After rushing toward the Yunmeng Great Marsh for half an hour, Ji Changkong suddenly stopped, pointing ahead at Yu Ziling and saying, "This is a mire. Any Heavenly Master whose strength hasn't reached the Seven-Star Heaven realm will find themselves in serious trouble if they fall in." (Read the full text novel at .1⑥κ.(1κ.O.Literature.net) There are swarms of Blood-Patterned Giant Crocodiles lurking in the mire; once they catch the scent of blood, these beasts will go into a frenzy." "Excellent, excellent, a fine spot," Yu Ziling commented approvingly.

"If we just make some arrangements at the entrance, cover it with dead leaves, most people won't notice it. If they rush too fast and can't stop themselves, they'll fall right in," Ji Changkong continued to explain.

"Let's do it!" Yu Ziling smiled and nodded, reaching out to press against a nearby small tree thick with foliage. A faint emerald light manifested on the back of Yu Ziling's hand.

That small, lush tree rapidly withered, shedding its leaves in a flurry until a thick carpet soon covered the ground. "All right, come with me, let's spread these leaves ahead." With a sharp clap on the small tree, it shook violently, sending all its withered, yellowed leaves scattering onto the earth.

Yu Ziling withdrew her hand, scooped up a pile of dead leaves with her foot, and began tossing them toward the muddy swamp ahead, directing Ji Changkong to help her. Ji Changkong stared, dumbfounded.

Five-Element Heavenly Masters specialized in the powers of the Five Elements, and while Yu Ziling primarily cultivated the power of Five-Element Fire, her command over Wood energy appeared exceptional. Otherwise, she couldn't possibly have withered the tree so effortlessly using the power of Wood.

The ability to control the life and decay of plants and trees was unique to the power of Wood within the Five Elements! After a moment of stunned reflection, Ji Changkong recalled the humiliation inflicted upon him and Ji Wanyun by Lu Yun and the Old Mother of Wushan.

He, too, quickly gathered a pile of fallen leaves and scattered them over the mire ahead. "Don't get too close to the mire, there are Blood-Patterned Giant Crocodiles in there!" Ji Changkong suddenly shouted.

"Ah…" A sharp cry erupted from Yu Ziling’s lips. Her movement was faster than lightning; she thrust her palm out and slammed it down onto the head of a Blood-Patterned Giant Crocodile that suddenly lunged out!

Smack! A five-meter-long Blood-Patterned Giant Crocodile was violently driven back into the mire, and a scent of scorching flesh drifted into the air.

The crocodile gradually sank beneath the surface, its fate unknown. "How unsightly!" Yu Ziling pouted, looking down with a frown.

"Too weak. Not as fierce as the beasts on our side; one slap and it’s dead.

That's too boring. No, relying only on these Blood-Patterned Giant Crocodiles definitely won't deal with those people.

I need to think of another way…" Muttering to herself, Yu Ziling’s autumn-water bright eyes suddenly lit up, and she whispered with a wicked grin, "I have it!" Giant beast bones were pulled out one by one from the purple satchel at her waist. Evidently, her satchel was a treasure similar to Ji Changkong's Mustard Seed Bag, capable of holding far more than its external dimensions suggested.

Bone after bone flew out and were wedged into the dense foliage of the trees surrounding the mire. Suddenly, a massive net, invisible to the naked eye, spanned above the swamp.

Ji Changkong scrutinized the arrangement for a while before noticing that each bone was riddled with tiny holes, threaded with lines as fine as hair. These threads were all snow-white, hanging suspended in the air, truly difficult to perceive unless one looked closely.

Yu Ziling admired her handiwork with deep satisfaction, looking around as if planning to add more embellishments. "Let's leave first, the poisonous miasma is coming soon!" Ji Changkong calculated the timing and suddenly gasped, taking the lead and flashing forward.

Having spent so much time in the Yunmeng Great Marsh, he had long since memorized the patterns of the different colored miasmas—when they would arrive and where they would drift. He himself feared no miasma, but since Yu Ziling intended to help him deal with Lu Yun and the Old Mother of Wushan, he naturally had to consider her safety.

