A red mist appears in front of the cave that is not far away from the giant lizard spirit beast, as, for William, he already jumps down from the head of the giant lizard spirit beast and runs for his life. He does not want to see what inside the cave looks like nor it has any treasure at all. Even the spirit soil that White drake mentions being here. Because he only has one life, it seems this mission deems to fail from the start.
The moment the snow lotus appears, the giant lizard's body shakes because of the healing aura spread from it. The closed eyes began to open again, after a moment of confused it finally understand what happened. So, from the beginning that puny human enrages it to enter this place with him, never mind since this place is a canker for the forest, it has to be destroyed.
The giant lizard does not even care about the red mist that appeared from the cave entrance, as it fully focuses on absorbing the energy released by the snow lotus.
After destroying the array core, William takes this chance running away from the core region, but never in his dream that the red mist would appear in front of him so fast. The angry roar voice that is not a male nor female could be heard as it comes closer to William: "Where are you going?"
"I am taking some fresh air, there is only foul air around here. It is bad for the health of a young man like me, don't you know?" William forces an ugly smile face toward the red mist in front of him. 'White drake, don't you said it would take some time to recover from the blast?' William curses himself for such legendary luck. 'Since it becomes like this, there is only one way either you die or it truly dies. But I think the second option is quite optimal for the current you.' White drake honestly replies William the result of the confrontation.
'What! Do you want to see me dead so badly? Is there really no chance of survival?' William already prepares for countless scenarios before he dares to enter here with the giant lizard spirit beast. Yet, everything is not the same as a man's calculation. 'There is only one percent of survival rate if that lizard could breakthrough before you already dead.' White drake replies again with at least a chance to live, but what kind of survival rate is that? William really wants to cry but there is no tear right now when he heard the honestly and straight face reply from White drake. @#*%, at least give me a higher chance of survival. Rosa, I don't know if I could see you again. Don't wait for me, however, when William thinking of Rosa in another man's embrace, his determination to survive increases several folds. @#*%! a percent in a hundred still a chance to survive no matter what. How could he become discouraged from something like this? Right now, he needs to buy some time until the giant lizard breakthrough successful. He decides to return the snow lotus also because, he wanted it to buy some time for him to run away, yet, since he could no longer runaways, he could only face it head-on.
"Look!" William points toward behind the red mist.
"You think this kind of play will work on me, only idiot will follow you." Because the cores of the formation were destroyed, the confusion array that created mists to the surrounding the core region becomes less crowded as time passes by.
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After William pulls the giant lizard away from the team, the trio starts to discuss their next plan when Benak comes back and told them the detail of William's plan. They have left Vernora all alone with the big bear spirit beast. It is not that they don't trust her, yet, because she is just a weak female without any cultivation aura, to begin with. It is hard to make her join their dangerous mission.
"What are we going to do, now? There is a burden in our rank. I don't what is her relationship with William, but how could she appear here, too?" Carone tone is full of worrying because it is hard to defend even their own life in this dead zone.
"What are you talking about Carone? Right now, we don't even know William's situation, I hope he can overrun that stupid lizard." Nacorn always feels optimistic when it comes to William's plan.
"If she did not wear William's clothes, I would have left her behind already." Carone said in a grunting voice.
"..."
Just as they want to continue further talking, the ground starts to shake hardly as if it was almost like an earthquake. The spirit beasts in their surroundings start to run for their own life without even caring about the heavy mists. "It is not good, quickly leave the cave!" After everyone leaves the cave not too far nor to close the landslide from the mountain top already covered the entrance of the cave if they were late a few steps...
From this sudden cause of an earthquake, everyone has a cold sweat droplet on their forehead. They seem to forget their surrounding mists started to become less crowded as time passes by after the earthquake. Vernora already notices that her surrounding mists started to dissipate at a quick phase even though it is not high noontime. She feels she has vertigo because of this dense fog mists appear to be dissipating at a quick rate. After a few more confirmations, she believes she does not have vertigo. "Hey, the three of you finish your nonsense talk yet?" Vernora disdain to join with them because she does not have any special feeling besides the complex feeling toward William. She has never seen a man like him who did not bat an eyelid when he already saw her true appearance.
"What wrong young lady?" Nacorn as the lead of the team look at Vernora with a puzzled expression.
"Hmm, have you noticed your surrounding?" Vernora answers with a question of her own instead.
"What wrong? There are only mists that cover here every day and night. Is there..." Nacorn just about to continue when he suddenly notices their surrounding mists already less dense than before. From their own eyes, they could see how beautiful the scenery of the forest. Not far away from them, they could also see the spirit beasts seem to bewitch by these sudden changes in their expression after the earthquake ended.
