85: Chapter 85 Mission Begins, Black Mist Devours the Sky

In the Xinghe University teleportation zone, the formation light climbed layer by layer.

The grey-robed deacon stood outside the formation, his task token tightly connected to the core of the teleportation formation.

Runes of school certification lit up one after another.

"Grade A sequence review mission officially started."

"Target: Black Swamp Scale Nest."

"Remaining time limit: 20 days."

Just as the words appeared on the light screen, the atmosphere in the teleportation zone tightened, and the onlookers among the freshmen stared in unison at the figure in the formation.

Wang Pingan's footing was steady; he ignored Lu Ming and the gazes of those around him waiting to see a joke. All outside distractions were cast aside; the real battlefield was only on the other side of the formation gate.

The grey-robed deacon reminded him: "After entering, the landing point for the Divine Kingdom passage is random, but it will not deviate from the perimeter of the Black Swamp Scale Nest. If you judge that you are unable to complete the mission, you can withdraw at any time, but your qualification for the review will be voided."

Wang Pingan nodded slightly: "Start."

The deacon said no more, raising his hand to press the task token. The teleportation formation roared into operation. The Xinghe University teleportation zone twisted and deformed before Wang Pingan's eyes, and the light vanished into the black mist in the blink of an eye.

A damp, foul smell rushed in first, mixed with mud, poisonous weeds, foul water, and the bloody stench of alien races, making one nauseous. As the vision darkened, Wang Pingan's Divine Kingdom passage landed on the edge of a churning toxic swamp.

Black muddy water bubbled constantly, and rot-green miasma flowed across the ground. In the distance, there were no mountains or flat roads, only patches of muddy swamp cut open by toxic water. The hot, humid air pressed down, making the flow of Spiritual Qi sluggish.

As soon as the Divine Kingdom passage unfolded, a slight corrosive sound came from the outer formation patterns. Wang Pingan's Divine Thought stood in the firmament, immediately perceiving the repulsive force of this high-risk Divine Kingdom. The Law of the Black Swamp Scale Nest was complete, and the fourfold environmental pressures of poison, humidity, weight, and corrosion were intertwined, constantly crushing toward the passage.

Wang Mu looked up and reported: "Divine Lord, the concentration of miasma is higher than the second level of the simulation area, and the activity of the foul water is 10% higher than estimated."

Wang Shan followed up with a report: "The load-bearing capacity of the mud layer is extremely poor. Heavy armor will definitely sink upon landing; we must first lay down floating boards."

Wang Pingan did not rush to deploy the main force and immediately issued a Divine Oracle: "Follow the Black Swamp No. 1 plan, stabilize the passage first."

The first batch of the Formation Maintenance Team stepped out of the passage. They discarded their heavy armor, donned moisture-proof light armor, and carried temporary purification Formation Plates on their backs. Ten Floating Board Shield Vehicles followed closely, and the tow lines were pulled out. There was no noisy shouting in the auxiliary army; everyone silently and quickly deployed the formation according to the training steps of the past.

The floating boards landed, the anti-miasma talismans were ignited, and the temporary purification Formation Plates were inserted directly into the ground. The pale cyan formation light spread rapidly, forcibly pushing away the miasma within thirty zhang of the passage. Outside, the foul water churned and the black mud flowed, but the pressure on the passage had clearly eased.

Wang Mu stood on the high platform at the rear and waved the command flag in his hand: "Swamp exploration team, advance fifty zhang. Sweep the mud surface with low-altitude Sword Qi."

Thirty members of the Sword Qi Battalion stepped onto the floating boards, pouring spiritual power into their spirit-conducting blades, and streaks of ground-skimming Sword Qi swept straight out. The black mud was cut open, and several slender black shadows writhed out, their dark green vertical pupils opening one after another.

These Black-scaled Swamp Lizards had flat, long bodies and thick scales, with sharp barbs dragging at the ends of their tails. Forced to appear by the Sword Qi, they did not rush forward rashly, but instead twisted their bodies and burrowed back under the muddy water.

Wang Shan's eyes narrowed slightly: "They can really hide."

Wang Mu waved the command flag again, and the second group of anti-miasma talismans flew toward the mud bubble area on the right. As the talisman light flickered, the miasma receded slightly, and more vertical pupils immediately appeared under the muddy water. Hundreds of pairs of dark green eyes opened in unison in the depths of the swamp.

