Beastmaster of the Ages

Chapter 2995 - Euphoric Utopia

Li Caiwei had informed Tianming that any of his friends and relatives who weren't astral gods had also been infected by the red mist, even within the divine astralships. Li Caiwei herself was also infected, not to mention Wei Tiancang, Jiang Qingluan, Xuanyuan Muxue, and Mu Wan. Most people from the Flameyellow Continent and the former Orderia had been infected, including Moran and her sisters!

The only ones spared from the infection were the astral gods from the Swordgod Lin Clan and Wudi. There were few astral gods among the original denizens of the Sun. While no negative effects had been spotted yet, Tianming couldn't relax after hearing that his friends and family had been infected.

"All of you should go back for now. Spread Yin Chen across Ebonia to monitor the red mist. Await my orders at all times!" Tianming informed the Ebonian astral gods. They already had so much work ahead of them, yet Shenxi Xingtian had thrown a wrench into their plans. Everyone's mood was affected. The founding of the Tianming Dynasty had ended up being shrouded in a bloody shadow. Starting a new chapter was far too difficult.

"Understood!" The Ebonian astral gods also wished to quickly return home. Thanks to the astralguard formations of Ebonia and the Sun, it would be possible to seal off the red mist within the two worlds, keeping them separated. Tianming had wanted to deactivate the formations initially, but he was forced to keep them up just in case things changed. The five million astral gods brought some Yin Chens with them and returned to Ebonia. Quite a few more astralships were also being used to spread Yin Chen across the Sun.

Tianming hurried back to an ether-class ship, where his friends and family from the Flameyellow Continent and Orderia resided. Wudi's mother, Li Jingyu; and Tianming's grandfather, Wei Tiancang, as well as Jiang Qingluan, Mu Wan, Bai Ziling, and others from the Red Vermillion Kingdom, Grand-Orient Sect, Divine Capital, Archaion, and the Myriad Solar Sects were all there.

Long Wanying had absorbed the most Flameyellow Bloodsoul compared to the rest and recently managed to become an orderan, so she managed to avoid the blight. The rest, on the other hand, had lustrous red skin. Wei Tiancang and Li Jingyu even looked much younger, as if their vigor had been restored.

"Tianming, my grandson, what’s going on here? Didn't you just found your kingdom? Is this part of the fireworks show? Why’s it all red?" Li Jingyu happily asked.

"Hey, that's my biological grandson you're talking to! You're just a fake grandmother. Don't cut in line and pretend you're closer to him than you are!" Wei Tiancang nagged.

"Away with you, old bones!"

The two of them were honestly much younger, being only around a hundred years old. Before Xiaodao, they were but mere children. However, one's mental state was hard to change. For instance, Xiaodao still felt like he was in his youthful prime despite being a few millennia old, but Wei Tiancang saw himself like a much older senior, even though he was only a little over a hundred years old.

All of them seemed jolly and appeared fine, apart from seeming a little intoxicated. The founding of the dynasty and driving away their enemies had occurred on the same day, much to their joy. It was something worth celebrating. Even Li Caiwei, Bai Ziling, and the rest seemed much more energetic and happy. Their faces were red, but smooth and supple, giving them a rather cute appearance.

"Where's Ling'er?" Jiang Qingluan asked, her face flushed as if she had been drinking. She came over and pulled Tianming close by the collar, her breath hot on his face as she asked, "Why isn't she back yet? She hasn't seen me for a long time now! You're monopolizing her again, aren't you?!"

During the final battle, Tianming had had them hide as far away as possible, so most people didn't know of Feiling's status. And he wouldn’t tell her about it for now since things were still tense. That wasn't the problem, however.

The issue was that, with Tianming’s current status, even if Jiang Qingluan was an actual princess like Feiling, she should show Tianming deference despite his humble, roguish origins. Yet there seemed to be no trace of care in her actions—she seemed to have no inhibitions whatsoever! Tianming, still clutched by his collar, recalled that the euphemism, 'heavenly pattern barrier', was something Feiling and Jiang Qingluan had come up with.

She coquettishly shook Tianming, her face flushed and the rest of her completely defenseless. "Where's Ling'er? Give me my Ling'er, you meanie!"

Tianming rolled his eyes and felt his hair stand on end. He felt like he could still see Feiling hovering over him, watching his every move. "Please... please watch your behavior!"

"What? Why’re you so shy? Did you forget that you stole my undergarments back then? I'll remember it for the rest of my life! You're such a mean crook!"

"Ahem...." Xiaodao and the others immediately turned away.

"Didn't I tell you that your grandson was a womanizer? He even brought a girl here all the way from the mortal realm to be part of his backup harem. Otherwise, why would he go so far as to personally protect her? Also, look at all of them! There are some auntie-types, elder sister types, and even little sister types! How indulgent of him!" Xiaodao said to Lin Xiao.

"That's all well and good, but these girls had better become astral gods soon, or they won't be a good match for him!" Lin Xiao said. The fact that they were able to talk about something so lighthearted showed that they were relaxed. The red mist seemed very good at spreading, but it didn't really seem to be hurting anyone.

But Tianming couldn't help but furrow his brows with worry. He knew that Jiang Qingluan wasn't behaving like she usually would, especially not in public like this. Her father, Jiang Cheng, king of the Vermillion Bird Kingdom, was there too and he didn't seem bothered by his daughter’s brazen acts, merely smiling in a jolly manner.

In fact, everyone seemed dazed and full of smiles! The euphoria seemed to come from the depths of their hearts. It was one thing if only a few people were acting like this, but everyone that was affected was acting strangely.

"OId Lin! Grandpa!" Tianming sternly said as he turned back. "They seem mentally off!"

"You're the one with mental problems, retard!" Jiang Qingluan spat.

Tianming felt that the situation was starting to turn into a huge pain. "This red mist is affecting them somehow. They're feeling happy for no reason, every one of them!"

"What’re you saying? We're just happy for you because you won the war!" Jiang Qingluan argued.

"That's right! Tianming, my grandson, I'm celebrating! Let's dance and sing!" Li Jingyu said, happily prancing around despite her age. Not only did they act hyperbolically happy, they seemed to acknowledge it without an issue and were even seeking out a reason for their happiness.

"There’s indeed something off about this," Xiaodao said.

When Wudi came in and saw his mother singing, he immediately zipped back outside. "What in the world is this red stuff? Is it the new year or something? The trillions of people outside are also jumpily happy, as if they're ascending to paradise. What in the world is going on?"

"Are they singing and dancing too?" Tianming looked outside and was shocked. The entire world was making merry. Everyone had linked arms and were having the time of their lives. Tianming didn't think it was a beautiful sight at all. It was far too out there. The mildest case of all involved a man and woman that didn't know each other stripping and doing the deed in public, while others—no matter young or old—cheered them on from the side. That kind of excessive joy didn't seem genuine.

"It’s a euphoria toxin!" How could people cultivate or build in such a world? People would forever drown themselves in pleasure, their dreams dying with it! Most terrifyingly, their faith and spirit relaxed. Tianming felt his imperial order rumble as the omnisentient power from the threads rapidly decreased. When he walked among the crowd, it was as if nobody could recognize him.

That was when he realized the true horror of the red mist, even though it didn't kill people. He felt a chill deep within his bones.