Not long after Ye Qin, Qian Bojiang, and the other Qing Dan cultivators had left the edge of the swamp where they had been, another group of seven or eight Foundation Establishment cultivators swiftly emerged from the mist of the marsh. They landed precisely where Ye Qin and the others had recently stopped.

The attire of this group of cultivators was quite similar to that of the Qi Refining stage cultivators previously killed by Sun Shi, predominantly white and blue—unmistakably cultivators from Wan Yue Lake.

Leading this group was a young man in blue robes whose complexion was startlingly, almost sickly pale. Even the skin on his hands was an alarming white. It was impossible to tell if this was natural or the result of his cultivation technique, but it lent him a distinctly eerie air.

Aside from the pale-faced young man, the other cultivators were mostly middle-aged or elderly, the majority being high-level Foundation Establishment cultivators. Six or seven elders clustered around the blue-robed man as if he were the sun surrounded by stars.

"Elder Du, I explicitly ordered all lower-tier cultivators not to venture carelessly into the dangerous swamp territory. Why, then, did I receive a distress signal from one of our disciples coming from this vicinity?"

The blue-robed man halted abruptly. He scanned the nearby swamp with a cold, severe expression. Finding no trace of anyone, he let out a cold snort and questioned the nearest gray-bearded elder beside him.

"Young Gate Master, this subordinate has already inquired. Four Qi Refining disciples left the Ice Lake camp without permission while resting to gather spirit herbs in this area. My governance was lax; I beg the Young Gate Master to issue punishment," the gray-bearded elder quickly explained.

It was truly his bad luck. Normally, disciples venturing out for herbs wasn't a major issue, but this swamp was extremely perilous, concealing numerous terrifying fifth or sixth-tier demonic beasts that Qi Refining disciples could not possibly contend with. This was why the blue-robed man had forbidden lower-tier disciples from leaving. Since someone from their sect had died—even if only a few Qi Refining disciples—the elder responsible for oversight could not escape blame.

"Hmph, I will address your dereliction of duty later."

The blue-robed man closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and extended a hand as if meticulously sensing something. Soon, he opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing out. "There is a residual trace of weak Fire elemental spiritual energy here. These individuals were not killed by the water-type demonic beasts in the swamp. They were clearly ambushed by enemy cultivators. Given the haste, the enemy shouldn't have gone far. Four Elders, each take a small squad of Foundation Establishment cultivators and search the surrounding swamp area. Signal immediately upon discovery. We will encircle and annihilate the enemy."

"Young Gate Master, absolutely not! If the four of us take our squads to search for tracks, the Young Gate Master will be left without sufficient protective force. Should danger arise—" the gray-bearded elder tried urgently to dissuade him.

"Leave two Dharma Protectors to accompany me; there is no need for further discussion."

"Yes, Young Gate Master!"

The four elders exchanged glances, resignedly accepting the order, and each led their men into the swamp to search.

Only the blue-robed man and two other middle-aged cultivators remained in place. The blue-robed man surveyed the mist surrounding the swamp, a cold sneer playing on his lips.

He had waited a long time, and finally, the Lingwu cultivators had shown themselves.

The Cold Lake Forest was one of the few decent Ice Spirit Stone collection points within the Lingwu Cultivation World, currently falling under the jurisdiction of the Lingquan Sect of the Wan Yue Lake cultivation sphere. The main force of the Lingquan Sect was still attacking Lingwu City. As the Young Gate Master of the Lingquan Sect, he had brought a small contingent of cultivators here to excavate Ice Spirit Stones and guard against the Lingwu cultivators.

After seizing control of this location, he had naturally anticipated the possibility of an attack from the Lingwu side. He had stationed over twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators here, waiting fruitlessly for nearly two months, with no sign of the Lingwu cultivators. Because they couldn't be certain when the Lingwu cultivators would arrive, the Lingquan Sect couldn't afford to deploy too many Foundation Establishment cultivators to wait idly. If the Lingwu cultivators didn't show up soon, he was even considering withdrawing some of his men.

Fortunately, just as he was hesitating, the Lingwu cultivators had finally appeared.

"The enemy force shouldn't be large, otherwise, they would have directly assaulted the Ice Lake core in the center of the Cold Lake Forest. Regardless of the number, it's good they've arrived. If no enemies came to ambush, the Cold Lake Forest would be too quiet and boring; it would be more entertaining to attack Lingwu City."

The blue-robed man muttered a few sentences to himself, then turned, lightly tapping the marsh water with his feet, and sped back toward the Ice Lake. Without any grand movements, he was already a hundred zhang away in a matter of blinks.

The two sturdy Dharma Protectors from the Lingquan Sect, both at the seventh and eighth levels of Foundation Establishment, could only barely keep pace with him even when exerting their full strength.

Ye Qin and the others slipped into the swamp mist, finding a secluded thicket to hide in. This swamp was vast, and the eerie blue fog permeated everything. Concealed within this foul-smelling bush, it would not be easy for the Wan Yue Lake cultivators to find them.

After a short period of chaos, the Wan Yue Lake cultivators, having failed to find anyone, quieted down quickly.

