Chapter 191

After Gu Yusheng presented the Heaven-Patrolling Order and explained his purpose, the two disciples visibly relaxed and respectfully led the three of them into the fortress.

In the Lin family reception hall, the current acting head of the family, a middle-aged cultivator at the early Foundation Establishment stage named Lin Yuanshan, received them. Lin Yuanshan looked exhausted, with bloodshot eyes.

"For the Heaven-Patrolling Envoys to come, the Lin family is deeply grateful!" Lin Yuanshan said bitterly, "My father……is the clan chief. Two months ago, he went deep into the Mist-Hidden Garden to investigate the source of the gloom-mist, and was struck head-on by a particularly dense mass of gloom-mist. Though he escaped back using a treasure to protect his meridians, his soul was injured, and his spiritual power is continuously being drained by an unknown force. To this day, he lies unconscious on the cold jade bed, sustained only by medicine. Even the three Foundation Establishment guest elders in the fortress—one was injured while on patrol. Now, the people's hearts are unsettled, and the Mist-Hidden flower industry has nearly come to a standstill."

He described the characteristics of the gloom-mist in detail: its form is indefinite, mostly irregular moving shadows, ranging in size from a palm to a house; when it appears, the surrounding light suddenly dims, and spiritual energy is rapidly drained; ordinary five-element techniques have minimal effect against it, and magic weapons slicing through it are like striking fluff, while physical attacks are nearly ineffective; only power containing pure yang, thunder, light, or similar special attributes, or a direct soul impact, can cause it some damage, but after the gloom-mist dissipates, it soon condenses again elsewhere. They seem to especially like gathering in places with strong vitality, whether spiritual plants or living beings.

"At first, it only appeared in the outermost abandoned garden, then gradually spread inward and toward the fortress walls." Lin Yuanshan said worriedly, "We tried setting up pure yang formations and hanging anti-evil talismans, which had some effect at first, but the gloom-mist seems able to adapt, quickly bypassing or weakening these arrangements. If this continues, not only will we be unable to preserve the Mist-Hidden Garden, but we fear the fortress……"

Gu Yusheng asked: "Before the gloom-mist appeared, were there any abnormalities in or near the fortress? For example, movements of the earth veins, heavenly foreign objects, unfamiliar cultivators appearing, or digging up something?"

Lin Yuanshan thought carefully and shook his head: "Nothing special. The slightly heavy yin qi of the Black Wind Mountain Range is normal; in recent years, it has felt a bit more obvious, but still within normal fluctuations. If I must say……about half a year ago, the water level of the 'Old Mist Pool' in the deepest part of the Mist-Hidden Garden dropped slightly, exposing some black stones never seen before at the bottom. At the time, I thought it might be due to drought, picked up a few pieces to study, and found no spiritual energy—just unusually cold—so I paid no mind. After the gloom-mist appeared, we suspected this, but when we went to check again, the Old Mist Pool was already completely shrouded in thick gloom-mist, making it impossible to approach."

"Old Mist Pool……" Gu Yusheng noted the location, "It seems necessary to investigate. Acting Head Lin, please give us a detailed map of the Mist-Hidden Garden, marking the areas where gloom-mist most frequently appears and where its concentration is highest. Also, arrange a disciple familiar with the terrain to guide us to the safe boundary."

Lin Yuanshan quickly agreed, soon producing the map and calling forth a clever Qi Refining stage youth named Lin Xiaochuan to serve as guide.

After a brief rest, the three set off for the Mist-Hidden Garden under Lin Xiaochuan's guidance.

Passing through the side gate of the fortress wall, a thick mist mixed with a chilling, decaying odor rushed at them. In the garden, the originally orderly fields were now mostly abandoned, and the remaining Mist-Hidden flowers looked wilted, having lost their former spirituality. The air was filled with a faint sense of oppression.

"Immortal Masters, ahead is the 'Grey Mist Area'." Lin Xiaochuan pointed to a clearly denser, darker mist zone ahead, his voice trembling slightly, "The gloom-mist mostly moves about inside, sometimes drifting out here. Further in is the 'Black Mist Area', where even divine sense struggles to penetrate; the clan chief was injured in the depths of the Old Mist Pool there. I……I can only guide you to this point."

Gu Yusheng nodded: "You have done well; you may return."

Lin Xiaochuan, as if pardoned, bowed and quickly retreated.