'What's happened?' Everyone has the same question from their expression. But this is a good deed for them, how could this be not a good deed? They could finally leave here.
After staying for a long period in this damn place, all of them finally could see the sun clearly, again.
"Could someone tell me, what's happening?" Benak asks what everybody wants to know the most. Since the mists start to retreat toward the core zone, Benak who seems to remember where William's direction as he runaways with the giant lizard. "William seems to enter the core of this mists as I remembered his running direction toward there." From Benak's sentence and his pointing direction, Vernora's face becomes even more solemn.
"It is not good. I don't know if you would believe me or not, but William must have done something. I will go there..." Benak already owes William a life, how could he runaways after the mists dissipated. Without waiting for anyone replies, Benak runs like crazy toward the core region. Carone surprise for a brief moment before following suit.
"Young lady, you better leave here. With this big bear as a bodyguard, no one would dare to stay in your path." Nacorn believes she must have some special relation with William, so he needs to remind her about her safety.
This is the first time since she started to cultivate and adventuring that someone said this to her.
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Many adventurers who venture in the Amarilla forest also notice the change because the earthquake itself affects not a small area. Although the outer area does not receive that strong influent, however, they still feel the shake on the ground where they were standing. Because they feel the quake direction from the inner forest of the North. Many teams and solo adventurers seem to be possessed by something, as all of them run at full speed toward one of the legendary dead zones.
A man in a simple attire looks at his teammate before solemnly talking about his thought: "There must be a treasure born in the deep forest, but that direction seems to be one of the death zones. The fogging valley, rich and honor is there if we could take even scrap." His other teammate also nods with his view, but no one knows what the man really thinks.
"So, what are we waiting for?"
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William throws a flash bomb that blasts before it could land on the red mist itself before decide to run toward the cave in the opposite direction of his original goal.
'Let's play then', a soul without a body has its own advantage because every object will pass through it, however, that red mist always afraid of William's tool. How could it not afraid of it? When many spirit beasts fall down because of it. Not to mention, the steel eating bears that it raises to collect resources for it. It can not go all out with this cunning human either, with a goal to possess his body. What if this little bastard decides to suicide? Isn't it a waste of such a good body, too? It's all happened too fast with its layout, it believes that this puny human will fall to the same trick that the one had come here before. Greed is the nature of humans. The most irritating thing is how could he have that many endless of this explosive object? Anyways, with the direction of this stupid human running, he will be doom when he arrives at the cave entrance.
"Eh, why don't you continue to run? Have you decided to receive my legacy?" The red mist still continues to pretend its goal toward William.
"Receiving your legacy? No, no, no!" William's shaking his head, as he points at the giant lizard direction in which it has already nearly successful breakthrough.
"Do you think after this stupid lizard breakthrough, it could help you? Haha..." The eerie laughing echo as the red mist mocking the giant lizard. That eerie laughing spread through the surrounding before even the adventurers arrive. Yet, toward Nacorn's team and Vernora who follows from behind with the big bear spirit beast as a mounted stop for only a brief moment before continuing to advance again. The strong adventurers decide to keep going their way toward the fogging valley because this might be their chance in one of a thousand opportunities.
"This is the first time; I have heard such an amusing joke. I might as well tell you something, I am a late stage soul tempering realm. With what do you have the confidence to fight against me?" The smirk smiling face from the red mist causing William to think about the word from White drake. He has only one chance to survive in a hundred dead.
"Do you know why are you still kicking around till now? Because I want to receive you as a student, but now I have changed my mind. I will take your body as my own." The red mist expression change to an evil smiling face when it said its cultivation stage for William and the giant lizard to hear it.
"Haha!" The eerie loud laughing continues to hear from time to time in the forest. Yet, nobody stops from their advanced toward this death zone. It is the opposite as they increase all their might to run for being afraid to be late or the last to arrive there.
'Is it really like what it has said, White drake?' William cursing voice echo to White drake ear like a thunderclap. 'Don't I tell from the beginning? Your chance of survival is only one percentage which quite slim.' White drake still nonchalant replies. A sighing sound could be heard as it shakes its head. Why would heaven this heartless? A perfect body to become a supreme in the future, die at such a young age.
'I give you some information. Live or die, depending on yourself. This is how this place creates...' This is the best it could do; it cannot go against the rule.
After receiving more information about this red mist, William's eyes and expression become cold as if he has become a devil himself.
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Meanwhile, Nacorn's team already arrives at the edge of the core zone where the mists still dense and much time stronger compare to where they stay in these few weeks. No one knows what will wait for them when they enter through these dense mists.
"I can finally find you." An ease soft voice of a woman could be heard as a woman appears beside the trio. "Who are you looking for?" Nacorn stands in front of Carone and Benak as he confronts the woman in black cloak figure that they cannot see clearly her appearance.
