119: Swamp's deadly nature, turning to dust in the blink of an eye

The five members of the Blood Wolf Gang formed a fan shape, surrounding Li Ao and Medusa, their Killing Intent surging. The one-eyed old man, an Eight-Star Dou Zong, had his Qi locked firmly onto Medusa, and a blood-colored ghost-head saber in his hand emitted a strong stench of blood.

"Boss, why waste words with this woman! Looking at her beauty, why not take her down as well..." The Six-Star Dou Zong with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks licked his lips, his lewd gaze sweeping over Medusa's exquisite face and graceful figure.

However, before he could finish his sentence—

A cold light burst forth from Medusa's purple eyes, like a ten-thousand-year-old ice cave suddenly exploding!

"Filthy language, punishable by death!"

She didn't even move, merely casting a cold glance at the pointed-mouthed Dou Zong.

"Buzz!"

An invisible yet vast and majestic imperial pressure, mixed with the terrifying Soul Power of a Seven-Star Dou Zong, like a tangible mountain, heavily suppressed the pointed-mouthed Dou Zong's Soul!

"Ah!"

The lewd smile on the pointed-mouthed Dou Zong's face instantly froze, replaced by extreme terror and pain! He felt as if his Soul was being pierced by countless red-hot steel needles, and then crushed by an ancient divine mountain! Foul blood instantly flowed from his seven orifices, his eyes became unfocused, and before he could even fully let out a scream, his body collapsed to the ground as if all his bones had been removed, completely devoid of life!

One glance!

Instantly killing a Six-Star Dou Zong!

Silence!

A deathly silence!

The remaining four Blood Wolf Gang members, including the one-eyed old man, all froze in place, their greed and Killing Intent instantly replaced by boundless fear!

What did they just see?

A single glance made their second strongest Six-Star Dou Zong's Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering?!

What kind of monster was this woman...?

The one-eyed old man's hand, holding the ghost-head saber, trembled slightly. He finally realized that this time, he hadn't kicked an iron plate, but a red-hot branding iron! No, it was a bottomless abyss!

"Se... Senior, spare us! It is we who were blind and offended Senior! We will leave now, we will leave now!" The one-eyed old man no longer showed any ferocity, his voice choked with tears as he repeatedly bowed to Medusa, wishing he could bury his head in the swamp.

The other three were even more terrified, begging for mercy along with him.

Medusa's expression was cold, like a queen looking down on ants. Her red lips slightly parted, uttering only one word:

"Scram."

The voice was not loud, but it exploded like thunder in the minds of the one-eyed old man and the other three.

The four felt as if they had received a great pardon, scrambling and crawling, turning to flee into the dense fog, only regretting that their parents had not given them two more legs.

However, just as they turned, Li Ao, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke faintly:

"Did I tell you to leave?"

His voice was calm, yet it carried a chilling coldness that made one's heart palpitate.

The one-eyed old man and the other three froze abruptly, as if a body-fixing spell had been cast on them. They slowly turned around, their faces as pale as paper, looking at the seemingly unremarkable young man in green robes.

"Se... Senior, what else do you command?" The one-eyed old man's voice was dry, and an ominous premonition surged in his heart.

Li Ao's gaze swept over the four, his eyes like ancient ice: "Blood Wolf Gang? Specializing in murder and robbery? You must have accumulated quite a few blood debts."

He was not a bloodthirsty person, but he would never be soft-hearted towards such villains who regarded human lives as grass and actively provoked him. Letting the tiger return to the mountain would lead to endless troubles.

The one-eyed old man's face changed drastically. Feeling the Killing Intent in Li Ao's words, he knew that things would not end well. A hint of madness flashed in his eyes, and he said sharply: "Boy, don't push your luck too far! Our Blood Wolf Gang is not to be trifled with! If you push us, I'll fight you to the..."

Before he could finish the word "death," Li Ao had already moved.

He didn't even use a Dou Technique, simply raised his right hand and pressed it into the Void Realm in the direction of the four.

"Return to Stillness."

An invisible aura, as if capable of ending all things, quietly permeated outwards from his palm.

The madness and fear on the faces of the one-eyed old man and the other three Dou Zong instantly froze. They felt as if the surrounding space had turned into a viscous quagmire, and the Dou Qi, vitality, and even their thoughts within their bodies were being stripped away and annihilated at a terrifying speed!

They wanted to struggle, wanted to roar, but could not make any sound. They could only watch helplessly as their bodies, starting from their fingertips, turned into the finest dust, like weathered sand sculptures, and dissipated into the dense fog.

In just a breath, the four infamous Dou Zong, along with their weapons and storage rings, all turned into nothingness, leaving no trace.

As if they had never existed.

Li Ao slowly withdrew his hand, his expression unchanged, as if he had merely swatted a few flies.

Medusa watched quietly from the side, a glimmer of brilliance flashing in her purple eyes. Li Ao's application of the Annihilation Rule was becoming increasingly exquisite and terrifying, killing people invisibly, returning them to nothingness.

