Chapter 1978: Gray Haze

"After consuming the Life Medicine Pool deep in the North Sea, where will you go next?"

"The Dragon's Lair..."

"What will you do at the Dragon's Lair?"

"The Dragon's Lair... also has... a medicine pool..."

"Where exactly is it?"

"The White Mist... Restricted Zone..."

While the Three Sons of Sword Tower, Abbot Youxi of the Buddhist Sect, and the newly ascended Cold Ancestor, Yuegong Qi—three separate forces—combined to intercept Shen Yi of the Three Realms, "Xu Beihuai," hidden in the shadows, was also tirelessly busy, truly exhausted.

Shen Yi openly confronted the Demonic Ancestor. He, on the other hand, was covertly competing with the Medicine Ancestor. Some exerted physical strength, others mental power; either way, it was strenuous effort, and mental exertion was far from easy.

Despite deliberately controlling the conversion speed to be slow, Wuliang Jizi quickly processed the massive energy from the North Sea Life Medicine Pool. The entire process took approximately an incense stick's time. This might still alert the Medicine Ancestor, as such a rapid refinement of Ancestral Origin power of that quality would be too fast for a mere Saint Emperor. However, it could also be understood that since it was all energy of the Path of Life, and Beihuai already possessed a Devouring Physique, without fearing the potential negative effects of indigestion, Beihuai would likely choose to consume first and then refine, or to refine while consuming.

Xu Xiaoshou dared not overlook any details. He deliberately wasted a portion of the life elixirs, allowing the severed finger encasing Huai Xin to absorb it directly without refinement, thereby proactively inviting any potential influence from the Medicine Ancestor. Naturally, this severed finger would be discarded afterward. Upon returning to the Crossroads, it would be inserted into Beihuai's body along with Huai Xin, and Beihuai would be manipulated to absorb and refine it. This approach, in fact, carried the risk of being discovered.

However, nothing ventured, nothing gained. The Medicine Ancestor was astute, and there was no way to achieve a zero-risk approach; this was the limit of Xu Xiaoshou's capabilities. For the remaining parts, he could only choose to use the Way of the Mind Compass for guidance, blurring over the details. Fortunately, the current situation, dominated by the confrontation between the Demonic Ancestor and Shen Yi, inherently possessed immense appeal. By subtly directing attention and amplifying the allure of these two, if the Medicine Ancestor could still detect and prioritize Xu Xiaoshou's own minor flaws... then, hats off to you!

And I, the creator of the Ancestor God-level Heavenly Secret Array at the Crossroads, Daomou, would then have no choice but to remove this clown mask of Dao Beihuai, confront you, Shennong Baicao, and offer my sincerest apologies.

"Speaking of which, the Dragon Apricot seems to have been dug from the Dragon's Lair, later planted in the Shennong Medicine Garden on Void Island, and only then entered the Yuanfu World..."

"The Dragon Clan, it seems, has long since declined, with some even reduced to assassins earning spirit crystals for three incense sticks of time, no longer residing in the Dragon's Lair. Only influenced by past dragon power, the Dragon's Lair has become today's Seven Severance Forbidden Zone..."

"Eight Revered Elders once mentioned that before the War of the Ten Revered Seats, he and Shen Yi had a battle in the 'Maze of Consciousness Restricted Zone' within the Dragon's Lair, a place of high laws. Shen Yi had already opened the Three Realms there, though not perfectly..."

"Yet, there was no mention whatsoever of the 'Life Medicine Pool's' existence..."

This constituted Xu Xiaoshou's limited knowledge regarding the Seven Severance Forbidden Zone's Dragon's Lair. In fact, before embarking on this journey, he didn't even have a general idea of where the Dragon's Lair was located within the Five Domains. For some reason, this place simply failed to pique interest, and even trying to learn more about it felt like a waste of time. Upon closer reflection, it suddenly became clear.

The Holy Divine Continent has five domains. Like the Southern Underworld and Northern River, there is a vast ocean between the Central Domain and the Eastern Domain, named the Eastern Sea. The Eastern Sea is boundless, and in its northeastern reaches, within the "Raging Sea Zone" known as the Sea Beast Paradise, lies an archipelago. Here, laws are chaotic, with both high and low levels present. Although opportunities occasionally appear, the risk of death is greater, earning it the title "Seven Severance Forbidden Zone." Adventurers unafraid of death venture here, but even sea beasts dare not approach.

