198: Arrive at the outer perimeter

On the afternoon of the seventh day, the hoofbeats of the Flame-Treading Beasts reached a completely different land.

The air became scorching and heavy; every breath felt like swallowing heat waves from the edge of a furnace. On the distant horizon, the silhouettes of dark red mountains distorted in the heat waves, as if the earth itself were burning. This was already the radiation zone of the Molten Core Secret Realm; vegetation had almost vanished, with only a few sparse clumps of charred, withered grass and heat-resistant thorns struggling in the cracked fissures of the earth.

The official road ended here. Ahead lay an open expanse of rocky terrain, which was currently bustling with over a hundred people. Temporarily erected tents, simple stoves, and stalls filled with various fire-resistance equipment and Medicinal Pills were scattered everywhere, forming what looked like a small adventurer's camp. The crowd was clearly divided—there were well-prepared, disciplined Sect or Family teams; temporary, wary Loose Cultivator squads; and solitary travelers with restrained auras. The air was thick with the smell of sweat, dust, and a restless atmosphere mixed with sulfur, metal, and ambition.

The arrival of Qin Feng’s group of four caused a small wave of inquisitive glances. The Flame-Treading Beasts and the markings of Medicine King Valley and Fire Refining Hall on the carriage were enough to show they weren't ordinary Loose Cultivators. But seeing how young they were, and that the team actually included three women, many gazes revealed contempt or other intentions.

The four gathered behind a large rock sheltered from the wind. Qin Feng took out the map gifted by the Yunmeng City Lord and cross-referenced it with the guidance from the System information in his mind.

"The 'Boiling Mud Swamp' shortcut pointed out by the intelligence basically matches the 'High-Risk Unexplored Area' marked on the Yunmeng City Lord's map." Qin Feng pointed to an area on the map marked in dark brown with a skull symbol. "The map notes say this place is filled with poisonous miasma, has unstable geology, and is rarely visited. But this is exactly our opportunity."

"Bypass the outer Lava Beast packs and strike directly into the middle layer," Ji Ruxue nodded. "It's worth the risk."

"What do we need to prepare?" Xia Ya asked.

"We must have plenty of Poison-Avoiding Pills; the swamp's poisonous miasma is extraordinary." As a healer, Xiaochun immediately entered her element. "We also need potent insect repellent; there are bound to be many poisonous insects in the hot, humid swamp. Additionally, Medicinal Pills for treating fire poison, burns, corrosive injuries, and for replenishing Qi and blood must all be prepared. We should also wear the 'Fire Scale Pendant' and 'Ice Silkworm Silver Thread Lining' given by the Yunmeng City Lord; there might be geothermal heat deep in the swamp."

The four acted quickly, purchasing supplies among the stalls in the camp. Qin Feng specifically used a slightly higher price to trade for several high-quality fire 昐 stone fragments for emergencies.

Just as they were organizing their gear and preparing to head toward that rarely-traveled fork to the southeast, a group of people approached.

Leading them were two middle-aged men, both with Early Stage Martial King cultivation. One had a ruddy face and carried a large red-copper saber on his back; the other had a sinister expression and was fiddling with two pitch-black iron balls in his hand. Behind them followed over ten people, with cultivation ranging from Grand Martial Master to Martial Master, appearing to be a sizable Loose Cultivator team.

The red-faced man cupped his fists and smiled, "Friends, are you also entering the Secret Realm? Looking at your direction, could you be planning to take that 'dead end' to the southeast? That Boiling Mud Swamp is not easy to deal with; it's extremely dangerous. Why don't we team up? There's strength in numbers, and we can look out for each other. We two brothers have been around this area for over a decade and have plenty of experience. What do you say?"

His words were warm, but his eyes discreetly scanned Qin Feng’s group, especially flashing with a subtle, indiscernible glint when he saw Ji Ruxue's cold beauty, Xia Ya's vigorous physique, and Xiaochun's delicate face.

Qin Feng remained calm and returned the gesture, "Thank you for your kindness, Fellow Daoist. However, we have other matters to attend to and are used to traveling alone. It's inconvenient to team up. My apologies."

The refusal was crisp and direct.

The red-faced man's smile stiffened slightly. The sinister man behind him snorted coldly, the iron balls in his hand spinning a bit faster. Some of the team members also showed dissatisfaction or mockery.

"Kid, don't be ungrateful. This Boiling Mud Swamp..." The sinister man was about to say something when the red-faced man raised his hand to stop him.

The red-faced man took a deep look at Qin Feng, then glanced at Ji Ruxue, who remained silent but whose aura gave him a faint sense of danger, and Xia Ya, who, despite being only a Half-Step Martial King, had vigorous blood energy and excellent equipment. He suddenly smiled, "In that case, I won't force it. I wish you a safe journey. If you run into trouble in the swamp, perhaps we'll meet again." After saying this, he led his team away toward another more mainstream path leading to the standard entrance of the Secret Realm.