Outside the teleportation zone, the observation screen could only show the peripheral scene. Many freshmen's expressions changed slightly upon seeing this formation, and they whispered to one another, lamenting that they had been targeted by those beasts the moment they landed.

Some also saw the clues, bluntly stating that the Black-scaled Swamp Lizards were waiting for the Human Race legion to walk into a trap, and that Wang Pingan's failure to send the main force to advance rashly showed he was clearly prepared.

Lu Ming stood behind the crowd, staring at the screen without saying a word. Wang Pingan's steady, step-by-step tactics actually caused waves of unease to rise in his heart.

Inside the Black Swamp Scale Nest, Wang Pingan continued to issue orders: "Deploy the first shield vehicle position."

Wang Shan raised his hand to command: "The first and second teams, move forward to pave the road, avoiding the black mud."

The Floating Board Shield Vehicles were pushed up one after another, and the tow lines were firmly fixed to the rear position.

The heavy armored soldiers did not rush forward. Only after the shield vehicles had laid a continuous foothold did they step into the swamp in batches.

Although everyone's pace was slow, the formation was not chaotic at all. They opened the traction distance in groups of ten, with one shield vehicle for every hundred people, and three hundred people guarding a purification Formation Plate. Twenty years of evolutionary training had long since engraved these rules into their bones.

The Black-scaled Swamp Lizards finally could not hold back. Fine waves rose in the muddy water of the deep swamp on the left, and a dozen black shadows suddenly darted out. They avoided the front of the shield wall and bit at the tow lines and the edges of the floating boards.

Wang Mu waved the command flag: "Low-altitude sweep, cut the tails!"

The Sword Qi Battalion responded by swinging their blades. The ground-skimming Sword Qi cut directly through the muddy water, severing the tail barbs of three swamp lizards on the spot.

The swamp lizards let out shrill hisses and sprayed venom from their mouths. The anti-miasma talismans in the front row lit up, and the pale cyan airflow swept over, forcibly deflecting part of the venom. The remaining toxic water hit the shield surface, causing plumes of black smoke to rise.

Wang Shan gave a deep order, urging the shield vehicles to continue advancing.

Two auxiliary soldiers stepped forward quickly, skillfully and nimbly re-securing the bitten tow lines, their movements extremely proficient and without any panic.

Wang Pingan overlooked the battlefield, his face calm.

This first wave of probing failed to disrupt his rhythm, but he knew that the main event was still to come. In the depths of the toxic swamp in the distance, the muddy water slowly bulged, and more Black-scaled Swamp Lizards were lurking beneath, just waiting for the legion to continue deeper.

Wang Mu checked the feedback from the Formation Plate and reported: "Divine Lord, there is a group of gravity mud pits three hundred zhang ahead. The surface load-bearing capacity is extremely poor. It is recommended to bypass it or lay double-layered floating boards."

Wang Shan followed up with a suggestion: "Bypassing will definitely bring us closer to the foul water river, which is prone to side ambushes. Laying double-layered floating boards is more appropriate."

Wang Pingan issued a Divine Oracle: "Lay double layers. The Artillery Battalion will remain stationed here and set up the first firepower point."

The Artillery Battalion moved upon receiving the order, pushing the modified Psionic Heavy Cannon onto the scaffold.

The Formation Maintenance Team quickly laid out the moisture-proof formation patterns. After twenty years of repeated drills, this set of procedures had long been memorized by heart, and the first firepower point was constructed in the blink of an eye.

Wang Mu raised the command flag in his hand, directing the heavy cannons to aim at the dense mud bubble area ahead for a test shot.

The fifty heavy cannons did not fire in unison; only the muzzles of ten cannons lit up with silver-white light.

The artillery fire blasted into the swamp, overturning the black mud and shaking more than thirty lurking Black-scaled Swamp Lizards out of the water. These alien races had hard shells, and quite a few survived the attack.

Wang Mu calmly issued a follow-up order, and the Sword Qi Battalion immediately swung out Sword Qi to slash the remaining swamp lizards to pieces. Not a single person in the entire army broke formation to covet merit or advance rashly.

Seeing this, Wang Shan grinned, bluntly stating that in this broken muddy land, being impatient would only lead to death.

Wang Pingan's expression remained the same, his perception already having crossed the outer toxic swamp to probe deeper.

A subtle fluctuation of Origin was hidden there, heavy and slow, quietly flowing along the deep water veins of the Divine Kingdom. This was the sign of the Black Tide returning. Although it had not fully erupted, it was already gathering momentum in the dark.

