Translator: CinderTL
Song Wen listened to the sounds of battle and the shrill cries of Resentful Spirits coming from several miles away and asked the Nether Fox beside him, "Are there any Resentful Spirits nearby?"
The Nether Fox replied, "No, they've all been drawn away by the cries of those Resentful Spirits."
"That's good," Song Wen sighed in relief.
Climbing the stone steps had kept him under the intense pressure of the Gravity Restriction for a long time. Coupled with being pursued by Gou Jun, his Spiritual Power was nearly depleted. Moreover, he had sustained significant internal injuries from the prolonged gravitational pressure, which had damaged his internal organs. At this moment, he urgently needed a safe place to heal and recover his Spiritual Power.
"Go find a cave," Song Wen said in a tone that brooked no argument.
A newly dug cave, no matter how well concealed, would leave traces that could be detected. To be safe, it was better to use an existing cave.
The Nether Fox shifted its dark eyes and glanced at Song Wen, its expression clearly displeased. It was on the verge of directly calling him "ungrateful." If it hadn't been for the Nether Fox sensing the location of the Resentful Spirits in advance, its master might have already died at their hands due to his reckless wandering. If it hadn't helped lure the Resentful Spirits to attack the pursuers, Song Wen would likely have been killed by them soon. Now, despite needing its help, Song Wen spoke to it in a commanding tone. Humans! Truly despicable, not a single good one among them! One day, it would rise above this human and make him pay!
Song Wen, of course, had no idea what the Nether Fox was thinking, but he could see the resistance in its eyes. "What? Do you intend to disobey my orders?"
The Nether Fox immediately put on a fawning expression, its voice softening. "Master, how could I dare to disobey your orders? Your will is my guiding light."
"Then hurry up," Song Wen said coldly.
"No need to search. I know where there's a cave. Master, please follow me," the Nether Fox said.
With that, the Nether Fox led the way deeper into the Primordial Origin Cave. Song Wen followed closely, also taking the opportunity to put away the Two-Faced Buddha he had been holding.
The Nether Fox had once mentioned to him that their kind referred to the Ghost Mist as "Primordial Qi," meaning the "origin of all things." That was why, when pursued by Gou Jun in the square, Song Wen had decisively fled into the Primordial Origin Cave, using the Ghost Mist to evade Gou Jun's pursuit.
Shortly after entering the cave, he had encountered a third-tier Resentful Spirit. This gave Song Wen the idea of using the Resentful Spirits to delay Gou Jun. He captured the third-tier Resentful Spirit and had the Nether Fox search for traces of other Resentful Spirits. Then, he tortured the third-tier Resentful Spirit, causing it to emit shrill cries that attracted the attention of other Resentful Spirits.
As more and more Resentful Spirits were drawn in, Song Wen used two Substitute Puppets as bait to lead them toward the cave entrance. When they were close to Gou Jun, Song Wen sacrificed two portions of his essence blood to activate the Two-Faced Buddha, disrupting his own aura and successfully escaping the pursuit of the Resentful Spirits, leaving them to chase Gou Jun instead.
"Why does your kind refer to the Ghost Mist in the Misty Ghost Realm as 'Primordial Qi'?" Song Wen asked as they walked.
The Nether Fox replied, "I don't know. It's a memory ingrained deep in our bloodline. From the moment I gained sentience, I knew the Ghost Mist was called Primordial Qi, meaning 'the origin.'"
"'Primordial Origin,' what does it mean? The origin of all things in heaven and earth?" Song Wen asked.
The Nether Fox shook its three large tails behind it.
"I don't know. In the Misty Ghost Realm, I had a sworn enemy, a Nether Fox native to that land. We often fought, but neither could defeat the other. Once, after a tiring battle, I asked it this question, and it didn't know either. Only our Nether Fox clan can survive and thrive in the Misty Ghost Realm. Perhaps, this so-called 'Primordial Origin' is specific to our Nether Fox clan. For you humans and other beings, Primordial Qi is actually the source of all evil."
"When you were in the Misty Ghost Realm, did you notice that the Ghost Mist was spreading outward?" Song Wen asked.
This was something Song Wen had observed when he last visited the Misty Ghost Realm and returned to the Tianyuan Continent via the Teleportation Array.
"The range of the Misty Ghost Realm is indeed expanding, though not very quickly. Perhaps, in a few years, this world will be completely enveloped by Primordial Qi. By then, only we Nether Foxes will be able to survive in this world." The Nether Fox's voice carried a hint of pride.
As for whether the world would truly be consumed by Primordial Qi as the Nether Fox claimed, Song Wen wasn't particularly interested.
By then, if he hadn't ascended to the upper realm, he would have long turned to dust.
The end of the world had little to do with him.
As the man and the fox chatted, they arrived at the entrance of a cave.
The cave wasn't large, only a few zhang in size, but it was just enough to serve as a temporary shelter for Song Wen.
Song Wen had the Nether Fox fetch a few large stones to block the cave entrance.
The Nether Fox was like a fish in water within the Ghost Mist, its perception far surpassing that of Song Wen, a Nascent Soul cultivator. With its help, many tasks became much simpler.
Inside the cave, Song Wen set up a formation to shield his presence and had the Nether Fox keep watch over the surroundings. Only then did he begin to take pills to heal his injuries and restore his Spiritual Power.
...
Mi Hai, Lan Chen, Mo Yexue, and Xue Mei almost simultaneously ascended the stone steps and arrived at the plaza.
The mess of flesh Song Wen had left behind was still vividly present.
At this moment, the four of them were nearly out of Spiritual Power, their bodies pushed to the limit. They had no choice but to band together to bolster their presence, hoping to intimidate Yang Yu somewhat.
However, their worries proved unnecessary, as Yang Yu did not attack them.
The four also didn't rashly attack Yang Yu, instead cautiously watching him as he sat in meditation.
"Yang Yu, did you and Gou Jun kill Yin Shuo?" Lan Chen coldly questioned.
"Yin Shuo isn't dead. He fled into the Primordial Origin Cave. And it wasn't me who attacked him; it was Gou Jun."
With one sentence, Yang Yu shifted all the blame onto Gou Jun.
"Where is Gou Jun now?" Lan Chen asked.
"He entered the Primordial Origin Cave to chase down Yin Shuo," Yang Yu replied.
"Then why are you still here? Are you waiting for us?" Lan Chen pressed.
Yang Yu explained, "We've all been deceived by Gou Jun. The Primordial Origin Cave is filled with endless Ghost Mist. Gou Jun knew this beforehand and prepared Mystic Treasures to resist the Ghost Mist, but he didn't inform us. Now, without any means to resist the Ghost Mist, we likely have no chance on this mountain."
The four didn't doubt Yang Yu's words.
Since Gou Jun had already left and Yang Yu remained here, there must be a reason for it.
Yang Yu continued, "I wonder if the four of you have any methods to resist the Ghost Mist?"
Upon hearing this, the four immediately understood why Yang Yu had allowed them to ascend to the plaza.
Lan Chen and Mo Yexue both glanced at Xue Mei, intentionally or unintentionally.
In the Tianyuan Continent, the Ghost Mist of the Misty Ghost Realm was almost a legendary phenomenon, existing only in ancient texts. Hardly anyone would know of a method to resist the Ghost Mist.
Among them, if anyone truly knew a method to resist the Ghost Mist, it would undoubtedly be Xue Mei.
(End of the Chapter)
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