NOVGO.NET Chapter 842
There was no denying it—Ruomu, the oldest tree in existence and the ancient source of longevity, lived up to its reputation.
Its premonitions were astonishingly accurate.
While Li Fan and Tianyang were still making their slow return to the Spiritwood Realm, a calamity destined to bring boundless slaughter quietly erupted.
Moreover, the bizarre nature of this disaster far exceeded the imagination of cultivators across the world.
Qiling State.
After thorough investigation confirmed that the effects of the earthquake had completely subsided and would not recur, the rescue and investigation team dispatched by the Immortal Alliance Headquarters completed their mission.
With brief reassurances given, they left Qiling Prefecture and returned to the headquarters.
Among them, even the Dao Integration cultivator leading the team was entirely unaware of the subtle, unnoticed changes occurring within their own bodies.
Upon returning to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance headquarters and submitting a detailed report, they each dispersed back to their respective domains.
Until seven days later…“Cough, cough… Strange… Cough, cough… Why does it feel like I can’t catch my breath?”
Li Xinhai, a Soul Transformation cultivator from the investigation team, was in secluded meditation within the Tianxuan Mirror when he was suddenly struck by an ominous unease, disrupting his cultivation process.
Not daring to be careless, he immediately scanned his body with his divine sense—
Yet, he found no apparent abnormalities.
“Cough… cough…”
The sense of dread in his heart refused to fade.
The more he tried to suppress his coughing, the worse it became—
As if he would cough up his lungs.
Staring at the fresh blood in his palm, Li Xinhai’s expression twisted in horror.
Then, like a flash of lightning, a name—nearly forgotten by the vast majority of cultivators—suddenly surfaced in his mind.
His entire body trembled as an indescribable fear took hold of his heart.
“The… Immortal-Mortal Miasma…!”
A shudder ran through him. He immediately contacted the teammates who had accompanied him on the investigation in Qiling Prefecture.
As expected—
Without exception, every single one of them was experiencing some level of physical discomfort.
Some mild, some severe.
Even Green Willow Immortal Sage, the Dao Integration cultivator leading the team, found her thoughts unstable and struggled to maintain focus.
“This is bad.”
The terrifying legends surrounding the Immortal-Mortal Miasma flooded Li Xinhai’s mind all at once.
For a moment, his thoughts went completely blank.
When he finally regained his composure, he shared his suspicions with his companions.
Since his symptoms were the most severe among them, the others were still somewhat skeptical.
Especially Green Willow Immortal Sage, who couldn’t help but reprimand him:
“How utterly ridiculous! The Immortal-Mortal Miasma was purified thousands of years ago. Aside from mortals, its existence has long vanished from the world. How could we possibly—”
“Cough, cough…!”
A sudden coughing fit cut her words short.
The group fell into a deathly silence.
“Stay where you are. Do not move around. I will personally head to headquarters… Cough, cough…”
Green Willow Immortal Sage no longer doubted the situation. However, her tone grew increasingly grave.
Thousands of years had passed, and the knowledge of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma had long faded into myth.
How to detect it…
The symptoms of infection…
The methods of purification…
All of this information had been buried by history, inaccessible to ordinary cultivators.
Even Green Willow Immortal Sage, despite her high status, knew next to nothing about it.
However, she understood the gravity of the situation.
First, she established contact with the headquarters. Then, she rushed to the Immortal Alliance headquarters at top speed.
The moment the teleportation light faded—
She was greeted by dozens of black-robed cultivators, standing in formation like mechanical puppets, awaiting her arrival.
After an extensive round of testing, Li Xinhai’s suspicions were finally confirmed.
The entire Qiling State Investigation Team—without exception—had been infected with the Immortal-Mortal Miasma!
Shock, confusion, terror…
Faced with an existential crisis, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance reacted with astonishing speed.
An emergency task force was immediately established.
The investigation team members were gathered and placed under strict quarantine.
Then, puppet cultivators were dispatched to return to the underground of Qiling Prefecture, conducting a thorough investigation into the origin of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma.
Simultaneously, a wartime emergency status was declared—
All interstate teleportation formation were temporarily shut down.
Prefecture borders were sealed, prohibiting the movement of cultivators.
The crisis had begun.
…
Various measures were implemented simultaneously.
It must be said that in this regard, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance truly lived up to its status as one of the two great hegemons of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Unfortunately, despite the Alliance’s swift response, it was still too late.
From the time the investigation team returned to the outbreak of symptoms, a full seven days had already passed.
By now, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance has spread its teachings and formations to every corner of its territory.
Even though a large number of cultivators, influenced by the Devouring Essence Essence White Mist, would try to minimize their use of inter-state teleportation, the sheer scale of movement meant that countless cultivators were still frequently traveling between different states.
Seven days.
That was more than enough time for this mysterious outbreak of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma to spread to every state within the Alliance.
The sudden wartime state of the Immortal Alliance had already left cultivators deeply unsettled.
Many believed that full-scale war had erupted, catching the Alliance off guard and forcing it into such drastic measures.
Panic spread instantly.
But soon, the cultivators discovered that the reality was far worse than they had imagined.
It was not war—it was the shadow of an ancient catastrophe, once again descending upon the Xuanhuang lands after thousands of years!
The preliminary investigation into the Immortal-Mortal Miasma in Qiling Prefecture had already yielded results.
Long ago, the Immortal-Mortal Miasma had once permeated every corner of the world.
After relentless efforts by cultivators, it was believed to have been completely eradicated.
That was merely what the cultivators thought.
In reality, within an underground cavern in Qiling State, the Immortal-Mortal Miasma had endured for millennia without dissipating.
And as time passed, it seemed to have undergone some kind of mutation—
Becoming more concealed, more powerful.
The various methods recorded in history, though not entirely ineffective, had seen their effectiveness drastically reduced.
New strategies would have to be developed.
But before that could happen, the mutated Immortal-Mortal Miasma had already bared its ferocious, terrifying fangs.
In the current cultivation world, the vast majority of cultivators were concentrated in the floating heavenly cities of their respective prefecture.
The population density of cultivators was now even greater than that of the immortal sects in ancient times!
As a result, the spreading rate of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma was staggering!
By the time the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance issued its official announcement, the sound of coughing had already begun spreading throughout the land.
At first, under the comforting words of the Immortal Alliance’s doctrines, cultivators remained somewhat optimistic.
But as more and more cultivators perished due to the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, fear became inevitable.
The miasma made no distinctions.
Once infected, even Nascent Soul True Lords and Soul Transformation True Monarchs would suffer no less than those in the Foundation Establishment or Golden Core realms—their chances of survival were just as slim!
Desperate cultivators tried every possible method to delay the approach of death.
Yet none of them worked.
All they could do was wither away in agony, dying amidst the endless official announcements from the Immortal Alliance.