Bloody Reality

Tian Hai's eyes fluttered open to the sight of a severed head. It had sailed through the air leaving behind a trail of blood that were disintegrating into the air in the form of light specs. The head smacked the newly awakened Tian Hai right in the noggin causing him to flinch.

"Gah!…Huh?"

Head still filled with dizziness, Tian Hai groggily got to his feet. He starred down at the object that hat hit him and the fearful face decorating it. Suddenly, he felt the urge the vomit.

'Oh fuck! Get name out of here!' 'Who dares?"

Tian Hai's feet moved in two directions and he lost a bit of balance. The sudden shift within him almost made him fall over. Unsteadily, he managed to steer his body but made no progress in moving any significant distance.

"Who is…I know you," he muttered towards the human head. Without him even needing to, the head transformed.

Within moments, the head regained its true form as a horse. Its snout extended past Tian Hai's body and its width was easily five times Tian Hai's own height. Its tongue stuck out of its mouth and its eyes only showed a dead stare.

Nervously, Tian Hai turned his heads towards the community he had been staying with. He might've not known them for long, but he did like the place.

There in the distance, a gargantuan monster sat. It was shaped like a sloth with a lazy head filled with large molars. Its eyes were slanted, almost shut except for one sliver of opening. Its arms were long and resembled shovels with claws curving inwards.

Tian Hai was struck speechless at the sight of the primordial beast. He took one step forward.

'Let's kill it and be done with it.'

Then his other foot swerved back.

'Fuck this! I'm outta here!'

Then he toppled onto the floor gasping in pain. Both his hands held onto his head as he groaned. Tian Hai glanced up admits his new headache only to see the beast swallow another immortal and swatting another aside. The victim was turned into meat paste upon the first impact.

"Damn it!"

Tian Hai rose onto his knees yet swayed from side to side. His feat unsteadily stood up and managed to hold his upper body firmly. Yet he could not find it in himself to move. He wanted to go forwards, yet wanted to retreat at the same time.

He experienced both fear and rage at the same time. It was so disorientating that he did not know what to even do.

The primordial beast was content sitting on its read taking swings at the community of immortals. This creature was also far more powerful than any primordial beasts Tian Hai had encountered before. It was closer in strength to a Golden Immortal than it was to Heavenly Immortals.

Logically, Tian Hai knew these people had no chance against it. Not even the few Heavenly Immortals they posses would be able to defend themselves if the creature focused on them.

It seemed they'd also realized it too for they were attempting to flee the scene.

"Run away!"

"Retreat!"

"Seek help from the Mt Xiao group!"

Tian Hai gasped as dozens of Profound Immortals neared his location. The primordial beast, sickened that its prey were running away began moving after them in a lumbering fashion.

"Wait, don't lead him over here!" Tian Hai found himself saying without really meaning to. He struggled to come to a decisive decision and could not move even an inch. He looked as if he was experiencing muscle spasms from an outsiders point of view.

"Ggggrrrraaaahhhh!"

The primordial beast's roar shook the earth. The cursed creature born of rage slammed its claws into the earth, heaving itself into the air. It sailed across the sky and landed in the space the immortals were attempting to flee to blocking them.

"Watch out!"

Tian Hai reached his hand out trying to warn them but it was too late. Dozens of splats were heard in the air as the the creature took them all into its paw. What followed next was a gruesome scene of consumption.

"Damn it!" Hou Pi cried out. He was holding onto a heavily injured Hu Lingji and both looked to be in no condition to fight at all. In his other hand was the water jug the fox immortal had been using up till now. "Even your treasure couldn't do anything."

"That thing's skin is too tough. Hou Pi, we don't have anything else that can work against it."

Tian Hai felt his heart racing in both fear and rage as the creature continuously attacked. He reached out with his hand, then retracted it. Like this, he was trapped in a position of indecision, only managing to observe the tragedy unfolding before him.

The monster was ferocious, it seemed nigh on unkillable even after being ganged up on by so many.

'Why am I not doing anything? Come on body obey me!'

