In the end, all the Rotten Mud Jars in the swamp woodland had their contents replaced with dark cuisine.
There were ninety-nine jars in total, representing ninety-nine departed souls.
At the far end of the woodland lay a bank of gray fog.
The thin gray fog rolled among the trees, forming a clear boundary with the surrounding terrain.
Inside the fog boundary was the swamp; beyond it was the Fog Zone.
The fog was very thin. Tangyuan rolled into it, came back out, and described the experience.
Spirituality stopped working, perception weakened, and distant objects became invisible. There was a sense of oppression, but no danger.
Ke Meng and the other three discussed it repeatedly before entering the fog together.
The moment they stepped into the Fog Zone, their spirituality was forcefully compressed against the surface of their skin.
Their senses also became less keen, and the Angel Halo's radiance was suppressed to the surface of the ring itself.
Each of the others held onto Ke Meng's Archangel Wings with one hand and carried a special item in the other.
Old Shi was the first to take hold of Ke Meng. He could bring Ke Meng back to Blue Star immediately, making him the first choice for protecting him.
Tangyuan and Shirley stayed close beside them, tense. The environment affected them in exactly the same way. None of them could see what lay in the fog; they stayed alongside the group only to shield them from any potential harm.
Normally, they could see things a thousand meters away at a glance. Now, with their spirituality sealed, the investigators' advantages had been reduced to practically nothing.
"Why don't we summon Big-Faced Cat? Going farther in doesn't feel safe," Bandaged Man said.
Ke Meng and the others retreated out of the fog