Chapter One Hundred and Twelve: The Affliction of Blindness

Seeing a wisp of black smoke break free from beneath Ling Xiaolei's palm, shape itself into a wolf, and dart into the forest to vanish in a flash, the villager was filled with terror.

"Don't be afraid, this is my familiar," Ling Xiaolei said.

After a year of taming, Tanlang's magic power had grown significantly. Though its body was still less than half the size of a fully grown demon wolf, it had already reached a length of nearly three meters.

It bounded effortlessly into the distance, herding the nearby magical beasts toward the center like a flock of sheep. The companions only needed to keep walking forward, and soon, the beasts all fell within the range of Ling Xiaolei's sensory net.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks.

"To our left, at the eight o'clock position, three blue-feathered tail butterflies are rapidly approaching. At ten o'clock, two brown-skinned lizards. Straight ahead, a thousand-year-old fox demon, followed by several azure foxes. To our right, several other beasts of around a thousand years of cultivation are drawing near, the strongest among them being a striped white snake..."

Ling Xiaolei closed her eyes briefly and then slowly opened them, having fully mapped out the surrounding threats.

"Quite a crowd," Heiyu remarked. "Let me handle this."

Standing back-to-back, the three of them watched as magic power condensed into a single point at the tip of the glossy, pitch-black trident in Heiyu's hand. With a blinding flash that came and went in an instant, and without any visible movement of his weapon, a clean, arc-shaped black flash erupted. Centered on their position, it expanded outward in a split second, the violent wind whipping the treetops above.

"Demonic Light Waltz Slash!"

This was a skill capable of cleaving a small mountain, but Heiyu had restrained his power.

As the black light flashed past, a hair-thin seam appeared on every tree half a meter above the ground. Though they had already been sliced clean through, they remained perfectly still, and silence fell over the forest once more.

With this single strike, every single beast signature within Ling Xiaolei's sensory net vanished in an instant. She extended her fingers and then clenched her fist.

"Binding Net—Contract!"

The sensory net instantly transformed into a binding net, gathering the carcasses of the beasts within its radius and pulling them inward.

"A clean sweep!" she said excitedly.

Within the sturdy net, the white-striped demon snake—as thick as a bowl—was coiled in a heap. The limp bodies of the fox spirit and the azure foxes lay piled atop the other carcasses, which included many common rabbit and squirrel demons. Their souls had been shattered instantly by the sheer, terrifying force of the black flash. Above the beasts' corpses, multi-colored spirit essences floated.

"The cultivation of the beasts here isn't as high as those in the forests around the Holy City. They only have an average of a thousand years of cultivation. No wonder people from other continents go to the old battlefield near the Holy City to cultivate. It turns out that's the best place for it."

A year ago, Ling Xiaolei would have felt a pang of dread at the sight of a beast with a thousand years of cultivation. Now, taking one down single-handedly was a walk in the park.

Just as Heiyu and Ling Xiaolei were about to step forward to absorb the spirit essences, Bai Shengye suddenly stopped them.

"Wait. If we take these spirit essences back and refine them into spirit potions, the yield will be much greater than absorbing them directly."

Bai Shengye explained further, "For a skilled alchemist—that is, someone like me—refining a beast's spirit essence can yield thirty percent more magic power than direct absorption."

"No wonder you level up so fast." The two of them finally understood his secret.

By now, Tanlang, who had driven the beasts into the perimeter, came trotting back to Ling Xiaolei's feet. It lowered its head submissively, sniffing at the hem of her trousers as if begging for a reward.

Ling Xiaolei patted its head appreciatively. "Go on, pick a spirit essence you like and absorb it!"

Tanlang bounded forward, leaned down, and absorbed the spirit essence of the thousand-year-old fox demon.

"Lizard tail stingers, fox pelts, snake gallbladders... these are all excellent ingredients for alchemy." After collecting the spirit essences, Bai Shengye harvested the valuable parts from the beasts' bodies.

Heiyu glanced toward the towering mountains in the direction of Shenshou Village. "Let's keep heading toward Shenshou Village. Hopefully, we'll run into some stronger beasts along the way."

Shenshou Village lay at the foot of Azure Dragon Mountain. The narrow, winding path leading into the village was hidden beneath the dense canopy, opening up to reveal the village only at the very end.

The group walked for another half-day before finally arriving. It was midday, yet as they stepped into the village, the daylight suddenly dimmed as if twilight had fallen, and a chilly air carrying wisps of white mist drifted around them. Looking back at the forest they had just traversed, it was already shrouded in a thin fog, obscuring the path they had taken.

"Heavy fog is the defining feature of this village," the villager explained. "Even at noon, it is as dim as dusk. Traveling merchants nearby often get lost in this forest, so over time, very few outsiders have come to our village."

The cobblestone path into the village was covered in moss. Due to the thick fog, the stones were slick and damp, as if they had just been washed by rain.

This was a secluded, sparsely populated hamlet. Seeing the outsiders, the villagers gathered in small groups, among whom was an elderly man who looked like an elder.

The villager who had guided them immediately walked up to the elder and introduced them, "Chief, these are the mages from the Holy City."

The village chief said humbly and respectfully, "Honored mages, you have traveled far and worked hard. I am the chief of Shenshou Village, and on behalf of our village, I welcome you."

"No need for formalities," Bai Shengye interrupted. "I heard that the infected here have developed a rare symptom of blindness. Take us to see the injured first."

"Well..." The chief hesitated. "You have all come from so far away. We should arrange lodgings for you first, and prepare a feast to welcome you properly. Otherwise, it would be bad manners..."

Bai Shengye waved his hand. "We are here to treat the sick and save lives. Nothing else matters. Gather the patients in the center of the village." With that, he began walking toward the heart of the village.

The chief hurriedly called out to the strong young men nearby, "Quick, gather the infected! The mages are here!" Then, flustered and eager not to offend, he made a welcoming gesture. "Please, honored guests, follow me."

In the center of the village was a small clearing with a water well, next to which stood a simple wooden shelter. They sat beneath the shelter, and soon, someone brought out fresh fruit to serve them.

From the paths behind the various houses, family members were already slowly guiding the infected forward. They walked very slowly, testing the ground ahead with their hands and the tips of their toes, their eyes completely blind.

The chief explained the situation to them. "Mages of the Light Elf tribe have visited before. Although they could heal the physical wounds, they were powerless against the blindness. As long as this blindness isn't cured at its root, the dark forces will gradually corrode their bodies again before long. Please, honored mages, find a way to help them."

Bai Shengye stroked his chin in contemplation. "Collective blindness is a symptom that has never appeared among the infected before. The situation is indeed rather strange."

The infected lined up in the clearing, stepping forward one by one to face Bai Shengye. Heiyu walked among them, pressing his right palm against their bodies to check the extent of the dark force's corrosion. The moment his palm absorbed the dark energy, his vision went completely black. Only when he pulled his hand away did his sight gradually return.