Chapter 446 Crimson Mist

Zhenbei Military Camp.

The black aura emanating from the statue grew increasingly intense. Ma Shuo narrowed his eyes and said gravely, “It’s almost time! You two, prepare yourselves!”

Mingyuan nodded, a calm smile on his face, though behind his tranquil eyes raged a fury barely held back.

Chen Fei, though already aware of most of the situation, couldn’t shake a sense that something wasn’t right.

The timing, especially, was far too perfect. And Mingyuan had been deep within the mountains—it wasn’t likely he had full grasp of the broader picture.

As an observer, Chen Fei felt that something about Mingyuan’s story simply didn’t add up.

Sure, the demon clans of Northern Wastes hated the Zhenbei King deeply—but how could so many demon cultivators infiltrate this far into the heart of the Xuanhuang Continent without the Zhenbei Army noticing? That just didn’t make sense.

And more importantly… were these “demon cultivators” really under the command of the demon clan?

Still, this wasn’t the time to voice such doubts. Even if he said it out loud, would Mingyuan believe him? Probably not. Besides, with how strange Zhenbei City had been acting lately, perhaps this incident could lead to some real answers.

As Chen Fei was lost in thought, the rippling aura from the statue abruptly stabilized, forming a pitch-black gateway.

“This is it! Whether or not Zhenbei City can be saved… depends on you two now!” Ma Shuo’s words were solemn—but that only deepened the suspicion in Chen Fei’s heart.

He didn’t believe for a second that the Zhenbei Army would entrust such a critical mission to outsiders.

There had to be another layer to this scheme. But for now, he had no choice but to go in and find out for himself.

“Junior Brother Chen, let’s go,” Mingyuan said softly, eyes on the dark portal.

“Alright.” Chen Fei nodded. The two of them activated their Qi and stepped into the portal. In the blink of an eye, they vanished from the military camp.

Ma Shuo turned and ordered coldly, “Guard this place. No one is to enter!”

The attendant beside him quickly nodded. Once Ma Shuo left, the servant rushed outside, slapped two pre-inscribed talismans onto the door, and activated a glowing golden barrier to seal the room.

Meanwhile, Ma Shuo hurried toward a nearby chamber.

“They’ve entered,” he reported softly at the door.

“Good,” came a deep, resonant voice.

Chen Fei couldn’t see it, but inside that chamber, the Zhenbei King stood before another strange statue.

The faint, eerie light from it bathed the king’s face in an unnatural glow, making his expression even more unsettling.

“It’s time. You all may go in now—leave no survivors,” the Zhenbei King said coldly, turning toward ten robed figures standing behind him.

These figures radiated a sinister aura, and upon receiving the order, they raised their heads to reveal glowing crimson eyes.

Their power was obvious—every one of them had cultivation above the Human Dao Realm.

“Go,” the Zhenbei King waved, satisfied.

The kneeling cultivators rose mechanically and were sucked into the statue one by one.

As they disappeared, the Zhenbei King’s grin widened. He looked down at his palm, his eyes flashing with madness.

“Soon… Very soon. Northern Wastes… hmph.”

Chen Fei felt a flash of disorientation. When his vision cleared, he found himself standing in a strange crimson-hued dimension.

The space wasn’t very large, but it was completely filled with black mist.

“It’s toxic,” Chen Fei muttered, frowning at the pungent stench. The poison was strange—it actually corroded his Qi.

Just as he realized this, the Heaven Silkworm Gu on the Void Heaven Cauldron suddenly let out an angry screech.

“How dare you steal Grandpa Gu’s food!”

Normally docile and focused on devouring Qi, this time it screamed in rage.

The sharp screech caused Chen Fei to freeze in place—his mind blank, his defenses dropped entirely.

Just then, a muffled groan echoed from afar, jolting Chen Fei back to awareness.

He broke out in a cold sweat.

The ground beneath him began to shake. A massive chasm cracked open suddenly, as if something monstrous was about to burst forth.

Chen Fei was stunned, unable to move. But just then, the Heaven Silkworm Gu shrieked again.

This time, however, the oppressive presence disappeared, and the space settled.

The Gu crawled back onto the cauldron and began… twitching its mouth.

Only this time, instead of devouring Qi, it actually spit out a thread of shimmering silk.

The thread was incredibly thin, no longer than a knuckle, but sparkled with starlight.

Grudgingly, the silkworm shifted aside after spitting it out. Then the silk began to spread like a web, extending from the cauldron outward, gradually enveloping Chen Fei’s dantian.

And it didn’t stop there. The silk threads grew and stretched, eventually wrapping around Chen Fei’s spiritual sea and even infiltrating his flesh and skin, forming a complete, protective layer.

Chen Fei watched, dumbfounded.

This damn bug finally has a conscience?! It’s giving me protection?!

He didn’t know what the silk was, but once it fully wrapped around him, the toxic mist outside no longer affected him. In fact, it was now being absorbed—refined into pure energy and channeled into the Void Heaven Cauldron.

At the other end of the web, the fat silkworm sat there like a glutton, happily munching away.

Chen Fei couldn’t help but twitch his mouth.

It looked like an act of generosity, but really, the Gu just made a feeder network for its own benefit!

Still, Chen Fei couldn’t deny the benefits. His Qi now flowed smoother than ever. With just a thought, he could direct Qi anywhere in his body.

This dramatically increased his combat power.

And with the poison mist neutralized, he now had a decisive advantage in this strange realm.

“Junior Brother Chen, are you alright?” Mingyuan’s voice called out with concern.

He had been standing next to Chen Fei before, but the sudden quake and fissure had separated them.

“I’m fine!” Chen Fei shouted back with a smile. “Senior Brother Mingyuan, this mist is strange—it corrodes Qi!”

Mingyuan’s face darkened. “Indeed. This place is completely unfamiliar to us, but no doubt the demon clan has more intelligence. Our priority should be to locate them and extract as much information as possible.”

There was a flicker of killing intent in his eyes.

Chen Fei glanced at him, then leapt forward and tossed a pill bottle over. “Here. It’s an antidote I concocted. It’s somewhat effective, though this fog is so strange, it likely won’t be enough on its own. Be cautious.”

“Thanks! That mountain over there looks suspicious. Let’s check it out.” Mingyuan pointed toward a hill glowing faintly red.

Chen Fei had no objections. The two of them quickly dashed off in that direction.