I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

"I am at the fifth level of Qi Refining, with an Earth Spirit Root, and I excel at defensive techniques. Are there any teams willing to take me in?"

"The Xuanjia Crocodile Hunting Team is still short two people. Fellow cultivators with exceptional strength, come and take a look!"

"A family-secret antidote pill; after taking it, you'll be unimpeded in the Black Tooth Swamp! Limited stock, buy now!"

"We're buying snake venom vine at high prices, as much as you have, cash on delivery!"

At the outer entrance of the Black Tooth Swamp, in an open area untouched by miasma, a bustling crowd was taking in the sounds of people.

Various independent cultivators and merchants gathered here, some loudly recruiting companions, preparing to form teams to venture into dangerous places;

Some waited quietly to the side, specifically for the returning cultivators to purchase the rare spiritual materials they brought back from the swamp.

Having changed his appearance, Lin Che mingled among the noisy crowd.

At this moment, he looked exactly like a rogue demon hunter who had been licking blood from the edge of a knife for many years.

He was around forty years old, his face weathered and marked by hardship and toil.

Dressed in a gray outfit and carrying an ordinary black broadsword, the spiritual energy emanating from his body remained at the level of the late-stage Qi Refining stage.

He seemed no different from the other rogue cultivators around him who were busy making a living or seeking opportunities. He also seemed to have come here to try his luck and prepare to enter the treacherous Black Tooth Swamp.

Although the Zhao family had already obtained the official development rights to Black Tooth Swamp, just like with Shattered Star Lake back then, they had not yet started developing it.

As is customary, as long as the owner obtains the exploration permit but does not actually develop the area, independent cultivators are free to enter and seek opportunities.

Otherwise, if the major families were to claim all the undeveloped lands around them for themselves, countless independent cultivators would likely be left with nowhere to make a living, which would not be in the interests of any party.

This is why the rumors about the ruins hidden deep in the swamp spread so quickly among these rogue cultivators.

Passing through the bustling crowd, Lin Che was about to step into the forest shrouded in gray-green miasma ahead.

Suddenly, a crimson figure appeared like a flame and blocked his way.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait." The newcomer's voice was clear and bright, and he clasped his hands in a salute.

"I am Yan Hongling, captain of the Red Fox Squad. We are about to venture deeper into the Black Tooth Swamp to explore the ruins. Seeing your calm demeanor and solid cultivation, if you are also interested in the ruins, why not travel together and look out for each other?"

Lin Che's heart tightened. How did the other party manage to find him by such a coincidence?

He calmly observed the woman before him.

With a cultivation level of nine in Qi Refining, his lithe figure was outlined in dark red leather armor, his ponytail was tied high, and there was a scar on his eyebrow.

Looking at the several cultivators waiting not far behind her, each of them exuded a powerful aura, clearly someone who spent years hunting demons.

Confirming that the other party seemed to have no particular intention, Lin Che secretly breathed a sigh of relief, took half a step back, and returned the greeting with a cupped hand.

"I am grateful for your kind words, but unfortunately my cultivation is shallow. I have only come here to gather some spiritual herbs on the outskirts. I dare not risk venturing deep into the ruins. I am afraid I will disappoint you."

"It's alright, I was being presumptuous." Yan Hongling laughed heartily, not lingering, and after bowing to take her leave, she turned to look for other suitable cultivators.

Lin Che nodded slightly, watching her leave, while a faint wisp of divine sense quietly probed out.

Seeing that the other person remained calm and composed after being rejected, and quickly moved on to talk to the next cultivator, he finally felt completely relieved.

It seems that the invitation was indeed just a routine team-up, and my identity did not arouse any suspicion.

He straightened the large sword on his back, and without further delay, stepped into the Black Tooth Swamp area.

After walking about a mile along the path trodden by those who came before, Lin Che officially entered the forest shrouded in thick miasma.

Upon entering, a sweet and pungent odor, a mixture of humus and a special toxic smell, immediately hit you.

He immediately took out a piece of Qingxin grass and put it in his mouth. A cool sensation spread from his throat, blocking the miasma that was trying to invade his heart and lungs.

At the same time, he extended his divine sense forward, carefully examining every inch of the land beneath his feet.

Beneath these seemingly solid moss-covered surfaces may lie life-devouring swamps.

Here, one wrong step could be life-threatening.

Even just the outer edge of the Black Tooth Swamp, this poisonous forest is fraught with danger.

Without the ability to fly or a guide unfamiliar with the terrain, cultivators in the Qi Refining stage would find it extremely difficult to move around in this place.

In order not to reveal his true cultivation level at the Foundation Establishment stage, Lin Che perfectly played the role of a Qi Refining rogue cultivator, using only his divine sense to explore the area and relying on his lightness technique to leap across the occasional exposed tree roots and hard ground, carefully and nimbly traversing the area.

The scene before him suddenly changed, and he entered the iconic Blackwater Pool area of ​​the Blacktooth Swamp.

