Chapter 510: Immortal and Mortal Miasma Shows Its Power

Li Fan, seeing that something was wrong, quickly followed.

Sister Zhao stood a short distance away, her expression grave as she examined the cultivator in front of them.

"Cough, cough..." This Daoist Sect disciple's cultivation had stagnated at the Nascent Soul stage, but at this moment, he seemed no different from a mortal on the verge of death. His eyes were hollow, his consciousness hazy, and his breath was barely a thread. He intermittently erupted into violent coughing fits, as if he were about to cough up his lungs. A faint, ashen pallor of death subtly showed on his face, and he was so incredibly weak, completely unlike what a Nascent Soul cultivator should be.

Li Fan felt a sudden jolt of alarm. Just moments ago, this cultivator didn't seem so gravely ill. In the short time it took Li Fan to fetch Sister Zhao, the situation had deteriorated significantly.

"Could he have been struck by some evil curse?" Li Fan squinted his eyes, scrutinizing the scene.

"Cough... Daoist?" In a daze, the cultivator saw the two standing before him and instinctively struggled to rise, intending to bow. "It's alright, don't move if you're not feeling well. Just rest," Sister Zhao gently said, stopping him.

"Oh..." The Daoist Sect disciple had never in his life seen such a gentle and approachable side of Sister Zhao. Suddenly, as if experiencing a final burst of energy before death, some vitality returned to his face. His eyes, filled with adoration, were fixed on Sister Zhao, as if his soul had been captivated.

"Where did you go after descending the mountain? What did you encounter, and whom did you meet?" Sister Zhao inquired again. Despite his dying body, the cultivator, coughing incessantly, gathered his remaining breath and recounted every detail to Sister Zhao.

Slowly, his breath grew weaker and weaker. But seeing Sister Zhao's inquisitive gaze, he persisted, speaking in broken sentences.

Finally, after he uttered his last word, his breath abruptly ceased. His eyes, however, remained open, fixed intently and reluctantly on Sister Zhao.

"Let's go!" Sister Zhao grabbed Li Fan and swiftly departed the area. At the same time, she handed him a purple-gold pill, instructing him to take it.

"A Creation Purple-Gold Pill?" Li Fan was greatly astonished. This type of pill was a secret treasure of the Daoist Sect, typically refined only by cultivators in the Longevity realm. No matter how severe the injury, as long as one didn't die on the spot, taking it could instantly restore them to full health. It was akin to having a second life. It was extremely rare, and the entire Daoist Sect had very few in stock. Yet, Sister Zhao had taken such a precious item without hesitation... Li Fan immediately understood the gravity of the situation and swallowed the Creation Purple-Gold Pill at once.

"Don't waste it. Use your spiritual energy to envelop it and slowly absorb its medicinal power," Sister Zhao instructed, while continuously casting spells to erect layers of barriers around them.

"The cause of that disciple's death, is it contagious? What kind of curse is this powerful? Is it specifically targeting our Daoist Sect?" Li Fan couldn't help but feel a little horrified.

"Rather than a curse, it's more like a disease. A fatal illness that even cultivators cannot avoid or escape," Sister Zhao said, her expression more serious than ever before. She hadn't even been this worried when the drastic changes in the world made it impossible to cultivate simultaneously.

"Its target is certainly not just our Daoist Sect. It aims to wipe out all cultivators in the world... This matter must be reported as soon as possible!"

Li Fan was momentarily stunned. "Could it be retribution from the heavens again?! Damn the heavens, are they truly trying to wipe us all out!"

"Cough... cough." As the two rushed towards the sect's main hall, a strange pallor suddenly appeared on Sister Zhao's face. Then, uncontrollably, she began to cough softly. But soon, a purple-gold radiance emerged, gradually suppressing the pallor. The coughing stopped, and Sister Zhao's complexion returned to normal.

"How could it manifest so quickly? Sister, you are a Dao Integration cultivator, aren't you?" An unbelievable fear immediately welled up in Li Fan's heart. If even a Dao Integration cultivator was affected like this, what about his meager Spirit Transformation cultivation?

He couldn't wait for symptoms to appear on himself. Instead, he immediately drew a trace of the Creation Purple-Gold Pill's medicinal power from his dantian and circulated it throughout his body as a protective measure.

Indeed, shortly after doing all this, he suddenly felt a wave of fatigue wash over him. It was as if he had fought Sister Zhao continuously for seven days and seven nights; his entire body ached immensely, and his bones felt like they were about to fall apart. His throat felt as if it were being cut by knives, yet his body, like a drowning mortal, desperately yearned to break the surface and gasp for air. Fortunately, the Creation Purple-Gold Pill truly lived up to its reputation. As the pill's purple-gold energy circulated, the abnormalities in his body vanished in an instant.

"Hiss... This illness is truly vicious!" As if he had just walked past the gates of hell, Li Fan looked at Sister Zhao with lingering fear. "It's a good thing you had your pill, Sister. Otherwise, I might have followed in that junior brother's footsteps!"

"Don't be careless. It only suppressed the symptoms temporarily. The culprit behind all this has not been eradicated. It's still hidden within us," Sister Zhao reminded him at the opportune moment.

As if to confirm her words, she soon let out another uncontrollable, soft cough. Even though the symptoms were quickly alleviated by the Creation Purple-Gold Pill again, this caused Li Fan's heart to sink.

Even with divine pills protecting them, they were still unable to escape this unknown illness. How tragic would it be for ordinary Daoist Sect disciples and rogue cultivators? It was simply unimaginable.

The two battled the illness as they traveled and soon arrived inside the sect's main hall.

Ji Changxi, the Sect Master of the Daoist Sect, who had received Sister Zhao's earlier message, had already gathered the elders in the hall. Although Sister Zhao had explained the severity of the illness as thoroughly as possible, Ji Changxi and the Daoist Sect elders also gave it considerable attention. However... They weren't *that* concerned.

In their eyes, even if Sister Zhao was also a Dao Integration cultivator, her recent breakthrough using the advantages of the new cultivation method meant she clearly couldn't be compared to these seasoned elders who had achieved Dao Integration centuries ago. They possessed countless secrets and an endless array of methods. While this young Daoist might be harmed by the unknown "disease," they might not be. Furthermore, they believed their preparations were more than sufficient.

Around the open area in the hall, numerous restrictions had been set up, creating layers of seals. They had even activated the Deep Abyss Dao Surge Array, making what appeared to be a short distance actually span several worlds. They were utterly secure and confident.

"Both of you, do not suppress the strange illness. Then each of you will release a drop of your own blood," Ji Changxi instructed.

Li Fan and Sister Zhao acknowledged the command and complied. Amidst soft coughs, two droplets of blood, seemingly emitting an ominous aura, appeared before everyone's eyes. Everyone observed from a distance, and the hall fell silent for a moment.

Suddenly, a hint of undetectable surprise flickered across Ji Changxi's face.