Evangeline gently cupped her palm, and the viscous poison mist seemed to solidify within it.

She frowned slightly, surprised. The concentration of the poison mist was rising sharply.

The space within this rock cavern seemed naturally formed, a world unto itself. The origin of the poison mist was even more peculiar.

She looked up at the sky. High above, a dense, pitch-black poison mist swirled without dispersing, almost looking ready to drip down. Yet, there was no sign of it breaking through the sky, as if it were shackled here by some invisible force, not leaking out in the slightest.

If this extremely toxic substance were to escape, it would be a nightmare for the entire Beastman Continent. At that point, there would be no need for natural disasters; the countless living beings of the Beastman Continent would face annihilation.

’Was there ever a place this dangerous in the novel’s plot?’

Evangeline’s interest was piqued, and a desire to explore the depths of the cavern grew within her.

However, she still hadn’t found the Flower and Leaf Twins. Since the Toad Beastman had said he couldn’t go deeper into the inner area, the plant surely wouldn’t be growing in there. She reined in her curiosity and continued her careful search along the cavern walls.

Amidst the swirling poison mist, Evangeline’s figure was a fleeting shadow, her steps light yet unhurried.

Along the way, she gathered many more rare Spiritual Medicines.

After an unknown amount of time, Evangeline suddenly heard the sound of footsteps ahead.

She raised an eyebrow slightly. With a flick of her wrist, the Cold Frost Whip slithered out from her palm, trembling audibly. The moment its tip swept across the ground, even the soil froze into a thin layer of ice. The surrounding poison mist grew sluggish, its churning slowing.

Before she could make a move, Rask’s voice suddenly echoed in the air.

"Female? What did you do?! Why has the poison mist gotten thicker?" Rask’s voice was filled with panic.

Evangeline narrowed her eyes. Her long whip struck like a Wandering Dragon, instantly parting the dense black mist before her.

At the edge of the black mist, Rask was in a wretched state.

A dark green, protective mist surrounded him. It looked dense, but it was as fragile as a thin veil. The black mist in the air was constantly corroding and tearing at it, looking as if it could rip his protective aura to shreds with ease. He was already struggling to hold on.

"You’re here..." Evangeline’s voice was cold. Before she could finish, she saw the two herbs in Rask’s hands.

One herb had a flower but no leaves; the other had leaves but no flower. Both shimmered like jade.

Rask abruptly tightened his grip on the herbs. His handsome face was now terrifyingly grim, his eyes filled with resentment.

"Hmph. You think you can threaten me with those herbs?" Evangeline stared at Rask, the corner of her lip curling into a mocking smile.

She finally understood his plan and couldn’t help but find it amusing. ’The petty schemes of this wandering beastman really can’t be underestimated.’

Rask gritted his teeth and looked up at Evangeline, a flash of malice flickering in his eyes before vanishing.

He suppressed his turbulent emotions and said in a low voice, "Female, something’s wrong with this place. The poison mist has suddenly erupted. We have to leave as soon as possible. I’ll hold on to these herbs for now. Once we’re out, we can..."

A cold glint flashed in Evangeline’s eyes. With a push off her toes, her long whip, wrapped in a fierce wind, shot toward Rask’s neck.

’As expected. I’m just not cut out for being the bigger person and repaying malice with kindness.’

Rask had told her the whereabouts of the Flower and Leaf Twins, so she had considered rewarding him in some way.

Only now did she realize she had been naive. This guy knew how dangerous the poison mist was and had planned everything. He was relying on his own Poison Attribute physique, intending to wait for the mist to corrode her and then swoop in for the prize.

In that case, there was truly no need to spare this clever-for-nothing fool.

"Wait!" Seeing that Evangeline was about to attack without a word, Rask shouted anxiously, "That Goldeagle followed us in, too! The poison mist here has erupted and is incredibly thick now. Even I can’t handle it! He’s just an injured Seven-star Patterned Beastman. How long can he last? Instead of wasting time here, we should go find him together!"

There was a hint of desperation in Rask’s voice.

Outside, he could have easily dodged the female’s attack. But now, all his focus was on protecting himself from the encroaching poison mist. How could he spare any attention to deal with her?

Hearing this, Evangeline’s brow furrowed. The long whip’s momentum didn’t lessen, but it changed direction.

The tip of the whip suddenly coiled around Rask’s wrist. With a flick of her own wrist, he was sent flying like a kite with a snapped string. The immense force from the long whip also forced his tightly clenched fist to relax.

Evangeline used the returning momentum to leap through the air, and the two herbs landed securely in her palm.

With a light touch of her fingertips, she confirmed the herbs’ properties were correct, then swiftly placed them in a Jade Box and put it into her storage space.

Rask slammed heavily onto the ground, letting out a wail of agony.

The protective poison gas around him instantly dissipated. The surging poison mist in the air clung to him like a festering plague, beginning to wrap around his body. The moment it made contact, the beast skin he wore began to melt and corrode at an extremely rapid, visible rate.

"HISS—" Rask let out a bloodcurdling scream. He no longer cared about Evangeline, scrambling and crawling away in a panicked retreat.

He never would have dreamed that this seemingly delicate female could move about freely in such a terrifying poison mist, completely unaffected. It was horrifying!

Thinking of Julian’s safety, Evangeline’s red lips tightened into a thin line.

She abruptly withdrew her long whip. Her fair hands flew through the air, forming seals. A moment later, a curtain of drizzling rain fell from above.

After touching the poison mist, the raindrops looked as if they were carrying something filthy. They were weighed down and fell, making a "SIZZLE SIZZLE" corrosive sound as they hit the ground. Even more terrifying, the poison-soaked soil began to spread outward like a living creature, showing signs of trying to flee.

Evangeline’s pupils constricted. She quickly withdrew her Spiritual Energy.

She bent down and touched the pitch-black soil. Even though her fingertips were coated with Spiritual Energy, they were still corroded, leaving fine, bloody lines.

Evangeline took a sharp breath. When she looked up again at the poison mist, which was already reforming, the casual disdain in her eyes was gone.

’This bizarre poison mist is incredibly powerful. Ordinary methods probably won’t be able to contain it.’

Evangeline’s expression grew serious. She gathered her Spiritual Energy, and her voice, carried by that energy, rippled outwards in waves. "Julian! Get out of the cavern immediately! No matter what happens, don’t come back in! If you disobey me, then what I said before is off the table!"

Her voice was extremely loud, piercing through the thick poison mist and echoing repeatedly between the cavern walls.

At that moment, Julian was still at the cavern entrance, struggling against the diluted poison mist. His gilded Feather Wings were once again covered in mottled wounds. This stuff was even more potent than Rask’s poison sac; his Gold Attribute was completely insufficient to handle it, and he had yet to venture any deeper.

Hearing Evangeline’s voice, Julian’s pupils shrank abruptly. His well-defined fingers dug tightly into the rock wall.

He gazed into the depths of the poison mist, his expression filled with resentment. She was so close, yet he couldn’t take a single step forward.

After a moment, Julian gritted his teeth and retreated from the cavern.

However, just as he exited the cavern, a wretched figure staggered out of the poison mist, hit the ground rolling, and ended up sprawled on the floor, wisps of black mist rising from his entire body. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Rask’s exposed skin was covered in festering, corroded sores. In some places, even his stark white bones were visible.

"You..." Julian’s pupils contracted as he looked at Rask, who was barely recognizable as a person.

He had thought this Eight-star patterned toad beastman had some way of dealing with The Venom Pit to have dared venture so deep. He never expected the beastman to end up in such a miserable state.