C691 The Shocked Bird

Despair, fear, anger, and a host of negative emotions exploded!

All the cultivators who had followed Fung Xiujuan to Cloud Lake felt their minds shatter as the purple mist rose from the lake's surface.

The deeper hue and seemingly sentient trails of the mist revealed a horrifying truth—the Soul-Igniting Mist was now several times more lethal!

Who could survive being targeted by the deadly purple haze?

The Soul-Igniting Mist was not known to be controllable or capable of precise attacks. What had changed?

Why were those seeking to hold Yu Yuan accountable now the ones being hunted by the Soul-Igniting Mist?

Zhao Yafu, Zhan Tianxiang, Kong Banbi, Xie Bin, and even those close to them were spared from the mist's deadly grasp. Wasn't that conspicuously clear?

Crackle!

Qi Jinghai, the original conspirator, was ensnared in green lightning. With the aid of an artifact, he had already departed Cloud Lake and the seven lower sect training halls.

Ascending higher, he watched the Thunder Sect's survivors succumb to the purple mist, his heart turning to ice.

Why had it come to this?

He had incited others against Yu Yuan simply because he learned of Xie Bin's heaven soul being reforged by Yu Yuan's Crucible of Evil. It was nothing more than opportunism.

Privately, Qi Jinghai never believed that the cruel, inhumane Soul-Igniting Mist could truly be the work of Yu Yuan.

In his eyes and heart, Yu Yuan was just a lucky nobody who had stumbled upon the Crucible of Evil and a sword sheath.

Such a person couldn't possibly have the clout or ability to wield the Soul-Igniting Mist and sway the fate of Afnetalos like a puppeteer!

Yet, the unfolding events were challenging his beliefs!

He suddenly realized that Yu Yuan, whom he had underestimated, was shrouded in mystery and intrigue.

A stark warning from his good friend Qu Jing echoed in his mind: "Be wary of Yu Yuan from Asvetaesi. If you encounter him, proceed with caution. He's no ordinary individual; it's not just luck that's on his side!"

Qu Jing from the Ethereal Void Sect had made a point of sharing this advice before he and others decided to withdraw from Afnetalos.

Initially, he was indifferent.

But as he witnessed the Soul-Igniting Mist's rampage, and all those who opposed Yu Yuan being hunted and killed, Qi Jinghai felt an icy dread creep into his heart upon observing Yu Yuan once more.

Yu Yuan's current display of confusion and astonishment was, in Qi Jinghai's eyes, the most terrifying form of pretense.

Such a sinister and cold-hearted young man!

Qi Jinghai inhaled deeply and covertly summoned the lightning once more. Without lingering, he transformed into an arc light, speeding towards the Azure Vault at a velocity tenfold that of his arrival.

He intended to seek refuge in the Azure Vault once again.

"Can it be?"

Han Ling of the Colddeath Sect, hovering behind Ann Ziqing, gazed toward Cloud Lake, his face blanching with fear. "Miss, I'm afraid we're all doomed this time!"

With Han Ling's level of cultivation, he could clearly discern the situation at Cloud Lake and realized that the Soul-Igniting Mist had emerged anew.

The deeper hue and more intense form indicated that this iteration of the Soul-Igniting Mist was even more formidable!

Even Han Ling lacked any semblance of confidence or assurance that he could withstand the Soul-Igniting Mist and survive.

"What's the matter?" Lin Yue, whose cultivation level was lower, urgently inquired.

Ann Ziqing ceased her leg-swinging and stood erect, her gaze fixed on Cloud Lake and the direction of the Chamber of Commerce with a grave intensity. Drawing in a breath, she declared, "Perhaps, we need to prepare for the worst."

"What's the worst-case scenario?" Lin Yue demanded.

"Evacuate the city!" Ann Ziqing commanded in a stern tone.

She could see that the darker the purple mist, the thicker the Soul-Igniting Mist. In her assessment, even a cultivator at the Spirit Walk level would be doomed upon contact with such a mist.

Should this fog envelop Afnetalos, not a single soul would survive!

Ann Ziqing, Han Ling, Lin Yue, and the others would all perish within its confines.

Her plan was to slip away from Afnetalos quietly, relying on Ann Jieshan's secrecy. Even facing battle with the Star-Spawned Terror would be preferable to remaining in the city and awaiting death.

Suspended above the Skyreach Consortium's branch office, Jin Xiaolie, the local head, approached Yu Yuan with a sense of urgency. "Yu Yuan, can you explain to me what is going on?" He observed that none of the Skyreach Consortium members, including Ma Jianjiang, had been targeted by the Soul-Igniting Mist, which aroused his suspicions. Yet, he refrained from any hasty actions or openly accusing Yu Yuan, fearing the consequences.