Countless pools of varying sizes are scattered throughout the area, their surfaces as deep and dark as ink, so still that they seem to swallow up all light.

Along the shore, huge patches of black tooth grass grow, their shapes resembling black, sharp teeth, densely pointing towards the gray sky, hence the name of this swamp.

Clumps of brightly colored poisonous mushrooms thrive in the crevices of the roots of these eerie plants.

They are alluring in appearance, emitting a faint glow that is barely perceptible to the naked eye, like living dust, slowly floating in the murky air.

If any living being accidentally inhales it, it is highly susceptible to hallucinations, ultimately losing itself and becoming food for the lurking creatures.

Lin Che's gaze met directly in the distance, where a pair of cold, vertical pupils rose from a pool of water.

It was a black-armored crocodile covered in thick bone armor, half-submerged in the dark water. If you didn't look closely, you would think it was a piece of rotten dead wood.

Beneath the surface, ripples meander silently by time. If one probes with one's divine sense, one can "see" several pythons with venomous spots on their bodies patrolling in the dark water.

These venomous pythons are the most numerous monsters in the Black Tooth Swamp, and they are almost everywhere, from the outer swamp to the depths of the Blackwater Pool.

Moreover, all sorts of poisons lurk in the mud by the water, on twisted dead branches, and even in the air.

Eerie-colored poisonous insects crawled among the grass blades, while poisonous frogs with pustules on their skin throbbed in their throat sacs.

Various toxins together constitute the unique ecology of this place.

These poisons are the root cause of why this place has always been considered a dangerous area.

Lin Che had no intention of lingering here. Seeing that there were no cultivators nearby, he circulated his true essence and accelerated his speed through this dangerous area, heading towards the depths of the Blackwater Pool.

The deeper one goes, the wider and deeper the surrounding black pools become. Some of the water surfaces are so wide that they resemble small lakes. Even with Lin Che's divine sense, he cannot see the bottom of the inky water.

Following the clues provided by the rogue cultivator, Lin Che finally arrived at the place where the legendary Cangming Spirit Serpent had been said to have appeared.

The edge of the pool was covered with dense reeds, almost as tall as a person, and the grayish-white reed flowers swayed silently in the pervasive, faint miasma.

The pool was silent; there was no trace of the Azure Serpent.

Lin Che did not rush into the water, but calmly took out a Blood Jade Dragon Marrow Fruit from his storage bag.

As soon as the blood-red fruit appeared, a unique fragrance filled the air.

For demonic beasts bearing the blood of dragons, spiritual objects with dragon-like auras are an irresistible temptation.

Sure enough, within five minutes, the once still, dark lake surface suddenly began to ripple with unusual waves.

"boom--"

A huge column of water shot into the sky, the sound of the water breaking was deafening.

The enormous snake head suddenly emerged from the water, its entire body covered in fine, jade-colored scales.

It has two small bumps on its head and two pairs of fleshy, tumor-like protrusions on its abdomen.

This is clear evidence that he possesses the bloodline of a dragon.

The rogue cultivator who sold the information had indeed not lied to him!

The Cangming Spirit Serpent's cold, vertical pupils were fixed on the fruit in Lin Che's hand. After realizing that the other party only had the cultivation level of Qi Refining, it launched an attack without hesitation.

As the snake opened its mouth, a highly compressed water bullet, shaped like a dragon's head, shot towards Lin Che in an instant.

However, Lin Che remained calm in the face of the onslaught of attacks.

It is only because he is a Cangming Spirit Serpent in the late stage of Qi Refining that he might deter ordinary Qi Refining cultivators.

But he's a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

With a swift movement, he transformed into a sharp golden streak, effortlessly dodging the water dragon bullet.

He gathered the pure metal elemental essence in his palm and pressed it forward towards the target.

Xuanjin Zhenyue Hand!

In an instant, a huge energy hand with clear patterns, formed from dark golden light, took shape.

"Buzz—"

As the air trembled, a giant, dark golden hand seized the snake's body with overwhelming force, dragging the entire giant snake out of the pool and slamming it heavily onto the shore.

No matter how frantically the Azure Sea Serpent twisted and turned, it could not break free even slightly.

"Are you convinced?"

Lin Che slowly stepped forward and activated the Heart of Ten Thousand Beasts to communicate with it.

His response was an even more intense struggle, and those perpetually cold, vertical pupils.

"You've got quite a temper, haven't you?"

A trace of Foundation Establishment stage pressure was suddenly released, and the giant golden hand grabbed the snake's body and slammed it hard to the ground.

One, two, three... each impact caused the surrounding ground to tremble.

The Azure Serpent's scales shattered from the fall, and its consciousness blurred. It finally realized that the human in front of it, who had "refined qi cultivation," was far beyond its ability to contend with.

"I...I surrender..." A fragmented thought transmitted through the Heart of Ten Thousand Beasts: "I surrender...please spare me..."

Lin Che smiled slightly.

Indeed, the most direct way to make a monster submit is to completely defeat it.

Now that I've got the first one, how far away will the others be?