136: Chapter 136 Poisonous Swamp, A Relaxed and Carefree Experience

Early the next morning, as dawn was just breaking.

Wang Kun and his two companions, who had spent the night outside terrified and feeding mosquitoes, each wore a pair of dark circles under their eyes and looked utterly listless.

Last night's experience was practically a nightmare for them.

The nights in Luoyun Marsh were far too terrifying, with all sorts of venomous insects and Yao Beasts endlessly emerging.

Several times, an iron-armored crocodile comparable to a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator crawled right past the bushes where they were hiding, its cold, vertical pupils making their hearts split with terror and leaving them too afraid to even draw a single heavy breath.

In comparison, the Blood Fiend Sect duo on the other side were full of vitality and clearly rested well.

"Senior Brother Wang, are we still following them? This damn place is too bizarre." One Junior Brother began to beat a retreat.

"Follow! Why shouldn't we follow!" Wang Kun gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, "Wealth and honor are sought through danger! Think about it, if Zhao Ruoan dares to stay overnight in a place like this and remains so calm, what does that mean? It means the map in his hands is real! He has absolute certainty!"

The greater the danger, the more it proved that the so-called "Ancient Dan God Immortal Cave" was worth a king's ransom.

Just at that moment, the mist Formation ahead slowly dissipated.

Zhao Ruoan and the other two walked out looking refreshed, evidently having rested extremely well.

Xiamo was even humming a little tune, looking completely relaxed like she was out on a leisure trip.

This sight made the eyes of Wang Kun and the others turn red with envy.

On what grounds!

On what grounds were they terrified outside, while these three slept so soundly inside?

"Let's go." Zhao Ruoan didn't even look at his surroundings, took out that "map," gestured with it, and walked straight toward the depths of the marsh.

Qiuyin and Xiamo closely followed behind.

"Keep up!" Wang Kun let out a low bark, immediately leading his two Junior Brothers to cautiously follow.

The Black Crow duo exchanged glances and silently trailed at the very back.

Entering the inner depths of the marsh, the environment became increasingly harsh.

Beneath their feet was a bottomless quagmire; a moment of carelessness would cause one to sink right in.

The toxic miasma in the air was also growing thicker; if an ordinary Cultivator inhaled even a breath, they would feel dizzy and experience disrupted Qi circulation.

Wang Kun and the three had no choice but to prop up their Qi protective shields, cautiously leaping forward over intertwined tree roots.

Every step was exceptionally arduous, consuming a massive amount of Qi.

Yet what made them feel incomparably aggrieved and baffled was that Zhao Ruoan and the other two walking right at the front were strolling as leisurely as in a courtyard stroll.

They could always precisely find the firmest footing and always avoid the traps and venomous creatures hidden beneath the quagmire in advance.

Those thick toxic miasmas seemed to have no effect on them at all.

"What the hell! Why are they walking so fast?" A Disciplinary Hall Disciple said breathlessly, his Qi protective shield already flickering erratically from being corroded by the toxic miasma.

Wang Kun's expression was also extremely unsightly.

He stared fixedly at Zhao Ruoan's back, his heart filled with doubt and apprehension.

"Could it be that even the safe routes through this swamp are clearly marked on that map? This... How is this possible? The terrain of this Luoyun Marsh is constantly changing!"

Little did he know that Zhao Ruoan wasn't looking at any map at all.

Zhao Ruoan's Divine Sense had long since enveloped a radius of a hundred miles; where was solid ground, where was the quagmire, where venomous insects were, and where Yao Beasts were were all crystal clear to him.

The route he walked was not some path on a map at all, but the optimal route he had "scanned" himself using his Divine Sense.

He looked relaxed, but in reality, he was using a method completely incomprehensible to Wang Kun and the others to carry out extreme-precision "navigation."

"Young Revered Master, we seem to be walking a bit too fast; the people behind are almost unable to keep up." Qiuyin glanced back and whispered a reminder.

"That's exactly what I want—to make them unable to keep up." Zhao Ruoan curled the corner of his mouth, "String them along, exhaust them and wear them out mentally; only then will it be fun."

"Young Revered Master, you're so bad." Xiamo covered her mouth and chuckled secretly.

"This is called all is fair in war." Zhao Ruoan said with a straight face, "To deal with bad guys, you have to be even worse than them."

He deliberately slowed down by half a step, stopped under a large tree, took out the map again to look at it, and said with feigned pretense: "Hmm... There is a sea of man-eating flowers ahead, we need to detour. The map says there is a small path if we go from the west."

Having finished speaking, he led the two maidens and turned toward the west.

Wang Kun, seeing this scene from afar, perked up.

"Quick! Keep up! He's going to detour!"