The three entered the Grey Mist Area. Their vision was immediately obstructed, able to see only within about ten zhang around. The mist not only blocked sight but also slightly hindered and eroded divine sense. All around was dead silence—no insect chirps or bird calls could be heard.

Not far along, Mei Ruoxue suddenly stopped and whispered: "Left side, thirty paces, the ground shadow is flowing."

Gu Yusheng and Shi Ran focused their gaze, seeing only a field's shadow, like a living thing, slowly twisting and expanding, detaching from the ground to form a black mass about the size of a tabletop, its edges constantly writhing and changing. At the center of the mass, light vanished completely, like a two-dimensional black hole.

"Is this the gloom-mist?" Shi Ran could feel the Heaven-Patrolling Order slightly warm, transmitting clear emotions of "aversion" and "warning." She focused her observation, and with the subtle perception granted by the Order, she "saw" that the gloom-mist was not a physical entity, but composed of countless extremely minute dark energy particles filled with "absorption" and "dissipation" intent, which combined to form an existence between an energy field and a weak consciousness aggregate.

The gloom-mist seemed to sense the three "prey" brimming with spiritual power, slowly turned, then suddenly accelerated, like a black cloth flying close to the ground, lunging at the three! Where it passed, weeds instantly withered and turned yellow, and the thin spiritual energy was sucked dry.

"Let me try." Mei Ruoxue stepped forward a step, raised her hand and pointed. A strand of condensed profound ice qi shot out, striking the gloom-mist.

"Sizzle——"

A thin layer of ice quickly condensed on the surface of the gloom-mist, slowing it down, but the internal dark energy surged, and the thin ice soon cracked, failing to fully freeze or disperse it. The gloom-mist's momentum was merely delayed.

"Indeed, it has extremely high resistance to five-element spiritual power; cold qi can only slightly slow it." Mei Ruoxue verified her guess.

Gu Yusheng pointed his sword and drew a line, a moonlit sword qi slicing across the gloom-mist. The sword qi penetrated, like cutting through thick smoke, the gloom-mist was split open a gap, but soon closed again, though its overall color seemed slightly faded, indicating it had suffered some damage, but far from enough.

The gloom-mist had already lunged close, a cold, soul-piercing suction came, making one feel spiritual power and mental power slowly draining away.

Shi Ran no longer hesitated, activating the Heaven-Patrolling Order. A soft yet imposing golden light spread from her center, like lighting a lamp in the thick mist and shadows.

The golden light struck the gloom-mist, immediately eliciting dense, like cold water dripping into hot oil, "hissing" sounds! The gloom-mist seemed to encounter its natural enemy, violently twisting and rolling, its dark energy particles rapidly dissolving in the golden light, its volume shrinking at a visible speed, its color quickly fading.

"Effective!" Gu Yusheng's spirit lifted.

The gloom-mist emitted a voiceless, soul-piercing sharp "hiss," then suddenly recoiled backward, as if trying to flee into deeper mist.

"Hold it!" Mei Ruoxue clasped her hands, releasing stronger cold qi that instantly froze the ground and air within several zhang around the gloom-mist, forming an ice prison, though it could not fully freeze the gloom-mist, it greatly hindered its movement.

Shi Ran focused her spirit, condensing the Heaven-Patrolling Order's golden light into a beam, like a searchlight locking onto the struggling gloom-mist. Under the scorching golden light, the gloom-mist grew smaller and smaller, finally letting out a soft "puff" and completely dissipating, leaving only a wisp of extremely faint black smoke at the spot, which was soon purified by the golden light.

"The power of the Heaven-Patrolling Order is its bane." Shi Ran confirmed, but her brows slightly furrowed, "However, my spiritual power consumption is greater than expected. This is merely a small mass of gloom-mist. If we encounter more, or larger……"

Gu Yusheng observed the surroundings: "Individual gloom-mist threats are limited, but troublesome due to numbers, regeneration, and strange properties. Ruoxue's restriction and your purification are key. My sword qi, while unable to directly inflict heavy damage, can sweep large areas, divide the battlefield, and create opportunities for you. The Old Mist Pool is a suspected source and must be investigated quickly."

The three continued deeper. In the Grey Mist Area, they encountered several more waves of gloom-mist, varying in size, the largest once having five masses appear simultaneously. Thanks to their coordination, they safely purified all. Mei Ruoxue's icy mist could effectively delay gloom-mist clusters, Gu Yusheng's sword net could divide and isolate them, and Shi Ran focused on purifying the most threatening individuals.

