At that very moment, just as Mother Earth was completely devoured by the black serpent Hu Qi had become.

All the Black Blood Species on Earth Star—from Blood Slaves to Lower and Middle Rank Black Blood Species—froze where they stood, their faces filled with terror.

Their faces were masks of disbelief and fear, their eyes wide as if they were witnessing the end of the world.

"No, how could Lady Earth...?"

They all felt as though they were torn sacks, the immense power of the Black Blood Species draining away, constantly diminishing.

...

「Inner Earth World.」

Mo Yang City was located in the southeastern corner of the Cangmo Realm.

It was surrounded by rolling golden sand dunes, like a sturdy fortress cradled by the desert.

Its walls were built of massive sandstone blocks, and the city’s streets crisscrossed like a labyrinth.

The streets were lined with old buildings, from low-slung earthen houses to two-story structures, their varied styles blending in harmonious unity.

People set up stalls along the streets to sell their wares, while others performed acrobatics, sang, and danced for the crowds.

On the surface, it seemed no different from any ordinary city.

But this was all just a facade.

In a remote and gloomy chamber, things were different.

The air was thick with the stench of decay and blood, and discarded human remains could occasionally be seen on the ground.

"Liu Ze, the chief treated you well! Why did you betray us?!"

Inside the cell, which was forged from refined iron, it was more accurate to say it resembled a kitchen.

On one side were cages, and on the other, several large cauldrons steamed with heat.

The voice came from a woman with a scar across her face, who was inside one of the cages.

The woman’s eyes were fixed on the man in blue robes standing leisurely before her cage, her gaze filled with a hatred so intense she looked ready to tear him limb from limb. The people behind her felt the same.

It was no wonder they were so furious. If not for this traitor, their location would never have been exposed, and their chief would not have been captured.

"Heh heh!"

The blue-robed man, Liu Ze, sneered under the weight of their many glares.

His gaze swept across the faces of his former comrades.

"Why? Because you’re all fools! The chief treated me well, it’s true, but I risked my life for him, too.

You’re too naive. Even with the chief’s power, he was no match for a Lord Celestial God, to say nothing of the even stronger ones that exist.

Surrender was the only correct choice, but you insisted on fighting the Celestial Gods."

Liu Ze sneered.

He paused, then his tone shifted.

"But I should thank you. If it weren’t for all of you, I wouldn’t have been transformed so quickly and become one of the Celestial Gods."

As he spoke, his eyes instantly turned a strange and eerie crimson.

"You... you actually abandoned your identity as part of the Human Race?! You willingly became one of these man-eating monsters?"

Everyone stared in astonishment.

As Secret Martial Artists, they had killed Black Blood Species before. They knew these so-called Celestial Gods were nothing more than man-eating monsters in human skin.

And yet, he had willingly become one of them.

"What do you know? Isn’t becoming a Celestial God better than skulking around like you do, hiding like rats in the dark? What did I do wrong? I just want to live a good life."

Liu Ze scoffed, ignoring their murderous glares. He extended a crimson tongue and licked the corner of his mouth.

"Don’t worry. You’ll all be turned into sustenance soon enough.

Then again, I hear that Secret Martial Artists are more flavorful than common fare. Perhaps I’ll get to sample some today."

Suddenly, his expression changed. The color drained from his face in an instant.

Then, his body began to change in a bizarre way.

His skin began to look like a parched riverbed, covered in countless tiny cracks.

A black mist, which seemed to be his very Vitality, began to seep out from these fissures.

As the mist dispersed, his body shriveled and withered, becoming like a desiccated corpse that had been dead for years.

"No, don’t!"

His body trembled as he reached a hand toward the sky—in the direction of Mother Earth—as if in a final struggle, begging for her to appear and save him.

’He had only just become a Celestial God, blessed with a long life, a being superior to all others. How could he be willing to just die like this?’

But it was all in vain. Nothing could stop the flow of Vitality and power from his body.

It all happened so suddenly.

It wasn’t just Liu Ze; the two Blood Slaves guarding the gate outside suffered the same fate.

With the keen hearing of Secret Martial Artists, they could even hear screams erupting from outside.

After only a few moments, the screams all vanished.

And Liu Ze, the arrogant traitor from moments before, was gone. All that remained in his place was a faint pile of ashes and nothing more.

Soon, the prisoners helped one another remove the hooks piercing their shoulder blades. Working together, they slowly forced open the cage and stepped out.

They were shocked to find that the Black Blood Species outside had also vanished without a trace, leaving only black stains of various sizes on the ground.

It was as if, in that single instant, all Black Blood Species had suffered some kind of fatal blow and been wiped out completely.

And that was indeed the case.

Every Black Blood Species on Earth Star had perished.

...

「That night.」

On the balcony of a residential building.

A sliding glass door was pulled open.

A round-faced little girl with pigtails ran out, her eyes fixed on the night sky as if she had seen something incredible.

Pointing a finger at the sky, she exclaimed.

"Wow! There really is a second moon! My teacher lied..."

But before she could finish, a man rushed out of the room and snatched her back inside.

The man’s expression was grim. He shot a hasty, fearful glance at the sky before quickly returning to the room and drawing the curtains.

"I told you not to look at the sky at night! You never listen!"

"Well, maybe if you’d been watching her!"

...

The faint sounds of the man and woman’s voices came from inside, followed by the sharp smack of a palm on a bottom. Then, the little girl began to cry.

Before long, the girl’s crying subsided, and silence returned.

Usually, when night fell,

the food stalls and pedestrian streets would be bustling with people.

For most city dwellers, the night was their own time, after a day that belonged to their bosses.

But tonight was different. The streets were nearly deserted, with only the occasional car driving past.

The few people who were out walked with hurried steps, their heads bowed, daring not to look up at the sky.

Looking up, the inky-black sky was like a giant velvet curtain draped over the world.

The full moon hung high in the sky, a massive lamp casting its silvery-white glow.

But unlike other nights, beside it hung a "blood moon" that radiated a faint, crimson light.

It was twice the size of the original moon.