Chapter 522
The Real and Fake Red Emperor
Chapter 522 The Real and Fake Red Emperor (Seeking votes at the end of the month)
A fairyland wilderness, a verdant countryside.
This is one of the habitats of spirit beings, and it is usually lush and full of life.
The dense canopy of trees intertwines and filters the sunlight into dappled golden-green spots, which fall on the soft, moss-covered ground.
The stream meanders through the rocks, its sound clear and melodious, and the air is filled with the sweet fragrance of pollen and honeydew, creating a cheerful and lively atmosphere.
However, the verdant countryside is now shrouded in a gloomy haze.
The once fertile land has become cracked, with fissures spreading outwards. The river water is no longer crystal clear; the surface is a murky grayish-green, with occasional rotting bubbles rising to the surface, releasing a nauseating stench when they burst.
The flowers that once bloomed are now withered and drooping, their petals curled and blackened at the edges.
The fragrance of flowers was replaced by an indescribable stench.
The entire verdant countryside exuded an air of decay and decay, as if it had been severely polluted.
Little brown demons, flower fairies, rose spirits... the spirits living here were in a panic, darting and flying wildly in the air or on the ground, leaving trails of panic as they cried out as if the sky had collapsed.
"It's all over! Everything is over!"
"Lady Vera has been eaten! She's been eaten by that monster!"
"We are all going to die, and Green Country is going to be destroyed!"
"Ah, Lady Vera, you died so tragically, so tragically!"
"What should we do? Who can save us?"
Cries, screams, and sobs mingled together.
The Fairy Wilderness is home to many spirits who love beauty, but that doesn't mean it's a completely wonderful world.
Just as light and shadow always go hand in hand, there also exist many evil beings here that represent fear, sorrow, and chaos.
Wraiths, witches, fear-devouring spirits, demons, and so on.
They are born with an aversion to all things beautiful, are generally difficult to communicate with, have confused and insane minds, stand in opposition to spirits, and frequently attack the spirits' homes, feeding on their suffering.
Just before sunset, a powerful demon attacked Green Country.
It is born from distorted stories, its body woven from lies and shadows, and wherever it goes, truth is distorted and beauty is defiled.
Vera, the fairy dragon who has risen to the legendary level, transforms into the majestic Red Emperor and goes to meet the enemy.
This battle changed the very fabric of the world and shook the forests, but in the end, Vera was no match for the demon.
Before all the spirits, the demon tore open the Red Emperor's scales with the claws of shadow and bound her wings with chains of lies. Vera fell from the sky and crashed heavily to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Then, the worst thing happened.
The demon crawled down, opened its huge mouth, and devoured Vera, who was in the form of the Red Emperor, bite by bite!
The spirits witnessed as Lady Vera's body gradually dissipated in the mouths of the demons, turning into specks of light that were completely devoured.
The demon seemed to have eaten too much and needed time to digest the meal. Moreover, it had suffered serious injuries; several cracks appeared on its shadow-formed body, from which dark energy continuously escaped.
So it did not continue its attack on Green Countryside.
The demons dragged their heavy bodies away slowly, leaving behind only the polluted land and the spirits who looked as if they had lost their parents.
The wails of the spirits continued, their cries echoing through the withered woods.
But not long after, a lively and cunning voice suddenly rang out.
"Stop howling, stop howling."
"I'm just a little injured, not dead."
"How could the great Vera die at the hands of a demon? You all underestimate me."
As the words fell, ripples spread through the air, and at the center of the ripples, the figure of the fairy dragon gradually condensed and emerged.
It was Vera.
Her figure is almost unchanged from before the legend, but the dull and mottled colors on her body have disappeared, and now she is bright and dazzling in color.
Upon seeing the living fairy dragon, the other spirits were initially stunned.
Then, an even louder uproar erupted:
"Lady Vera! You're alive!"
"Waaaaah, I knew it! You wouldn't die so easily!"
"We were so scared! We were really scared!"
The spirits swarmed in from all directions, surrounding Vera, laughing and crying.
The little brown fairies clung to her tail, the flower fairies flew around her, and the rose spirits gently touched her claws with their thorny vines, as if to confirm whether it was an illusion.
The fairy dragon glanced at the surrounding fairies, then straightened its little face and adopted a serious expression.
