Lost in the Mist, Whispers of the Wind and a Hunter Lying in Wait

The wind in Mist Forest carried an eerie melody.

Unlike the heavy, damp air of the southern swamp, the wind here was dry and sharp, like invisible blades that constantly sliced through everything in sight. The branches and leaves of towering ancient trees whimpered in the wind, and together with the lingering gray-white mist, shrouded the entire forest in an eerie stillness.

Tang San and his companions treaded carefully over a thick carpet of fallen leaves. The Proof of Balance jade pendant remained hot against his chest, guiding them deeper into the forest-toward the second energy node marked on the parchment, where the wind element was most concentrated on the continent.

"There's something wrong with the wind here." Dai Mubai frowned, his Hell Spirit Cat ears twitching warily. "There are tiny traces of dark energy mixed into it. It's like... countless little knives scraping against my Soul Power barrier."

Lin Ye gathered his Golden Crow Fire into a line of flame at his fingertips and tried to dispel the surrounding mist, only to find that burning it made it even thicker. "This mist can absorb energy. Ordinary methods won't work."

Xiao Wu clutched Tang San's sleeve, a trace of unease in her eyes. "My Teleportation is restricted here. I just tried to move ten meters forward and nearly crashed into a tree. The mist seems to be able to distort space."

Tang San spread out his Blue Silver Domain, sending vines across the ground in an attempt to determine their direction through the plants' senses. But he soon discovered that the plants in the forest were all in a strangely frenzied state, with violent wind element coursing through their veins. They could not convey any clear information at all.

"According to the council's records, there's an 'Ancient Tree of Wind Whispers' at the heart of Mist Forest. It's a manifestation of the wind element," Tang San said, analyzing the situation. "The dark crystal left behind by the Shadow Sect Master is most likely hidden near the ancient tree, spreading corruption through the wind element."

Oscar took out the last Night Vision Sausage and took a bite. His vision became much clearer. "I can see things within fifty meters, but nothing beyond that. There seems to be something moving up ahead."

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed and caught glimpses of several gray shadows flashing through the mist. They moved with astonishing speed, circling the group without ever drawing close.

"Mist Wolves!" Tai Long clenched his fists, his gaze grave. "They're Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, skilled at hiding in the mist and attacking with speed. And they live in packs!"

No sooner had he spoken than more than a dozen lean, elongated wolf Soul Beasts sprang from the mist. Their gray fur blended into the haze, and their sharp claws whistled through the air as they lunged straight at the group. Their eyes glowed red; they had clearly been corrupted by dark energy.

"Watch out!" Tang San's Blue Silver Grass erupted in an instant, weaving an airtight wall of vines around everyone.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The Mist Wolves slammed into the vine wall with dull thuds. It shook violently but did not break. The wolves, however, were exceptionally cunning. Seeing that a frontal assault was useless, they immediately scattered and began circling the wall, searching for an opening.

"We can't go on like this." Lin Ye's Lotus Flame spread along the vines, forming a barrier of fire over the wall. "They're wearing down our Soul Power. We'll be in trouble once we're exhausted."

"I'll draw them away!" A fierce glint flashed in Dai Mubai's eyes as he pushed the Hell Spirit Cat's speed to its limit. "Take the chance to head for the core area. I'll catch up!"

Before anyone could object, he became an afterimage, rushing beyond the vine wall and pouncing on the Mist Wolves to the left. Netherworld Thrust flashed coldly as he aimed a precise strike at a Mist Wolf's neck.

The Mist Wolf reacted with extraordinary speed, twisting its body to avoid the fatal blow, though its shoulder still suffered a gash deep enough to expose bone. It let out a piercing howl, and the other Mist Wolves immediately abandoned their assault on the vine wall and pounced on Dai Mubai.

"Go!" Tang San made an immediate decision, withdrawing the vine wall and leading the others deeper into the forest.

Xiao Wu kept looking back, her eyes full of worry. "Dai Mubai, he..."

"Don't worry, he can handle them," Tang San reassured her. "The Hell Spirit Cat's speed gives him an even greater advantage in the mist, and he won't fight them head-on."

Despite his words, Tang San still left a slender Blue Silver Grass vine connected to Dai Mubai's presence, so he could keep track of his condition at any time.

Without the Mist Wolves harassing them, the group moved much faster. As they went deeper, the wind around them grew stronger, and the dark energy mixed into the mist grew denser. Every breath brought a stinging pain to their throats.