"The White Mist Restricted Zone, among the sixteen major restricted zones, offers mediocre opportunities and resources. It's a desolate place, constantly shrouded in white poisonous mist and miasma."

"It's said that Liu Jiao, the Blackhorn Grand Void, once remarked, 'Strange lands produce strange wonders, obtainable by strange people.' He then ventured deep into the inner circle of the White Mist Restricted Zone, returning half a month later. While not completely empty-handed, his gains were vastly different from his expectations. Furthermore, due to venturing too deep, he accumulated too much soul toxin, and half a year after leaving the zone, he succumbed to it and died."

Upon obtaining relevant information from the Xingjie Muzi Li intelligence organization, Xu Xiaoshou secretly thought the Medicine Ancestor's methods were extraordinary. The White Mist Restricted Zone wasn't the worst, merely average, and not devoid of opportunities. However, the gains were disproportionate to the risks, and it even had a real story of a Grand Void dying from poisoning. Nothing was more repulsive than poisoning, especially the accumulation of soul toxins. Given that other restricted zones offered greater rewards for exploration, among the sixteen zones in the Dragon's Lair, this was likely the one everyone least wanted to visit. Thus, the Life Medicine Pool was better concealed. Therefore, even figures like Eight Revered Elders and Shen Yi, though they approached, would have avoided it?

However, Liu Jiao was not wrong: strange lands produce strange wonders, obtainable by strange people! Within the Dragon's Lair archipelago, with his "Perception" wide open, encompassing both the islands and the underwater realm, he could see myriad sights unseen on the continent. There was the "Bone Dragon Holding the Sun" phenomenon, which created the Profound Passage Restricted Zone, favored by adventurers seeking opportunities, and yielding a fair amount of resources annually. There was the "Jade Dragon Folding the Beach" phenomenon, which created the Maze of Consciousness Restricted Zone. Though yielding low material gains, it allowed for enlightenment—the world only knew it as a treasure trove for enlightenment, unaware that those skilled in Intent could delve deeper to access the high-law consciousness space mentioned by Eight Revered Elders, directly reaching the Transcendent Dao Transformation level. And of course, there was the "Poison Dragon's Saliva" phenomenon, which created the White Mist Restricted Zone. A glance revealed a vast expanse of white, not only obstructing spiritual perception and increasing risk but also accumulating toxins...

Xu Xiaoshou instantly teleported into the White Mist Restricted Zone. Inside, he breathed freely; the mere white mist and poisonous gas, once refined by the "Devouring Power," did no fundamental harm to a "Saint Emperor."

"That's all?"

Beihuai only knew of the White Mist Restricted Zone but not its exact location. Xu Xiaoshou, following Beihuai's pace, used the Paths of Life and Reincarnation to sense and normally search for the precise spatial location. However, he found an additional layer of subtle guidance here, disrupting various Great Dao perceptions. In reality, with the aid of the Path of Space, Xu Xiaoshou quickly located the specific spot. He continued to follow that layer of guidance, as if oblivious to its presence, walking to the source of the white mist and poisonous miasma. It was a white poisonous dragon pearl as tall as a mountain, with dragon shadows shifting inside, and dragon roars could be heard. "Beihuai," seeing this, seemed stunned, reaching out to touch it, as if hesitating whether to shatter and refine it. Ultimately, he chose not to act, as if only then realizing the existence of the guidance, and began a secondary search for his destination.

"Hmm?"

Not long after entering the white mist and poisonous miasma, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt a prickling sensation at the back of his head, as if someone had pricked him with a fine needle. This feeling was very peculiar. Currently, his physical body, spiritual energy, and mental intent were all at the Transcendent Dao Transformation level. Not to mention that the white mist and poisonous miasma originated from a poisonous dragon pearl, which at most seemed to be at the Saint Emperor level. Even the power of a Dragon Ancestor would be unable to invisibly inflict such a prick upon him. Yet, the sensation he just felt was like an illusion. Xu Xiaoshou instinctively wanted to ignore it, but then quickly refocused on his information bar:

"Attacked, Passive Value, 1."

This was truly a long-lost sensation! Moreover, it wasn't a physical attack, nor was it the rumored accumulation of soul toxins that afflicted Liu Jiao. After a careful review, he clearly understood that it was an attack on the mental and consciousness level.