"Hmph, look at you all, so spineless! Stand at attention!"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a peculiar air of authority.
Upon hearing this, all the surrounding spirits stopped moving, straightened their chests, or similar body parts, folded their wings, and stood up, trying their best to appear spirited.
"That's more like it! Let's revitalize your spirits!"
The fairy dragon nodded in satisfaction, then continued in a serious tone, "Lady Vera doesn't like to see weak, crying fairies. Remember, we are the inhabitants of the Fairy Wilderness, the embodiment of joy and beauty."
"You have to laugh, be happy, and be happy with me, do you understand?!"
"understand!"
The spirits responded in unison, their voices much more unified than before, and they had regained their former vitality.
"Okay, very spirited!"
Vera waved her paw. "Disperse!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the spirits immediately returned to normal. Their previous sorrow and fear had vanished, and the verdant countryside gradually regained its vitality, with the atmosphere of decay slowly disappearing.
In the Fairy Wilderness, the state of the spirits themselves and their habitats are often closely related and mutually influential.
Emotions can be visualized in reality, and changes in the environment can in turn affect emotions.
"Um, Lady Vera..." To the right of the fairy dragon, a little tree spirit spoke timidly, the leaves on its head curling nervously, "Will the demon... come back? It's too powerful, we can't beat it."
The mention of demons and ghosts made the surrounding spirits uneasy again.
The atmosphere that had just been restored was once again shrouded in gloom.
Upon hearing this, a hint of seriousness flashed in Vera's eyes.
Each outer plane has its own unique characteristics.
In the desolate wilderness of immortals, the emotions and beliefs of living beings are exceptionally important, and can even be materialized into reality.
Demons and ghosts are native life forms in the Immortal Wilderness. They are essentially a type of spirit, but unlike the positive and joyful normal spirits, they are an evil spirit born from negative narratives.
They are born from lies and distorted stories.
If a vicious lie appears in a certain place, or an evil story that has been altered or distorted begins to circulate, then an entity called a demon or ghost may be born as a result.
The wider the spread, the more fairies believe in it, and the stronger the demons become.
At the same time, demons also feed on lies and stories, drawing power from them regardless of whether the content is evil or dark.
Vera knew in her heart that the demons that attacked Green Countryside were likely drawn by her "story".
Previously, she recounted her experiences in the material world at Canglvxiangyuan.
Of course, a little artistic embellishment was done, focusing on the story of himself transforming into the Red Emperor and walking in the material world.
This story spread widely among the spirits, not only in Green Country, but also to many other spirit habitats, garnering much praise and admiration.
Because the content does not involve dark aspects, it will not give rise to demons or ghosts.
But for other demons and monsters, these widely circulated and powerful stories are the most delicious delicacy.
The demons that were attracted were exceptionally powerful.
Vera did indeed lose in the previous battle; the demon devoured her "story" and stole her Red Emperor Descent spell.
The good news is that she managed to hide her true identity and escape unscathed.
The bad news is that once the demon has digested the story and realized the truth, it will most likely come back, and next time, it won't stop until it devours the creator of the story.
At that point, Vera had no confidence that she could escape again.
However, Vera did not show any concern.
The fairy dragon stood upright, mimicking the movements of humanoid creatures, with its claws on its hips and its chin slightly raised.
"Demon? Hmph, it's just taking advantage of the fact that I haven't broken through to the legendary level yet and my combat form hasn't been updated and perfected. A mere demon dares to come to Green Country Garden again; it's just courting death."
“I have a thousand, no, ten thousand ways to kill it.”
She spoke casually, as if she were talking about something trivial.
"Wow, Lady Vera is amazing!"
"Tell us your ideas, we'd love to hear them!"
The spirits cheered, their fear replaced by worship.
They are always so easily infected, which is also the nature of spirits; emotions come and go quickly.
The fairy dragon cleared its throat and said in a serious tone, "Listen, I have left a 'clone' in the material world."
"As long as I summon it to the Immortal Wilderness, I can merge with my clone and return to my full strength. At that time, I can turn any little demon into ashes with just a glare!"
Summon the real Red Emperor.
Galos has ten thousand ways to kill demons, which is equivalent to me having ten thousand ways... Vera muttered to herself, feeling a little guilty at the same time.