Just as the five were about to move, a fresh wave of shouts suddenly erupted across the marsh, but after a moment, the exclamations subsided again.

The five were stunned, unsure of what had transpired.

"Could it be they discovered Senior Brother Qian and the others?"

"Hard to say. There are still many hidden demonic beasts in this swamp. Perhaps they ran into a beast, triggering the commotion."

"The sounds just now were very brief. Junior Brother Qian and the others are quite strong; it's impossible for them to have been dealt with so quickly. Those Wan Yue Lake cultivators must have encountered swamp beasts again."

Sun Shi analyzed the situation with the seasoned air of an experienced fighter, firmly concluding it couldn't be Qian Bojiang's group.

Ye Qin nodded in agreement; he also didn't believe Qian Bojiang's group would be taken down so easily. After waiting another half an hour until the swamp fell completely silent, the five of them moved on, cautiously heading deeper into the marsh.

Since Ye Qin had taken the lead in the forest area, this time Sun Shi walked in front.

After walking a short distance, Sun Shi stopped in a low-lying area, scratching his head awkwardly. He was utterly bewildered, unsure which direction to take. In this boundless swamp, he had completely lost his bearings. The Cold Lake Forest was known as one of the most dangerous places in the Lingwu Mountain Range, and this swamp made it incredibly easy to become disoriented. Unless one flew directly overhead on a sword, navigation within the swamp was extremely difficult.

Ye Qin stopped behind him, clutching his magic artifact tightly, scanning the surrounding mist with vigilance. This depression was permeated by a stench of decaying corpses noticeable even to ordinary noses. He felt as though something strange was watching them, a chilling cold piercing his spine. But the surroundings were deathly still; not even the turbid water in the pools rippled. Had a demonic beast hidden in the mist?

As Ye Qin pondered this, Sun Shi was still agonizing over which way to proceed, and Shen Bao and the others, whose cultivation was lower, were considerably less alert.

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

The stagnant water in the low-lying area began to vibrate with slight ripples. Then, with a loud whoosh, a mass of putrid mud erupted upward, carrying a foul odor directly toward Sun Shi, who was closest to the depression.

Sun Shi turned pale with shock and retreated instantly. A yellow light shot from his hand, and the flying sword he controlled instantly expanded, transforming into a ten-foot-long sword gleam to strike the mud. The mud was cleaved apart, but just then, a white demonic beast, fast as lightning, burst forth from the mire, slamming into the flying sword before pouncing violently on Sun Shi. It clamped its jaws around him.

Sun Shi let out a piercing scream, his palms frantically slamming against the white shadow’s body, but it inflicted no discernible harm. The white shadow dragged Sun Shi, who was still struggling fiercely, down into the mire, bubbles of foul gas rising from the swamp.

This entire sequence unfolded in an instant. Ye Qin had barely reacted and hadn't even had time to intervene, watching helplessly as Sun Shi was dragged into the swamp sludge by the white shadow. Ye Qin was horrified; he hadn't even clearly identified what kind of beast it was.

This demonic beast was absolutely terrifying in strength—at least sixth-tier, perhaps close to the seventh. Seventh-tier strength meant a Golden Core level demonic beast. All five of them put together wouldn't be enough to fill the gap between its teeth. Fortunately, even though it surpassed the sixth tier, it hadn't truly reached the seventh, as a genuine seventh-tier beast wouldn't bother with such secretive ambush tactics against them.

"Save him!"

Ye Qin made a quick assessment, formed an earth-elemental hand seal, and shot toward the spot where Sun Shi had vanished into the mud as a streak of yellow light.

"Earth Spike Art!"

Indeed, the Earth Spike Art—one of the most basic earth-elemental spells, very weak in power. Such a spell could barely injure any Foundation Establishment cultivator, especially since Ye Qin’s mastery of earth magic was mediocre, further limiting its efficacy. However, here, it was perfectly suited for the task.

The white demonic beast and Sun Shi had already submerged into the sludge together. Ye Qin dared not use high-powered artifact attacks for fear of striking Sun Shi by mistake. The Earth Spike Art, however, formed sharp spikes underground, thrusting upward from beneath the earth. While not powerful enough to injure Sun Shi, it was just the right force to push both the white beast and Sun Shi out of the mire. It was the only solution Ye Qin could devise in that emergency.

Ye Qin executed the Earth Spike Art with continuous hand seals. The other three members of the squad were not fools; they immediately understood and quickly joined in using the same spell. Dozens of earth spikes erupted densely from an area spanning several dozen zhang, and Sun Shi, along with the white monstrous beast stuck in the swamp muck, were indeed thrust out, tumbling onto the ground.

The white demonic beast’s sharp fangs were still firmly clamped onto the near-lifeless Sun Shi, its fierce gaze fixed on Ye Qin and the others.

It was only then that Ye Qin and the others clearly saw what the white demonic beast was: a demonic crocodile several zhang long. However, this creature was different from ordinary demonic crocodiles; most of its body was decayed, exposing raw red and white flesh, revealing bleached scales and bone, looking almost like a skeletal frame of a demonic crocodile. A small cluster of blue light hovered around the bone where its forehead should be—a demon core the size of a fist, enveloped by black wisps of death energy. It was profoundly bizarre.