C686 The Fog!
In the southwest of Afnetalos, a luxurious building was shrouded in a faint purple mist. This estate, owned by the Qi family of the Songbird Empire, became the source of the mist after the death of more than twenty mortals whose three souls were ignited, producing even more of the ethereal purple haze.
The mist spread, overwhelming the low-level cultivators who served them, leading to the demise of those at the Soul Awakening and Golden Sanctum stages. As these cultivators succumbed to the poison, they inadvertently intensified the mist's toxicity.
Even the Veil Breaking cultivators who had come from nearby began to fall prey to its effects.
At that moment, Chen Langzhi stood before the grand building, surveying the area. He observed the corpses of the cultivators from the Soul Awakening and Golden Sanctum realms, their noses, ears, and sealed eyes emitting the purple mist.
The mist grew denser by the moment.
In his palm, Chen Langzhi held a crescent-shaped crystal that glowed with a soft light, channeling messages from across the city like a river of whispers.
"General," a voice spoke softly. An elder of the Chen family, his presence as inconspicuous as a shadow in the corner, was barely noticeable until he spoke. "Fear and death are spreading rapidly throughout Afnetalos," he continued in a subdued tone. "That young man, Yu Yuan, advised us to burn the bodies immediately upon discovery. Sadly, we were a step behind."
Before he could finish, Chen Langzhi received another message from the crescent crystal.
His face contorted with alarm as he exclaimed, "Soul-Igniting Mist!"
"What?" the elder asked, taken aback.
"Damn it! It's the Soul-Igniting Mist!" Chen Langzhi's normally benign expression twisted into one of horror. Like a deeply concealed deity of death, he shed his facade to reveal his true ferocity. "The very Soul-Igniting Mist created by the former sect master of the Order of Healing! He once used this to lay waste to an entire city!"
"That purple smoke?" the old servant asked, his voice laced with dread.
He had only heard the tales of the former sect master of the Order of Healing, who had decimated a city with a lethal purple mist.
The exact name of the smoke was not widely known due to a clampdown on information, leaving many in the dark about its designation.
"It's called the 'Soul-Igniting Mist,' a purple toxic smog!" Chen Langzhi clenched his teeth, "This exceptionally malicious and rare poison first contaminated mortals. Using their souls as fuel, it gradually intensified its toxicity. As the mortal three souls combust, the smog deepens in color, and its potency surges."
"Subsequently, the enhanced toxic smog, once released from the mouths and noses of mortals, ensnared cultivators of the Soul Awakening and Golden Sanctum stages. Their demise further amplified the smog's virulence, rendering it increasingly formidable. With the souls of Veil Breaking and Subtlety stage cultivators affected, the poison's ferocity knew no bounds."
"By then, not even those of the Lunar Spirit or Spirit Walk stages would be spared from the smog's wrath!"
"This toxic smog's lethality escalates with each soul it consumes!"
Chen Langzhi was profoundly shaken. Even his usual composure was shattered as he swore angrily.
"What is the ultimate potency of the Soul-Igniting Mist?" demanded the Chen family's elderly servant.
"Unknown!" Chen Langzhi shook his head. "From what I gathered, the city didn't withstand the full force of the Soul-Igniting Mist before three Unbound cultivators from the upper sects arrived. Together, they eradicated every survivor within the city."
"Rumor has it that two Spirit Walk stage cultivators were slain on the spot!"
"Both had been tainted by the Soul-Igniting Mist, writhing and howling in agony as the poison fermented within them. The Unbound cultivators feared their souls would ignite, potentially elevating the smog's toxicity to an inconceivable level, one that even Solar Spirit and Unbound stage cultivators couldn't withstand."
Chen Langzhi quickly added, "Issue my command: no disciple of the Chen family from the inner city is to ascend!"
Clutching the crescent-shaped communication crystal, he infused his remnant soul into it, transmitting his directives to the various guards and leaders throughout Afnetalos.
The entire city of Afnetalos instantly sprang into action.
...
At the Azure Vault.
Once Liu Ying, with the help of the Fallen Star Eyes, had successfully transported Xie Bin, Lee Yu, and the others to the Chen family, she notified the family's head and arranged for them to settle into Yu Yuan's training room. But as soon as they arrived, the corridors of the hall erupted in chaos.
