Oh no, I accidentally cultivated three spiritual roots and became an empress!

The Illusory Heavenly Fire, however, is an illusory flame, formless and shapeless. It possesses the supernatural power of transformation, yet its temperature is extremely high. If it is displeased, it can burn down an entire realm like the Immortal Spirit Continent.

When Zhong Lingxin first heard Xiao Huanhuan mention the Illusionary Heavenly Fire, an idea popped into her head: using the Illusionary Heavenly Fire to trick people should be a good idea.

Xiao Huanhuan was so angry that she ignored Zhong Lingxin for several days, saying that she was ignorant and underestimated the Illusionary Heavenly Fire.

Zhong Lingxin touched her nose; she certainly didn't think she was ignorant.

Divine fire, it doesn't matter how you use it, even using it to harm people is a kind of use.

It's probably because Xiao Huanhuan is too inexperienced; she only thinks about making a big splash.

Xiao Huanhuan couldn't argue with Zhong Lingxin's twisted logic, but she secretly hoped that Lingxin could form a contract with the Illusionary Heavenly Flame.

After five days in the quicksand region, the group emerged on time. Although they were all exhausted, they were extremely happy, and each of them had received a considerable amount of poisonous insects and beasts.

Among them, Zhong Lingxin received the most points.

No one was dissatisfied with this; on the contrary, they were even more looking forward to Zhong Lingxin's cooperation in the upcoming journey so that they could obtain more spiritual herbs and minerals.

The next place we need to pass through is the Misty Swamp.

There is a group of Xuanbing crocodiles in the swamp, which are good materials for refining sixth-grade weapons.

The Ice Crocodile King is a pair of sixth-tier crocodiles, said to have exceptionally thick skin and be incredibly resilient.

In addition, the miasma unique to the swamp's mist makes even seventh-tier monsters reluctant to set foot in the Misty Swamp.

That's why a sixth-tier Xuanbing Crocodile was able to seize a piece of territory right under the nose of a seventh-tier demon beast.

In previous years, cultivators passing through this route had to face all sorts of difficulties from the Xuanbing Crocodile. They could not pick the various spiritual herbs in the Misty Swamp, and they had to offer the Xuanbing Crocodile various pills, euphemistically called "toll money".

Even so, the Xuanbing Crocodile still wanted to kill two cultivators, saying it was for a treat.

Now, with Zhong Lingxin's sword net, which can slow down the attacks of the demonic beasts, they no longer want to pay tolls or leave their companions to be eaten by the Xuanbing Crocodile.

Zhong Lingxin certainly didn't want the Xuanbing Crocodile to have a feast.

She couldn't bring herself to throw her companions down to their deaths!

She had studied the principle of never giving up.

However, sixth-tier monsters with exceptionally high defense, coupled with the support of the miasma, are comparable in strength to seventh-tier monsters and are not so easy to deal with.

She possesses ninth-grade talismans and array plates, which are more than enough to deal with these two Xuanbing Crocodiles.

But honestly, she didn't think it was worth using the ninth-grade talismans and array plates her master had given her to help these people. Moreover, after dealing with those two demonic beasts, she'd have to say that everyone got a share of the materials from the beasts they killed together. She'd really be losing out big time.

Eighth-grade array plates and talismans are much less effective in swamps, at most equivalent to seventh-grade ones.

Imagine the wonderful scene of throwing out explosive talismans and sending mud flying everywhere. It's said that they'll also blast out even more miasma from the swamp. If things go wrong, the miasma-avoiding pills your companions have taken won't work.

Zhong Lingxin decisively shook her head, dismissing the idea of ​​using the explosion talisman.

The only option left is the Trapped Formation.

We'll see how things go then.

Xiao Yizi, accompanied by several team leaders, approached Zhong Lingxin and explained their intentions: they wanted to test their skills against the Xuanbing Crocodile. The Xuanbing Crocodile wasn't without its weaknesses; it was afraid of fire and high temperatures. If they could first trap the Xuanbing Crocodile with a confinement array, and then Zhong Lingxin could further slow its movements, they might have a chance to kill it.

