The sequence is too involutional, luckily I am too.

Chapter 197 The Origin of the Gray Mist, The Calamity of the Seal?

The two stared at each other, frozen in place, unsure of what to say.

After a long silence, Fenris broke the ice first, leaning forward slightly and asking tentatively with a hint of caution, "You—aren't you from one of those super-powerful void forces?"

"I don't know which places you're referring to, but I'm probably not one of them."

Lu Yan shook his head frankly, his tone calm, without hiding anything.

He knew nothing about the "superpower" that Fenris was talking about.

Upon hearing this, Fenris visibly relaxed, his tense expression slowly eased, and a hint of undisguised admiration flashed in his eyes, his tone becoming much more sincere.

"I never imagined that a small world corrupted by gray mist could nurture a powerful figure like you. It's truly astonishing."

Judging from Lu Yan's composure and bewilderment, he could be fairly certain that Lu Yan came from a small world shrouded in gray mist and knew nothing about the existence of the super forces in the void or the origin of the gray mist.

But the more this happened, the more alarmed Fenris became.

In a small world where resources are scarce and threats from the gray fog are everywhere, it is far more difficult to grow to this level than to be carefully nurtured in a powerful and well-established superpower.

Seeing the undisguised curiosity in Lu Yan's eyes, Fenris's desire to share, which had been suppressed for hundreds of years, finally erupted.

He slowly sat up, his gaze fixed on the sacred tree outside the window. His tone was heavy with an unyielding weight of sorrow and remembrance as he spoke: "Like the world you inhabit, our original home was mercilessly swallowed by the gray fog. The land was barren, life was ravaged, and the world was in turmoil."

Everything was polluted by the gray fog; even the very power upon which we elves depended for survival was nearly completely eroded and devoured.

"If it weren't for the intervention of the Green Dragon, Isarath, who protected Lilf and brought our entire elven race into his divine kingdom, the Emerald Dream, we might have been completely corrupted by the gray fog and turned into mindless monsters that only knew how to destroy."

He paused, his voice lowering slightly: "And in all the myriad realms, there are countless worlds like ours, invaded by the gray fog, struggling to survive in dire straits—"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan's relaxed expression vanished completely, and his demeanor instantly turned serious.

He originally thought that extraterrestrial civilizations might have a way to deal with the gray fog, but according to Fenris, apart from a few powerful super civilizations, the entire universe was suffering from the ravages and erosion of the gray fog.

"This news must be told to Master and the others as soon as possible." Lu Yan silently noted it down in his mind, then asked, "What is the origin of this gray mist? Why is it so powerful, capable of eroding so many worlds?"

Fenris shook his head slightly, a hint of helplessness in his voice: "I don't know much either, only some fragmented information from outsiders I've encountered before. The Celestial Court calls the Gray Fog the End of Dharma; the Rainbow Bridge calls it Ragnarok—the names differ, but the core meaning is the same."

At this point, his voice lowered even further, carrying an indescribable sense of desolation: "The great world we live in—is about to end."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan was greatly shocked, and his breath caught in his throat.

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. Even a vast world with profound foundations cannot escape the fate of destruction, so what chance do these insignificant little worlds have?

Is there any chance of survival?

A sense of despair quietly welled up in my heart.

Seeing Lu Yan's solemn expression, Fenris quickly stretched and deliberately softened his tone, smiling to ease the heavy atmosphere.

"Hey~ Don't look so gloomy. This gray fog has been around for several epochs. Even if the Great World is really going to be destroyed, it will probably be measured in epochs. It has little to do with us mortals."

He paused, then added, "Unless we can break through the shackles and become true gods, our lifespan can not be truly infinite. Otherwise, we simply won't live to see that time."

After speaking, the heaviness in Fenris's eyes faded, replaced by intense curiosity as she stared intently at Lu Yan: "I've already told you so much about the Gray Fog and our world, so why don't you tell me about the situation on your side?"

Seeing Fenris's curious expression, Lu Yan, though still agitated, suppressed his emotions and patiently recounted the information he knew.

This includes the rampant spread of gray fog in his world, and the existence of beings corrupted by the gray fog and transformed into eerie gods.

"The Demon God—you mean, even gods can be corrupted by the gray fog?"

Upon hearing those two words, Fenris's smile froze instantly, and his expression turned extremely ugly, as if he had recalled some terrible, unbearable memory.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up and said somewhat hastily, "I have some things to attend to, so I'll be leaving for a while. If you're bored, you can wander around the neighborhood and get familiar with the area."

He paused, then added, his tone tinged with caution: "Remember, you can wander freely anywhere except the canopy and deep roots of the sacred tree, but whatever you do, don't go to those two places."

After saying that, Fenris stopped talking and hurriedly turned to leave, not even having time to look at Lu Yan again. His back view revealed a hint of panic that was not easily detected.

Seeing this, Lu Yan didn't ask any further questions.

He could sense that Fenris's unusual behavior just now must be related to the "Demon God".

He slowly sat cross-legged on the ground of the treehouse, closed his eyes, and entered a meditative state.

The origin of the gray fog was far more mysterious, more terrifying, and even more despairing than he had imagined.

But after a brief moment of shock, Lu Yan's mind calmed down.

