"Traces of the culprit have been found. Gather all forces and eliminate it in one strike."

The paper crane in Zhou Yuan's hand flapped its wings and turned into a streak of light, flying into another cloud of mist. Soon, the other cloud moved rapidly in their direction and merged with them.

Another team of ten appeared in Alaric Ye's sight.

The female Inner Sect cultivator leading the other team exchanged a glance with Zhou Yuan, then both nodded and made a downward encircling gesture towards the direction where the demonic aura and killing intent were emanating from.

According to the plan discussed on the flying boat, the two teams, totaling over twenty people, descended silently in an encircling formation.

Upon landing, Alaric Ye saw a figure not far away, dressed in a black robe with a black hat completely covering their face. The group moved swiftly like leopards, surrounding the figure instantly, drawing their flying swords, ready to attack at any moment.

Alaric Ye's heart raced. From the aura, he sensed that this figure had at least an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivation. As he approached, Alaric Ye felt his hair stand on end, his heart pounding with fear.

It was his first time facing such a formidable opponent!

The female Inner Sect cultivator from the second team shouted, "Bold demonic person, how dare you cause trouble within the jurisdiction of the Top Xuan Sect! You are surrounded. If you surrender now, the Demon Slaying Hall might show you leniency!"

Unexpectedly, the black-robed demonic person merely let out a cold laugh.

"Heh, sorry, fairy. The ones surrounded have always been you!"

"You... fell into the trap!"

As he spoke, the black-robed man quickly drew a small formation flag and with a "whoosh," planted it at his feet.

Instantly, everyone's faces changed. Just as they were about to fly away on their swords, they were enveloped by an endless mist, and all their figures disappeared from sight.

Alaric Ye's heart tightened.

"Not good, it's a Mist Formation!" Little White exclaimed.

Once inside a Mist Formation, even holding hands, it would be difficult to see the teammates beside you. Moreover, the Mist Formation would reverse directions; what you thought was left could actually be right, and what you thought was east could actually be west.

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If the Mist Formation was large enough, unless the formation core was found and the flag destroyed, it would be hard to escape.

Meanwhile, Little Strong and Little Blue had crawled out of Alaric Ye's sleeves, vigilantly watching the surroundings.

The best way to deal with a Mist Formation was to fly out from above!

Left and right could be reversed, but the ground was real, and up and down couldn't be reversed. As long as you used the ground as a reference, you could quickly escape the mist.

Just as Alaric Ye was about to fly up on his sword, his face changed again.

"What's going on!"

He felt he couldn't easily mobilize the mana within his body. After much effort, he could only muster a little, completely unable to fly on his sword.

At the same time, an overwhelming drowsiness hit him, as if he hadn't slept for three days and nights. Just closing his eyes for a second would make him fall into a deep sleep.

Alaric Ye bit his tongue, the pain making him much more alert.

"What's happening? I haven't been affected by any spells!"

Alaric Ye stopped trying to fly and instead held his flying sword, standing still without making any rash moves.

Little White said, "Master seems to be poisoned!"

Alaric Ye's brows furrowed deeply: "Could it be that the enemy has improved the Mist Formation, making it not only a trap but also a poisonous mist?"

Formation techniques were incredibly profound. Even a Foundation Establishment expert might not be proficient in them. To improve a formation, one's formation skills must be extraordinary.

Little Strong said, "Master, this mist isn't poisonous. I suspect it's Zhou Yuan's pills that are the problem!"

Alaric Ye's face grew even darker.

The twenty-person team had all taken Zhou Yuan's pills!

Zhou Yuan had shared much of his mission experience along the way and showed no signs of abnormality, earning Alaric Ye's respect. So when he handed out the pills, everyone, including the usually cautious Alaric Ye, didn't question their safety but saw Zhou Yuan's gesture as selfless.

Even Alaric Ye, who had always been extremely cautious, hadn't expected the pills to be poisoned.

Alaric Ye had cultivated the Five Elements Vajra Technique to the second level. His physical body and meridians were far stronger than others at the same level, even surpassing those a few levels higher. Yet, he struggled to resist the overwhelming drowsiness. The other cultivators had likely already fallen into a deep sleep, losing all ability to resist!

This meant that out of the nineteen people, he was likely the only one still capable of fighting back.

Fortunately, he was an Insect Cultivator, and his main combat strength lay in his spirit insects. As long as the spirit insects weren't poisoned and he didn't fall into a deep sleep, there was still hope.

At that moment, Alaric Ye heard voices.

"Brother Zhou, you did well. This Semicentury Pill is your reward. Hahaha, all nineteen Top Xuan Sect disciples are down. What a rare harvest!"

"They will become high-quality zombies, and some of the prettier ones will make fine furnace cauldrons. I'll let you have a couple to enjoy later."

"I... sigh... they trusted me deeply. I hope you can let them suffer less..."

"Little brother, you've lived in the Top Xuan Sect for decades, bound by countless rules and morals. You still can't let go. But from the moment you decided to act against them, you betrayed the Top Xuan Sect and joined our Abstruse Dark Sect!"

"What can the Top Xuan Sect give you? Even if you risked your life for the sect dozens of times, did you ever get the Semicentury Pill? No, you never even had hope of getting it!"

"Since the Top Xuan Sect can't give you what you want, you must break free from the rules and morals you once followed. Embrace your new self and welcome a new life!"

"You will experience the boundless freedom and unimaginable pleasure of the Demonic Path!"

"In our Demonic Sect, there are no rules, only desires. Whatever you want, you take by any means necessary. Strength and cultivation are the only truths!"

"Thank you... senior brother, for your guidance. I'll enjoy their taste later... hahaha. It's laughable that decades of dedication to the Top Xuan Sect didn't yield as much as one contribution to the Demonic Sect."

"The righteous path... is truly laughable!"

"Brother Zhou, let's quickly control these bodies and move them. Delay could bring trouble. We can reflect more once we're back at the sect!"

"Understood. They still think I sent a message to the sect, but I never did. No strong reinforcements will come. Rest assured!"

At that moment, the Abstruse Dark Sect cultivator suddenly let out a light "huh."

"There's still one of your former junior brothers who hasn't fallen asleep. But he's heavily poisoned and can't resist much. You should know him better. This boy has a good look; don't harm him. Selling him as a furnace cauldron to the senior sisters in our sect would fetch a high price."

"Understood!" Zhou Yuan's voice turned serious.