Tian Hai desperately wanted to get rid of the primordial beast. Yet his body refused to obey him. One minute he was etching forwards yet in the next he stumbled back again.

Hou Pi had also caught sight of Tian Hai and descended with a huff. "What are you doing? Aren't you some hot shot Golden Immortal? Help us!"

"Huh?" Tian Hai gasped and whirled around. "Wa…where did it come from?" He stammered out?

"No idea. It just stumbled in and started attacking. Why weren't you keeping watch?"

"I…"

"I bet you were laughing at our misfortune weren't you? Just like the rest of your kind in the north!"

"Hou Pi enough! Tian Hai, are you able to aid us in being rid of this monster?" Hu Lingji called out chastising the ape immortal.

The primordial beast in the distance roared with a booming voice. It looked directly at the three of them and its mouth formed what looked to be a smirk from this distance. With sudden speed, it charged at them with ferocious steps.

"Oh no," the fox blurted out as the ground beneath them shook. The sloth primordial beast was moving towards them in strides so big that it wouldn't take ten seconds before it reaches them.

The three seemed to have reached a unanimous decision and fled at once. Even the previously frozen Tian Hai jumped into the air albeit he was stumbling upon landing on the wind.

The young innate god stumbled around on his feet as his head was assaulted by more headaches that only served to compromise his thinking more. He grunted in pain and his face contorted into a snarl where even a trail of drool leaked out.

"What's wrong with him?" Hu Lingji asked with concern.

"Forget about it my lady. We should worry about our own safety first," Hou Pi said. They narrowly rolled to the side to avoid a mighty swing, barely having enough time to catch their breath.

"Ggggrrrraaaahhhh!"

Hou Pi held up Hu Lingji's water jug and fired off another blast of water into the primordial beast. But just as it had not done anything to Tian Hai, the blast didn't damage the sloth beast at all. Instead it only walked through it to take a bite at them.

'They won't survive this,' Tian Hai thought as he watched them do battle. He had barely managed to repress the pain he experienced and already he could identify the vast strength gap.

'Perhaps if Hu Lingji had formed two crowns then she'd have a chance. But as the weakest class of Heavenly Immortals, she's helpless. Hou Pi is also just a Profound Immortal. Weak the both of them,' he concluded after only a few glances of analysis.

'But then again. Am I any different?'

Tian Hai got up unsteadily to his feet.

Through the swaths of water, the creature retaliated multiple times solely using its brute strength. It was both fast and aggressive easily pushing the two to their limits. Just as he was about to bite, Hu Lingji pushed Hou Pi away from her and held her water jug with both hands.

"Die!" She screamed and used all her power to blast the creature in the face.

Only it merely opened its mouth and swallowed the both of them at the same time. Hou Pi could only watch on hopelessly as he was the only remaining individual from this valley's community. 'How could this happen? Our leader acquired such a strong treasure too…That Golden Immortal. Why isn't he doing anything?"

He glared at Tian Hai who was still high up in the sky.

"I see, just like that faceless man in the north. You must find us lesser creature's suffering so amusing," he grunted.

'I need to get away asap. I can't stay in this hell hole!'

He gripped his forehead and frowned. This unfortunately caught the primordial beast's attention. Tian Hai only had little time to react. But he was yet frozen with indecision.

CHOMP!

In a single bite, the primordial beast swallowed him whole.

…

'Oh fuck! Me as well?'

'This isn't how the story is supposed to go!'

'Where's my system damn it!'

'I should've locked myself in a cave for a million years.'

'How dare that thing eat me?'

'I'll rip it limb from limb!'

'I refuse to bow!'

'Once I'm rid of you I'll…'

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!"

Tian Hai screamed again and again as he tumbled down the throat of the primordial beast. Dark tendrils and sickening liquid splashed over his body from all sides causing sizzling noises from his clothing. Yet the attention of the innate god has always been towards himself

"JUST SHUT UP!"

He screamed with such volume that sound waves were sent ripping through the space he was trapped in. The fleshy walls around him shook and a loud groaning sound was heard.

