Zones of the green fog region

In less than a minute, Feng Xin had reached Peng Zhen's peak. Without pause, he strode towards the central structure and pushed open the doors of Peng Hall.

Inside, the Mirage Dragonfly was darting anxiously around the room, its translucent wings beating with nervous energy. It hovered near the unconscious members of the Green Fog Swamp Sect, who lay scattered across the floor in a still, unnerving silence.

Although the purple-black smog had long been cleared out, not a single sect member had stirred. The Mirage Dragonfly had taken upon itself the task of closely monitoring them, wary of any sudden mishap.

It still remembered Feng Xin's warning vividly about not eating them but if an accident were to happen to them, its instincts told it Feng Xin would still not let it off even if it had nothing to do with it. It was already on thin ice with Feng Xin and did not want to push it. After all, Feng Xin had already made casual remarks about it potentially ending up in the jaws of the Cloud-Swallowing Kite, a fate the Mirage Dragonfly had no intention of testing.

The creak of the doors broke the heavy quiet, and the Mirage Dragonfly froze mid-air, startled. A shriek of alarm escaped it as it readied itself to unleash whatever feeble power it could muster against the intruder.

Though it wasn't particularly built for combat, it prepared to strike with everything it had. Its only hope was that it would be enough—at least to buy it time to flee.

Relief flooded through the dragonfly as Feng Xin stepped inside. Though it would have never expected to feel comforted by his presence considering the grounds in which they met and what it had seen him do.

The sight of him had its wings slowing to a calmer rhythm, and the rigid tension in its antennae relaxed.

Feng Xin's lips curled into a faint smile at the dragonfly's frantic actions. His long hair, previously white, had returned to its natural jet-black shade. He calmly walked around, his spiritual sense extending to envelop the entire hall.

His senses swept over every unconscious figure, carefully assessing their condition. Satisfied that nothing was amiss, Feng Xin withdrew his spiritual sense, his calm expression unchanged.

The Mirage Dragonfly visibly relaxed, its relief palpable. Its earlier panic was momentarily forgotten, and for a brief moment, it dared to feel a glimmer of triumph at having fulfilled its task.

Then Feng Xin spoke, his tone carrying a hint of curiosity.

"Do you have a name?"

The sudden question snapped the Mirage Dragonfly out of its fleeting celebratory state, leaving it momentarily stunned as it processed his words.

The Mirage Dragonfly was puzzled by the question, but after a brief moment, it nodded in affirmation. The nod was as impassioned and enthusiastic as the one it had given when Feng Xin first asked if it wanted to accompany him. Its rapid and repetitive movements generated small gales of wind, rustling loose debris in the hall.

Feng Xin could only sigh helplessly at its overly zealous response.

Without a word, he fished out the same milky-white transmission bead he had used with Bolin and casually tossed it toward the Mirage Dragonfly. The creature was still nodding furiously, but its all-around compound eyes caught sight of the small object flying toward it. Reflexively, it reached out with its front legs and snatched the bead from the air.

The dragonfly paused, holding the bead, and turned its gaze to Feng Xin. Its expression—or what passed for one—was one of pure befuddlement, as though asking, What am I supposed to do with this?

Unlike Bolin, the rainbow mist toad, the Mirage Dragonfly rarely interacted with others in the Green Fog Region, whether spirit beasts or humans. In fact, it was more afraid of the former than the latter. Its reclusive nature meant it avoided contact whenever possible, relying on its cloaking abilities to remain hidden.

Its life of solitude had left it with little knowledge beyond what was necessary for its survival. Habitual and cautious, the Mirage Dragonfly had no interest in learning about the world beyond its immediate needs. What it did know was limited to its day-to-day experiences, and anything beyond those routines it ignored entirely.

The only reason it had even been in the area where Feng Xin was ambushed was because it had been tailing the green-flowered babirusa. The babirusa, with its keen nose for spiritual plants, often led the dragonfly to patches of rare vegetation. These plants were typically mid- or upper-tier Earth-rank, though occasionally, the babirusa uncovered a few top-grade specimens.

The Mirage Dragonfly, cloaked in its invisibility, would stealthily take just enough of the plants to sustain itself, careful not to provoke the babirusa's ire. It was faster than the babirusa, so it didn't fear retaliation, but it was conscientious enough to leave the majority of the plants untouched. On rare occasions, the dragonfly would even return the favor, leaving a few of the spiritual plants that grew near its nest where the babirusa could find them—a gesture of goodwill in their peculiar, unspoken arrangement.

Even if it never spoke, the green-flowered babirusa seemed to have tacitly accepted the Mirage Dragonfly's presence and gestures. It never chased the dragonfly away, even when it noticed its sneaky companion hovering nearby. This arrangement was a boon for the Mirage Dragonfly. Not only did it get to feast on delectable spiritual plants of exceptional quality, but the babirusa's presence ensured its safety.

