Bai Zhou had heard before that fortune-tellers who pry into the secrets of heaven and alter the natural order of things would suffer a backlash.

But he had never imagined that his own apprentice would accidentally stumble into something of this magnitude.

Feeling the damp mist clinging to him, Bai Zhou was suddenly grateful that he had only scratched the surface in his own understanding of immortality.

"Go tell the villagers that the method for immortality must be kept secret. And tell them to stop all further research. Make sure they understand how serious this mist is!" Bai Zhou commanded.

The apprentice, now realizing the gravity of the situation, immediately ran off to inform the others.

Bai Zhou sat inside, his mind racing, but he had never encountered a situation like this.

No one had ever successfully escaped a backlash from heaven, let alone one that had become so tangible.

’It actually manifested as a mist to hunt them down?’

’What in the world did my apprentice discover?’

Reaching out, Bai Zhou wiped the condensation from the table in front of him.

The mist didn’t seem to harm the Chali Race. It only attacked tools and obscured their vision. Why did it have such strange properties?

He found some of the tool models he had made for teaching, only to discover that mold had crept all over them.

Moreover, the mold spots appeared in critical areas or at their weakest points, as if specifically intended to destroy the tools.

’Does the pursuit of immortality truly invite disaster?’

Bai Zhou stared blankly at the models, his heart filled with shock.

The apprentice soon ran back.

"Master, they’ve been notified."

"Good. Come with me. We’re going to see how far this mist has spread."

He led his apprentice to the shore and they boarded a small fishing boat.

But the moment they boarded, the surrounding mist began to churn violently.

’What’s happening?’

Bai Zhou waited for a moment. The mist continued to roil, as if something was stirring it from deep within.

The mist condensed around the edges of the fishing boat, as if trying to drag it back toward the shore.

’We can’t just wait here.’ Bai Zhou immediately realized the mist was trying to stop them.

Steeling himself, Bai Zhou untied the boat’s mooring rope and pushed off toward the sea, plunging headlong into the roiling mist.

Sure enough, Bai Zhou’s actions provoked a violent reaction. The surrounding mist suddenly grew heavier, becoming so dense it was nearly black. It swirled without pause, surging toward the small fishing boat and washing over Bai Zhou and his apprentice.

In an instant, everything went black.

Only his apprentice’s panicked voice came through the tree root.

"Master, I can’t see!"

"Close your eyes! Just row forward!" Bai Zhou shouted.

He closed his eyes too, rowing with all his might. He was determined to see what this mist truly intended to do.

In the utter darkness, his hearing became exceptionally sharp. The HOWLING of the wind and the CREAKING of the fishing boat filled his ears.

Bai Zhou ignored the sounds and kept rowing forward.

But soon, he began to hear even stranger sounds.

It sounded as if something was moving beneath the surface, circling the small boat.

The thing seemed massive. The sound of displaced water surrounded them, boring relentlessly into Bai Zhou’s eardrums.

Every so often, the thing would gently bump the boat. Its slimy skin would meet the wooden hull with a dull thud, then slide slickly past before softly rebounding away into the depths.

In that instant, immense fear seized Bai Zhou’s heart.

"Are you trying to run away?"

Suddenly, a voice spoke from right beside Bai Zhou.

’Who’s there!’

Bai Zhou was so startled he almost opened his eyes.

He hadn’t misheard; someone was speaking to him.

’Was that... a little girl?’

The moment he placed the voice, an image flashed through Bai Zhou’s mind—

The charred little girl with only half a skull.

Bai Zhou’s eyes were squeezed shut, yet he could see her clearly, sitting silently beside him, staring at him with a dead gaze.

"How could you run away by yourself and not bring me along?"

The little girl looked at him, her voice tinged with complaint.

Bai Zhou’s heart was about to pound out of his chest. The damp mist soaked his clothes, and a deep chill seeped into his body.

"I buried you... I buried you. You’re supposed to be at peace..."

he muttered, rowing frantically.

Hearing his words, the little girl tilted her head and stared at him for a long moment.

Then, she brought up two small, charred hands to cup what was left of her chin.

"I can’t sleep."

"You have to sleep, even if you can’t!" Bai Zhou snapped.

"But I’m so hot."

The little girl sat up straight. She raised her two small hands, then silently lowered her head...

She placed her hands on her chest and tore it open with a sudden jerk.

In the center of her chest was a puncture wound, clearly visible even against the scorched blackness of her skin.

Searing embers suddenly spewed from the wound, floating into the air.

Bai Zhou felt a wave of heat wash over his face.

But the little girl didn’t seem to be finished. Following the edges of the wound, she continued to tear her own body apart.

Inside her was a bed of red-hot coals and crackling sparks. The intense heat instantly vaporized the cold, damp mist around them.

"It hasn’t finished burning..."

the little girl said calmly, looking down at her chest.

Bai Zhou felt the blast of intense heat. He didn’t know if it was the drastic temperature change irritating his eyes, but an uncontrollable stream of tears flowed from beneath his eyelids, mixing with the condensation on his face.

’My eyes... they hurt so much...’

"It will go out. It will go out," he mumbled.

"Okay."

The little girl looked at him, the corner of her half-mouth stretching into a smile before she vanished.

The intense heat vanished in an instant. The mist swept back in, and the cold dampness once again consumed Bai Zhou’s body.

He rowed with all his might, but despite the constant motion, Bai Zhou felt no warmth. He only felt his body growing colder and colder.

The thing beneath the boat was still moving. The sound of its impacts grew more distinct, and the small fishing boat rocked more and more violently.

"Keep rowing!" Bai Zhou yelled.

Submerged in the mist, with waves splashing over the gunwales, Bai Zhou felt as if he were soaking in the sea itself.

Suddenly, as if seizing its last chance, the thing underwater slammed into them with tremendous force.

Already weakened, Bai Zhou could no longer hold on to the oar and collapsed heavily onto the floor of the boat.

In a daze, he heard a panicked voice coming from the tree root wrapped around his body:

"Master! Master!"

The voice called out frantically as a figure came to his side and gently patted his face.

Finally, a bit of warmth.

Bai Zhou opened his eyes. His apprentice was crouching in front of him, his face etched with worry.

All he could hear was the gentle lapping of waves, and the mist had calmed.

Lying in the center of the boat, Bai Zhou asked weakly, "My apprentice, did we make it off the island?"

The apprentice shook his head.

"We’ve come back, Master..."