If the outcome is truly predetermined, there's no point in overthinking; it's better to focus on doing what you can do best.

Now, his only pursuit is to become stronger!

He wanted to climb step by step, break through the shackles of the sequence, reach the pinnacle of power, and see with his own eyes the limits of this myriad worlds.

Let's see if we can find a glimmer of hope in this desperate situation shrouded in gray fog!

"This guy, has he really been cultivating all day?"

In the dense shade outside the treehouse, Legolas concealed his presence, hiding tightly behind layers of leaves, his gaze fixed intently on the tree.

The figure inside the room frowned deeply.

For three whole days after Fenris left, this outsider named "Lu Renjia" sat cross-legged on the ground of the treehouse, meditating and cultivating. Apart from occasionally adjusting his breathing, he didn't even get up to move around, let alone do anything suspicious.

Was it because he had already noticed his surveillance and was deliberately pretending to be focused on cultivation?

Or is this guy really innocent, with nothing on his mind but getting stronger?

Legolas was filled with doubts and could not make a decision for the time being. He could only suppress his impatience and continue to monitor secretly.

But at that moment, a faint yet exceptionally clear fluctuation suddenly emanated from the top of the sacred tree, Telperion.

The elves, who had been busy in various parts of Valinor, stopped what they were doing, subconsciously looked up, and all their eyes were fixed on the top of the sacred tree, their faces full of doubt and wariness.

The next instant, a pungent, decaying pollutant force swept down from the top of the sacred tree.

Lu Yan was all too familiar with that aura; it was the aura of gray fog pollution!

All the elves' expressions changed drastically in an instant. Their confusion was replaced by panic, and they all dropped what they were doing and rushed toward the top of the sacred tree.

Legolas was no exception. His heart tightened, and he subconsciously wanted to move, but the moment he stopped, he subconsciously glanced in the direction of the treehouse where Lu Yan was.

Valinor had been peaceful for centuries, without a single mishap, but this outsider had barely stepped in when this unexpected event occurred—

Could it be that this matter is related to him?

But when he saw that Lu Yan was still in a meditative posture inside the treehouse, motionless, most of his doubts dissipated.

For the past three days, he has been keeping a close watch on Lu Yan, and he would not fail to notice if Lu Yan made any unusual moves.

Perhaps I'm just overthinking things.

With this in mind, Legolas no longer hesitated. In a flash, he became a blur and sped toward the canopy of the sacred tree.

Just as his figure completely disappeared into the forest, a slender figure quietly emerged from the shadow of the tree trunk beside the treehouse—it was Lu Yan.

He brushed the shadowy fragments off his body, his gaze fixed solemnly on the top of the sacred tree, and murmured, "This is—it has fallen into the realm of the demon god? No, it's still a bit short, it seems to be suppressed by some power."

Lu Yan seemed to be deep in thought. Fenris's sudden and hasty departure three days ago was probably related to the abnormality of this sacred tree. However, he did not expect things to develop to this extent.

However, he did not intend to go up and take a look. Firstly, all the powerful elves must have gathered at the top of the sacred tree at this moment, and if he went there rashly, he would easily expose his identity.

Secondly, what he cared about more was the existence beneath the roots of the sacred tree.

That was where the "great harvest" he had mentioned in his divination would be.

He glanced inside the treehouse, where the figure, identical to himself and derived from the deception card, remained in a meditative posture, flawless.

Lu Yan felt much more at ease. He suppressed his aura, and with a flash, headed straight for the roots of the sacred tree.

The closer Lu Yan got to the tree roots, the more he sensed something was wrong. The entire Valinor was teeming with life, the sacred tree was lush and full of flowers, but the area around the tree roots presented a completely different scene.

The vegetation was withered, the earth was cracked, and a faint smell of decay permeated the air, devoid of any sign of life.

What surprised him even more was that there were more than a dozen elven cultivators stationed around this desolate place. Each of them had a calm demeanor and a wary expression. Even when there was a disturbance at the top of the sacred tree, they remained at their posts and did not move an inch.

"This is it."

A look of certainty flashed in Lu Yan's eyes. He quietly took out another mask, covered his face, adjusted his breathing, and imitated Fenris's expression as he strode toward the guard at the tree roots.

"Who?!"

As soon as he approached, the dozen or so elven guards immediately sensed something was amiss. They turned around, drew their longbows to their full draw, and unleashed a barrage of emerald green arrows aimed at him, their voices filled with vigilance.

But when they saw Lu Yan's face clearly, their tense nerves instantly relaxed, and they slowly lowered their bows and arrows.

A leading elven guard hurried forward, asking anxiously, "Fenris, what brings you here? How is the chief? The commotion in the canopy—has something serious happened?"

"This is a significant problem." Lu Yan suppressed his surprise and calmly explained, mimicking Fenris's tone.

"The chief sent me to check if there's anything wrong with the tree roots, so I don't neglect one area while focusing on another. You all continue guarding this place; I'm going in."

Go and investigate, and identify any potential hazards.

"Fenris, absolutely not!"

The lead guard's expression changed, and he quickly tried to dissuade him.

"It's sealed away in a calamity; it's extremely dangerous. How could you go in alone?"

Disaster?