I get stronger every day I live.

Chapter 148 Mysterious Black Water, Thunderous Fury (4,000 words)

Lai Yang and Lan Qingxian divided the Fragrant Jade Heart Lotus and were about to leave when they suddenly discovered that the four people who had left had returned.

Behind the four were a large swarm of insectoid monsters.

The number of insectoid monsters was so dense that they blotted out the sky, and their sharp mouthparts were extremely terrifying.

Once caught, even the protective spiritual power of a Transcending Tribulation Realm expert cannot last long.

Once the protective spiritual energy is broken, the body is almost instantly devoured, leaving not even bone fragments.

Just one glance was enough to trigger Lai Yang's trypophobia.

Upon seeing this, Lan Qingxian's pretty face changed, and her tone became anxious as she transmitted her voice, "It's an insect swarm! They're trying to shift the blame eastward. We need to leave quickly."

"Fellow Daoists, help me!" one of them shouted.

Lan Qingxian and Lai Yang ignored them and turned to run away without hesitation.

Save you? Are you kidding me? Only a fool would listen to you.

After a long time, the two finally managed to escape the attack of the passing insect swarm.

Lan Qingxian felt a lingering fear, her hair was somewhat disheveled, and she couldn't quite understand it.

It's as if this peak Tribulation Realm expert is a fake. Ever since she entered the Path to Immortality, she has been facing deadly dangers everywhere.

“No wonder less than 10% of people leave alive on the Path to Immortality each time. The Path to Immortality is extremely dangerous and almost impossible to guard against,” Lan Qingxian couldn’t help but say.

“Indeed.” Lai Yang nodded.

He wasn't afraid of the insects, he just felt disgusted.

Not only were those insects disgusting to look at, but their liquid was also viscous and highly corrosive, and he didn't want to dirty his sword.

Given Lai Yang's current physical condition, even if he stood still and let them bite him, they might not be able to bite him.

The invincible physical body at the peak of the Tribulation Transcending Realm is no joke.

Unless a being of the Immortal Realm or higher appears, no matter how many beings come, they will not be his match.

With unparalleled defense within his realm, monstrous spiritual cultivation combat power, endless stamina, and terrifying life recovery ability, plus mastery of sword intent at the pinnacle of perfection, he is truly a hexagonal warrior.

"Where have we ended up?" Lai Yang asked, releasing his divine sense.

However, Lai Yang soon discovered that his divine sense was actually restricted, and he was slightly startled.

"Sect Master, something's strange here. My divine sense is being suppressed," Lai Yang said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Lan Qingxian immediately released her divine sense, finding it unbelievable that even her divine sense could only expand to a few dozen miles. To her, this was no different from being blind.

For experts of their level, a perception range of several dozen miles is less than an instant when they make a move.

"Is that really true? This space can actually suppress my divine sense." Lan Qingxian's expression was slightly solemn.

But since we've already come this far, if we go back the way we came, who knows if the insect swarm will reappear, which would be extremely dangerous.

They can only move forward now; they cannot retreat.

Lai Yang noticed that the surrounding trees were significantly thicker and more lush than before, with vibrant green leaves, making them seem almost alive.

Wait, could it actually be alive?

Lai Yang subconsciously activated the system's detection function.

In an instant, numerous panels appeared in front of Lai Yang.

Tree Spirit

[Realm: Six Realms, Fourth Level]

[Spiritual Root: Wood Spiritual Root]

[Ability: Tier 7]

(Omitted below)

What the hell!

Tree spirits, so many tree spirits!

They're all powerful demons at the sixth realm or above.

Lai Yang didn't notice anything amiss. If it weren't for the system's detection, they would have fallen victim to these tree demons' ambush.

What a terrifying ability to camouflage! When they are not moving, they look no different from ordinary trees, so you can't let your guard down at all.

Lai Yang immediately sent a telepathic message to Lan Qingxian, reminding her, "Sect Master, I have something to tell you. Don't be nervous, we've been surrounded by a group of tree demons of the sixth rank or higher."

Lan Qingxian remained expressionless, but was inwardly shocked. She asked telepathically, "What? Are you sure?"

“I’m sure. I have my own way of distinguishing them. There are fewer tree spirits on the left. We’ll break through that way later.”

Lan Qingxian trusted Ren Yang's judgment and nodded silently without saying anything more.

The two silently and without changing their expressions walked to the left. Lai Yang kept the system detection function running and then he discovered that the tree demons had actually moved secretly and formed a strange trap to keep them there, clearly not intending for them to leave alive.

"We're trapped." Lai Yang's expression darkened slightly.

Lan Qingxian was already on guard, and at this moment she also noticed some clues.

Lan Qingxian sensed that the surrounding space seemed to be constantly changing; they had been walking for a long time, but it seemed that they were going in circles.

Lan Qingxian wasn't good at breaking formations, and her deep, beautiful eyes subconsciously looked at Lai Yang: "Do you have a way to get out?"

