The entry for cultivating immortality states that after dying a hundred times, I attained immortalit

The cave is narrow, only wide enough for one person to sit cross-legged.

Jiang Bai closed his eyes and regulated his breathing. The "Hundred Poisons Tempering Body Technique" slowly circulated within his body. A faint suction force came from his right arm, drawing in the poisonous miasma seeping in from outside the cave and transforming it into spiritual energy to nourish the wound.

The pills in Chen Lei's storage bag came in very handy.

After taking the high-grade Yellow Rank Bone-Regenerating Pill, a tingling and itchy sensation came from the blood hole in his left shoulder where the skull cane had pierced him, and the broken bones were slowly reconnecting.

The Nourishing Spirit Pill stabilized the spirit that was exhausted from the repeated deadly battles.

The sword wound in his abdomen was the most troublesome.

The lightning-attribute sword energy left behind when the Thunder Fang Sword pierced through the body still lingered deep within the meridians, occasionally surging and causing needle-like pain.

Jiang Bai could only use a slow and steady approach, gradually wearing it down and dispelling it with the spiritual power transformed from the poisonous patterns.

Three hours passed, and the sky outside the cave turned from dusky yellow to pitch black, marking the arrival of the second night in the secret realm.

Jiang Bai opened his eyes. Seventy percent of the sword energy in his abdomen had been cleared, and the rest was no longer a threat.

He moved his left shoulder, but it no longer affected his ability to exert force.

Just as he was about to get up, the [Killing Intent Perception] suddenly issued a warning.

Jiang Bai immediately focused his mind and extended his senses outward.

Several malevolent auras were converging on Riftwind Cliff from different directions.

Three auras came from the southeast, two at the fourth level of Qi Refining and one at the fifth level, their spiritual energy fluctuations carrying the mixed characteristics of rogue cultivators. Four auras came from the south, all at the fourth level of Qi Refining, their spiritual energy properties similar, suggesting they came from the same family.

Three figures appeared in each of the southwest and northwest directions, their cultivation levels ranging from the fourth to the fifth level of Qi Refining, and their spiritual power carried the yin and soft characteristics of the Li family's cultivation techniques.

Four teams, totaling thirteen people.

Jiang Bai's eyes were calm, and instead of panicking, he even tugged at the corners of his mouth.

He took out the jade slip containing the "Five Thunder Locking Spirit Sword Diagram" from Chen Lei and quickly scanned it by placing it on his forehead.

The latter half of the jade slip indeed contained a simple array diagram of the Burial Sword Valley, with the words "Remnants of an Ancient Teleportation Array" marked in cinnabar in one corner.

Jiang Bai noted down the location and put the jade slip away.

This is not the time to delve into it.

He cleared away the rubble at the entrance of the cave and looked out.

Under the cover of night, the poisonous miasma in Black Wind Valley is even thicker than during the day.

In the distance, a few faint lights could be seen moving slowly; those were the protective light shields erected by the pursuers.

Jiang Bai did not retreat towards the Poison Ivy Cave.

Instead, he lowered his body and slid down the cliff face.

At the bottom of Riftwind Cliff lies a swamp spanning several miles, marked on the map as the "Poison Swamp Area." Poisonous miasma lingers there year-round, and the ground is covered with corrosive mud, making it a place ordinary cultivators avoid at all costs.

But for him, it was an excellent hunting ground.

After a short while, Jiang Bai stepped onto the outer edge of the poisonous swamp.

Jiang Bai removed the black veil from his right hand, revealing nine poisonous markings that covered his entire forearm.

The patterns shimmered with various colors of light in the dim environment.

With a thought, a suction force emanated from the poisonous pattern.

The surrounding poisonous miasma seemed to be drawn in, wisps of it surging toward his right arm, where it was swallowed and transformed by the patterns.

Although the speed is slow and far less efficient than the Blood Pool, it has the advantage of being continuous.

In the [Killing Intent Perception], the four teams have successively ascended the stone platform of Riftwind Cliff.

After a moment of deathly silence, faint shouts and curses came from the cliff.

They had obviously seen corpses all over the ground.

Then, the light began to move down the cliff.

They caught up with them.

Jiang Baifu lowered his body and quietly activated the [Concealing Breath Technique], causing his aura to drop sharply, almost blending into the surrounding poisonous miasma.

He chose a spot behind a dead tree root half-submerged in mud and water to hide, and waited quietly.

The first to step into the poisonous swamp were those two rogue cultivators.

