Chapter 48: There Are Immortals

“Senior Brother Nie…”

“Fairy Meng…”

The fog came extremely fast. Before everyone could react, Meng Zhixue and the disciples near the front vanished into the demonic mist. Thick, rolling fog intertwined violently, like a ladle of water poured suddenly into boiling oil. From within came faint cries of “Danger!” and “Be careful!”, sounding strangely distant and muffled, as if a single, thin veil of mist separated worlds.

At that moment, besides the disciples who had rushed into the valley and Fang Cun who had pulled back, eight or nine others, too slow to react, still guarded the valley’s edge and hadn’t entered. Now flustered, they retreated while shouting, “What happened?!”

Inside the valley, the demonic mist churned violently for quite some time before slowly settling. A female voice then sounded, “It’s just some mountain trapper’s snare. How could you lot fall for that? What kind of Qi Refiners are you?” It then called outwards, “False alarm! Come in now, but be careful not to step on the traps!”

The voice belonged unmistakably to Meng Zhixue.

Outside the valley, the disciples Meng Zhixue had just warned out were stunned. The voice was clearly hers, but now it sent an eerie chill crawling into their bones.

“Why are you retreating? Quick, come in… I’m waiting for you…”

Meng Zhixue’s voice called out again and again, strangely unlike her usual tone, now tinged with a coaxing softness.

These disciples, who had clearly just escaped danger moments before, began to look dazed. A vacant stupor crept onto their faces, and they slowly raised their feet to walk towards the demon valley. It was even clear that some resisted internally. On some faces, half was entranced, half terrified. Their legs wouldn’t obey them, forcing them forward step by step…

Even the Little Fox Girl held by Fang Cun seemed dazed and started walking inwards.

Fang Cun’s expression turned cold. Suddenly, he stamped his foot hard.

Crash!

Dead leaves and pine needles flew up around him, driven by an invisible force, shooting like needles towards the entranced disciples.

At the same time, he grabbed the Little Fox Girl’s ear and gave it a sharp twist.

“Ouch!”

Several disciples cried out in sudden pain, snapping out of it and scrambling backwards.

The Little Fox Girl, jolted awake by the pain, looked around frantically and hastily hid behind Fang Cun.

“Leave. NOW!” Fang Cun’s cold shout cut through the air like thunder. The shaken disciples’ expressions cleared immediately. Panicked, they flew backwards, retreating as fast as possible.

Boom!

Seeing this, the mist inside the valley surged outwards, coiling urgently into a huge claw to grab at them. However, the claw dissipated less than thirty zhang out. By then, Fang Cun and the disciples had already bolted over a hundred zhang away, still fleeing flat-out.

Even the Little Fox Girl scrabbled frantically along the ground, fleeing swiftly, her fluffy tail swishing wildly in the night…

…

“What do we do?! What do we do?!”

“What evil thing is in that valley?! Even Fairy Meng and the others fell silent so quickly!”

“Senior Brother Nie charged in to hold them off to save us!”

“We… what can we do now?!”

They had fled several miles before finally stopping briefly on the mountain trail. The disciples, mere Academy Disciples, were utterly terrified by such strangeness. Panic surged through them, their minds blank.

“Stop panicking!” Fang Cun stepped out from the shadows, his face unusually stern and cold. “Does it fix anything?”

“Second Young Master Fang… us… how can we save them now?”

Seeing Fang Cun calmed the disciples slightly; they rushed to him as if grabbing a lifeline.

“We can’t save them!” Fang Cun’s thoughts raced, voice icy cold. “Whatever’s in that demon valley is far stronger than us. The only way now is to fetch help. Get back to Willow Lake City fast! Bring whoever we can – Academy Masters, Instructors, even the Divine Generals!”

The disciples gasped in shock but quickly agreed. One immediately prepared to leap into flight.

Someone near him yanked him back angrily, “Are you crazy?! Can you fly all the way to Willow Lake City?! Go get the horses!”

