When Yuan Ming and his two companions saw the familiar purple flower and grassland again, they were surprised to find that the flora around them not only showed no signs of damage, but also seemed even more vibrant, as if they had just been enriched by rain, their beauty almost dripping with freshness.

Yuan Ming and his two companions looked at the scene before them, each gaining some insight.

Perhaps, the sudden star rain for the living beings and plants in the secret realm was a blessing from the sky that nourished all creatures.

However, for Yuan Ming and his companions, it was a genuine natural disaster.

"Sigh, we haven't even seen a hint of the treasure yet, and we've already lost a Magic Treasure. If I had known it would be like this, I might as well have used the talismans given by Fusang Island," Long Chong sighed deeply, complaining.

"You better save your words. Unless you don't care about your ranking, those three talismans should be used at critical moments. How could you waste them on something like this?" Qiong Yun raised her eyebrows, not in agreement.

Long Chong helplessly nodded. However, he then looked up at Yuan Ming, and soon after, he communicated with Qiong Yun using a voice transmission.

"You're right; we can't waste the talismans. It's fine for us, who have wealth and resources, to lose one or two Magic Treasures, but Yuan Ming is just a Loose Cultivator. He doesn't have that many Magic Treasures to lose. In my opinion, if we encounter another star rain, we should do our best to endure it a bit longer to spare Yuan Ming from losing too many, lest he have no Magic Treasures to use when facing enemies," Long Chong said quietly.

Unexpectedly, Qiong Yun gave him a puzzled look in response to his voice transmission:

"When resisting the star rain earlier, that's exactly what I did. You didn't just realize this, did you?"

Long Chong's face turned red, and he cleared his throat a few times, too embarrassed to say anything further.

On the other hand, Yuan Ming, relying on his powerful Divine Sense, overheard the voice transmission between Long Chong and Qiong Yun and silently nodded.

These two were truly loyal and seemed worth befriending.

He didn't say anything, however, and continued to let Hua Zhi consume the flowers and grass in the area, still only rating them as unappetizing.

After Long Chong and Qiong Yun finished their exchange, Qiong Yun activated the compass. The shadow of the round scoop still pointed southeast.

The three of them set off again, and this time, to find the treasure before the next star rain, they unconsciously quickened their pace. Whenever they encountered demon beasts on the way, they avoided them if possible, choosing not to engage them directly.

About thirty minutes later, the land still had no end in sight, and a swamp appeared before them, shrouded in drifting purple fog.

The swamp was filled with purple reeds that stretched to both sides endlessly, like a high wall blocking their path.

The clustered reeds left almost no space between them. The purple tassels seemed limp but on closer inspection, they looked like the breathing muzzles of living creatures. The purple toxic fog lingered around them, connecting with each other and forming a nearly non-existent giant net of poison fog, enveloping the entire swamp.

Amidst the dense reeds, there were occasional strange sounds of insects, but every time Yuan Ming and his companions listened attentively, the noises would abruptly cease as if they had never existed.

Moreover, heavy dark purple clouds hung above the swamp, layer upon layer, exuding an ominous aura, heavy and stifling. The dazzling starlight from the sky above was also devoured by it.

"What a powerful natural poison cloud, capable of devouring even the power of starlight. It's best not to touch it carelessly," Long Chong clicked his tongue in awe.

Yuan Ming and Qiong Yun also did not rashly enter. They stopped at the edge of the swamp.

The Black Wood Compass hovered in front of Qiong Yun, trembling as it pointed towards the swamp ahead.

"There's no mistake, the treasure is inside the swamp. The Black Wood Compass is reacting so strongly; it must be something extraordinary!" The woman's face showed excitement.

Hearing this, Yuan Ming's interest was also piqued, and his Divine Sense probed ahead.

However, his Divine Sense only penetrated a hundred yards into the swamp before being stopped by an inexplicable force.

Long Chong and Qiong Yun also expressed their astonishment, clearly having also noticed the suppression of Divine Sense by the swamp.

