The emerald swamp stretched out as if without end, receding into the far distance. Beyond the green waters of the swamp itself, the view was dominated only by small mounds of mud and stone scattered about, separated by intervals. Due to the influence of the Anti-Air Nexus, progress could only be made by leaping between these mounds with explosive force. "Plop!"

Someone from Yin Ji's group propelled himself across the green swamp, landing on one of the mounds, only to immediately tumble into the murky depths, instantly dissolving into a fresh skeleton.

He had clearly landed on a mound, yet it failed to bear his weight, plunging him straight into the heart of the mire. "Idiot!" Yin Ji snorted coldly, his voice laced with menace. "If every single mound were safe to land on, Huo Feng and the others would have already been long gone!"

Yin Ji's sharp snort startled many. Several experts who were just preparing to leap toward the next mound immediately turned pale and slammed on the brakes, stopping short. A wave of cold sweat broke out across numerous faces!

There were countless mounds ahead. To many onlookers, merely finding a stable spot to land on meant safety. Who knew that these mounds held a hidden danger—that not every single one was viable for landing? After that man’s death, under Yin Ji’s cold derision, the crowd snapped awake, becoming vastly more cautious.

Ji Changkong and Hong Mandun exchanged a glance, recognizing a shared flicker of relief in the other's eyes. Both had been among those who abruptly halted, on the very brink of leaping to the next mound, only pulling back upon hearing Yin Ji's warning and realizing they had skirted disaster.

Ji Changkong took a deep breath, sweeping aside the chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind, and began intently studying the movements of Huo Feng and Xiao Han, recalling their specific points of departure.

"Over here." Wu Xiang pointed toward a mound further out. "This one should be fine. Huo Feng and Leo of the Three-Eyed Clan passed through here earlier."

Hong Mandun's tightly shut eyes snapped open, and he nodded slightly. "Mm, I remember it now too." It seemed he hadn't been idle; even while resting with his eyes closed, he must have been meticulously tracing the routes taken by those ahead.

By cross-referencing their memories, they confirmed the consistency of the path, thus verifying which mounds were the confirmed safe stepping stones. "Plop!"

A sound of someone falling into the green swamp echoed not far from them. A sharp, desperate scream sounded for just a moment before being abruptly cut short. "***!" "Watch it! Don't let any of that splashing green water touch you!" "He's dead, dead! Trying to cause trouble even on his deathbed!"

Nearby individuals cursed vehemently, quickly summoning their divine weapons or weaving protective barriers to prevent the spraying swamp water from reaching them.

Ji Changkong’s expression remained calm. His Five Elements Barrier encased him like a flattened goose egg, holding fast. When the splashes of vile green liquid struck the barrier, thin wisps of poisonous green smoke rose momentarily before vanishing.

"Kid, watch your power," Hong Mandun murmured in warning. "That fellow overestimated his strength. He ran out of steam mid-leap, missed his intended mound, and fell into the swamp instead..." Ji Changkong nodded. "Mm, I will be careful."

Because of the Anti-Air Barrier, no one here could soar freely; they could only rely on the instantaneous explosive power cultivated within their bodies to propel themselves forward. Naturally, the stronger one’s burst power, the longer their hang time, and consequently, the greater the distance they could traverse.

The unfortunate soul who perished clearly misjudged his own capabilities. His instantaneous eruption was insufficient to sustain him to the mound he aimed for, resulting in a failure of momentum just before landing, sending him spiraling into the swamp.

The green swamp claimed another pristine white skeleton. This minor incident served only to increase everyone's vigilance. Now, not only did they have to locate the correct landing points, but they also had to calculate whether they possessed sufficient latent power to reach them. The pace of progress slowed once more.

"Kid, can you make it?" Hong Mandun had already firmly planted himself on the predetermined safe mound. He watched Ji Changkong from afar, concern coloring his tone. "If you can reach the space above me, I can lend you a hand, but if you overshoot by too much, I'll be useless." "I'll do my best," Ji Changkong grinned wryly, appreciating Hong Mandun’s loyalty.

Many people near them had stopped, silently calculating their trajectories. Besides the first victim, two others had already plunged into the mire mid-flight due to insufficient power. These three deaths hardened the resolve of the survivors, and no one dared to leap carelessly again.

Of course, powerhouses like Tian Lie, Yin Ji, and Tu Tie were in a different category. It was clear to all that these four had traversed this path before; they seemed to possess an innate method for judging the landing spots, and their raw power far exceeded that of the average person, allowing them to maintain the lead. Those trailing behind, lacking such ability, could only desperately memorize the paths these experts took, engraving each successful landing spot deep into their consciousness.

