The crisis was averted, for now.

But the atmosphere in the Trading Hall hadn’t lightened much.

Outside the blue Energy Shield, the gray mist roiled.

Countless Demon Beasts and Spirit Bodies slammed tirelessly against the luminous barrier.

The impacts sent ripples spreading across it.

Every impact made everyone’s heart clench.

Han Feng leaned against a cold Crystal Pillar.

In his hand, he clutched the vial of Third Level Concentrated Spiritual Liquid worth two hundred Spirit Coins.

’Two hundred coins for one gulp...’

Wincing at the cost, he tilted his head back and downed it in one go.

Scalding Spiritual Power instantly rushed down his esophagus into his stomach, then exploded.

It surged madly into his limbs and bones.

The moment this violent energy appeared, it was devoured by his famished bones and flesh.

It was rapidly converted into silver-white Sword Essence.

[Sword Essence Restoring: 15/100... 30/100...]

The feeling of replenishment made him let out an involuntary sigh of satisfaction.

"Fengzi, you’ve got a real punchable look on your face."

Wang Meng sidled up, carrying his scratch-covered Profound Turtle Shield.

He was stuffing dried meat into his mouth with his other hand.

"Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were drinking some kind of divine nectar."

"Cut the crap and get to work."

Han Feng wiped the corner of his mouth. Feeling the power flowing through him once more, his gaze sharpened.

"The Shield is repaired, but the filth inside hasn’t been cleaned out yet."

Inside the hall, although most of the Demon Beasts were blocked outside, the batch that had rushed in earlier was still running rampant.

Wang Meng chuckled, hefted his axe, and charged toward the edge of the Spiritual Energy Shield.

"You got it! Watch me chop these mutts into BBQ seasoning!"

Han Feng, meanwhile, compressed his Divine Sense to a two-meter radius, his eyes quickly scanning the shadowy corners of the hall.

Just then, a sudden commotion broke out among the crowd on the west side of the hall.

"Hey! Old Zhang! What’s wrong with you?"

"Someone, quick! He’s not moving again!"

A young Martial Artist in Leather Armor had been gasping for breath one second.

The next, like a puppet with its strings cut, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed, stiff as a board.

No struggle, no scream, not even the fluctuation of a Spiritual Power struggle—he just "crashed" in an instant.

"What’s going on?"

Zhang Hao, who had rushed over, turned pale at the sight.

Han Feng’s figure blurred, and he appeared beside the man in an instant.

"Don’t touch him."

Han Feng’s voice was cold.

He knelt down and activated [Spiritual Vision].

In his vision, the unconscious Martial Artist’s body instantly became transparent.

When his gaze swept over the man’s brain, Han Feng’s heart skipped a beat.

A mass of grayish-black mist was coiled deep inside his Sea of Consciousness like a parasite.

It was tightly entangled with his Spiritual Body, emanating a nauseating, rotten aura.

"Another one!"

Not far away, almost the exact same thing happened again.

Within just a few minutes, five or six people collapsed one after another without any warning.

Panic began to spread once again.

’This isn’t right.’

Han Feng’s mind raced.

He stood up, extending his [Spiritual Vision] to its maximum range.

His gaze swept over every living person in the hall like a searchlight.

’There has to be a common thread!’

’It can’t be this random!’

From his higher-dimensional perspective, the Energy Flow of everyone present was clearly visible.

Suddenly, Han Feng’s eyes locked onto a survivor.

The man was holding up his companion who had just collapsed, his face pale with fright.

And in the side pocket of the tactical backpack at his waist, an unopened Potion was emitting the exact same grayish-black energy fluctuations as the ones in the brains of the unconscious victims.

’Found it!’

Han Feng strode over and grabbed the survivor’s backpack.

"What are you doing?!"

The man jumped in fright and instinctively tried to resist.

"Take that Potion out of your bag."

Han Feng’s tone was devoid of any emotion, but his eyes were like two daggers, boring into the man.

Intimidated by Han Feng’s presence, the man didn’t dare to argue and shakily pulled a light-blue test tube from his bag.

The test tube contained a clear, unremarkable-looking liquid.

"What is this?"

Han Feng asked.

"Cl-Clear Spirit Liquid."

the man stammered in reply, "They said it could refresh your mind and help resist the mental pressure of the Secret Realm."

"Where did you buy it?"

Han Feng pressed.

"The... the Celestial Wings Club."

The man recalled, "At the trade fair right before the first gray-out period, people from the Celestial Wings Club were selling it in large quantities. The price was less than half of what Star Sea Technology charges, so a lot of people bought it."

"I bought mine there too!"

"Yeah! I bought a set!"

Several people around them immediately chimed in, their faces filled with dawning horror.

"Where are the people from the Celestial Wings Society?"

Zhang Hao sensed something was wrong. He stood up, blade in hand, and scanned the hall.

"Where are Sun Rui and those sons of bitches?"

The crowd instantly erupted.

People started looking everywhere for members of the Celestial Wings Club.

"I don’t see them." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"I haven’t seen them either. I don’t think I’ve seen them since the second day."

"Dammit! Those bastards took off a long time ago!"

Cries of angry curses rose and fell throughout the hall, but they were outweighed by fear.

This wasn’t some trial; it was clearly a long-premeditated conspiracy!

Han Feng picked up the "Clear Spirit Liquid," his Divine Sense probing inside it.

Just as he’d suspected, the seemingly clear liquid contained countless microscopic, dormant, grayish-black Energy Particles.

Once consumed, they would rush straight to the brain and lie dormant in the Sea of Consciousness.

"This thing is a two-way switch."

Han Feng stood up, his tone icy.

"As soon as a specific energy fluctuation appears nearby, anyone who drank this Potion will instantly lose consciousness and become a puppet, completely at the mercy of others."