80: Chapter 80 Constant Crisis

Staying here, once blocked, would be like a turtle in a jar.

Ye Chen swallowed the last rejuvenation pill.

He adjusted his breathing for another half an hour, bringing his state to the best he could currently achieve.

Then, following the layout of the Immortal Cave recorded in a Jade Slip from the Poison Doctor's ring, he found an extremely hidden fissure behind the stone chamber, concealed by a Restriction.

He slowly eroded the long-weakened Restriction with his Ice Fire True Essence and squeezed inside.

The fissure was narrow and winding, extending downwards, becoming increasingly damp and dark.

The air was filled with a pungent smell of decay and a certain fishy sweetness.

Ye Chen gathered his utmost focus, holding the ice scar sword in his hand, his Divine Sense fully extended.

He walked step by step toward the unknown exit.

A new crisis awaited ahead.

But having experienced life and death and gained an Opportunity, Ye Chen's gaze was firmer and sharper than ever before.

This Ten Thousand Poisons Swamp could not trap him.

The fissure was deep, winding downwards.

The slippery stone walls were covered with glowing moss and slimy fungi, providing the only light source for this pitch-black passage.

The air was stifling and damp, carrying a thick scent of decay and fishy sweetness that made one retch upon inhaling it.

Underfoot was sticky mud that had accumulated for who knows how many years, mixed with fine bone fragments and decaying plant remains.

Stepping on it produced a 'squelch, squelch' sound, which was exceptionally clear in the silent passage.

Ye Chen walked forward cautiously, one hand supporting himself against the cold stone wall, the other gripping the ice scar sword.

The injuries on his body had not yet healed, his Meridians still throbbed with pain, and his True Essence had only recovered to thirty or forty percent.

The potent poison from the 'Shadow Fiend' assassin, although suppressed, had not been eradicated; like a maggot on a bone, it constantly drained his energy and True Essence.

He had to leave the swamp as soon as possible and find a safe place to completely heal and purge the poison.

According to the records in the Poison Doctor's Jade Slip, this secret passage led to the 'Rotten Bone Forest,' a retreat path secretly opened by that Poison Doctor Senior back in the day to collect certain special poisons.

The passage was originally set with many poison arrays and traps, but due to the passage of time, most had become ineffective, with only a few remaining that needed to be carefully avoided.

After walking for about half an hour, the passage ahead became a bit wider, but the fishy sweetness in the air had also reached an extreme intensity.

Ye Chen's Divine Sense was sharp, and he immediately noticed that the color of the ground and rock walls ahead was abnormal, exhibiting an unnatural dark purple.

He stopped and took from the Poison Doctor's Storage Ring a small bottle of 'Poison-Revealing Powder' specifically used for detecting toxicity, and carefully sprinkled a little.

The powder fell, touching the dark purple ground, instantly emitting a 'hiss' sound, a puff of light purple smoke rose, and the powder itself turned pitch black.

'Residual 'Rotten Bone Poison Miasma'... although much thinner, it can still corrode True Essence and dissolve flesh.'

Ye Chen's eyes narrowed.

This was a remnant of the original poison array in the passage, which might not have been much of a threat to him in his prime, but in his current poor state, he had to be cautious.

He circulated his Ice Fire True Essence, forming a thin protective shield on the surface of his body, with the ice attribute resisting the erosion of the poison, and the fire attribute attempting to burn and purify the intruding poison gas.

At the same time, he pushed his 'Mist Transformation Steps' agility technique to the limit, his toes only lightly tapping on the relatively normal-colored ground or protruding rocks, his figure drifting past like willow catkins, trying his best to avoid contact with the dark purple areas.

Having traveled another hundred feet or so, the passage began to slope upwards, a faint light shone through from ahead, and there was also the sound of trickling water.

Almost at the exit!

Ye Chen's spirits lifted, and he quickened his pace.

However, the moment he was about to rush out of the passage, a strong sense of crisis, like ice water poured over his head, instantly enveloped him!

'Hiss—!'

A slender black shadow, almost blending into the dim surroundings, shot out like lightning from the dense, dark green vines hanging above the passage exit, striking straight at Ye Chen's face!

The speed was so fast that it only left an afterimage in the air, carrying a pungent fishy wind!

Ye Chen was already prepared; the moment the sense of crisis arose, he slammed his feet down, his body abruptly retreating to the side and back, while the ice scar sword swiped upwards!

'Clang!'

A crisp sound of metal clashing!

The ice scar sword struck the black shadow, but it felt as hard as iron!

The black shadow was knocked aside, and Ye Chen used the force to retreat a few more steps, looking closely.

He saw the black shadow twist in the air, retract back into the vines, and disappear.

But in that fleeting glance, Ye Chen had already seen it clearly.

