As the messenger had just turned onto the mountain path, his shoulder was struck by the liquid metal monster. When he turned around in alarm, there was no one behind him, but both of his temples were struck with heavy blows!

Such an attack on vital points would cause dizziness, whether human or monster.

The messenger’s eyes closed as he fainted, and was tied up hand and foot by Feng Miaojun, who then tossed him into a small grove.

This was merely a delaying tactic that would buy them half an hour at most. Once the mermen discovered the order hadn’t been delivered, they would still send someone to capture Fu Lingchuan’s accomplices.

She retraced her steps, slipped past the sentry post, and headed straight for the depths of Cone Tail Mountain.

The bright moon above Spiral Float Island had somehow disappeared, replaced by heavy clouds. From a distance, the cloud layer looked hundreds of zhang thick, slowly rotating clockwise, nearly touching the highest point of the island, which was Cone Tail Mountain.

Dark clouds pressing down on a city about to collapse—this described the current situation perfectly.

The strange phenomenon in the sky naturally alarmed everyone, especially since lightning flashed throughout the black clouds yet remained confined in the sky above, clearly brewing a terrifying thunderstorm.

Many people were shaken awake from their dreams and rushed out to observe the celestial phenomenon, their faces filled with anxiety and fear.

Higher up, there was another scene entirely.

The sea and deep mountains often had fog, and when these two combined, the effect was even more astonishing.

Feng Miaojun encountered thick fog less than two li into the mountain, truly making it impossible to see one’s hand before one’s face, with fine rain hitting her face. She knew it wasn’t rain, but tiny water droplets suspended in the air.

She could even see the white fog forming clumps and flowing turbulently. After walking less than a hundred zhang, her clothes were completely soaked.

At that moment, the sound of chaotic footsteps came from ahead.

She quickly dodged, moving behind a mountain recess to hide. She saw more than ten demon guards running back with panicked expressions, saying, “Hurry! Don’t let it catch up to us!”

This small squad had two wounded members—one with a broken leg and one with a broken arm—who were being supported by their companions as they fled. With her keen eyesight, Feng Miaojun caught a glimpse of black qi on their faces, clearly indicating they had been… poisoned?

Was something chasing them from behind?

Watching these dozen or so people running away without looking back, she gazed into the thick fog, becoming extremely cautious. For Fu Lingchuan to dare steal the mermen’s lifeline on their territory, he must have made corresponding preparations to defend against enemies.

However, after waiting for quite a while, there was still nothing before her eyes.

No monster emerged from the fog; instead, the misty vapor was blown by the mountain wind, surging down toward the foot of the mountain in waves.

Had the creature not pursued them?

As she was contemplating the mountain path, she unexpectedly caught a faint green hue in her peripheral vision.

It was a very faint trace that disappeared in the blink of an eye, but enough to put her on high alert.

Feng Miaojun suddenly stood up from behind the large rock and walked to the center of the path. Bai Ban anxiously said, “Mistress…”

But she raised her hand: “This fog is somewhat strange.”

The originally milky white dense fog carried a hint of cyan qi, at first just barely noticeable specks, but then surged more and more, as if dyeing the white fog cyan.

Tonight there were no stars or moon, and the light was dim. If not for cultivators like Feng Miaojun, one probably couldn’t distinguish between the two.

Seeing the cyan fog surging toward her as if alive, she cautiously stepped back and pulled out a very light and thin handkerchief from her bosom, throwing it into the fog.

With two “hissing” sounds, the handkerchief emitted a plume of cyan smoke, and then slowly melted before her eyes, like white snow under the scorching sun.

However, the edges of this silk handkerchief had bubbled with cyan froth before being completely corroded.

Feng Miaojun thought for a moment, then took out an Overturning Heaven Seal and threw it into the dense fog. This was no ordinary daily item, but a magical artifact she had received when entering Wei territory with Yun—quite effective for striking people.

But once in the dense fog, the magical artifact also hissed, its surface seeming as if molten steel had been poured over it, becoming uneven from the heat.

Having wasted a magical artifact, Feng Miaojun’s expression changed slightly: “What powerful miasma.”

No wonder those sea demons ran away from the misty vapor. Such miasma could devour even mid-grade magical artifacts, let alone flesh and blood bodies.

The flow of this mist was also very fast; it was already good that it wasn’t chasing her. It was evident that this fog was flowing down from the mountain. How could she pass through the poisonous fog to find Fu Lingchuan?

While she was hesitating, the liquid metal monster Bai Ban jumped down from her shoulder, transforming back into a white marten and diving into the dense fog.

Feng Miaojun’s heartbeat quickened.

Fortunately, this beautiful little white marten didn’t end up riddled with holes like the previous magical artifact. Instead, it shook its silvery bright fur and spoke like a human: “This poisonous fog can’t trouble me.”

Indeed, the dense fog enveloped its entire body and even wriggled inward as if alive. But the white marten’s form didn’t change at all, as if it were simply in ordinary water vapor.

It hadn’t shown such ability before its dormancy, presumably due to the metals Feng Miaojun had fed it. Bai Ban had a special characteristic—it could adopt the properties of the metals it consumed. After this period of dormancy, it hadn’t changed much, and when Feng Miaojun asked what new divine powers it had gained, it couldn’t answer, only saying it had become “more solid.”

For a liquid metal monster, becoming “solid” was itself inconceivable. The biggest characteristic of this demon species was that its physical form could change at will. Such a body structure had nothing to do with “solidity”—would you consider water to be solid?

But Feng Miaojun had tried transforming it into hard metals like spears and staves, and indeed, the hardness was quite astonishing, though not particularly strange. Until now, when even this strange poisonous fog couldn’t corrode Bai Ban, Feng Miaojun finally saw that the impurities in its body had been thoroughly refined away.

She cautiously took two steps forward and opened a barrier at the edge of the fog mass. Though she was strong and healthy, she was still flesh and blood. Could she pass through this poisonous fog that could dissolve even copper walls and iron fortresses? She didn’t know whether this poisonous fog was the handiwork of Fu Lingchuan or Lord Ao, but it was truly formidable.

The poisonous fog seemed alive, instantly pouncing over and boring into the barrier—it appeared that living beings were strongly attracted to it.

She was also prepared to jump back at any moment.

Fortunately, the barrier remained just that thin barrier. The poisonous fog wriggled around the perimeter, seemingly looking for gaps, but never managing to penetrate.

Feng Miaojun breathed a sigh of relief, finally at ease.

Her spiritual power was identical to Yun’s. The longer she cultivated it, the more she felt its peculiar attributes, different from ordinary people’s, with violent and powerful energy. This highly corrosive poisonous fog was helpless against it.

Feng Miaojun wasted no more time and quickly rushed toward the mountain peak.

Along this path lay dozens upon dozens of white skeletons, all demons who had been trapped by the poisonous fog and couldn’t escape in time.

However, the dense fog also brought one benefit: even the mermen couldn’t deploy defenses in such an environment, so she could move freely, saving a great deal of time.

Cone Tail Mountain was less than four hundred meters high. At her pace, she should have reached the top in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

However, she hadn’t.