The further they went, the darker the mist became, gradually shifting from grey to black, divine sense suppression grew stronger, until later they could only probe a few zhang around themselves. This was the "Black Mist Area." Here, the darkness was thicker, seeming to flow slowly like a living thing. The gloom-mist appeared more frequently and in larger sizes, and seemed more "aggressive," actively lunging from mist shadows to ambush.

Pressure surged. Shi Ran continuously activated the Heaven-Patrolling Order, golden light becoming the only stable light source in the darkness, dispelling approaching gloom-mist and uncomfortable chill. Mei Ruoxue's face turned slightly pale, maintaining a large-area icy mist hindering zone consumed considerable energy. Gu Yusheng's sword qi crisscrossed, repeatedly cutting back and dividing the lunging gloom-mist.

"There's the sound of flowing water ahead—should be the Old Mist Pool!" Gu Yusheng's divine sense caught a faint sound.

Passing through a patch of exceptionally thick black mist, the view suddenly darkened—not because it opened up, but because light was swallowed more completely. A deep, secluded water pool about fifty zhang in diameter appeared before them, the pool water black as ink, with thick black mist drifting on the surface that could not disperse. And by the pool's edge, shadows gathered—no less than twenty masses of gloom-mist of various sizes, among them three exceptionally large ones, each over one zhang in diameter, emitting a suction force that made the three's internal spiritual power slightly restless.

Even more striking, scattered around the pool's edge were some black, irregular stones—exactly the "black stones" Lin Yuanshan had mentioned. At this moment, these stones were faintly emitting a gloomy light, resonating with the pool water and surrounding gloom-mist in energy fluctuations.

And in the center of the pool, a vortex could faintly be seen slowly rotating; deep within the vortex, there seemed to be a point of even deeper darkness, like an entrance to the underworld.

"Those stones……are they a medium or the source?" Mei Ruoxue asked coldly.

"The vortex in the pool has a strong sense of spatial distortion, though weak, but similar to the rift in Yunmeng Ze, only more……'gradual'?" Shi Ran, aided by the Heaven-Patrolling Order's perception, discovered that the abnormality here was not a violent spatial rift, but more like a slow seepage "leak point," and those black stones seemed to be "impurities" or "crystals" precipitated from that leak point.

"First clear the outer gloom-mist, then inspect the stones and pool water." Gu Yusheng decided decisively, "Form the Three Talents formation—I take the front, Ruoxue controls the left, Shi Ran protects the right and handles central purification, we advance steadily!"

Battle erupted instantly!

Over twenty masses of gloom-mist, as if stimulated, swarmed forward. Black mist roiled, suction intertwined, like sinking into a mire.

"Sword Formation—Moon Vortex Flowing Clouds!" Gu Yusheng let out a long cry, his natal flying sword shot into the sky, transforming into hundreds of rotating sword light vortices, not a strong attack, but using softness to overcome hardness, drawing the lunging gloom-mist in, deflecting them, making them collide, disrupting their formation.

Mei Ruoxue's surroundings were filled with biting cold, the left wing temperature plummeting, ice crystals condensed from nothing, forming walls and spikes of ice, blocking and dividing the gloom-mist on the left, her profound ice sword qi then like a snake spitting its tongue, precisely striking those trying to bypass the defenses.

Shi Ran stood in a relatively rear position, the Heaven-Patrolling Order held high, brilliant golden light spreading like tide after tide, where it passed, the gloom-mist, like snow under a scorching sun, melted and retreated in succession. She focused on the large gloom-mist that broke through the sword formation and ice barriers, condensing her golden light into spears and swords, one strike capable of heavily damaging or even purifying a mass. At the same time, she divided her attention to sense the whole battlefield, at any moment supporting the more pressured direction with golden light.

The three's formation slowly rotated, like a stable triangle, firmly advancing toward the pool's edge amidst the ocean of gloom-mist. The battle was fierce and silent, only the sounds of energy annihilation, ice crystals cracking lightly, and sword qi tearing through the air with a sharp whistle.

With each mass of gloom-mist purified, the black mist seemed to fade by a fraction. As the outer gloom-mist was gradually cleared, pressure eased slightly.

Finally, the three reached the pool's edge. The remaining seven or eight masses of gloom-mist, including the three largest, retreated above the pool water, nearly merging with the black pool mist, glaring tigerishly.

