Volume Three: Rising Fame - Chapter Seventy-Seven: Thick Fog Descending

At first, there was only a thin mist, but in no time, the fog thickened densely, filling the air from some unknown source, making it impossible to see even a few meters ahead.

This eerie transformation immediately raised the alarm among Xiang Yadan and the others. As they cautiously explored and sought a way out, someone behind them was suddenly pulled into the dense fog by some unseen force.

Only terrifying screams and the sound of chewing echoed through the air.

This sudden change tightened everyone's hearts, and without hesitation, they all rushed toward the source of the sound.

The screams gradually faded.

By the time they reached the approximate location, there was no sound at all.

“Brother Ruomu? Brother Ruomu?” Xiang Yadan called out sorrowfully, but there was no response.

“There's blood here!” someone noticed marks on the ground where something had been dragged, with scattered drops of blood alongside.

They followed the trail; the bloodstains grew larger, as if it had been spilled recklessly.

But soon, the trail abruptly ended, as did the bloodstains. They searched around thoroughly but found nothing—the person dragged into the mist had vanished as if into thin air.

Xiang Yadan’s face was heavy with sorrow, her eyes filled with a grave seriousness.

It had all happened too quickly. Whether the assailant was human or ghostly, she couldn't see clearly. Even though they immediately pursued after the person was taken, there was no trace or sign of success.

“Let’s get out first,” someone suggested.

They were already on edge due to the strange fog, and now with someone mysteriously disappearing, no one wanted to stay even a moment longer.

“Let’s… leave the small mountain first. We’ll look for Brother Ruomu once the fog clears,” Xiang Yadan agreed.

The group regrouped and began moving in one direction, but then another anomaly was discovered.

“That’s not right—Zhuang Huarong is missing too! Did anyone see him?”

Only now did everyone realize that among those who went looking for Ruomu, one more person had silently disappeared.

If it weren’t for someone familiar with Zhuang Huarong, they might have left without noticing.

“Let’s count heads!” Xiang Yadan said firmly.

Just one missing, Zhuang Huarong, but what if more went missing? If they didn’t search, how could they abandon someone still alive?

Xiang Yadan spoke with some difficulty, “Hold hands, circle around me. That way we can prevent anyone from suddenly disappearing! Maybe the fog is just too thick and we got separated… If that happens, we’ll have to leave first and come back after the fog clears.”

“Alright!” faint voices answered.

One cultivator… how could they just get separated?

It was more likely that something terrible had happened. No one said this aloud, but the oppressive unease weighed heavily on their hearts.

…

Li Yu and Wen Xiangxuan exchanged a few words. When they looked up, they saw a shocking scene.

A rolling mass of fog came rushing down from above, like an avalanche, spreading rapidly toward the foot of the mountain.

Their faces changed simultaneously, and both leapt into the cave. Li Yu turned back and struck the rocks at the cave entrance, causing them to fall and block the passage.

This fog was so strange—who knew if it was deadly to touch?

Li Yu was not satisfied with just that. He took soil and stones from inside and layered them over the entrance, stacking carefully to leave no gaps.

“What’s going on?”

The people left in the cave were terrified and confused, not knowing what had happened, only seeing Li Yu frantically sealing the entrance.

Wen Xiangxuan explained briefly from the side.

“Fog?!”

The group erupted in murmurs.

Li Yu rolled up his Snowstorm Ghost Crystal and sat at the back. In the darkness, he infused spiritual power into his eyes, easily seeing the cave’s interior.

“Don’t panic. The fog came suddenly, but I estimate it will dissipate just as quickly,” Li Yu said, settling into a cross-legged position. “Besides, there are strange beasts inside the mountain, which means this fog probably isn’t harmful. I’m just being cautious!”

His words eased much of the tension in the cave.

Li Yu stared intently at the entrance. If the fog really crept in, he would have no choice but to retreat to Blue Star for refuge.

“Boom!”

A dull sound echoed outside, as if the fog had rolled down and crashed at the mountain’s base.

After a long moment, no fog entered the cave. Li Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed they were safe—at least for now.

A few dry branches had been brought into the cave recently. Li Yu focused his mind, striking them with lightning, sparking fires that soon spread. The flames cast a dim glow, providing faint light within the cave.

“Since we can’t get out anyway, you can train using the Snowstorm Ghost Crystals,” Li Yu suggested when he saw the group sitting listlessly around the dry branches.

“Use… Snowstorm Ghost Crystals… to train?!” everyone was shocked. Wasn’t that a waste of such a treasure? But watching Li Yu’s face flicker in the dim light, they suddenly understood.

This was the highest practical use of the crystals at the moment!

Strength was the fundamental basis for survival in the secret realm, not treasures. Without strength, carrying such treasures around was no better than a child running into a bandit den clutching gold.