If Galos finds out he's talking about him.
I just wanted to spread his good name; I didn't have any bad intentions. He shouldn't be angry.
The fairy dragon thought to itself.
But then she couldn't help but chuckle.
A scene flashed through Vera's mind.
The demon mistook the real Red Emperor for his former defeated opponent and charged forward aggressively. When he sensed something was wrong, it was too late. The expression on his face when he was swatted to death by a single claw must have been quite amusing.
She definitely wants to go and see it for herself.
Although the demons that attacked Canglv Township were powerful, that was in comparison to her. In front of the real Red Emperor, they certainly wouldn't pose any trouble.
"Vivi!"
The fairy dragon turned to a flower fairy who was lingering beside the flowers.
It was a creature no bigger than the palm of a hand, wearing a dress woven from pink petals, its transparent wings fluttering rapidly, scattering specks of phosphorescence.
Upon hearing the call, she immediately flew to Vera and hovered in mid-air.
“I will send you to the material world,” Vera said earnestly. “I will cloak you in an illusionary veil, transforming you into my likeness. After you arrive at a place called Crimson Flame City…”
She explained in detail what the flower fairy should do.
As for the fairy dragon herself, she was worried about leaving Green Country.
When she awoke from her ancestral land and lived out her second life as a legend, the unicorn elder, the former guardian of Green Country, had reached the end of his life.
On his deathbed, the elder formally entrusted Vera with the responsibility of protecting Green Country.
Even without this entrustment, Vera wanted to protect this place.
This is her hometown, the land where she was born. Every tree and every stream carries her memories and beautiful moments. Although she has spent most of her life in the material world, she will never forget this place.
Opposite the fairy dragon, the flower fairy Viv puffed out her small chest and shouted with all her might, "I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"
"Alright, let's set off now."
The fairy dragon took a deep breath and began to cast a spell.
She first gently blew a breath at Viv, and a layer of seven-colored light flowed from her mouth, enveloping the flower fairy.
The light flowed and condensed, gradually forming the shape of a fairy dragon.
Scales, wings, tail—every detail is incredibly lifelike, even the cunning in her eyes is perfectly imitated. This illusionary cloak not only alters her appearance but also imbues her with Vera's aura, making her incredibly vivid.
"Remember, do not reveal your true form. If anyone blocks your way, make them back off."
The fairy dragon gave its final instructions.
Then, she began to cast a dimensional teleportation spell. *Whoosh!*
Ripples spread through the space, and a deep vortex appeared.
"The material world..."
Viv stared at the vortex, her eyes filled with both curiosity and nervousness.
She glanced back at the fairy dragon, nodded encouragingly, gritted her teeth, flapped her wings, and plunged into the whirlpool.
hum!
Ripples spread through the space, and the vortex quickly disappeared, as if it had never existed.
The verdant countryside has returned to silence.
The fairy dragon stared at the spot where Viv had disappeared, remained silent for a moment, and then turned to look at the expectant fairies around it.
"Alright, now all we have to do is wait, and..."
She looked around at the dilapidated scene. "Let's try to bring some life back to this place. Come on, everyone, let's get moving!"
Under her command, the spirits began to work diligently to fight against the decay of this land.
Vera herself flew to the tallest ancient tree in Green Country, squatted on a thick branch, and warily looked into the distance in the direction the demon had left.
Unbeknownst to her, she had already shouldered the responsibility for the survival of an entire tribe.
Inside an exquisite little pavilion in the Crimson Flame Royal City.
The air distorted slightly, and tiny vortexes emitting a faint light appeared out of thin air. Then, a figure fell from them, rolling twice on the floor before coming to a stop.
"Ugh, I'm so dizzy... So this is what interdimensional travel feels like..."
"It wasn't pleasant, but it was also quite interesting."
Viv, the flower fairy disguised as a fairy dragon, shook her dizzy head and it took her several seconds to see her surroundings clearly.
The room wasn't big, but it was tastefully decorated and kept clean and tidy, as if it were regularly cleaned.
"I've arrived in the material world... a mysterious, dangerous, but fun material world."
Viv muttered to herself, then cautiously flew to the window and looked out through the glass.
What came into view was not the familiar lush forests and flowing streams of a verdant countryside, but towering and magnificent buildings.