Gu Yusheng gestured for Mei Ruoxue and Shi Ran to stand guard, then carefully used his sword qi to lift a nearby black stone. The stone felt ice-cold and piercing to the touch, not merely low temperature, but a kind of yin cold that could erode spiritual power. Carefully sensing it, the stone's internal structure was peculiar, containing highly condensed dark energy and a trace……of imperceptible chaotic thought.

"This stone……resembles a 'defiled crystal' formed by the combination of high-concentration negative energy and some mineral under special conditions." Gu Yusheng judged based on his knowledge, "They themselves may not be the source, but can absorb, store, and slowly release energy similar to gloom-mist, and may even attract and nurture gloom-mist. This pool water……"

He looked at the black pool water and the slowly rotating vortex at its center. "Shi Ran, can you sense the condition of the pool bottom and the vortex?"

Shi Ran focused, extending the Heaven-Patrolling Order's perception into the pool water. Golden light seeped into the black water, encountering great resistance, but still managed to extend downward. After a moment, she withdrew her perception, her face somewhat pale: "The pool water is extremely deep; below……lies a massive, dormant dark yin energy sediment, as if accumulated over countless years. At the bottom of that vortex, it connects to an extremely fine, stable……yin vein branch? Or perhaps a natural discharge outlet for subterranean yin evil qi? And recently, this 'discharge outlet' seems to have been slightly 'widened' by some force, causing more concentrated, more 'active' yin evil resentment to surge upward. These black stones are the product of the upward surging yin evil power combining with minerals from the pool bottom. The gloom-mist, then, is the breath emitted by these defiled crystals, mixed with the accumulated resentment of living beings over countless years here (possibly the inevitable dissipation of plant spirituality from Mist-Hidden flower cultivation, and occasional deaths of animals, or even early indigenous living beings), nurtured into a distorted energy lifeform under special conditions (thick mist, yin veins)."

She paused, then added: "It doesn't feel like a formation deliberately set up by intelligent living beings; rather, it seems……the natural environment was subtly altered by some external force (possibly earth vein movement, or something else), then spontaneously formed a 'lesion.' However, the existence of those defiled crystals objectively exacerbates and accelerates this process."

"In other words, the root lies in that 'widened' yin vein discharge outlet at the pool bottom?" Gu Yusheng summarized.

"That's one way to understand it. Blocking or soothing that 'opening,' cutting off the surge of high-activity yin evil power, then purifying the existing defiled crystals and gloom-mist, this place should gradually return to normal." Shi Ran nodded.

"How to block it?" Mei Ruoxue asked.

Shi Ran pondered the information conveyed by the Heaven-Patrolling Order: "Pure yang, light, and order power can neutralize and purify yin evil. Perhaps……materials or formations containing such power could be used to temporarily seal it. But long-term, a geomancer is needed to adjust this place's yin veins. What we can currently do is to purify the existing defiled crystals as much as possible, weaken the gloom-mist, then set up a powerful sealing formation to temporarily curb the surge of yin evil, buying time for the Lin family to invite a professional geomancer, or wait until our cultivation is higher to return and handle it."

"A reasonable plan." Gu Yusheng agreed, "Then, first we'll deal with these residual shadow miasma, collect the impurity crystals, and then set up the barrier."

The final battle was even more difficult. The three large shadow miasma were exceptionally stubborn, able to split into smaller shadow miasma to attack, and seemed to draw strength from the pool water. Mei Ruoxue spared no spiritual power, creating a vast expanse of ice that temporarily froze part of the pool surface, cutting off their supply. Gu Yusheng's sword momentum was like a rainbow, relentlessly entangling the two major shadow miasma. Shi Ran then fully activated the Xun Tian Ling, its golden light blazing like a small sun, purifying each target one by one.

When the last large shadow miasma dissipated in anguished cries within the golden light, all three were nearly exhausted. Gu Yusheng bore several cold, scorching traces left by the shadow miasma's passage on his body, Mei Ruoxue's face was as pale as paper, and Shi Ran swayed on the verge of collapse, the light of the Xun Tian Ling dimmed considerably.

After a brief adjustment of breath, the three began collecting the scattered black impurity crystals by the pool's edge. These crystals, once removed from the black mist environment, greatly reduced in activity, but still required careful handling. Gu Yusheng placed them one by one into specially crafted spirit-sealing jade boxes.