"This treasured place indeed has some tricks. It seems we'll have to take a risk and go in. Both of you should prepare some detoxifying items," Long Chong said.

A rainbow light flashed across Qiong Yun's body, and a Five-Colored Cloud Bag appeared out of nowhere, transforming into a five-colored Light Shield that protected her body.

"That's the Five-Colored Cloud Bag! A secret Magic Treasure of the Southern Border Five Immortals Sect, how do you have one?" Long Chong was quite surprised.

"Five Immortals Sect!" Yuan Ming's eyebrows twitched.

Hong Ling hailed from Southern Border Silk Island, and Yuan Ming had learned quite a bit about the Sects of the Southern Border from her, including the Five Immortals Sect.

The Five Immortals Sect was a very mysterious Cultivation Sect in the Southern Border, specialized in using poison and proficient in Gu Techniques. The Hundred Poison Cave in the Southern Border and Northern Territory also specialized in using poison, but when compared to the Five Immortals Sect, it was merely a dwarf facing a giant—not on the same level.

"I took it by force, of course," Qiong Yun said indifferently.

"You killed someone from the Five Immortals Sect? Anyone with a Five-Colored Cloud Bag must be a core disciple of the Five Immortals Sect, and the current Hierarch, Granny Gu Xian, is extremely protective of her followers. Be careful not to bring trouble upon yourself," Long Chong's face showed concern.

"Don't worry. That person was a traitor to the Five Immortals Sect. The Five Immortals Sect is grateful for what I did. They couldn't thank me enough," Qiong Yun stated.

Upon hearing this, Long Chong finally relaxed and brought out a purple seashell Magic Treasure, forming a purple protective shield around himself.

Yuan Ming had no detoxifying items, but the toxic fog of the swamp couldn't trouble him either.

Hua Zhi shot out from the Spiritual Beast Bag, transforming into a purple-black figurine about one foot tall sitting on Yuan Ming's shoulder, as he employed the Golden Sunflower Beast Taming Technique, a stream of purple-black demonic power swirling around him.

"This place is filled with severe poison, and to be cautious, you two should take these Detoxification Pills first. I prepared them especially for the Immortal Fruit Conference; they can resist the invasion of most poisons. Also, take these Detoxification Pills and keep them with you. If you notice any signs of poisoning, take them immediately to avoid any accidents," Long Chong said as he took out four porcelain bottles and handed them to Yuan Ming and Qiong Yun.

Qiong Yun didn't decline and directly followed his instructions, taking the Detoxification Pill.

Yuan Ming smiled slightly, knowing that Long Chong's primary concern was for him.

He didn't reject the other's kindness either. After secretly confirming with Divine Sense that the elixirs were safe, he swallowed them down.

Once the pills were ingested, Yuan Ming felt a refreshing sensation all over his body, and the air around him seemed to become fresher as well.

After all three had taken their pills, they didn't linger long and quickly used their Magic Treasures to cut through the reeds, stepping into the swamp.

The deeper they went into the swamp, the more luxuriant the reeds grew, and in those dark corners, numerous venomous creatures lay in wait, silently waiting for prey to pass by.

Toxic mosquitoes with six pairs of wings the size of fists, toads with purple ghost faces on their backs, and emaciated venomous snakes standing in the mire like reeds...

The trio avoided what they could and quickly dealt with any they couldn't. In less than thirty minutes, they had cleared out seven or eight third-level Demon Beasts, even obtaining a Demon Core that Long Chong temporarily stored away for safekeeping.

After another cooperative kill of a poisonous lizard, Long Chong was about to wipe his sweat and check if the Lizard Demon Beast had a Demon Core, but Yuan Ming, standing behind him, suddenly changed expression and stopped him with his hand.

"Wait, there's movement from the southwest. There's a considerable number of them, and it seems they're not Demon Beasts," Yuan Ming whispered a warning.

His main body's Divine Sense couldn't spread too far, but the soul force of the first soul within the Stealing Heaven Tripod could reach easily.