When Tian Hai came to, he was floating in a dark space engulfed in liquid. "Stomach acid," he murmured. He waved his hands around in disgust

Nothing against the creature, but just being surrounded by a substance formed from emotions of pure hatred left a terrible taste in his mouth.

He shivered as he remembered what had happened. The Primitive World was shockingly scary. It was not in the non serious self reminding way his memories of earth seemed to suggest. But in a tangible fear inducing moment of his life.

Tian Hai even without the influences he was suffering from was scared. That much he knew. But he could've done something, he was more then strong enough. Just remembering his indecision sent waves of depression into his body.

THUMP!

"Hm?"

Tian Hai turned around to see what had bumped into him. It was a jug, an archaic looking water jug with two handles. Its coloring was a dull brown and decorations were present.

"Aren't you Hu Lingji's treasure?" He wondered aloud before reaching out and grabbing it. Feeling its smooth surface made him realize that the treasure was ownerless as well as its classification.

"Unbelievable, you on your own should've been able to crush this beast," the influence of the godfiend's life surfaced in conjunction with his analysis.

The jug was in reality a middle grade xiantian spiritual treasure. A weapon of pretty high quality even within the Chaos Sea. But in the hands of a little Heavenly Immortal, it could not show even a fraction of its strength.

'The hell? Just middle grade? I wanted a top grade man. Oh heaven is so unfair!'

"You mistress is dead," he stated. He looked around the sea of acid and caught sight of a floating object. It wasn't even whole, just disintegrating remnants of a few scattered pieces of bone. But Tian Hai recognized the qi signature from his divine sense.

"The first sign of civilization I meet. The first semi friendly faces I speak to. Then they died just like that. I couldn't do anything about it. No… I didn't do anything about it. Such a waste of life. It's like they had no value in existence at all."

'Just hurry along with it.' 'In the end myself is the most important.'

Tian Hai looked down at his palm in disappointment. Then he gripped it into a fist and began a breathing exercise.

"Ignore it, ignore it, just ignore it. I have to kill this thing. Hopefully Hou Pi is still alive."

Then he grew.

…

On the outside, Hou Pi lay on the floor with a defeated look. The sloth beast had ate everyone in his community. Now just like his clan from the North Continent. Eaten just like all his brothers and sisters.

"Heaven is unfair," he said.

"Ggggrrrraaaahhhh!" The monster roared. After eating the innate god it turned to walk towards his own downed figure.

"Figures he was bad luck. Just as much of an abomination as primordial beasts. I don't know what is worse, being eaten by them or eaten by you."

He shivered remembering the scene that made him flee. His infant son swallowed up by the brutish tiger. That creature built like a bull with massive wings that had feathers that more resembled swords. The beast with a eyeless massive mouth with eyes on its shoulders. The human faced cat with long tongue.

So many things wrong with the north that he thought running to the east would ease up on it. There was only one innate god here and Hongjun didn't bother them much.

The sloth lumbered towards with with hunger in its eye. It held onto its wobbly belly with its claw and tried to reach for him with the other.

"Ah! What a cruel life," Hou Pi whispered with indignation. The sloth released groaning noises and fell to its knees. Yet it didn't take its eyes off of him and kept reaching.

Its stomach region wobbled and contorted. A grotesque sound registered in Hou Pi's ear.

"Huh?" The ape immortal sat up in complete shock. A sickle had cut its way out of the stomach region of the sloth. Lumps of its flesh stretched outwards in multiple areas.

"Ggggrrrraaaahhhh!"

The primordial beast kept its eyes on Hou Pi but its body shook uncontrollably. The flesh from its body extended and the result was what looked like a balloon ready to burst.

SPLATTER!

Blood and gore rained from the sky as the first convex bump burst open to reveal a gargantuan serpent. This was followed by another, and another, and another, until Tian Hai completely emerged. He grew out of the body, exploding out of it and tearing it apart with ease.

