78: Chapter 78 Arrival, Shadow Fiend's Killing Intent!

After traveling another hundred miles or so, the poisonous miasma became increasingly dense, almost solidifying, with visibility reduced to less than ten meters.

The swamp beneath his feet began to bubble with more and larger black bubbles, which emitted an even more pungent stench upon bursting.

In some places, there even appeared clusters of bewitchingly colored, constantly roiling toxic mist.

Clearly, these were areas where toxic gas had accumulated, and Ye Chen gave them a wide berth.

"It should be close now."

Ye Chen stopped, took out a "Miasma Cleansing Pill" given to him by Elder Li specifically for the toxic miasma here, and swallowed it.

He then slapped a "Speed Talisman" onto his body, increasing his speed once more.

He could feel the concentration of poison-attribute Spiritual Qi in the surroundings rising sharply in a certain direction.

Passing through an area filled with ghastly white, twisted, arm-like strange trees.

The path ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a massive, circular depression over a hundred zhang in diameter.

In the center of the depression was an opening that constantly churned and spewed thick, ink-green toxic mist, which shot straight up into the sky.

It formed an ink-green pillar of gas connecting heaven and earth; this was the "Eye of the Miasma"!

The concentration of toxic miasma here had reached a terrifying level.

Even the protective light against poison on Ye Chen's body began to fluctuate violently.

It emitted a "hissing" sound, as if it might shatter at any moment.

And on the cliff face near the edge of the depression, behind and to the side of the "Eye of the Miasma".

One could faintly discern traces of man-made excavation covered by ink-green vines and thick moss, which appeared to be an entrance.

That must be the entrance to the ancient Poison Doctor's Immortal Cave.

Found it!

Ye Chen's spirits lifted.

But immediately, his heart sank.

Because near that entrance, several fresh corpses were scattered about!

Judging by their attire, there were Loose Cultivators, as well as people wearing clothes similar to the Tianyun Sword Sect Outer Sect Disciples.

Their deaths were miserable; some were completely blackened, clearly poisoned to death.

Others appeared to have been killed by sharp blades, with clean wounds.

"Did someone arrive first? Or... did a fight break out?"

Ye Chen stopped vigilantly, hiding behind a massive black rock to sense his surroundings carefully.

The entrance was silent, save for the "gurgling" sound of the roiling toxic mist.

However, his powerful Divine Sense faintly captured extremely weak fluctuations of Spiritual Qi coming from deep within the cave.

It seemed there were people, and more than one.

Are they friend or foe?

Are they Sect Disciples who also accepted the mission?

Or are they other forces coveting the ruins?

Or perhaps, an ambush arranged by the "Shadow Fiend" or Golden Flame Peak.

Ye Chen did not act rashly. He restrained his aura, remaining as motionless as a rock.

He carefully observed the entrance and the surrounding environment.

Time ticked by, and there was no movement inside the cave; outside, there was only the roiling toxic mist.

Just as he was considering whether to circle to the other side to observe or wait for an opportunity, a sudden change occurred!

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Three streaks of black light shot out without warning from a patch of ink-green toxic mist not far behind him.

Forming a triangular formation, they aimed directly at the back of his head, his heart, and his lower back!

Fast as lightning and silent, these were short crossbow bolts laced with deadly poison!

The timing was impeccable, striking exactly when his mind was slightly distracted and his attention was focused on the cave entrance!

An ambush!

And it was not far behind him!

Ye Chen had actually failed to detect them beforehand!

The opponent's concealment skills were extremely high!

In this life-and-death moment, the hair on Ye Chen's body stood on end, and the instincts honed from years of life-or-death battles instantly erupted!

He didn't even have time to turn around; he pushed his "Mist Transformation Steps" to the limit.

His body, as if boneless, twisted violently and lunged to the left!

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Two poison arrows grazed past his right shoulder and left ribcage.

Leaving two bloody trails and tearing his clothes, the deadly poison on the arrows instantly seeped in!

