Chapter 2062: Mist Beast

The Mortal World

Fog Sea experiences a unique celestial phenomenon. When it arrives, a vast, tide-like fog engulfs everything, darkening the sky and persisting for years. The Aberrant Race calls this a "Fog Year."

The Fog Year is the most perilous period in Fog Sea. During this time, not only do fog waterfalls occur with greatly increased frequency, but fog beasts also appear in herds, posing a significant threat to the creatures of Fog Sea.

Therefore, the Aberrant Race primarily considers avoiding areas prone to frequent fog waterfalls and fog beasts when choosing their settlements.

The Aberrant Race also has mortals; not everyone can cultivate. Their criterion for judging talent is the amount of fundamental essence inherited from their ancestors. Only those with sufficient talent can comprehend divine abilities and hope to embark on the path of cultivation.

This step is called "Awakening." The vast majority of Aberrant Race members never awaken in their lifetime. Some may awaken, but too late, missing the optimal age, and thus will not achieve great success in cultivation.

Over the years, the Aberrant Race has developed effective methods for coping with Fog Years. Their clans cultivate various crops that can be planted and harvested even during the Fog Year. Before the Fog Year arrives, mortals stockpile enough provisions for a year and do not stray far from their homes during this period. Apart from some restrictions on daily life and travel, they generally manage to live calmly.

When the Fog Year passes, the dense fog around their settlements dissipates, and the sun shines upon the world, making farming and daily life indistinguishable from outside Fog Sea.

Despite this, accidents are inevitable, such as sudden fog waterfalls or rampaging fog beasts. At such times, it feels like a disaster. If cultivators are present to protect them, all is well; otherwise, it becomes a natural calamity.

Whenever this happens, the Aberrant Race organizes cultivators to patrol widely, usually receiving warnings and taking precautions in advance.

Compared to other places, Fog Sea is prone to many disasters. However, precisely because of this, most foreign races are unwilling to enter Fog Sea, allowing the Aberrant Race to enjoy peace without worrying about external invasions.

Gu Ya had also lived in Fog Sea, but her understanding of it was far inferior to Si Lu's. Everyone listened with great novelty as Si Lu recounted various aspects of Fog Sea and the Aberrant Race.

Gu Ya sighed, "If I had known this earlier, we wouldn't have lost so many companions."

Only then did she realize that there were many ways to warn against impending fog waterfalls and fog beast attacks. Although not entirely accurate, these methods could significantly reduce losses caused by them.

The cultivators from the Storm Realm had also gradually summarized some patterns, but only at a bloody cost!

"Daoist Si Lu, will the Fog Year impede our upcoming actions?"

Qin Sang and the others all looked at Si Lu.

"I and Attendant Xia disappeared in this vicinity. Those people haven't found us yet, so they might still be searching. However, during the Fog Year, because they are tasked with patrols, they have to withdraw most of their personnel, which is actually good for us. We might as well leave this sea area first, then consider what to do next…"

Si Lu glanced outside again, seeing the mist flowing like water in the sky, transforming into various fantastical sights. Activating his spirit eyes, he vaguely saw hazy mountain silhouettes deep within the mist. There were no traces of fog beasts or Siyou cultivators nearby, so he asked Qin Sang to summon his Dharma boat, carry everyone, and vanish into the fog.

Wary of Siyou clan experts watching the area, they proceeded with extreme caution, concealing the Dharma boat's aura and flying unhurriedly according to Si Lu's guidance.

The grand formation was located on an island.

Within Fog Sea, there were no vast continents like those in Great Zhou.

The Siyou Royal Family resided on the largest island, which to cultivators of smaller realms, seemed like a vast, boundless land. The entire Siyou territory radiated outwards from this center, with outer islands varying in size and being enfeoffed to various kings.

The subordinate clans attached to the Siyou clan would, in turn, surround the Siyou clan, and other areas followed similar patterns.

However, this did not mean that travel between all these places was unobstructed. Firstly, not all areas were safe habitats. Secondly, in many places, even after the Fog Year passed, the mist would not dissipate. Some extremely dangerous places were avoided even by the Aberrant Race's strongest cultivators, forming natural barriers.

There were even cases where the territories of two major clans were extremely close but had never encountered each other.

The major superior clans traveled between each other using great transfer formations. By common sense, they could go to the Siyou Royal City and then transfer to the Vermilion Ape clan via a great transfer formation. However, Si Lu worried that his adversaries were constantly monitoring the Royal City and dared not approach it.

And the subordinate clans under the Siyou clan did not have transfer formations to other places.

Therefore, to reach the Vermilion Ape clan, they first had to escape the territories of the Siyou clan and its subordinate clans, then cross the border to reach other Aberrant Race territories, and finally, take a detour to the Vermilion Ape clan.