Zhong Lingxin nodded; she had no objection.

Soon, Xiao Yizi and the others came up with a specific plan: everyone would move together, with Foundation Establishment cultivators on the outer perimeter, Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivators on the second level, and the other disciples in the middle. Eight Foundation Establishment cultivators were then assigned to the front to protect Zhong Lingxin. Once the Xuanbing Crocodile emerged, Xiao Yizi, who was at the forefront wearing the Eight Treasures Robe and capable of withstanding the pressure of a sixth-tier demonic beast, would cast an eighth-grade trapping formation, and Zhong Lingxin would immediately follow up with her sword net.

To achieve the desired effect, the group rehearsed the exercise and made timely remedial and adjustment measures for any possible problems.

In an instant, everyone's emotions reached an unprecedented high. They were full of confidence in defeating the Ice Crocodile and strode towards the Misty Swamp.

Soon, a grayish-black mist appeared before everyone's eyes, emitting a faint stench of decay.

People who smelled this for the first time couldn't help but gag.

It stinks, it stinks so much!

Xiao Yizi shouted, "Take the miasma-avoiding pill and hold your breath!"

Following instructions, everyone ate a miasma-avoiding pill, and only then did they feel their unease lessen considerably.

The further in you go, the thicker the gray-black fog becomes.

After traveling for about an hour, the visibility had dropped to only about twenty feet ahead.

Various medicinal herbs unique to swamps can be found everywhere.

Because it was agreed that tasks would be distributed according to merit after leaving the swamp, the group maintained their formation. Several designated disciples continuously gathered spiritual herbs, while the others were responsible for guarding. They traveled in this manner for ten days, and as the thick, gray-black fog began to thin and visibility increased, the Xuanbing Crocodiles of the Misty Swamp still had not appeared.

Everyone was very happy; it would be best to cross the swamp without fighting.

A joyful mood spread among the crowd, and many people visibly relaxed.

Zhong Lingxin, however, did not believe that the Xuanbing Crocodiles would give up the delicious food that was about to be eaten. They must have seen that everyone's formation was complete and dared not attack rashly. They were hiding in some corner waiting for everyone to relax.

Xiao Yizi and the other leading disciples also realized this. Seeing that the two disciples were only pretending to hold their magical treasures and were craning their necks to talk and laugh in hushed tones, they quickly shouted, "Be careful! Don't let your guard down! The Xuanbing Crocodile is waiting..."

Before Xiao Yizi could finish speaking, the mud beneath their feet suddenly moved. The two disciples who were chatting and laughing screamed and fell into the mud. A large mouth full of serrated teeth was about to bite one of the disciples in the waist.

Zhong Lingxin and Xiao Yizi waved their hands simultaneously, and two sword energies slashed towards the gaping mouth.

Big Mouth quietly sank into the swamp, leaving only a few swamp bubbles "gurgling" on the surface!

More Ice Crocodiles emerged from the mud, their small eyes gleaming with a cold light, and mud and drool dripping from their huge mouths.

Thick, powerful tails of the Xuanbing Crocodile slapped against the mud, sending even thicker, more foul miasma towards the group.

Several disciples had low-grade miasma-avoiding pills, which were unable to withstand the miasma's permeation of their bodies. Their feet began to wobble and their bodies swayed.

Helpless, Xiao Yizi had no choice but to use his spiritual power to grab the disciples and stuff a few high-grade miasma-avoiding pills into their mouths.

All the Foundation Establishment disciples quickly swung their magical weapons at the approaching Xuanbing Crocodile.

Zhong Lingxin unleashed her Soul-Slaying Sword, swiftly unleashing one strike after another, and a phantom net quickly formed.

At the same time, her eyes looked at a spot in the swamp, a place that was so calm, yet it gave her a feeling of unease.