Chapter 166: Source of Purification

This time the signal flickered very quickly, faster than every previous one, almost describable as lightning‑fast.

Lin Yifan frowned, strained to concentrate, and only just managed to make out the signal.

【Urgent mission issued now: Source of Purification】

【Mission description: The will of the gray mist is eroding the world, and the Source of Ten Thousand Waters has resonated with the formation of the mysterious Water Pool, generating a purifying power to counter the gray mist. However, the formation requires stronger energy to be fully activated, otherwise the gray mist's backlash will grow more ferocious!】

【Mission objective: Proceed immediately to the Water Pool, activate the core of the rune formation, and assist the Source of Ten Thousand Waters in completing the purification!】

【Mission reward: cultivation secret technique 'Soul Forging'】

Lin Yifan stared at the mission information, his brow furrowing tighter.

Sure enough, none of his guesses were wrong; this whole series is related!

The rune formation in the Water Pool complements the Source of Ten Thousand Waters, thus forming the Source of Purification.

But now it seems that even if all this was prearranged, it is clear that the person still underestimated the gray mist pollution.

So at this moment, he still needs to activate the formation!

Besides, he had originally intended to go to the Water Pool anyway!

He gripped his Machete, looked up toward the Water Pool in the northwest, his expression growing ever more resolute.

Some answers must be found!

Otherwise, even if this current hurdle is passed, the future still awaits.

Although his body remains somewhat weak, the crisis is not over, and Lin Yifan dares not relax in the slightest.

The gray mist is temporarily suppressed, but the two pillars of light in the sky continue to clash violently, ready to lose balance at any moment.

If the two lose balance, the purification of the Source of Ten Thousand Waters may be interrupted once more!

Therefore, he must act without delay!

At the same time, Ruan Qingtan's message popped up again, but this time her tone became unusually urgent, even tinged with a strange calmness:

"Captain... I think... I saw something..."

"Those whispers... they're speaking to me..."

"They say... we will all become part of 'them'..."

Lin Yifan felt a chill and immediately replied, "Ruan Qingtan! Stay clear‑headed! Don't listen to those sounds, and certainly don't be deceived by them!"

But the next second, the other party's avatar instantly turned gray.

Lin Yifan felt a sudden chill in his heart!

He had seen this many times; after those Survivors die, their avatars also instantly turn gray.

He had witnessed countless people going offline; some frequently appeared in chat channels, and even though he didn't pay much attention, he would occasionally remember a few.

But often, after only a few days, those avatars would become gray.

Precisely for this reason, Lin Yifan avoids interacting with many people, because he does not wish to face the offline of close friends and relatives.

He and Ruan Qingtan were among the earliest friends he ever recognized as friends.

He never expected her to go offline so quickly!

"Damn it!" Lin Yifan gritted his teeth, his emotions involuntarily beginning to surge.

And as his emotions fluctuated, that eerie whisper immediately sounded again in his ears.

Lin Yifan's heart jolted instantly.

It seems that although the Source of Ten Thousand Waters is rapidly absorbing the gray mist, it does not mean that the Spiritual Pollution has vanished entirely.

It has only weakened!

If his emotions fluctuate, the Spiritual Pollution will immediately seize the opportunity to infiltrate.

Thus he must keep his emotions stable!

Lin Yifan took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, then put on his clothes and rushed out, quickening his steps toward the Water Pool.

Along the way, Lin Yifan noticed the surrounding plants withering at a visibly rapid pace.

Occasionally, gray‑white mist seeped from the ground, as if the whole world were being devoured by some force.

Even stranger, he occasionally heard faint rustling in the wind, like a swarm of insects moving, yet when he looked around, there was nothing.

"Looks like I need to go even faster..." he gritted his teeth against the pain in his thigh wound and sprinted with all his might.

Finally, the Water Pool was just ahead.

However, the sight before him made his pupils contract sharply.

The once‑calm Water Pool now boiled like lava, and the runes at its bottom emitted a dazzling blue light.

Beyond the glow, countless gray‑white mists converged from all directions, forming a massive net attempting to envelop the entire Water Pool!

And at the center of the Water Pool, a solitary figure floated.

That figure turned out to be—Ruan Qingtan!

Her eyes were tightly shut, her body enshrouded by gray mist, and tiny maggots could be seen writhing beneath her skin.

"How could she be here?!" Lin Yifan was shocked.

But the next second, something even more chilling occurred.

Ruan Qingtan suddenly opened her eyes.

Her pupils had turned completely gray‑white.

She faced Lin Yifan, slowly curled her mouth, revealing an inhuman smile:

"Captain... you finally came..."

"We... shall become part of the 'New World' together..."

Lin Yifan's hair stood on end; instinctively he stepped back, holding his Machete across his chest.

"You are not Ruan Qingtan!" he shouted loudly, "What on earth are you?!"

Ruan Qingtan tilted their head, a twisted smile flashing in their ash‑gray pupils.

"I am her… but not entirely her…" Their voice suddenly grew hoarse, as if countless tiny insects were rubbing against the vocal cords, "the gray mist… is reshaping us… and you, too, will become one of us…"

Before the words finished, their body convulsed violently, countless tiny writhing marks bulging under the skin, as if innumerable maggots were crawling through their flesh!

Lin Yifan's heart pounded wildly; he knew—Ruan Qingtan's mutation was already irreversible!

【Warning! High concentration of Spiritual Pollution detected!】

【Recommendation: evacuate immediately!】

The system's alarm blared in his mind, but Lin Yifan did not move.

He stared fixedly at the rune hovering over the center of the Water Pool, the brilliant blue light enveloping the rune being gradually devoured by the gray mist.

No, we must stop the gray mist from devouring the rune, otherwise the law will be completely nullified.

If the formation completely fails, the gray mist's counterattack will be unstoppable!

"We must activate the formation core…" He squinted, watching the constantly churning Water Pool, trying to find a chance to dive in.

He was already wearing a diving suit; as long as he could find an opportunity to dive, he could reach the bottom of the Water Pool to activate the formation.

Even now, he still doesn't know how to activate the formation!

But the saying goes that the boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge; the mission didn't even mention this, so the method to activate the formation is most likely at the bottom of the water.

However, Ruan Qingtan, or rather the monster occupying their body, clearly won't let him have his way.