Further away, the majestic mountain shadows shrouded in clouds and mist stretch across the horizon like the spine of a giant dragon.
The sky here is a deeper color than in the Fairy Wilderness, and the air is dry and slightly cool, carrying the scent of stone, metal, and fire.
It feels completely different from the Fairy Wilderness.
Viv took a deep breath.
There was an unfamiliar smell in the air, but it wasn't unpleasant.
She patted her cheeks, encouraging herself: "Vivi, you can do it! For Lady Vera, for Green Country!"
Then, the flower fairy flew up and carefully slipped out of the attic.
She came to a wide corridor, where occasionally uniformed waiters or fully armed patrol guards would pass by. They were all very tall, and each step they took made a steady sound.
Viv's heart leaped into her throat as those towering creatures passed by.
She pressed herself tightly against the wall, trying her best to maintain the "dignified" posture befitting Lady Vera.
Head held high, eyes fixed straight ahead.
What reassured her somewhat was that when the waiters and guards saw her, although their eyes showed a hint of surprise, they did not disturb her too much.
They simply gave friendly smiles and slight nods in acknowledgment before continuing with their work.
"Lady Vera's story is absolutely true!"
The flower fairy thought to herself, "She is the emperor here, so she is respected by everyone, and everyone smiles at her."
She relaxed a little and flew forward along the route she remembered.
However, just as she turned a corner and was about to leave the building and head in the direction Vera had indicated, a huge shadow loomed over her.
Thump, thump, thump... The heavy footsteps sounded like drums, and the ground trembled slightly.
Viv stiffly raised her head and saw a "wall".
No, that was a terrifying behemoth!
When it stood upright, it almost touched the ceiling of the corridor. Its body was covered with thick, furry scales, its muscles were bulging like piled-up rocks, and its thick arms ended with sharp claws that gleamed coldly.
On its grotesque head, a pair of eyes the size of copper bells were staring at her.
"V...Vera?"
Mobel spoke in a deep, muffled voice.
The Dragon Vein Bear tilted its massive head, its expression a mixture of confusion and surprise: "When did you get back? I didn't hear the guards mention it."
Viv felt her heart almost jump out of her throat.
The oppressive feeling emanating from this colossal beast was overwhelming.
She instinctively wanted to scream and run away, but remembering Lady Vera's instructions and the crisis in Green Country, she forcibly suppressed her fear and tried to recall Lady Vera's "fearless" tone from her memory.
"Ahem! When has this...this lord ever needed to report to you on what I do?"
She raised her voice to make herself sound self-righteous.
She waved her little paw, gesturing for Mobel to step aside: "Get out of the way! I...I have something important to do!"
Mobel's bear face showed even greater confusion.
It scratched the back of its furry head, blinked its copper bell-like eyes, and carefully examined the little "fairy dragon" in front of it.
Vera seems a bit strange…
However, she's always been quirky and unpredictable, so she might be up to something new again.
Once the bear thought about it, it felt relieved.
It grinned broadly, revealing a kind smile.
It even bowed respectfully, saying, "Yes, yes, I will step back now. Please, Lady Vera." As it spoke, it moved its massive body to make way for the fairy dragon.
The bear added, "Need any protection?"
"No...no need! Just step back!"
Viv quickly waved her hand, then drifted past Mobel without looking back, her wings flapping rapidly, almost turning into a blurry shadow, and flew quickly towards the outside of the building.
Viv stopped behind a stone pillar after flying far away, passing through several archways, and no longer being able to see the terrifying dragon-vein bear.
Her small chest heaved violently as she gasped for breath.
"Wow...that scared me to death...Are all creatures in the material world this big?"
She glanced back with lingering fear, and only breathed a slight sigh of relief when she confirmed that Mobel hadn't followed.
call!
A resounding dragon's roar echoed in the sky, and a massive shadow swept across the heavens.
Viv was so frightened that she quickly shrank her head and hid in the shadow of the stone pillar.
Once the dragon had flown far away, she poked her head out again, not daring to delay any longer. Following the route Vera had given her, she flew at full speed and soon left the royal city area, entering the Dragon Spine Mountains.
The mountain is steep and full of strangely shaped rocks.
Viv flew along a clear path, and soon, in an open plain surrounded by mountains, she saw the figure.
