The creature was shaped like a round drum and had thirty-six tentacles. Smokelike poison miasma wreathed its body, tinged a faint grass green.
The rift in the void that Wu Xiong had opened happened to be right in front of it. The Flying Disc had disturbed it as it passed through and was therefore destroyed.
The long whip Wu Xiong and the others had seen earlier was one of its tentacles.
"Is this the exotic beast known as the Miasma Mother? How could something like that be here?"
At some point, Mei Xuan had appeared beside Li Chen. She gazed at the creature before them, surprise showing on her face.
Heavenly Pivot also appeared nearby and began explaining. "This is an exotic beast native to the Great Wilderness of the ancient cultivation world. It was already rare millions of years ago, and few survive today."
"Miasma Mothers usually dwell in barren valleys or wild jungles, feeding on the killing intent within the woods and living creatures that stray into their habitats, then excreting poison miasma."
"They are quiet by nature and often occupy a single spot without moving for their entire lives. Ancient Cultivators also frequently used them to guard tombs or treasure repositories."
"I see," Li Chen said. "Fortunately, the database has information on it. If it were something we had never encountered, dealing with it would take some effort."
"Still, this beast's cultivation seems formidable. More importantly, the other side appears to be a grotto-heaven of its own, with a considerable amount of space. If this is its final guardian, that's fine. But if it's merely a minor pawn being raised inside, we'll have trouble."
Mei Xuan looked faintly amused. "Didn't you wait over eight months and make every sort of preparation just to open this place?"
"Until