What if Yu Yuan took offense and saw them as adversaries? Would the Soul-Igniting Mist swirling around them suddenly strike? Jin Xiaolie's patience and composure were fueled by this fear—he certainly did not have a death wish.

"To be honest, I'm just as clueless," Yu Yuan admitted, stroking his chin. He watched the Soul-Igniting Mist chase down its targets with unsettling precision, a mix of emotions brewing within him. He suspected that Zu Ann was deliberately toying with him from the shadows.

Yu Yuan theorized that the Soul-Igniting Mist was being manipulated by the unseen Zu Ann with exquisite skill. Although Yu Yuan had created the mist, his lack of cultivation in his past life meant he couldn't imbue it with the intricate properties of spiritual sense and remnant soul. Now, with a deeper understanding of spiritual sense and the profound mysteries of a higher-level remnant soul, he grasped the potential for new wonders.

Zu Ann, a cultivator of the Unbound Realm, was among the mightiest in the Everlands, second only to those with a primordial spirit. With such prowess, it stood to reason that he could refine the Soul-Igniting Mist, possess the antidote, and subtly weave his thoughts and consciousness into the mist to direct its attacks with precision.

And it just so happened that the mist's victims were those who had been confrontational and sought to challenge Yu Yuan. Zu Ann had chosen that moment, right after making his statement, to unleash the Soul-Igniting Mist. Wasn't this a clear message that Yu Yuan was somehow connected to the mist? It seemed like a ploy to align Yu Yuan with Zu Ann, setting them against the five supreme sects of the Everlands.

With a whoosh, Chen Langzhi, clutching his scripture, was sent flying back through the green light curtain to stand shoulder to shoulder with Yu Yuan. Both wore expressions of shock as they watched Fung Xiujuan within the curtain, besieged by a purple mist.

Fung Xiujuan, of the Ebon Star sect, had been so engrossed in her battle with Chen Langzhi and obscured by the green light curtain that she failed to notice the approaching mist until it was too late. She hadn't detected any hint of danger from the mist.

In a panic, Chen Langzhi retreated, leaving himself isolated within the green light curtain. From there, he observed other cultivators outside, dodging the purple mist as if it were some malevolent specter.

Fung Xiujuan could tell from their expressions and cries of alarm that they were reacting to the Soul-Igniting Mist.

She then realized that the seemingly innocuous purple mist was indeed the dreaded Soul-Igniting Mist, feared by all cultivators in Afnetalos. And she had already breathed it into her lungs.

Fung Xiujuan's face first turned a ghastly pale, then contorted in agony.

Like a vengeful spirit, she burst forth from the green light curtain, confronting Chen Langzhi and Jin Xiaolie. "What do you have to say now? If it wasn't Yu Yuan's doing, if he didn't orchestrate this, then why did the Soul-Igniting Mist erupt in Cloud Lake? Why are we the only ones targeted by the toxic smog?"

In that moment, the two cultivators at her level, both in the Spirit Walk state, fell silent.

Even Chen Langzhi, faced with the bizarre events unfolding before him, began to doubt Yu Yuan, unable to conjure any defense for him.

"I might die, but Yu Yuan cannot be allowed to live!" Fung Xiujuan bellowed.

"Wait," Yu Yuan interjected, his brow furrowed as he gazed across Cloud Lake at the young cultivators from Winter's Bite and Cloudwater Sect.

These individuals had also inhaled the Soul-Igniting Mist, yet their cultivation was only at the Golden Sanctum and Soul Awakening levels. They were visibly terrified, living in constant dread.

Yet, inexplicably, they remained unharmed.

"It's just ordinary mist. What's all this commotion about?" Yu Yuan paused, then continued, "This isn't the Soul-Igniting Mist! If it were truly that toxic smog, it would have a distinctive sheen and density."

He gestured toward a group of young men and women. "They shouldn't be like this; they shouldn't even be alive."

Chen Langzhi was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure where this mist came from, but it's certainly not the Soul-Igniting Mist," Yu Yuan declared with utmost certainty, scanning the area. "Someone is playing a joke on us with this purple mist."

"Who would do that?" Jin Xiaolie demanded loudly.

"Huh? It seems like there's no issue. I definitely breathed in the mist, but I don't feel any discomfort. Maybe we're just jumpy because the Soul-Igniting Mist scared us so badly. We assumed any purple mist must be the Soul-Igniting Mist, but perhaps we were mistaken."

"I'm also okay; I don't feel any discomfort. He's probably right."

Many who had been assaulted by the Soul-Igniting Mist and had inhaled the purple fog exchanged glances, each confirming that they were unharmed.

Then, a single thought began to take root in everyone's minds — who was playing tricks on them?

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