Chapter 749: Chapter 749

The group continued onward, following the Purple River upstream.

They were getting closer and closer to the Purple Mist End. From within the depths of the forest, faint glimmers of purple light had begun to shine.

Just then, Xiang Yi, who was leading at the front, suddenly raised his hand sharply and looked toward the Purple River with a grave expression.

Everyone’s heart sank. They immediately halted.

The next moment, a massive splash erupted from the center of the river, and a black shadow burst out of the water. Before anyone could see what it was, it vanished right before their eyes. Orıginal content can be found at Nov3lFɪre.ɴet

Cries of alarm rang out as the group scattered in an instant.

A flicker of red light flashed across Qin Sang’s body. He was about to activate the secret talisman to retreat, when an ominous feeling gripped his heart. Without hesitation, he slapped the Corpse Puppet Pouch at his waist. The flying yaksha appeared instantly.

A muffled crash followed.

The flying yaksha was sent flying, slamming hard against a tree.

Its malevolent aura scattered, and its chest had caved inward. Fortunately, its physical body was extremely resilient; otherwise, it would have been torn apart on the spot.

Had it been anyone else present who took that blow directly, the outcome would have been disastrous.

Once the flying yaksha was knocked aside, the creature finally revealed itself. It was a monstrous fish. Its body resembled that of a crocodile, but its limbs and tail appeared stitched together from various demonic beasts, its appearance utterly savage.

Qin Sang seized the opportunity to retreat to the yaksha’s side and checked its injuries. To his shock, its chest had been pierced through.

Cui Ji looked over with gloating amusement.

But the blow had not struck a vital spot. Though the wound looked horrific, it did not impair the yaksha’s overall ability. As long as it could absorb some Earth Malevolent Qi, it would recover swiftly.

Qin Sang’s first reaction in a crisis was always to flee or summon the ebony sword or the yaksha. The creatures in this forest were entirely unfamiliar, with strange and unpredictable abilities. Even with the protection of the Golden Radiance Armor, he had no intention of letting them get close.

And against this creature from the Purple River, the sachets had no effect.

He was rather frustrated. The reason it had chosen to ambush him was simple. Of the eight people present, only he and Madam Liu had the weakest cultivation. And Madam Liu had someone guarding her closely. The choice of target had been obvious.

Xiang Yi stared at the strange fish with a frown, suddenly recalling something. "Not good! That’s a Purple River Crocodile! Kill it now!"

Everyone froze. Although they didn’t know why, seeing Xiang Yi’s urgency, they didn’t dare to delay. One after another, they summoned their astras.

In an instant, lights of all colors burst forth and slammed toward the same target.

Qin Sang also joined the attack, unleashing Sword Qi Thunderclap to avenge the yaksha.

The Purple River Crocodile turned to flee, its bloated body moving with surprising agility. As it fled, it opened its jaws and let out a piercing screech.

The scream sliced through the air, drilling into their eardrums.

Just as the creature shrieked, it was struck by the ebony sword, followed by two other astra attacks. The astras struck the Purple River Crocodile in quick succession, but failed to kill it, allowing its cry to ring out.

Everyone prepared to continue attacking, but Xiang Yi raised his hand to stop them.

He kept his eyes locked on the depths of the forest and allowed the Purple River Crocodile to escape back into the river. Under the confused gazes of the others, he muttered in a low voice, "The Purple River Crocodile’s cry can summon nearby beasts. Move! Head straight into the Purple Mist End!"

Before he had even finished speaking, the group sensed something stirring in the distance.

Strange, frantic howls echoed closer and closer. Countless dark figures were charging toward them from within the forest.

The sight made everyone’s scalp tingle. Without needing further orders from Xiang Yi, they all recalled their astras and fled at full speed.

The difference in evasion techniques became clear.

Qin Sang only needed to activate the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman to keep pace with Xiang Yi, who had the fastest escape speed of them all, drawing surprised looks from everyone else.

Right behind them were the Liu couple and the young man with the sword. That young man had comprehended Sword Qi Thunderclap on his own, and when Qin Sang had just summoned the ebony sword, the young man had watched him for quite some time.

Following behind were Cui Ji, the rotund man, and the masked cultivator surnamed Pan. The three were about the same speed, though Daoist Pan appeared the most relaxed, as if he hadn’t even used his full strength.

Behind them, beasts surged forth in great numbers.

The group fled in a sorry state, but fortunately, the Purple Mist End was not far away. Soon, they saw the vast expanse of Purple Mist ahead.

The mist stretched endlessly, blanketing the entire forest in a thick haze.

As they neared, a sweet floral scent drifted into their noses, followed by an immediate stinging sensation across their skin.

They hadn’t even entered the mist and were already being corroded. Hastily, they activated their true essence to protect their bodies.

The approaching beasts grew louder, their footsteps thundering through the forest like muffled explosions.

Just as Xiang Yi landed, he quickly retrieved a lotus-shaped treasure from his Mustard Seed Pouch. On closer inspection, it became clear that this was not a real lotus flower. It gave off a pale luster and had actually been carved from some kind of white bone.

The lotus treasure remained closed.

He poured his true essence into it.

The lotus slowly began to open. It was about the size of a palm, and every petal glowed with radiant light. These lights eventually converged to form a large protective shield.

When the Purple Mist touched the shield, it immediately veered away, creating a safe zone spacious enough to accommodate all eight of them with ease.

"Get inside," Xiang Yi called.

The group gathered closer, deactivating their protective true essence. Once inside, they realized their skin no longer stung. The treasure truly did ward off the poisonous mist.

Under the protection of the lotus treasure, they hurried into the Purple Mist End.

Holding their breath and staying silent, they listened closely. Before long, the sounds of beasts running behind them came to a halt. The ferocious creatures lingered outside, emitting strange howls, but none dared enter.

"I was careless. Purple River Crocodiles are extremely rare. They excel at lurking and ambushing. I thought that with our numbers, they wouldn’t dare show themselves... Luckily, Daoist Master Qingfeng’s supernatural abilities are exceptional," Xiang Yi explained.

Cui Ji sneered sarcastically, "That heretic has been relying on that yaksha to keep up appearances since twenty years ago, and still hasn’t made any real progress."

The cultivator surnamed Liu shook his head. "I wouldn’t say that. That yaksha doesn’t seem ordinary to me. Its physical body is extremely tough. That hit looked like just a surface wound. When I was at the middle stage, I wouldn’t have found it easy to defeat it either. What’s most impressive is Daoist Master’s evasion technique. I could never keep up with that. I hope we’ll have the chance to exchange pointers someday."

Xiang Yi also nodded in agreement. "It looks like an astra refined from a Jiao spirit, yet it also has the characteristics of a spirit talisman. Very curious..."

"Evasion techniques are minor tricks at best. I'm embarrassed to have shown it off," Qin Sang said coolly. Naturally, he had no intention of revealing anything about the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman.

No one pressed further, as it was inappropriate to delve into another’s secrets.

Cui Ji, though frustrated, could not speak further.

Outside, the beast horde gradually dispersed.

The group took the chance to examine their surroundings.

Within the Purple Mist End, the ancient trees were clearly more sparse, and their bark had taken on a purplish hue under the mist’s influence.

Upon seeing this, Qin Sang suddenly lowered his head and stared at the lotus in Xiang Yi’s hand. Pointing to one of the petals, he asked in confusion, "Daoist Xiang, is this treasure also being corroded by the Purple Mist?"

Everyone looked more closely and indeed noticed that the petal, once a pure, pale white, now bore an eerie shade of pink.