44: Chapter 44 Misty Poisonous Mist, Gray Zone Ant Swarm

At the edge of the Mist Swamp, the air was so thick it felt like it could be wrung out like water.

It was vastly different from the scorching dryness of the Lava Cave and the cold, deathly silence of the underground dark rivers. Looking out, one saw an endless, muddy wetland interwoven with gray-green and dark brown; turbid puddles dotted the landscape like the festering sores of the earth. Dense, low-lying, and strangely shaped shrubs and ferns were intertwined, forming a natural maze. But what was most unsettling was the gray-white mist that never dissipated all year round, almost condensing into a solid form.

This mist was not ordinary water vapor; it was mixed with various humus, the excrement of poisonous insects, and swamp poisons that seeped from the ground and fermented slowly. It blocked the sky and sun, not only severely limiting vision (with Lin Yan's current soul perception, he could only penetrate about a hundred zhang), but also constantly eroding the protective Dou Qi of intruders, bringing continuous numbness, dizziness, and even hallucinations.

Lin Yan and Xiao Yi Xian stood on a relatively dry and hard high ground at the edge of the swamp, while Chi Rong crouched behind them—its massive body and fiery attributes seemed completely out of place here, and the lava carapace on its body hissed as it was eroded by the damp and cold mist, its aura appearing somewhat withered. Clearly, this environment was extremely unfriendly to it.

"This is the place." Lin Yan opened his palm; the ancient soul scale, which had been emitting warmth and pointing northeast, reached its peak heat at this moment, the dark gold patterns on its surface glowing faintly, pointing directly at the boundless sea of gray-white mist ahead. "The resonance is strongest; it must be deep within this swamp."

Xiao Yi Xian took a deep breath of the air, which was filled with a strange, fishy sweetness and a sense of intoxication, her emerald eyes exceptionally bright. Far from feeling uncomfortable, she felt a sense of relief throughout her body; the gray-purple poison force within her, tempered by the Xuanming True Water, appeared exceptionally active and greedy in this dense, miasma-filled environment. "It's... very comfortable here. My poison force circulation speed has increased by at least thirty percent, and I seem to be able to vaguely perceive the veins of certain special toxins within the miasma."

This confirmed Lin Yan's conjecture. The Calamity Poison Body was like a fish in water here.

"But this swamp is definitely not simple." Lin Yan's gaze swept over the seemingly calm but actually treacherous puddles and mudflats. In his soul perception, countless weak but aggressive life auras were lurking under the water, in the mud, and even in the mist, mostly various poisonous insects, venomous snakes, and strange magical beasts that had adapted to the miasma environment. "The mist has the effect of blocking and eroding soul perception; we must be more careful."

[System, scan the current environment, establish a toxin database, and continuously scan for potential threats.]

[Command confirmed. Environmental scanning in progress... Detected complex biological miasma (mixture of paralytic, hallucinogenic, corrosive, and neurotoxins), energy level: low-medium, but has a continuous weakening effect on Dou Qi and soul perception. Detected a large number of low-tier poison-attribute life reactions (mainly tiers 1-3). Detected abnormal fluctuations in earth vein energy, source: deep in the swamp (consistent with the direction of the ancient soul scale resonance), attribute: mixed (mainly poison, wood, water, and yin). Establishing environmental model and threat warning...]

With the system's assistance, Lin Yan felt a little more at ease. He turned to look at Chi Rong: "Chi Rong, the environment here is too suppressive for you. Stay here to provide support; find a hidden, dry place to lurk and recover from your injuries. If there is an emergency, contact me via the Soul Contract."

Chi Rong acted as if it had been granted amnesty and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, Master! You must be careful!" It was eager to leave this damp, cold, and stifling ghost place immediately.

After settling Chi Rong, Lin Yan and Xiao Yi Xian exchanged a look and, without hesitation, stepped into the sea of gray-white mist.

Once they entered the swamp, their vision suddenly shrank to less than ten zhang. Underfoot was soft, slippery mud that could collapse at any time, requiring them to constantly use Dou Qi to lighten their bodies and rely on soul perception to probe for footholds in advance. The fishy, sweet, and intoxicating aura in the air was even more intense. Even with their cultivation, inhaling it into their lungs caused a slight sense of dizziness and numbness, requiring them to constantly circulate their Dou Qi to dispel it.

Xiao Yi Xian walked in front; her keen perception of toxicity and her poison force's affinity for the miasma made her the best "pathfinder." With gray-purple poison force swirling around her fingertips, she gently pushed aside the strange vines dripping with mucus that blocked their way, while constantly adjusting the frequency of her own poison force, trying to resonate with certain "safe" toxin veins in the surrounding environment to avoid areas filled with aggressive poison sources. This was a technique she had newly comprehended from the Seven-Colored Poison Manual—Poison Sense Resonance.

