There was one obvious opportunity on this mission for him.
"I can finally see what the Blood Moon Continent is really like." Han Yu said with a bit of excitent.
For two years, Han Yu had only known the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect. Its main peaks, its districts, its slave pens, its puppet forges, its cursed libraries, its alchemy division, and its suffocating, oppressive atmosphere.
For two years the moon above the sect painted everything in shades of crimson. The sky felt perpetually bruised, the air dense with lingering murderous intent.
He rarely saw ordinary civilians.
He rarely saw normal landscapes.
Everything inside the sect was drenched in the stench of blood, ambition, madness, and cruelty.
Han Yu had often wondered if the entire Blood Moon Continent was like this.
If the world beyond the sect walls was barren and cursed. If the lands were filled with nothing but slaughter. If the sky was forever stained in crimson. But now, as he continued walking, he saw sothing new.
The sky began to change.
The deeper red tint slowly faded. The heavy pressure that always accompanied the blood moon’s influence weakened.
The sect was far behind him now and three hours later, he felt sothing strange... Sothing refreshing.
The red glow finally vanished.
The sky beca a clear blue.The clouds regained their white softness.Birds chirped in the trees along the side of the road.The air slled like grass rather than tallic blood.The wind was warm instead of ominous.
It felt... normal.
Han Yu stopped walking and stared at the horizon in genuine disbelief.
"Was this really the sa continent?"
He took in the scenery once more. There were stretches of tall grass on both sides of the paved road. Shallow streams cut across the land, sparkling under the sunlight. Small groves of cedar trees broke the plains, and the wind carried the scent of wildflowers.
It looked like a pleasant countryside.
Han Yu felt his shoulders loosen. Without even realizing it, a breath he had been holding for months escaped him.
"So the entire Blood Moon Continent is not a cursed wasteland."
The difference shocked him.
He felt a faint warmth spreading across his chest. The oppressive sect atmosphere had beco so normal to him that he had forgotten what normal even looked like.
The sense of freedom made his steps lighter. His pace quickened. His heart cald.
He traveled for another hour like this, energized by the scenery. In that ti he passed through three different towns.
Each town had its own flavor.
The first had stone walls with red tiled roofs, with rchants shouting about their wares in a small open market. A few cultivators in the Body Tempering and early Qi Refining realm strolled around, but most citizens were mortals.
The second town was smaller, with farmland stretching behind it. Farrs hauled carts filled with rice stalks and vegetables. Despite being near the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect, life continued with surprising normalcy.
The third town was a lakeside settlent. Children ran along the path, splashing water with sticks. A minor cultivator floated above the lake surface in a boat while fishing. His robes fluttered freely in the breeze.
Han Yu did not stop to explore any of them, but he observed everything.
The people here were far less frightened than he expected. They did not tremble when seeing sect robes. They did not rush into their hos. Many bowed with respect, but not fear.
The Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect was terrifying in its own sphere. But the continent was vast, with many powers scattered across it. Outside their region of dominance, their influence weakened considerably.
Han Yu’s thoughts shifted.
"If the sect is only one continent power among many, then there must be countless others living normal lives."
Hope stirred faintly in his chest.
Though he still knew the truth. The reason why the people were at peace was not just because they feared the Sect but because they didn’t have any others to fear. The Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect had wiped out every other sect long, long ago.
There weren’t even any kingdoms or empires here, just ’independent’ cities and clans. The common people didn’t fear the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect as much as the Clans did. After all, to the Sect, the commoners were not worth much.
Sure they could be taken as slaves, but even slaves needed to have worth. Taking so random villagers was not worth the effort put in. The villages would pay them tribute either way, so it was just better to let them be.
It was the clans that provided the best people after all. And if they failed in keeping up their promises or offended the sect, they would beco even lower than the commoners they ruled over.
Thinking of that, Han Yu quickened his pace again, wanting to cover more distance before nightfall.
Six hours passed, and the golden light of evening stretched across the plains. The sun descended behind the hills. The sky darkened into amber, then darker still.
Han Yu was not tired, but he was practical. He had used nearly a third of his Blood Qi. Pushing further without rest was unwise, especially when he expected assassins or ambushes.
As he slowed his pace, he considered setting up camp.
He was just about to find a place near a cluster of trees when he noticed faint smoke rising in the distance, just beyond a hill.
Cooking smoke.
A village.
"Maybe I can rest there instead."
He moved toward the hill. Ten minutes later he reached the top, and the sight spread out beneath him.
A small village lay in the valley below. No more than a hundred houses. So built with stone, others with wood. Livestock wandered in fenced fields. Lanterns hung from wooden poles. A central well glimred faintly under the fading light.
It was peaceful.
Han Yu felt an unexpected warmth spread through him.
For the first ti in months, he would sleep under a sky that did not bleed red.
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