CHAPTER 825: PLANNING

After the group landed, they observed the thick fog that completely obstructed their sight not far ahead. Even in this place, they already felt goosebumps, as the poison in the air had already reached a dangerous level for even pseudo-immortal establishment stage cultivators.

The avatar had to act as if he were protecting Sir Ferix, since at this moment Sir Ferix appeared to others as being only at peak of the pseudo-immortal foundation stage. The avatar knew that Sir Ferix could still hold on by himself here, but he still placed a hand on Sir Ferix’s shoulder to create the image that he was protecting him.

"I’ve already arrived at the Poison Valley," the avatar said through voice transmission to his real body.

A moment later, Aldrian’s consciousness entered the avatar, allowing him to observe his surroundings. The instant his consciousness entered the avatar’s body, the avatar’s memories automatically merged with his own, and he knew exactly how to act in this moment.

As Aldrian took over the avatar’s consciousness, he could finally use his system here and build his domain. At first, he created his domain while the others observed their surroundings.

However, many turned their attention toward Aldrian. At this moment, they were truly astonished that Aldrian still appeared calm despite having been exposed to the poison in the air for long time. He had not created any energy barrier to protect himself since earlier, and at this place, cultivators at his level should have already felt the effects of the poison.

No matter how great his mastery or comprehension of poison laws was, he should have been affected by this level of poison density. The poison in the Poison Valley was unforgiving and unlike any other poison that existed in the world.

Even they knew that as time passed, an energy barrier alone would not be enough, and they would still need special means to defend themselves against the poison.

Munez also glanced at Aldrian for a moment, and he could not help but think there were two possibilities to explain Aldrian’s situation. Either that man’s resistance to poison was exceptionally high, or he was hiding his true cultivation, which made him appear strong on the outside.

He narrowed his eyes as he finally sensed that this guardian might be more troublesome than he had predicted. However, they had already arrived here, and it was too late to turn back now. He could only improvise if something went wrong later.

Aldrian, who had already finished creating his domain, then observed Munez—the person who had been bothering him for the past few months.

"Alright, here’s how we’ll do it. Mister Godard cannot tell the exact location where he found the Celestial Angel Flower because of the thick fog. As you know, he was only lucky to find that flower once, and he doesn’t know the exact direction to reach the same place again," Munez said.

"However, he still remembers the time it took him from the edge of the core region until he found the flower, as well as the possible area where it might truly be located. So, to make the search quicker, we’ll have to split into groups of three after Mister Godard guides us to the last point before he lost his way."

"Each group will have to stay together, and to avoid getting lost in the fog, each of you will carry this artifact that allows you to track each other’s positions. This artifact emits a strong energy wave that can be detected by anyone within two kilometers," Munez said as he took out a small, ball-shaped artifact.

It was red in color, and when Aldrian used his system to check it, he confirmed that it was indeed a genuine artifact for locating positions. The elders assigned to distribute the items began handing them out to everyone present. They also distributed talismans, which were actually teleportation talismans, along with a pill.

"If you cannot detect a group’s presence, that means you’ve already gone beyond the two-kilometer range, as the energy will be corroded by the strong poison inside. If that happens, it’s best to step back and look for the others. If you still can’t sense anyone after four hours, or if the situation turns dangerous, break the talisman to instantly teleport back here safely."

Aldrian observed the talisman and found nothing wrong with it.

"Now, the pill in your hands is a special one created to make your body resistant to the poison in the core region for four hours. Inside the core region, relying on an energy barrier alone won’t be enough," Munez explained.

"You’ll exhaust your energy before you realize it, because the poison there can quickly break through any energy defense, forcing you to recreate your barrier repeatedly. The poison in the core region is far different from what we’ve encountered so far."

As Munez explained, Aldrian also observed the pill in his hand. It was brown in color with three stripes, indicating a half-excellent grade. When he checked the pill’s information through the system, the pill was exactly as Munez described, it truly was a type of poison resistance pill. However, he discovered something that made him smirk.

"If any group manages to find the place where the Celestial Angel Flower is located, don’t try to take it on your own. Be careful of the giant red-headed cobra. That creature is one of the most dangerous beings in the Poison Valley—if not the most dangerous, unless something even stronger exists deeper within the core region," Munez continued.

"Once you find the flower’s location, inject your energy into the artifact that shows your position. It will send a signal by blinking light to the other artifacts. However, as I said earlier, you must remain within the two-kilometer range. It’s useless if you’re outside that distance, as we won’t receive any signal."

"Once the flower is located, we’ll regroup and plan according to the situation. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Patriarch!" the others replied, and Munez nodded.

"Alright. Remember, we have four hours before we must return. Now, for the group division, I’ll travel with my little brother, his guardian, and Mister Godard. The rest of you can form your groups now so we don’t waste time later."

After that, the others began organizing themselves, and after a few moments, they were finally ready. Ilona and her group would remain to guard the safe zone, preventing anyone from entering it or approaching the surrounding search area.

"Now swallow the pill, and we’ll be ready to depart," Munez said as he swallowed the pill himself. The others followed. Aldrian also swallowed it without hesitation, though he noticed Sir Ferix glance at the pill for a moment before doing the same.

Since Aldrian was using the avatar’s body, it naturally lacked a digestive system. However, the avatar’s body had its own way of eliminating anything that entered through the mouth. Once inside, any food or drink would be dissolved by energy and converted into energy itself, though the amount was so minuscule that the avatar would not feel it at all.

After Aldrian swallowed the pill, he placed his hand on Sir Ferix’s shoulder and injected his golden energy into him, which immediately surprised Sir Ferix. He looked at Aldrian in confusion, but before he could ask, Aldrian already sent him a voice transmission.

"This pill contains a substance that can block your dantian and meridians. Basically, it will make you unable to use any energy. The effect won’t appear immediately, but I predict it will start later, after we’ve been inside the core region for some time. Right now, I’m neutralizing that substance inside your body."

Sir Ferix was stunned. He did not show much outwardly, but inside, he was fuming.

"As expected, there’s something wrong with the pill. I already suspected that Munez would try something, and the pill might be one of his methods."

"It’s alright. With this, we’ve confirmed that he truly planned something—and that it involves incapacitating us inside the core region. That also means he needs you alive, Sir Ferix. If he wanted you dead, he could easily do it himself inside the core region, where no one would witness his actions," Aldrian said.

Sir Ferix nodded, and before they could continue their conversation, Munez shouted to the entire group.

"Alright, depart!"

With that, all of them took to the air.

"Don’t worry, Sir Ferix. I’ll keep an eye on everything. Just act naturally and improvise later if there are any new developments," Aldrian said, and Sir Ferix responded with a silent nod.

They kept flying until they finally reached the border between the inner and core regions, where the fog was so thick that they could see no more than two meters ahead. The density and properties of the poison suddenly became many times more dangerous.

The corrosive effect of the poison grew so intense that even a pseudo-immortal stage cultivator would have their energy eroded rapidly if they formed an energy barrier here. The poison also became far more lethal.

Without any protection, the corrosive poison in this area could kill a pseudo immortal cultivator within a minute, melting their body into a pool of goo.

Everyone present could sense the danger, even after consuming the poison resistance pill. It made their skin crawl, but they still trusted the pill and continued flying, until at last, they entered the core region!