Lin Yan followed closely behind, his soul perception fully activated like a radar, cooperating with the system scan to remain vigilant against any movement. The Pure Corrosion Soul Seal between his brows emitted a faint cold light, easily purifying and dispelling the hallucinogenic toxins that invaded his consciousness. The Seed Flame of Void Devouring Flame circulated slowly in his meridians, ready at any moment to devour any energy attacks he might encounter that could not be overcome by poison force.

The first half-day of the journey was relatively smooth; apart from the harsh environment, they did not encounter any major dangers. The occasional second-tier "Corrosion Poison Crocodile" that lunged from the mudflats or the third-tier "Ghost-Faced Poison Spider" that shot down from the treetops were easily dealt with by Xiao Yi Xian's precise poison needles or Lin Yan's swift Eight Extremities Collapse. For Xiao Yi Xian, the toxicity and materials of these magical beasts were good supplements and experimental materials.

But as they went deeper, the swamp environment became increasingly bizarre. In the gray-white mist, wisps of pale purple, more solid ribbons of miasma began to appear. The mud on the ground gradually decreased, replaced by a strange dark red soil that resembled clotted blood, which had a strange elasticity when stepped on. The surrounding plants also became increasingly ferocious, some even growing structures resembling sharp teeth that opened and closed slightly.

"Ahead... the energy fluctuations are very chaotic, and the resonance of the ancient soul scale... seems to have been interfered with by something, it's intermittent." Xiao Yi Xian stopped, her brows slightly furrowed. The ancient soul scale in her hand flickered with light, and its direction became blurred.

Lin Yan also felt it. The mist ahead was deeper in color, almost turning gray-purple. When his soul perception probed into it, it was like a clay ox entering the sea, and the information fed back was extremely chaotic and complex. The system also sent a warning: [High-intensity complex energy field detected in the area ahead, suspected to be a natural poison maze or some kind of large-scale poison array, causing severe interference with perception and direction. Exploration with caution is advised.]

A poison array? Lin Yan's heart stirred. Could it be that the depths of this swamp were not naturally formed, but were man-made or naturally formed into some kind of field suitable for poison attributes? Was this related to the direction of the ancient soul scale?

"Stay close to me and slow down." Lin Yan said in a deep voice. He was the first to step into the gray-purple dense fog.

Upon entering, the surrounding scene immediately became grotesque and bizarre. The mist seemed to have life, constantly twisting and changing to form various ferocious and strange illusions—skeletons of rotting giant beasts, rivers flowing with venom, countless wailing and struggling souls... These illusions were not purely spiritual attacks; they were mixed with real, poisonous energy that could erode the soul and body!

The Pure Corrosion Soul Seal was automatically activated, and the cold soul power fluctuation was like a clear spring, purifying and dispelling the illusions and soul poisons that invaded his consciousness one by one. But they had to deal with the physical miasma attacks themselves.

Xiao Yi Xian fully operated the poison manual, and the gray-purple poison force surged out like a tide, forming a relatively stable "poison domain" around her and Lin Yan, which eroded, offset, and even... assimilated with the invading miasma. She was like the most agile dancer, walking on the tip of a poisonous blade, constantly adjusting the attributes and frequency of her poison force, striving to open up a relatively safe passage in this chaotic energy field.

Lin Yan incorporated the auras of the Green Lotus Core Flame and the Fallen Heart Flame into his Dou Qi, forming a scorching inner protective shield to resist the corrosive energy that could not be completely neutralized by the poison force. At the same time, he tried to use his soul power to "comb" the chaotic energy veins around him to find a pattern.

Just as the two were struggling to trek through this poison maze, a sudden change occurred!

"Rustle, rustle... rustle, rustle..."

A sound so dense it made one's scalp tingle, like the friction of billions of fine grains of sand, came from all directions! It did not come from the mist, but from under their feet, from that strange dark red soil!

Lin Yan and Xiao Yi Xian looked down at the same time, their expressions changing drastically!

They saw that the dark red soil was rolling like boiling water! Countless ants, the size of thumbs, with gray-black bodies, shiny carapaces, and ferocious mouthparts, surged out from the soil like a black tide! Their numbers were countless; in an instant, they covered the ground for hundreds of zhang in all directions, and as if under unified command, they piled up layer upon layer and surged toward the location of Lin Yan and Xiao Yi Xian!

"Gray Domain Army Ants! And they are... mutated poisonous ants!" Xiao Yi Xian exclaimed. She recognized this terrifying creature. Gray Domain Army Ants were already famous for their massive numbers, fearlessness in the face of death, and devouring everything. But these in front of them had darker carapace colors, and the saliva dripping from their mouthparts emitted a pungent fishy stench; clearly, they had mutated from long-term survival in this miasma swamp, and their toxicity was even more potent!