"The Soul-Igniting Mist is spreading through Afnetalos!"
"What? The Soul-Igniting Mist? That can't be! Wasn't the formula for the Soul-Igniting Mist sealed by the Order of Healing? Only Zhong Chichen is supposed to know it, right?"
"What's the Soul-Igniting Mist? I've never heard of it."
"Three hundred years ago, the deranged Sect Master of the Order of Healing unleashed this toxic smog to slaughter an entire city! Have you heard about the three Unbound cultivators dispatched by the upper sects? Even they couldn't change the outcome. That small city was decimated, turned into a city of death."
"That sect master was branded as one of the most heinous demons in the Land of Quiescence. If not for his exceptional skills in alchemy, he would have been dealt with by the five supreme sects."
"Soul-Igniting Mist! I've heard of it! Oh my heavens!"
"..."
Thanks to some people spreading the word, the horrific nature of this toxic smog quickly became common knowledge.
"Good heavens! We can't stay in this city any longer! The Ashen Shadowmist from the Scarlet Dunes only confuses our spiritual sense and remnant soul, driving us to madness. But the Soul-Igniting Mist? Touch it, and death is certain!"
"Exactly! The Soul-Igniting Mist is far more terrifying than the Ashen Shadowmist. Its lethality is on another level!"
The crowd was in a frenzy!
Liu Ying, who had already proposed evacuating Afnetalos, saw her suggestion gain traction among the cultivators due to the emergence of the Soul-Igniting Mist in the city.
Subsequently, many cultivators at the Azure Vault sprang into action.
One by one, figures departed from the Azure Vault, disregarding the Chen family's efforts to stop them and the pleas of others, as they made their way en masse toward the city's southern gate.
"How could this happen?"
Liu Ying was bewildered, but she too was aware of the dreadful nature of the Soul-Igniting Mist, having been informed by her master. She also realized that if this poisonous smog truly spread throughout Afnetalos, it would spell certain death for everyone within—mortals and cultivators alike.
Feeling uneasy, she promptly departed from the Azure Vault to resume her search for Yu Yuan.
...
Atop the highest tower within the Skyreach Consortium's branch office, Ma Jianjiang was drenched in sweat as he disseminated news of the Soul-Igniting Mist to the various sects using the Consortium's methods. This ensured that all cultivators in Afnetalos were aware of the city's current plight.
The Phoenix Skybreak Array prevented communication with the outside world, but within the city, the transmission of messages remained unaffected.
Having learned of the Soul-Igniting Mist from Yu Yuan and an elder of the Abyssal Dawn, Ma Jianjiang was now even more nervous than Yu Yuan himself.
"We're doomed. With threats from within and without, how can we possibly fight? How can Afnetalos stand firm?"
Desperate, Ma Jianjiang was swiftly reaching out to scattered members and counselors of the Consortium, urging them to convene immediately.
The leaders of the Consortium and several powerful counselors, who had not been present in recent days due to the sell-out of valuable magic items and pills, had been residing incognito elsewhere in the city. They were now being summoned by Ma Jianjiang.
Yu Yuan stood on the rooftop, gazing toward the Azure Vault, observing a throng of cultivators piloting their artifacts or flying directly towards the southern part of the city.
He also witnessed formidable cultivators of the Songbird Empire ruthlessly slaying those who had inhaled the Soul-Igniting Mist.
Anyone determined to have inhaled the Soul-Igniting Mist was executed on the spot.
The city was filled with cries of anguish!
"Could it be that Zu Ann released the mist because he knew I was in Afnetalos? Did he know that as the heir to the God of Medicine, I could identify the Soul-Igniting Mist? Was it his plan to use me to spread the word?"
"There aren't many who have heard of this toxic smog, let alone seen it. Zu Ann, did you factor me into your calculations?"
"By revealing the origin of this toxic smog, he's thrown the city into a state of terror."
"And now, is it that a large number of cultivators are fleeing the city in a frantic escape?"
Suddenly, Yu Yuan sensed that he had grasped Zu Ann's intentions and deciphered his various arrangements. He understood the goal Zu Ann was aiming to achieve.
