Chapter 445: Valley of Toxic Mist

"How did this kid die?"

Sha LiFei sucked his teeth, puzzled.

"Probably trusted the wrong person…"

Li Yan stared at the corpse, lost in thought.

A faint remnant soul still clung to the body; faint voices now whispered in his ears: "Master, why…?"

Daoist Chongxu frowned, staring at the wound on the corpse's chest, and said gravely: "The Tian Gang Finger Qi Technique is a basic art, yet it's also a foundational secret for aspiring Sword Immortals."

"Only Ku Mu of Qingniu Temple has mastered this art most deeply!"

"Let's go!"

Li Yan rose and gazed ahead, killing intent rising in his eyes: "San Er, release the falcon—Salt Gang members may be here too!"

"Understood."

Lu San grunted, raised his hand, and the falcon Lidong, fully healed, shot skyward.

Not only that, the white fox Chu Qi leaped into the dense forest.

This little fox, born of an extraordinary bloodline, had grown increasingly sentient with each step and was now able to assist Lu San in reconnaissance.

Moreover, Lu San had commissioned a small vest, inside which the fat rats Da Shu and Er Shu were tucked.

With the three working in tandem, they held a natural advantage in the woods.

Soon, the falcon responded, circling and shrieking.

Lu San glanced up and said: "Beyond this mountain lies a deep valley shrouded in toxic mist; corpses lie outside."

Li Yan turned to Chongxu: "Elder, what is this place?"

The old Daoist stroked his beard, thoughtful: "Over ten years ago, a quake struck Shu, cracking open a fissure here. Flash floods often burst forth, spewing ancient bones—but all were petrified beasts from antiquity."

"At first, people came to investigate, but found nothing, and kept encountering wild beasts. Gradually, interest faded."

"I recall this place never had toxic mist…"

"They've already moved. Let's hurry!"

Hearing this, everyone quickened their pace.

Either they wielded arcane arts or excelled in fist and foot techniques; the rugged mountain path posed no obstacle.

In less than half an hour, they reached the summit.

But after just two steps, Li Yan's expression turned strange.

Beside him, Daoist Chongxu's anger surged—he drew his sword with a clang and hastened forward.

Ahead, on the forest path, several Daoists knelt on the ground.

Their leader was none other than Yuan Qing.

"So it was you!"

Daoist Chongxu roared: "What are you and Ku Mu doing? Don't you fear ruining Qingniu Temple's reputation!"

Yuan Qing, hearing this, sighed, raised his head, and bowed respectfully: "Uncle, this matter has hidden depths. Whatever happens, we accept full responsibility. Please turn back."

"Accept full responsibility?"

Daoist Chongxu laughed bitterly: "Who gave you the right?"

Yuan Qing bit his lip, hesitating: "Uncle, outsiders are present. This cannot be spoken plainly. May I ask you to step aside?"

"Master, beware of trickery!"

Ling Fengzi quickly whispered a warning.

"What's to fear!"

Daoist Chongxu glared, drew his sword, and strode forward, following Yuan Qing into the nearby woods.

Sha LiFei glanced at Li Yan.

Li Yan remained expressionless, gave a hand signal.

Everyone instantly grew alert.

Sha LiFei even narrowed his eyes and gripped his firelock.

This was the covert signal to prepare for immediate violence.

Though they didn't know why, they trusted Li Yan.

On the other side, after entering the woods, Yuan Qing activated a talisman and set up a simple array to block eavesdropping.

Li Yan glanced once, then ignored it entirely.

He had been assigned this mission—he already knew the truth.

The mastermind behind all this was not Wu Faluo's master, Ku Mu.

It was the abbot of Qingniu Temple!

Ku Mu and Yuan Qing were merely his puppets.

They dared not speak openly in the temple, fearing Chongxu might side with them.

In someone else's territory, where vulgar deities were still worshipped, escape would become a nightmare.

But outside the temple, in this wilderness, their numbers held advantage—and they feared no confrontation.

Indeed, after only a few moments, Daoist Chongxu emerged with a dark face, Yuan Qing trailing silently behind.

"Master…"

Ling Fengzi opened his mouth but could not finish.

A terrifying suspicion had already taken root in his heart.

"Longsheng…"

Daoist Chongxu sighed to the heavens, his face suddenly aged further: "Even I cannot accept this…"

He turned abruptly and slammed his palm into Yuan Qing's chest.

Puff!

Yuan Qing spewed blood, rolling over ten meters away.

"Foolish fool!"

