Fraught with Difficulties
Looking back, the Black Wind Ravine was still shrouded in swirling Black Mist, with a mournful wind howling, as if the harrowing experience just moments before had been nothing but a dream.
"Finally we're here! Those bats were so annoying!" Zi Yan patted her light purple dress, which wasn't dusty, her delicate brows furrowed, and she muttered with disgust.
Xiong Zhan also breathed a sigh of relief, as continuously resisting the Black Wind and Sound Wave had taken a considerable toll on him.
Lin Ming's gaze swept across the environment on the opposite bank. It was completely different from the one he had come from. The vegetation was much denser, the trees were taller and older, and the wild aura and energy fluctuations in the air were significantly stronger.
They have officially entered the inner area of the Meteor Beast Mountain Range.
With my feet planted on the solid, dark red earth of the inner perimeter of the Meteor Beast Mountain Range, the chilling howling wind of the Black Wind Ravine behind me gradually faded away, but a deeper, more primal sense of oppression enveloped me from all directions.
The air here seemed much heavier, containing far more violent Heaven and Earth Energy than the surrounding area, as well as a strange energy that could drive the soul slightly mad. If one stayed in this place for too long, one would probably fall into complete madness and become a being with almost no mind.
The canopies of the towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, their branches and leaves growing increasingly bizarre in shape, some resembling twisted ghostly Ghost Claw, others dripping with viscous sap. The ground was covered with a thick layer of decaying leaves, accumulated over countless years, soft and silent underfoot, yet potentially concealing deadly traps. The air was thick with a complex stench, a mixture of dense miasma, strange floral scents, and the stench of Magical Beasts; simply inhaling it caused a slight dizziness.
"The energy here is incredibly violent. An ordinary Dou Emperor would probably struggle to even absorb energy to replenish himself here," Xiong Zhan remarked in a deep voice, sensing the turbulent Heaven and Earth Energy around him.
The dark golden luster on his body flowed slightly, keeping out the Violent Factor that tried to invade his body.
Zi Yan, on the other hand, seemed quite comfortable. She took a deep breath and wrinkled her little nose. "The smell is a bit unpleasant, but being here makes me feel more energetic."
The bloodline of the Primordial Void Dragon seems to have a natural affinity with this wild and untamed environment.
Lin Ming's Soul Power spread out cautiously forward and in all directions, centered on himself, like an invisible spider web.
In the inner area, he dared not be careless in the slightest. Although the range of his Soul Perception had shrunk, its precision had been increased to the extreme. No energy anomaly or hidden killing intent could escape his detection.
"The inner area is different from the outer area. Tier 6 Magical Beast are common, Seventh Order are not uncommon, and there may even be Eighth Order overlords. Moreover, many Magical Beasts possess bizarre innate abilities that are difficult to defend against. In addition, this environment will make them even more bloodthirsty. Therefore, we should try to avoid unnecessary battles and go straight for our target."
Lin Ming gave a deep order, and once again confirmed the relatively safe route to the Fallen Phoenix Abyss marked on the map in his hand.
The three concealed their presence and, led by Lin Ming, moved silently through the primeval forest like three ghosts.
Lin Ming's exquisite use of Space Power was on full display at this moment. He did not simply distort light to achieve visual concealment, but rather interfered more deeply with the surrounding Spatial Fluctuations, making the three of them almost blend into the surrounding environment, making them difficult to perceive.
Even with their utmost caution, the dangers within the Meteor Beast Mountain Range were still beyond their wildest imagination.
While traversing a swamp shrouded in a pale purple mist, a thin layer of purple vapor floated on the surface of the swamp, carrying a sweet and cloying fragrance that seemed harmless but could slowly numb the nerves.
Just as the three were about to step onto the other side, several "Soul Devouring Demon Vine" disguised as withered vines suddenly attacked.
The vines were entirely black, covered with tiny barbs, and almost indistinguishable from the surrounding withered branches. Yet, they suddenly sprang up as if alive, wrapping around the three people's limbs.
Not only could they tear flesh with their barbs, but they could also release soul toxins directly upon contact, attempting to erode the three people's Consciousness Sea. If Lin Ming hadn't possessed powerful Soul Power and detected the faint Soul Fluctuation within the vines in advance, and hadn't formed an invisible barrier with his Soul impact to counter them, Zi Yan's arm would likely have been entangled by the vines, and she would have inevitably suffered some physical harm.
Passing through a seemingly peaceful valley, we found it filled with incomparably beautiful "Intoxicating Flower." The petals were a gradient of rose-red, with golden stamens at the center, emitting an alluring fragrance. When a gentle breeze blew, the sea of flowers rippled like waves, a breathtaking sight.
However, when a Sixth Order "Wind Feather Sparrow" with a wingspan of over ten feet accidentally wandered into the valley and inhaled the fragrance of the flowers, its originally lively eyes instantly became dazed. It swayed in the air as if drunk, its wings lost strength, and finally it plummeted down, crashing heavily into the sea of flowers.
The next second, a crack ten feet wide suddenly appeared in the ground, and a giant "Man-eating Flower" three feet tall burst out from the ground. Its purplish-red petals, like a huge mouth, were covered with serrated teeth. In an instant, it swallowed the Wind Feather Sparrow whole. As the petals closed, the "crack" sound of bones breaking could be heard. Then it slowly sank into the ground, leaving only a few drops of blood on the ground, which were quickly covered by the sea of flowers.