"The Ancient Tree of Wind Whispers is just ahead!" Oscar pointed forward. Through the mist, they could vaguely make out the outline of a towering ancient tree. Its trunk was so thick that it would have taken more than a dozen people to encircle it with their arms, and its crown spread like a vast umbrella, sheltering the entire sky. Countless streams of pale cyan wind element swirled around the tree, forming an energy vortex visible to the naked eye.

Strangely, however, wisps of black Qi were mixed into the vortex, slowly corroding the purity of the wind element.

"Sure enough, it's here!" Tang San's gaze sharpened. "The dark crystal should be inside the hollow in the ancient tree."

Just as they approached the tree, the wind suddenly stopped. The surrounding mist hung motionless in midair, as though frozen. A heart-stopping presence came from the direction of the Ancient Tree of Wind Whispers, a hundred times denser than the Mist Wolves' dark energy.

"Not good!" Lin Ye's Golden Crow Perception fluctuated violently. "There's a powerful Soul Beast inside the tree! It's at least ten thousand years old!"

No sooner had he spoken than an enormous fissure suddenly split open in the trunk. A giant claw covered in cyan scales reached out, its tips flashing coldly as it clawed at Tai Long, who was closest!

"Tai Long, look out!" Tang San's Blue Silver Grass wrapped around Tai Long's waist just in time and pulled him back. The giant claw struck empty air, tearing five furrows several meters deep into the ground and sending shattered stone flying.

The fissure in the trunk grew wider, and an enormous head emerged. It belonged to a cyan giant python over a hundred meters long, with a pair of small horns atop its head. Its eyes were like two cyan gemstones, but they flashed with a violent red light.

"It's the 'Wind Erosion Giant Python'!" Oscar cried out. "The legendary Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that guards the Ancient Tree of Wind Whispers! It can control the wind element to attack. If its wind blades graze you, even your bones will corrode!"

The Wind Erosion Giant Python had clearly been deeply corrupted by dark energy. It looked at Tang San and the others and let out a deafening hiss. The motionless mist around them instantly transformed into countless wind blades that shot toward them like a torrential downpour.

"Defend!" Tang San roared. Blue Silver Grass and Lin Ye's Lotus Flame spread out at the same time, forming a barrier of alternating gold and green.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

The wind blades struck the barrier with a rapid succession of sharp sounds. The barrier shook violently but did not break. Yet the Wind Erosion Giant Python's attacks came without end, and the wind blades grew stronger and stronger. Fine cracks had already appeared in the barrier.

"At this rate, the barrier won't hold much longer!" Sweat seeped from Lin Ye's forehead, and the light of his Golden Crow Fire visibly weakened. "We have to find a way to purify the dark energy inside it!"

Tang San looked at the Wind Erosion Giant Python's seven-inch point. The scales there were darker than those elsewhere, and black patterns could vaguely be seen flowing across them. "Its dark energy core is at its seven-inch point! Lin Ye, attack there with your Lotus Flame. I'll keep its attention!"

"All right!"

Tang San infused the Blue Silver Grass with the power of the Chaos Azure Lotus. The vines coiled toward the Wind Erosion Giant Python like nimble serpents, trying to restrain its movements. The python hissed and twisted violently, a powerful surge of wind element erupting from its cyan scales and making the Blue Silver Grass shake incessantly.

Just then, Lin Ye's Lotus Flame condensed into a spear. Taking advantage of the moment when the Wind Erosion Giant Python's attention was drawn by the Blue Silver Grass, he drove it fiercely at the python's seven-inch point!

"Puch!"

The Lotus Flame spear pierced precisely through a gap between the scales. The Wind Erosion Giant Python let out a hiss of pain and began thrashing violently. Black blood poured from the wound, sizzling as the Lotus Flame burned it and giving off a pungent odor.

"It's working!" Xiao Wu cried in delight, releasing her Charm skill at the same time to disrupt the Wind Erosion Giant Python's movements.

Tang San seized the opportunity. More Blue Silver Grass surged forward and wrapped around the python's body, pouring the Chaos Azure Lotus's purifying power into it without pause.

The Wind Erosion Giant Python struggled in pain, the red light in its eyes flickering as the dark energy and purifying power evidently fought a fierce battle. Its body kept crashing against the Ancient Tree of Wind Whispers, widening the fissure in the trunk and revealing the hollow inside. Sure enough, a black crystal lay there-the source of the corruption!