She beckoned with her jade hand, collecting the demon core of the seven-colored poisonous lizard and the few storage rings left by the one-eyed old man and his group, then tossed them to Li Ao: "Cleaned up."

Li Ao took them, his Soul Power sweeping through the storage rings. Besides some gold coins and ordinary Cultivate resources, there was nothing special, but there was a crude map of the Illusory Mist Swamp, marking several dangerous areas and possible treasure locations, which was a small gain.

"It seems there are quite a few hyenas like these in this swamp," Li Ao noted the map and said faintly.

Medusa snorted coldly: "However many come, we kill however many."

The two no longer delayed and continued deeper into the swamp.

After the small interlude with the Blood Wolf Gang, the two became even more vigilant. The Illusory Mist Swamp was indeed as rumored, not only treacherous in environment but also unpredictable in human hearts.

The deeper they went, the stronger the hallucinatory power in the mist became, even beginning to evolve into various realistic illusions. Sometimes, the phantoms of rare medicinal herbs and divine Sharp Weapons would appear to tempt them; sometimes, illusions of old friends or enemies would attack; and sometimes, it would directly stir up the deepest desires and fears within people's hearts.

However, these illusions, in the face of Li Ao's Annihilation Rule and Medusa's imperial will, all melted away like ice and snow, unable to shake them in the slightest.

Along the way, they also encountered more peculiar swamp creatures. There were giant toads that could spit corrosive mucus, ghost-faced crocodiles that lurked in the mud and suddenly attacked, and schools of piranhas with sharp teeth... Most of these creatures were either intimidated by Medusa's Bloodline pressure or easily dealt with by Li Ao.

Several days later, guided by the map and a subtle sense, the two gradually approached the core area of the swamp.

The color of the surrounding mist began to change, gradually tinged with a faint seven-colored glow from its grayish-white. The peculiar fragrance in the air also grew stronger, making their Souls feel a wave of comfort.

"The phenomenon of the seven-colored illusion heart lotus is starting to appear," Li Ao's expression tightened. "We should be close to Illusion Heart Lake. Be careful, the contenders have probably all gathered nearby."

A burning glint flashed in Medusa's purple eyes: "This King senses it, that homologous aura... it's right ahead!"

After reshaping her Physical Body, her sensitivity to heaven and earth spiritual objects belonging to the seven-colored series became even sharper.

The two quickened their pace. After passing through a strange misty area suffused with a seven-colored glow, the scene before them suddenly opened up!

They saw a vast lake, its water displaying a dreamlike seven-colored hue, lying quietly in the center of the swamp. The lake surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the swirling seven-colored light in the sky, beautiful beyond compare.

And in the center of the lake, on a small island, a lotus flower, crystalline throughout and radiating a seven-colored glow, was about to bloom! Around the lotus, nine lotus leaves were as translucent as emeralds, emitting immense vital essence and Soul fluctuations!

The seven-colored illusion heart lotus!

Moreover, judging by its state, it was not far from fully blooming and bearing seeds!

However, the area around Illusion Heart Lake was far from peaceful at this moment.

Dozens of figures had already gathered around the lake shore! These people belonged to different forces, confronting each other warily, and the air was filled with a tense atmosphere.

Li Ao and Medusa's appearance immediately attracted everyone's attention.

When their gazes fell on Medusa, they all showed expressions of astonishment and solemnity. Medusa's peerless beauty and unfathomable aura made her impossible to ignore.

And when some people turned their gaze to Li Ao, they were first puzzled, and then, several gazes suddenly became sharp, even... resentful!

"Li Ao! It's you, you little bastard!"

A voice filled with deep-seated hatred rang out like a night owl.

Li Ao looked in the direction of the voice, only to see an old man with a sinister face among a group of people dressed in Wind and Thunder Pavilion attire, staring intently at him, Killing Intent almost overflowing from his eyes.

Beside him stood another old man with an even deeper aura, surrounded by flickering, dense lightning. His strength had actually reached the Peak of a Nine-Star Dou Zong!

"Wind and Thunder Pavilion, Elder Lei?" Li Ao raised an eyebrow slightly, recognizing the sinister old man as someone from the Thunder Venerable's lineage who had colluded with the Hall of Souls in Pill City and whose downfall he had indirectly caused by exposing him publicly.

He hadn't expected to encounter an enemy here.

And the old man at the Peak of a Nine-Star Dou Zong must be the leader of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion's treasure-seeking expedition this time—the Northern Pavilion Master, Fei Tian!

Fei Tian's gaze, like lightning, fell on Li Ao, then he looked at Medusa beside him, his voice like muffled thunder:

"Boy, you killed an Elder of my Wind and Thunder Pavilion and insulted its reputation. Since we've met today, leave your life here!"

Before his words finished, a terrifying thunderous pressure, like a Heavenly Tribulation, fiercely pressed down on Li Ao and Medusa!

A great battle was about to erupt!