37: Chapter 37 Azure Scale Serpent

In a dense forest somewhere in the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, Li Changle strictly followed the teachings of his elders, stopping every few steps to release his Divine Sense and carefully scan his surroundings.

Although he only had a cultivation of the sixth layer of Qi Refining and his Divine Sense had a limited range, it was enough for him to perceive any minute movement within ten zhang.

Today was already the sixth day since the Li clan members had ventured deep into the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, and the injury on his arm had long since fully healed. Over the past two days, the clan elders would deliberately set aside some of their free time to hone his ability to explore on his own.

After advancing another dozens of zhang, he suddenly noticed a blue-eyed rabbit leisurely nibbling on green grass in the bushes to his left.

It was just an ordinary wild beast-level Blue-eyed Rabbit, its meat unremarkable and not worth mentioning, so Li Changle decisively suppressed the urge to draw his sword.

However, right at that moment, a faint trace of Spiritual Qi quietly drifted into his nostrils.

Li Changle's heart stirred, and he immediately quickened his pace, following the trail of the Spiritual Qi. On a nearby sun-facing slope, he was pleasantly surprised to find three stalks of Qingyang Grass gently swaying in the breeze.

These three stalks of Qingyang Grass were already ten years old, with crystal-clear morning dew still clinging to their leaves. Though the Spiritual Qi was faint, it was extremely pure.

He slowly squatted down and carefully dug up the entire Spiritual Plant, roots and all. As a Tier One Medium Grade Spiritual Plant Master, he knew well that an intact root system was crucial for the survival of the Spirit Medicine when transplanted. Afterward, he continued on his journey forward.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another two days passed. With the arrival of autumn, the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range was shrouded in mist, especially around the Poison Miasma Forest, where the morning fog was as thick as unblended light ink.

The figures of the Li Clan Yao Beast Hunting Squad loomed in and out of the thick fog. Everyone tightly covered their mouths and noses with wet cloths, and had Detoxification Pills prepared in their Storage Pouches—the miasma here was highly corrosive, enough to erode the garments of Qi Refining Cultivators, and any slight carelessness could lead to severe poisoning.

Second Uncle Li Huahang walked at the very front of the group, tightly gripping a High Grade Magical Artifact, the Mist-Dispelling Bead. A pale purple spiritual light flickered in the fog, temporarily dispersing the miasma within five zhang around them.

Having already reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining, he operated this High Grade Magical Artifact with ease. The light barrier condensing from his fingertips could not only block the miasma but also clearly reflect any movement ahead.

“Thirteenth Uncle, there are three Tier One Middle Stage Poison-tailed Snakes five zhang to the front-right,” Second Uncle Li Huahang's voice transmitted with absolute precision through Divine Sense.

Li Xuanzhou nodded slightly and waved his hand to signal the squad to stop, then said to Li Changqing beside him, “Changqing, your archery has always been excellent. Use your zhenhun bow to shoot their seven-inch marks, and make sure to stop them from approaching.”

Li Changqing moved in response, drawing his bow and nocking his arrows, pulling out iron arrows coated with realgar powder that he had prepared in advance from his quiver. The three arrows shot out like lightning, pinning the seven-inch marks of the three dark shadows in the fog with absolute precision.

With a few faint hisses, the carcasses of the Poison-tailed Snakes fell heavily from the trees, their greenish-black snake blood splashing onto the ground and instantly corroding several small pits.

The squad continued forward cautiously. The miasma in the fog grew increasingly dense, and the light of the Mist-Dispelling Bead gradually dimmed. Second Uncle Li Huahang suddenly noticed something unusual about the ground beneath his feet. He immediately stopped his steps and said in a low voice, “Careful, we have reached the Poison Swamp!”

Everyone looked down to see that beneath the layer of decaying leaves lay a bottomless, pitch-black mire. Bubbles continuously rose to the surface of the mire, emitting a pungent, foul stench. Several kinds of low-tier venomous beasts inhabited the Poison Swamp, and they would launch attacks without hesitation once anyone approached.

And the target of their trip—the nest of the Green-scaled Snakes—was located precisely in the depths of the Poison Swamp.

