The trees were twisted and grotesque, and the light was dim beneath their dense canopies.

Chen Qing followed behind the others, heading deeper into the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp.

They hadn’t gone far when four or five shadowy figures appeared in a sparse grove of strange trees up ahead and to their side.

Their clothes were all different, and they carried various weapons and packs.

"Let’s move!"

Upon seeing Chen Qing’s party, the figures clearly grew tense. After exchanging a glance, they quickly changed direction, gave them a wide berth, and vanished into the dense forest on the other side, moving as swiftly as startled animals.

Chen Qing was not surprised by this.

Before coming here, he had researched a lot about the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp and had also gotten a good deal of information from Li Wang.

In this treacherous swamp, strangers were the greatest source of danger.

’Avoid contact at all costs!’

’Who knew if they were friend or foe? Were they treasure hunters like us, or... were they predators who specialized in "collecting" treasure?’

The Ten Thousand Poison Swamp was immense, spanning four prefectures, a chaotic mix of all sorts of people.

Experts not just from Yunlin Prefecture, but from Fengle, Pingyang, Lin’an, and even more distant prefectures might venture deep into this place for some rare treasure.

People from every walk of life gathered here, where law and order were nonexistent.

Killing for treasure, dog-eat-dog... such bloody scenes probably played out every day in some dark corner.

Zhao Tieying watched as the others disappeared, then said in a low voice, "Out here, you need sharp eyes, keen ears, and a ruthless heart. Parading your treasures around and making people jealous is just a death wish.

"But then again, anyone who dares to venture deep in here has some kind of backing, or they’re just good at hiding. After all, you never know if that ’fat sheep’ you’re targeting is actually an Astral Force Old Monster trying to bait you, or if they have some powerful faction you can’t afford to offend backing them up."

Hearing Zhao Tieying’s words, Yue Mountain nodded in deep agreement.

Jiang Bohong glanced at the map in his hand. "Stay close to me. Watch your feet and your surroundings. Don’t be careless about any disturbance, no matter how small. There’s a poisonous miasma ahead. Everyone check if you have enough Antitoxic Pills."

Yue Mountain and Liu San Niang followed closely behind him. Zhao Tieying fell back to guard the flank, while Chen Qing took up the rear, the Cloud-Coiling Spear in his hand, his mind already on high alert.

It had been Zhao Tieying’s idea to have Chen Qing guard the rear, and the others hadn’t objected. They clearly knew Chen Qing was a Major Sect Disciple with Mid-stage Embracing Pill Power, and this was their way of looking out for him.

The ground beneath their feet was muddy, and rotten leaves and the bones of unknown creatures were faintly visible in the sludge.

It was deathly silent all around, with only the occasional, strange chirp of an insect breaking the quiet.

A thick miasma, like a gray veil, flowed slowly through the forest, obscuring their vision.

As the group stepped into the Ghost Wail Swamp, the Poisonous Miasma in the air grew thicker than on the outskirts. A gray-green fog clung to the grotesque trees and decaying vines.

Below them were bottomless pits of mud. They had to be extremely careful with every step; the slightest misstep could cause them to sink in deep.

"Cover your mouths and noses and use True Qi Body Protection! This Poisonous Miasma is trouble even if it just touches your skin!"

Jiang Bohong barked the order as his True Qi circulated around his body, forming a thin protective shield that insulated him from the Poisonous Miasma.

The others quickly followed suit, and Chen Qing also circulated his Cyan Wood True Qi to form a barrier over his skin.

Just as he spoke, a raccoon-like Exotic Beast suddenly shot out from behind a relatively dry and hard mound of earth up ahead.

"It’s an Iron-Clawed Mountain Raccoon! Watch out for its claws and teeth!"

With a low shout, Zhao Tieying shot forward like a sparrowhawk. His broad-backed short saber drew a streak of cold light that whistled through the air, intercepting the Iron-Clawed Mountain Raccoon’s pounce and striking its forepaw with unerring accuracy!

CRACK!

With a sharp snap, one of the Exotic Beast’s forepaws broke, and it let out a piercing shriek.

Before it could even hit the ground, Zhao Tieying followed up with a backhanded slash, the blade sinking effortlessly into its neck and ending its life.

The whole process was clean and efficient, over in the span of a breath.

"Brother Zhao, your ’Wind-Splitting Saber’ truly lives up to its name!"

Yue Mountain praised him sincerely.

The hide and Sharp Claws of this Iron-Clawed Mountain Raccoon were worth a few silver coins, a welcome bonus.

Zhao Tieying skillfully skinned the beast and cut out its Sharp Claws, then chuckled. "It’s nothing, just enough to get by. But whatever you do, don’t go into the depths of the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp. A few years ago, Elder Ma of Fengle Prefecture, the ’Mountain-Opening Palm’ master—he was an Astral Force expert who had opened his Heaven and Earth Bridge. Word is he went into the core region of the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp looking for the legendary Nine-leaf Dragon Saliva Grass, and in the end... they couldn’t even find his whole corpse."

Hearing this, a chill went down Chen Qing’s spine.

’Even an Astral Force master had fallen in there. That gives you an idea of just how dangerous the core of the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp really is.’ 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

As they continued deeper, the miasma grew even thicker.

Just as the group was cautiously making their way around a bubbling black mud pit, the violent sound of colliding True Qi and the clang of clashing weapons suddenly rang out from deep within the dense fog ahead!

"Something’s up!"

Jiang Bohong immediately raised a hand, signaling for the group to stop. Everyone instantly held their breath, focusing their minds and suppressing their auras to the absolute minimum.

Using the dense, twisted trees and jagged rocks for cover, they crept silently forward.

Pushing aside a curtain of hanging poisonous vines, the scene before them opened up.

In the center of a depression covered in dark green mud, four Martial Artists with fierce auras, dressed in martial attire, were locked in a ferocious battle with a colossal beast!

The monstrous creature was nearly thirty feet long and as thick as a water bucket. Its body was covered in interlocking diamond-shaped scales of dark red and blackish-green. It had a triangular head with a pair of vertical pupils that glinted with an unnatural crimson light. Its massive jaws opened and closed to reveal bone-white fangs, spewing a foul, corrosive, poisonous mist. Each swing of its thick tail created a powerful, whistling gust of wind.