Just as Ji shi had said, even an ordinary Transcendent Mortal expert would find it hard to escape from the devouring of the Man-eating Lotus.
If the Man-Eating Lotus were to be planted in the residence, it would be difficult for any ordinary cultivator to enter.
"Other than the Man-Eating Lotus, there are also some unique venomous bugs that live beneath the swamp. Once bitten, one will be paralyzed on the spot, unable to exert any strength. Eventually, they will sink into the swamp, turning into piles of bones. Every year, more than a hundred thousand master teachers and cultivators die here. This is also the reason why the swamp has been labeled as a forbidden zone, forbidding cultivators from venturing here!"
As Ji shi spoke, he took out a piece of cooked meat from his storage ring and tossed it into the swamp.
The cooked meat floated on the surface of the swamp, and a moment later, some black-shelled bugs crawled out from the mud and bit down on it. In the blink of an eye, the meat was reduced to a puddle, as if it had been corroded by a powerful acid.
Upon seeing this sight, everyone's complexion turned awful.
They knew that the swamp would be a dangerous place, but they didn't think that it would be to such an extent. Even as Primordial Spirit realm experts, they still couldn't help but feel a chill running down their spines.
"However, there's no need to worry too much. No matter how dangerous a land of death is, there will always be signs of life. There are some exposed areas in the swamp that are connected to one another, reminiscent of a floating bridge. As long as we can find these areas, we'll be able to proceed forward!"
Ji shi chuckled. With a leap, he leaped ten meters forward and arrived at a sturdy spot in the swamp. "Everyone, follow closely behind me. Don't make a mistake or get left behind!"
After saying those words, he continued leaping forward. In just a few leaps, he was already several hundred meters away.
Taking a closer look, Zhang Xuan noticed that the area where he landed was slightly different from the rest. There was a slight hint of green in it, and even though there wasn't any vegetation around, it felt as if it was brimming with life.
"It's very unlikely that these areas were formed naturally. Most likely, they were constructed by someone …"
Zhang Xuan wasn't too sure how the swamp was formed, but once it was formed, it was bound to cause the entire area to collapse. For there to be a spot several dozen meters wide enough for a person to stand on, there was a high chance that it was man-made.
"Let's go!"
Deciding not to dwell on this issue, Zhang Xuan had the aerial saint beast wait on the spot while Zhang Xuan and the others followed closely behind.
All of them were Saint realm experts, so they had powerful memories. Even though the other party had only walked once, they had already memorized the exact location of the other party. Thus, they were able to follow the other party's footsteps without any deviation.
"Ji shi, I heard that there are saint beasts here. May I know how they survive here?"
It was already so troublesome for them to enter this place. How did the sacred beast survive?
"If you walk deeper into the swamp, you'll find some landmasses. Even the largest of them is only several kilometers in diameter. Due to the unique environment, there are some spirit herbs and unique ores that can be found there. Many saint beasts will claim the land as their king in order to improve themselves, and they'll fight or even kill the cultivators who venture into the swamp!"
Ji shi introduced, "Look, there's one right ahead!"
Everyone looked over, and sure enough, they saw a piece of land not far away. It was lush green, just like an isolated island in the sea. There were all kinds of plants growing on it, and there were even many birds living on it.
Advancing swiftly, Zhang Xuan walked for roughly ten minutes before arriving at the entrance.
This piece of land was about five hundred meters in diameter. There was a small hill that floated above the swamp like an upside-down turtle shell.
Everyone descended from the sky.
"Let's hurry up and get to the center of the swamp before nightfall. Otherwise, the swamp will be even more dangerous at night!"
Seeing that the group was intending to wander around the land out of curiosity, Ji shi said.
"Un."
Taking a look at the sun, Zhang Xuan instructed, "Let's go!"
Even though it was still some time before nightfall, the swamp was simply too vast, and they were unable to fly. It would take them at least four hours to reach the center of the swamp.
With Ji shi leading the way, the group was indeed much safer. They took a detour around the lands where saint beasts resided, avoiding the dangerous areas in advance. After walking for nearly four hours, they finally arrived at the depths of the swamp.
Along the way, they encountered a few groups of cultivators who took the initiative to avoid them.
In order to conceal their identities, even though they weren't wearing their master teacher robes, their strength was still apparent. In the city, with Mingshi Tang watching over it, no one dared to act rashly. However, in the swamp, there were many cases of cultivators killing one another for their treasures.
As long as a corpse was tossed into the swamp, not even a master teacher would be able to find it easily.
"The island ahead is the center of the swamp. If we wish to find the Ghost Cavern, we'll have to come here first. After that, we'll have to find a way to search the area bit by bit. Even I don't have a better idea!"
After walking for another hour, when the sun was already setting, Ji shi pointed forward and said.
Following the direction of his finger, the group saw a massive island with a diameter of seven to eight kilometers. A towering mountain stood at the center of the island, and all kinds of plants grew densely around it. From afar, it looked like a city.
"Let's head over!"
Following closely behind Ji shi, the group soon arrived at the island.
It was no different from the land outside. In fact, the Spiritual Qi here was even denser, giving people a comfortable feeling.
"It's no wonder there are saint beasts living here, unwilling to leave... Cultivating here will indeed allow one to achieve twice the results with half the effort!"
Zhang Xuan nodded.
This place was rich in spiritual energy, making it a natural cultivation paradise. If one were to cultivate here, the rate at which one could advance one's cultivation would surely far surpass that of the outside world.
