Poison God's Heritage

"Do you?" I questioned, a knowing smirk tugging at my lips. "Do you really need years?"

Dusking Sun looked up at me, eyes gleaming with a mix of humor and acknowledgment. "Nothing escapes you now does it," he smiled once more, "To be honest, a few more days and I should be fine," He leaned back, his gaze growing distant. "But the Lording Sun… he's another story altogether."

At the mention of the Lording Sun, the atmosphere around us darkened. Dusking Sun's grin faded into a somber expression, and I could tell he didn't want to dive deeper into that particular subject. It weighed on him heavily, the burden of knowing that one of his peers, one of the mighty Suns, might not recover at all.

The chains that had bound the Lording Sun were no ordinary shackles; they had torn at his very essence, leaving more than just physical scars.

Not to mention, it was done by another Sun.

Dusking Sun downed his drink in one swift motion and wordlessly gestured for more. I obliged, pouring him another generous serving of Dragon Tears, the potent liquid glowing faintly in the cup.

"The Death Sun," he trailed. "Was once a friend, for all of us, and actually took care of me for a while," he said.

I listened patiently as he sipped through his drink, "In fact, if it wasn't for him holding my Soul from going to the wheel of reincarnation, I would have never made it to the Sun Stage."

More sighs escaped his mouth as he drank some more, "The Cryptic Sun, we considered a true sun, and treated him with the Same respect, though he never amounted to the level of a sun. In fact," he said as he turned to me, "You're more of a Sun than he ever was," he said.

"I appreciate the flattery, but he could have mopped the floor with me left and right," I said

The Dusking Sun shook his head, "He was a Sun only because no one more capable was able to take the spot, not that he allowed any to do so. He tried to steal and use the powers of other suns and call them his own.

He tried to mimic the Red Sun's avatar, and almost lost his life to the power of the Carnage and Slaughter Daos, while you suffered the full burnt of it under the hands of the most proficient one in the beyond in those Daos and lived to prove the tale. He tried to learn the Laws of the Wisest Sun and almost lost his mind, while you created the very Keys that the Wisest Sun spent a lifetime making.

You even inspired him to make the Illusion Killing Key. While you proved valor similar to the Flamboyant Sun fighting two Sun stages and defeating both, and proved strength beyond any at your level by tearing a Golden capped Raksahsa's head off with your bear hands, making the Blue Sun respect your physical strength.

You tamed a Primordial Being, something only I can do, and you made the Darkest Sun the most arrogant and most aloof of us all verbally thank you in front of everyone, and believe me that is the hardest of your achievements."

"Anyone could have done that in my place," I replied feeling slightly embarrassed from all the compliments.

"No," the Dusking Sun said shaking his head lightly, "You have truly no idea how great of deeds those are. Don't sell yourself short, also, your Domain, a domain that binds the world, that is a sign of a true Sun, the Sun council would soon give you a title so you can be among us, I can feel it.

But right now, you're far too weak in terms of cultivation only," he said as he downed the last of his drink.

We all remained quiet listening to him.

"So," Dusking Sun began, his voice low and steady as he swirled the wine in his cup. "What are your plans, Shen Bao?"

I let out a heavy sigh, my mind already racing through the logistics of what lay ahead. "I need to exterminate the First Born. It's not going to be easy, though. It's going to take a lot of trial and error to figure out a way to neutralize it completely. Testing. A lot of it.

The damn creature is massive, and whatever we try is going to need to account for that size."

Dusking Sun frowned, his sharp eyes narrowing. "And you still seek to find more ways to help the Beyond, truly a Sun stage's temperament," he smiled.

Master Rain, who had been quietly sipping his drink, chimed in, "You took down the Primordial Serpent God, didn't you? Why not do the same here?" His voice was probing, as if searching for an easy solution.

Before I could respond, Dusking Sun raised a hand, cutting the conversation short. "I wouldn't say any more if I were you," he muttered, a hint of warning in his tone toward Master Rain.

The latter didn't fully understand what the Dusking Sun meant, thinking that he had somewhat offended the Dusking Sun.

It was only then that I realized the familiar sensation spreading across my arm. Without even noticing, the Primordial Serpent God had emerged from the tattoo etched into my skin, coiling its ethereal body around me and extending itself outward.

Its golden scales shimmered with a faint light as it wrapped around Master Rain, its head poised mere inches from his face, its golden eyes locking onto his with an unblinking, predatory focus.

"Oh… cute, you're still here…" Master Rain managed to say, though the nervous edge in his voice betrayed his unease. He didn't dare move, and his normally cocky demeanor faltered in the presence of the creature.

"Calm down," I said gently, placing a hand on the serpent's body. "He didn't mean anything by it." At my touch, the serpent's posture softened, and with a reluctant hiss, it slithered back into the tattoo, disappearing as swiftly as it had appeared.

Master Rain let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and I couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction. "She's just a bit protective," I explained, though Master Rain still seemed on edge.

"Quite the change from her former form… quite smaller too but she feels as powerful if not more than the last I saw her…" Master Rain said.

"She's a friend now," I continued, tapping my arm where the tattoo resided. "the method I used with her, was quite cruel, but as for the First Born… it's not the same. The Primordial Serpent God was different. That thing, the First Born… it's filthy, an abomination upon nature itself, it is born out of the corruption of the Heavenly Dao. Trying to absorb its Qi would be suicide."

Dusking Sun leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "It's impervious to Qi, too. Whatever you try to throw at it, it just shrugs off. No one—no one—can do what you did to the Serpent God with that thing. You'd be dead before you even tried."

I was slightly surprised with how much the Dusking Sun knew of the events that occurred during the entire time he was out cold. But I guess for a Sun Stage he managed to somehow perceive all the information once he woke up.

I nodded in agreement. "Exactly. There's a huge difference between the Serpent God and this creature. The Serpent was a primordial force, an ancient being tied to the natural order, created by the Heavenly Law of the Beyond and sent to the Vast Expanse by a mistake. But the First Born? It's an abomination, a thing that shouldn't even exist.

I'll need to find a way to completely eliminate it. And I'm not taking any chances."

"From the point of view of a Beast Master," Dusking Sun added, "it's idiotic to even think about going inside that thing. We don't know its internal structure, and if it's anything like the Rakshasa, it's more than capable of infecting and taking control of anything it touches. Trying to reverse that process on them would be like feeding yourself to the enemy."

A grim silence settled over us, each of us lost in thought about the colossal challenge that lay ahead. The First Born wasn't just a creature—it was a living nightmare, something that defied the natural order and threatened everything we had worked so hard to protect. We had trapped it, for now, but that was only a temporary solution.

"I'll figure it out," I said finally, breaking the silence. My voice was steady, though I felt the weight of the task pressing down on me. "I don't know how yet, but I'll find a way to destroy it."

Dusking Sun nodded, his gaze intense but supportive. "You've always had a knack for the impossible, Shen Bao. I just hope this time, you don't bite off more than you can chew."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Master Rain, ever the optimist, raised his cup in a mock toast. "Here's to doing the impossible. Again."

We all clinked our cups together, the sound of glass ringing out like a fleeting moment of respite amid the storm that was brewing. The challenge ahead was monumental, but I knew we couldn't afford to fail. Not with the First Born still looming over us like a shadow, waiting for its chance to break free.

(Sorry for posting this here, but most readers skip author's thoughts. I begun a new book, Necromancy Style. Lot of undead and skeletons check it out, Deus Necros!)