Chapter 843: Master Yin's Verdict on Life and Death
Wails of agony echoed throughout the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
The Cong Yun Sea was no different.
Fortunately, on Haixuan Island, the few members of the Mutual Aid Association who had remained behind were in seclusion, preparing for an examination.
As a result, they had received no outside visitors during this time.
This stroke of luck allowed them to escape the disaster.
However, with things as they were, none of them had the heart to continue their studies.
His clone, Ji Shaoli, had shut down the teleportation array and activated the island's grand protective formation, completely severing all contact with the outside world.
He could only monitor the unfolding situation through the Tianxuan Minor Mirror.
"It's all a matter of fate. I was so fortunate to have chosen to enter seclusion here to study. I heard that fellow Daoists Zhang Mu and Sun Ying... they couldn't hold on any longer. They've perished."
Zhang Mu and Sun Ying were both members of the Congyun Mutual Aid Association.
Of the thirteen members operating outside the island, two had already fallen.
This alone was a testament to the terrifying lethality of the mutated Immortal-Mortal Miasma.
It also painted a grim picture of the current state of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, ravaged by the plague.
"The other members are in danger as well. They can barely speak clearly anymore," Ji Shaoli said, his voice heavy.
"They are our brothers in the Association, and it pains me to see them suffer. But we absolutely cannot let them in," he declared gravely. "This miasma is treacherous and deadly, and no one has found a way to counter it yet. Our hands are tied."
Ji Shaoli paused, his gaze drifting beyond the shores of Haixuan Island, his expression unreadable.
"I've heard the miasma can spread through spiritual energy. I've completely sealed off the island's spiritual energy channels from the outside world. Fortunately, I keep a reserve of spirit stones here, so we should be fine for a while."
"But cultivation is out of the question for now. We can only focus on surviving." He turned back to the others, his face grim.
"Having a safe haven is a blessing in itself," the other cultivators agreed with a collective sigh. "We just need to hold out until the Alliance devises a solution."
After a moment of silence, He Zhenghao spoke again, his voice filled with bewilderment. "What exactly is this Immortal-Mortal Miasma? They say it exists inside mortals, yet it's formless, odorless, and has no physical substance. How could it have slipped past the Alliance's notice and spread across the entire world so quickly?"
A flicker of deeper anxiety crossed his eyes.
No one present, not even Ji Shaoli, had an answer.
A somber silence fell over them.
What exactly was this Immortal-Mortal Miasma?
Li Fan, too, desperately wanted to know the answer.
"*Cough, cough...* You two are fine?" He squinted, looking from Tianyang on his left to Lin Ling on his right. Both were brimming with energy, and he asked the question with a hint of indignation.
"Senior Brother, you should talk less. Just get some rest," Tianyang urged, a worried expression on his face.
"I'm fine... *cough, cough...*"
Before he could finish, Li Fan was seized by a violent coughing fit.
It felt as if his organs were shattering and about to be expelled from his body.
Though he looked to be on death's door, Li Fan felt not a flicker of concern.
Instead, with a composed expression, he carefully observed the changes taking place within his body.
Watching him, Tianyang couldn't help but be filled with admiration.
*That kid Shang Tianci seems to have a milder case than I do, but he's still clearly suffering.*
He swept his spiritual sense through his body, searching, but found no trace of the culprit—the Immortal-Mortal Miasma.
Li Fan gave up the search and turned his focus to contemplation.
"It has no physical form, yet mortals, cultivators, and even spiritual energy can act as its carriers."
"To think it could mutate after lying dormant for a thousand years."
"Is this Immortal-Mortal Miasma truly a product of reversing the logic of heaven and earth?" A sliver of doubt crossed Li Fan's mind.
After a moment of deliberation, he took out the communication talisman he used to contact Master Yin and activated it.
A few moments later, Master Yin's voice came through.
"Fellow Daoist Li Fan, are you contacting me about the Immortal-Mortal Miasma?"
"*Cough, cough...* Fellow Daoist Yin, you're not affected?" Li Fan asked, surprised by the strength and clarity in the man's voice.
"Heh, I'm not like the rest of you," Master Yin chuckled. "Perhaps it's because I've been exposed to the miasma for so long. I felt under the weather for a day or two, but now I'm right as rain!"
Hearing this, a glint appeared in Li Fan's eyes. "You truly are fortunate, fellow Daoist. I'm not faring so well myself. I grow weaker by the day... I fear I may not survive this."
"Don't frighten yourself, my friend," Master Yin said dismissively. "Just rest, and you'll recover."
"You've been infected for quite some time now, and you can still speak normally. That tells me it isn't too severe," Master Yin explained with professional confidence. "In the most critical cases, the victims are clinging to life within three to five days."
"Then I shall hope for the best, as you say," Li Fan replied with a nod.
After another coughing fit, Li Fan caught his breath and posed another question. "Fellow Daoist Yin, when it comes to the study of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, I doubt anyone in the world knows more than you. What exactly is this thing? How can it survive for thousands of years and remain so dreadful?"
Master Yin fell silent for a moment before speaking softly. "The Immortal-Mortal Miasma... I suspect it is the product of a cultivator who reversed the natural order."
"It allows even mortals to kill immortals."
"It disregards all differences in power."
Li Fan remained puzzled. "If that's the case, what about this mutated version? Once the natural order has been reversed, how can it be altered again?"
Master Yin's voice was firm. "Only its form has changed. The underlying principle that was reversed—has that changed in any way?"
"It's just that the ratio of cultivators to mortals today may be even greater than it was in ancient times. That could be why its lethality appears far greater than before."
Li Fan mulled over the implications of Master Yin's words.
Suddenly, a new idea surfaced in his mind.
"Fellow Daoist Yin, if what you say is true, then the Immortal-Mortal Miasma was created to protect mortals by annihilating cultivators."
"And if it has reappeared and mutated now... does that not mean the Longevity Celestial Venerable who reversed this natural law is still alive?"
"Why have we never heard of such a being?"
After a brief pause, Master Yin answered hesitantly, "I have my own theories on that matter."
"But I have no way to verify them yet."
"I am certain, however, that if we could uncover this Celestial Venerable's identity, we would be very close to unraveling the ultimate secret of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma."
Master Yin's voice grew distant, almost ethereal.
Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly.
But he didn't press the matter.
After a moment, he changed the subject, asking for Master Yin's thoughts on how the pandemic would likely unfold.
"There's no need for concern, my friend. The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance has some experience in dealing with the miasma."
"They only seem to be on the back foot now because they haven't yet found a way to contain this mutated strain."
"But I imagine it won't be long."
"Once the right method is found, the outcome will be the same as it was thousands of years ago: the miasma will vanish once more."
"It will recede, existing only within the bodies of mortals... as a kind of deterrent," Master Yin said, his voice taking on a haunting quality.
His words seemed to carry a hidden, peculiar emotion.
Li Fan, for his part, was lost in thought.
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