Chapter 378: Mist Demon

Lu Xiunian's expression shifted slightly. Xie Liushu was the chief disciple of the Joyous Union Sect; if anything happened to him under Lu Xiunian's watch, how would he explain it to the sect? Hearing the cry for help, he immediately grasped the black iron flexible silk without hesitation.

He pulled hard. With a whoosh, Xie Liushu was yanked out of the poisonous mist, slamming heavily towards their location. Lu Xiunian instinctively moved to catch him, but then he heard Xie Liushu shout urgently, "Don't touch me, stay away from me!!!" Lu Xiunian immediately noticed that dense, multicolored poisonous mist clung to Xie Liushu, like ants swarming over him, clinging tightly in wisps.

This made Lu Xiunian's scalp tingle. Having suffered greatly from it before, he quickly dodged away and simultaneously shouted, "Everyone, make way!" The others scattered and retreated far away.

Jiang Fan's reaction was the quickest. He had already been on guard the moment Xie Liushu was pulled out of the poisonous mist. He instantly activated his movement technique, grabbed Qin Wangchuan, and in the blink of an eye, moved dozens of meters away.

A dull thud. Xie Liushu crashed heavily onto the ground. The multicolored poisonous mist clinging to him splattered in all directions. Several disciples, caught off guard, had the poisonous mist splash onto them. Their clothes were immediately corroded away, and the mist began to spread to their skin.

"Ah!" Screams and shrieks, one after another, echoed through the air. Some agile disciples promptly ripped off their clothes to avoid skin contact. Those who reacted a beat too late had their skin corroded by the multicolored poisonous mist, which immediately began to rot their flesh. Helpless, the unaffected fellow disciples nearby decisively drew their swords and sliced off the affected flesh, thus saving the others' lives.

Lu Xiunian was not spared either. But he reacted quickly, tearing off the blue outer robe he was wearing. Xue Wanzhong, wearing little to begin with and possessing a massive physique, was splattered by four or five streaks of the multicolored poisonous mist. He remained calm. He vibrated his body, and a faint stream of purple blood seemed to flow within him, expelling the multicolored poisonous mist from his body. Apart from a few painful burning marks, he was largely unharmed.

In just a moment, the scene descended into chaos.

Lu Xiunian's expression was grave as he asked, "What happened? Why did you suddenly turn back?"

Xie Liushu continuously guzzled down several bottles of unknown elixirs. The multicolored poisonous mist, which had been burning his skin, rapidly extinguished as if fire had met an ice wall. Only a few dark red marks remained on his fair skin. Xie Liushu wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth, a result of his fall, and said, still shaken: "This poisonous mist isn't natural!"

Only then did everyone notice that Xie Liushu had an unusually high number of burn marks on his face and around his heart. Other areas had relatively fewer marks. What did this indicate? It showed that the poisonous mist was deliberately attacking his vital points: his head and heart! How could naturally occurring multicolored poisonous mist behave like this? Clearly, someone was controlling the mist!

Xie Liushu's face was grim as he stared into the depths of the poisonous mist. "If I hadn't called for help decisively, I might have died in there!" Everyone felt a chill of dread. The lingering marks of dense poisonous mist attacks on his face and heart were enough to confirm that his words were not false.

Lu Xiunian's face darkened, and he shouted into the poisonous mist, "Who dares cause trouble on the grounds of my Supreme Oneness Sect? You lowly scoundrel! Get out here!" He found it strange why this poisonous mist only spread within the mining area of the Supreme Oneness Sect's territory, not a single wisp drifting in any other direction. So, someone unknown was secretly controlling it!

He had assumed the other party wouldn't dare to respond. Surprisingly, the poisonous mist churned violently, coalescing into a pair of eyes filled with mockery! What made their expressions change even more was that the concentration of the poisonous mist was increasing at an alarming rate. This was clearly a provocation!

"Who exactly are you?" Lu Xiunian demanded angrily.

Jiang Fan stared at the poisonous mist, slowly walked back, and mused: "It might not be human."

Everyone felt a chill down their spine. If not human, then what could it be?

Jiang Fan surveyed the poisonous mist and said, "Anyone capable of controlling such a potent mist without being harmed by it must at least be a Grandmaster of Poison Arts. And there is no such figure within the lands of our Nine Sects." This made sense. It couldn't possibly be someone from outside this realm, just bored and coming to release poisonous mist on the Supreme Oneness Sect's territory, could it? There was no animosity or grievance. It was entirely unnecessary.

Lu Xiunian's eyes showed surprise. "If not human, then what is it?" In truth, he and everyone present already had an answer in their minds. They just weren't entirely sure.

Jiang Fan stroked his chin and said, "There's a type of demonic beast called a Mist Demon. They are naturally transparent and can manipulate poisonous mist to harm people. Based on what Chief Xie described, the one who attacked him is very likely a Mist Demon."

"A Mist Demon?" Lu Xiunian murmured the name to himself, and then suddenly noticed that the multicolored poisonous mist that had just been taunting him was gradually calming down, as if it had become apprehensive. His eyes lit up. "You were right, it really is a Mist Demon! Does this demon have a weakness?"

Jiang Fan said, "Fire."

Lu Xiunian chuckled, "Coincidentally, I've brought quite a few fire-attribute talismans on this trip." He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a thick stack of talismans. There were various kinds, all of them, without exception, for fire attacks! "A mere Mist Demon dares to cause trouble right under the Supreme Oneness Sect's nose! Go!"

With a flick of his hand, all the talismans were activated. They flew with whooshing sounds, covering the sky and smashing into various corners of the poisonous mist.

"Aoo!" Suddenly, a wail of agony came from a corner of the poisonous mist. Visibly, an irregular mass of the poisonous mist was ignited by a ball of flame, writhing and howling mournfully. Before long, as the flames consumed it, it crashed to the ground and was burned away, leaving no trace.

Lu Xiunian let out a long sigh of relief. "Provoke me? You're looking for death!" Having dealt with the instigator, Lu Xiunian was in a much better mood and, for once, gave Jiang Fan a smile. "I have you to thank this time. Later, I'll consult with the sect and send a token of gratitude to your Azure Cloud Sect."

Jiang Fan was indifferent. He looked towards the misty, poisonous area and said, "If you truly want to thank me, let me go first." Now that the Mist Demon was destroyed, there shouldn't be any danger.

Xue Wanzhong snorted. "It's not your turn yet!" He grabbed one end of the black iron flexible silk, tied it around his waist, revealing his determined intention, and leaped into the poisonous mist. His massive physique was like an iron tower, crashing through the multicolored poisonous mist, causing it to disperse. He literally carved out a visible path. The poisonous mist that clung to him was easily shaken off by his activation of the Ancient Giant bloodline. Apart from leaving a few painful burn marks, it could barely harm him.

Xie Liushu's face was filled with indignation. "Damn it, he's getting a huge advantage! If it weren't for that Mist Demon, the Seven-Colored Profound Ice would be mine by now."

Lu Xiunian stroked his beard and exclaimed, "He's about to find the Seven-Colored Profound Ice. This time, it's a sure thing."

Wang Yunge's face was full of envy. "As expected of the Ancient Giant bloodline, it truly has a unique way of dealing with potent poisons. That's invaluable Seven-Colored Profound Ice, and he's getting it just like that!" However, when he glanced at Jiang Fan not far away, he couldn't help but feel a sense of schadenfreude. "If I were you, I wouldn't have revealed the Mist Demon. Now look, with the Mist Demon gone, he'll get it as easily as picking something from his pocket, with no difficulty at all."

Jiang Fan folded his arms, frowning slightly: "He might not be able to get it."