Chapter 208 (1/2)

In fact, the disturbing energy in Beinz Blood Lake was real. The respect and fear the local people had towards the lake was not entirely out of superstition—the lake was influencing its surroundings in a tangible way, resulting in dangerous landscapes such as the Gnarled Grove and the highly poisonous plains to form. For the average person, diving into the Blood Lake was as good as being dead.

Hao Ren had already thought about it. He had Nangong Wuyue dive into the water before he went in himself. As the siren’s control over water was able to shield them against the negative energy in the lake, and also the fact that everyone seemed to possess an indestructible body, they leapt into the lake one after another. Anyway, if Becky was there, she would not have been able to withstand the strange energy field at the bottom of the lake, even with help from Nangong Wuyue.

Nangong Wuyue took a quick spin in the lake, determining the effective range of her control in the water before letting everyone else in. Y’zaks—the highly skilful and daring one—led the way. Hao Ren was next followed by Vivian, who was a little hesitant. With Nangong Wuyue’s magical control of the vast area of water, they did not have to worry about getting wet and breathing under water—the thrill never stopped no matter how many times they did it. Vivian stretched out her neck in the water and told Lily, “Are you coming or not? Why are you still hesitant?”

Lily crouched by the bank, her ears and tails puffed up. She extended her palm, testing the water nervously like a puppy and cried. “I just don’t like diving… I almost drowned when I fought with a sub last time.”

The trauma remained in her.

A little perplexed, Vivian asked, “Are you nuts? Why did you fight with a sub?”

Still touching the lakewater with her palm, Lily cried as she explained, “When I went to the beach for the first time, I heard there was some nice food in the water. So, I got into the water, trying to catch some fish. Unknowingly, I swam a little too far off the coast and bumped into an American sub, which I mistook as a shark. I bit the propeller. The next thing I knew, I was hit black and blue. I even lost some teeth—that was when I realised it was a sub.”

“…Stop the crap. Just get in now. Or, do you prefer to stay on the bank?” Vivian’s arms akimbo. “See, even I’m not afraid of water. What are you afraid of now?”

Hao Ren’s eyes rolled: Vivian had to be kidding. This vampire ate garlic, drank holy water, wore crosses, performed kung fu in church, flew 200 miles looking for wild vegetables in broad daylight without shedding a sweat; she was no ordinary vampire.

Pressing her lips, Lily hesitated for like half a day before jumping into the water with her eyes shut.

Hao Ren freaked out when Lily jumped head first and got her head stuck in the mud. He quickly told Lily as an after thought. “…Forgot to tell you that the water’s very shallow near the bank. You can’t jump in that way…”

Pulling her head out of the mud, Lily paddled herself towards them, doggie-style. She yelled, “That’s why I told you water and Lily are like fire and water!”

“…”

Thanks to Lily’s lively personality, everyone was in a good mood. They wheeled and began to dive happily towards the centre of the lake.

The lakewater was red and the night was dark. Before long, total darkness had engulfed the small exploration team as they dived deeper. Y’zaks summoned a ball of fire as he lead the way; it was a kind of evil flame, inextinguishable even in the permafrost. It emitted a bright glow of light, giving better visibility. But despite of the guiding light, all Hao Ren could see ahead of him was just a sea of red.

Thanks to Nangong Wuyue’s water controlling ability, he did not feel the underwater pressure. However, the sight of red everywhere depressed and bored him. It is said that red can cause mental agitation—he was not sure about the others, but he believed so.

Luckily, he did not have to endure it for too long: Nangong Wuyue was pushing everyone forward in great speed, they would reach the bottom in no time.

“It’s just red everywhere. It’s depressing.” Nangong Wuyue swished her tail as she was in front, leading. Her voice travelled directly into everyone’s eardrums. Obviously, Hao Ren was not the only one who was sick about the red vision. “I have a weird feeling. It’s like we’re being watched.”

“Not me though.” Hao Ren looked around, constantly surveilling his surroundings for any strange movement. “But one thing’s for sure—this place is creepy. I heard a story told by a missionary in the camp; he said every pope would spend their last moments in the chapel situated in the middle of the lake. Yet, no one has really seen their bodies. The popes would stay in the chapel alone for a month and then disappear just like that. The Church tried to explain it away, saying that they had transformed into some kind of bone saints who guard the holy place. So, does it mean that all their bodies are in the lake?”