His gleaming scales were covered in dirty blood and gore yet there was no injuries on him. He instead tumbled out of the sack of flesh and stomped on the primordial beast's fat head. One strike was all it took to crush his foe underfoot.

"You," Hou Pi uttered in shock.

Tian Hai shook of the blood from his faces and refocused on Hou Pi. His heads released sighs of relief and he moved forward. As he did so his body began being shrouded in a cloak of mist. They enveloped and transformed him converting him back to his humanoid Dao body.

The boyish Tian Hai ran up to Hou Pi and said, "Thank goodness you're alive."

Hou Pi stared at Tian Hai with a wide eyed stare. "You killed it? Just like that?"

"Yeah. Apologies for the delay. I couldn't…I don't know how to explain it….but I."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Hou Pi exploded in rage. "You could've killed it at any time? But you stayed sitting while we got slaughtered?"

"I am sorry. My personal headaches held me back from participating. If I had had a better…"

"Bullshit!" Hou Pi screamed. "I bet you were rejoicing weren't you? Happy to watch as us ants got stomped underfoot. You innate gods are all the same. Cruel animals no different from primordial beasts!"

"I am nothing like those abominations," Tian Hai retorted back.

"Enough with your torturous games!" Hou Pi spat. "Just kill me know and be done with it."

"I'm not going to kill you Hou Pi. I saved you!"

"Oh I see how it is, a cruel joke of a mercy from your kind's sick games."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm sorry for not acting faster, that's on me. I found no enjoyment in this tragedy…this this…waste of life."

Hou Pi glared angrily at the much shorter Tian Hai. His eyes trailed down a little more to see Hu Lingji's jug tied at Tian Hai's waist. He released a defeated chuckle. "So that was what you were after. We never stood a chance."

"What?"

'Treasure yes, but it feels…' 'It'll do, its not as good as my old one but I can manage'.

Tian Hai gasped as Hou Pi turned around. "Where are you going? You can't possibly expect to survive out there on your own," he cried out in concern.

"Safer then with your kind," Hou Pi spat. He wasn't even willing to look at Tian Hai. He only bet his legs and jumped away leaving Tian Hai on his lonesome.

On his part, Tian Hai felt a strong sense of guilt. He turned back at the destroyed valley then back the fleeing Hou Pi. In the end he decided to give the ape immortal space to cope with his loss. Immortals were also living beings after all, they too had emotions and attachments.

Tian Hai walked out of the valley on his lonesome. He did not stop to look back wither less he be reminded of his fault. His footsteps were steady yet there was an unease in each of his steps. In his mind, he could hear two quiet voices giving out commands.

"What is happening to me?" He muttered. "I've lived two lives prior to this and yet I…"

He marched continuously forward without any real direction. Just as long as he was away from the valley he had been at. He encountered no signs of life along the way.

Eventually, he found a small spring with clear water. The only source of disturbance was a waterfall and a flock of crow shaped primordial beast. They glanced down all witnessing Tian Hai's juicy form.

"Abominations," Tian Hai growled in anger.

'Oh fuck not again!' "YES! kill them.'

Tian Hai reached out and manipulated the water from the spring to extend. They reached high into the air and formed into Chinese dragons. Each one gripped a beast in their mouths. Each one crushed a member of the flock to death. In the end, not a single one remained.

Tian Hai released the water back into the pool and sighed. "So easy. Yet I did nothing," he looked at his hands and the bloody remnants of the sloth beast still clinging to his hand. He looked around his body, at the blood and gore that he still wore. He stunk to high heavens.

He quickly ran to the waterfall and began scrubbing himself. He was desperate to rid himself of the sickening feeling of solid karmic sin sticking to his body. With the water, he managed to get it off his skin in a timely fashion. But that was when someone else found him.

"Oh what luck. The heavens are really looking out for me today. I finally found you."

A jovial voice caught Tian Hai's attention. It also startled him as he had did not even felt the presence coming. He twisted his head around to see a terrifyingly familiar face. One that brought him dread based on the last time he encountered a brother.

"Huoyun?" He said uneasily.