Chapter 223: Escape to the Sky

The fissure's exit, sunlight suddenly poured down.

Jiangnan squeezed out of the narrow stone crack, seeing daylight again, breathing fresh air, feeling as if he had returned from hell to the world of the living.

He turned his head and glanced at the pitch‑black fissure behind him, which seemed like the gaping maw of a colossal beast.

"Huh…"

Jiangnan let out a long sigh, suppressing the lingering dread in his heart.

He looked around and found himself in a forest, the trees thick and canopy‑blocking. Yet the more he stared, the more familiar the surroundings felt!

At that moment, a faint voice of Xia Yurou came from afar.

"Jiangnan? Is that you?"

Jiangnan's spirit lifted instantly, and he ran toward the direction of the voice.

Through a thicket, he saw Xia Yurou and Feng Ying.

They stood there anxiously, their faces full of worry.

"Jiangnan! Are you okay? What just happened? The ground shook violently!"

Seeing Jiangnan, Xia Yurou rushed forward, asking with concern.

Feng Ying also exhaled, but a trace of seriousness remained in her eyes.

Jiangnan shook his head, indicating he was fine.

"I'm fine, just ran into some mishap."

He said it briefly, not wanting to elaborate.

The most important thing now is to leave Heifeng Mountain quickly.

"Let's get out of here first."

Jiangnan said in a low voice, scanned the surroundings, and after confirming safety, led the two down the mountain.

"By the way, the Xihe Meteorite? Did you find it?"

Feng Ying suddenly recalled something and asked.

Jiangnan's steps faltered slightly, his brows furrowing.

"I didn't have time to look; something happened at Qijiu Sect, and the whole cavern was swallowed by Black Fog."

"What? Black Fog?"

Feng Ying's complexion changed abruptly, exclaiming in shock.

Xia Yurou was also startled by Feng Ying's reaction, looking at them with confusion.

"What's wrong?"

She only knew that the Black Fog of Heifeng Mountain was poisonous, but had no concrete understanding of how terrifying it truly was.

Feng Ying didn't answer Xia Yurou immediately; instead, with a grave expression she looked at Jiangnan and asked hurriedly:

"The Black Fog entered Qijiu Sect? You mean it penetrated deep into the cavern?"

Jiangnan nodded, confirming Feng Ying's speculation.

"Exactly, the Black Fog appeared suddenly, devouring the entire cavern; the people of Qijiu Sect are probably already…"

Jiangnan didn't continue, but the meaning was already clear.

Upon hearing that, Feng Ying's face grew even paler, her body trembling slightly, as if she had heard something extremely dreadful.

She inhaled deeply, forced herself to stay calm, stared at Jiangnan with burning eyes, and said solemnly:

"Jiangnan, there are things I must tell you; they're of great importance, you must listen carefully."

Jiangnan, seeing Feng Ying's solemn expression, felt a faint unease within.

He nodded, indicating Feng Ying to continue.

Feng Ying was silent for a moment, seeming to organize her words, then slowly said:

"Actually… my true identity is not that of an ordinary cultivator."

"I… am a descendant of Zhengyang Sect."

Feng Ying's words, like a sudden thunderclap on flat ground, rang in Jiangnan and Xia Yurou's ears.

Xia Yurou's eyes widened, her face showing disbelief as she looked at Feng Ying.

"Zhengyang Sect? So you are the true heir of Zhengyang Sect!"

She let out a startled cry, her voice trembling.

Who could have imagined that the seemingly ordinary Feng Ying before them was actually a heir of Zhengyang Sect?

Jiangnan, though also surprised inside, remained outwardly calm. He had long suspected Feng Ying's background was unusual, and now it proved true.

"Zhengyang Sect… and the Black Fog of Heifeng Mountain, any connection?"

Jiangnan asked in a deep voice, feeling that Feng Ying's sudden self‑revelation was certainly linked to the Black Fog.

Feng Ying nodded, her expression grave, and said:

"The connection is huge; you could say Zhengyang Sect founded its sect on Heifeng Mountain specifically to suppress the Black Fog!"

"Suppress the Black Fog?"

Jiangnan furrowed his brows, even more puzzled.

"Exactly, the Black Fog of Heifeng Mountain is not natural; it is a condensation of an extremely terrifying malevolent force."

Feng Ying explained, her tone tinged with fear.

"This malevolent force possesses extreme corrosiveness and invasiveness; it can corrode flesh and blood, invade the spirit, and even pollute true Qi."

"Once infected by the Black Fog, the lightest outcome is total loss of cultivation, the worst is the soul's annihilation, becoming part of the Black Fog."

Hearing Feng Ying's description, Xia Yurou's face turned pale, and she shivered.

She finally understood that the Black Fog's horror far exceeded her imagination.

Jiangnan also felt a surge of alarm; he hadn't expected that the black fog of Heifeng Mountain would be so terrifying.

"What about the Qijiu Sect? How are the Qijiu Sect and Zhengyang Sect related?"

Feng Ying sighed, her tone tinged with sorrow and helplessness.

"The Qijiu Sect... is actually also the Zhengyang Sect."

"What? The Qijiu Sect is also the Zhengyang Sect?"

Xia Yurou exclaimed again, feeling that her mind couldn't keep up.

"Isn't the Zhengyang Sect a righteous sect? How could it become the ominously evil Qijiu Sect?"

Jiangnan also felt somewhat surprised, but he quickly calmed down, vaguely guessing something.

Feng Ying nodded, confirming Xia Yurou's speculation.

"To be precise, the Qijiu Sect is a branch of the Zhengyang Sect, or rather... the Zhengyang Sect contaminated by the black fog."

"Back then, the Zhengyang Sect suppressed the black fog on Heifeng Mountain; although it achieved some success, it also paid a heavy price."

"The black fog's power is too great; long-term opposition to it caused some Zhengyang Sect disciples to be corrupted by the fog, their minds gradually becoming twisted and their personalities extreme."

"They began to obsess over the black fog's power, even wanting to use it to enhance their own strength."

"The Zhengyang Sect Leader noticed their abnormality, wanted to stop them, but instead suffered their backlash."

"Those disciples corrupted by the black fog joined forces to kill the Zhengyang Sect Leader, seize control of the Zhengyang Sect, and rename it the Qijiu Sect."

"From then on, the Zhengyang Sect that once suppressed the black fog turned into the Qijiu Sect that uses the black fog to wreak havoc."

Feng Ying's voice low and sorrowful, she recounted a dark history of the Zhengyang Sect unknown to others.

Xia Yurou listened, dumbfounded, completely shocked by this secret.

She never imagined that the evil Qijiu Sect was actually once the righteous Zhengyang Sect.

Jiangnan remained silent, digesting the information Feng Ying had revealed.

He finally understood why the Qijiu Sect fears the black fog so much, and why it occupies Heifeng Mountain.

They are both victims of the black fog and its users.

"The black fog is truly the most terrifying; the Qijiu Sect has already been devoured by the black fog, and the seal on Heifeng Mountain may not hold much longer."

Feng Ying said worriedly, her tone full of concern.

"If the black fog erupts completely, the consequences are unimaginable; the whole world will face a tremendous disaster."