Lord Shenxiu

"Uncle Fei She, what did you see?"

Delia rubbed her eyes, her expression ugly.

Ever since the Black Fog swept through, she had lost her sight.

In fact, if she hadn't immediately withdrawn her spell, not only would the falcons have been killed, but the spellcasters themselves would also have been affected.

"That line of five, all engulfed by the Black Fog, probably met with more bad luck than good."

Fei She pondered for a moment and then answered, "The Black Fog came too quickly this time; I fear something formidable and nefarious is hidden within it."

"It's rumored that in the past, my ancestor, the legendary Clan Leader of the Felix Family, was able to use the power of the Black Fog to protect those who journeyed through it, though I don't know if it's true or false. If we could gain this ability, even if we can't revive Earl's Country, we would be able to return to the Western World and no longer need to hide."

Delia sighed.

"I heard… indeed there was a brigade that entered the Black Fog as a whole when Earl Country collapsed…"

Fei She heaved a sigh, "Since then, much of our heritage has been lost. However, the sacrifice this time should yield more… That existence is said to be somewhat related to the Black Fog."

"Let's hope so."

Delia shook her head.

At this moment, she had no other concerns and was preparing to take Fei She back to Black Mountain Castle.

But suddenly, Fei She's expression changed: "The Black Fog… it's coming towards us!"

Delia looked at the tide-like Black Fog, arrowing towards them, and was immediately dumbfounded.

Within the Black Fog.

Zhong Shenxiu galloped his horse wildly.

If it were an ordinary person, even an Innate Martial Practitioner, they would find it tough to walk in the darkness, let alone ride a horse.

But he was different; with Spiritual Vision, he could clearly see the path ahead.

At this time, a chilling creaking sound started echoing behind him.

A chunk of flesh studded with many eyes pursued him at an unimaginable speed, targeting him as prey.

Wherever this chunk of flesh went, whether it was the corpses of Ma Jing and Wang Lun, the other two companions, or even those several horses, all of them turned into white bones!

'Eh? These two people?'

Zhong Shenxiu, running a while with Spiritual Vision, saw Delia and Fei She no longer hidden, retreating rapidly, and could not help but laugh silently as he followed them.

"No!"

Fei She cried out in alarm, and together with Delia, they were shrouded by the Black Fog, their speed drastically reduced.

Then, at that moment, a knight seemed to gallop past them.

The flesh that was chasing after Zhong Shenxiu hesitated for a moment and actually shifted its target, pouncing towards Delia.

'Those two from just now, could they be the black hands who framed me? Heh… is this their own bad luck catching up to them? What I didn't expect was that the monster would actually abandon chasing me to pursue them… It seems they indeed have something hidden on them.'

Zhong Shenxiu was indifferent; whether those two lived or died in the Black Fog was none of his concern.

He raced to Black Mountain Castle, dismounted his horse, and shouted, "The border of the Black Fog is expanding, and my squad is trapped. The Squad Leader ordered me to return and report for reinforcements."

In any case, he was absolutely sure those four were dead; coming up with some fabricated excuse for running away wasn't difficult.

"The Black Fog?"

"It's expanding again?"

"I fear something formidable and evil has escaped."

The guards keeping watch at the camp gate immediately ran to report, and before long, a group of people walked out.

Tang Xiu was dismayed to see that the returnee was actually Su Daoshi, and he felt utterly depressed.

Moreover, he was absolutely certain that the so-called order from the squad leader to report back was a lie, yet he was unable to expose it and could only grind his teeth in secret frustration.

"It's probably because Blood Moon Night is nearing; these days are always hard to predict, and it's only a few days away now."

Feng Xixi, however, was not particularly concerned, but simply ordered everyone to stay alert: "It's Black Mountain Great Rift where we need to be more vigilant in surveillance and defense."

She, bold and skilled, actually led her personal soldiers, mounted her horse, and set off.

Zhong Shenxiu had no choice but to follow behind with a resigned look on his face.

It wasn't long before Black Mountain loomed faintly in sight.

As they circled around the mountain, they spotted the mist that had been chasing Zhong Shenxiu.

However, at this time, the mist had slowly begun to recede, and Fei She, along with a personal soldier, managed to escape in a disheveled manner.

'Tsk, tsk, truly worthy of a great noble family, possessing deep resources indeed.' Seeing that the two had managed no serious injuries, Zhong Shenxiu couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Eh?"

Upon seeing the two, Feng Xixi expressed her astonishment with a questioning sound: "Fei Zu Zhang? What are you doing here?"

"Reporting to the Colonel."

Fei She had not expected that the first thing he would encounter after escaping would be this troop, and he hurriedly stepped forward to salute: "While patrolling this area under your command, we were attacked by the Black Fog; only this personal soldier and I managed to escape."

At this time, the Black Fog behind them was slowly dissipating.

"You are diligent. And your combat skills are not bad either..."

Feng Xixi gave Fei She a sidelong glance and said indifferently.

She could tell that the cessation and dispersal of the Black Fog was likely because a certain source had been stopped.

However, since Fei She was indeed a squad leader and his martial skills were commendable, there was nothing suspicious about it: "You've had a rough time. Come, follow me back to camp."

"Understood."

Fei She took the horse that had been allocated by Feng Xixi's subordinate and prepared to return to camp with Delia. Suddenly, he caught sight of Zhong Shenxiu, and his heart skipped a beat.

Immediately, he became apprehensive: "This man is definitely problematic, and that creature... it was originally chasing him, but we ended up being the scapegoats..."

Zhong Shenxiu was not at all afraid of their murderous glances; instead, he moved closer, and mouthed the word soundlessly: "Felix!"

Delia and Fei She were stunned for a moment, and when they saw Zhong Shenxiu riding forward, drawing close to Feng Xixi, they almost acted on impulse to take his life and escape.

Ultimately, they restrained themselves and, seeing that Feng Xixi did not turn hostile, they cautiously followed along.

"Colonel, I have something I do not understand and would like to ask for guidance."

Zhong Shenxiu, ignoring Tang Xiu's murderous gaze at his side, questioned Feng Xixi: "The Gang Sha Realm, also known as the entry into the path of cultivation, is different from the secular world, but in what way do they differ?"

"After reaching Innate, one enters Gang Sha Realm; with one step into the Dao, you can formally cultivate and refine spells!"

Feng Xixi glanced at Zhong Shenxiu and smiled: "Don't be fooled by some of the superficial spells being used out there; even village hags and commoners can utilize those—they're not true Dao spells. Only by stepping into the Gang Sha Realm can one cultivate Dao spells using Gang Sha Qi and refine to a higher level. Depending on the various schools of Dao spells, each has extraordinary abilities, such as Hundred Steps Flying Sword, Finger-shocking Thunder, Drawing Talismans and Chanting Mantras, and so on. One of the practices in cultivation is known as 'devouring the nine Yin and consuming the eight Yang.' Eventually, when Gang Sha Qi merges, Yin and Yang achieve Unity, and the dragon and tiger converge, it can transform into Divine Skills. You come from a noble family, have you not heard of this?"

"That... I honestly haven't..." Zhong Shenxiu simply continued with another question: "What then are Divine Skills? And how are they different from spells?"

Feng Xixi looked at him for a moment, then said lightly: "Divine Skills defy the imagination and break the bounds of reason... that is Divine Skills!"