Both were dressed in gray, close-fitting clothes. One held a knife, and the other held a stick. Their protective auras were strained, clearly indicating that they were extremely wary of the poisonous swamp environment.

"Damn it, this godforsaken place."

The rogue cultivator, wielding a knife, cursed, then accidentally stepped into a muddy puddle. The dirty water reached his knees. He hurriedly pulled his leg out, his trousers now covered in black mud. "That kid really ran this way?"

The rogue cultivator gripping his staff cautiously looked around: "The bloodstains are heading in this direction. Be careful; anyone who could kill Chen Lei and the deputy valley master of Black Fiend Valley is no ordinary person." The two of them, one in front of the other, carefully probed forward.

As the rogue cultivator passed the withered tree roots where Jiang Bai was hiding, he suddenly stopped, frowning as he looked into the shadows of the roots: "Is there something hidden there...?"

Before he could finish speaking, a figure suddenly sprang up from behind the withered tree roots! Jiang Bai activated [Swift Shadow Step], his figure moving so fast that it left afterimages, and in an instant he was beside the rogue cultivator wielding the knife.

He gripped the other man's neck with his right hand like an iron clamp and twisted it sharply.

Click.

The crisp sound was particularly clear in the silent swamp.

The sword-wielding rogue's eyes widened suddenly, his long sword clattering into the muddy water as he collapsed limply to the ground. The staff-wielding rogue retreated in horror, simultaneously swinging his staff horizontally, the wind from which whipped up a large spray of muddy water.

Jiang Bai dodged the muddy water by sidestepping, and with a sudden push off the edge of the mud pit, he was already pouncing in front of the other person as the mud and water exploded.

He reached out with his left hand, firmly gripping the long stick that was being swung at him, while his right index and middle fingers joined together to form a sword, aiming straight for the opponent's Adam's apple.

puff.

The force of the finger penetrated through his throat. The rogue cultivator gripping the staff let out a hoarse "hoarse" sound, staggered back two steps, and fell backward into the muddy pool. The murky water churned a few times before falling silent again. Jiang Bai bent down, quickly tore off the storage bags from the two men, and kicked their corpses into a deep muddy pool.

A few bubbles rose to the surface of the mud, slowly engulfing the corpse. From the start to the end, it took no more than three breaths.

Jiang Bai retreated from the shadows, and the [Concealing Breath Technique] enveloped his body once more, his aura falling silent again.

The second team quickly entered the poisonous swamp.

It was the four Chen family cultivators, all dressed in indigo robes. The leader was a square-faced middle-aged man with a Qi Refining level five cultivation, carrying a broad-bladed longsword. The four advanced in a diamond formation, with no more than two steps between each other, clearly well-trained.

When Jiang Bai and the other three reached the middle of the poisonous swamp, at the edge of a relatively open mud pit, they took out two Wind-Raising Talismans from their storage bags and wrapped a packet of Softening Tendon Powder in the center of the talisman.

Spiritual energy is infused, and the talisman is activated.

call--

Two whirlwinds appeared out of nowhere, carrying poisonous powder that rushed towards the four members of the Chen family.

"Watch out for the poison powder!" the square-faced middle-aged man shouted, and the four of them simultaneously raised their protective spiritual energy.

The Softening Powder, upon contact with the spiritual light, immediately transformed into a pale gray mist, seeping inwards through the gaps in the light. The two Qi Refining Level 4 cultivators in the back row, whose cultivation was slightly weaker, were the first to have their protective spiritual light eroded, allowing the poison powder to enter their bodies. Their expressions changed drastically, and their legs went weak, causing them to collapse to the ground.

"Hold your breath!" The square-faced middle-aged man retreated hastily, simultaneously unleashing several sword energies in an attempt to dispel the poisonous mist.

Another cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining also retreated, but slipped and fell into the mud next to him, struggling in a sorry state.

Jiang Bai had been waiting for this moment.

He emerged from the shadows and lunged at the monk who had fallen into the mud.

The square-faced middle-aged man roared, "You scoundrel, how dare you!" He slashed his broadsword through the air, the sword energy tearing through the poisonous miasma, aiming straight for Jiang Baihou's heart.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Jiang Bai suddenly reversed his forward momentum, unleashing the second burst of the [Swift Shadow Step], his figure shifting two zhang to the side like a ghost, just avoiding the sword energy.

At the same time, he raised his right hand, and three iron caltrops shot towards the square-faced middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man parried with his sword, the caltrops striking the blade and exploding, releasing only ordinary poison powder with no special power. He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that his opponent had run out of tricks. Just as he was about to give chase, he saw Jiang Bai already lunging towards the edge of the mud pit.

