Black Rain Mist

Lu Ming sat on a watchtower, looking out of the medicinal garden with a solemn expression. The sky there had already turned completely dark, and a thick, cold black mist was slowly flowing. The black mist was extremely dense, severely obstructing not only his vision but even making his perception of primordial energy sluggish.

In this black mist, even Grand Divine Ability Practitioners could easily lose their way.

Lu Ming's gaze swept over the medicinal garden, where clusters of lamplight were being lit. At the same time, above the medicinal garden, a barrier formed by the Divine Ability Restriction known as the Azure Light Restriction inverted like a bowl over them. The faint azure light barrier finally gave people a sense of security.

“How is it?”

An old voice came from behind Lu Ming. Lu Jin walked over and sat down beside him, his pipe lit and emitting hot smoke.

“It is quite terrifying,” Lu Ming said honestly.

The cold, damp black mist blotted out the sky and sun. Outside, there was a dead silence, as if this medicinal garden was the only place left with life in the entire world.

“This is just the diffusing rain mist. The actual Black Rain Zone is the truly terrifying part... Oh, I forgot, you encountered it once when you were a child,” Lu Jin said.

A look of lingering fear crossed Lu Ming's face as long-buried memories were unearthed from the depths of his mind. That was the horror of that night.

Countless times, he and Jing Yi had hovered on the brink of life and death.

If it had not been for the fact that they were simply too insignificant to attract more of the chilling perception within the rain screen, they probably would not have survived until the next day.

“When this Black Rain Zone outside Qingyuan Ward first appeared, you were not even born yet. Back then, the rain zone was only a few dozen li. But now, it has expanded more than tenfold. Many neighboring ward cities have been reduced to dead zones within the rain zone. Who knows how many bones are buried in that black rain,” Lu Jin said with a complex expression.

“Grandfather, this Black Rain Zone is so bizarre and brings endless disasters. Why doesn't Fengyang Prefecture send powerful cultivators to completely eliminate it?” Lu Ming asked in confusion.

“Because once a Black Rain Zone appears, it is nearly impossible to eliminate.”

Lu Jin's weathered face grew a bit heavier, and he said in a low tone, “The Black Rain Zone is incredibly bizarre. It is said that its power does not belong to this world. Every place where a Black Rain Zone is born indicates that a rift leading to an unknown location has appeared in the space there. The black rain descends from the spatial rift, never stopping.”

“A Divine Ability Grandmaster from Fengyang Prefecture once came, but all they could do was set up a Divine Ability Restriction to limit the expansion speed of the Black Rain Zone. As for eliminating it, they lacked the power. Perhaps that requires a power that surpasses a Divine Ability Grandmaster...”

“Furthermore, the Black Rain Zone is not unique to our region.”

“The one here in Qingyuan Ward is merely a small Black Rain Zone. It is said that in the Great Luo Territory and the entire Great Shang empire, there are even more massive Black Rain Zones... Compared to those, the one here in Qingyuan Ward is like a small sore on a body.”

“I once saw some information in our ancestral records. Our Lu family ancestors fled here from our ancestral land. Outside Great Shang, there are entire countries shrouded by Black Rain Zones. Some massive Black Rain Zones have even formed isolation barriers, cutting off different territories from one another.”

...

Listening to the old man's low, raspy voice, Lu Ming could not help but feel his scalp tingle. The Black Rain Zone here in Qingyuan Ward already gave him a suffocating sense of pressure. He truly could not imagine how terrifying a Black Rain Zone that could shroud an entire country would be.

Under a Black Rain Zone of that level, even a Divine Ability Grandmaster would probably find it difficult to take a single step, wouldn't they?

Did such a place truly exist?

Seeing Lu Ming looking a bit dazed, Lu Jin smiled. Changing the subject, he said, “Although this is currently just rain mist, it does have another subtle use. Try circulating your Qi Refining Technique here.”

Lu Ming did not understand why, but he still did as he was told and circulated his Qi Refining Technique.

