"I see… No wonder," Yao Lao muttered with a hint of realization after hearing Xiao Yan's account. "I was wondering—this place is clearly a forest, not a swamp. Why is it called the Heavenly Poison Swamp? So it's all because of this neurotoxin."
Indeed, those ensnared by this neurotoxin—trapped in its illusions—might as well be sinking into a swamp, getting pulled in deeper and deeper until they're entirely consumed. Even someone like Xiao Yan, though he managed to break free of the illusion, would likely have fallen here without Yao Lao's help.
Heavenly Flames could resist most poisons in the world, but this neurotoxin was an exception. It didn't cause any direct harm to the body but lured its victims into illusions, slowly stripping away their ability to resist. Because it wasn't aggressive in nature, Xiao Yan's flame barrier didn't react to it. Of course, part of the reason was also that Xiao Yan's current strength wasn't high enough—had he been stronger or more prepared, the toxin wouldn't have worked on him at all.
"Teacher, how are you now?" Xiao Yan asked, concerned.
"This forest seems to heavily restrict soul power," Yao Lao replied with a sigh. "My spiritual energy is being consumed at more than a hundred times the usual rate. You were entangled by those black vines for nearly two hours, and I had to shield you the whole time. Now, I've nearly exhausted my strength." His voice grew weaker, tinged with exhaustion. "I'm afraid I'll be falling into slumber again very soon."
"I'll find a way to help you recover your soul power as soon as possible," Xiao Yan said after a pause, his tone calm and resolute.
"Heh… I don't doubt that. You've always exceeded my expectations." Yao Lao chuckled softly. "But for now, you'll have to continue alone for a while."
As his voice faded, he suddenly seemed to remember something important and hastily added, "One more thing. While I'm asleep, you can use my ring. The Hundred Solution Pill I refined is inside—it can help you subdue the Netherworld Poison Flame if you find it. The Soul Absorption Ink you'll need to consume the flame is there as well. Oh, and I've stored some Bone-Chilling Cold Flame in there too. If you run into real danger, use it."
With those final words, Yao Lao's presence completely faded. He had entered a deep sleep.
His teacher's silence didn't cause Xiao Yan much panic. After all, in his previous life he had walked this path alone—no guidance, no protection. He was long used to bearing everything by himself. This was just losing one more person who could help him carry the burden.
If anything, Yao Lao's slumber meant greater freedom. There were some techniques and Dou Skills he had hesitated to use under Yao Lao's watchful eye. Now, he could wield them without concern. So in a sense, this wasn't all bad.
Without delay, Xiao Yan took a few Qi Recovery Pills from his storage ring and popped them into his mouth. While restoring his Dou Qi, he pressed forward, heading deeper into the Heavenly Poison Swamp.
He understood clearly—this neurotoxin wasn't something that should exist in this kind of terrain. Something inside the swamp had to be producing it. Even if it wasn't the Netherworld Poison Flame, there had to be some extraordinary treasure at its core.
Venturing deeper into the swamp was undoubtedly dangerous. The maps he had purchased wouldn't include detailed paths within the Heavenly Poison Swamp, just like with the other forbidden zones. In those places, he could rely on his soul perception to scout ahead—but not here. The swamp severely suppressed spiritual energy, leaving him effectively blind.
Luckily, Xiao Yan possessed something else—an instinct forged through millions of battles in his past life. Constant brushes with death had honed this primal sixth sense. It wasn't innate, but earned through blood and suffering.
Thanks to this intuition, Xiao Yan could sense which direction held the greatest danger. And where danger gathered, there often lay the source.
As he continued onward, the dense forest gradually thinned. Eventually, he came upon an enormous tree, dozens of times larger than the surrounding ones. Its size rivaled the ancient Bodhi Tree he had once seen in his previous life.
Strangely, a tree of such scale should have been visible even from miles away. Yet before entering the swamp, he hadn't seen it at all. Nor did the map mention it.
"This is it…" Xiao Yan muttered.
As he neared the towering black tree, the sense of danger he had been feeling reached its peak. He knew—whatever was behind all this, it was here. He could no longer afford to conserve his soul power. Mobilizing it, he tried to probe the tree.
But nothing came up. No unusual energy. No fluctuation.
Still, Xiao Yan trusted his instincts far more than the data his senses gave him. Eyes narrowing, he raised his hand and summoned the Nine Nether Flame, hurling it directly at the tree.
As the flames engulfed it, the tree let out a chilling, human-like scream. Its massive form began to shrink rapidly. Before long, what stood before Xiao Yan was no longer a tree—but a grayish-black humanoid skeleton. Deep within its hollow eye sockets flickered a strange violet flame.
Crack…! The skeleton slowly stood upright, a surge of gray-black mist spreading from its body. Xiao Yan immediately swallowed a detoxifying pill, then drew his Heavy Xuan Ruler, entering combat stance.
A skeleton that had been dead for countless years shouldn't be able to move. Perhaps a Dou Saint-level being could reanimate themselves, but this was the Chu Yun Empire—there was no way someone of that caliber had died here. Besides, if this were a Dou Saint's remains, even their residual aura would be overwhelming. But Xiao Yan felt no such pressure.
If the skeleton couldn't move, and the tree shouldn't have screamed, then the only explanation was that both had been parasitized. And the parasite was likely the very source of the neurotoxin. Perhaps the original owner of the bones had been someone unlucky like himself.
But Xiao Yan didn't care about its backstory. All he knew was—when it came to skeletons, the best way to handle them was to turn them into dust.
(End of Chapter)
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