The three quickly followed.

But no sooner had they turned than they heard a shrill, miserable scream from behind.

Looking back, they saw that one of the two men in black from the Blood Fiend Sect had his ankles entangled by a huge vine that suddenly burst out from the quagmire, and was being dragged rapidly toward the depths of the mud pit.

"Save me! Black Crow!" That person screamed in terror.

Black Crow's expression changed, and he immediately swung his blade to slash at the vine.

But that vine was incomparably tough; a slash only produced a shower of sparks.

In just that brief delay, more than half of his companion's body had already been dragged into the quagmire.

"Damn it!" Black Crow cursed angrily, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes, choosing not to rescue him and instead accelerating to chase in the direction of Zhao Ruoan.

The death of his companion seemed utterly insignificant to him; the mission came first.

Wang Kun and the three felt a chill in their hearts upon seeing this scene.

"Demonic Path scumbags truly are ruthless and merciless; they won't even save their own people." A Disciple said in a low voice.

Wang Kun, however, felt a stir in his heart.

With one of the Blood Fiend Sect members dead and only Black Crow remaining, the threat to them was much smaller. This was actually good news.

He glanced at the direction where Zhao Ruoan had disappeared, then looked at the man in black struggling in the quagmire, a hint of malice flashing in his eyes.

"Let's go, never mind them!"

Now, there was only one major competitor left, increasing his hope of seizing the treasure by another fraction.

Zhao Ruoan naturally also "saw" this scene behind him and sneered inwardly.

This had just begun, and they had already lost one to internal strife.

This Luoyun Marsh truly was a natural killing field.

He once again led the two maidens meandering around, seemingly struggling to find a way out, but actually leading the people behind in circles, continuously draining their physical strength and energy.

During this time, he "happened" to avoid several powerful Yao Beast lairs and natural toxic miasma traps.

To Qiuyin and Xiamo, this was proof of the Young Revered Master's divine calculation.

But in the eyes of Wang Kun and Black Crow behind, it further confirmed the magic and authenticity of that "treasure map."

Their doubts about Zhao Ruoan grew less and less, while their greed for the "Ancient Dan God Immortal Cave" grew increasingly fiery.

"Senior Brother Wang, look ahead!"

Just when Wang Kun was so tired he was about to vomit blood, his fellow Junior Brother suddenly pointed forward and called out in pleasant surprise.

Wang Kun looked up and saw that at the edge of the swamp, in a place where the miasma was slightly thinner, a continuous range of hills truly appeared.

Viewed from the side, the shape of those hills looked just like a giant water buffalo lying prone on the ground!

"Woniu Mountain! Found it! There really is a Woniu Mountain!" Wang Kun trembled all over with excitement.

The place name that Zhao Ruoan had been chanting had truly appeared!

This meant they were not far from the Treasure Trove anymore!

He instantly regained his spirit and urged his two Junior Brothers: "Quick! Keep up! Don't let him seize the initiative!"

The three exhausted their final strength and rushed toward Woniu Mountain.

And right behind them, Black Crow's figure also followed like a ghost, his eyes likewise flashing with greedy and excited light.

Zhao Ruoan stood at the foot of Woniu Mountain, glanced back at the two bedraggled "tails" behind him, and thought to himself: The fish have finally been lured to the spot.

Next, it was time to find a place, open the door of the "Immortal Cave," and invite the guests into the urn.

He led Qiuyin and Xiamo around the foot of Woniu Mountain and began "searching" for the entrance.

Of course, the so-called entrance had long been locked down by his Divine Sense. That was an extremely concealed natural cave at the foot of the mountain, its opening obscured by vines and scattered rocks, impossible to discover without deliberate searching.

This was a place slightly modified in advance using magic power by Revered Master Yun Qinghan. From the outside, it looked utterly ordinary, but inside, it was a world of its own.

Zhao Ruoan stopped before a cliff wall, tapping and knocking feignedly, then took out the map to compare, and finally "surprisedly" brushed aside a patch of vines.

A pitch-black cave opening appeared before the three of them.

"Found it! Right here!" Zhao Ruoan's tone was filled with "excitement" and "ecstasy."

He looked back, feignedly glanced around with vigilance, and then lowered his voice to say to the two maidens: "Quick, let's go in! Remember, do not flaunt your wealth, be extremely careful!"

Having said that, he dove headfirst into the cave.

Qiuyin and Xiamo quickly followed inside.

Not long after they entered the cave, Wang Kun, the three of them, and Black Crow also rushed to the cave entrance one after another.

Looking at the bottomless black opening, the breathing of Wang Kun and Black Crow both grew heavy.

The Treasure Trove was right inside!