34: Chapter 34 Poisonous Miasma Leads to the First Appearance of the Snake Queen

Leaving behind the battlefield filled with the stench of blood and burning, Lin Yan and the three (including the flood dragon) did not pause for a moment. Like three shadows merging into the mountain forest, they sped toward the northeast. Chi Rong's injuries had worsened due to the earlier outburst, causing it to stumble slightly as it moved, but it still forced itself forward, its massive lava claws striking the ground with dull thuds.

Lin Yan's complexion was paler than before, and the pale flame mark between his brows pulsed faintly, emitting a cold aura that fluctuated in intensity. Clearly, the continuous use of the "Pure Corrosion Soul Seal" had placed a significant burden on his soul, which had not yet fully adapted to it. His thoughts flickered between extreme calmness and dull stabs of pain, while fragments of memories that were not his own flashed through his mind—a massive scaled claw sweeping across a pitch-black starry sky, an angry roar shattering mountains and rivers, and a blurry face filled with bone-deep hatred...

"The Pure Corrosion Soul Seal... is it not just power, but also a carrier of memories and obsessions?" Lin Yan felt a chill in his heart. He forcibly suppressed those churning fragments and focused his attention on moving forward and remaining alert. He had to find a relatively safe place as soon as possible to properly organize and suppress this dangerous mark.

Xiao Yi Xian followed closely behind. The wound on her shoulder had been treated with medicine she carried, but the chilling sensation from the poison's erosion and the aftermath of the soul force impact still made her frown from time to time. The ancient soul scale in her hand, which pointed northeast, was now slightly hot, and the resonance grew stronger as they moved forward, as if their destination were not far away.

The terrain along the way gradually changed. The towering cliffs and dense primeval forests began to decrease, replaced by low shrubs, wet, soft mud, and an increasing number of puddles emitting a rotten stench. The air became humid and stuffy, visibility dropped, and a faint, sweet, fishy gray mist began to permeate the forest.

"We are almost at the outskirts of the swamp," Lin Yan identified the environment and warned. "Watch your step and the mist; there may be poisonous insects, miasma, or even hidden swamp beasts."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a seemingly calm patch of mud to their left suddenly exploded! A monster insect, as thick as a bucket, covered in dark green slime, and with a giant mouth full of dense, sharp teeth, lunged out, springing toward Chi Rong in the lead like a spring! It was a peak Tier 2 "Corrosion Swamp Arrow Insect," adept at lurking and ambushing, its saliva containing highly corrosive and paralyzing toxins!

Although injured, Chi Rong's reaction was not slow. It let out a low roar, its less injured forelimb covered in a layer of dark red lava armor, and it slapped fiercely at the incoming giant mouth!

"Bang!" The Corrosion Swamp Arrow Insect was knocked to the side. The slime splashed onto the lava armor, making a "hissing" sound and corroding small pits, but it failed to penetrate. Chi Rong's other foreclaw followed, stabbing its sharp claws into the insect's body and pinning it firmly into the mud. Lava energy erupted, instantly burning it to charcoal.

"These insects... are very sensitive to fire-attribute energy." Lin Yan looked at the corrosion marks on Chi Rong's claws, his eyes narrowing slightly. Chi Rong's attributes would be somewhat countered here.

"The mist has thickened," Xiao Yi Xian suddenly said, her emerald eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly. The gray miasma was becoming dense at a visible rate, and its color was gradually turning into an ominous dark green. The sweet, fishy smell in the air became more pronounced, bringing a slight burning sensation and dizziness when inhaled into the lungs.

"It's active poisonous miasma! Hold your breath, use Dou Qi to filter it!" Lin Yan immediately shouted, simultaneously circulating his Dou Qi to form a thin filtering layer over his mouth and nose. Xiao Yi Xian immediately followed suit. Her poison body had extremely high resistance to toxins, but this miasma was clearly extraordinary, mixed with various toxins and putrid swamp gas.

Chi Rong also let out a low roar, faint flames spraying from the gaps in its lava armor in an attempt to disperse the approaching miasma, but the effect was limited. Instead, the energy fluctuations attracted even more things hidden in the miasma—countless tiny, dark green-winged poisonous mosquitoes buzzing over like a black cloud, their mouthparts glinting with cold light.

"Troublesome." Lin Yan frowned and was about to strike, but Xiao Yi Xian stepped forward.

"Let me handle this." She formed a strange hand seal, and the poison force in her body, tempered by Xuanming True Water, flowed out slowly, transforming into a faint, almost invisible grayish-purple halo around her. The halo expanded, coming into contact with those poisonous mosquitoes and the dark green miasma.

