199: Turkey Snake Beast

That high-pitched and eerie crowing resounded through the swamp, and before the echoes could fade, the thick mist ahead began to churn violently!

"On alert!" Qin Feng shouted. The four of them instantly formed a Formation. Xia Ya pushed her giant shield forward, Ji Ruxue's figure blurred as she vanished into the mist on the flank, Xiao Chun opened her yan luo umbrella, and Qin Feng pointed his ink plum sword straight ahead.

The mist broke apart, and a massive shadow suddenly descended!

It was a giant bird two zhang tall, shaped like a rooster magnified several times, but with a terrifying appearance. Its entire body was covered in feathers of interwoven fiery red and dark gold, each as if forged from metal, with sharp edges that glinted coldly in the gloom. Its crest was not flesh, but three clusters of red crystals that looked like burning flames, with the largest central crystal core emitting waves of scorching heat. Most horrifying were the two sides of its neck, from which two red fleshy tongues, as thick as a child's arm and covered in dark red scales, protruded. The tips of the tongues were forked like a snake's tongue, constantly flicking and dripping thick, poisonous saliva.

The giant bird's eyes were reddish-gold, cold and heartless, as it looked down from above at the four uninvited guests who had intruded into its territory. The violent aura of a Mid-stage Martial King was released without reservation, causing the surrounding mist to stagnate.

"Fire Chicken Snake Beast..." The name, which perfectly matched the scene and had been mentioned on the map, flashed through Qin Feng's mind. This was likely a mutated Yao Beast unique to the Boiling Mud Swamp. "Watch out for its feathers and those two tongues!"

Before his voice could fade, the Fire Chicken Snake Beast moved!

It didn't cry out, but instead violently flapped its wings! Rather than taking flight, it whipped up two violent currents of air carrying a fishy wind and intense heat, like two giant wind-fire blades, slashing crosswise toward the four! Simultaneously, the two red fleshy tongues on the sides of its neck shot out like lightning; one sprayed a large cloud of yellow-green poisonous mist with a foul stench, while the other went straight for Xiao Chun, who appeared to be the weakest in the center of the Formation!

"Black Tortoise · Suppress!" Xia Ya roared, slamming her giant shield heavily onto the ground as an earthy-yellow wall of Qi rose abruptly. The wind-fire blades slashed against the Qi wall, producing a piercing grinding sound and sending sparks flying. The Qi wall vibrated violently but did not break. Xia Ya's body swayed slightly, the light on her flowing cloud inner armor shimmering to disperse the impact.

"Hold your breath!" Xiao Chun shouted. Her yan luo umbrella spun rapidly, spraying a pale green medicinal mist from its surface that collided with the incoming poisonous mist, producing a "hissing" sound as they neutralized each other. At the same time, she flicked her wrist, firing several Shadowless Needles toward the incoming fleshy tongue.

The fleshy tongue was incredibly flexible, twisting eerily in the air to actually deflect most of the Shadowless Needles. Only one grazed the scales, leaving a white mark, but it failed to stop its attack!

Just as the fleshy tongue was about to touch the umbrella's surface, a streak of ghostly purple cold light suddenly appeared from the mist on the flank!

"Clang!"

Ji Ruxue's purple moon dagger struck the middle of the fleshy tongue with precision, actually producing the sound of clashing metal! The scales were exceptionally hard; the dagger only cut in half an inch before getting stuck. The fleshy tongue retracted violently in pain, then immediately lashed back even faster, whipping toward Ji Ruxue like a lash!

Ji Ruxue's figure shifted, narrowly avoiding it, and a black reef where she had been standing was smashed to pieces!

Qin Feng seized this momentary opportunity, his ink plum sword turning into a streak of light, stabbing directly at the relatively soft gaps between the feathers under the Fire Chicken Snake Beast's belly!

"Screech—!"

The Fire Chicken Snake Beast finally let out a shrill cry full of rage. It didn't dodge; instead, its other uninjured fleshy tongue lunged from an incredible angle, its tip like a spear, stabbing toward the back of Qin Feng's heart! Simultaneously, its claws slammed into the ground, its iron-hard talons tearing the vine raft as its massive body charged forward, intending to break Xia Ya's defense with crushing force!

Offense and defense in one, ruthless and cunning!

Qin Feng was forced to pull back his sword to parry. With a "clang," the sword blade collided with the tip of the fleshy tongue, and he felt a surge of massive brute force and greasy, sinister energy, making his arm go slightly numb. Meanwhile, facing the charge, Xia Ya gritted her teeth and held her giant shield firmly!

"Boom!"

The shield collided with the bird's claws, and the vine raft beneath Xia Ya's feet shattered inch by inch. She groaned, pushed back several feet by the massive force, with blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. The Fire Chicken Snake Beast's figure also stalled from the counter-shock.

"Its defense is too strong; ordinary attacks can hardly wound it!" Qin Feng judged quickly. "The areas covered by feathers are almost invulnerable, and those two tongues are flexible and tough, plus it can spray poison. We can't let this drag on; this swamp is its home ground!"

"Form the Four Symbols Formation, end this quickly!" Qin Feng decided decisively.

"Understood!"

The four people's auras instantly linked, and the power of the Formation began to flow.

Xia Ya no longer merely defended. She pushed her giant shield forward, her earthy-yellow True Qi condensing as she actively met the Fire Chicken Snake Beast's pecking beak: "Black Tortoise · Earth Shaker!"

"Thump!" Amidst the dull sound of impact, although Xia Ya was pushed back again, she successfully forced the Fire Chicken Snake Beast's head aside, revealing a weakness on one side of its neck.