"A mere white mist and poisonous miasma, covering such a vast area, is essentially a diluted attack. Yet it can still harm my Extreme Intent Dao?"

If the real Beihuai had come, even after refining the toxins with his Devouring Power, he likely wouldn't have noticed any anomaly. But Xu Xiaoshou felt something was amiss. Either the Medicine Ancestor's plan ran very deep, or there was something in this White Mist Restricted Zone that transcended his understanding.

Soon after, "Beihuai," under secondary searching, quickly located the spatial node of the Life Medicine Pool. Following the same procedure, his life force crushed the space, and he teleported inside.

"Hmm."

The familiar sense of comfort washed over him. It was still a vast space filled with golden life elixir. However, slightly different from what he had imagined, this time the elixir contained faint white threads, very similar to the miasma outside.

Refine them all! The reckless Beihuai wouldn't care about these details. Devouring Power had the characteristic of ignoring all energy forms; if it wanted to devour, it could, regardless of whether it was poisonous. Coincidentally, Wuliang Jizi was the same.

"This is..."

While devouring, he observed. Soon, Xu Xiaoshou discovered an "unusual object" in this pool as well.

Xu Xiaoshou had already inquired about the handling of Quelei Han's divine transformation from the pool in the North Sea. Beihuai would temporarily set it aside, as forcibly absorbing the Path of Thought through a divine transformation was not an overnight task and would interfere with the normal devouring process. He would first consume the energy from other life medicine pools before tackling the divine transformation, forcibly encompassing the Path of Thought with the Path of Reincarnation and refining it through reincarnation. After all, it was just a divine transformation, not Quelei Han's true body. Beihuai didn't aim for everything; gaining even thirty or sixty percent of the Path of Thorough Thought would be a huge profit. And it was not wise to remove the divine transformation before all the life medicine pools were completely drained, so Beihuai's choice was to temporarily leave it in place.

Xu Xiaoshou helped Beihuai perfect this imperfect idea. The Grand Array at the Crossroads now blocked Ancestor Gods, and the array's controller had already met his demise at Beihuai's hands. This place was now Beihuai's hidden treasure trove, undiscoverable by anyone. Quelei Han happened to be sealed, so the process of moving the divine transformation out of the medicine pool space and transferring it to the Crossroads would not be detected. He then transferred the divine transformation to the Crossroads. This way, firstly, it avoided the Medicine Ancestor's prying eyes and influence on the divine transformation. Secondly, neither the Medicine Ancestor nor the Thought Ancestor would detect when the refinement of the divine transformation began—which was better for Beihuai. Thirdly, this was, of course, to better preserve Quelei Han's divine transformation. Xu Xiaoshou was trying his best to save Cao Cao in a roundabout way, though in reality, he wanted to destroy the divine transformation in one blow, so that no one could obtain it.

On second thought, this was only a temporary solution, not a fundamental one. Regarding the Path of Thought, Beihuai and the Medicine Ancestor could use the Path of Reincarnation to indirectly pursue it by consuming the divine transformation. The Saint Ancestor and Demonic Ancestor could use the Path of Spirit Refining to usurp the Thought Ancestor and indirectly acquire it. These two points could not be changed. Destroying the divine transformation would only benefit the Demonic Ancestor entirely. If the divine transformation wasn't destroyed, then when the Demonic Ancestor made a move, perhaps the Medicine Ancestor would still have an idea, or could use it to counterbalance the Demonic Ancestor?

"Difficult! Difficult! Difficult!"

Although Quelei Han had shifted to the Path of Thought, the Path of Spirit Refining could not be completely removed from him. Above him stood a Demonic Ancestor, just as a Ghost Ancestor stood above Hua Changdeng; this was destined from the beginning. In reality, if Eight Revered Elders hadn't reset everything to zero, it's conceivable that at this moment, he would also face the spirit of the Demonic Ancestor who had taken the authority of the Sword Ancestor upon returning to Sword Tower, making transcendence not so easy. This was a malignant tumor, grown from being fed pig swill. Clearly, Quelei Han was not as fortunate as Eight Revered Elders in avoiding a direct confrontation with the Demonic Ancestor. Whether he could escape the Demonic Ancestor's influence depended on fate, luck, and his own abilities.

"I just don't know if, given the opportunity, I were to throw out this divine transformation, whether Ayue (Medicine Ancestor) would bite at the bait..."

