. Judging by how early it's appeared, it may be even larger this time. This forest won't be safe either. But why has it returned so soon?" Shiweier's face was full of pain.

Gradually, Er Dongsheng understood what the Land of Death was, and what Xierjie's people had suffered.

A hundred years ago, Xierjie and her sister had still been little girls. Their mother led the group then. It had been strong: though it had no Second-Level Demon, it had seven or eight First-Level Demons and more than two hundred members. Everything seemed set to improve. Then the Land of Death rose from underground, forcing them to flee like the other Abyssal Creatures.

Moving an entire group was among the most dangerous undertakings in the Abyss, especially for an Abyssal Species whose members were individually weak. They lost many on the journey, including most of their First-Level Demons. Their mother suffered grievous injuries during the migration. She held on for a few years before dying, like so many of the others.

If the sisters hadn't become First-Level Demons one after the other at that crucial time, their people might not have survived. To avoid being absorbed by another group, they would have had to seek a powerful Demon's protection. But who wanted to live at someone else's mercy?

From their description, the Land of Death sounded to Er Dongsheng like a volcano—one that moved. Strange as that was, he had no better explanation.

He returned his attention to the map in his mind. A large red cross marked where the Land of Death had appeared last time. Its new location lay close beside it, still a considerable distance from the Trading Camp. Ordinarily, it shouldn't affect a place so far away. But this sudden appearance was unlike the previous ones. For safety, many Abyssal Species had begun migrating toward the northern grasslands or deeper into the mountains.

"But for solitary Demons like us, this is a gift from the heavens!"

Before its final eruption, the Land of Death went through an active period lasting a month or two. Lava flowed out without erupting violently, carrying metals, gems, and sometimes even naturally formed low-grade Rune Stones. It was the perfect chance to gather treasure. Unburdened by a group, solitary creatures would all try their luck. With enough luck, a natural Rune Stone might even fall right onto your head.

As Er Dongsheng understood it, the Winged Demon had dug up the Fire Elemental Gem he'd bought from the old site of the Land of Death.

The thought stirred his hunger for adventure at once. It was one enormous playground, with ancient ruins, struggles, slaughter, and all kinds of treasure. How could he stay away?

"But I'll need to plan carefully before I go. There's still someone watching me like a hungry tiger, waiting to devour me." Er Dongsheng glanced toward the window. With his keen senses, he could clearly feel several gazes fixed on him.

He curled his lip, exasperated. Afraid I'll run away? Does he really need these ants to watch me?

"System, can you analyze a Second-Level Demon?" Ignoring the watchers outside, Er Dongsheng decided it was better to be cautious.

"Without the flesh cells of a Second-Level Demon, analysis is impossible. Host, obtain the flesh cells of a Second-Level Demon as soon as possible." The mechanical voice immediately began urging him on.

Er Dongsheng's mouth twitched. He was helpless against it.

"Then how do I advance to Second-Level Demon?" If he couldn't learn what one was, he could only work toward becoming one himself.

"If the host continues practicing Basic Body Tempering at the current rate, the system estimates that advancement may be possible once Spirit Runes cover all the host's scale cells."

"About how long will that take?"

"Without outside assistance, the host will complete Spirit Rune body tempering in 129 years at the earliest."

Er Dongsheng shook his head and put the question aside. One hundred and twenty-nine years was far too long; by then, the daylilies would have gone cold. He knew many First-Level Demons could only dream of reaching the second level in that time. But his goal was to become a Greater Demon, a Legendary Demon, perhaps even the lofty Demon Lord. If a mere Second-Level Demon took so long, what would come after?

If his own efforts weren't enough, he would have to use an outside force. If he could obtain that fellow's corpse—or even a scrap of his flesh—the system's formidable analytical ability should greatly shorten the time it took him to advance. He might even advance directly.

"Looks like I need to prepare a few contingencies," he murmured, a cold glint in his eyes. For the sake of his future, his lordship would have to be a good boy and die.

I'll take good care of your flesh.

"System, analyze this flesh!" Closing his eyes, Er Dongsheng swallowed a piece of Troll Sula's flesh. He hadn't eaten raw meat in a long time, and the sudden taste made him a little sick.

"First-Level Demon flesh. Analyzing."

"97.6% of cellular Spirit Runes are useless or inferior to the host's Spirit Runes; 2% are incompatible with the host's cells; 0.3% have unknown effects; 0.1% can be absorbed by the host to improve his Spirit Runes."

"Absorption into Basic Body Tempering is estimated to slightly improve the host's recovery ability. Absorb?"

As expected, compared with the Spirit Runes produced by his own Basic Body Tempering, those of an ordinary Demon fell short.

"Absorb them. Even a mosquito is meat, however small." The Flame Sovereign's flesh would be the real feast. This was only an appetizer.

Streams of vital energy were drawn from the cells and began transforming those that already bore Spirit Runes. Each rune-marked scale slowly changed, gaining a tiny new pattern.

"Estimated time to complete cellular transformation: 36 hours. Estimated time to modify Basic Body Tempering: 72 hours. Please wait patiently."

The night deepened, and the Abyss entered its darkest hour. Every creature in the Trading Camp fell quiet. Only those few watchers remained, their gazes fixed on Er Dongsheng without a moment's rest.

Pfft.

The last of the fat burned away, plunging the room into darkness.

Er Dongsheng lay in the treehouse, quietly enduring the pain of his changing cells. It hurt, yet somehow the pain felt sweet.

"Second-Level Demon... not far now..."

(Am I going to become one of the 3K crowd too? It isn't easy.)