When Ye Lingyue returned to Pastoral Village, it was just before dawn.

Lan Cai'er and Aguduo had already come back; from afar, Ye Lingyue saw the Purple Micro Alabaster Elephant standing at the entrance of the village.

Several village children were attempting to climb onto the elephant's trunk, having a blast.

"Ling Yue, what did you and Jin Wu Old Monster do last night? We couldn't find you guys as soon as we came back." Lan Cai'er and Aguduo had already captured several Spiritual Beasts.

Most of these Spiritual Beasts were fifth-sixth grade and had been contaminated by Hei Wu, making them ferocious.

Ye Lingyue took Aguduo aside and shared her thoughts; Aguduo seemed hesitant at first, but eventually nodded her head.

In her subconscious, Aguduo still felt that all Spiritual Beasts were her friends, but considering that if Ye Lingyue's method succeeded, it could save countless lives and more Spiritual Beasts on the Xixia Plain, Aguduo compromised.

When the day was fully bright, Hong Mingyue and Luo Song also returned to the Pastoral Village.

Upon their arrival, Ye Lingyue was directing the villagers at the entrance to start a fire and cook porridge.

Some medicinal grasses and beast meat were added to the pot, and the aroma of the porridge spread throughout the village.

"You're not intending to cure the strange illness with this medicinal porridge, are you? Even the disease that my Treasure Bottle Spring Water can't heal, and you think just a few pots of porridge will do the trick? Don't be delusional," Luo Song scoffed mockingly upon seeing this.

Luo Song always had a high opinion of himself; the last time at Xia Palace, Ye Lingyue did not allow him to save the Sixth Prince, and Luo Song had harbored a grudge since then. He originally thought Ye Lingyue had some clever methods, but to his surprise, it was just some casually cooked porridge.

"I think there's no problem. Even if this beast meat porridge can't cure the disease, it is greatly beneficial for strengthening the villagers' health," Sixth Prince Xiahou Qi obviously defended Ye Lingyue, proactively walked forward, took a bowl of porridge from a villager, and savored it.

The villagers also queued up to receive their share of porridge.

"Would Young Master Luo and Princess Ming Yue care for a bowl as well?" Xiahou Qi kindly said.

Hong Mingyue glanced at the porridge and did not refuse; she took a bowl. Seeing this, Luo Song also reluctantly took one.

"Difficult... The taste is barely acceptable," Luo Song just took a sip and was about to comment on the taste, but upon relishing it further, he found that the porridge actually tasted quite good, even better than the meals in Three-Life Valley.

The rice grains in the porridge were distinct, sweet, and chewy. The soup had a clear fragrance, the medicinal herbs left a lingering aroma, enhanced by the fresh beast meat. Even a Reincarnation Realm Martial Artist like Luo Song felt refreshed after eating it, as if the muddied energy within him was being cleansed.

What is this?

Luo Song and Hong Mingyue were taken aback, sensing something unusual about this porridge.

Hmph, such good cabbage given to pigs to trample, what a waste.

Ye Lingyue watched from the side, curling her lips.

If it weren't for the upcoming expedition deep into Xixia Plain, where they might need Luo Song and Hong Mingyue as their "fighters", Ye Lingyue would not have bothered letting them drink a sip of porridge.

Of course, the porridge was good. The rice used was Spirit Rice she had harvested from Hong Meng Heaven, and the water for the porridge was from Rainbow Creek, combined with Medicinal Grass from her space and Beast Meat imbued with Cauldron Breath. She was confident that her earlier speculation was correct.

Not only Elixir Pills infused with Cauldron Breath, as long as it was Spiritual Beast meat healed by Cauldron Breath, the villagers would significantly reduce their chance of being infected by the Black Mist once they consumed it.

After consuming the porridge, the villagers indeed felt refreshed, even the frail elderly felt much better. Even close to the plain's middle circle, the villagers were no longer easily infected by the Black Mist.

"Sister Cai'er, Jin Wu Old Monster, catch more Spiritual Beasts during the day, preferably the large ones. I will have the villagers deliver the remaining lean meat to nearby villages. Aguduo, the Sixth Prince and others will first explore the middle and deeper parts of the plain later to see if we can find the source of the Black Mist." After discovering a temporary solution to alleviate the spread of the strange disease, Ye Lingyue breathed a sigh of relief.

Emperor Xia tasked them to stabilize the beast chaos within three months—a timeframe that is neither long nor short. If they keep failing to uncover the cause of the Black Mist and solely rely on using beast meat to slow down the spread of the disease, it would not be enough.

The group split up in the Pastoral Village. Led by the village chief, five of them, including Ye Lingyue, headed towards the center of the Black Mist.

"Lord Ye, the Black Mist is very severe around here. I can't go any further inside," the village chief, familiar with the terrain, expressed his discomfort with chest tightness and shortness of breath after passing a relatively flat slope area. The Black Mist ahead was too intense, and as an ordinary person, he had reached his limit.

In the eyes of the village chief, Ye Lingyue was his lifesaver. Although he knew the others also held noble statuses, the village chief naturally regarded Ye Lingyue as the spokesperson among them.

This made Luo Song and others rather dissatisfied, but they refrained from speaking out because the Sixth Prince was present.

"Village chief, you should head back first. We will find a way to go in," Ye Lingyue signaled the village chief to return first.

She remembered that this area was quite close to Black Valley.

The group ventured a few steps further inside. The closer they approached Black Valley, the more apparent the discomfort in their bodies became.

Aguduo, along the way, discovered some clues.

"Boss, there are many traces of high-level Spiritual Beasts around here, roughly eight or nine Ninth-grade Spiritual Beasts, and twenty or thirty Seventh and Eighth-grade Spiritual Beasts. These Spiritual Beasts' footsteps are very orderly, as if obeying someone's orders. However, there are no human traces nearby," Aguduo accurately reported the number of Spiritual Beasts, which surprised both Luo Song and Hong Mingyue.

They couldn't help but take a few more glances at Aguduo.

"We can't go any deeper ahead. If you're seeking death, don't drag others down," Luo Song and Hong Mingyue stopped, having come to this part of the plain last time and found it impassable.

In the meantime, the Black Mist in front suddenly became active.

A large amount of Black Mist surged out like rolling black waves.

Despite taking Exorcism Elixirs, Luo Song and Hong Mingyue's faces and bodies were covered with a layer of white frost. This terrifying Black Mist carried an astonishing chill.

Right now, they felt as though they were deep in the frigid mountains, their Primordial Power slowed substantially due to the cold brought by the Black Mist.

Suddenly, multiple fluctuations of Primordial Power struck from within the Black Mist.

"They're Spiritual Beasts!"