But the third arrow, aimed at the back of his head, was narrowly avoided by his extreme lunge and twist.

It grazed his scalp and embedded itself into the rock in front of him, the tail of the arrow still vibrating incessantly!

"Hiss! Hiss!"

The wounds on his shoulder and ribs instantly turned pitch black, and the deadly poison, as if alive, frantically burrowed into his body!

Ye Chen let out a muffled groan, immediately circulating his Ice Fire True Essence to seal the wounds while swallowing a highly effective antidote pill.

The Ice Fire True Essence had a suppressive effect on the poison, and combined with the Medicinal Pill, it temporarily suppressed the spread of the toxin.

But it still left half of his body numb and his blood and Qi sluggish.

"Your reaction is not slow."

A cold, hoarse, and mocking voice came from the toxic mist.

Following that, four figures, like ghosts.

Slowly emerged from the toxic mist from three directions.

Forming a pincer movement, they trapped Ye Chen between the rock and the depression.

These four were all dressed in tight-fitting suits that were very similar to the surrounding ink-green toxic mist.

They wore hideous ghost masks on their faces.

Revealing only pairs of cold and ruthless eyes.

Their auras were restrained, yet they exuded a strong stench of blood and poisonous evil; their cultivation levels were shockingly between the Lun Hai Jing Fourth Level and the Fifth Level of Wheel Sea Realm!

The leader, tall and thin, had the coldest aura, reaching the Peak of the Fifth Level of Wheel Sea Realm!

He toyed with a pitch-black dagger that shimmered with a green light, clearly coated in deadly poison.

It's "Shadow Fiend" again!

And they were even stronger elite assassins than before!

What was even more terrifying was that they seemed extremely adapted to the environment of the Ten Thousand Poisons Swamp, and their concealment methods were even more advanced.

Even Ye Chen's Divine Sense had almost failed to detect them in advance.

"Kid, didn't expect this, did you? That we would be waiting for you here."

The tall, thin lead assassin's voice was like a poisonous snake flicking its tongue.

"You thought that by accepting a Sect mission and leaving the Sect, you could avoid us? Naive. This Ten Thousand Poisons Swamp is the perfect place to send you to meet the King of Hell. Killing you will not only complete the mission but also allow us to obtain the secrets on you—killing two birds with one stone."

"You have been following me all along?"

Ye Chen endured the numbness and severe pain brought by the poison.

He slowly stood up straight, the ice scar sword already in his hand, his eyes staring coldly at the opponents.

He knew that today would likely be an unprecedentedly fierce battle.

In such a harsh environment.

Facing four "Shadow Fiend" elites whose cultivation levels were higher than his own, who were skilled in concealment and assassination, and who were adapted to the toxicity of this place.

And with himself already poisoned, the chances of winning were slim.

"From the moment you left the Tianyun Sword Sect, we have been tracking you."

Another assassin said sinisterly.

"It's just that we didn't expect you to run to this 'Eye of the Miasma' yourself. That's fine, it saves us a lot of trouble. The toxic miasma here can perfectly conceal the traces of the battle and your corpse."

"Don't waste time talking to him, attack! End this quickly to avoid any complications!"

The tall, thin assassin's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he barked.

The four of them moved almost simultaneously!

There were no flashy Moves, only the simplest, most direct, and deadliest attacks!

Two lunged from the front, their daggers and short swords aiming directly for his vitals.

The other two circled from the left and right, blocking Ye Chen's retreat.

Simultaneously throwing poison-laced flying needles and throwing knives!

With tacit cooperation and an overwhelming offensive, they instantly sealed off all of Ye Chen's escape routes!

What was even more terrifying was that they seemed to have cultivated some kind of poison art, with their attacks carrying deadly toxins.

Resonating faintly with the surrounding toxic miasma, their power was even greater!

"Fight to the death!"

