White waves surged as Bai He used the Overturning Rivers and Seas technique to move rapidly along the ceaselessly flowing river. Not knowing how much time had passed, until the figure of the Cyan Treant was far out of sight, Bai He finally decided to go ashore.
Amidst a churning of spray, Bai He emerged from the water surface, a trace of blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth. He had already sustained injuries during his battle while suppressing his strength against Keao, and afterward, he had been violently grabbed by the massive Cyan Treant; that immensely powerful grip had heavily aggravated his injuries.
Silver-white light flames burned fiercely across Bai He's body, which was covered in silver dragon scales, resembling actual fire. This was Bai He driving the dragon essence within his body to heal his injuries. The powerful Life Essence surged forth like a silver divine fire, instantly evaporating Bai He's soaked clothes.
Struggling to climb onto the riverbank, Bai He pulled Xiao Chen up from the water. Affected by the various turbulent currents generated by his Overturning Rivers and Seas technique, Xiao Chen was still somewhat dizzy. Staggering forward for a dozen meters, Xiao Chen involuntarily fell to the ground with a thump. After retching for a while, Xiao Chen lay flat on his back among the grass, taking deep breaths of the fresh air.
Suddenly, as if sensing that someone was peeking in secret, the two immediately became vigilant. Xiao Chen jumped up abruptly from the ground, and potent Life Essence surged outward. In an instant, it evaporated his clothes, and his entire person instantly became full of vigor once again.
"Someone is here!"
The two exchanged a glance, tacitly shifting their gazes toward the source of the feeling of danger.
Recently, the number of cultivators entering Dragon Island had increased quite a bit. Earlier, many people had undoubtedly watched in secret the process of them being chased by the Cyan Treant, and now someone nearby definitely wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to make a move against them, intending to eliminate two powerful competitors!
Bai He thought to himself.
Thinking of this, Bai He immediately unlocked the breath-concealing ability of the Heavenly Tablet Mystic Skill within his body. The turbulent and tragic dragon Qi imprisoned in his body was instantly released outward, and a strong sense of oppression immediately pervaded the air. This was a warning!
As Bai He's tragic and overbearing dragon Qi permeated the area, a series of startled noises immediately came from the forest not far away. The feeling of someone peeking around decreased significantly in an instant, but there were still people staring at him!
Yet, looking at the brilliant silver light flames burning all over Bai He and his ferocious and powerful Hidden Dragon Transformation appearance, which made it seem as though his combat strength remained, those people ultimately chose to withdraw one by one after a moment of deliberation. This was because they felt that the harvest of getting rid of Bai He and the others was not proportional to the effort required.
Discovering that the dangerous feeling of peeking coming from the surroundings had vanished, Bai He involuntarily felt a sense of relief in his heart, and then reduced the circulation volume of the dragon essence within his body. The brilliant silver light flames burning on the surface of his body instantly became much dimmer.
It was fortunate that they finally retreated, otherwise, given the current state he and Xiao Chen were in, what followed would have been a fierce battle!
Suddenly, some movement came from afar again, and then the sound began to draw closer and closer. Finally, with the sudden flash of three white lights, three familiar figures appeared before the two: they were King Qin Guang, Reincarnation King, and Yama King.
Seeing the three snow-white skeletons before them, the two couldn't help but feel much more at ease. At this moment, in the eyes of the two, these were no longer three skeletons, but three angels, three Guanyin Bodhisattvas who saved people from suffering and difficulty!
The arrival of the three skeletons in the nick of time allowed the two to finally relax completely. However, they still could not linger now; Xiao Chen and the three skeletons began to lead Bai He along the river toward the Tyrant Dragon Territory ahead, preparing to head for the Death Swamp.
Carefully advancing a distance through the Tyrant Dragon Territory, the two finally found a safe and secluded location, preparing to rest and recuperate temporarily.
After resting for a full half-hour, thanks to the majestic dragon essence within the deified Zhongting Acupoint and after circulating the Heavenly Tablet Mystic Skill for a period of time, Bai He's injuries were almost completely healed under the baptism of the abundant vital essence. It was only the Undying Sky Wings on his back that still required him to spend time repairing.
However, because Xiao Chen could not yet utilize the life force stored within his deified acupoints like Bai He, despite practicing his cultivation to heal for over half an hour, Xiao Chen still failed to recover completely like Bai He. Finally, as the hour was already getting late, Bai He had no choice but to carry Xiao Chen on his back and continue their journey toward the Death Swamp.
The three skeletons—King Qin Guang, Yama King, and Reincarnation King—led Bai He as they flew rapidly through the mountain forests, heading all the way toward the swamp.
Some cultivators saw undead creatures actually appearing amidst the lush and verdant mountain forests. Among them, cultivators who had a deep understanding of undead creatures couldn't help but feel extremely surprised.
Shouldn't undead creatures all live in places rich with dead Qi? How could they appear in a vibrant dense forest? This truly made them feel rather baffled.
Some people also wanted to track Bai He and the others, harboring ulterior motives toward the three sentient skeletons or wanting to check their destination. However, the distance from here to the Death Swamp was very far, and the primeval forest was far too dense; without the guidance of the three skeletons, they lost the trail before long.
Bai He followed the three skeletons all the way forward, and the surrounding mist began to grow thick. This mist was not water vapor, but that kind of gloomy and murky mist, somewhat resembling miasma. It seemed they were about to reach the Death Swamp!
As they neared the swamp, Bai He suddenly saw a furry little fellow by the roadside.
This little fellow resembled a snow-white and flawless ball of fluff, its whole body exuding an indescribable spirituality. Its appearance was like a small tiger, yet also like a small lion, and even more like a small kitten, but it was far prettier than any of them. It possessed fluffy long white hair that was snow-white, sleek, flawless, and as bright as silk, shimmering with a milky-white brilliance.
It was only a little over half a foot long, yet it was brimming with spirituality. A pair of large eyes were as bright as black gems, forming a sharp contrast with its snow-white body. Every time it blinked, they fluttered, filled with spiritual energy.
At this moment, it was curled up on the ground, acting in a very human-like manner. With a pair of bright eyes, it was looking pitifully at Bai He, and a snow-white little paw was placed beside its mouth as if it were sucking on it, resembling a starving little child.
"This is... KeKe?"
Looking at the cute little fellow before him, Bai He's heart was practically about to melt from cuteness.
Before transmigrating, he had always wanted to raise a kitten or a puppy. Pity that poverty was the original sin, and he didn't even have a home of his own—let alone whether he could afford to buy one, he was almost eating dirt himself. If he raised pets, were he supposed to let them drink the northwest wind?
The little fellow before him was simply too cute, its entire body radiating a sense of spirituality. The cats and dogs on Earth were simply trash compared to it!
Looking at KeKe, Bai He's mind was rendered completely blank by its cuteness, and Xiao Chen on his back was also somewhat dazed by the sheer cuteness.
"Yiya, yiya..."
The snow-white little fellow emitted a sound resembling that of an infant, and looked at them with pitiful eyes.
Bai He's health bar instantly emptied, and he couldn't help but rush forward to gather KeKe into his arms. This highly spiritual little fellow felt exceptionally comfortable to touch—ah, simply too cute!
However, just as Bai He rushed forward, he carelessly loosened his grip on the hands behind his back. Then, with a "thump," he directly dropped Xiao Chen, who was also somewhat dazed, onto the ground.
Taken completely by surprise, Xiao Chen took a solid tumble, landing right on top of several hard, angular stones beneath him, the pain causing him to immediately leap up.
"Bai He!!!"
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