"Oscar, find a way to destroy the crystal!" Tang San shouted.

Oscar immediately took out a Flying Sausage and took a bite. His body grew light, and he flew toward the hollow. The Wind Erosion Giant Python sensed his intentions and angrily spat out an enormous wind blade straight at him.

"Watch out!" Xiao Wu instantly used Teleportation, appearing beside Oscar and shoving him aside. The wind blade grazed his shoulder and struck the trunk of the Ancient Tree of Wind Whispers, leaving a wound deep enough to expose bone.

Still shaken, Oscar hurriedly pulled an Explosive Sausage from his storage bag and threw it into the hollow. "Blow up!"

The sausage exploded inside the hollow, and the tremendous impact shattered the black crystal. As the crystal broke, the red light in the Wind Erosion Giant Python's eyes rapidly faded. Its struggles gradually ceased, and it finally lay quietly on the ground, clarity returning to its eyes.

The black mist in the wind-element vortex around the Ancient Tree of Wind Whispers receded like the tide, and the vortex became pure and gentle once more. The surrounding mist also began to disperse, revealing a bright blue sky.

"We did it!" Xiao Wu said with a smile.

Tang San breathed a sigh of relief. He was just about to withdraw his Blue Silver Grass when he suddenly felt a violent fluctuation through the vine connected to Dai Mubai. The next instant, it snapped completely!

"Dai Mubai!" Tang San's expression changed drastically. "Something's happened to him!"

Everyone's hearts leaped into their throats.

"We have to save him, quickly!" Xiao Wu said urgently.

Tang San immediately ran in the direction of the severed vine, his Blue Silver Grass clearing a path ahead as he moved with astonishing speed. Lin Ye, Xiao Wu, Oscar, and Tai Long followed close behind, worry written all over their faces.

After running about a thousand meters, they found Dai Mubai in a clearing. He lay on the ground with a chest wound deep enough to expose bone, his clothes soaked in black blood. He had clearly been injured by dark energy. The bodies of more than a dozen Mist Wolves were scattered around him, but a person in a black cloak was still standing at his side.

This person was neither one of the Shadow Pavilion's black-robed figures nor any enemy they had encountered before. His cloak bore no symbols, and he wore a silver mask that revealed only a pair of cold eyes. He was quietly watching Dai Mubai as he lay on the ground.

"Who are you?!" Tang San roared, his Blue Silver Grass instantly coiling toward the mysterious man.

The mysterious man neither dodged nor moved aside. He merely raised a hand, and an invisible force sent the Blue Silver Grass flying back. His voice was low and hoarse, with a texture like metal scraping against metal. "I came to take something."

"What?"

The mysterious man did not answer. He simply extended a hand and pointed at the storage bag on Dai Mubai's waist. Only then did Tang San notice that the bag had been opened and its contents scattered across the ground. Among them was a fragment of dark crystal brought back from the southern swamp.

The mysterious man bent down, picked up the fragment, and put it in his own storage bag. Then he looked up at Tang San, a strange light flashing in the eyes beneath his mask. "Next is the fragment from the wind node. It seems you've already dealt with it."

With that, his body suddenly turned into a wisp of black smoke and vanished into the air, too quickly for anyone to react.

"Stop him!" Tang San roared, but he simply could not match the man's speed.

Lin Ye hurried to Dai Mubai's side and infused his wound with Lotus Flame, temporarily suppressing the spread of the dark energy. "He can still be saved! But we have to purify it with the power of the Chaos Azure Lotus as soon as possible!"

Tang San immediately crouched down and infused the power of the Chaos Azure Lotus into Dai Mubai. Looking at Dai Mubai's pale face, his heart filled with anger and doubt. Who was this mysterious man? Why was he collecting fragments of dark crystal? What was his connection to the Shadow Pavilion?

Countless questions circled in his mind, but the most important thing now was to save Dai Mubai.

Sunlight streamed through the branches and leaves of Mist Forest, falling across the clearing, but it could not dispel the heaviness in the air. Tang San knew that they might be facing an enemy more mysterious and more dangerous than the Shadow Sect Master.

And this enemy had already set his sights on them.

The wind rose once more in Mist Forest, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible whisper, as though telling of a forgotten secret. A new crisis had quietly descended.