“Of course I don’t need them,” Jared replied with a smile. With that, he was about to walk toward the forest when Feenix and Cloud expressed their desire to join him. However, Jared forbade them from doing so.
Unaware of the concealed dangers within Mount Crimson, he feared that Cloud and Feenix might become a liability, burdening him instead.
Jared had wanted to see if he could discover the presence of celestial energy. In the event he couldn’t, he didn’t mind settling for slaying a celestial beast.
Nonetheless, after scouting the surroundings, Jared was disappointed by the lack of ordinary demon beasts, let alone celestial beasts.
Also, there was no sign of any celestial energy after all. Nevertheless, the fact that they couldn’t be easily found made them all the more valuable.
Jared subsequently returned empty-handed. He didn’t venture out too far, for he wasn’t familiar with Mount Crimson after all. Upon his return, Jared noticed that Hamish had scattered some white powder around their camp.
The power not only stung his nose but also carried a disgusting stench.
When he saw Jared, Hamish advised, “Come back in here quickly. Once it gets dark, no one is allowed to leave. I’ve cast an arcane array around this place and scattered a powder that will scare demon beasts away. These will keep us safe tonight.”
Jared didn’t say a word after glancing at what Hamish had done. The simple arcane array and white powder could only stop small demon beasts at best and would be ineffective against larger and more powerful ones.
“Dad, will this work? Also, when will the poison veil appear?” Kiara asked Hamish,
“Of course, it’ll work. Throughout my years of traveling, I’ve always used this method to ward off the demon beasts. As to when the poison veil will appear, it’s a matter of luck, as I can’t predict it. That said, all of us have taken Mr. Tamazi’s detoxification pill, so we won’t be affected by it,” Hamish explained.
Once everything was in place, everyone began to cultivate in silence. Meanwhile, Misho took a seat by Jared’s side and inquired smilingly, “Did you find anything?”
He knew that Jared had gone off in search of the celestial energy within Mount Crimson. Shaking his head, Jared broke into an awkward grin.
“Some things just can’t be forced. It won’t be there when we try looking for it but might appear when we’re not.”
Misho gave Jared’s shoulder a pat before closing his eyes to rest.
As time passed, members of the party fell into deep sleep amidst the pitch-black surroundings. An eerie silence filled the air, as there was not a single sound to be heard.
Unbeknownst to them, a thick mist had begun to rise around the party’s camp. Carried within it was the faint stench of blood.
With everyone in deep sleep, no one had noticed that they had been encapsulated by the mist. All of a sudden, a cultivator among them opened his eyes. There was a faint red glow in them, giving him a terrifying look.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the cultivator attacked his companions.
Boom!
The moment his palm fired out, the man beside him died instantaneously with a cry of agony, one that woke everyone else up.
The gruesome sight that greeted them left them dumbfounded. While everyone was still mired in shock, the cultivator who had gone berserk began attacking the others.
“D*mn it, have you gone mad?”
“He deserves to die for committing a sneak attack!”
“What’s going on?”
Everyone was yelling in disbelief.
“The poison veil… We’re being surrounded by the poison veil…”
“It must have clouded his mind, causing him to lose his sanity!”
After he surveyed the surroundings, Hamish’s expression underwent a dramatic shift.
“Dad, didn’t we take the detoxification pill? Why are we still susceptible to its effects?” Kiara asked quizzically.