After walking some distance, the sinister man whispered, "Big brother, those juniors were too disrespectful! Especially that..."

"Shut up," the red-faced man barked, his expression darkening. "Those four are definitely not simple. Two young Martial Kings with solid auras—they definitely didn't rely on Medicinal Pills to get there. Those two girls—one has restrained Evil Qi, and the other has blood energy like a Dragon. None of them are easy targets. If they dare to enter the Boiling Mud Swamp, they're either ignorant and seeking death, or... they truly have something to rely on. It's better to avoid trouble. Our goal is the 'Blazing Fire Crystals' in the middle mining area; don't cause unnecessary complications."

On the other side, Qin Feng’s group had already entered the southeast fork. Unlike the main road where footprints were becoming more frequent, the path here quickly became desolate and rugged. The temperature seemed even higher, and a strange smell—a mixture of sulfur and decaying matter—began to drift through the air.

After traveling for about an hour, a vast, gray, mist-shrouded swamp appeared before them. This was the Boiling Mud Swamp.

A year-round yellowish-green haze hung over the swamp, obstructing vision. The ground was no longer solid earth, but a mire of black, dark brown, and foul green mud. In some places, viscous bubbles "glugged" and popped, releasing a pungent smell of sulfur and rot. Sparse, twisted, charred trees reached toward the misty sky like ghost claws. Many trees and exposed strange rocks were draped with slimy, brightly colored moss or fungi that were clearly highly toxic.

The oxygen in the air was thin, and poisonous miasma filled the area. Even after taking Poison-Avoiding Pills, one could still feel a slight chest tightness and faint dizziness. Various poisonous insects crawled and slithered through the mud and under decaying leaves, making rustling sounds. Colorful poisonous moths flew blindly through the mist.

Even more heart-wrenching were the human remains scattered everywhere along the edges and shallows of the swamp. Some were half-submerged in the mud, others hung from withered trees by the puddles; most were incomplete, and some bones still bore traces of corrosion or being gnawed. Broken weapons, rusted pickaxes, and rotten bags were scattered about, silently testifying to the dangers of this place.

"Stay close, watch your step and your surroundings," Qin Feng said in a low voice, his ink plum sword already in hand. Ji Ruxue's figure flickered in and out of sight as she patrolled the flank. Xia Ya held her shield in front, her giant tooth sword ready to strike at any moment. Xiaochun held her yan luo umbrella, the faint light from its surface repelling nearby poisonous insects and moths, while she alertly sensed changes in the poisonous miasma.

They moved carefully, jumping across relatively solid mud ridges, protruding rocks, or fallen tree trunks, avoiding the bubbling, boiling mud pits and strangely colored puddles. Occasionally, poisonous snakes hidden in the mud would lunge in attack, only to be precisely pinned by Ji Ruxue's daggers, swatted away by Xia Ya's shield, or severed by Qin Feng's Sword Qi.

"Ssh!" A dark green poisonous snake, camouflaged as a withered branch, shot down from a branch overhead, lunging for the back of Xiaochun's neck. Without even turning her head, Ji Ruxue made a backhanded throw, and a Shadowless Needle pinned it to the tree trunk.

"Watch the mud pit on the left!" Xia Ya barked, her shield sweeping across to swat away several sharp-mouthed black insects that had lunged out of the mud. Qin Feng's sword flashed, mincing two others that had slipped through.

Xiaochun occasionally flicked out some specially-made insect repellent powder or scattered medicinal dust to neutralize the poisonous miasma. Her Myriad Medicine Body was extremely sensitive to toxins, allowing her to always provide early warning for the areas with the thickest poisonous gas.

The journey was fraught but without major incident, though the four were highly tense. The environment here was worse than expected; had they not been well-prepared and capable, they might have already followed in the footsteps of those skeletons.

As they went deeper, the swamp became even more profound and silent. Even the rustling of poisonous insects diminished, leaving only the "glug" of popping mud bubbles and the sound of their own suppressed breathing and heartbeats. The mist grew thicker, reducing visibility to less than five zhang.

Just as they stepped onto a relatively wide area of "vine rafts" formed by countless tangled black withered vines—

"Coo... Coo-koo—!"

An extremely abrupt, high-pitched, and resounding crow of a rooster, completely out of place in this deathly silent swamp, suddenly came from deep within the thick mist ahead!

The sound was incredibly clear, piercing through the mist with an indescribable and eerie penetrating power that hit the eardrums and even caused their Divine Souls to tremble!

The four stopped simultaneously and jerked their heads up, looking toward the direction of the crowing with eyes full of surprise and vigilance.

In the depths of this Boiling Mud Swamp where death loomed, how could there be the crowing of a rooster?