Wang Pingan marked this fluctuation in his Divine Core perception and issued a Divine Oracle ordering Wang Mu to record the direction of the Black Tide.

Wang Mu's expression turned serious, confirming that the fluctuation likely originated from the deep swamp in the southwest, moving slowly and not yet invading the battlefield. Wang Shan, on the other hand, decisively dispatched two hundred auxiliary soldiers to return and reinforce the passage position.

Outside the teleportation zone, the freshmen in front of the light screen became increasingly quiet.

Everyone had thought that Wang Pingan would rely on his heavy armored legion to force his way through and eventually get trapped in the swamp, but who would have thought that he would fight so steadily.

From landing and stabilizing the passage, to laying roads with floating boards, sweeping the swamp, and then setting up the Artillery Battalion in stages, and the rescue team tightly guarding the main formation, these tactics were completely different from the frontal assault during the Blood Moon Wreckage.

Some freshmen couldn't help but guess whether he had specifically practiced for the Black Swamp battlefield, but others immediately retorted, after all, it had only been a few days since he accepted the mission.

Lu Ming heard this, and his expression became increasingly gloomy.

Others didn't know the inside story, but he could guess that Wang Pingan had most likely used high-rate time resources.

But this was exactly what made him most uncomfortable. Time alone was far from enough; the System of Hundred Arts, training regulations, and command coordination were all indispensable. Even if a mediocre person went into seclusion for ten years, they would only be standing still.

Inside the Black Swamp Scale Nest, the first position was gradually stabilizing.

Wang Pingan did not rush to advance deeper, only letting the legion continue to clear the lurking swamp lizards on the periphery, while collecting venom, mud samples, and scales to be handed over to the accompanying Hundred Arts team for recording.

A dull vibration suddenly came from the depths of the swamp in the distance. As the black water churned, the rot-green miasma dispersed to both sides.

Dozens of larger Black-scaled Swamp Lizards floated to the surface, their backs covered in dense dark scales, their tail barbs longer, and the venom dripping from their mouths actually corroding deep pits into the black mud.

The System marking appeared accordingly.

"[Black-scaled Swamp Lizard Elite.]"

"[Characteristics: Venom spray, swamp drag, scale armor protection, group ambush.]"

Wang Shan gripped his heavy shield, and Wang Mu slowly raised his command flag.

Wang Pingan stared into the distance, not issuing an order to charge, only letting the legion stabilize the position and allowing the alien race to enter the firepower coverage area.

The Black-scaled Swamp Lizard Elites lowered their bodies, and dozens of black shadows dived into the muddy water in unison. The mud surface returned to calm, but the entire army knew clearly that the enemy was approaching.

The swamp exploration team immediately pressed forward, rounds of low-altitude Sword Qi sweeping across the mud surface. Although they cut through the black mud, they only forced out a few targets. More elites bypassed the Sword Qi area and sneaked quietly using the deeper mud layers.

Wang Mu's eyes narrowed slightly, seeing through the alien race's intention to test the blind spots. Wang Pingan agreed, intending to give them a flaw.

Wang Shan understood, and instead of blocking the blind spot, he deliberately left a gap in a section of the Floating Board Shield Vehicle position.

Several Black-scaled Swamp Lizard Elites suddenly lunged from beneath the gap, their tail hooks curling directly toward two heavy armored soldiers. The tow lines tightened suddenly. Before the rescue team could make a move, Wang Shan had already swung his heavy shield and smashed it down fiercely.

"We were waiting for you!"

Dark golden blood energy erupted with a bang, the shield soldiers on both sides closed in, and the Sword Qi Battalion's low-altitude slashes tightly sealed off the retreat.

Ten heavy cannons roared in unison, the artillery light smashing fiercely into the mud area, shaking the Black-scaled Swamp Lizard Elites out. Wang Shan stepped onto the floating board and swung his blade, severing the head of one of the alien creatures, and the bloody gore sprayed into the toxic swamp.

The first wave of elite ambushes on the periphery was forcibly devoured by the legion, but Wang Pingan did not lower his guard. This was because the fluctuation of the Black Tide returning in the depths had already accelerated by half a point. This high-risk Divine Kingdom, which had once buried five Xinghe University students, had sensed the threat and was truly waking up.

The toxic swamp in front of the position bulged over a large area, and hundreds of pairs of dark green vertical pupils opened simultaneously beneath the muddy water.