The cultivator who had fallen into the mud was struggling to get up when Jiang Bai stepped on his back, shoving him back into the mud. At the same time, he bent down and slapped the back of the cultivator's head.

puff.

A string of blood bubbles rose from the mud.

The square-faced middle-aged man, his eyes bloodshot, roared as he charged forward. The remaining limp cultivator also managed to get up, gritting his teeth as he summoned a small shield to protect himself.

Jiang Bai turned around to face the two of them.

His right arm drooped slightly—the toxins stored in the poisonous pattern had recovered to 50%, which was enough.

The square-faced middle-aged man's swordplay was ruthless; each strike aimed straight for vital points, his sword energy slicing through the surrounding mud and water, sending it flying everywhere. The shield-wielding cultivator hid behind him, occasionally launching a few flying needles as a sneak attack.

Jiang Bai weaved through the sword light, seemingly in perilous situations, but in reality, his footwork was composed and unhurried.

After ten moves, he suddenly revealed an opening, and his retreat was a beat too slow.

The square-faced middle-aged man fell for the trap and thrust his longsword straight at Jiang Bai's heart.

Just before the sword tip touched his body, Jiang Bai's [Desperate Counterattack] was triggered!

That familiar, violent power surged forth once more, sweeping away the sluggishness caused by his injuries. His left hand shot out with lightning speed, managing to trap the tip of the thrusting sword between two fingers!

The square-faced middle-aged man's pupils suddenly contracted. He tried to draw his sword with all his might, but the sword did not budge.

Jiang Bai clenched his right fist and punched him in the chest.

This punch was completely devoid of any fancy moves; it was simply an overwhelming display of power surging under the "Desperate Counterattack" state.

The moment the fist touched the protective aura, it shattered like glass. The fist plunged straight in, landing solidly on the sternum.

boom!

A dull thud resounded.

The square-faced middle-aged man's chest caved in, his clothes ripped open at the back, and the force of his punch blasted through his body, creating a crater over ten feet deep in the mud behind him. He coughed up blood, his body flew backward, and crashed into the depths of the mud, where he remained motionless.

The shield-wielding cultivator was terrified and turned to flee.

Jiang Bai swayed and caught up with him, grabbing his neck with his right hand and twisting it forcefully.

Click.

The body collapsed to the ground.

Jiang Bai caught his breath, the "Desperate Counterattack" state beginning to fade. He quickly searched the storage bags of the four men and sank all the corpses into the mud.

After doing all this, he vanished into the depths of the poisonous miasma in a flash.

A moment later, the two teams from the Li family, totaling six people, joined together and stepped into the poisonous swamp.

The six men's expressions turned serious when they saw the traces of a fierce battle by the mud pit and the bloodstains that had not yet completely settled.

The leader was an elderly man with a white beard, at the sixth level of Qi Refining, leaning on a snake-headed staff. He squatted down, dipped his fingers in mud, sniffed it, and said in a deep voice, "The Chen family has also fallen. That kid, despite being seriously injured, still possesses such fighting strength; he should not be underestimated."

A middle-aged female cultivator frowned and said, "The poisonous miasma here is too dense, which is disadvantageous to us. Perhaps we should retreat first and set up a net around the perimeter..."

Before he could finish speaking...

laugh--

A whooshing sound came from the poisonous miasma on the left.

The female cultivator reacted with lightning speed, her figure flashing past as a gray-black poisoned needle grazed her ear and embedded itself in a dead tree behind her. The needle penetrated half an inch into the trunk, and the surrounding bark quickly turned black and rotted.

"Enemy attack!" the white-bearded old man shouted, slamming his snake-headed staff on the ground. A pale green light shield instantly opened, protecting the six people inside.

Almost simultaneously, three more poisonous needles shot out from the poisonous miasma on the right, hitting the light shield with a "sizzling" sound and corroding several small pits.

"He's there!" A young monk gripped his magical longsword tightly.

The white-bearded old man's eyes were gloomy: "Don't scatter, form a formation and retreat slowly."

The six people stood back to back, maintaining the light barrier, and retreated step by step towards the outside of the poisonous swamp.

However, the attacks with poison needles did not stop.

Sometimes from the front, sometimes from the side or rear, the angles were extremely tricky, each time precisely targeting the weakest point in the flow of the light barrier. Although the power was insufficient to break through the light barrier, it made the six people tense, and their spiritual energy consumption increased even more.