Cold light exploded in Ye Chen's eyes; he knew he could not hold anything back.

He bit his tongue tip sharply and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the ice scar sword.

At the same time, the Wheel Sea vortex within his body spun frantically at an unprecedented speed.

The Ice Lotus Imprint shone brilliantly, and the Profound Ice Palace fragment deep within his Soul also trembled violently!

"Ice Fire Annihilation Domain!"

Ye Chen shouted, forcibly triggering the deduction he had made over the past few days regarding the prototype of the "Profound Ice Domain", combining it with his Ice Fire True Essence and the Nirvana Concept!

With him as the center.

A strange Domain, about three zhang in diameter, grayish and hazy, within which ice crystals and flames seemed to simultaneously fade into nothingness, suddenly expanded outward!

Within the Domain, time seemed to stand still.

The toxic miasma was pushed away, and even the swift movements of the four assassins showed obvious sluggishness!

This was exactly what he had managed, referencing the "Profound Ice Domain" and the "Ice Fire Seal".

Combining it with his own understanding of "Nirvana", he had forcibly manifested an incomplete Domain prototype.

It consumed a massive amount of energy and was extremely unstable, but at this moment, he had no other choice!

"What?! A Domain?!"

The four assassins were shocked, never having expected.

That a kid at the Lunhai Realm First Level could actually manifest a Domain!

Even if it was just a prototype, it was enough to overturn their understanding and disrupt their encirclement rhythm!

"Kill!"

Taking advantage of the moment the opponents were stunned and their movements slowed, Ye Chen moved!

He pushed his "Phantom Step" to the limit, and under the enhancement of the "Ice Fire Annihilation Domain".

His figure turned into four indistinguishable afterimages, eachwelcomeing one of the four assassins!

The ice scar sword in the hand of each afterimage erupted with brilliant Ice Fire light!

"Ice Fire Thousand Illusions · Nirvana Slash!"

Four sword beams slashed out simultaneously!

Each one contained condensed Ice Fire True Essence and Nirvana Sword Intent, and under the enhancement of the Domain, their power was doubled!

Wherever the sword beams passed, the air seemed to be frozen and then ignited, emitting eerie annihilation sounds.

The four assassins were elites after all; they reacted instantly, each using their own methods to defend.

But being in this bizarre "Nirvana Domain".

Their True Essence circulation was sluggish, their poison arts were suppressed, and their strength was greatly reduced.

"Pfft!" "Hiss!" "Ahhh—!"

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

The sound of blades entering flesh, weapons breaking, and short screams rang out almost simultaneously!

Of the two assassins in front, one had his arm severed by the ice fire sword light and retreated with a scream.

The other hurriedly blocked with a dagger, but was sent flying along with the dagger by the sword light, his chest caving in as blood sprayed wildly.

The assassins on the left and right were also forced back, their bodies covered in new wounds.

Though not fatal, they were in a pathetic state.

With one strike, the four-man encirclement was broken, and two were heavily injured!

But Ye Chen also paid a heavy price.

Forcing the activation of the incomplete "Ice Fire Annihilation Domain" and the full eruption of "Ice Fire Thousand Illusions".

It drained most of his True Essence almost instantly, and a tearing pain came from his Meridians.

His throat felt sweet as a surge of blood rose up, but he forced himself to swallow it back down.

The toxicity in his shoulder and ribs also lost its suppression due to the heavy consumption of True Essence.

It began to spread rapidly, and half of his body started to go numb.

"He's finished! The Domain won't last much longer! Everyone together, kill him!"

Although the tall, thin assassin had lost an arm, the murderous light in his eyes grew even more intense.

Seeing that Ye Chen was at the end of his rope, he roared harshly.

The other three also steadied themselves, their eyes ruthless as they lunged forward again!

This time, they held nothing back.

All sorts of vicious hidden weapons, poison mists, and trump card killing Moves.

Poured toward Ye Chen like a torrential storm!

