Chapter 750: The Purple Star Eagle

Xiang Yi nodded and said, "Daoist Master is observant. This Bone Lotus indeed possesses the power to ward off poison, but under the erosion of such intense poison, it will inevitably be affected. Once all the petals are contaminated, the treasure will meet its end and cannot recover. That said, there’s no need to worry; this Bone Lotus can hold out long enough for us to complete our task. It seems the Purple River Crocodile’s cry didn’t alert the beasts within the Purple Mist End. We shouldn’t delay. It’s time to move."

Within the thick Purple Mist, visibility was heavily impaired. Even their spiritual consciousness became corroded by the poisonous mist, making them too afraid to extend it for scouting.

In this environment, everyone felt a deep sense of unease. No one spoke; they advanced in silence.

The sheer size of the Purple Mist End caught them by surprise. They had been walking for quite a while, yet there was no sign of the poisonous mist thinning. On the contrary, the color had darkened since they first entered.

This made it clear that Xiang Yi was leading them deeper into the Purple Mist End.

The forest grew increasingly sparse. The soil on the ground had turned purple, creating a surreal scene, yet Qin Sang and the others felt no relief at all.

Before long, they noticed something strange. Xiang Yi’s route seemed off. He had led them in circles more than once.

"Daoist Xiang, don’t tell me you’re lost?" someone questioned, all eyes filled with suspicion.

Xiang Yi motioned for silence, glancing left and right, tilting his head to listen. Then, a trace of joy appeared on his face as he pointed ahead. "Found it! Quick, don’t let them get away!"

The others also heard something faint. They were beastly cries, and quite a few at that.

Until now, they had been avoiding the creatures in this place, yet Xiang Yi was now actively seeking them out.

"These are small beasts called Purple Mustelids, the favorite prey of the Purple Star Eagle..."

He quickened his pace and quickly explained, "Ahead lies a Purple Star Eagle’s nest. A whole flock is entrenched there. The Purple Star Eagles are extremely powerful. Even if we work together, breaking through by force would come at a heavy cost. But the Purple Mustelids are much easier to deal with. We’ll hunt them and use their corpses to lure the eagles away. Then we can pass through effortlessly."

"The alliance truly came prepared," the Liu couple praised.

The others grew more confident as well, eager to finish the task and move on to their own matters.

Following the sounds, they gave chase. Soon, they noticed the Purple Mist surging ahead. Through the mist, they vaguely saw a group of beasts, each about the size of a racoon dog, leaping and running along the ground.

These creatures resembled yellow weasels in appearance and size, but their fur was entirely purple. Even their pupils were a deep violet.

The Purple Mustelids were highly alert. Before anyone had gotten close, they sensed something was wrong and ceased their frolicking.

One by one, the Purple Mustelids stood upright, staring in their direction with gleaming violet eyes. Strange sounds came from their throats, and an unmistakable frenzy flickered in their gaze.

"Attack!"

Xiang Yi gave a low shout. With a flick of his finger, a streak of light shot forth, transforming into a spiritual net that descended from above.

Qin Sang and the others weren’t far behind.

Working in perfect coordination, they unleashed their astras to block all avenues of escape, leaving the Purple Mustelids no way out.

Whoosh!

Qin Sang wielded his ebony sword, slicing through the Purple Mist. The sword light surged several zhang long, forming an impassable wall in the Purple Mustelids' path.

Earlier, Qin Sang had tried releasing the flying yaksha inside the Purple Mist End, only to find that while its body was indeed tougher than theirs, it too was affected by the mist, rapidly depleting its corpse qi. It wouldn’t be useful here.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Under attack, the Purple Mustelids went berserk.

Thick purple smoke erupted from their bodies, quickly filling the air and masking their figures.

This smoke wasn’t just infused with the deadly toxins of the Purple Mist End, it also carried the Purple Mustelids' innate supernatural ability. If an astra remained within it for too long, its spiritual essence would be severely damaged.

It resembled the Blood Defilement Divine Light, though much weaker in comparison.

When Xiang Yi had warned them earlier, Cui Ji had instantly recalled a similar encounter from twenty years ago and couldn’t help glancing at Qin Sang several times.

Thankfully, the group had prepared themselves. The smoke failed to cause any real harm, and the Purple Mustelids were quickly driven out by the descending spiritual net. Startled and shrieking, they scattered in every direction.

As a result, they posed no real threat and were all swiftly slain.

The group stepped forward to collect the Purple Mustelids' corpses.

There were quite a number of them. Qin Sang openly stored a few, and the others soon followed suit. Xiang Yi did not intervene.

With the corpses in tow, Xiang Yi led them back on track, heading straight for the deeper regions of the Purple Mist End.

The forest changed drastically the farther they went. The ancient trees here were extraordinarily tall and had mutated. Their branches were covered in barbed thorns that glowed with a purple sheen, clearly laced with potent poison.

Even without wind, the branches swayed of their own accord, as though hunting for prey. They were nearly sentient by now.

After rushing forward for a distance, the group was finally forced to stop.

"Why is there a high cliff blocking the path here? Could this be the end of the Purple Mist End?" someone asked with a frown.

Their path ahead was obstructed by a towering cliff. There were barriers in the air, and the treetop branches above posed an immense threat from high altitude.

Xiang Yi, unbothered, replied calmly, "We’re still far from the end. This is merely the outer perimeter of the Purple Mist End. The appearance of this cliff means we’re nearing the pass I mentioned earlier. Head to the right."

Before long, they arrived at the mouth of a gorge and came to a halt, holding their breath in silence.

They lifted their heads to look.

Above the gorge, fierce winds howled. They could only make out blurred shadows circling high in the sky, flapping their wings and stirring the sea of mist. From time to time, sharp screeches pierced through the air.

They hadn’t gotten a clear look at the Purple Star Eagles, but the sheer number of shadows was enough to send chills down their spines.

"Under normal circumstances, the Purple Star Eagles don’t stray far from their nest. As long as we break through this gorge, we won’t need to worry anymore," Xiang Yi said as he backed away to a wide clearing.

He tossed the Purple Mustelids' corpses onto the ground, cast a few layers of barriers over them, then led everyone to hide at the foot of the cliff. With a low shout, he commanded, "Detonate!"

Bang! Bang!

The corpses, still appearing fresh, exploded. Flesh and blood burst into fragments, scattering everywhere. A thick, pungent scent spread rapidly, wafting into the gorge.

The moment the Purple Star Eagles caught a whiff of the Purple Mustelids' scent, they went into a frenzy. A massive swarm of black shadows tore through the Purple Mist, scrambling out of the gorge and rushing toward the site of the explosion.

"Go now!" Xiang Yi barked as he swung his arm, and the group seized the chance to slip into the gorge.

Most of the Purple Star Eagles had been drawn away by the scent, but the ones remaining in the gorge still caught sight of them. With shrill cries of fury, they lunged into a wild assault.

At the same time, the eagles outside, still fighting over the bait, received the signal and began returning.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Getting trapped in the gorge would spell disaster.

Everyone immediately summoned their astras to fend off the attacking Purple Star Eagles, all while continuing their dash forward without stopping.

By the time they burst out of the gorge, the pursuing Purple Star Eagles had already caught up. But just as Xiang Yi had said, after chasing them for a short distance, the eagles gave up and returned to their nest.