When they retreated to the edge of the poisonous swamp, the light shield had become noticeably dim.

laugh!

Another poisoned needle shot out, this time aimed directly at the young cultivator. He was already tense, and when he saw the poisoned needle coming, he instinctively dodged to the side, but bumped into his companion beside him.

The operation of the photomask momentarily stopped.

In that instant, a figure burst out from the poisonous miasma, moving so fast that only a blur remained.

Jiang Bai, draped in a cloak of concealment, activated his [Concealment Technique] to its maximum, until he was within three feet of the light barrier before the six of them suddenly noticed. He spread his five fingers wide, the poisonous patterns shimmering with eerie light, and slammed his claw into the spot where the light barrier had stopped.

A piercing tearing sound suddenly rang out.

The light shield was forcibly torn open, leaving a gap.

Jiang Bai immediately thrust out his Thunder Fang Sword with his left hand, the sword crackling with lightning, aiming straight for the young cultivator's throat.

The young cultivator was horrified and raised his sword to block.

clang!

The two swords clashed, and the lightning on the Thunder Fang Sword surged up his arm along the blade. Half of the young cultivator's body went numb, and his movements slowed by a beat.

Jiang Baijian changed his stance, switching from a thrust to a slash, and the sword light suddenly swept across his neck.

A head flew into the sky.

"Xiao Wu!" The white-bearded old man's eyes widened in fury as he swept his snake-headed staff out, spewing out a cloud of emerald-green poisonous mist from the snake's mouth at the top of the staff.

Jiang Bai had already withdrawn and retreated, disappearing back into the poisonous miasma.

Another middle-aged male cultivator roared, wanting to give chase, but was sternly stopped by the white-bearded elder: "Don't chase! He's deliberately trying to scatter us!"

The remaining five people stood back to back, and the light shield was raised again, but it was a little dimmer than before.

A brief silence fell over the poisonous swamp.

Only the thick, poisonous miasma flowed slowly, and the distant "puff puff" sound of bubbling mud could be heard.

The white-bearded old man's face was ashen, and the veins on the back of his hand, gripping the snake-headed staff, bulged. Less than half an hour after entering the poisonous swamp, they hadn't injured a single enemy, but instead lost two. That Jiang Bai was elusive and knew the terrain like the back of his hand; if they continued the pursuit, more deaths were likely.

"Get out of here," the old man said through gritted teeth. "Stay outside and watch over him. I don't believe he can hide in this poisonous swamp forever."

The five men were unwilling, but dared not object, and slowly retreated from the poisonous swamp while maintaining their formation.

Only after the five auras in the [Killing Intent Perception] had completely disappeared did Jiang Bai slowly stand up from a mud puddle.

He wiped the mud off his face and exhaled a breath of stale air.

Although he won all three battles, his spiritual energy was greatly depleted.

In particular, the final powerful attack on the light shield almost completely drained the newly recovered toxin reserves.

Fortunately, the deterrent effect was achieved.

Jiang Bai walked to the edge of the poisonous swamp and looked out at the faint, flickering spiritual light.

As expected, the five members of the Li family did not go far. Instead, they formed a defensive formation and set up camp a hundred feet outside the poisonous swamp, seemingly determined to surround and trap them.

He smiled nonchalantly and turned to walk deeper into the poisonous swamp.

After walking half a mile, I found a crevice in the rocks half-hidden by withered vines, crawled inside, and sat down cross-legged.

First, check the results.

Two independent cultivators, four members of the Chen family, and one member of the Li family, totaling seven storage bags.

A number of spirit stones, elixirs, talismans, and miscellaneous items.

The most valuable item is the broad-bladed longsword of the square-faced middle-aged man. It is also a low-grade magic weapon. Although it is not as good as the Thunder Fang Sword, it can be kept as a spare.

After tidying up his things, Jiang Bai took out Chen Lei's array diagram again.

As his fingertips brushed against the mark "Remnants of an Ancient Teleportation Array," Jiang Bai's eyes flickered slightly.

How could there be remnants of a teleportation array in such a place?

If it truly exists, the origins of this secret realm are likely even more complex than what the three races know.

He memorized the formation diagram and carefully put it away.

The most important thing right now is to recover as quickly as possible and then head to Poison Ivy Cave to reunite with Jiang Shan and the others.

As for those people outside...

Jiang Bai closed his eyes, concentrated, and began to regulate his breathing.

Thick wisps of poisonous miasma from the swamp converged on him, the poisonous markings on his right arm greedily devouring it, transforming it into spiritual energy to nourish his damaged body.

One night is enough.