After a brief word with Hong Mandun, Ji Changkong closed his eyes, committing the entire route taken by Tian Lie, Yin Ji, Tu Tie, and Jiu Nan to memory, scrutinizing every single landing spot just in case.

"Kid, if you don't feel confident, don't take the risk," Hong Mandun called from ahead after waiting a while, noticing Ji Changkong remained deep in thought with his eyes shut. "If you just stay put here, you’ll be fine. Once the restrictions of the Nine-Layered Pagoda are lifted, you can leave safely." Hong Mandun mistakenly assumed Ji Changkong was afraid.

"Having come this far, standing still now would bring lifelong regret, and my state of mind would certainly never break through again," Ji Changkong laughed, then roared out a sharp command, suddenly launching himself skyward.

The various energies within his body erupted instantaneously. A crunching sound, "Kaka," emanated from the mound beneath his feet as Ji Changkong shot like an arrow toward Hong Mandun. Reaching the airspace above Hong Mandun, he suddenly retracted his aura and plunged down, landing solidly beside the other expert with a soft thud. "Hoo!" He exhaled slowly, his face flushed, looking almost inebriated.

"Not bad, lad. Such a long distance covered in one smooth move, without any strain. Heh, there are few cultivators at the Heaven Scholar level of the Ninth Palace Heaven Realm who possess your strength," Hong Mandun praised. Ji Changkong smiled modestly, offering no further explanation.

"Let's go. Look at Leo and Tit ahead; they are almost out of sight. We need to speed up a bit," Hong Mandun said, ending the praise. He and Ji Changkong quickly devised a new combined route and began pressing forward along it.

The distance between one mound and the next ranged from ten to a hundred zhang—a distance that, in the outside world, could be crossed instantly without effort.

But here, constrained by the Anti-Air Barrier, every leap required several times the usual exertion and internal energy to achieve what was once easy.

Leaping consecutively between mounds, Ji Changkong activated the explosive power from his blood, the Heavenly Origin Pearl, his internal force, and his physical body simultaneously just to keep pace with Hong Mandun.

He knew the energy within the Heavenly Origin Pearl was vast and inexhaustible, so he deliberately relied heavily on its reserves during movement, not caring about the expenditure since the source was abundant.

Through this method, some moved slowly, others quickly, all pushing toward the seemingly endless expanse ahead.

Along the way, individuals periodically plummeted into the green swamp. Brief, sharp cries would pierce the air, only to be swallowed quickly by silence. After an unmeasured passage of time, Huo Feng, Xiao Han, Tian Lie, and Yin Ji gradually reappeared in the distance ahead.

These true masters seemed to be conferring about something. Ahead, the air was choked with swirling green mist, from which echoed bizarre, heart-chilling ghostly laughter.

The entire foreground was a tapestry of green swamp punctuated by mounds of mud and stone. However, the dense green fog severely impaired visibility. For Huo Feng, Xiao Han, and their group, even locating the correct landing spots seemed difficult. Furthermore, it appeared other dangers lurked within the swamp ahead, concealed by the fog... "You two have surprisingly tough luck," Xiao Han said with a cold smile, nodding toward the newly arrived Hong Mandun and Ji Changkong. "Heh heh," Hong Mandun chuckled, offering no verbal reply.

Before long, the survivors appeared one after another beside Ji Changkong, the available landing mounds quickly filling up.

At this moment, Yin Ji suddenly turned, casting a chilling gaze over the assembled group before breaking into a smile. "I have some unpleasant news for everyone. Because of the green fog ahead, we can no longer definitively confirm which mounds are safe to land on. Worse, Green Swamp Ghosts lurk in the mire ahead. And yes, the mist contains corrosive toxins—though the fog’s corrosive power is significantly weaker than the water in the swamp itself..."

"Yin Ji, stop wasting time!" Huo Feng frowned, cutting him off sharply.

Yin Ji nodded, then continued, "The next stretch isn't far. We've discussed it, and we will proceed by sending people ahead to scout in shifts. Naturally, since we don't know which mound is secure, there will inevitably be those who step onto the wrong one and perish during the scouting process..." Yin Ji quickly explained the grim logistics.

It turned out that even these elite figures could not guarantee the safety of the upcoming mounds. To chart a course, they were preparing to use lives as probes.

Those who stepped onto a mound and remained unharmed would confirm a safe path; those who sank meant a dead end. While this method was agonizingly slow, it was currently the most effective available.

But it required human beings to be sacrificed—to buy passage forward with flesh and blood.