“After all, he’s from a great clan! I bet this was planned from the start,” everyone sighed. None of them had the courage to turn these crystals into their own power right away.

After all, transforming them into cultivation was like trading gold for copper—how many had the guts to make such a choice?

“I’ll protect you during cultivation,” Li Yu said considerately.

After everyone took out the inner liquid of their Snowstorm Ghost Crystals and swallowed it to cultivate, Li Yu busied himself, inspecting here and there, fully in his role.

After a while, he muttered, “Should be fine now!”

He looked at the crystals beside him, then focused his mind. Spiritual power surged suddenly, crushing three crystals, their inner liquids floating in the void.

Guided by his spiritual power, the liquids merged into one, gliding gracefully through the air before finally entering Li Yu’s mouth.

“Protect me!” he whispered to Shen Yishuang beside him, then closed his eyes and entered cultivation.

Shen Yishuang obediently sat beside the boy. By firelight, she observed Li Yu’s closed eyes, then carefully scanned the surroundings. Given her proximity to Li Yu, even Wen Xiangxuan, a peak sixth-rank cultivator, would have difficulty attacking without Shen Yishuang whisking Li Yu underground.

When Li Yu regained awareness, she would hand the problem over to him.

“Whoosh!”

The Snowstorm Ghost Crystal’s inner liquid was a milky white fluid. After Li Yu swallowed it, it slid down his throat and transformed into pure spiritual power, surging through his entire body.

Again and again, it cleansed every inch, refreshing him from head to toe.

Though Li Yu’s Thunder Bloodline was already fully developed, the cleansing power of three Snowstorm Ghost Crystals still gave him a subtle boost.

This was the terrifying effect of the Snowstorm Ghost Crystals!

Most importantly, after cleansing, much of the power was directed into his thunder meridians, replenishing spent energy. Under his conscious control, the remaining vast spiritual power surged into his dantian, intertwining with his vital energy to become a form of thunder spiritual power he could manipulate at will.

“Snap!”

Three more crystals were crushed by spiritual power, their inner liquids flowing into Li Yu’s mouth.

Bit by bit, nine of the crystals beside Li Yu turned to powder. Only then did Wen Xiangxuan, who was cultivating nearby, open her eyes.

“I feel that with just two or three more, I could advance to fifth rank!” she murmured, then glanced at the others. Everyone else had their eyes closed in cultivation.

“I’m the fastest absorber?”

She had just said this when her gaze fell behind Li Yu, and she was stunned.

“So many missing? All absorbed by him?”

Li Yu had over sixty Snowstorm Ghost Crystals, and nine had vanished visibly—such a large amount startled her greatly.

She was on the verge of entering the fifth rank, with few weak spots left to refine. She only needed to absorb a massive influx of spiritual power, so how was Li Yu absorbing so quickly?

But Wen Xiangxuan noticed that her surprise seemed to catch Shen Yishuang’s attention. The latter looked coldly at her.

“…”

Wen Xiangxuan swallowed another dose of the inner liquid and resumed cultivation.

Once she was confirmed to be in a meditative state, Shen Yishuang shifted her gaze away after a careful look at her face.

After some time, Xing Chengping finished absorbing the inner liquid of the first Snowstorm Ghost Crystal. He opened his eyes and immediately noticed the oddity behind Li Yu, looking over several times.

“Snap!”

Right as he watched intently, three crystals behind Li Yu were squeezed by spiritual power, their liquids floating into Li Yu’s slightly parted mouth.

“This…”

Xing Chengping was startled, tugging at his beard before realizing what was happening.

He knew his own process: absorbing one dose took a long time, mostly spent cleansing his meridians and strengthening their resilience. His plan was to nurture the meridians steadily, step by step.

Seeing Li Yu gulp down the liquid like this, he could only sigh in disbelief.

Xing Chengping glanced at Wen Xiangxuan, noticing two opened Snowstorm Ghost Crystals beside her.

“So, she’s trying to break into fifth rank? I can’t fall behind!”

Without hesitation, he swallowed another dose of the inner liquid.

…

“The Snowstorm Ghost Crystals seem fine, but I feel there might be something different about these ones…”

After the last crystal was used up, Li Yu closed his eyes for ten minutes before opening them again.

“What? Why is everyone staring at me?” Li Yu asked, a bit speechless at the many wide and narrow eyes on him.

“Yu Ge, you absorbed them all?” Xiong Xiuer gestured toward his back.

“Didn’t you see?” Li Yu turned back; there were no crystals remaining behind him.

“You… you… don’t need to consolidate your meridians?” everyone was stunned.

“What’s so surprising about that?” Li Yu replied casually. “You all only train your meridians in a rush? Or just a little bit every day?”

As he spoke, his gaze shifted. “You two are already fifth rank?”

“Master, just barely. I managed to barely clutch it at the last moment,” Wen Xiangxuan smiled.