Xie Zhaolin stood at the edge of the dense forest surrounding the Blackwater Abyss. The ground beneath her feet was slick with rotting soil, and mist coiled in the air, faintly revealing twisted tree shadows ahead.
"Scout ahead."
Her fingertip flicked slightly, and hundreds of worker bees separated from the swarm, scattering forward. There were so many of them that even if some died, it didn't matter. They were perfect for probing danger.
As for the twenty Shisha Spider Puppets, she only kept one nearby for guard duty, storing the rest inside her spirit beast pouch.
Instead of heading straight for the abyss's depths, she slowly advanced along the edge of the Blackwater Abyss. The yinsha qi here was dense but still far from the terrifying level at the bottom. It was just right for her to both adapt to the environment and collect useful spirit materials.
Not long after, the first wave of information from the worker bees returned. About three hundred steps ahead, there was a pool of seemingly calm water, but their antennae caught the restless life lurking beneath it.
"A swamp…" Xie Zhaolin narrowed her eyes, a flicker of caution flashing within them.
The swamps of the Blackwater Abyss were especially dangerous. Under the placid water's surface could lurk vicious beasts like the Bloodfang Crocodile. One careless move and not even bones would remain.
Even though swamps might hide rare spirit plants, after weighing her options, she decisively changed her route.
The bees soon brought back another discovery—
Deep in a rock crevice, a black Yin Ganoderma, its surface etched with faint golden patterns, was glowing with an eerie cold light. It was top-tier material for refining yin-aligned pills, incredibly rare in the outside world.
Xie Zhaolin gathered a wisp of black qi at her fingertip, carefully sending it into the crack to draw the herb out.
The moment she stored it into her ring, a faint tremor rippled through the ground. Her face sharpened. She immediately signaled the bee swarm and the puppet to halt.
On the rock wall ahead, a Futan Snake as thick as her arm coiled tightly. This was a peak second-rank venom python, and its poison was so fierce that even a Foundation cultivator would drop dead within ten breaths of being bitten.
Her eyes narrowed, but this time she didn't avoid it. She needed to test the combat capabilities of the puppets.
With a thought, three Shisha Spider Puppets leapt forward!
The Futan Snake instantly sensed danger. Its body snapped up, venomous fangs flashing with a cold gleam. But the spiders were faster. Threads shot out, wrapping around its body in a blink. The snake thrashed violently, its tail whipping hard against one puppet, but the puppet's armored shell easily absorbed the blow.
The other two pounced. Their sharp legs pierced into its body, venom flooding in. The snake's movements slowed rapidly.
Within a few breaths, it was over.
Xie Zhaolin's lips curved slightly. The puppets' battle performance was even better than she'd expected. With the right coordination, even a peak second-rank beast could be handled without much trouble. She quickly harvested the snake's venomous fangs and gallbladder, storing them inside a special jade box.
After about half an hour's travel, the queen bee suddenly relayed information. With her divine sense, she spotted several spirit herbs growing in the swamp not far away. Their pitch-black blades of grass were half-submerged in mud, sparkling with tiny ice crystals.
"Cold Marrow Grass!" Her heart lit up with joy. This herb contained pure yin-cold power and was perfect for refining Yinsha Body Protection pills.
But she didn't rush. Instead, she carefully sent out two spider puppets to test the swamp. Their legs tapped across the surface, gauging the depth.
Just as she was about to move forward—
Boom!
The calm water exploded. A Bloodfang Crocodile, as thick as a tree trunk, lunged upward, maw wide open as it snapped at the puppet!
Crunch!
The puppet's shell dented under the bite but didn't break.
Xie Zhaolin seized the chance. A wisp of black qi shot from her finger, stabbing right into the crocodile's eye. Roaring in pain, it released the puppet, only to be bound immediately by spider silk.
The bees swarmed in, stingers laced with poison. Soon, the beast stopped thrashing. She wasted no time and pulled the corpse into her storage ring. A beast like that reeked of blood, and if she lingered, it would attract more monsters. She'd disassemble it later when it was safe.
Not wanting further entanglements, she left the area at top speed.
The fight made her even more cautious. Even with the spider puppets scouting, she couldn't let her guard down. After all, puppets were lifeless tools. Some cunning beasts might ignore them altogether. She'd gotten lucky this time, but next time she might not.
Adjusting her approach, she tripled the number of scouting bees and slowed her pace to one-third of before. The deeper she went, the lower the terrain sank. The air grew heavier with moisture, and the ground beneath her feet turned soft.
Xie Zhaolin knew she was nearing a dangerous swamp zone, one she had no choice but to cross if she wanted to reach the inner region of the Blackwater Abyss. She halted, studying the swamp ahead. Her earlier plan of avoiding it was impossible now. She had to face this death swamp directly.
"I can't just charge through…"
Her face was grave. She pulled out a few specially treated lightwood planks, suspending them across the swamp with baleful qi to serve as makeshift footholds.
Two spider puppets went ahead, weaving silk between them into a crude rope path.
But just as she was about to step onto the first plank, a sudden chill of dread surged up from her core.
Danger!
The swamp exploded. Several pitch-black vines lashed upward, aiming straight for her!
"Soul Devouring Vines!" Her pupils contracted as she darted back.
The puppets launched instantly, webs shooting out to entangle the vines. But these vines were relentless. Even when cut, they regenerated in moments. Glancing deeper into the swamp, she saw countless more lurking in the shadows.
Without hesitation, she flung a fire talisman. The moment it touched the swamp gas, an eruption of fire roared skyward! The vines writhed in the blaze, recoiling in pain. She took the chance to retreat back to the swamp's edge.
Watching the flames die down, her frown deepened. The Soul Devouring Vines had retreated, but they hadn't been destroyed.
"Fire talismans won't last long enough…"
The bees circled above, relaying what they sensed. The swamp stretched for miles, its depths crawling with tangled vines. If she forced her way through, she'd be dragged under before even reaching the halfway point.
But if she detoured…
She compared the bee swarm's findings with her jade slip map. To bypass the swamp, she'd have to descend the western cliff, pass through a toxic forest, then cross Ghostcry Gorge, which spanned the entire Blackwater Abyss.
That would cost her at least ten extra days.
She looked up. The sky was smothered in black haze, with no sun or moon to be seen. It had already been seven days since her agreed deadline with the man in gray. If she delayed another ten…
And Ghostcry Gorge was no less dangerous than this swamp.
"I can't take the detour." Her eyes hardened, her fingers unconsciously brushing over her storage ring.
She had to find a way to cross this swamp!