Upon hearing this, Qiong Yun immediately released his Divine Sense to investigate but soon looked puzzled. "I didn't detect anything from that direction. Could you have sensed it wrong?"

"No, I trust Brother Yuan's judgment. Throughout our journey, it has always been him who first detected lurking Demon Beasts. His Divine Sense is stronger than ours; he wouldn't make a baseless claim," Long Chong murmured for a moment and then shook his head.

Yuan Ming didn't respond to them, just silently continued to scan the southwest direction with Divine Sense.

Suddenly, he raised his eyebrows, a mysterious look flashing in his eyes as he quickly whispered, "They've also discovered us, and they're heading this way. There are five Cultivators using Illusion Techniques to conceal their presence."

"Illusion Techniques? Could it be Huan Ling Zi?" Long Chong asked.

"Indeed, it's him, and he looks like he's coming with hostility," Yuan Ming said.

"Hostility? I see. Huan Ling Zi is good friends with Cui Yu from Karma Fire Island. You defeated Cui Yu in the grand competition; perhaps he's come after you because of that," Qiong Yun glanced at Yuan Ming.

"I see," Yuan Ming nodded, now understanding why Huan Ling Zi had been hostile toward him from their first meeting.

However, his fight with Cui Yu had been fair and square, with no underhanded tactics.

And although Cui Yu lost, he didn't suffer serious injuries, so why would Huan Ling Zi take the trouble to come after him over such a trivial matter?

"Heh, it's just as well, I've never liked that guy who likes to stab people in the back. It's a good opportunity to teach him a proper lesson today," Long Chong snorted dismissively, gripping his spear Magic Treasure tightly.

Qiong Yun's eyes showed a hint of coldness, not seeming fond of Huan Ling Zi either.

"They're coming, from the east side," Yuan Ming alerted them through telepathy.

Even though Long Chong saw no changes around him, he trusted Yuan Ming's judgment implicitly. He swung his spear, slashing and sweeping out seven or eight Water Blades one after another, all toward the direction Yuan Ming had indicated.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Long, there's no need to attack. I'm not some Demon Beast," a voice laughed.

Along with the laughter, a pale red spirit light suddenly flashed, striking the Water Blades and easily scattering them.

At the same time, in front of Long Chong and the others, the reeds suddenly seemed to twist as if someone were stirring murky water, adding ink to it. But after a brief moment, the twisting reeds abruptly returned to normal, and five figures of varying stature appeared in front of them.

The one in the lead was Huan Ling Zi, clad in white. His face bore a gentle smile, seemingly untroubled by Long Chong's recent attack, nor did he appear to have come seeking revenge.

The four behind him were the other competitors who had entered the top sixteen from Second-level Islands.

The foremost among them was Yun Jiuxiao from Golden Lotus Island, dressed like a scholar, his outfit marked with black ink stains, accompanied by a Three-eyed Octopus less than half his height, its body monochrome black and white.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with him was the Fairy Bing Xin from Winter Crystal Island, her hair and brows as white as frost, with an expressionless face that revealed no emotions.

Behind the two stood Mi Luo from Wuyun Island, dressed in tender green with a kindly wrinkled face, but his expertise lay in Poison Skills.

The person at the rear, disguised as Hong Chang from Blood Bird's Nest Island, was Wulu, with conspicuous silver hair. Upon his arrival, he gave Yuan Ming a significant look, and then avoided any further eye contact with Yuan Ming.

"Huan Ling Zi, why are you sneaking around like this, making me almost mistake you for a Demon Beast?" Long Chong huffed.

"With so many Demon Beasts in this reed patch, I had to be careful, just in case. But to be honest, I wasn't expecting to run into you and Qiong Yun here, along with Fellow Daoist Yuan," Huan Ling Zi said nonchalantly, casting a meaningful glance at Yuan Ming.

"Hmph, Huan Ling Zi, I know what you're after. Fellow Daoist Yuan and I have been old friends for a long time; as long as I'm here, don't think about harming him!" Long Chong declared.

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