Daoist Chongxu's face flushed crimson as he roared: "My elder brother has already fallen to demonic influence! Had he told me sooner, none of this would have happened!"

Li Yan watched, genuinely surprised.

It seemed the old Daoist had made his choice.

Once, he had clashed with the Living Yin Messenger over his master's affairs; now, facing another choice, he no longer hid his stance.

Could it be that this old man and his elder brother were at odds?

As Li Yan silently speculated, Daoist Chongxu turned to the disciples and rebuked them: "My elder brother always opposed this! You fools have been blinded by demons and don't even realize it!"

The Daoists exchanged uneasy glances.

"No…"

On the ground, Yuan Qing struggled to rise, as if trying to speak.

But before he could utter a word, Daoist Chongxu pinched a sliver of bark and flicked it backward with his finger.

Shh!

The bark struck Yuan Qing beneath the jaw.

The Daoist made no sound—just collapsed unconscious.

"Follow me!"

Daoist Chongxu's face dark as storm clouds, he marched ahead.

Li Yan understood—he signaled for everyone to follow…

…………

After crossing the ridge, they suddenly found a narrow forest path.

This was a trail long used by local villagers and old hunters to drive game—wherever people lived, such paths existed in the woods.

Shhh!

The white fox suddenly darted out, chirping frantically.

Lu San grunted: "This forest is wrong."

Even without his warning, everyone had sensed something amiss.

The forest was utterly silent—not a bird, beast, or insect stirred.

Long Yan plucked a leaf from a nearby tree, examined it, then sniffed it: "This place has long been poisoned by toxic mist—every plant here is tainted."

One of the Daoists murmured: "We warned nearby villagers. Few come here. No innocents have been harmed."

"Bullshit!"

Lu San glared coldly, led the group around to the dense woods, and swept aside dead leaves.

Beneath lay two corpses.

Each held a hunting knife, each stabbed through the other.

They had killed each other.

Yet their skins had vanished entirely—only blackened, rotting flesh remained.

The Daoists' faces turned deathly pale. "Go!"

Daoist Chongxu's face was as dark as water—he no longer wished to speak.

Finally, after descending the mountain's side, they reached a deep valley—thick mist swirled, toxic vapors rose like living things, churning and surging.

Outside the valley lay several corpses.

They lay sprawled and twisted, all facing outward, as if trying to flee—but they had failed.

And none of them had skin!

"Looks like the Salt Gang didn't fare any better."

Sha Li-fei sneered at the sight.

With that, he kicked a corpse into the mist.

Sssss!

Flesh and blood touched by the toxic miasma instantly blackened; some areas even corroded, oozing pus.

!

Sha Li-fei saw this and his scalp prickled. "Damn it, is this miasma really that deadly?"

Li Yan turned to Bai Wan. "Elder, do you have a way?"

In the southwest, sorcerers wielding poison charms had grown numerous; Lu San's demonic gourd had suffered heavy damage and had not yet recovered.

Bai Wan was the lay leader of the Si Ming Society; though his martial cultivation was weak and he was elderly, he knew all forms of witchcraft and poison arts, and his skill and experience were undeniable—bringing him along was precisely to prepare for such a situation.

But Bai Wan shook his head. "I've never seen such fierce poison charms before. Long Yan is from the Cult of Poison—perhaps she has a solution."

Li Yan glanced at her but said nothing.

He could tell Bai Wan had already sensed something amiss—she said this deliberately to force Long Yan to reveal her ability.

Logically, this old woman was principled; she wouldn't repay kindness with betrayal.

This matter will need further discussion later.

Long Yan didn't hesitate or pretend modesty. She stepped forward to the toxic miasma, took a small jar from her waist, formed a hand seal, murmured a spell, and gently drew.

Hoo~

From the jar flew a brilliantly colored butterfly, its wings flapping—and immediately, a tendril of miasma was sucked into the jar.

Inside the jar, many wriggling white worms writhed.

Infected by the miasma, they thrashed wildly.

Soon, more than half died.

But a few still survived.

These worms had changed color—multicolored, speckled, strange and horrifying.

Long Yan picked them out one by one, then removed a sachet from her waist, took out a handful of black pills, blew a whistle—and the worms crawled one by one into the pills.

Only then did she pick up the pills and speak calmly: "This miasma is laced with the malice of lost souls. It cannot be dispelled quickly—but swallowing this pill will sustain you for one hour."

"After an hour, vomit up all the poison in your belly."

"This… this thing is edible?!"

Sha Li-fei's scalp prickled again as he blurted out.

Even Li Yan frowned deeply.

