Amidst the forest enshrouded in poisonous miasma, the piercing and ghastly screams still echoed from afar, creating an overwhelmingly eerie atmosphere. “Whoosh!” Suddenly, a sound of wind breaking through the air emerged within the dense poisonous miasma, and faintly, a flame appeared. What was even more astonishing was that as the fire glowed, the surrounding poisonous miasma, as if startled, retreated on its own, clearing a spacious and clear path.
“It seems that these venomous insects are quite terrified of the alien flame,” Little Healer Immortal said, smiling as she looked at the path that had split apart ahead of them.
“Most venomous insects are yin-cold, and the alien flame is a yang-hot thing. Naturally, they fear it,” Xiao Yan smiled, looking back. Behind him, the large group of thousands could only allow a fraction, perhaps less than one-tenth, to truly pass through this peculiar toxic barrier.
“Rugged Ancient Territory, truly living up to its name,” Xiao Yan sighed inwardly again. This was still just the outer region; he couldn’t imagine what kind of troublesome obstacles they would encounter if they went deeper.
“The poisonous miasma is gradually becoming thinner; we should be close to breaking out of this area,” Cai Lin observed, looking at the somewhat clearer surroundings.
“Indeed, let’s speed up. This seclusion has delayed us enough time, and I suspect that some major forces in Central Plains have already entered the central part of the Rugged Ancient Territory,” Xiao Yan nodded. He tapped his feet on the ground, and his figure shot out like an arrow, swiftly followed by several other figures.
Cai Lin’s perception was accurate. As they advanced deeper, the poisonous miasma grew increasingly thinner until it finally vanished completely.
As they emerged from the miasma, Xiao Yan and the others climbed onto a large rock nearby. They saw a vast, hundreds of meters wide abyss in front of them. The abyss was very deep, with toxic mist swirling around, making it impossible to see the end. Lifting their gazes, they saw endless mountain ranges stretching beyond the abyss. These mountains stood tall, like giant dragons nesting, exuding an ancient and vast aura that spread across the land.
That was where the true Rugged Ancient Territory lay!
Xiao Yan took a deep breath as he gazed at the distant mountains, his eyes reflecting a hint of solemnity. He could vaguely sense extremely fierce auras hidden within those ancient mountain ranges, which were even slightly dangerous to him.
“The beasts here, isolated from the world, have been passed down since ancient times, incredibly powerful. Though they lack wisdom compared to similarly ranked magical beasts due to their ferocity, their explosive power surpasses even that of magical beasts,” the elder Qing Chen from the Falling Star Pavilion murmured.
Xiao Yan nodded, gripping a greenish pearl—Bodhi Seed—in his hand, which had been extracted from the Bodhi Body Saliva. The Rugged Ancient Territory was immensely vast, and locating the Bodhi Ancient Tree wouldn’t be easy. Moreover, the number of vicious beasts was incalculable, and charging blindly would be exceedingly perilous even for their team.
Holding the Bodhi Seed, Xiao Yan closed his eyes and sensed the movement within. After a while, he opened his eyes and looked towards the northwest, saying softly, “We may be too far from the Bodhi Ancient Tree to pinpoint its exact location, but from the information fed back by the Bodhi Seed, it should be in this direction.”
“Let’s go.” Tucking away the Bodhi Seed, Xiao Yan did not linger. He tapped the large rock and soared up like a great roc, then stepped into the void, quickly heading across the abyss. Behind him, Cai Lin and Little Healer Immortal followed closely.
Though the distance was vast, Xiao Yan and the others arrived at the other side in an instant. But just as they landed, several beast roars echoed from the ground, and several black shadows, reeking of a nauseating stench, leaped towards Xiao Yan in the sky.
“Be careful!” The sudden attack startled Cai Lin and the others, who hastily warned.
“Bang!” Xiao Yan paused briefly, his face unchanged. With a wave of his sleeve, a terrifying gust of wind swept out, slamming heavily onto the black shadows. Amid cries, several black-bodied, blood-red-eyed panther-like beasts fell from the sky.
“Seems like there are many vicious beasts in this area. We can’t fly over; otherwise, we’ll attract attention and more trouble,” Cai Lin furrowed her brows.
“Right.” Xiao Yan nodded. The beasts here weren’t too strong, but deep inside, they would be difficult to handle. So, he landed and walked forward.
“Whoosh!” As Xiao Yan and his party landed, a few more figures approached from behind, stopping mid-air and looking at Xiao Yan and the others with caution.
Xiao Yan glanced at the new arrivals, recognizing them as Dou Zuns. However, he was surprised they could pass through the poison barrier.
“Go,” Xiao Yan waved his hand, not intending to engage them. They all had their eyes on the Bodhi Ancient Tree, and any alliance would be tenuous. Tapping the ground, he moved lightly forward, and Cai Lin and the others followed.
The new figures, seeing Xiao Yan’s actions, frowned but did nothing. Recognizing Xiao Yan’s stronger group, they changed direction and continued on their way.
In the ancient and rugged land, prolonged and fierce beast roars continuously echoed in the sky.
“Boom!” A fierce Dou Qi suddenly burst from the forest, slamming into a large beast. The highly toxic energy instantly cut off the beast’s lifeforce, and its roar was cut short as its colossal body crashed to the ground.
As the giant beast fell, a few figures slowly emerged from the forest—it was Xiao Yan and his party.
“Fortunately, the toxin resistance of these beasts isn’t invincible,” Little Healer Immortal murmured, looking at the blackened beast.
“Let’s rest for a bit while Elder Qing Lin scouts ahead,” Xiao Yan suggested, eyeing the distance. Despite their efforts, they couldn’t completely avoid such battles.
“The allure of the Bodhi Ancient Tree is too strong. Even the ancient races wouldn’t easily give up, let alone the major forces. But we haven’t encountered any of those yet,” Little Healer Immortal said, seated on a rock. “Given their strength and speed, they might be significantly ahead of us.”
Xiao Yan nodded, not worried. The Bodhi Ancient Tree was a precious treasure, and acquiring it wasn’t easy. Even with many forces involved, it would take time to reach it.
“Whoosh!” While contemplating, a gust of wind announced the return of Elder Qing Chen.
“Elder Qing Chen, how was it?” Xiao Yan asked.
“There weren’t too many dangers ahead, but I encountered a group. I observed them and believe they are from the Heavenly Tomb Sect,” Elder Qing Chen replied.
“From the Heavenly Tomb Sect?” Xiao Yan frowned. He hadn’t expected to meet the sect he despised first. Conflicts between them were significant, and friction was likely.
“I overheard some of their conversation,” Elder Qing Chen said.
“Oh?” Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, looking at him.
“Not far ahead, there’s another group. The Heavenly Tomb Sect intends to secretly eliminate them,” Elder Qing Chen chuckled.
“Let them. Let the dogs fight. We’ll keep going,” Xiao Yan shook his head. They were indeed troublemakers, even now thinking of harming others. But just as he was about to move, he asked, “Who is the other group?”
“Seems to be the Flower Sect,” Elder Qing Chen mused.
“The Flower Sect?” Xiao Yan froze, his eyes darkening. If the Flower Sect was here, he wondered if Yun Yun was among them. If so, he couldn’t stand idle.
“Those scoundrels…”
“Little Pavilion Lord, what do you plan?” Qing Chen asked, seeing Xiao Yan’s sudden change in expression.
“Attack, exterminate the Heavenly Tomb Sect…” Xiao Yan rose, his voice cold. The previous ambush wasn’t forgotten, and now, he couldn’t let it go!
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