Super Gene

"Is it going to hatch?" Han Sen wondered as he fingered the gourd. At this strange moment, the gourd was having some sort of reaction; whether that was good or bad had yet to be determined.

If a super creature did end up jumping out of the gourd, there was no certainty over its allegiance. Only after it emerged would it become apparent whether it was a friend or foe.

Han Sen waited a while as the gourd continued to beat with the rhythm of a heart, but there didn’t seem to be any cracking.

The Purple Mountain, meanwhile, became brighter and brighter. When the day Moment Queen calculated for the golden chests to mature rolled around, the bright light made the sky look like pure gold. It was a stunning sight.

"I think the fruit is maturing. Should we check it out?" Moment Queen asked Han Sen, as she observed the gold light.

Just as Han Sen was about to speak, he saw a crane flying through the air towards Moment Shelter.

"Of course. It’ll be okay, even if it turns out to be evil. And if there is some good loot up for grabs, I won’t allow anyone else to nab it before I do." Han Sen stopped to think for a brief while. After that, he turned to Wang Yuhang and said, "I will scout. When the time arises, I will contact you for your aid. If I deem things to be too difficult, I will run off by myself."

"Regardless of how things may seem, exercise caution. My stomach is a nest of butterflies, so to speak," Wang Yuhang spoke with surprising gravitas.

"I’m only going to take a look, nothing more. I’m sure I’ll emerge unscathed." Han Sen, with Moment Queen in tow, began walking back to Purple Mountain.

Aside from the silver fox and the fairy, the other super creatures were to remain at camp awaiting Han Sen’s signal, too.

Moment Queen led the group, slowly but surely. With how little they knew of what was going on, they wanted to be as careful as possible. Along their way, flowers grew in abundance. And beneath the golden light from above, everything else appeared gold. It was difficult to discern the true, original colors of anything.

The closer they got to Purple Mountain, however, the more a presence began to hang over Han Sen’s mind. It was heavy and unnerving, and it became worse with each step. The others felt it, too, and their pace slowed some.

The gold light began to fade, and with it, the Purple Mountain’s energy. As the gold light lessened, the frightening presence increased with a greater acceleration. It consumed Purple Mountain.

Han Sen was unsure of how many creatures had come. When the gold light was at its brightest, the origin point at Purple Mountain must have been visible thousands of miles away. If something wretched was being born, he believed the number of creatures attracted would be even greater than the turn-out for the Empty Vine.

Han Sen’s sensation of a scary lifeforce increased. Super creatures were intelligent, and they made sure to keep a distance between each other. They wouldn’t start a fight before they got to the fruit, and risk some other creature stealing their prize.

As the super creatures approached, Han Sen followed. When they stopped, so did he. Half a day later, they were on the foothills of Purple Mountain. The gold light had disappeared, but a pleasant scent came from the peak. The perfume mist could now be seen descending the slopes to veil the mountain.

Han Sen saw many hidden creatures. None of them climbed any further, and they seemed to just watch, waiting in suspense for whatever might happen.

"The Devil-Blood King!" Han Sen saw a group of super creatures heading towards Purple Mountain. Taking a closer look, he noticed they were the creatures owned by the Devil-Blood King.

The silver ape, the big dragon, and the golem were amongst the six that accompanied the Devil-Blood King. After the Empty Vine’s slaughter and Han Sen’s attack, his number of super creatures had been drastically reduced.

The river of pleasant fragrance soon ran dry, however. The smell weakened considerably, revealing the presence of far more creatures than he had initially expected to see.

A black bull was the closest to Han Sen. Its black body was like metal, and it was at least ten feet tall. Steam came out of its nose, and a pool of magma seemed to swirl in its eyes. With each step it took, flaming hoof prints scorched the ground. A trail of fiery flowers followed in its wake.

The fire did not last long, though. Each flameprint extinguished after a minute or so, and it did not cause a wildfire or anything of the sort.

Looking further, Han Sen saw a giant, colorful snake slithering its way to the mountain. It spit out colorful gas, and all the plants that came into contact with the gas died.

The Devil-Blood King included, the creatures did not dare tread further than the foot of the mountain. Something frightened them, and stayed their desire to ascend.

Han Sen counted the creatures, and with the Devil-Blood King included, there were at least twenty super creatures in the area. Most of them were solo, but still, it was a scary number to think of competing with.

Han Sen was glad that he decided not to remain in Moment Shelter, guarding the tree. The power he had at his disposal wouldn’t have been sufficient to stem the tide of super creatures, even if the Spirit Owl and Death Knell finished their on-going process of evolution.

"I am out of ideas. I will have to stay mobile, and if the golden chests do indeed contain good loot, I’ll have to nab as many as I can. I should at least try to grab a few, but getting them all does not seem likely." Attempting to obtain each and every golden chest seemed like a bad idea.

While Han Sen was thinking, he suddenly heard an instrument being played at the top of the mountain. He wasn’t sure what instrument it was, but it made a heavenly sound.

When Han Sen heard the music, he felt dizzy. Without realizing it, he began to ascend Purple Mountain.

But it was only for one moment, and after quickly snapping out of his daze, he turned around from the shock to see Moment Queen ascending beside him.

It wasn’t only her, either. All the super creatures in the area appeared to be hypnotized, walking up the mountain in a trance.

Han Sen quickly returned Moment Queen to the Sea of Soul. The Devil-Blood King included, all the other super creatures continued to climb the mountain.

The Devil-Blood King woke up after taking a few steps. He looked surprised, and after noticing what had just happened, he tried to reassume control of the super creatures he had brought with him.

But the super creatures paid no heed to his commands, and they merely continued on their merry way up top.

Some creatures did manage to snap out of their hypnotized state, one of which included the silver ape. The majority of them continued walking up, however.

A complicated look fell across the Devil-Blood King’s face, as if he was weighing whether to proceed or fall back. Although there was a very strong and organic lifeforce to be found up the mountain, it was strange to see even a spirit such as the Devil-Blood King hesitate and consider his options.

As he juggled his thoughts, the music from up the mountain came to a stop. The mist atop the peak spread as a lifeforce expanded to consume the mountain. Six golden lights lit up.

"Are the golden chests maturing?!" Han Sen was shocked, unsure whether or not he should call for Wang Yuhang. This scene was entirely too creepy for him to comprehend.