"Vermilion Bird · Shadow Incineration!" Ji Ruxue's figure appeared at that weakness in an instant. Her purple moon dagger was no longer stabbing straight; instead, the blade flipped, turning her Moon Shadow True Qi and the Formation's agile power into a razor-thin ghostly purple line of fire, cutting deep into the previous wound along the gaps in the scales!

"Squelch—!" This time, the scales were pried open, and the fire line went deep, causing a spray of dark red, foul-smelling blood!

"Screech!!!" The Fire Chicken Snake Beast let out a pained shriek, its injured fleshy tongue lashing wildly and spraying poisonous mist everywhere!

"Azure Dragon · World Purifier!" Xiao Chun opened her yan luo umbrella to its limit. The life force of her Myriad Medicine Body, mixed with potent detoxification powder, turned into a verdant screen of light that firmly blocked and purified the incoming poisonous mist. At the same time, she flicked out a pellet that exploded in front of Xia Ya, creating a gentle push that helped her stabilize her figure.

Qin Feng stood at the Formation eye, holding his ink plum sword high. The power of the Four Symbols gathered continuously through the Formation—Xia Ya's steadiness, Ji Ruxue's sharpness, Xiao Chun's vitality, all blending with his own Primordial Chaos Slaying Qi.

The Fire Chicken Snake Beast felt a fatal threat. The ferocious light in its reddish-gold eyes grew even more intense. Ignoring its neck injury, it fully spread its wings, every fiery red feather standing on end. The three clusters of its crystal crest erupted with blinding red light, and its two fleshy tongues retracted into its mouth. A terrifying "gurgle" sound came from its throat, clearly brewing its strongest attack!

Can't let it finish!

"Four Symbols Rotation — White Tiger · Sky Render!"

Qin Feng let out a long cry, merging man and sword into a Chaos sword astral that combined the phantoms of the Four Symbols. No longer pursuing fancy variations, there was only extreme speed and penetration! Wherever the sword astral passed, the mist was torn into a vacuum channel, targeting the central crystal core in the middle of the Fire Chicken Snake Beast's three crystal clusters!

This was the hub of its total energy and part of its spirit, as well as the point where its defense was relatively concentrated, but the combined power of the Formation was a gamble on breaking a surface at a single point!

The Fire Chicken Snake Beast also seemed to realize this was a moment of life and death, and its brewing attack was forced to release early! It jerked its head up, spraying a stream of fire and poison interwoven with red and dark green from its mouth, like a volcanic eruption, meeting the sword astral!

"Rumble—!!!"

The sword astral and the fire-poison stream collided in mid-air! The terrifying explosion completely cleared the mist within a ten-zhang radius, mud was thrown several zhang high, and countless poisonous insect skeletons were turned to dust!

The Chaos sword astral ultimately proved superior. It tore through the fire-poison stream, and although it had dimmed significantly, it still carried an indomitable momentum, fiercely piercing the largest central red crystal!

"Crack!"

A crisp sound of shattering rang out!

"Screech—!!!"

The Fire Chicken Snake Beast let out an agonizing howl to the extreme. Its massive body trembled violently, the light of the central crystal crest instantly dimmed, and the other two clusters also developed cracks. For the first time, terror appeared in its eyes, blood poured from the wound on its neck, and its aura rapidly withered.

It suddenly flapped its wings, turning around regardless of everything else, its claws digging deep pits in the mud as it actually tried to flee!

"Trying to leave?" Qin Feng's eyes turned cold. Forcing his True Qi, the ink plum sword flew from his hand, turning into a streak of light that shot straight toward its back!

The Fire Chicken Snake Beast's survival instinct exploded as it desperately twisted its body. The sword blade grazed the base of its wing, bringing away a spray of blood and countless broken feathers, but ultimately failed to be fatal. Screeching, it stumbled into the depths of the thick mist, the sound of flapping wings and hissing quickly fading away, finally disappearing into the depths of the swamp.

The Chaos sword astral dissipated, and Qin Feng caught the returning ink plum sword, his face slightly pale and his breathing uneven. Xia Ya leaned on her shield, panting, her arms trembling. Ji Ruxue's figure emerged, her dagger stained with dark red blood, her aura slightly disordered. Xiao Chun put away her yan luo umbrella and hurried to check everyone's injuries and distribute Medicinal Pills.

Fortunately, the four of them had only consumed too much True Qi and suffered some minor concussive injuries, which were not a major problem under the treatment of the Medicinal Pills and the Myriad Medicine Body.

"This beast... is really tough! Harder to break than that Half-step Martial Emperor," Xia Ya said after swallowing a Medicinal Pill, looking at the broken feathers with a metallic luster and the bloodstains on the ground with lingering fear.

"A Mid-stage Martial King, a mutated Yao Beast, and it had the geographical advantage," Ji Ruxue said while wiping her dagger, her voice still cold. "If the Formation hadn't been completed, we would have suffered a great loss."

Qin Feng adjusted his breathing for a moment and looked in the direction the Fire Chicken Snake Beast had fled: "It's heavily wounded and shouldn't return in the short term. Let's make the most of our time and cross this swamp as quickly as possible."

Xiao Chun had already quickly treated everyone's superficial wounds and sprinkled medicinal powder to disperse the residual poisonous gas.

The four of them didn't dare to linger. After a brief recovery, they followed the guidance of the map and intelligence, continuing deeper into the swamp. Behind them, they left only the mess of battle and the pool of eye-catching beast blood, slowly seeping into the black mud.