It was likely that many saint beasts had discovered this secret as well. Despite knowing how dangerous it was, they still chose to stay here.
"Let's rest here for the night and continue looking for the Ghost Cavern. At night, the venomous insects in the swamp will crawl out, and we'll be in grave danger if we were to encounter them..."
Flicking his wrist, Ji shi took out some high-tier saint beast urine and sprinkled it around the area. This was to warn the venomous insects and beasts not to approach the swamp.
Along the way, the group began to feel the fearsomeness of the swamp. Without any hesitation, they took out the items that they had prepared beforehand.
Fine wine, roasted meat, and a sumptuous meal.
After dinner, Zhang Xuan didn't rest. Instead, he sat on the floor and continued cultivating.
His Heaven's Path zhenqi flowed through his body, nourishing his Embryonic Soul so that it could evolve as quickly as possible.
After cultivating the Quintuple Incandescence Golden Body to perfection, Zhang Xuan had compiled the cultivation techniques of Mingshi Tang's Defense Hall into the Heaven's Path Golden Body, and the effects were not too bad. At this moment, even if his physical body wasn't on par with Jin Yuan Ding's, it wasn't too far off.
"Hmm?"
After cultivating for an unknown period of time, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a surge of energy not too far away. Turning his head over, he saw Hall Master Xing's face reddening, seemingly having difficulty suppressing the energy within his body.
"What's wrong?"
Zhang Xuan walked up to Hall Master Xing.
The others also awoke from their cultivation, and they quickly gathered around Hall Master Xing.
"Zhang Shi, I might be facing the Leaving Aperture Ordeal soon!"
Hall Master Xing said.
Zhang Xuan frowned.
Hall Master Xing's Primordial Spirit had been damaged, but with his help, he had managed to recover it, allowing him to swiftly achieve a breakthrough to Quasi Leaving Aperture realm. Under normal circumstances, as long as he willed it, he would be able to trigger the Leaving Aperture Ordeal at any time and become a true Leaving Aperture realm expert.
"What's going on?" Zhang Xuan asked.
"I'm not too sure either. I just cultivated for a moment, and I suddenly felt my Primordial Spirit reaching its peak state. I tried to suppress it, but I was unable to do so …"
With a reddened face, Hall Master Xing exuded his zhenqi through his pores. Following which, ominous clouds gathered overhead, signifying the arrival of the Leaving Aperture Ordeal.
"There's no need to panic. It's just a Leaving Aperture Ordeal. With your strength, you should be able to overcome it easily!"
Zhang Xuan said with a smile as he gestured for the crowd to leave the area of the Leaving Aperture Ordeal.
As the head of the Combat Master Hall, he possessed incredible fighting prowess. Even though the Leaving Aperture Ordeal was a little sudden, it shouldn't be too difficult for him to overcome it.
Hong long!
Right after Hall Master Xing said those words, a bolt of lightning suddenly fell from the sky.
Hu la!
With a thought, Hall Master Xing drew his Primordial Spirit out of his physical body and headed straight for the lightning.
Tzzzzz!
As soon as the Primordial Spirit came into contact with the lightning, it shrank rapidly, as if it was suffering from unbearable torture.
"Hmm?"
Zhang Xuan frowned.
"The Leaving Aperture Ordeal is incomparably dangerous. Shouldn't one overcome it with one's physical body? Why would Hall Master Xing draw his Primordial Spirit out to welcome it? That … is too dangerous! "
Wu Shi was also a little incredulous.
Under normal circumstances, in order to overcome the Leaving Aperture Ordeal, most cultivators would use their physical body to resist a portion of the lightning while allowing their Primordial Spirit to absorb the rest. Yet, Hall Master Xing actually drew his Primordial Spirit out to welcome the lightning. That was no different from courting death!
"It seems like he's not in control …"
Activating his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan's face darkened.
"Not in control?"
The crowd was perplexed.
"It seems like a soul oracle has made a move on him. Knowing that he's about to make a breakthrough, he drew his Primordial Spirit out to use the power of lightning to get rid of him first. Or perhaps, he wants us to expend our strength in order to protect him …" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes.
"Soul oracle? We … have been discovered? "
The faces of Wu Shi and the others darkened.
They had changed out of their master teacher robes and rushed over without any hesitation. The reason they had come here was to find the teacher of the Qingtian Emperor before the latter noticed them.
Who could have thought that they would be the first to fall for the other party's trap?
"That should be the case …"
Zhang Xuan nodded. Turning his gaze back to the sky, he saw that Hall Master Xing's Primordial Spirit was growing weaker and weaker, and it seemed like it would dissipate at any moment.
As powerful as Hall Master Xing was, his Primordial Spirit had been damaged in the past. On top of that, he had not been prepared for the Leaving Aperture Ordeal.
"At this rate … Hall Master Xing might really die!"
Division Head Wei and Division Head Liao exclaimed anxiously.
As friends who had known one another for several centuries, they couldn't bear to watch as their good friend was zapped to death by the lightning.
"Zhang Shi, do you have a way to save him?"
The two of them turned their gazes over.
If there was anyone here who could save Hall Master Xing, it could only be the young man before them.
"Don't worry!"
Even if the duo didn't say anything, Zhang Xuan would still make a move. Without any hesitation, he activated his Eye of Insight and scanned the area before him.
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