"Is this the Xidu World?"
Liu Yilin and the others looked at the desolate world filled with poisonous mist, their faces showing disbelief.
"Is this the beautiful world that every cultivator dreams of?"
"This is clearly worse than hell."
Not only were Liu Yilin and the others stunned, but even Ning Beichen was taken aback, as he had never expected the Xidu World to be like this.
"Sister, are you sure this is the Xidu World?"
Ning Beichen had to ask Ning Xiaoling.
"Brother, I'm sure this is the Xidu World, but I don't know why it's become like this."
Ning Xiaoling replied.
After all, she had been away from the Xidu World for a very, very long time, trapped in a dimensional world for countless years. Therefore, her understanding of the Xidu World was based on how it was in the past.
"My heavens! What happened to the Xidu World?"
Haitang and the others were about to walk forward, but Ning Beichen immediately stopped them.
"Don't go any further. There's something wrong with this poisonous mist."
Ning Beichen told them to come back, then he approached the poisonous mist. When he touched it with his hand, he saw his palm instantly turn into bare bones, causing Liu Yilin and the others to exclaim.
However, Ning Beichen quickly dispelled the mist, and his palm recovered.
"What a potent poison, much stronger than the Obliteration we encountered before!"
Ning Beichen frowned and said.
This was a rather mild statement, as he felt this mist was far superior to Obliteration, at least a hundred times stronger.
"If this is truly the Xidu World, or if it was once the Xidu World, then something extremely terrifying must have happened here. I wonder if this is just a part of it, or if the entire planet has become like this?"
Ning Beichen became extremely worried.
He had gone to great lengths to bring them to the Xidu World and didn't want to spend another few decades returning. Regardless, he had to figure out what had happened here.
After discussing with Ning Beichen, they all agreed with his decision, as they also did not want to go back the way they came.
However, before that, Ning Beichen and the others had to find a way to deal with the poisonous mist, at least to avoid its harm. Otherwise, exploring this place would be mere fantasy.
Next, Ning Beichen began to study the poisonous mist and tried to find a solution.
After numerous attempts, Ning Beichen finally found a way to avoid the mist's corrosive effects. This involved the power of his "Dukuhai Bian Gongfa" (功法 - cultivation technique) and his blood.
By combining these two with a medicinal pill refined from a peculiar plant that survived in the mist, Liu Yilin and the others could be protected from the poisonous mist.
However, the effectiveness of this pill lasted only about three days, so Ning Beichen needed to prepare more.
In addition to refining the antidote pills, Ning Beichen also continued to observe the situation. He discovered that this place was not entirely devoid of life, as he occasionally saw creatures flying in the sky.
This proved that life still existed here. Since there were creatures, perhaps there were also humans, possibly living in areas free from the mist. This further fueled Ning Beichen's desire to investigate.
Before long, Ning Beichen had refined enough pills. After letting Liu Yilin and the others take them, they began to explore in the mist.
As they ventured deeper into the mist, they were met with a shocking sight. The ground was littered with countless bones, most of which were human. Excluding themselves as outsiders, there was only one possibility: these bones all belonged to the inhabitants of the Xidu World.
By the end of the day, Liu Yilin and the others had vomited numerous times, and even Ning Beichen felt his stomach churning.
"It's too tragic!"
"This is truly hell on earth."
Ning Beichen led the group away from the area of white bones and found a place free of poisonous mist, allowing everyone to relieve their extreme sense of oppression.
If there was such a thing as hell on earth, this place might truly be it.
Ning Beichen and the others could not even imagine what these people had gone through in their lives, how much suffering they had endured, or if they had even had a chance to suffer before turning into a pile of bones.
After all, when Ning Beichen had tested the mist earlier, he had already experienced its potency. If he hadn't used his power to resist, the mist could have instantly dissolved his palm. It was the most potent poison he had ever seen.
What Ning Beichen couldn't figure out was whether this poisonous mist was a natural phenomenon or man-made.
If it were natural, there would be nothing more to say, as survival of the fittest and world destruction were not uncommon. If it were man-made, then the implications were chilling.
Soon, the surrounding light began to dim, signaling the onset of night.
Ning Beichen and Liu Yilin had observed earlier that the days and nights here were three times longer than in their world, so their original timekeeping methods were no longer applicable.
Ning Beichen had already set up several tents. Putting aside talk of cultivators sleeping in harmony with nature, no cultivator would willingly suffer if they could avoid it, unless absolutely forced by circumstances.
However, since everyone had lost their appetite today, no one had eaten. Although not physically tired, they felt mentally and physically exhausted, so everyone had already retired to their tents.
Yet, in the middle of the night, Ning Beichen and the others heard a human scream from the darkness, but they couldn't pinpoint its direction.
Ning Beichen was the first to emerge from the tent, staring intently at the surrounding movements. Then, Liu Yilin and the others appeared beside Ning Beichen.
However, they waited in silence for a long time without hearing any further sounds, making them wonder if they had misheard.
If one person had misheard, it might be understandable. But if everyone had heard the scream, then they definitely hadn't mistaken it.
"Old Black!"
Ning Beichen shouted, and the Black Flood Dragon's body instantly grew larger. Ning Beichen then led everyone to land on the Black Flood Dragon's back.
After the previous incident, Ning Beichen no longer felt comfortable leaving Liu Yilin and the others alone. Who knew if something was a diversion, intentionally luring them out.
The Black Flood Dragon soared into the sky and flew in the direction Ning Beichen indicated. Its vision in the darkness was much stronger than that of Ning Beichen and the others. Many things that Ning Beichen couldn't see, the Black Flood Dragon could.