The man’s bewitching eyes flickered with a brilliance of crimson, extraordinarily strange.

He curved his lips into a faint smile, revealing no hint of emotion.

He lazily rested his chin on one hand, leaning against the throne, and snapped the fingers of his other hand. The sharp sound instantly echoed throughout the great hall.

At the moment the snap ended, several blood-colored figures suddenly emerged from the shadows around the palace, moving like phantoms, silently landing like condensed blood shadows.

Once they appeared, they approached the man’s throne and knelt down respectfully, saying, "Your subordinates pay respects, my lord."

"Go and investigate the area around the Red Mist Forest and bring back the female with this emperor’s beast husband mark," the man ordered lazily yet imposingly, his blood-red, eerie eyes swirling with dark light. "Remember, if anything dares to hurt her, kill it without mercy."

If he weren’t temporarily unable to leave here, he would surely bring her back himself.

His destined bride as the Blood Emperor?

Interesting!

"Your subordinates obey!" the blood-colored hidden guards replied in unison.

"And also..."

The Blood Emperor further instructed some matters.

These blood-colored hidden guards remembered everything and accepted their orders with respect.

Then, their figures merged back into the shadows, disappearing without a trace, as if they had never appeared.

The man closed his eyes again, fingers still gently tapping the armrest, while the curve of his lips grew even deeper.

Memories from when his soul split and returned flashed through his mind.

That "he" could actually restrain his nature and not devour her blood completely.

He found it extremely peculiar.

Upon reintegrating, his memories as the Blood Emperor were far too vast and lengthy to compare to that small fragment of memory.

Yet, no one shall be allowed to insult or harm his female.

Moreover, how did she cross from the otherworld and appear here?

Without his protection, she couldn’t survive here.

Therefore, he must have his subordinates bring her back.

...

On the other side, in the forest shrouded with red mist.

Su Muyao’s gaze fell on the blood-red assassin trembling on the ground. "Is my question difficult to answer?"

Seeing him trembling and not daring to attack her, Su Muyao felt much more at ease.

No matter the reason, at least for now, she wasn’t in any danger.

So she took a step toward the man.

But the man shook even more violently like a chaff sieve, cold sweat mixed with snow trickling down his forehead, lacking even the courage to raise his head, only continuously pleading for mercy: "Spare... spare my life..."

His voice was shattered and broken, with each word carrying extreme fear.

Su Muyao frowned, puzzled, and instinctively stepped forward.

Just this closer step, the oppressive force from the bloodline mark intensified even more.

His face turned ashen white instantly, pupils constricting in fear to a point, and he screamed out, "Don’t come closer! If you do, I’ll be crushed by the pressure!"

His level was too low, and the oppressiveness of this force had a strong deterrent and suppressive effect on him.

"I didn’t mean to appear here either, on Blood Night amidst blood mist, it was the time for my Blood Clan Beastman to travel at night..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his body suddenly inflated, blue veins bulging beneath his skin, blood-colored patterns spreading wildly.

The next moment, with a loud "boom," he exploded, transforming into a dense cloud of blood mist scattering around.

The blood mist carried a strange and malevolent aura, rushing toward her.

This made Su Muyao completely unprepared, unable to react.

At present, she couldn’t use any superpower, couldn’t resist any attacks.

At this moment, she only felt a dull ache in her chest, a buzzing sound in her head, and her already weakened body could no longer hold up.

"Pff..."

She spat a mouthful of blood, then fainted directly.

...

Uncertain how long she was unconscious, Su Muyao seemed to hear a series of bell sounds.

She slowly opened her eyes amidst this sound.

Upon waking, she found herself in a wooden house, with a faint scent of herbs lingering at the tip of her nose, the bone-chilling cold had dissipated, and there was no blood mist, replaced by a trace of warmth.

At this moment, the door of the wooden house was gently pushed open, and a hunched figure walked in, carrying a steaming bowl of medicinal soup.

It was an elderly woman with graying hair, her face full of wrinkles, yet her eyes were very gentle.

Seeing Su Muyao awaken, the old woman’s eyes flashed with delight, quickening her pace to the bedside: "Young lady, you’re awake."

"This is truly a miracle, didn’t expect anyone to survive the Blood Night."

The old woman looked at Su Muyao with surprised and wondrous eyes.

Su Muyao felt her body still weakened, propping herself up to sit, she asked, "Granny, where is... this place?"

"How did I get here?" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"And what does the Blood Night you mentioned mean?"

This otherworld is too bizarre.

However, the old woman before her

The old woman spoke, "This is the Qinghe Tribe under the Holy Mountain."

"Earlier this morning, my granddaughter went hunting and found you, so she brought you back to the tribe."

"Blood Night, ah, it’s the festival of the Blood Clan Beastman, also their time to roam at night."

"Every year on this day, the moon in the sky turns blood-red, the blood mist spreads like a tide to some tribes. If any beastmen or beasts are unaware and venture out, they get attracted into the blood mist, and once they enter within the range of the mist, they become food for the Blood Clan Beastman."

"It’s said that no beastman trapped in the blood mist has ever survived."

"It’s truly a miracle that you survived, my granddaughter thought you were dead when she saw you, yet you were still breathing, so she brought you back."

The old woman was curious and wanted to ask the young woman how she survived, but felt it was too sudden and inappropriate to inquire.

Upon hearing this, Su Muyao’s face changed dramatically.

"Does the Blood Clan Beastman indiscriminately kill innocent beastmen?"

"Not quite, they do have rules, especially after the Blood Emperor’s return, those overly bloodthirsty and murderous low-level Blood Clan Beastman were dealt with."

"During Blood Night, when the blood mist spreads, some greedy beastmen get influenced and drawn into it, becoming the food for Blood Clan Beastman."

"Our tribe conducts sacrificial offerings to the Holy Mountain every month, with offerings, so during Blood Night, we stay within the tribe and don’t venture out, naturally staying safe."

"My granddaughter also waited until the Blood Night was over, heading out early in the morning to hunt in the forest."

"Even during this time, even without having to hunt, one could gather many beast carcasses to bring back to the tribe for food."

Pausing briefly, the old woman handed the medicine to Su Muyao: "Young lady, let’s not dwell on this now, your body is weak from the blood mist invasion, have some medicine first."

Su Muyao held the medicine, hesitating.

In a strange place, faced with a seemingly kind woman, yet she dared not easily trust.

Unable to use Wood Element Ability or investigate the medicine.

At least, the smell seemed alright.

At that moment, a bell sound inexplicably rang in Su Muyao’s ears.

Suddenly, the key hanging from her neck emitted a faint glow.

Su Muyao’s expression changed, could Di Fu Yuan’s body be nearby?