The darkness before dawn was at its deepest. Thick fog rolled out from the valley like a phantom, wrapping around everyone's ankles. The group was forced to slow their pace, treading every step with extreme caution. Qinghe tightly clutched Ling Xiao's sleeve, her knuckles turning white from the force. Xiǎo Shítóu bit down hard on his lower lip, terrified that the sound of his teeth chattering would bring fatal disaster upon them.
"Move! What are you dawdling for?" A square-faced cultivator lashed his whip across the back of the elderly man lagging at the very rear, instantly tearing open his flesh.
A cold glint flashed in Ling Xiao's eyes, and he was about to move when his brows suddenly furrowed. He keenly sensed that the soil beneath their feet was becoming soft and damp, while a sweet, sickening stench of decay began to permeate the air.
Chapter 324