'The heck, does that clan could still found us even with our appearance?' Carone and Benak both already prepare for combat at any given time from their serious expression. When the black cloak figure sees Vernora, deep insight her heart feels relief very much. After all, when she had left that night to find that whether or not true formation master, she comes back with an empty hand. Not to mention, Vernora went missing only two or three hours after she leaves. If not because of the safe environment at that place and hard to find, how would she leave Vernora's side?
The black cloak figure does not even bat an eye at them as she goes forward where Vernora at. The big bear spirit beast seems to notice someone appear beside its mistress as it groans in an angry roar manner. Its mission is to protect her, how could it allow anyone to come closer without her permission.
The trio jumps again in front of Vernora to defend her, no matter what she still one of them. Yet before they could even land on the ground, they already send flying over the dead tree.
Vernora gives a small smiley face at this trio courage, is not small at all. With Vimo as a late stage wind elemental refiner, she could kill them with ease.
"Sister, why don't you wait for me?" Vernora happily hugs the black cloak figure, that makes the trio does not know whether to laugh or cry. Lady at least tells us beforehand that you have such a strong sister. Why do you have to make us act like an idiot?
From their look, Vernora could see the unwilling gaze and ease expression. "I just want to tell you guys but who knows you act this fast."
"Waiting for you? After I left that night, do you know how do I feel when I return without seeing you?" Vimo expression becomes gentle, yet when she accesses Vernora cultivation. She looks at the trio with a deadly glare. Before Vernora could say anything, Vimo's hand already cover Nacorn's neck.
As she lifts him up from the ground and asks in a serve voice: "What did you do to her?"
Nacorn's black face becomes even darker as he has difficulty breathing. Vernora does not know whether to laugh or cry at the same time. Since young Vimo always takes care of her, now it is still the same. She always cares for her wellbeing like an older sister who looks after her younger sister.
"Sister, they not the one who did this to me. That man is inside there. I don't know what he did, but when I wake up from that hellish nightmare, my cultivation seems gone. I try to cultivate again a few times already, but somehow no matter how many times I try, it won't work." Vernora explains and points toward the direction of the core region of the fogging valley that currently only cover by heavy mist current place. The outer area that covers by confusion mists array already destroy by William's good deed.
After Vernora explains, Vimo sends Nacorn flying again. "Old lady, just you wait." Nacorn murmur for himself. He will return the favor toward this black cloak figure in the future.
"What did you just say?" Vimo angry glare in Nacorn direction again which makes his sprint become cold.
"I never see someone reach elemental refiner late stage with less than seventy years old. If you are not an old lady, then what?" Nacorn remarks make Vimo speechless, what the hell with this man.
Vernora expression becomes stiff when she heard that. She almost forgets that they don't know how vast this world is. 'A man should never mention a woman age. Finish, it is finished. Vimo is only older than her for ten years or so. How could she become an old lady, then what about hers?' Seems this world is upside down now.
"If you dare utter a single word again, I will castrate you!" Vimo cut-throat expression causes all the three of them to become silent. Besides eerie laughing echo from time to time from the core region of the dense mist area, everything else is not worth mention.
Not long after many adventurers arrive one after another. The adventurers who arrive at this place by now face not a small number of obstacles. They also receive rich rewards before arrives here. With that many heavenly herbs and dead spirit on the ways, how could they leave it there? However, no one dares to enter the core region yet, because they don't want to be the first cannon fodder. All of them look at the dense mists' region with a yearning expression, finally, someone could not wait any longer and decide to enter.
Since there is someone dare to enter, the other also follow suit as if afraid to be the last man. Nacorn also follows suit, follow after Benak, and Carone.
"Vernora, you should not enter there. With your current state, it is better to stay outside." Vimo face becomes dignify when she faces the dense mist region.
"No! no one knows what is inside? Maybe, it can solve my disease and I could recover my strength. How could I leave such a chance?" Even though everyone knows that there might ten death and one life in there everyone still chose to enter there.
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"What the hell is this place?" When the first adventure step into this region, his expression become scare all of a sudden. Rich and honor my ass, it is only one word to describe here that is dead and still dead again, because he could not leave here, even after trying to run back toward the mists zone. It seems everyone that entered here could only become one of the skeletons pack.
Everyone's expression after they see their surrounding is the same that is an ugly and black face.
Not long when Vimo and Vernora arrive both of them have a disbelief expression instead of fear, the same goes for the trio team. Vernora who silent all the time starts to become unease when she thought about the antique ruin inscription that she was stumbled upon along time ago with Vimo. She seems to remember it had mentioned about confusion mists that no one has ever come out alive if it has successfully created. There is only a fragment of the name at the end 'Sacrifice Heaven...'