The miasma came alive the moment Scorpion King's body solidified in the outside world. Every atom, every scrap, every little speck of poisonous matter within a range of 150 meters gained consciousness, congregating around the Scorpion King in jubilation.

"Master..."

The Scorpion King knelt. If he could smile then he would be grinning from ear to ear upon feeling the copious amounts of miasma surrounding his body.

Without lifting a finger it started to attach itself to his carapace and was absorbed inside his body. The rough green color of his hard exterior became smoother and more polished and the dullness was beginning to be replaced by a sharp glow.

Since they were in such close proximity Hao Xuan was able to feel the changes happening inside the Scorpion King's body through their soul connection. His power level that had been stagnant for so long had once come to life. (Reference image is posted in discord, just search 'Scorpion King' and it will come up.)

Slowly but surely it was increasing in aptitude. Just by standing in this place the Scorpion King's energy and vitality were being replenished. Most of the energy was concentrated around the two bony outgrowths on his back that arched towards each other like some kind of electrical rods.

And the miasma was responding to him because of it. The veiny leaf patterns on his back acted like special pathways to conduct the miasma in various ways. The miasma not only became thicker but more potent as well.

It started to push back against the word of power that was sealed within Princess Helena's ring. The repulsion barrier created around her decreased from 5 meters to 4.2 meters in the blink of an eye.

"Ahh!"

Ma Jiang screamed instinctively. Princess Helena raised her hand and the ring started to glow with a new splendor.

"Stay near me! Lord Hao Xuan, please come here!" she shouted towards him since he would be outside with a tiny little step.

Hao Xuan didn't turn around but continued observing the Scorpion King's condition. Since he was a poisonous creature by nature one would expect him to have a quality of decay but what Hao Xuan was feeling completely opposite.

There were two main types of energy within the Scorpion King's body, Vitality and Corrosion.

He was brimming with so much lifeforce that it felt like the hazardous miasma had gained a life of its own when in actuality, it was simply responding to his stupendous life force.

The corrosion was expected. Even though they were connected through the soulbond Hao Xuan was still sensing some loss of spiritual sense when it got near him. These two energies were completely opposite to one another and would never exist normally in nature.

But then again, the Scorpion King was a mutant, an anomaly that would not draw breath under normal circumstances.

*Hisssss*

"Ahh! Be careful!"

The green curtain rolled again and was starting to push in with renewed vigor when Hao Xuan woke up from his daze.

'Stop. Keep the miasma at bay,' he ordered and it came to pass at once.

The miasma froze before swiftly retreating to its original position.

"Eh?" the group looked at their surroundings completely baffled. Hao Xuan finally turned around to face them.

"Should we continue?" his voice brought them out of the stupor.

"Y-Yes," Princess Helena fixed her dress, what little of it there was before surveying the surroundings. She seemed a little confused and more than a little skeptical that Hao Xuan had nothing to do with it but chose not to pursue that line of thought at the moment.

Already quite frightened having just stepped onto the valley floor, the group picked up the pace. Hao Xuan noticed that Princess Helena was moving in a strange manner. Every two steps the next one would cover twice as much distance and she was keeping count inwardly, which he could clearly hear.

The valley was much bigger than Hao Xuan expected it to be and within a few minutes it had opened up into a vast expanse several hundred meters wide.

Meanwhile, Hao Xuan was keeping in contact with the Scorpion King and giving him orders while listening to everything he had to say.

'I felt the presence of several living creatures at the starting area, go check what they are.'

'Yes, master.'

A short moment later the Scorpion King reached back, 'There are beings here, master. They are in deep slumber.'

'What are they?'

'I cannot tell. They do not have the weakness of humans anymore but a part of them still resembles them. Something has changed them from the inside out.'

'Are they strong?'

'Yes. In this place, they are forever.'

'Forever? Immortal? They can't be killed?'

'Yes. I can feel their connection to this place. They are extensions of it and as long as it stands, they will not die.. They are its protectors.'

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