It was a pitch-black snake, only as thick as a thumb, but it had a hideous triangular head and exposed fangs!

Its snake eyes were scarlet, flickering with a cold and cruel light.

Its aura had actually reached the Peak of the Second Rank, and it was clearly highly venomous.

'Black-Thread Iron-Bone Snake!'

Ye Chen's heart sank.

This was an extremely troublesome venomous snake, incredibly fast, with scales as hard as iron, especially skilled at hiding and launching sneak attacks.

Its venom could corrode True Essence and paralyze the Divine Soul.

In the swamp and poison forests, it was a terrifying killer.

'Swish! Swish!'

Just as he identified the strange snake, two more sounds of breaking air rang out from vines in different directions!

Not just one!

Moreover, the surrounding vines began to move without wind, rustling.

Pairs of scarlet eyes lit up in the gaps of the vines, coldly locking onto him.

At least three!

And possibly more!

Ye Chen's expression changed slightly.

If he were in his prime, he naturally wouldn't fear them, but in his current state, being entangled by these beasts would be extremely troublesome.

'Can't get entangled in a fight!'

He made a prompt decision, crazily circulating the little True Essence he had left.

The ice scar sword burst with ice-blue light, and he unleashed a 'Profound Ice Stab' in the direction of the exit, instantly stabbing out dozens of dense, icy Sword Qi, shooting like a rainstorm toward those restless vines and the positions where the strange snakes might be hiding, not seeking to kill enemies, only to open a path and block them!

'Hiss, hiss, hiss!'

The strange snakes were provoked by the icy Sword Qi, hissing angrily, and were temporarily forced back or delayed in their attacks.

Ye Chen seized this split-second gap and slammed his feet down, his figure like an arrow released from a bow, rushing toward the passage exit through the gap opened by the Sword Qi!

'Puff!'

Very quickly, Ye Chen crashed through the hanging vines and rushed out of the passage!

The scene before his eyes suddenly brightened, but the light was still dim.

He didn't have time to observe the environment; after landing, he did a roll to dissipate his momentum, at the same time, the ice scar sword swept horizontally behind him to prevent pursuit.

The vines behind him rustled, and a few black shadows lingered at the exit, hissing unwillingly, but they didn't immediately pursue, seemingly wary of the environment outside the passage.

Ye Chen breathed a sigh of relief and finally had time to look around.

This was an extremely eerie forest.

The trees were tall, but their trunks were twisted, exhibiting a sickly gray-white color.

The bark was like shriveled human skin, covered with wrinkles and eerie patterns.

The branches were bare, with no leaves, only some dark green vines, like blood vessels, were wrapped around them.

The ground was covered with thick, gray-white fallen leaves and the skeletons of unknown animals, many skeletons appeared black from corrosion.

The air was filled with a stench of decay even stronger than inside the passage, and a faint, cloying, strange fragrance that seemed able to evoke the deepest fears in one's heart.

The light was blocked by the dense, roiling gray-green poison miasma above, causing the entire forest to be shrouded in an eternal, suffocating gloom.

Rotten Bone Forest!

It lived up to its name; this was a forest completely eroded by death and highly toxic poison.

'Must leave here as soon as possible!'

Alarm bells rang loudly in Ye Chen's heart.

This place felt even more dangerous to him than the previous swamp.

That cloying fragrance seemed able to erode the Divine Soul, making him feel waves of inexplicable irritability and palpitations.

He quickly held his breath and used internal circulation of True Essence, at the same time, he circulated the Ice Lotus Imprint, emitting a trace of coolness to protect his spiritual platform.

Ye Chen identified the direction and headed toward the northeast of the forest, which was the general direction of the Tianyun Sword Sect, and began to move forward.

He didn't dare to walk fast, taking every step cautiously, his Divine Sense fully extended, vigilant against danger that might come from any direction.

The 'ground' underfoot was abnormally soft, sinking to his ankles when he stepped on it, producing a 'crunch, crunch' sound of bones breaking.

The surroundings were deathly silent, only his own light footsteps and the faint sound of wind like ghostly wailing coming from afar.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, a small clearing appeared ahead.

In the center of the clearing grew an extremely strange plant.

It was only three feet tall, entirely crimson, as if condensed from fresh blood, with no leaves.

At the top bloomed a palm-sized, ghost-faced flower that constantly twisted and changed, simultaneously emitting a rich, cloying fragrance, it was a demonic flower.

Around the flower, a faint, visible pink mist lingered.

'Ghost-Face Enchantress Flower!'

Ye Chen's pupils constricted.

This was an extremely rare evil flower that could create illusions, confuse the mind, and even directly attack the Divine Soul!

Its fragrance is its strongest weapon.

Wherever the flower's scent reaches, all living things fall into delirious illusions and kill each other.

