Poison God's Heritage

A couple of days later, Shen Bao walked in on YuYu and Liang Yu, who were busy handling some of the puppets manning the walls of the Sea of Demons. The walls stretched far into the horizon, fortified with layers of intricate formations, the air crackling with defensive energies. The puppets worked with precision, their mechanical movements reflecting the diligent commands of their operators.

From this vantage, the Sea of Demons appeared deceptively calm, with the occasional wave crashing against the dark, jagged rocks that lined the shore.

"What's up?" he said once he stood behind them, approaching the two women who seemed engrossed in their tasks.

"Nothing really," Liang Yu replied, not turning, as her sharp gaze was still scanning the horizon. "The walkers are still trying hard to climb, but they're being eradicated as we speak. I heard from the Ant Queen that there were sightings of walkers moving toward the Red Sun's territory, but they were minimal and eliminated as soon as they were spotted."

"Good," Shen Bao nodded, satisfaction creeping into his voice. "The rest of the walkers in the Sea of Demons seem rather weak to our artillery and army of puppets. We should be able to clean them up within a few months."

Liang Yu crossed her arms and looked toward the horizon, where the faint movements of walkers still stirred among the waves. "Indeed, their numbers are decreasing rapidly, and their attacks are becoming less and less frequent. With the disappearance of their creator, the Death Sun, they're all just rotting away, dying off like pests without a master to guide them."

Shen Bao allowed himself a brief smile. "Yes, we should be able to put an end to these things during the Endless Night. It would be a relief for the Beyond to finally rid itself of the threat of the Walkers once and for all."

As the conversation continued, the tension that had gripped them all for weeks began to loosen, if only slightly. For the first time in what felt like ages, there was light at the end of the tunnel, and with it, the faintest glimmer of hope.

"You look like you're about to leave somewhere?" Liang Yu asked, her eyes narrowing slightly as she observed his posture, his readiness to depart.

"How did you know?" Shen Bao asked, a slight frown creasing his brow.

Liang Yu's lips curled into a small smile. "A woman's intuition," she said. Then, her tone became more serious, "Still, where are you headed?"

"I'm going up to check on that gross thing," he replied, gesturing toward the sky where the First Born, grotesque and looming, hung like a malignant presence. Its twisted form was visible from miles away, an ever-present reminder of the danger still threatening them. The creature looked like a small moon from where they stood.

Since the almost endless rain had been falling for weeks, the clouds over the Sea of Demons had nearly vanished, revealing the night sky fully. Though the Beyond was a void without stars, the sight of a clear sky was still a welcome change from the oppressive clouds.

"I see," Liang Yu said, her voice carrying a note of concern. "Just… don't do anything stupid, Shen Bao."

"Don't worry," Shen Bao replied, though he could see the worry in her eyes. Before he could say anything more, YuYu, who was usually calm and reserved, reached up and pulled his collar down, stealing a quick, tender kiss. The act was uncharacteristic of her, a rare display of open affection.

"Stay safe," she added, her voice soft but commanding.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Shen Bao smiled at the two of them, feeling a warmth spread through him, and without further delay, he launched himself into the sky, calling out his trusty ship. The ship appeared from the void, materializing like a phantom from the unseen folds of space. Once aboard, Shen Bao set course for the massive entity that loomed above them all.

After a brief flight, he arrived next to the First Born, where he found the Blue Sun, tirelessly feeding the reactors with her own Qi. The massive reactors hummed, their energies swirling around them as they worked to maintain the seal on the monstrous entity.

Shen Bao stepped off the ship and approached the Blue Sun, whose back was turned as she concentrated on the task at hand. "Hello, Shen Bao," she greeted without turning around, her voice calm but edged with fatigue. "How are you faring?"

"Not bad," Shen Bao replied, rubbing his temples as if the memory of his recent headaches still lingered. "The headaches are gone. How are things on your end?"

"Stable so far," she said, her hands still glowing as they directed Qi into the reactors. "The entity is perfectly sealed. Your idea is working just as planned. We're taking turns to keep it in perpetual levitation and under constant pressure."

"Good," Shen Bao muttered, eyes locked on the grotesque figure of the First Born. Its monstrous form remained eerily still, suspended in the void but always watching, always waiting. "I've been thinking… Do we have any random pieces or parts of this entity's body lying around? I want to experiment, see if there's a way to neutralize it."

The Blue Sun nodded, her focus not wavering. "We should have some. I personally collected a few samples," she said, reaching into a small holding bag that hung at her waist. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the bag to Shen Bao. "Here, take these. They're all from the First Born's body."