"Given his astuteness, it's probably not easy to trick him..."

Xu Xiaoshou quickly pulled back his scattered thoughts and returned to the unusual object in the life medicine pool before him. This object was not corporeal, utterly different from the Thought Ancestor's divine transformation, and evidently had been stored here for a much longer time. It was a mass of grayish-white mist scattered within the golden elixir, easily overlooked if one wasn't paying attention. It had a viscous feel, and strands of it gently undulated in the liquid. Only when the Devouring Power normally drew it in, and it startled and recoiled, did Xu Xiaoshou notice the anomaly.

This thing possessed independent sentience! Could it be that it had been soaking in this medicine pool for too long, excessively nourished by the power of life, and had become a spirit? As he focused his gaze, and managed to find all the grayish-white mist and coalesce it into a single entity, Xu Xiaoshou realized it wasn't what he had imagined, and his heart tightened:

"Xu Hui's Shadow. Pungent taste, slightly bitter, poisonous. Not to be ingested, not for medicinal use, not for cooking. Contains high-level mental toxins that can cause mental confusion. Slow tempering can strengthen spiritual will, but rapid tempering leads to severe injury or death."

Xu Hui's Shadow! One of the Original Six Xu! A bizarre entity that Elder Sang had mentioned, possibly the origin of the Xu Yue Gray Palace, yet its whereabouts were unknown, and even its abilities were completely unfamiliar.

"This thing, the Medicine Ancestor obtained it early on and stored it here?" Xu Xiaoshou was shocked. He immediately asked Beihuai at the Crossroads, via his hair avatar and Greedy God, but received the answer that Beihuai didn't know either. This implied that perhaps the main gain from the White Mist Restricted Zone wasn't the life elixir pool, but rather Xu Hui's Shadow? Did the prickling sensation he had just felt originate from here? Then the questions arose... Was this the true body of Xu Hui's Shadow, or a clone? Did the Medicine Ancestor store it here to consume it after the reset, or had he already thoroughly researched it—gained Xu Hui's Shadow's abilities—and then discarded it?

Dao Qiongcang, however, had mentioned that the Original Six Xu originated from the Nuo, first obtained by the Saint Ancestor, and also released by the Demonic Ancestor. Did the Medicine Ancestor know this? If he knew, how dare he use Xu Hui's Shadow? There must be Demonic Ancestor's influence within it. If he didn't know, and dared to use Xu Hui's Shadow, did it prove that despite his high self-regard, he was still under the Demonic Ancestor's control?

"Mental toxins that can affect the Extreme Intent Dao..."

Regardless, this intensity was somewhat frightening. If the area radiation could still function, then if concentrated into a single point of attack, could it cause even an Ancestor God to feel pain and become disoriented with one strike? Among masters, a single strike could be fatal. Beihuai lacked explosive power due to the Medicine Ancestor's underhanded tactics. Would the Medicine Ancestor, then, also lack explosive power? The answer, clearly, was no.

Even so, Xu Xiaoshou still felt something was off. He didn't know much about the Original Six Xu. From Elder Sang's intelligence, he had only sparse bits of information. Even with his mastery of culinary arts, he had only analyzed a limited amount of data so far. Regarding Dao Qiongcang's words, there was only information about the Scaly White Witch, whose veracity was unknown.

"But the Scaly White Witch, or Baizhou, was obtained so easily by that flamboyant old Daoist; she seemed extremely weak..."

Firstly, this proved that the Original Six Xu were not very strong. Even if they originated from Nuo, they certainly weren't on par with Ancestor Gods. How could something across space cause him mental damage? He had been able to withstand the abilities of the Corroding Gold Kui back in the Divine Ruins period! Secondly, considering the Original Six Xu, after much thought, was it the Demonic Ancestor controlling the Medicine Ancestor and Dao Qiongcang, or Dao Qiongcang counteracting the Demonic Ancestor, or the Medicine Ancestor plotting against the Demonic Ancestor?

*Hiss*, he couldn't figure it out... If he couldn't figure it out, he'd ask. Xu Xiaoshou was never too proud to ask questions. Moreover, since it concerned Dao Qiongcang, it was for his benefit, and he had already allied with Dao Qiongcang, agreeing to exchange information, so they might as well take what they needed.

"My Dao..."

Before he finished speaking, on the other side of the Spirit Resonance Art, a message instantly returned, causing a slight prickle:

"I'm here."