They did not know how far this journey would be, but the previous transfer had already saved them a significant amount of time, so it was still acceptable.

The Dharma boat sped across the sea, constantly changing direction under Si Lu's guidance. Since no aura of Siyou experts was detected, everyone gradually relaxed.

"It seems they've given up searching for you, Daoist," Su Nu said.

"Perhaps."

Si Lu was noncommittal.

Just then, Qin Sang, who was steering the Dharma boat, suddenly frowned, his gaze deepening.

"Are there enemies approaching?"

Su Nu noticed the change in Qin Sang's expression and quickly asked.

Si Lu's expression also tightened instantly.

Qin Sang had the highest cultivation here, and with the help of the Heaven-Eyed Butterfly, neither Su Nu nor Si Lu had detected anything unusual.

Qin Sang stared intently ahead and said in a deep voice, "The aura ahead is wrong. It feels like there's an aura..."

He paused there.

He vaguely felt an aura in the distance that seemed to pose a threat to him, but when he focused his senses, it felt quite strange, unlike that of a Siyou clan expert.

Hearing Qin Sang's description, Si Lu immediately reacted, "It might be a fog beast!"

"Fog beast?"

Qin Sang's expression became serious.

Si Lu nodded, "I've heard about them before. Our clan has always avoided expanding into this sea area because fog beasts are frequently born here and are impossible to completely clear. I didn't expect there to be such a powerful fog beast that could threaten Daoist Qin. The rumors truly weren't false."

After a moment of contemplation, Qin Sang said, "Let's go take a look!"

He also wanted to see what a fog beast looked like, as such powerful ones were rare.

The Dharma boat continued to fly forward. Gradually, Si Lu and Su Nu also sensed the aura. Gu Ya and the others felt a pressure descending, making their hearts tense.

Suddenly, Qin Sang stopped the Dharma boat. Everyone activated their spirit eyes and looked forward.

Unexpectedly, the mist ahead was very thin, not because it had dissipated, but because it was being swallowed by a mass of white fog at its center.

*Whoosh whoosh whoosh…**Crash!*

A storm raged.

They saw an incredibly dense mass of mist drifting on the sea amidst towering waves. As it moved rapidly, it continuously absorbed the surrounding mist.

Inside the white mist, fog waves churned, vaguely revealing strange outlines, like monstrous beasts. Some were enormous, others like ordinary birds or beasts, occasionally surfacing and then sinking deep into the fog mass.

They were pure white, like the mist itself, as if their bodies were made of white fog.

The largest among them was a colossal serpent. When its head occasionally rose, it resembled a large island. Its arched back was comparable to a mountain range, and its erect tail was like a towering divine peak.

They only ever saw a portion of the giant serpent's body, making it easy to deduce that its body was at least ten thousand *zhang* long.

Qin Sang briefly sensed it and then looked at Gu Ya.

Gu Ya trembled, "We've… we've never seen such a fog beast."

She was terrified. This giant serpent fog beast was too terrifying. Its aura and pressure were on par with a Void Refinement cultivator.

The fog beasts encountered in the Storm Realm previously were at most equivalent to Nascent Soul cultivators, and those instances were rare, but each time they caused tragic consequences.

It turned out that the greatest threat was not the Changyou clan at all. If a fog beast comparable to this giant serpent appeared, it could easily flatten the Storm Realm!

"Daoist, please don't worry. Such powerful fog beasts are very rare even in Fog Sea…"

Si Lu noticed the hesitation in everyone's eyes and quickly explained, "The birth of fog beasts is related to spiritual energy. Places with stronger spiritual energy are more likely to produce powerful fog beasts, while places with sparse spiritual energy are not as dangerous. Those places are mostly occupied by the superior clans, who are responsible for clearing them. Subordinate clans generally don't encounter such fog beasts."

Qin Sang pondered this, realizing that the Aberrant Race's choice of clan territory also had to consider their own strength. If their strength was insufficient, forcibly occupying fertile land would only bring disaster to the tribe. Conversely, tribes that declined from prosperity would voluntarily give up their territories and relocate elsewhere without needing to be driven out.

In this way, many conflicts within the Aberrant Race could be resolved invisibly.

"Will the Siyou clan send people to clear this giant serpent later?" Qin Sang looked around but found no one else.

"Not necessarily. They might not have discovered it yet, or if they do, they'll observe for a while. Perhaps this fog beast will soon disappear on its own."

Si Lu explained.

Although fog beasts were dangerous, they were also easy to deal with because they did not exist permanently. Their lifespan was uncertain and unrelated to their strength, a pattern the Aberrant Race had yet to discover.

Fog beasts leave nothing behind after death. Other than honing divine abilities, killing them offers no benefits. As long as it was certain that the fog beast would not invade the tribe, one could simply avoid it from afar and wait for it to dissipate on its own.