“Even if we find the exit, it’s useless. They keep changing positions, and the array space is constantly shifting as well. From the moment we entered, it’s impossible for us to leave normally. The only way to escape is the simplest and most brutal method.” A sharp glint flashed in Lai Yang’s eyes, and his aura surged slightly.

Seeing this, Lan Qingxian immediately understood Lai Yang's meaning; it seemed there was no other way.

"Hmph, you really think I'm easy to bully? Being chased by bugs and trapped by trees, I'll cut you all down today!"

With a flick of his wrist, Lai Yang retrieved a superior-grade spiritual sword from his storage bag. A terrifying sword intent swept across the heavens and earth, seemingly about to tear space apart.

Lai Yang raised his hand and waved it, unleashing a crescent-shaped sword aura that instantly cleaved several tree demons hidden in the forest in half.

In an instant, the tree spirits trembled with rage, their roots thrashed about, and the ground churned up in their fury.

"die!"

Lai Yang no longer suppressed his aura; his sword energy surged like a rainbow, unleashing a wanton slaughter.

Lan Qingxian followed closely behind, and the wind transformed into countless extremely sharp blades that flew out, causing many large trees to fall in the blink of an eye.

There were quite a few tree demons, but most of them were only at the fifth or sixth level of cultivation, and they couldn't withstand the slaughter by Lai Yang and Lan Qingxian.

In a short time, the two of them had wiped out 30% of the tree demons in the area.

Suddenly, a sonic wave that shook the space crashed down on Lan Qingxian and Lai Yang like a giant hammer.

The two were startled and their bodies were thrown uncontrollably through the air.

Once they regained their footing, the two instinctively looked in the direction of the roar.

They then discovered that the creature that had suddenly attacked them was a monstrous insectoid beast covered in sturdy armor, with black barbs on its back and several pairs of compound eyes on its head.

Judging from the aura emanating from it, it was actually a peak seventh-tier insectoid demon beast. "Another insectoid demon beast I've never seen before. How come there are so many insectoid demon beasts on this Path to Immortality?" Lan Qingxian said with displeasure.

Before the two could react, the seventh-tier insectoid monster, which was flapping its wings in the air, unleashed another incredibly powerful air cannon, blasting it fiercely towards them.

Lan Qingxian subconsciously summoned her defensive magical artifact, easily blocking the opponent's attack.

"How dare a seventh-tier demon beast be so presumptuous in front of me?"

Lan Qingxian raised her hand and waved it. A spiritual weapon made from a landscape painting quickly unfolded in the air. Then, the landscape transformed into a powerful attack that seemed to materialize and landed on the demon beast.

However, to her surprise, the insectoid monster was extremely fast, transforming into countless afterimages to evade her attack while simultaneously closing in on the two of them.

More than a dozen afterimages of insectoid monsters appeared, and in the blink of an eye, they surrounded Lan Qingxian and Lai Yang, making it impossible to distinguish between reality and illusion.

A dozen afterimages of insectoid monsters gathered energy, and beams of spiritual power filled with destructive aura blasted directly towards them.

Lan Qingxian used all her strength to defend with her magical artifact, resisting the spiritual power attack of the insectoid monsters. If they were hit by such a powerful energy beam, they would probably be annihilated instantly.

Lai Yang found the true form of the opponent, and his violent blood energy erupted. He seized the opportunity and cleaved the insectoid monster's hard body in two with a single sword strike.

Even though its body was split in two, the seventh-tier insectoid beast did not die immediately. In fact, the two sides of its body were moving closer to each other, as if it wanted to regenerate and merge.

Lai Yang would not give it a chance to turn the tables. With his unparalleled sword intent, he unleashed hundreds of sword energies in a single breath, completely annihilating the insectoid beast's life force and even destroying its energy core.

[Basic Attributes +1]

Hearing the system notification in his mind, Lai Yang couldn't help but feel helpless.

They went through so much trouble to kill this insectoid monster, only to get a slight boost to their basic attributes. It's really not worth it.

"The materials from this demonic beast are excellent; they can even be used to forge top-grade spiritual weapons. You should keep them."

Lai Yang nodded and put the insectoid monster's corpse into his storage bag.

Seeing their biggest backer killed by the two, the other tree demons all hid away, not daring to provoke these two evil stars again.

Despite experiencing many dangers, the two also gained numerous benefits.

The seventh-tier spiritual herb, the Fragrant Jade Heart Lotus, can be used as a material for forging top-grade spiritual weapons. Any one of its advantages is enough to make ordinary seventh-realm cultivators envious.

And this was just the opportunity they found not long after entering the Path to Immortality; it's hard to imagine what kind of powerful opportunities might exist deeper within the Path to Immortality.

After that, their journey became much safer. They wandered around the outskirts of the Ascension Path for a long time, killing demonic beasts, seizing spiritual herbs, and fighting with other people.

They even encountered ambushes from powerful figures from other immortal sects.

But no one could stop Lai Yang's sword. With Lai Yang's strength, killing them was as easy as killing chickens.

After killing seven or eight powerful individuals at the seventh realm, Lai Yang's fearsome reputation gradually spread along the Ascension Path, causing many people to avoid him and even choose to detour when they saw him.