An amazing scene occurred. Those fierce poisonous mosquitoes seemed to have encountered a natural predator, letting out shrill hisses and scrambling to turn and flee. Some that flew slowly even stiffened and fell after touching the grayish-purple halo. The surrounding miasma was also subtly repelled and neutralized by this special poison force halo, becoming much thinner.

"My poison force... seems to have strong suppression and affinity toward these natural toxins." Xiao Yi Xian was also somewhat surprised. She could feel that the toxins in this swamp seemed to be afraid of the trace of a higher-level, purer essence of "poison" contained within her poison force.

"Very good." Lin Yan nodded. "Your poison body has become an advantage here. Continue forward; stay close to me and be responsible for guarding against poisonous creatures."

With Xiao Yi Xian's poison force clearing the way, their speed increased significantly. However, the swamp environment became increasingly harsh. The muddy path could turn into a life-devouring trap at any moment. Poisonous snakes coiled on dead trees, poisonous toads lurking at the bottom of puddles, and even strange plants capable of spitting venom appeared one after another. Fortunately, with Xiao Yi Xian's poison force deterrence and precise perception, most dangers could be avoided or neutralized in advance.

As they went deeper, the color of the miasma grew deeper, gradually shifting from dark green to an eerie purple-black. The light was dim, the surroundings were deathly silent, with only the squelching sound of feet stepping into mud and the occasional eerie hissing of unknown creatures. The ancient soul scale in his hand had become scorching hot, and the resonance reached its peak, pointing directly to an area ahead completely shrouded in thick, impenetrable purple-black miasma.

"That should be the place." Lin Yan stopped and looked solemnly at the wall-like miasma. Even with the protection of Xiao Yi Xian's poison force, he could feel the terrifying toxicity contained within the purple-black miasma; he feared that a Dou Ling expert would not last long if they rushed in. Moreover, soul perception was greatly hindered and corroded there, unable to probe even an inch.

"My poison force... is cheering?" Xiao Yi Xian whispered suddenly. The ancient soul scale in her hand vibrated incessantly, and the source of poison force within her was also spinning uncontrollably, transmitting a strong desire and... intimacy toward that purple-black miasma? It was as if that place were the homeland where her poison force was born.

"It seems this place is indeed related to the 'poison' attribute ancient soul scale." Lin Yan said in a low voice. "But to enter, we must pass through this miasma. Xiao Yi Xian, can your poison force support us through it?"

Xiao Yi Xian sensed carefully for a moment, her brow furrowing slightly: "I can try to wrap us in poison force; it should be able to resist most of the erosion, but my total poison force is limited, and the range of this miasma is unknown. Once it runs out halfway..." She looked at Chi Rong. "Also, Chi Rong's fire attribute will be severely countered here, and my poison force might not be able to fully protect its massive body."

Chi Rong let out a low roar, conveying a mental fluctuation: "Master, I can try to shrink my size to reduce consumption." It saw the lava light on its body flow, and its massive five-zhang-long body shrank at a visible rate, eventually becoming only about two zhang. Although still not small, it was much more agile, and its aura was increasingly restrained—this was a semi-dormant state it was forced into due to insufficient energy after being injured.

"It has to be this way." Lin Yan nodded and looked at the purple-black miasma again. "We..."

His words suddenly stopped, and he turned his head abruptly to look behind them in the direction they had come! The Pure Corrosion Soul Seal between his brows suddenly sent a slight tremor of being spied upon! Almost simultaneously, the system alarm sounded in his mind:

[Warning! High-intensity stealth tracking detected! Source: About three li behind, the aura highly matches the previous 'Black Mist Expert' (estimated Dou Huang level)! The opponent seems to have used some kind of high-level stealth soul technique and is slowly approaching!]

"Someone is following us! Extremely strong!" Lin Yan's voice was cold. He grabbed Xiao Yi Xian and signaled Chi Rong to immediately restrain all its aura, quickly hiding behind a dense patch of poisonous vines that emitted a pungent odor nearby.

The three (including the flood dragon) had just hidden when a cluster of black mist, thick as ink, silently emerged from the gray miasma behind them. The black mist drifted slowly and stopped not far from where they had just been standing. The mist churned, vaguely outlining a tall, thin humanoid silhouette. Two points of scarlet light at the face position flickered like ghost fires, "staring" quietly at the purple-black miasma barrier ahead, seemingly observing and evaluating.

Although separated by a distance and concealed by miasma and poisonous vines, Lin Yan still felt a cold and evil soul force sweeping over the surroundings like a tide, making the soul seal between his brows slightly hot. He had to fully activate the Seed Flame of Void Devouring Flame and the breath-concealing talisman to cover all his own fluctuations. Xiao Yi Xian and Chi Rong also held their breath, not daring to make any movement.