A single Gray Domain poisonous ant might only be equivalent to a first or second-tier magical beast, but an ant tide formed by such a terrifying number—let alone them, even a Dou Wang expert caught in it, if they could not escape in time, would likely be exhausted to death and gnawed until not even bones remained!

"We can't fight them head-on! Go!" Lin Yan made a decisive decision, grabbed Xiao Yi Xian, and fully activated his Explosive Step, trying to rush out from the gaps where the ant tide had not yet fully encircled them!

However, the speed and reaction of the ant tide were far beyond their imagination! The seemingly chaotic ant colony actually had extremely tight organization and collaboration. As soon as Lin Yan moved, the ant tide in front immediately changed formation, piling up layer by layer to form black "ant walls" several feet high, blocking their path! At the same time, the gray-purple miasma in the sky seemed to be drawn by the aura of the ant colony, becoming thicker and carrying strong viscosity, greatly slowing their speed!

"Chi, chi, chi!"

Countless poisonous ants rushed up fearlessly, hitting the protective Dou Qi or poison domain of the two. They were shattered by Dou Qi or corroded by poison force, making tooth-aching sounds as they turned into foul-smelling black water. But more poisonous ants rushed forward one after another, like black waves, constantly impacting and consuming their defenses!

What was even more terrifying was that the black water flowing out after these poisonous ants died had extremely strong corrosiveness and toxicity, which not only eroded their Dou Qi but also polluted Xiao Yi Xian's poison domain, causing her poison force consumption to increase sharply!

"This won't work! We'll be exhausted to death here!" Xiao Yi Xian's face turned pale; she could feel the rapid loss of her poison force. The number of these poisonous ants was simply too large, an endless stream!

Lin Yan's eyes were cold as he scanned the ant colony like a tide. In his soul perception, he vaguely captured that in a relatively stable area behind the ant tide, there were several soul fluctuations that were far stronger than ordinary poisonous ants and closely connected to each other—it was the queen ant or the command node!

"Capture the ringleader first! Find the commander!" Lin Yan shouted in a low voice, and the Pure Corrosion Soul Seal between his brows shone brightly! A pure and cold soul power impact, like an invisible blade, forcibly pierced through the chaotic miasma and the mental interference field of the ant colony, sweeping toward those several strong soul fluctuations!

"Soul Thought Impact—Shock!"

Those soul fluctuations clearly trembled violently, and the offensive of the ant tide also appeared in a moment of chaos and lag!

"Now is the time!" Lin Yan seized this fleeting opportunity, and the Dou Qi in his body fused with the Seed Flame of Void Devouring Flame again!

"Void Flame Domain—Open!"

A ring of pitch-black flames, as if capable of devouring light, suddenly spread out with Lin Yan as the center! Wherever it passed, the poisonous ants that rushed up were like being thrown into a void abyss, disappearing instantly, leaving not even ashes behind! Even the thick miasma and corrosive black water were quickly devoured and purified by this black flame!

This move consumed a lot of energy, but the effect was immediate. The black flame ring burned a vacuum channel several zhang wide in the ant tide, pointing directly at the location of the soul fluctuations!

"Follow me closely!" Lin Yan shouted in a low voice, took Xiao Yi Xian, and rushed deep into the ant tide along this short channel opened by the Void Devouring Flame!

The ant tide was clearly angered (or rather, its predatory instinct was triggered) by this sudden power that could devour them, and it surged from both sides and the rear even more frantically, trying to re-encircle them. But Lin Yan ignored it, only maintaining the Void Flame Domain in front, like a black drill, constantly going deeper.

Finally, after rushing through hundreds of zhang, they arrived at the core area of the ant tide.

The poisonous ants here were significantly larger, their carapaces were dark purple, and their auras were stronger. In the center of their heavy protection was a relatively dry "nest" platform built from some kind of white bone and mucus. On the platform, three giant poisonous ants the size of calves were coiled! They were dark gold in color, their compound eyes were scarlet, and their mouthparts were like two sharp scimitars, emitting a powerful aura equivalent to fourth-tier magical beasts, and their spiritual connection was tight, clearly the command core of this huge ant tide—three "General Ants"!

And in the depths of the nest behind the three General Ants, one could vaguely see a larger, slowly wriggling dark golden figure, and... something that was out of place with the surrounding environment, emitting a faint emerald light?

The aura of that emerald light... actually produced a faint resonance with the ancient soul scale in Xiao Yi Xian's hand?!

Lin Yan's eyes were like electricity, locking onto that point of emerald light and the dark golden figure. It seemed that this terrifying ant tide was not an accident. What they were guarding was likely the core of this swamp poison array, and it might also be... the entrance to the ancient soul scale ruins related to the "poison" attribute that they were looking for!