Or they are ensnared by its roots and drained of their lifeblood.

Looking at the size and color of this flower,

I fear it has at least several centuries of maturity.

Its danger level is definitely not inferior to a Peak Stage Tier 2 Yao Beast, and it might even be harder to deal with.

Ye Chen immediately stopped and wanted to go around it.

But it was already too late.

That Ghost-Faced Enchantress flower seemed to sense the presence of a living person, and its flower head suddenly turned toward Ye Chen.

The expression on that "ghost face" instantly turned ferocious.

It emitted a silent, sharp screech that acted directly upon the Soul!

"Buzz—!"

Ye Chen felt as if his head had been heavily struck by a hammer.

His vision blurred, and countless bizarre, enticing, and terrifying illusions

Came flooding into his mind like a tide!

There were dreams of absolute power, the tenderness of being surrounded by Beauties, and the satisfaction of seeing enemies executed.

There was also the fear of falling into an endless Hell and being devoured by ten thousand ghosts.

Various extreme emotions intertwined and surged, threatening to completely tear his rationality to shreds!

"Not good!"

Ye Chen was struck with great terror, knowing he had been caught in its trap.

He bit his tongue hard, the sharp pain clearing his consciousness for a moment.

At the same time, he frantically activated the Ice Lotus Imprint and the clear radiance of the jade booklet, desperately guarding the last shred of clarity in his mind.

The annihilation chill of the ice lotus, and the gentle, upright nature of the jade booklet,

Together, they resisted the pervasive assault of the illusions.

However, the Ghost-Faced Enchantress flower's attack did not stop there.

The ground beneath the flower stem suddenly churned.

Several hideous roots, as thick as a child's arm, crimson as blood, and covered in suction cups, burst out of the ground like venomous snakes.

They lashed out like lightning toward Ye Chen's feet and waist!

The roots exuded a thick, sweet fragrance and powerful binding and devouring force.

Once ensnared, he would likely be drained into a dried husk in an instant!

In this critical moment, a fierce look flashed in Ye Chen's eyes.

He knew he could not hold anything back anymore!

The faint spark of dark red fire within his body suddenly jumped, and a scorching, pure power surged into the ice scar sword.

At the same time, he pushed his comprehension of the "Annihilation" Concept to the limit.

"Ice Fire Annihilation Slash!"

Ye Chen roared, disregarding the intense pain in his Divine Soul and the interference of the illusions.

Gripping the sword with both hands, he swung down at the lunging blood-colored roots and the demonic flower in the center!

The sword light was no longer ice blue or golden red, but a nearly void-like grayish-white.

Carrying a terrifying Sword Intent that ended all things and returned them to annihilation, it slashed through without a sound.

"Ssh."

There was no earth-shattering sound.

Where the grayish-white sword light passed, those hideous blood-colored roots were like lines erased by an eraser.

They instantly turned gray and withered, then turned into flying ash.

The sword light did not lose its momentum and swept over the Ghost-Faced Enchantress flower.

The demonic flower trembled violently, and that ghost face revealed an anthropomorphic expression of terror.

Immediately, the entire flower, along with its stem, rapidly lost all color, turning gray and withered.

Finally, with a "puff" sound, it turned into a pile of ashes and scattered into the air.

The surrounding pink mist also dissipated along with it.

The illusions shattered instantly.

Ye Chen leaned on his sword, gasping heavily, his face pale as paper, veins bulging on his forehead, and blood seeping from his seven orifices.

That sword strike just now had not only exhausted his barely recovered True Essence.

It had also greatly drained his Divine Soul power and aggravated his injuries.

Causing the suppressed poison to show signs of counterattacking.

But at least, he had solved this deadly evil flower.

Ye Chen dared not stay, not even having the strength to collect any flower seeds the demonic flower might have left behind.

He swallowed a common spirit-calming pill, forced himself up, and staggered as he continued toward the northeast.

He knew that the commotion just now would likely attract something even more terrifying.

Indeed, not long after, a dense "rustling" sound rang out from the surrounding grayish-white forest.

As if countless things were moving beneath the fallen leaves and bones.

Pairs of eyes—some scarlet, some emerald green, some ghastly white.

Lit up in the dim forest, filled with greed, cruelty, and appetite.

The "residents" of the Rotten Bone Forest had been attracted by the combat fluctuations and the scent of a living person.

Ye Chen's scalp tingled.

He saw fist-sized venomous beetles with hideous mouthparts.

He saw "Iron Wire Centipedes" disguised as dead branches that suddenly sprang up to attack.

He saw "Ghost-Faced Poison Monkeys" leaping through the treetops and spitting venom.

Even in the distance, heavy footsteps and low roars could be heard.

It seemed larger venomous beasts were approaching.

