Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

"My God!" Zhang Daniu was so frightened that his soul almost left his body. He instinctively reached out to swing his axe, but his panic made him a beat too slow!

"Get out of the way!" At the critical moment, Shi Tie reacted extremely quickly. Without even looking, he swung his iron rod horizontally! The iron rod, accompanied by a fierce wind, struck the water serpent precisely at its vital spot!

With a muffled "plop!", the water python was thrown backward and landed in the mud. It struggled for a couple of moments before becoming still.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye!

Zhang Daniu was still in shock, panting heavily as he watched the snake carcass slowly sink into the mud. His back was soaked with cold sweat.

"Thank... thank you, Brother Tiezi!" he stammered.

"Hmph!" Shi Tie sheathed his iron rod and snorted. "How many times have I told you! In this place, keep your eyes open! If Qingyan hadn't shouted quickly, you'd be missing your legs!"

"Junior Sister Qingyan, we owe you a lot this time." Su Xiao also looked at Zhao Qingyan with approval in her eyes. If it weren't for her early warning, which gave Shi Tie time to react, the consequences would have been unpredictable.

Zhao Qingyan shook her head slightly, her face still a little pale: "I... I just sensed an abnormal fluctuation in the water elemental energy there..."

She never expected that her intuition would actually come in handy.

Shen Mo walked closer, glanced at the swamp, and said in a deep voice, "The Yunmeng Marsh is fraught with danger, often erupting in an instant. Qingyan's early warning was crucial. Shi Tie's response was timely. Da Niu, you must remember this lesson: panic is the worst thing you can do when facing an enemy."

"Yes, Sect Leader! I...I remember!" Zhang Daniu lowered his head in shame.

After these series of unexpected events, the five people in the team all looked even more solemn.

The initial excitement and ease had vanished completely. In their place was a deep apprehension about these treacherous waters, and a nascent trust and reliance between them.

"Keep moving forward." Shen Mo waved his hand. "Stay alert. We shouldn't be far from the edge of the Water Mansion."

The five of them embarked on their journey again, their steps more cautious and their eyes sharper.

Having traversed the deadly poisonous miasma and narrowly escaped the sneak attack of the black water python, the five-person team from Qingyun Sect had truly experienced the power of Yunmengze.

The slight sense of pride that came from the improvement in cultivation level had long been crushed by the heavy reality.

The path beneath their feet became increasingly difficult to traverse. The mud was knee-deep, and each step required considerable effort. The "plop" sound of pulling their feet out was particularly jarring in the deathly silence of the swamp.

All around were endless puddles of murky, yellow water, with rotting leaves and the skeletons of unknown animals floating on the surface, emitting a nauseating, sour stench.

The air was thick with damp, cold moisture that clung to the skin, making one feel uncomfortable all over.

"This godforsaken place is no place for a human to live!" Shi Tie cursed under his breath as he struggled to pull his feet out of the mud. "It's even worse than when I was mining in the mines back in the day!"

"Senior Brother Tie, say less and save your energy." Su Xiao followed behind him, her breathing slightly rapid, and sweat beaded on her forehead.

She not only had to watch her step, but also had to constantly maintain her spiritual awareness, which took a great toll on her mental energy.

Zhang Daniu had learned his lesson. He kept his head down, carefully following in the footsteps of the person in front of him, gripping the axe handle tightly in his hand, his eyes scanning the surrounding water and reeds like searchlights. That sudden movement had really frightened him.

Zhao Qingyan walked at the back, her face pale and her steps unsteady. With the lowest cultivation level, it was especially difficult for her to persevere in this environment.

But she gritted her teeth, remained silent, and tried her best to sense any unusual fluctuations of spiritual energy in the surrounding environment.

Shen Mo walked in the middle of the group, seemingly calm, but in reality, his divine sense had already been raised to its limit, like an invisible net covering every inch of space within a radius of ten feet.

He not only had to be aware of obvious dangers, but also had to be distracted by observing the terrain and the direction of the water flow, trying to find a relatively safe path, while also keeping an eye on Zhao Qingyan, who was clearly in poor condition behind him.

"Qingyan, can you still hold on?" Shen Mo asked without turning his head, his voice calm and unwavering.

"I...I can do it, Sect Leader," Zhao Qingyan replied stubbornly, trying her best to keep her voice from trembling.

"Hmm." Shen Mo didn't ask any more questions, but simply slowed his pace a little.

They traveled for about half an hour more. Ahead, a relatively open body of water appeared, its color deeper than the surrounding area, with a few black rocks covered in green moss peeking out from the surface. It looked like a place where they could rest for a while.

"Rest for fifteen minutes on that big reef ahead," Shen Mo ordered. The continuous, highly stressful march in harsh conditions had already pushed Zhao Qingyan, whose cultivation was weaker, and Su Xiao, who was exhausted, to their limits.

The group perked up and quickened their pace, moving toward the nearest table-sized rock.

Shi Tie was the first to climb onto the reef, reaching out his large hand to pull Su Xiao and Zhao Qingyan up behind him. Zhang Daniu also clumsily climbed up. Shen Mo was the last to leap up gracefully.

Stepping onto the solid (relative to the mud) rocks, everyone breathed a long sigh of relief, took out their water bags, sipped water, and wiped away their sweat.

"This place is really awful..." Zhang Daniu plopped down on a rock, rubbing his aching legs and sighing.

"We've only just begun," Shi Tie said, though he was also tired, he wouldn't admit defeat. "I heard the underwater palace is even deeper inside!"

Su Xiao didn't speak, but silently circulated his cultivation technique, trying to recover his depleted spiritual energy as soon as possible.

Zhao Qingyan leaned against the edge of the rock, closed her eyes and regulated her breathing, her small chest rising and falling slightly.

Shen Mo stood atop the highest point of the reef, his sharp gaze sweeping across the surrounding waters. The waters were unusually still. Even the previously incessant chirping of insects seemed to have vanished.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed! His gaze locked onto a seemingly ordinary patch of murky water not far away! There, several huge dark figures were silently approaching the reef where they were!

"Be on guard! There's something underwater!" Shen Mo shouted sharply! His voice was like thunder, exploding in everyone's ears!

Whoosh! Everyone sprang to their feet! Shi Tie grabbed an iron rod! Zhang Daniu held his axe horizontally in front of his chest! Su Xiao scanned the water with all his might! Zhao Qingyan also suddenly opened her eyes, her face drained of color!

Almost at the same moment Shen Mo spoke! "Splash!" A huge splash! Five or six enormous, black crocodile-like monsters, covered in thick bone armor and with long snouts and sharp teeth, suddenly leaped out of the water!

With its gaping maw wide open and a foul-smelling wind blowing, it lunged at the five people on the reef!

Their auras had clearly reached the second or third level of Qi Refining!

It's a blackwater crocodile! A common social predator in the Yunmeng Marsh! Fierce and cunning!