Magic and Spiritual Power

"Uncle Fisher, what did you see?"

Dilia rubbed her eyes, her expression grim.

Ever since the black mist had swept in, she had lost her vision.

In fact, if she hadn't immediately dispelled her magic, not only would the hunting hawk have been destroyed, but they, the spellcasters, would have been affected as well.

"Those five in a row were all swallowed by the black mist. They're likely in dire straits."

Fisher pondered for a moment before replying, "The black mist came too quickly this time. I fear some powerful evil entity is hidden within."

"Legend has it that in the past, my ancestor, the legendary patriarch of the Felix Family, could harness the power of the black mist to protect travelers. I don't know if it's true or not. If we could gain this ability, even if we couldn't restore the Count's domain, we could at least return to the Western world and stop hiding."

Dilia sighed.

"I've heard... that there was indeed a group back then who entered the black mist as a whole when the Count's domain collapsed..."

Fisher sighed, "Since then, much of our heritage has been lost. However, this sacrifice should grant us more... that existence is said to have some connection with the black mist as well."

"Let's hope so."

Dilia shook her head.

At this point, she had no other thoughts and prepared to lead Fisher back to Black Mountain Fortress.

But suddenly, Fisher's expression changed slightly: "The black mist... it's coming towards us!"

Dilia stared at the black mist, which resembled both a tide and an arrowhead, and was instantly stunned.

Within the black mist.

Zhong Shenxiu galloped on his horse.

For ordinary people, even Innate martial artists, riding a horse in the darkness would be difficult, let alone walking.

But he was different; he possessed Spiritual Sight, so he could naturally see the path ahead.

At this moment, a chilling creaking sound echoed from behind him.

A mass of flesh covered in eyes was chasing him at an unimaginable speed, treating him as prey.

Wherever this mass of flesh passed, the corpses of Ma Jing and Wang Lun, as well as the other two companions, and even the horses, were all reduced to bare bones!

'Huh? It's these two people?'

After running for a while, Zhong Shenxiu's Spiritual Sight saw Dilia and Fisher, no longer hiding and retreating frantically. He couldn't help but chuckle and followed behind them.

"No!"

Fisher exclaimed, and he and Dilia were enveloped by the black mist, their speed greatly reduced.

And at this moment, a knight seemed to gallop past them.

The mass of flesh chasing Zhong Shenxiu seemed to hesitate for a moment before changing its target and lunging towards Dilia.

'Could those two just now be the ones who framed me? Heh heh... did they just run into bad luck? I just didn't expect that monster to abandon me and chase them... It seems they were indeed hiding something.'

Zhong Shenxiu looked indifferent. Whether those two died in the black mist or not had nothing to do with him.

He galloped to Black Mountain Fortress, dismounted, and shouted, "The black mist boundary is expanding, and my squad is trapped. The Squad Leader ordered me to return to report and request reinforcements."

He was ten-tenths certain that all four of them were dead, so fabricating a reason for escape was not a problem.

"Black mist?"

"It's expanding again?"

"I'm afraid some powerful evil entity has escaped."

The guards at the camp gate immediately ran to report. Before long, a group of people emerged.

Tang Xiuzhen was annoyed when she saw that it was Su Daozhi who had returned.

Moreover, she was ten-tenths sure that the order from the Squad Leader to return was a lie, but she couldn't expose it and could only grit her teeth in frustration.

"It's probably because the Blood Moon Night is approaching. These days are always unpredictable, and it's just a few days away."

Feng Xi'er, however, was unconcerned. She merely ordered everyone to be vigilant: "The Black Mountain Great Rift, on the other hand, requires even more monitoring and vigilance."

With her superior skill and courage, she directly led her personal guards and mounted her horse.

Zhong Shenxiu followed behind with a helpless expression.

Not long after, Black Mountain loomed into view.

They skirted the mountain and saw the patch of mist that had been chasing Zhong Shenxiu.

However, at this moment, the mist was slowly receding. Fisher, with a personal guard, fled out in a sorry state.

'Tsk tsk, as expected of a great noble, they have their foundations.'

Seeing that the two were not seriously injured, Zhong Shenxiu couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Huh?"

Feng Xi'er exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the two: "Squad Leader Fisher? Why are you here?"

"Reporting to the Colonel."

Fisher hadn't expected that after breaking free, he would be met by such a troop of soldiers. He quickly went forward to salute, "This subordinate was patrolling this area when we were attacked by the black mist. Only this soldier and I managed to escape."

At this moment, the black mist behind them was slowly receding.

"You are diligent. Your combat ability is also not bad..."

Feng Xi'er glanced at Fisher and said indifferently.

She could tell that the black mist had stopped and dispersed because its source had been dealt with.

However, Fisher was a Sergeant, and his martial arts were decent, so there was nothing particularly suspicious about him. "You've worked hard. Come back to camp with me."

"Understood."

Fisher took the horse handed over by one of Feng Xi'er's subordinates and was about to return to camp with Dilia when he suddenly saw Zhong Shenxiu, startling him.

Immediately, he felt a chill. "This person is indeed problematic, and... that monster just now was originally chasing him, but they made us take the fall..."

Zhong Shenxiu was completely unfazed by the two glaring at him. Instead, he moved closer and mouthed a word: 'Felix!'

Dilia and Fisher froze. Seeing Zhong Shenxiu mount his horse and ride towards Feng Xi'er, they almost wanted to make a move and flee for their lives.

However, they ultimately held back. Seeing that Feng Xi'er hadn't lost her temper, they followed her with their hearts in their mouths.

"Colonel, this subordinate has something I don't understand and would like to ask for your guidance."

Zhong Shenxiu ignored Tang Xiuzhen's murderous gaze beside him and asked Feng Xi'er, "The Gang Sha realm, also known as the gateway to the Dao. It is different from the mortal world. I wonder how it differs?"

"After Xiantian comes Gang Sha. One step into the Dao allows for the proper refinement of spells! Don't look at some of the crude Daoist Arts practiced outside, which even village shamans can use. Those aren't considered proper Daoist Arts. Only by entering the Gang Sha realm can one cultivate Daoist Arts with Gang Sha Qi and refine them to a higher level. Depending on the different Daoist Arts, there are extraordinary methods, such as flying swords from a hundred paces, thunder from a flick of the finger, drawing talismans, and chanting incantations. The cultivation process has a name, 'eating nine yin, swallowing eight yang'. Later, as Gang Sha fuses, yin and yang merge, dragon and tiger meet, and it can transform into Spiritual Power. You come from a noble family; haven't you heard of this?"

"This... I really haven't..." Zhong Shenxiu simply continued to ask, "Then what is Spiritual Power? And how does it differ from spells?"

Feng Xi'er looked at him for a moment and said indifferently, "Incomprehensible, defying common sense... that is Spiritual Power!"