In the next moment, a look of surprise surfaced on Lu Ming's face. He discovered that circulating his Qi Refining Technique now allowed him to absorb the primordial energy of heaven and earth even faster than he did back at Thunderfire Hall.

This was not because the primordial energy of heaven and earth here was denser than at Thunderfire Hall.

Rather, it was because the primordial energy seemed to exude a sense of panic, as if it were being pursued. Treating his body as a safe haven, it actively surged inside.

“The black rain melts and corrupts the primordial energy of heaven and earth. Since primordial energy naturally seeks fortune and avoids disaster, it will find ways to hide. Therefore, when this black rain mist spreads, the effectiveness of cultivation actually increases significantly. This feeling... is just like birds seeking shelter under eaves when it rains.”

“This is also why all kinds of top-tier cultivation resources and natural treasures always appear in Black Rain Zones. Because the primordial energy of heaven and earth is forced to seek shelter, the probability of these treasures forming is far higher than in the outside world,” Lu Jin explained.

Lu Ming finally understood. No wonder so many adventuring teams risked their lives to enter the Black Rain Zone despite knowing how perilous it was.

In the end, it was just as the saying went: humans die for wealth, just as birds die for food.

Lu Ming sighed to himself, but he also understood that with his current strength, the matter of the Black Rain Zone was not something he was qualified to contemplate. One should only eat as much as their stomach could hold. His most urgent task right now was to work hard to become stronger and help Thunderfire Hall deal with the upcoming Hall Meet first.

Thus, he said no more. Instead, he took out a High-grade Bone Refining Pill, seizing this opportunity while the black rain mist was thick to increase his primordial energy as much as possible.

Watching Lu Ming swallow the Bone Refining Pill and immediately enter a state of cultivation, a smile appeared on Lu Jin's weathered face. He did not disturb him, quietly sitting by his side and taking puff after puff of his pipe.

The puffs of pungent smoke drifted around, somehow bringing a trace of security in this particular moment.

Meanwhile, in other positions not far away, Lu Qingyan, Lu Jinglei, Qian Shan, and the others did not dare to relax. Leading their men, they kept their eyes glued to the damp, cold black mist churning outside the medicinal garden, remaining on high alert at all times.

A quiet atmosphere enveloped the medicinal garden.

After two shichen passed in this manner, Lu Ming, who was in the middle of cultivating, suddenly felt the air grow chillingly cold. This caused him to hastily exit his cultivation state.

Opening his eyes, Lu Ming found that Lu Jin, who had been sitting beside him, had stood up. Vigorous and violent primordial energy surged across his slightly thin frame, and his weathered face stared blankly outside the medicinal garden.

“Grandfather? Is that...” Lu Ming was startled.

Lu Jin nodded slightly and said calmly, “The Rain Abominations should be here.”

Lu Ming's pupils contracted. Rain Abominations were bizarre existences bred within the black rain, and they were things that struck terror into the hearts of countless treasure hunters who entered the Black Rain Zone.

He raised his gaze, staring intently outside the medicinal garden.

There, the bottomless, damp rain mist flowed slowly. Suddenly, a flicker of warm yellow lamplight appeared within the deep darkness.

That flicker of warm yellow lamplight was extremely conspicuous in the darkness. It even brought a subtle sense of security, giving people an urge to draw closer to the light and use its glow to dispel the darkness.

However, when Lu Ming saw this flicker of warm yellow lamplight, his breath suddenly caught, and he felt a suffocating sensation as if his heart were being squeezed.

Because on that deeply remembered rainy night, he and Jing Yi had almost been deceived by this warm yellow lamplight...

The moment the light appeared, the expressions of Lu Qingyan, Lu Jinglei, Qian Shan, and the others inside the medicinal garden all changed. Immediately after, vigorous primordial energy surged from their bodies as they prepared to face a formidable foe.

The lamplight grew clearer and clearer in the black mist.

Finally, the thing within it revealed itself.