The Black Mist Expert stayed in place for a moment. Its scarlet gaze scanned the purple-black miasma, and it seemed to be capturing some residual traces in the air. Finally, it did not choose to rush directly into the obviously extremely dangerous purple-black miasma but turned around slowly. The black mist, as if alive, drifted toward another direction—deeper into the swamp—and soon disappeared into the gray miasma.

Not until that heart-stopping, cold soul force fluctuation had completely faded away did Lin Yan and the other two breathe a sigh of relief.

"It's a pursuit team from the Hall of Souls... and very strong." Xiao Yi Xian was still fearful. "He seems to... not have found us?"

"What he locked onto should be the resonance fluctuation of the 'Pure Corrosion Soul Seal' or the ancient soul scale. We restrained ourselves in time, and just happened to be on the edge of this natural poisonous barrier, which interfered with his perception." Lin Yan analyzed, but his expression was not good. "But he was clearly attracted by this swamp, or rather, by whatever the ancient soul scale is pointing to. He went deeper into the swamp; I'm afraid there are other entrances or clues there."

Ahead was an unknown purple-black dead zone; behind was a terrifying pursuit team from the Hall of Souls. They seemed to be trapped here.

"Are we... still going in?" Xiao Yi Xian looked at the purple-black miasma and then at Lin Yan. Intuition told her that there might be something crucial to her inside, but the risk was also immense.

Lin Yan's eyes flickered. He looked at the scorching ancient soul scale in his hand and felt the faint repulsion and wariness from the soul seal between his brows toward something deep in the purple-black miasma ahead (that was the remnant will of the "Ancestor of Ten Thousand Scales" in the Pure Corrosion Soul Seal, which seemed unfriendly to the "poison" attribute entity here).

"Go in." After a moment, Lin Yan made a decision, his eyes firm. "The people from the Hall of Souls have already intervened; we can't hide for long. Rather than waiting passively, it is better to explore actively and look for possible opportunities or ways out. This place is related to your poison body; perhaps it is your home field. Chi Rong, your injuries are not light, and your attributes are countered. Stay here to support, keep hidden well. If we have not come out in three days, or encounter an emergency, you may decide for yourself whether to stay or leave."

Chi Rong let out a low roar. Although reluctant, it understood this was the best choice. It nodded and silently slipped into a more hidden mud cave.

"Let's go." Lin Yan nodded to Xiao Yi Xian.

Xiao Yi Xian took a deep breath and fully circulated the "Seven-Colored Poison Manual." The tempered poison force within her surged out, forming a thick grayish-purple light shield around the two of them. The surface of the shield flowed with wisps of the cold aura of Xuanming True Water. She took the lead and stepped into the wall-like purple-black miasma.

The light shield came into contact with the miasma, making a "hissing" sound. The purple-black poisonous gas crazily eroded the grayish-purple poison force shield. Xiao Yi Xian's face turned pale; she felt the poison force in her body consuming rapidly. The toxicity of this miasma far exceeded the outside world, and it carried a strange activity, as if it had a will of its own, constantly looking for weak points in the shield.

Lin Yan followed closely, ready to provide support at any time. He could also feel the destructive poison force outside the shield. If it weren't for the special nature of Xiao Yi Xian's poison force, it would likely have been eroded and penetrated instantly.

The two trudged forward with difficulty in the purple-black miasma, where visibility was less than three feet. Every step was cautious; not only did they have to resist the miasma, but they also had to watch out for potential swamp traps underfoot. The surroundings were deathly silent, with only the hissing sound of poison force eroding the shield and the two's heavy breathing.

They did not know how long they had walked. Just as Xiao Yi Xian's poison force was about to bottom out and her face was as pale as paper, the thick miasma ahead suddenly churned violently!

Immediately after, a crisp and melodious, yet filled with endless coldness and charm, woman's voice seemed to ring directly in their souls:

"Yo~ After waiting for so many years, finally some 'guests' have been able to walk here... And two little guys, one with the annoying 'scale' smell on him, and the other... Hehe, this poison force is pure enough to make this sister feel a bit tempted~"

Following the voice, the miasma ahead automatically parted, revealing a passage. At the end of the passage, one could vaguely see a strange wetland covered in purple-black poison light and filled with enchanting giant flowers. And in the center of the wetland, on a simple throne constructed of white bones and vines, a graceful figure with stunning curves, barely covered by purple-black poison mist, was lazily leaning. A pair of soul-stealing, yet completely deep purple eyes were examining the two intruders with great interest.