Shen Bao caught the bag and opened it, peering inside to see several slabs of flesh, grotesque and pulsing with a faint, sickly light. "Thanks," he said, feeling a mix of curiosity and revulsion as he stared at the wriggling pieces of the creature. "I'll work on them right next to you inside the ship."

The Blue Sun finally turned, wiping sweat from her brow. "I'll join you," she said. "The reactors are stable enough to work on their own for a while, and the Red Sun will take over soon. Besides, I'd like to see what you come up with."

Together, they entered the ship and made their way down its sleek corridors to the lab compartment. The Blue Sun looked around, admiring the compact but efficient layout of the space. "You really did wonders with such a small place," she commented, impressed by the ship's interior.

"It's bigger on the inside," Shen Bao replied with a grin, proud of the modifications he had made to the vessel. He pulled the holding bag out and retrieved a piece of the First Born's flesh, placing it on the metal table in the center of the lab.

The moment the flesh touched the table, it began to writhe and twist, sprouting tendrils of its own that slithered across the surface, seeking something to latch onto like a grotesque, wriggling octopus. Shen Bao quickly clamped it down with some apparatus, holding it in place as he prepared his tools for the analysis.

He reached for his scalpel and, with a swift motion, tried to slice off a piece of the flesh—only for the blade to snap in half the moment it made contact with the resilient tissue.

"What the fuck?" Shen Bao muttered, staring at the broken scalpel in disbelief.

The Blue Sun leaned in, examining the unscathed piece of flesh. "It's incredibly tough. Let me help. What do you need?"

"I need a small part, something thin enough to test some of my poisons on," Shen Bao replied, tossing the broken scalpel aside. "But it looks like I'll need a better tool."

Nodding, the Blue Sun focused her Qi, forming a blade of pure energy at her fingertip. She approached the wriggling piece of flesh and attempted to slice off a section. The moment her Qi made contact, however, it fizzled out, dissipating as if it had never existed.

"Oh…" she said, frowning as she pulled her hand back. "We seem to have forgotten about that."

"Right," Shen Bao sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It completely negates Qi. We're stuck at the first step."

Before they could puzzle over their next move, Shen Bao received a message through Divine Sense. It was Tao Yang, who had been nearby in the Bastion.

"Come on in," Shen Bao called, opening the gate for Tao Yang as she entered the ship's lab.

"Working on that thing, huh?" Tao Yang asked, walking over to the table where the writhing flesh still squirmed beneath the clamps. "How's it going so far?"

"Not great," Shen Bao admitted, gesturing to the broken scalpel and the dissipated Qi blade. "We can't cut it open, and I need smaller samples to test some of my poisons."

Tao Yang's brow furrowed in thought. "You've been using normal tools and Qi, I take it?"

"Yeah, and neither of them are doing anything," Shen Bao replied, rubbing his temples in frustration.

"Well, have you tried using Soulsteel?" Tao Yang asked, raising an eyebrow. "It was made specifically to deal with entities like these."

Shen Bao blinked, realization dawning on him. "Oh… yeah, Soulsteel. Of course. I'll need to head back to the pagoda to grab some."

"No need," Tao Yang said with a smile, pulling a small cube of Soulsteel from her own holding bag. She infused the cube with her own Qi, shaping it into a knife with smooth, practiced motions. "Here. Just channel your Soul Energy into it, and you'll be able to cut through the flesh."

Grateful, Shen Bao accepted the knife and focused his Soul Energy into the blade, shaping it into a sharp scalpel. When he pressed it against the flesh, the blade cut through with ease—though the deeper he went, the more resistance the flesh provided. It was as though the First Born's body was instinctively trying to repel the intrusion.

"It works, but it's draining the Soulsteel," Shen Bao noted as he finished cutting off a small piece.

"Yeah," Tao Yang nodded. "The more contact the blade has with the First Born's flesh, the faster it depletes the Soul Energy. If we had more Soulsteel, we could tear it apart… but not before it exhausted the material completely."

Shen Bao placed the small piece of flesh under the microscope, peering at its intricate, unnatural structure. "This thing… it's more than just flesh. It's like the Rakshasa themselves—every cell is alive, fighting for survival."

The three of them stared at the wriggling piece of the First Born, knowing that despite the progress they'd made, the real challenge had only just begun.

(Sorry for posting this here, but most readers skip author's thoughts. I begun a new book, Necromancy Style. Lot of undead and skeletons check it out, Deus Necros!)