But beside them, Chong Xu Zi strode forward, snatched a pill, and swallowed it without hesitation. He nodded. "Miaojiang Duan Gu Dan. I never thought I'd see this art again."

Seeing someone recognized it, Long Yan smiled faintly. "Elder, you flatter me. This method was passed down by my master."

Seeing this, Li Yan no longer hesitated. He took a pill and swallowed it, then turned. "Daoist, you set up the altar outside. Wu Ba and Old Sha will guard it."

Sha Li-fei chuckled. He didn't mind, rubbing his bald head. "Little Brother Yan, rest easy—I'm here. Nothing gets near the Daoist!"

First, he was afraid—he knew Li Yan was looking out for him.

Second, he understood Wang Daoxuan's importance.

Li Yan had left behind the Five Directions Luo Feng Flags—this was their only outside reinforcement; if anything went wrong, they'd cast spells to rush in and rescue.

With the miasma blocking vision, not everyone could enter.

Others also chose who would go in.

For example, the old woman Bai Wan, already frail, was better off staying outside to hold the line, while Long Yan took several disciples inside.

Chong Xu Zi paused, then stopped Ling Feng Zi from taking the pill. "You stay. If I don't come out, you'll be the new abbot of Qingniu Temple—the elders will support you."

"And you know what to say…"

With that, he unslung the wooden box on his back, took out a bamboo slip, and said gravely: "The rest is yours. Do not use it unless absolutely necessary."

"Master!"

Ling Feng Zi panicked.

"Stop being so sentimental!"

Chong Xu Zi cursed, then drew his sword and stepped into the mist.

The remaining Qingniu Temple disciples, knowing they had committed grave errors, swallowed the pills without hesitation and followed close behind.

Li Yan nodded to Lu San and entered as well.

Honestly, in this situation, he and Lu San worked best together—bringing anyone else would only be a burden.

Even Wu Ba was no exception.

This situation demanded adaptability. If Wu Ba panicked, inhaled the miasma, and went mad, it would be hard to control.

Entering the thick mist, all was white.

Li Yan formed the Yang Seal, took a shallow breath, and immediately shook his head.

His sense of smell was too sharp—the miasma was thick with yin-sha malice and a cloying, sweet stench.

Though the pill in his belly quickly suppressed the odor, his sense of smell was still disturbed.

Fortunately, the Gou Die still pointed the way.

Chong Xu Zi turned to him. "Li Jushi…"

"Follow me."

Li Yan nodded and stepped ahead to lead.

The valley was large, repeatedly scoured by flash floods, piled high with mud, sand, and stones, and littered with broken, blackened tree trunks.

Stranger still, among the mud and stones, many white fossils were exposed—oddly shaped, each larger than the last.

A flicker of surprise passed through Li Yan's eyes.

Fossils form only when death is followed by rapid burial—usually found within rock.

To see them so exposed was something he'd never seen before.

This valley seemed to hold secrets…

The group hadn't walked far when they found more corpses on the ground—likely from the Salt Gang, all skinned, flesh corroded into blackness.

"Ahh—!"

Suddenly, a scream rang out ahead.

The thick mist churned as a human shape rushed toward them.

As it drew near, Li Yan recognized it: Lu Jiu of the Salt Gang.

Lu Jiu had lost all dignity—his body covered in pus-filled blisters, flesh torn and bloody, eyes blood-red, utterly insane.

No one knew why he hadn't been skinned.

"Watch out—he's become a poison-man. Don't touch him!"

Chong Xu Zi warned sternly, formed a hand seal, and swept his blade, preparing to unleash sword qi.

Boom!

Before he could act, a thunderous crash erupted.

Lu Jiu's upper body exploded into bloody spray and collapsed to the ground.

Li Yan calmly retracted his spear, took a magazine from his waist, and methodically reloaded, scanning the surroundings.

Chong Xu Zi's eye twitched slightly, but he said nothing.

Lu Jiu was dead. The Salt Gang members were likely all dead. The group quickened their pace.

Following the Gou Die's pull, Li Yan soon reached a cave.

The cave was strange—ancient in appearance, yet bearing clear signs of human excavation.

Judging by the terrain, it had once been buried deep underground, exposed only by earthquake and flood.

"Who's there?!"

Chong Xu Zi suddenly spoke, sword pointed upward.

From the cave's rocky entrance slowly emerged three figures: an old man in purple robes, a woman in white palace attire, and a one-eyed man in black Daoist robes, wielding twin knives.

The wandering immortals of Wushan…

(End of Chapter)