That is the "Soul Bewitching Demonic Flower," whose fragrance can corrupt the soul and create illusions.
Lin Ming and his two companions kept their distance and took a detour.
The biggest trouble is happening in an area known as the "Shadow Poisonous Fog Forest." According to maps and intelligence, this is one of the only routes leading to the Fallen Phoenix Abyss.
Even before getting close, one could see that the area ahead was shrouded in a thick, almost impenetrable, dark green miasma. The miasma, like flowing ink, slowly rolled through the forest, and even sunlight could not penetrate it.
This miasma forest is extremely vast, stretching as far as the eye can see. The tall trees appear and disappear in the miasma, leaving only distorted and blurry outlines, like monsters ready to devour their prey.
The miasma was not only extremely poisonous, but it could also greatly obscure the Soul Perception. Lin Ming tried to probe it with his Soul Power, but it felt as if he had sunk into viscous mud. As soon as his Soul Threads touched the miasma, they were stained with a dark green layer. His perception range was instantly compressed to less than a hundred feet, and the information that came back was blurry and unclear. He could only barely make out the outlines of trees in front of him, and he couldn't even be sure if there were any Magical Beasts lurking there.
"What a powerful Poisonous Miasma!" Xiong Zhan's expression turned solemn. He could feel a strong threat from that dark green miasma, and even with his physical strength, he dared not stay in it for long.
Zi Yan also suppressed her relaxed expression, and the dragon blood in her body instinctively produced a rejection reaction.
"Stay close, protect yourselves, we're going to get through quickly."
Lin Ming took a deep breath, and the dark purple Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame surrounded him, completely annihilating the poison that wanted to invade.
Xiong Zhan and Zi Yan each used their own methods. Xiong Zhan's body surface shone with a strong dark golden luster, while Zi Yan had a faint purple-gold halo flowing around her.
The three of them, like three streaks of light, plunged into the dark green miasma.
Upon entering, visibility immediately plummeted to less than ten feet. Soul Perception was also severely impaired, as if covered by a thick veil. The air was filled with a nauseatingly sweet and fishy stench, and the Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame continuously emitted a sizzling sound on Lin Ming's body, forcing Lin Ming to constantly expend his Dou Qi to maintain it.
What's even more chilling is that this miasma forest is not lifeless.
Beneath their feet lay soft, sticky swamp mud, from which huge bubbles occasionally rose and burst, releasing even more concentrated poisonous gas. Among the twisted trees all around, countless pairs of eyes, gleaming with eerie green and scarlet light, peered in, filled with malice and greed.
"Watch your step and your sides!" Lin Ming whispered a warning.
Before he could finish speaking, the mudflats to his side suddenly exploded, and Giant Python, as thick as a bucket and covered in sticky, dark green scales, leaped out, its blood-red maw wide open, and pounced on Zi Yan, who was positioned slightly ahead!
This Giant Python's aura had clearly reached the early stage of the Seventh Order, and in this Poisonous Miasma environment, its movements were silent and extremely stealthy.
"Snort!"
Zi Yan reacted extremely quickly. Faced with the sudden attack, she did not retreat but advanced, her petite body unleashing astonishing power. She did not use much Dou Qi, but instead threw a punch directly, her fist covered with a layer of solidified purple-gold scale phantoms.
"Bang!"
The fist collided violently with the python's head! A visible shockwave rippled outwards, forcing back some of the surrounding miasma.
The Seventh Order venomous python let out a painful hiss, its massive head smashed to one side, scales shattered, and blood gushing out. It clearly hadn't expected this seemingly weak human girl to possess such terrifying power.
Having landed a successful blow, Zi Yan pressed her advantage relentlessly. With lightning speed, she closed in instantly, grabbing the Giant Python's upper and lower jaws with both hands. With a sharp cry, she unleashed her Dragon Force!
"Tear--!"
A teeth-grinding tearing sound rang out as Zi Yan, relying on brute force, tore the Seventh Order venomous python in half, starting from its mouth!
The foul-smelling blood and entrails sprayed out, but before they could hit the ground, they were burned and Purified by a wisp of Dark Purple Flame that Lin Ming flicked with his finger, to prevent them from causing more trouble.
This brief incident did not deter the three; they continued their rapid journey through the Poisonous Miasma forest with extremely low visibility.
During this time, they encountered several more attacks. There were Shadow Spider hanging from the treetops, spitting venomous silk; there were Poison Thorn Crocodile lurking in the mud, suddenly shooting out bone spikes; and there were swarms of Flying Ant, individually weak but highly venomous...
Most of these attacks were blocked by Xiong Zhan and Zi Yan working together, while Lin Ming was mainly responsible for guiding the way and dealing with some particularly strange and tricky attacks.
His Space Power played a crucial role at this moment, sometimes freezing the attackers' movements, sometimes distorting the trajectory of their attacks, allowing the three of them to resolve the crisis with minimal cost.
After traversing the Shadow Poisonous Fog Forest for about half a day, even with the strength of the three, they felt that their Dou Qi was greatly depleted, and the fatigue from the constant tension in their minds began to emerge.