Though not as powerful as the false kings, the babirusa was strong enough to fend off most threats, even those posed by other formidable spirit beasts. Few dared to provoke it, making it an ideal shield for the dragonfly to feed in peace.

Earlier that day, just before Feng Xin was surrounded, the Mirage Dragonfly had witnessed the babirusa madly dashing toward a particular direction. Unconcealed greed and excitement were written all over the babirusa's face.

Like a loyal freeloader, the Mirage Dragonfly trailed after it, its excitement growing with every beat of its wings. It thought to itself, This must be the mother lode of spiritual plants. Perhaps even Sky-rank treasures are involved this time.

In all the years it had followed the babirusa, it had never seen the creature display such unbridled enthusiasm. Surely, the babirusa had sniffed out something extraordinary. Driven by this conviction, the dragonfly followed it to a clearing, only to find Feng Xin surrounded.

The Mirage Dragonfly's initial reaction was one of caution. It instinctively halted upon detecting the auras of other spirit beasts encircling Feng Xin. From the lineup, it was clear that the dragonfly was the weakest among them. However, it had confidence in its unparalleled speed, which was enough to escape most of the beasts—except for two: the green flash viper and the rainbow mist toad.

Either one of those beasts could easily kill it without giving it a chance to react, especially the green flash viper, one of the most fearsome spirit beasts in the region:One of the three false kings of the region.

On any other day, it would have turned tail and fled at full speed the moment it sensed those terrifying presences. But this time, curiosity got the better of it.

What could possibly have drawn such a gathering of spirit beasts?

Its question was answered when its compound eyes fell on the frail-looking human standing at the center of the clearing: Feng Xin.

A voracious greed flickered within the dragonfly's gaze the longer it stared at him. It had tasted human cultivators before—those foolish enough to attempt raiding its nest—and it understood why other spirit beasts found them so appealing. Cultivators were not only delicious but also brimming with pure, refined energy, even the weaker ones.

But this human was different. The insatiable hunger it felt just by looking at Feng Xin was unlike anything it had experienced before. The mere sight of him ignited a primal desire, stronger and deeper than it had ever known.

Yet, the hunger wasn't enough to completely cloud its judgment. It could have left if it wanted to—its instincts urging it to flee from the danger that surrounded the clearing. But when its gaze shifted to the green flash viper, a glint of ambition sparked in its eyes.

..

The Green Fog Region was vast beyond comprehension. Its sheer size was enough to rival several Rank 2 empire territories combined. As one ventured deeper, the spirit beasts and sentient spiritual plants grew more formidable.

The central region was where the truly monstrous creatures resided. There were domain-level spirit beasts and plants, and it was even rumored that some spirit beasts in the Soul Formation realm roamed there.

Feng Xin had entered the Green Fog Region from its southern side. The Green Fog Swamp Sect, the spirit beasts that ambushed him, and even the three false kings were all located in the outskirts of the southern region. This area was known by a different name outside the Green Fog: Zone Eight. This term was coined by an explorer who had once charted most of the Green Fog Region, including its core parts.

This explorer, at the early stages of the Soul Formation realm, had mapped the region into ten concentric zones. The outermost ring was called Zone 10, while the innermost was Zone 1.

However, the explorer never reached Zone 1. He had a gut feeling that stepping into it would mean certain death. Even surviving in Zone 2 was a struggle. The only reason he had marked Zone 2 instead of simply labeling it Zone 1 was that he noticed the fearsome beasts he encountered seemed to deliberately avoid a particular area of the region.

Driven by curiosity, the explorer attempted to venture into this strange area, but he was stopped by what seemed like an invisible boundary. A deep sense of dread overtook him as he stared into the mist beyond. There was nothing visible, yet the dread was enough to paralyze him where he stood for two months. It took every ounce of willpower to force his limbs into motion, and only then did he manage to flee the area. Once he had left the Green Fog Region, he never returned.

The moment the explorer emerged from the Green Fog Region, he auctioned off several copies of his map and journal detailing his experiences to some of the continent's largest sects, families, and powerful organizations. The wealth he accumulated from these auctions allowed him to build a fortified abode, where he secluded himself from the world, despite being one of the most active Soul Formation realm experts at the time.

Several powerful sects, clans, and organizations sent their own members into the Green Fog Region to verify the findings of his journal and map. However, none of the parties they sent managed to get past Zone 4, despite some members being at the Domain level and the weakest at the middle stages of the Palace realm.

This failure served as undeniable proof of the Green Fog Region's terrifying nature. None of the organizations were curious enough to send more powerful individuals into the upper zones after this.

The Green Fog Swamp Sect, the Core Formation spirit beasts that had attacked Feng Xin, and the three false kings were all located in the southern region of Zone Eight.