They were determined to kill him before his Domain dissipated and he was completely exhausted!

Facing a desperate situation, a flash of madness crossed Ye Chen's eyes.

He knew he couldn't fight head-on anymore.

He had to create an opportunity, even if there was only a sliver of hope!

He suddenly withdrew the "Ice Fire Annihilation Domain".

He poured all the remaining True Essence in his body, along with that wisp of Chaos cold qi from the Ice Lotus Imprint, into the ice scar sword!

Upon the sword blade, the phantom of the Ice Fire Taiji Diagram emerged once more.

But this time, he didn't slash it out. Instead, facing the four lunging assassins.

And the "Eye of the Miasma" not far behind them, he suddenly threw the sword!

"Ice Fire Taiji Attraction!"

The ice scar sword turned into a streak of light, not attacking the assassins.

But shooting toward the column of dark green poison mist erupting from the "Eye of the Miasma"!

The moment the Ice Fire Taiji Diagram on the sword contacted that dense poison mist, it exploded violently!

It wasn't a destructive explosion.

But a powerful, chaotic force of ice and fire annihilation, like a spark thrown into boiling oil.

Instantly detonating the accumulated, extremely unstable, and terrifying miasma energy within the "Eye of the Miasma"!

"Rumble—!!!"

An earth-shattering roar!

The entire depression was trembling violently!

Centered on the "Eye of the Miasma".

An indescribable, dark green, terrifying shockwave containing poison, corrosion, and chaotic Spiritual Qi.

Swept out wildly in all directions like a tsunami!

Wherever it passed, rocks dissolved, marshes evaporated, and even space seemed to distort!

The four "Shadow Fiend" assassins lunging at Ye Chen bore the brunt of it!

The sneers on their faces instantly turned into boundless terror as they tried to dodge.

But they were too close, and the speed of the miasma shockwave was too fast, its range too wide!

"No—!"

A shrill, abruptly cut-off scream.

The four figures were instantly swallowed by the dark green miasma tide, their protective True Essence shattering like paper.

Under the terrifying poison and impact.

Their bodies rapidly dissolved and decomposed until not even dregs remained.

Meanwhile, the moment Ye Chen threw the ice scar sword.

He had used the last of his strength to push "Phantom Step" to its limit.

Diving desperately toward the entrance of that Poison Doctor Immortal Cave in the opposite direction of the "Eye of the Miasma"!

At the same time, he activated the last life-saving Talisman on him.

The only "Earth Escape Talisman" given by Elder Li!

Thud!

Ye Chen's body crashed into the dense dark green vines at the cave entrance.

The light of the Earth Escape Talisman flashed, taking him barely a few zhang into the cave before dissipating due to energy exhaustion.

Immediately after, the destructive miasma shockwave behind him slammed hard against the cliff wall at the cave entrance!

"Boom—!"

The mountains shook and the ground trembled!

The entire cliff wall shook violently as a large amount of rubble tumbled down.

The cave entrance was submerged by the violent miasma and impact force.

Those dark green vines instantly turned to ash, and the cave entrance was blown open to twice its size, with rubble burying most of it.

Ye Chen was carried several zhang into the cave by the Talisman.

Then he was hit by the aftershock of the explosion at the entrance.

He felt as if his back had been struck by a heavy hammer.

His internal organs were displaced, his vision went black, and he spat out a mouthful of black blood mixed with organ fragments.

His body was like a broken kite, falling onto the cold, damp ground inside the cave.

He rolled several times and hit a stone wall before coming to a stop.

Ye Chen slumped on the ground, not knowing how many bones in his body were broken.

His Meridians were shattered, his Wheel Sea was dim, and the Ice Lotus Imprint was nearly extinguished.

The poison in his shoulder and ribs lost all suppression and spread wildly.

Turning his entire body a dark blue-green, his consciousness rapidly blurring.

"Am I... going to die?"

Ye Chen struggled to Move his eyes, looking toward the cave entrance.

