The burly man let out a wretched howl as the heavy hammer slipped from his grasp. His massive body crashed to the ground, and Yue Mountain immediately followed up, crushing his throat underfoot!

In that split second, Du Kui chose to flee!

He feinted with his twin hooks to force back the approaching Yue Mountain, then his figure shot backward in a hasty retreat! He pushed off with his feet, using the still-limp corpse of the Red-eyed Poison Python as a springboard.

He shot off toward the area to the side where the miasma was thickest!

"Trying to run?!"

Jiang Bohong was incredibly experienced. He saw through Du Kui’s intentions at a glance and immediately bellowed, "Chen Xiaoyou, finish off that cripple! Younger Brother Zhao, with me! We can’t let Du Kui escape!"

Before Chen Qing could even make a move, a crazed light suddenly erupted in the swordsman’s eyes!

Ignoring the excruciating pain in his side, he desperately summoned the last of his True Qi. His body lurched backward, perilously dodging the deadliest point of the spear tip!

At the same time, the Long Sword that had previously slipped from his grasp had somehow found its way back into his hand!

The swordsman completely abandoned all defense, pouring every last bit of his remaining True Qi into this single strike!

The Long Sword flared with a grim white light, striking like a viper at Chen Qing’s throat!

Chen Qing’s brow furrowed. The arm holding his spear dropped, and he met the attack head-on with his Cloud-Coiling Spear.

"PFFT!"

"CLANG!"

The two sounds rang out almost simultaneously!

In the split second before the man’s Long Sword could pierce his throat, Chen Qing’s Cloud-Coiling Spear struck first, brutally running through the swordsman’s lower left chest!

The ferocious Spear Force instantly shredded his internal organs!

"GURGLE~!"

The madness in the swordsman’s eyes slowly faded, replaced by disbelief.

’Fast!’

’So fast!’

Chen Qing’s face remained impassive. With a sharp flick of his wrist, the immense power contained within the spear’s shaft erupted!

"BANG!"

The swordsman’s body was sent flying like a broken sack, a gaping, bloody hole in his chest. He landed hard in the fetid mud, twitched a few times, and then fell completely still.

’These Desperadoes from the Ghost Wail Swamp are truly ferocious!’

Meanwhile, Yue Mountain and Liu San Niang had quickly finished off the heavy-hammer wielder, who was already a spent force.

The fierce power of the Scorpion Tail Whip and the insidious grace of the Soft Sword worked in perfect harmony. The burly man struggled for only a moment before Yue Mountain shattered the top of his skull with a single lash of his whip, sending the massive body crashing to the ground.

"Chen Xiaoyou, are you alright?"

Yue Mountain called out, seeing that Chen Qing had finished his fight.

They had caught a glimpse of the split-second danger out of the corners of their eyes.

"I’m fine."

Chen Qing’s voice was calm. He approached quickly, spear in hand, and the three of them formed a triangular formation.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Qing rushed toward the corpse of the Red-eyed Poison Python.

The Essence Blood was highly volatile; he had to act fast.

He moved swiftly. With a flash of cold light, his Cloud-Coiling Spear sliced open a special sac near the Poisonous Python’s heart.

A thick, pungent, coppery smell assaulted his senses.

Deep within the sac, three drops of a thick, dark-red liquid were slowly rolling about.

’Success!’

Chen Qing felt a sense of relief. He quickly took out three small Cold Jade Bottles and carefully transferred the three drops of scalding Essence Blood into them, one for each bottle. He sealed the openings with special corks, wrapped them in several layers of scent-blocking oilcloth, and then tucked them safely inside his robes, close to his body.

A great weight was finally lifted from his shoulders!

The remaining materials from the Poisonous Python, though valuable, were not his priority right now.

Meanwhile, Yue Mountain and Liu San Niang worked with practiced ease.

Liu San Niang carefully dug up the precious Bone-Rotting Orchid, roots and all, and sealed it within a special Jade Box.

Yue Mountain, meanwhile, deftly and quickly searched the bodies of Du Kui’s men.

"Heh, these guys were loaded!"

A smile spread across Yue Mountain’s face. "Just their Weapons and Inner Armor alone are worth forty to fifty thousand taels! And the bounty on that black-hearted devil Du Kui is nothing to scoff at... We’ve really struck it rich this time!"

Liu San Niang, clutching the Jade Box, also had eyes full of excitement. The rewards from this venture had far exceeded their expectations. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

However, before the words were even out of Yue Mountain’s mouth, a bloodcurdling scream, so shrill it was distorted, suddenly echoed from the direction where Zhao Tieying and Jiang Bohong had chased Du Kui!

"ARGH—!!!"

The voice was filled with agony and horror. It was Zhao Tieying!

"Old Zhao!" Yue Mountain’s expression changed drastically.

"Something’s happened!" Liu San Niang instantly tightened her grip on her Soft Sword.

A chill went down Chen Qing’s spine, his momentarily relaxed nerves instantly stretched taut again.

Zhao Tieying was an experienced Late-stage Embracing Pill master. Whatever made him scream like that was no ordinary threat!

Yue Mountain said urgently, "Let’s go, quickly!"

The three of them abandoned looting the corpses and immediately ran toward the source of the scream and sounds of fighting.

After passing through a dense grove of poisonous vines that reeked of acrid rot, the scene before them changed abruptly, causing all three to gasp in shock!

Ahead lay a more open depression in the land.

In the center of the depression was a sizable, dark-green Poison Pool. The water was as thick as slurry, constantly churning with murky bubbles and emitting a nauseating stench and a potent, corrosive aura.

A large number of corpses of various shapes and sizes floated on the pool’s surface!

There were the remains of massive Exotic Beasts, their flesh rotted away to reveal gaunt skeletons. There were also several human corpses in different attire; some were relatively fresh, while others were little more than white bones, bobbing up and down with the bubbles. The scene was gruesome and horrifying.

On the black, muddy bank at the edge of the Poison Pool, Zhao Tieying was propped against an oddly shaped rock. His face was as pale as paper, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

His left arm was bent at an unnatural angle, clearly broken. His chest was torn open by several claw marks so deep that bone was visible. The edges of the wounds were a dark green, a clear sign of a potent poison!

Jiang Bohong stood a short distance in front of Zhao Tieying, his True Qi flaring around him to form a solid, protective barrier.

His own aura was also in disarray.

And on the muddy ground not far in front of them lay the corpse of Du Kui.

The state of his corpse was horrifying. He had been torn almost in two at the waist. His lower half was missing entirely, and his upper torso was mangled, with blood and viscera spilled all over the ground. He was as dead as could be.

....