A while later, Ji Changkong led Yu Ziling in a wide detour, arriving on the opposite side of the mire. The mire separated them.

Ahead, a faint green mist drifted slowly above the swamp, heading directly toward the trap they had set. Two Saber-Toothed Rhinoceroses had appeared in that direction at some unknown time, wandering about listlessly as if searching for prey.

A slight ripple came from within the mire. Ji Changkong’s mind was serene, and he instantly perceived movement from the Blood-Patterned Giant Crocodiles at the bottom.

They seemed to have targeted the two Saber-Toothed Rhinoceroses, intending to burst from the mire in Ji Changkong and Yu Ziling's vicinity to drag the rhinos in. If the crocodiles lunged out suddenly, they would not only trip Yu Ziling's hidden net but also disrupt the area they had covered with leaves.

Ji Changkong felt a pang of anxiety, yet Yu Ziling merely narrowed her eyes, watching the front with obvious interest, showing no sign of worry. If Ji Changkong could sense the presence of the crocodiles, with her level of cultivation, she should be able to perceive life fluctuations nearby even more easily.

The Blood-Patterned Giant Crocodiles hiding and moving in the mire should not escape her awareness. Suddenly, five Blood-Patterned Giant Crocodiles leaped violently from the bottom of the pool, their gory mouths gaping wide, ready to snap at the two nearby Saber-Toothed Rhinoceroses.

Sizzle! A strange sound suddenly cut through the air.

As the five crocodiles launched themselves upward, their bodies brushed against the net Yu Ziling had previously deployed. The bodies of the five Blood-Patterned Giant Crocodiles froze bizarrely in mid-air.

Then, they were abruptly torn apart, falling into the mire in pieces like cleanly sliced slabs of meat. They failed entirely to reach the rhinoceroses, nor did they manage to disturb the leaf-covered area Yu Ziling had prepared.

The massive net, strung taut by those bones, was apparently so sharp that the sheer momentum of the crocodiles was enough to slice their bodies open! Ji Changkong felt a chill crawl up his spine and instinctively put some distance between himself and the jubilant Yu Ziling beside him.

Too ruthless! "Yu Ziling, I only have grievances with two people.

If you do this, won't you end up harming everyone?" Ji Changkong asked in a low, stern voice. Yu Ziling looked at Ji Changkong in surprise, asking oddly, "Those who are with your two enemies are surely friends of your enemies, or friends of your enemies' friends, making them enemies too, right?

Wouldn't killing them all be the cleanest solution?" Ji Changkong felt his scalp tingle. He had never left the Ji family home since childhood and had never encountered such ruthless characters.

Hearing Yu Ziling discuss killing people, especially strangers, with such casual certainty, he suddenly felt that his many years living in the Ji family had been… quite comfortable and fortunate. "Don't worry, no one will know it was you!" Yu Ziling reassured him, then looked at Ji Changkong with keen interest, smiling alluringly.

"Killing is the most fun thing to do. You’ll see once you try it.

We’ll be in the Yunmeng Great Marsh for a while, and I’ll teach you slowly. Don't worry, in the end, you’ll absolutely love this sort of thing!" Ji Changkong: "…" "Yu Ziling, I think our cooperation should end here!

Our methods of operation differ too much; we simply cannot work together!" After taking a deep breath, Ji Changkong suddenly declared. "Heh heh, you are genuinely amusing!" Yu Ziling flashed a cunning smile, teasing him.

"I was only joking with you just now! Among your enemies, there are Seven-Star Heavenly Masters.

Those people are far more terrifying than the beasts at the bottom of the pool. My net can tear beasts apart, but it certainly can't kill them.

You worry too much!" "Really?" Ji Changkong was half-convinced, finding this woman too prone to lying to know which words were true. "Shh!

They're coming, don't speak!" Yu Ziling made a shushing gesture, focusing intently on Lu Yun, the Old Mother of Wushan, and their party, who were slowly appearing in the mire area as the poisonous mist receded. "Are they going to come in?

There’s no bait," Ji Changkong murmured in surprise. "Don't worry, they will come in!" Yu Ziling's tone was certain, suggesting she had made prior arrangements.

…