Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Ferocious Crocodile

Meanwhile, in the shaded area near the small mountain, a mound silently protruded from the ground, and a pair of eyes gazed toward the valley, then toward the two people atop the mountain.

The mound quickly went back to normal, and everything around returned to its original state.

This was a cultivator using the "Earth Escape" technique. He had been traveling underground for some time, and only emerged about half a mile away, right inside a secret mountain cave.

There were already four cultivators waiting here, each dressed differently, exuding a faint aura of hostility, clearly not people to be messed with.

"Old Seven, how’s the situation?" asked a rather steady-looking middle-aged man.

"That leading female cultivator took two men toward the valley; they should be preparing to make a move."

"But they’re very alert, even leaving two people specially on guard. If we act rashly, we’ll likely alarm them."

A burly man with whiskers snorted, "Boss, do we really need to be so tense?"

"Didn’t Old Seven say only the leading female cultivator has Foundation Establishment completion cultivation? The others look like they’ve just left their sects, fledglings."

He licked his lips, "I love this kind of prey; weak yet plump. That last one nearly made me die laughing, he was blood-phobic, hahahaha~"

The middle-aged man ignored him and continued asking, "Can you tell which sect they belong to?"

Old Seven, his face sallow, shook his head, "They aren’t wearing sect robes or any badges on their waists, really can’t tell their origin."

At this moment, a sickly old man spoke, "Don’t forget, our target is that poison crocodile; we can’t afford to let small matters affect the bigger picture."

These five cultivators weren’t initially after Chu Xuan and his group. They had purchased intelligence from a loose cultivator, made careful preparations, and came here to hunt the Poison Blood Profound Crocodile.

But they were a step behind Chu Xuan and others. If not for the boss’s natural caution and having Old Seven use Earth Escape to scout, the two groups might have collided by now.

"This Chen guy isn’t quite kosher, selling the same intelligence twice..." the middle-aged man frowned.

"Boss, do we go for it?" asked the whiskered burly man, known as Old Three; his idea was naturally to devour both the crocodile and the people, maximizing benefits.

Moreover, the current situation was quite ideal; let the other side battle the crocodile first, then regardless of who wins, they could effortlessly reap the spoils.

But the middle-aged man wasn’t quick to decide; their team had always been maintained at five members, sorted as boss, Old Three, Old Four, Old Seven, Old Nine.

Because the others had all died, as the work they did was licking blood off the blade, without a bit of brains, the boss couldn’t have survived until now.

He shook his head slightly, "No rush, Old Seven, keep watching from there. If they’re disciples of a major sect, we’re better off abandoning this bounty."

At these words, the sickly Old Four got anxious, "Boss, I don’t have many years left. If we can’t get the crocodile’s Inner Core this time..."

The middle-aged man glared at him, "Do you understand what’s called rules?"

Despite how these major sect disciples may seem without combat experience and easy to deal with, they often have some terrifying trump cards.

Even if you manage to kill them by luck, the sects will hunt you down afterward, depending on the importance of the deceased disciple, even sending specialized enforcement cultivators for investigation and pursuit.

Of course, small and medium sects aren’t as frightening; killing them is killing, just clean up properly afterward.

Watching Old Seven leave, the boss continued, "Let’s observe the situation first."

Old Three pursed his lips and said nothing.

Only Old Four rubbed his hands, growing increasingly anxious.

...

Inside the valley, Qin Mengyao personally took the task of luring the Poison Blood Profound Crocodile out of the swamp.

She lit a specially made incense and placed it at the edge of the swamp, retreating several yards to wait silently.

This incense has a deadly allure for low to mid-tier monstrous beasts, causing an illusion: there’s some precious Spirit Grass at hand and enticing them to leave their nest.

But to Qin Mengyao’s surprise, even after one-third of the incense burned, there was still no movement from the black swamp.

Chu Xuan also cast a puzzled glance toward his senior sister, were they detected?

Qin Mengyao pondered, then decided not to be stingy, taking out a "Heavenly Thunder Seed" the size of a pill, infused it with Magical Power, and shot it into the swamp.

This is a thunder attribute secret treasure, considered a one-time consumable, as personally entering the swamp carries too much risk, being frugal is unwise in such a situation.

Soon, the black swamp erupted with strong flashes of electrical light, zapping and churning within.

"Roar~!"

With an angry roar, an overwhelmingly imposing black Profound Crocodile surged out of the swamp, riding a mass of black wind.

Its golden vertical pupils gleamed with a ferocious light, its serpentine body stretching tens of yards long, entirely covered in scales that shimmered with a ghostly glow. Its thick tail smashed the ground, causing toxic mud waves to rise.

Yet the beast appeared injured; several scales were shattered, and a massive tear on its belly, barely closed, still seeped blackish-purple blood.

Huh? Qin Mengyao furrowed her brows, something seemed amiss, she started to watch attentively...

As the fierce crocodile emerged, it immediately aimed at the nearest woman, spitting a series of water bombs formed from venom!

Qin Mengyao deftly maneuvered her Sword Control to swiftly evade, but after the water bombs hit the ground, they didn’t disperse. Instead, they erupted into a cloud of poison mist, swiftly enveloping the area.

This was the Poison Blood Profound Crocodile’s Innate Divine Technique, [Profound Water Mist Realm]:

While within, vision and Divine Sense would be disturbed, combined with water-based magical attacks.

Moreover, the venom mist was extremely toxic, capable of defiling magical artifacts and treasures, any living creature would have its flesh and blood dissolved the instant they touch it, turning into mush within minutes.

Though it fell short of the mythical domain, it already possessed quite similar power.

Qin Mengyao naturally was prepared, though trapped in the venom mist, she already had an antidote pill in her mouth, now issuing a Fire Talisman, which became a fiery shield protecting her.

Meanwhile, Chu Xuan and Ye Xingming, who had already expanded the distance on both sides, laid down array flags around the area even before the fierce crocodile emerged. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Upon seeing their senior sister trapped, they activated the array simultaneously.

"Xunfeng Huitian Array," activate!

A massive gale was generated out of nowhere, violently tearing apart the Profound Water Mist Realm, shattering the poison mist into fragments.

The Poison Blood Profound Crocodile, originally concealed in the mist and quietly closing in on Qin Mengyao, attempting a decisive surprise attack, got its intention revealed once the mist thinned.

Qin Mengyao gripped her sword in her right hand, her eyes determined, with a green lotus imprint appearing on her brow. In an instant, she merged with her sword, transforming into a cyan sword light like a swift banner, cleaving forth like a rainbow!