Before they knew it, a year had passed since Lai Yang and Lan Qingxian embarked on the path to immortality.

On this day, Lan Qingxian suddenly said to Lai Yang, "I wish to explore the depths of the Ascension Path. Would you be willing to come with me?"

"You still want to find a way to the upper realm." Lai Yang knew what Lan Qingxian was thinking and said calmly.

“Yes, if I give up this time and fail to ascend and break through, I’m afraid I’ll never have another chance,” Lan Qingxian said with a very firm tone.

"Since you've made up your mind, I'll go in with you and take a look." Lai Yang sighed helplessly.

He knew he couldn't persuade Lan Qingxian, so he could only try his best to accompany her on her final journey.

The two set off and left the mountains teeming with insectoid monsters.

Two weeks later, a strange black river blocked their way.

There are powerful restrictions on the river surface; once you step on it, you will immediately sink to the bottom of the river. It is impossible to cross by flying.

The riverbed seemed to contain something terrifying; just looking at it made one feel disoriented, and even gave rise to an irresistible urge to jump in and become one with the river.

When the two realized this, they were already less than a kilometer away from the Blackwater River.

Lai Yang and Lan Qingxian broke out in a cold sweat and immediately moved away from the Blackwater River in front of them.

"This should be the Blackwater River on the Path to Immortality as recorded in the annals. This river lures living creatures into it. Once they come into contact with the water, even a high-level Tribulation Transcending Realm expert cannot escape and can only become a soul lost in the river with resentment. It is one of the greatest calamities on the Path to Immortality," Lan Qingxian explained solemnly.

Upon hearing this, Lai Yang instinctively asked, "How are we going to get through here?"

“It’s simple. As long as we don’t touch the river, we can row across.” Lan Qingxian paused for a moment, then warned seriously, “However, we must remain focused during the crossing and not be misled by the illusions created by the Blackwater River. If we fall into the river, we will surely die.”

"Yeah." Lai Yang nodded slightly.

Lan Qingxian raised her hand and summoned a spaceship that landed beside the Blackwater River. The two immediately jumped onto the ship and began crossing the river.

Before long, Lai Yang felt a strange spiritual force attempting to invade his soul and control his consciousness.

The deeper one goes into the Blackwater River, the more terrifying the invading spiritual power becomes.

Unbeknownst to him, Lai Yang felt his consciousness becoming hazy. He seemed to see countless dark shadows emerging in the Blackwater River, as if inviting him to merge into them.

Lai Yang slowly walked to the side of the boat, his expression slightly blank, his eyes seemingly shrouded in a layer of mist.

Lan Qingxian noticed Lai Yang's unusual behavior and immediately unleashed her powerful spiritual energy, shouting, "Wake up!"

Lai Yang was taken aback; the fog in his eyes cleared, and his gaze immediately returned to clarity.

However, at that moment, Lai Yang suddenly felt someone push him hard from behind.

With a splash, he uncontrollably fell into the black water and sank rapidly.

"Oh no!" Lan Qingxian exclaimed in shock, her expression filled with anxiety. "How could this happen? It was I who harmed him."

Lai Yang accidentally fell into the Blackwater River. The extremely cold and icy yin energy contained in the river water quickly surged into his body. He felt as if his soul was about to be frozen, and he was unable to move.

However, at this critical moment, the purple heavenly lightning power within Lai Yang's body erupted.

Lai Yang suddenly found himself able to move freely, and he seemed to hear countless terrified cries coming from the river, which was very disturbing.

Without hesitation, Lai Yang immediately controlled his body to rise to the surface, leaped out of the black water, and returned to the boat.

"Holy crap, that scared me to death! I thought I was going to die this time." Lai Yang said, his face still showing lingering fear.

Upon seeing this, Lan Qingxian stared wide-eyed in shock, unable to believe that he had actually escaped from the terrifying Blackwater River!
Even if she had fallen into the Blackwater River, she would have surely died. Yet Lai Yang managed to escape safely through his own efforts.

"You, you actually escaped! How did you do that?" Lan Qingxian asked in astonishment.

Lai Yang thought for a moment and then immediately explained:

"It was the power of the heavenly lightning within me that neutralized the power of the river. Once the power of the heavenly lightning within me erupted, it could no longer control me, so I immediately took the opportunity to swim up."

"That was close, I almost thought I was going to die."

"That damned thing, it actually tried to pull a dirty trick on me. I'll teach it a lesson you won't forget."

As Lai Yang spoke, he grew increasingly angry, and purple lightning power surged around him. He immediately controlled the violent and terrifying purple lightning to slam it fiercely into the Blackwater River in front of him.

The purple lightning struck the Blackwater River and exploded violently. The yin energy in the river was severely damaged when it encountered the extremely yang and powerful purple lightning. Instantly, the entire surface of the Blackwater River began to churn violently, and a series of extremely shrill and piercing cries of ghosts and wolves echoed from the river.

"You dare try to harm me? I'll destroy you today, you damn thing! Let's see if you're stronger, or if my heavenly lightning is more powerful!"

(End of this chapter)