“Right! And quick, plead for Fairy Meng’s Snow Stag! It’s fastest…”

…

“The methods of Qi Refiners are indeed bizarre and unpredictable!” Fang Cun took a deep, cold breath as he watched the disciples scatter in chaotic haste. He turned and looked towards the valley. It was utterly silent. Not a sound. The night breeze brushed through the mountains, and Fang Cun’s face was tight, his features sharp as if carved with a knife. The scenes from moments earlier flashed before his eyes: The entity within the mist subdued Meng Zhixue and He Zhenzhang without anyone noticing, then mimicked their voices to lure us in… Meaning, entering the valley equals capture! Capturing Meng Zhixue and He Zhenzhang, plus all those other Academy Disciples, in a single breath… The opponent must be in the Treasured Body Realm, or higher… Or they set a Demonic Array in the valley! Meng Zhixue was captured, yet managed to warn us. Means she wasn’t killed! Means they’re trapped, but resisting! Able to warn! If the opponent was in the Treasured Body Realm, or stronger, they would have chased me down by now. But they didn’t. They only lured. Means either they can’t leave the valley, or their power is insufficient…

In an instant, countless thoughts intertwined within Fang Cun’s mind, gradually forming answers.

Fang Cun snapped his eyes open, looking towards the valley, conviction solidifying: That Demon Valley hides a secret, guarded by a Demonic Array. The guardian can mimic voices, but their own cultivation isn’t exceptionally high. Not stronger than a joint effort of the Academy Disciples. They trapped Meng Zhixue and the others only by exploiting the array! His array has a flaw! Or, Meng Zhixue possesses a Magic Treasure that temporarily resisted it! He didn’t risk exiting the array to chase me, because he hadn’t fully subdued Meng Zhixue and the others yet! Seeing me escape, he has only two choices: Kill the trapped disciples to silence them, then cover their tracks…

…

With all threads clear in his mind, Fang Cun’s gaze turned cool and ruthless. “Those disciples reporting back to the Academy… the round trip takes too long. It will be too late… So, right now, I have only…” He took a deep breath, a decision formed. He looked towards the Little Fox Girl beside him. She clung tightly to him, even more frightened than he was, hugging her big fluffy tail, shivering uncontrollably, teeth chattering.”Stop grinding your teeth. Not good for them when you’re grown,” Fang Cun patted her head gently. “Find a place to hide. Don’t go near the valley entrance again!”

The Little Fox Girl looked up at his face, trembling slightly, then firmly tucked her chin against her chest.Fang Cun himself slowly turned around. Gazing into the deep velvet night before him, his robes suddenly billowed out. He strode forward. His pace quickened with each step. After a few zhang, he suddenly planted both feet hard and shot into the air.

The Little Fox Girl following behind Fang Cun gawked, stunned. Watching the white-robed figure soaring upwards, she felt like she was seeing an immortal.

…

A Qi Refiner’s innate ability: Object Manipulation!

The most difficult Art within Object Manipulation was the Flying Sky Technique!Using an invisible force to soar through the air, maneuvering freely, swift as lightning! Though the Flying Sky Technique allowed flight, it consumed Internal Breath extremely fast. Ordinary Qi Refiners might manage to levitate briefly, but due to insufficient Internal Breath, they couldn’t fly far and risked plummeting. Fang Cun, however, possessed exceptionally pure Internal Breath. He could actually fly considerably further than others. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the night sky.

A cliff edge loomed ahead. Fang Cun’s Internal Breath drained rapidly, forcing him to descend. He opened his umbrella. Held suspended mid-air, he floated down gently.

Seizing this moment, Fang Cun summoned the Celestial Merit Record. It showed: 1100 Merit Points!

“Merit, replenish my Innate Qi…”

He silently commanded. 1100 Merits became 1000. His Internal Breath surged back to fullness.His body, drifting mid-descent, suddenly shot forward again.

The night wind howled. Under a bright moon and sparse stars, Fang Cun’s form flashed across the dark sky. Sometimes soaring, sometimes borrowing momentum from treetops, cliff edges, or a light tap with his umbrella. Each touch sent him skyward anew, cutting through the night like lightning…Unrestrained by Internal Breath conservation, the speed of his flight was astonishing.

He soon reached a dark fork in the path. Without hesitation, Fang Cun veered westwards – not towards Willow Lake City.

He charged straight towards a marshland-enclosed mountain stronghold. Down below at the foot of the mountain, pinpricks of firelight pierced the gloom, marking the area distinctly. Without slowing, Fang Cun dipped slightly in the air. He stopped flying above and instead skimmed across the river’s surface, his feet touching the tips of the reeds. Light and silent as a wisp of cloud, he sped towards the stronghold.

“Who dares trespass at a Devouring Sea Gang dock?!” Suddenly, a team of men leaped out from the shadows to the side, shouting urgently.

Fang Cun gave no answer. He drew his sword from within his umbrella. His face expressionless, he began killing within the stronghold.