The hollowed skin lay on the ground. It was pale, but it hadn’t started to rot. For the wedding, the Minor Xi Gods had sacrificed more than one kid to the Water Dragon King.
“I believe there is still time to save the other kids if you want, but I really don’t advise you to do that.” Fu Shu looked around at the darkness. “If you encounter the Water Dragon King, it’s over. There are too many lives lost in the big river outside of town. You can hear the souls crying there every night.”
Gao Ming didn’t hear the souls. He only heard the running water. The river flowed from one end of the nightmare and disappeared into the next. Gao Ming dug out a small hole and buried the boy. Gao Ming followed the scattered pieces of red paper on the ground and eventually reached an old wooden bridge. The bridge was rather large. It had wooden rails and a sizeable corridor. Dark water flowed under the bridge. A medium-sized altar was built in the middle of the corridor. The Minor Xi Gods worshipped Xi God, but the altar here contained a piece of shed snakeskin. The incense urn was covered in ashes. The altar also had a rotten pig’s head and shredded red clothes. It looked like the Minor Xi Gods sacrificed more people to cross the bridge.
“Are you sure we need to use this bridge?” Fu Shu looked at the serene water, but his eyes were filled with fear.
“Do you wish to swim over?” Gao Ming moved onto the wooden steps. The corridor was damp and cold. Scratch marks were left on every wooden beam. This felt more like an entrance to a monster’s lair than a bridge. The water dripped on their skins. Gao Ming stood in the middle of the bridge. The altar was right before him. Divine patterns gathered into shapes of black eyes. They stared at Gao Ming.
“If you haven’t prepared any sacrifice, be prepared to run as fast as you can!” Fu Shu whispered, afraid that God might hear him. “The Water Dragon King is not always hungry. Perhaps it has eaten its fill.”
The bridge creaked. It seemed to move with the water. Gao Ming walked past the altar. He didn’t bow or offer any incense. A thing that harmed children didn’t deserve his worship.
At that moment, the calm water suddenly became rapid. The waves crashed into the bridge pillars. The water splashed about. Gao Ming picked up speed and tried to leave the bridge. However, he realised the corridor suddenly became longer than before.
“The Water Dragon King is coming! Do you have anything good on you? Don’t hesitate. Quickly make a sacrifice.” Fu Shu panicked as he urged Gao Ming.
“Why is escape always your first choice?” Gao Ming noticed that Fu Shu was acting strangely. Whenever he faced the Water Dragon King, he didn’t even consider the choice of resistance.
Fu Shu frowned. “Xi God represents all the joy in the nightmares. The Water Dragon King represents the fear. Zhang Mingli’s fury is horrifying, and he is the only one who can fight the Water Dragon King. That should tell you how scary the Dragon King is.”
“Everything in the nightmare is symbolic. I am very experienced in handling fear. Just close your eyes and shut your ears.” Gao Ming remembered Fu Shu had no limbs. He tore off his clothes to cover Fu Shu’s mouth and ears. Without Fu Shu’s influence, Gao Ming felt better. Knowing danger was coming and being afraid of it were two different things. He knew he couldn’t cross the bridge easily, so he stopped beside the altar. He kicked away the rotten pig’s head and opened the altar door. He took out the butcher’s knife and pierced the snakeskin. Then, he smeared his blood on the altar.
“There are a lot of empty altars in this nightmare. Immortal Pharma surely invested a lot.”
Gao Ming was greedy, and the God of Flesh and Blood was lawless. They were a perfect match. When the blood touched the Water Dragon King’s altar, the meat fragrance spread. The God of Flesh and Blood instantly tried to take over the altar. The divine pattern was dyed red. The black eyes were crushed, and they started to mutate. Gao Ming held the snake skin, and the divine pattern outside the altar turned into a blood curse.
“Since you are not going to let me leave, then we’ll fight to the end. Let’s see who shall be scared.”
The monster hidden under the waves slowly approached. Gao Ming couldn’t see clearly due to the mist.
“Unknown can cast fear in people’s hearts, but compared to fear, I can sense that the power within the flesh and blood is increasing.” Gao Ming gripped the knife. As the God of Flesh and Blood took over the mutated altar, people’s fear of the Water Dragon King diminished. Soon, the God of Flesh and Blood would gain his second altar.
The mist thickened. Gao Ming suddenly felt a piercing chill behind his heart. His skin broke out in goosebumps. He rolled forward and sliced downwards!
Scales flew everywhere. A giant snake’s head dangled above the corridor’s roof. The snake glared at him with venom. The black snake hissed. Then, the mist rolled over, and it disappeared.
“Is the Water Dragon King a giant snake?” Gao Ming couldn’t tell because the snake was too huge. Each one of his scales hid a horrified human face.
“I should have asked Zhang Mingli to join him. His fury is still being suppressed by the snake.” Gao Ming held the blade warily. He didn’t panic. Only Fu Shu, who bumped his head, kept mumbling. “Normal citizens might be trapped on the bridge, but that is no threat to me. As long as the snake keeps itself hidden, the God of Flesh and Blood will soon consume its altar. It should be more anxious than I am.”
The water under the bridge sounded like it was boiling. The snake’s tail whipped at Gao Ming. He went to hide behind the altar.
“Come. Do you want to destroy your altar?”
Gao Ming gained the buffs from the God of Flesh and Blood and the fleshy fruit. His physique was incredible in the nightmare. With the additional help of the butcher’s knife, Gao Ming managed to avoid the snake’s attack and even damaged it back slightly.
“I need to figure out its weakness and then launch a fatal attack.”
The mist churned. The water splashed onto Gao Ming. Moments later, Gao Ming noticed the bridge shake harder. The water level also appeared to be rising.