Chenxi City, pedestrians hurried by.
August 1st.
From a high-altitude view, half the city was bathed in sunlight, while the other half was shrouded by a layer of persistent crimson mist.
This was the city's new change.
Initially, people thought it was just abnormal weather.
But when this eerie red mist descended like a curtain, engulfing half the city, panic spread like a plague.
Screams, frantic escapes, and doomsday theories were rampant.
People lived in constant fear, as if at any second, an unspeakable monster would crawl out of the mist.
However, several months passed....
The wave of panic gradually subsided.
People discovered that this red mist seemed to hold no malice.
It didn't harm people, nor did it corrode.
One couldn't even feel its presence when breathing.
Aside from tinting the sky with a faint blood color and making daytime resemble dusk, life continued as usual.
Some prayed, others chose to flee.
But more people observed, and after testing its safety, chose to stay.
In this era where monsters ran rampant and Outer Gods whispered, where was a true pure land?
At least here, life could go on.
Gradually, citizens gave names to the divided city.
The area covered by the red mist, due to its sky resembling an eternally suspended blood moon, was called the Red Moon Zone.
The uncorrupted area, where the sun still shone brightly, was called the Sun Zone.
As time went on, people gradually discovered....
In the Sun Zone, rumors of monsters occasionally appearing and attacks frequently occurring still circulated.
But in the Red Moon Zone, monsters seemed to have vanished.
For half a month, there wasn't a single confirmed monster attack.
Some even swore they had witnessed a graceful woman in a crimson trench coat, like a hunter in the dark night, on the misty streets and alleys.
She hunted down the monsters that infiltrated this place.
People called the woman.... the Red Moon Queen! Or the Red Moon Venerable.
Because of this, property prices in the Red Moon Zone skyrocketed like a rocket, beginning to surge madly.
....
Within the red mist, the streets appeared slightly desolate.
Qu Huaiwei, dressed in a red trench coat, walked calmly through the pale red mist.
Pedestrians hurried by on the street, occasionally casting gazes of awe or curiosity, softly discussing what had happened over the past half-month.
"The Red Moon Queen?"
A faint curve played on her lips.
This situation was not unexpected.
In this world ravaged by disaster and living day-to-day, fragile humans instinctively sought something to rely on, yearning for heroes.
Even.... praying for the descent of gods.
A powerful and mysterious existence would naturally become the focus of Power Of Faith.
She did not stop this 'god-making' movement directed at herself.
After this period of dedicated Cultivation and understanding of the spiritual Domain, she clearly perceived the situation.
The True Monarch was absorbing these powers.
This might be Power Of Faith, or something else.
But no matter what, it was a good thing.
This meant that the True Monarch had the willingness, or rather, the need for the power of these ordinary people, and would also provide protection for ordinary people.
This at least showed that the True Monarch was not purely an Outer God.
However, she did not know.
What Xuan Hao absorbed was not illusory Power Of Faith.
Rather, it was the spirit bodies that emanated when people prayed, their minds highly concentrated, and their emotions fluctuating violently.
These energy fragments, like trickling streams, flowed into his vast spiritual Domain, becoming nourishment for his Primordial Spirit.
"These people.... are really annoying."
Accompanied by footsteps, a gloomy voice came from a nearby alley.
The Flower-Faced Man carried a blood-dripping burlap sack, his six arms waving irritably, his crimson robe stained with some grime.
He had just returned from a hunt.
Inside the blood-dripping sack was the head of a secret cults leader.
"This is normal."
Qu Huaiwei's voice was calm:
"Official forces withdrew half a month ago. Chenxi City has become a different kind of 'safe zone,' so those rats, the secret cults, naturally came."
"Did the True Monarch say that?"
The Flower-Faced Man lowered his voice.
"No response."
Qu Huaiwei put her hands in her trench coat pockets.
"That makes sense."
The Flower-Faced Man pouted.
For the True Monarch, who resided high in the clouds and looked down on all beings, these disputes were probably not even dust.
Even the envoy Xuan Hao had rarely appeared over the past half-month.
"Look, the Red Moon Queen."
Suddenly, excited exclamations erupted on the street.
A group of people held up their phones, excitedly snapping pictures of Qu Huaiwei.
There were even professional photographers, raising expensive equipment, with camera flashes going off one after another.
"Queen, can we take a picture together?"
A slightly bolder young man mustered the courage to shout.
Qu Huaiwei frowned, and with a light tap of her toe on the ground....
"Buzz!"
Space seemed to fold beneath her feet.
The next moment, she had already appeared at the street corner a hundred meters away, and with another flash, completely vanished into the pale red mist.
This was Shrinking the Ground into an Inch!
A new ability after the True Monarch's power revived.
In the area covered by the red mist, almost all members with a Dharma Aspect state could use this ability.
The stronger the Cultivation, the farther the distance traversed.
Like Kui Song, he could reach hundreds of meters in a single step.
Watching Qu Huaiwei disappear instantly, the group of young people let out a sigh of regret.
"Hehe."
The Flower-Faced Man became even more depressed.
Over the past half-month, he was the one who had put in the most effort.
Day and night, he patrolled and hunted in the Red Moon Zone like a male lion guarding his Domain.
The number of Divine Abominations, mutated monsters, and secret cults members who died under his six arms was at least dozens, if not hundreds.
But all the glory.... was snatched away by her!
"Come on, come on, take a picture with me."
The Flower-Faced Man squeezed out what he thought was a friendly smile, walking towards the group of young people, his six arms enthusiastically open.
"Oh my god, a monster!"
"Everyone run!"
Seeing the Flower-Faced Man approach, and then clearly seeing his ferocious six arms and the small head on his shoulder, everyone was scared Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, screaming and scattering in all directions.
"A bunch of idiots."
The Flower-Faced Man punched the air.
"No, I also need to raise my reputation."
The Flower-Faced Man gritted his teeth, his six arms irritably scratching his head.
He quickly thought of a solution: the internet!
Qu Huaiwei was so popular precisely because someone was frantically praising her online and even built a website called the 'Red Moon Queen Fan Club,' wasn't she?
He strongly suspected that she hired internet trolls.
With a thought, the Flower-Faced Man entered his spiritual Domain.
He gathered the souls of the Corpse Soul Dao, telling them about his troubles and his 'plan to become famous.'
The souls looked at each other, whispering.
"Venerable, I can help you with that."
Among the crowd, a middle-aged soul wearing a suit and glasses stepped forward.
"Oh? Tell me about it."
The Flower-Faced Man's eyes lit up, and he sat down cross-legged.
Sun Maocai pushed up his glasses and said, "My Lord, I am Sun Maocai. I was the owner of Maosheng Real Estate before I unfortunately died in that divine war...."
"Get to the point."
The Flower-Faced Man was a little impatient.
"Yes, yes, yes."
Sun Maocai quickly nodded: "My Lord, you can send a message to my family. With my financial resources and connections, it would be easy to set up a professional online promotion company specifically to build momentum for you."
"Trending topics, internet trolls.... I guarantee you'll become famous overnight!"