“Hualing, bring out the green spirit wood to pave the way,” Li Xuanzhou ordered decisively.

Li Hualing quickly took out pre-processed pieces of green spirit wood from several Storage Pouches and pieced them together. With a gentle tap of his finger toward the ground, over a dozen pieces of green spirit wood, each over a meter long, tightly locked together to form a simple raft.

The members of the Li Clan Yao Beast Hunting Squad carefully stepped onto the raft one by one and continued to advance slowly. green spirit wood was a Tier One Medium Grade Spiritual Wood. It was green in color, lightweight yet extremely hard, making it an excellent material for crafting low-tier vessels.

“Everyone take note, the concentration of poison is continuously rising. Take out your Medicinal Pills and consume them immediately,” Li Xuanzhou warned.

Just as his voice fell, the surface of the swamp suddenly exploded with a splash! A massive Poison Swamp Frog leaped out from the mire, spraying dark green venom directly at Li Changqing at the rear of the squad.

“Changqing, watch out!” Li Xuanzhou shouted, while quickly casting a water-attribute Spell. A water barrier instantly blocked the path in front of Li Changqing. As the venom splashed onto the water barrier, it made a sizzling, corrosive sound, instantly eating a hole through it.

However, Li Changqing had also been prepared. With a flick of his wrist, a Tier One Peak Grade Talisman, the Scarlet Flame Talisman, transformed into blazing streaks of fire that shot toward the Poison Swamp Frog's head. At the same time, his figure flashed rapidly, and a longsword appeared out of thin air in his hand. The blade of the qingyuan sword was coated in a layer of sharp, pale green Sword Qi.

The Poison Swamp Frog writhed in agony from the flames. Li Changqing flashed like lightning, his longsword carrying surging spiritual power as he slashed at the Poison Swamp Frog's head.

With a squelch, the longsword cleanly severed the head of this Tier One Late Stage Poison Swamp Frog. Dark green blood gushed out, and the Flying Purple Nether Scorpion timely sucked it into its mouth, then began to swallow the Poison Swamp Frog's carcass in large gulps.

The squad continued forward. As time slowly passed, they drew closer and closer to their target area. Li Xuanzhou stood at the front of the raft, holding a long saber flowing with green light. His Divine Sense spread out like a net, vigilantly catching every slight disturbance in the surrounding Spiritual Qi.

“Thirty zhang ahead, to the right of the mire vortex, there is a strong concentration of Demonic Qi. That should be the target nest,” Li Xuanzhou warned in a low voice.

Almost at the same time, the surface of the mire suddenly exploded, and three Green-scaled Snakes, each three zhang long with scaled bodies and fleshy crests on their heads, burst out from the mud.

The venomous saliva they spat out turned into pale green mist arrows. Like eerie, cold ghost fires in the miasma, they revealed a ruthless, beastly nature as they shot straight toward the raft.

Behind these three massive Green-scaled Snakes, countless smaller Green-scaled venomous snakes slithered out from the mud, puddles, and even hollows of dead trees. Although most of these venomous snakes were not ranked Yao Beasts, the toxins they carried were by no means to be underestimated.

Seeing so many venomous snakes, the members of the Li clan did not need Li Xuanzhou's orders. They instantly focused their minds and decisively launched their attacks according to plan.

Li Hualing pulled out a bronze bell from his robe and shook it vigorously. The bell rang sharp and piercing, causing the ordinary venomous snakes to instantly freeze. They writhed in agony on the swampy ground, seemingly clutching their heads. This was a High Grade Magical Artifact, the 'Snake-Repelling Bell', specially crafted by an Artifact Refiner to counter low-tier snake Yao Beasts.

Li Changqing's eyes narrowed. With a buzz, the Flying Sword in his hand flew out from his Storage Pouch. Grabbing the hilt, he leaped into the air and executed the Qingyuan Sword Art, sweeping out Sword Qi like a sheet of silk. After several sharp clangs, seven or eight venomous snakes were sliced in half, their emerald-green blood splashing onto the swamp and giving off wisps of green smoke.