He was surrounded.

"I cannot stop! Stopping means death!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Ye Chen's eyes.

He no longer conserved his True Essence, activating the Phantom Step, his figure turning into trails of afterimages as he frantically wove through the forest.

At the same time, he swung the ice scar sword, sending waves of icy Sword Qi sweeping toward the lunging venomous insects and beasts.

He did not seek to kill, only to force them back and open a path.

"Ssh! Puff! Roar!"

Where the Sword Qi passed, venomous insects exploded and venomous beasts shrieked.

But more venomous creatures came one after another.

New wounds quickly appeared on Ye Chen's body.

Some from being bitten by venomous beetles, some from being splashed by venom, with stinging pain and numbness constantly washing over him.

What was even more deadly was that his True Essence was depleting rapidly, his injuries were worsening, and the poison was counterattacking.

His vision began to blur, and his breathing sounded like a broken bellows.

But he dared not stop; gritting his teeth and relying on his tenacious will, he fled for his life in the direction he had chosen.

He did not know how many he had killed, how many he had dodged, or how many more wounds he had sustained.

Just as Ye Chen felt his True Essence was about to completely dry up and his consciousness was about to be drowned by intense pain and exhaustion.

At the end of the dim forest ahead, a sliver of daylight, different from the gray-green of the toxic miasma, faintly shone through.

Moreover, the sweet, rotten scent seemed to have faded a little.

Is it the exit?

Or another dead end.

Ye Chen couldn't care about anything else, and using his last ounce of strength, he charged toward the light.

"Roar!"

Behind him, a deafening roar erupted, accompanied by a foul wind.

A hideous giant crocodile, over three zhang long, covered in dark green scales and with a single horn on its head.

Smashed through several grayish-white strange trees.

Opened its blood-red maw filled with sharp teeth and snapped fiercely at Ye Chen's back!

This was a Tier 3 Early Stage "Corrosion Poison Crocodile King"!

Equivalent to the strength of a human at the fourth or fifth level of the Wheel Sea Realm!

The shadow of death instantly enveloped him.

Ye Chen could even smell the stench in the giant crocodile's mouth.

A glimmer of despair flashed in his eyes, but it immediately turned into madness.

He turned suddenly, channeling the last trace of True Essence in his body.

Along with the scorching power from the jumping dark red spark.

All into the ice scar sword, and thrust it out at the snapping blood-red maw!

Even if it means dying together, I will knock out a few of your teeth!

However, at the very moment the sword tip was about to collide with the crocodile's mouth—

"Buzz!"

In Ye Chen's bosom, the black jade box containing the mother root of the "Ten Thousand Poisons Demonic Vine".

Seemed to sense the extreme danger and the dense toxic force nearby, and it actually vibrated on its own!

The box lid opened slightly, leaving a crack.

A wisp of incomparably pure emerald green mist drifted out as if it had a spirit of its own.

It happened to meet the lunging Corrosion Poison Crocodile King.

"Awooo—!!"

That arrogant Corrosion Poison Crocodile King.

The moment it touched this wisp of emerald green mist, it was as if it had been burned by a scorching hot iron.

It let out an extremely shrill, miserable howl, and its massive body suddenly froze.

Then, at a speed visible to the naked eye, it rapidly turned gray and shriveled.

As if all its lifeblood and toxic power had been instantly drained!

In just one breath, it turned into a dried corpse, collapsed with a bang, and shattered into pieces.

And Ye Chen's desperate sword strike missed, his body falling forward due to exhaustion.

He stared blankly at the dried corpse of the Crocodile King that had died instantly before him.

Then he looked at the jade box in his bosom, which had returned to calm, and a storm surged in his heart.

The mother root of this "Ten Thousand Poisons Demonic Vine" is actually this terrifying?!

Just a wisp of leaked aura.

Was enough to instantly kill a Tier 3 venomous beast?!

He did not know if this was the mother root protecting its master spontaneously or some other reason.

But now was not the time to investigate.

The surrounding venomous insects and beasts seemed to be intimidated by that emerald green mist, emitting terrified hisses.

They retreated like a tide, opening up a path.

Ye Chen forced himself to crawl up, not daring to stay for even a second, and staggered toward the light ahead.

Finally, he charged out of the suffocating dimness of the Rotten Bone Forest.

Before him, although it was still a swamp landscape.

The toxic miasma was much thinner, and although the sky was overcast, he could see the clouds.

Although the air was still toxic, he could barely breathe.

More importantly, he saw the faint outline of mountains on the distant horizon.

That was the direction of the Tianyun Mountain Range!

He was out!

Finally, he had escaped from the most dangerous core area of the Ten Thousand Poisons Swamp!

A sense of exhaustion from surviving a disaster instantly swept over his entire body.