It was mostly blocked by rubble and the yet-to-dissipate miasma, with only a faint light filtering through.

The cave was deathly silent, save for his heavy, bellows-like breathing and the sound of dripping blood.

Perishing together with four "Shadow Fiend" elite assassins?

No, he had used the power of the "Eye of the Miasma" to kill them.

But he had also pushed himself into a desperate situation.

"Can't... die. Clear Snow, Xiao Yu, Hundred Herbs Secret Realm..."

A strong will to survive allowed Ye Chen's nearly extinguished consciousness to forcibly gather one last sliver of clarity.

His hand trembled as he tried to take a healing Medicinal Pill from his Storage Pouch.

But he found his arm as heavy as a thousand jin; even moving a finger was difficult.

The Storage Pouch had also been damaged in the earlier impact, and many items inside had spilled out.

His gaze fell not far beside him.

On a strange plant growing in a crack in the cave wall, entirely green with leaves glowing slightly like phosphorus fire.

At its tip was a golden, dragon-eye-sized fruit.

"verdant phosphorus ghost flower, golden toad fruit..."

In Ye Chen's blurred consciousness, records from Elder Li's Jade Slip flashed. This was one of the mission objectives.

A "verdant phosphorus ghost flower", and it had already fruited.

Its fruit, the "golden toad fruit", contained pure poisonous essence.

At the same time, it was also one of the main ingredients for refining certain high-level detoxification pills, and was worth a fortune.

He hadn't expected to encounter one of the targets as soon as he entered the cave.

Unfortunately, he could barely Move now.

His vision grew blurrier, and darkness rushed in like a tide.

Ye Chen felt his life force rapidly fading away.

"Is it... over just like this?"

Ye Chen was unwilling.

He still had too many things to do, too many people to see, and too many mysteries to solve.

Just at the last moment before his consciousness completely sank into darkness.

The jade pendant on his chest suddenly emitted an extremely faint but incredibly warm current of heat.

Simultaneously, the long-dormant jade booklet in his Sea of Consciousness vibrated slightly.

It emitted a gentle light, protecting his last sliver of Divine Soul from dissipating.

And within his Dantian, at the center of the nearly dried-up Wheel Sea vortex.

That dark red spark merged from the scarlet crystal fragment seemed to be stimulated by something and jumped slightly.

It emitted a faint but extremely pure strange energy carrying scorching vitality.

It slowly flowed into his shattered Meridians, beginning to nourish and repair them at an extremely slow pace...

Ye Chen completely lost consciousness and fell into a deep coma.

Only the faint rise and fall of his chest proved he was still alive.

Inside the cave, it was deathly silent.

Only that "verdant phosphorus ghost flower" emitted a faint phosphorus glow.

Along with the extremely weak yet stubbornly persistent life aura on Ye Chen.

Outside the cave, the violence of the miasma gradually subsided.

But the "Eye of the Miasma" seemed to have been completely detonated, and the erupting poison mist became even more intense.

Turning this area entirely into a wasteland for living beings.

In the distance, several obscured figures appeared at the edge of the swamp.

Gazing from afar at the terrifying energy fluctuations toward the "Eye of the Miasma" that had not yet fully subsided.

Their expressions shifted.

"That commotion just now, was it the 'Eye of the Miasma' rioting?"

"What terrifying power... I'm afraid even someone at the Late Stage of the Wheel Sea Realm would be in grave danger if caught in it."

"The target should be dead, right?"

"Go in and look! If he's alive, I want to see him; if he's dead, I want to see his corpse! Elder Wang has ordered that we must confirm it!"

Several figures cautiously approached the depression that had become a wasteland.

Meanwhile, inside the cave, the unconscious Ye Chen's body was undergoing an extremely slow but incredibly miraculous change.

Ice and fire, life and death, Nirvana and revival.

In this near-death desperation, they quietly intertwined in a way known to no one.