It was something that seemed to be forged from steel and flames.
Majestic, dignified, and towering.
These words only took on a concrete form when I saw him in person.
He lay prone on the ground, his wings folded at his sides, his thick tail wrapped around his body, and with each breath, tiny sparks escaped from his nostrils, flickering and extinguishing in the air.
What's most impressive are those eyes.
Like two shrunken suns, calm and profound, they seem to contain immeasurable power and wisdom.
"This is Lady Vera's clone... Huh? It looks a bit different, and it's huge, even more magnificent than described in the story."
Viv opened her eyes wide, her gaze filled with admiration and awe.
Unlike the pure fear she felt when facing the bear and other dragons, Viv felt a sense of security when she saw the Red Emperor.
"Lady Vera! I've finally found you!"
She let out an excited scream, flapped her wings, and flew towards the Red Emperor like a small cannonball.
Opposite, the red iron dragon raised its massive head, creating a gentle breeze, and gazed at the suddenly appearing little creature.
He saw the appearance of the fairy dragon.
But we also saw more.
Beneath that exquisite cloak of illusion lies a flower fairy, no bigger than a palm, with transparent wings and wearing a petal-covered dress; she could also be described as a flower spirit or flower fairy.
The illusion was so skillful that it was almost indistinguishable from the real thing, and it even mimicked a trace of Vera's unique aura.
But in Hong Tielong's eyes, this disguise was like a transparent veil.
He can see through the essence at a glance.
"A flower fairy disguised as Vera?"
The red iron dragon's eyes flickered, revealing neither surprise nor hostility, as it simply gazed silently at Viv.
He didn't move, letting the little flower fairy fly in front of him, even reaching the height of his nose, and excitedly waving her arms and legs.
"Ah, great Lady Vera! Please come with me! When you return to the Fairy Wilderness, you will surely defeat that wretched demon and save the Green Country! Lady Vera is already waiting for you over there!"
The flower fairy chattered away, her words coming out incoherently with excitement.
But Galos gleaned crucial information from it.
In the Fairy Wilderness, amidst demons and ghosts, in the verdant countryside, Vera encountered trouble.
Red Iron Dragon remained calm, waiting for Viv's excitement to subside before slowly speaking: "Take your time, little flower fairy."
“Tell me everything you know—about Vera, about the demons, about what happened in Green Country, and… the specific details of how she sent you to find me.”
His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable power.
It's a natural aura that makes people unconsciously follow it.
Under the Red Emperor's watchful eye, the Flower Fairy's emotions gradually stabilized.
She hovered in front of Galus's nose and began to recount her story in great detail, including her encounter with a terrifying bear in the corridor that nearly made her cry, as well as her amazement at the various enormous creatures in the material world.
Red Iron Dragon listened patiently, its massive head slightly lowered.
As Viv recounted her story, he became fairly certain that what the Flower Fairy had said was true.
The style and details of these things are so typical of the Fairy Dragon's behavior.
After Viv finished speaking and looked at him expectantly, the Crimson Iron Dragon concluded, "So, Viv has run into trouble in the Fairy Wilderness, and she hopes I can go there and help her solve this problem."
“Yes, yes, yes!” Viv nodded vigorously, her petal-covered skirt rustling with her movements.
She pulled a brightly colored dragon scale from the folds of her petal-shaped skirt.
"Lady Vera said that once you are ready, crush this scale and she will construct a dimensional teleportation spell over there to bring us to Green Country."
Verdant countryside, ethereal wilderness... outer plane.
Galos nodded slightly, picking up the small dragon scale with his claw.
"it is good."
He finally said, "Let me explain briefly."
Before falling into slumber, Galos had considered taking Vera to the Fairy Wilderness to see the scenery of the outer plane, but Vera secretly slipped away on her own.
The timing is quite right to go and take a look now.
Galos did indeed have a slight curiosity about the outer planes.
Could the unique environments, energy compositions, and modes of existence of planes that differ so greatly from the rules of the primary material world further stimulate his evolutionary talent? This was the question that interested him most.
Dimensions like the Abyss and Hell are more widely known, but they are also far too dangerous.
Among the many planes, the Immortal Spirit Plane is relatively safe, making it a suitable destination for his first plane travel, allowing him to briefly experience it.
(End of this chapter)