"Try the air."
Xie Zhaolin's eyes flashed, and she immediately sent a command to the queen bee through her divine sense.
The queen bee quickly gathered dozens of worker bees, forming a tight flying formation that headed over the swamp. At first, everything went smoothly, but just as the swarm reached the center—
Splash!
The water suddenly erupted. Dozens of vines shot out, their ends splitting into suction cups. The worker bees scattered in panic, but the vines were terrifyingly fast.
In the blink of an eye, half the swarm was already tangled up and dragged into the pitch-black water. Worse still, the black mist above churned violently as a horde of pitch-black ghost-faced bats swooped down. Their sharp fangs tore through dozens more worker bees in an instant.
"Retreat!"
Xie Zhaolin quickly formed a hand seal, summoning back the survivors. Her fingertips trembled slightly. She'd already expected danger, but the swamp's ferocity was beyond anything she imagined. In just a few breaths, she'd lost almost half her bees.
Her gaze darkened, and she quickly changed tactics. She sent the main swarm to the left to stir up chaos and distract the vines. At the same time, two Shisha Spider Puppets moved silently from the right. Their silk threaded across the water's surface, weaving a hidden passage. It was almost complete when—
Splash!
The water churned violently as dozens of Soul-Devouring Vines burst forth. They struck with perfect precision, severing every strand of silk. The two Shisha Spider Puppets immediately sank into the swamp without even the chance to struggle.
Xie Zhaolin clenched her fists, her nails cutting into her palms. She was still only at the outskirts of Blackwater Abyss, not even deep inside, yet she'd already lost two priceless puppets. But now that she was here, there was no turning back. Her divine sense swept through her storage ring in a hurry. Flying swords, talismans, array plates… none of them were suitable.
Then her eyes landed on several jade bottles filled with venom.
"Fight poison with poison…"
In Blackwater Abyss, only a stronger poison might suppress the creatures here.
With that thought, she quickly pulled out three things: the venomous fangs of the Futan Serpent, the poison gland of the Bloodtooth Crocodile, and a stalk of Heart-Corroding Grass she'd gathered earlier at the swamp's edge.
Any one of these was enough to kill a Foundation Building cultivator in an instant. To be safe, she led the bees into a hidden rock crevice, ensuring no danger lurked nearby. Only then did she carefully begin.
Black qi poured from her palm, wrapping the three poisons. The serpent's fangs melted under her spiritual power, turning into a pool of eerie green liquid. The crocodile's gland oozed dark red ichor. Finally, she crushed the Heart-Corroding Grass, releasing a strange purple-black juice.
Xie Zhaolin drew a deep breath, then let her black qi swirl around the three poisons. A vortex formed inside the jade bottle, releasing a hissing corrosive sound. Fine cracks spread along the bottle's surface.
A bead of cold sweat slid down her temple. If she lost control now, the backlash would kill her instantly. But she had no choice. Thankfully, after a while the corrosion calmed, and the bottle didn't shatter. She finally let out a breath of relief. She carefully separated a single drop, wrapping it layer by layer with baleful qi, before sending a bee to carry it to the swamp.
The moment the bee approached, several vines shot out, wrapping it and dragging it under. But this time was different. Instead of crushing its prey, the vines convulsed violently. Smoke curled off their surfaces as they withered and snapped.
"It works!" Joy flashed in her eyes, but her expression soon hardened again.
The destroyed vines quickly regrew, and this time their surfaces glowed with a strange dark light, as if resisting the poison.
"Knew it wouldn't be that easy…"
After a moment's thought, she pulled out a vial of Cold Marrow Grass essence. It normally neutralized poisons, but if used carefully, it could slow the toxin's release, letting the poison slip past the vines' defenses. She added it drop by drop. Black qi and icy energy intertwined until the poison turned a deep, inky green, shimmering faintly like shards of ice. To disguise it further, she mixed in nectar she'd collected from the hive. Soon the poison was fully masked, leaving only a sweet fragrance.
Using her baleful qi, she condensed the mixture into hundreds of crystal-like poison beads. Worker bees took them into their mouths under the queen bee's orders. The swarm scattered, raining poisoned nectar like drizzle across the swamp. The Soul Devouring Vines eagerly broke through the water, greedily sucking it in.
Xie Zhaolin seized the chance. Stepping onto her floating planks of lightwood, she darted into the swamp. The Shisha Spider Puppets followed, weaving a web of silk above the mire.
The vines soon realized something was wrong. They snapped back violently, but the hidden paralytic poison was already at work. Their movements grew sluggish.
She didn't hesitate. Activating her Yinsha Body Protection Art to its limit, black qi sharpened into blades that hacked apart the vines. The puppets fired webs to pave a path before the severed vines could regenerate. She raced across the silk bridge. The bees formed a guard circle around her, ready for any threat. But just as she reached the swamp's center, disaster struck.
Boom!
The depths exploded. A monstrous Soul Devouring Vine King burst out, as thick as three men wrapping their arms around it. Crimson eye-like patterns covered its body, and its tip split into a gaping maw filled with jagged teeth, spewing a foul poisonous mist.
"Third rank!" Her heart lurched. She quickly formed seals, bolstering her Yinsha Body Protection. Even so, the corrosive mist ate through the protective glow in seconds.
With no time to spare, she bit her tongue, spraying blood essence into her palm.
"Netherwater Transforming Qi—Seal!"
Black qi surged into dozens of chains, wrapping the vine king.
At the same time, five Shisha Spider Puppets detonated, releasing their venom in a poisonous blast. The vine king shrieked, its movements slowing. The earlier poison was finally taking effect, corroding its roots. Its new vines grew weaker, but a third-rank beast wouldn't stay hindered for long.
There was no time!
Gritting her teeth, she flung three fire talismans. As the vine king writhed in agony, she bolted toward the far side.
She was almost clear when—
Snap!
A dying vine lashed out, wrapping around her ankle. Poison surged through her meridians in an instant. She grunted, severing the vine, but her right leg went completely numb.
"Can't… stop…"
Dragging her deadened leg, she forced herself forward, clawing across the swamp's edge. She collapsed onto the rocks just as the venom threatened to spread through her body. Her chest heaved as she gasped for breath. Her right leg was pitch-black, the poison still spreading. Less than half her bees remained.