"This is a rare opportunity. I want to test the fog beast's divine abilities. Will it cause any trouble?" Qin Sang then asked.

Si Lu hesitated for a moment, "Fog beasts gather and disperse formlessly. Daoist, just be careful not to leave any traces, and it should be fine."

Qin Sang nodded, "Please, two Daoists, cover me!"

Before his words finished, everyone suddenly felt their hearts tighten, as if they were being targeted by some terrifying entity.

The massive serpent's head rose from the fog mass, its eyes two empty sockets, yet everyone could feel a fierce malice emanating from them, making them secretly shiver.

Suddenly, a streak of sword light shot out, simultaneously dispelling the pressure on everyone. Gu Ya and the others quickly steadied their minds.

Qin Sang rose with his sword and charged towards the giant serpent.

Su Nu and Si Lu simultaneously teleported to the sides, guarding the perimeter and casting spells to obscure the fluctuations of the battle.

Getting closer to the giant serpent, the sensation became clearer. This fog beast's aura was indeed comparable to a cultivator in the mid-stage of Void Refinement!

There were other fog beasts within the fog mass, but their strength was at most equivalent to cultivators in the Nascent Soul stage.

The giant serpent stared intently at Qin Sang, its fierce expression growing more intense. It let out a roar, and its enormous body detached from the fog mass, instantly covering half the sky and stirring up wind and clouds with a slight movement.

The fog beasts in the fog mass received their command and surged out in groups, charging towards Qin Sang.

Qin Sang waved his sleeve, and the beast horde melted away like ice and snow. Glancing at the extinguished group of fog beasts, he raised a hand and several wisps of white gas flew into his palm.

The fog beasts reminded Qin Sang of the cloud beasts in the ancient immortal battlefield of the Lesser Cold Domain, but cloud beasts left corpses after death, while the only thing fog beasts left behind was this wisp of white gas. Moments later, the white gas also silently dissipated, and all traces of the fog beast in the world completely vanished.

The giant serpent finally lost its patience. It opened its massive mouth and sprayed out a stream of fog, which shot towards them like a mighty torrent.

Qin Sang's eyes gleamed coldly. The Gray Oriole Sword flashed, appearing above the giant serpent. The next moment, the giant serpent fell into the sword formation.

The sword formation caused less commotion, and within it, everything was controlled by Qin Sang.

In the vast expanse of the Star Sea, perhaps for the first time since its birth, the giant serpent felt tiny. It showed signs of agitation and restlessness, roaring continuously and swinging its tail to collide with the nearest sword star.

*Boom!**Boom!*

The collisions caused the Star Sea to tremble incessantly.

Qin Sang watched with cold eyes, continuously urging star light to strike the giant serpent. After some time, he found that the giant serpent only had those few repetitive moves and utterly lacked any understanding of how to break a formation.

With a slight thought, Qin Sang deliberately exposed a flaw, which the giant serpent immediately detected. It instantly turned its head and charged towards it.

Qin Sang then mended the flaw and altered the formation, causing the giant serpent to revert to its previous, futile attempts.

"Its spiritual perception is very keen, but its intelligence is limited. It acts purely on instinct. However, if my strength were insufficient, and it kept crashing like this, if I couldn't respond effectively, I would eventually expose a weakness."

Qin Sang observed the giant serpent and finally concluded, "Although this beast is powerful, ordinary early-stage Void Refinement cultivators should be able to handle it."

With this thought, Qin Sang no longer held back. He activated the superimposed dual formations, and sword lights, one after another, slashed towards the giant serpent.

The giant serpent was finally defeated. Its body was cut into several sections, but with a ripple of mist, it regenerated as before, though its aura weakened slightly and its body became smaller.

This was the troublesome aspect of fog beasts: they had no vital points and were difficult to kill.

Qin Sang continuously used sword light to dissipate it. The giant serpent's body shrunk repeatedly until it finally vanished. Like other fog beasts, after its death, only a w wisp of white gas remained, which then dissipated into nothingness.

Seeing Qin Sang extinguish the fog beast, everyone gathered around, wiped away the residual aura, and fled on the Dharma boat.

Not long after they left, two streaks of light flew over. They were two Siyou clan cultivators.

After circling the area, one of them said strangely, "Did Master make a mistake? There's no fog beast here."

"Master inferred from the celestial phenomenon that an 'Empty Realm' fog beast might appear in this area. He only asked us to come and check, not that there definitely would be one."

The other person looked around, his face showing delight, "It's even better if there's no Empty Realm fog beast. Otherwise, we'd have to keep watching this area. Now we can go back and report."

His companion stopped him, "No rush! Let's search a bit more…"

The two activated their escape lights and searched the vicinity for a while longer. Finding nothing, they returned the way they came.

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