Chapter 1089: Caught Up Within

When Han Wuxian left Ten Thousand Poison Valley, they did not deliberately conceal their whereabouts, yet no one could truly perceive their existence.

The Light Dao Mark circulates over their body, merging their form into the surrounding light and shadow. They walk through the forest, their robe brushing the grass leaves without even startling a dewdrop; when stepping across a stream, the instant their toe touches the water surface, the Dao Mark flickers faintly, yet it does not stir a single ripple. This is no longer mere concealment, but the ultimate control of the "compatibility" between self and environment.

Their breath, stride, even the rhythm of their heartbeat can achieve a subtle balance with the cosmic rhythm of the surrounding world.

Three days later, they arrived at the Black Stone Market, the closest market to Ten Thousand Poison Valley.

The archway at the market entrance bears crooked runes, a warning array set by low‑level cultivators; to the late‑stage Nascent Soul Han Wuxian, it is no different from nothing. They stroll in, eyes sweeping the stalls on either side hawking magical implements and pills, their gaze calm and untroubled.

After three years of arduous cultivation, they have lost interest in the "treasures" that ordinary cultivators flock to like moths. Star‑marrow veins are readily available, the *Star Expansion Technique* iterates on its own, and even the fragmented star blades show faint signs of advancing to mid‑tier artifacts through their daily polishing. They came to the market merely to exchange some ingredients for forging a Stealth Pill; although the Light Dao Mark can conceal their form, it cannot fool those old monsters versed in fengshui arts, and the pill provides an extra layer of protection.

"Did you hear? The Moon‑Cutter Sword Sect of the Central Heaven has been completely annihilated!"

"More than that! I also heard that even the Heavenly Cold Palace of North River was turned upside down, and seven of the palace master's direct disciples were killed!"

Passing a teahouse, the murmurs emanating from inside caught Han Wuxian's attention.

They chose a corner by the window, ordered the cheapest coarse tea, and, with the auditory boost provided by the Light Dao Mark, heard the conversation of the cultivators at the neighboring table crystal clear.

"Are you talking about the 'Gray Mist Yanluo' thing?" a black‑robed cultivator whispered, his tone trembling with fear, "That demon is insane—within three months he challenged seven major sects, and even three veteran great beings of the Five Realms were slain by him!"

"What demon?" another young cultivator asked, "I just came out of a secret realm; how have I never heard of this name?"

"Shh, lower your voice!" the black‑robed cultivator said anxiously, glancing around, "'Gray Mist Yanluo' is a ruthless figure that only emerged in the past few hundred years; no one has seen his true form, only that each appearance is accompanied by a sky‑filled gray mist, and shadows that emerge from the mist can Devour a cultivator's soul, even a Nascent Soul cannot escape!"

"The most terrifying part is that the top great beings of the Five Realms have already joined forces!" the black‑robed cultivator took a sip of tea, his voice dropping even lower, "I heard that last month at Soul‑Severing Cliff they launched a siege, deploying three Great Vehicle Stage cultivators, yet that Yanluo still escaped; even the mid‑Great Vehicle 'Thunder Spirit' elder was left gravely wounded!"

"Hiss," the young cultivator inhaled sharply, "So powerful? No one knows what he actually wants?"

"Who knows..." the black‑robed cultivator sighed, "Some say he's searching for something; others claim he's an ancient aberration who cultivates by Devouring souls. But in my view, he most likely offended an untouchable Existence; think about it—if he can make the great beings of the Five Realms set aside grudges and hunt him together, Yanluo must have stuck his nose into a massive trouble!"

Han Wuxian set down the teacup, and the Light Dao Mark at their fingertips flickered imperceptibly.

They have no interest in the grudges of the Five Realms' great beings, nor wish to involve themselves in these disputes.

But the modus operandi of 'Gray Mist Yanluo'—that reckless ruthlessness—suggests that Xiao Ran must have once harbored a deep enmity with him.

What concerns them more is that the black‑robed cultivator mentioned the gray mist's ability to Devour a Nascent Soul, which differs from the Green‑scaled Old Monster's poison techniques and resembles a rule‑based force that acts directly on the soul. The Star‑Earth Seed within their body contains the primordial soul of stars and earth; should they encounter this gray mist, what would happen?

"Boss, check out," Han Wuxian tossed a low‑grade Spiritual Stone, rose, and headed toward the herb stall deeper in the market.

They had no intention of tracking down 'Gray Mist Yanluo'. The world's disputes are like minnows crossing a river; they lack both the energy and the interest to get involved. Yet the words just heard were like a stone tossed into their tranquil heart‑lake, sending a faint ripple.

After purchasing the herbs, they did not linger and left the Black Stone Market directly.

Reaching the fork outside the market, they looked up toward the direction of Soul‑Severing Cliff; the horizon there faintly churned with thunderclouds, and even from a thousand li away, a faint whiff of blood lingered.

"Great beings of the Five Realms... Gray Mist Yanluo..." Han Wuxian murmured softly.

They turned and stepped into the dense forest, their figure quickly merging with the dappled interplay of tree shadows and Light Dao Mark. The Light Dao Mark completely concealed their aura; only the rustle of wind through leaves could be heard, as if whispering of a storm soon to sweep the Five Realms.

They still proceeded as planned toward the next ley‑line node, intending to fortify their late‑stage Nascent Soul cultivation. Yet, for some reason, the words 'Gray Mist Yanluo' fell like a faint shadow upon their mind.

Perhaps this hunt has nothing to do with them.

Perhaps, at some unnoticed corner, fate has already entwined them silently with that sky‑filled gray mist.

The ley‑line qi of the Falling Star Abyss is wilder than that of Ten Thousand Poison Valley; pale‑purple spiritual energy constantly gushes from fissures in the rock layers, pricking like needles. If an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator were to absorb it directly, their meridians would likely be tangled into chaos.

Han Wuxian chose a massive stone half‑encased by a star‑marrow vein to sit upon; the Light Dao Mark flickered faintly on their surface, sifting the raging spiritual energy strand by strand, extracting only the purest essence of the ley‑line source, while the residual mixed qi is crushed by star power into harmless specks of light that dissipate into the air.

They had intended to meditate here to solidify their late‑stage Nascent Soul realm, but did not expect that three days into meditation, a shrill sound of something tearing through the air jolted them awake.

"That demon must have hidden in the Falling Star Abyss! Search!"

A coarse, thunderous shout reverberated, shaking loose the fragments on the cliff wall; Han Wuxian opened their eyes, and their crimson‑gold pupils reflected several streaks of fleeing light crossing the sky, the foremost being a Cultivator of the Transforming Spirit stage.

Behind them followed seven or eight cultivators with strong auras, the lowest being mid‑stage Nascent Soul, evidently a hastily assembled pursuit squad.

Han Wuxian slightly moved their fingertips, and the Light Dao Mark instantly Assimilated their aura with the surrounding ley‑line qi. They were not afraid of these people; they simply were too lazy to cause trouble. Though the Transforming Spirit stage is powerful, if a fight truly broke out, they might still have an escape method, but there is no need to waste effort on irrelevant individuals.

This group clearly held great apprehension toward the Falling Star Abyss; after landing, they did not rush in but instead erected a 'Soul‑Lock Array', encircling the entire abyss bottom. When the array pattern illuminated, Han Wuxian distinctly sensed the surrounding ley‑line qi being forcibly severed, even the massive stone they were hidden within trembled slightly.

"Trouble—seems I've been drawn into it after all."