Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

"Thump! Thump!..."

The five landed one after another on a larger reef. Although they were in a disheveled state, they were at least temporarily out of danger of being surrounded!

"Quick! Clear the leeches from the rocks! Fortify the defenses!" Shen Mo ordered immediately after landing. This reef was larger, but it was covered with a dense swarm of black leeches.

Ignoring their disgust, everyone hurriedly cleaned up the mess. Looking back, they saw a dozen crocodiles struggling and roaring in the mud on the small rock where they had been, making it impossible to pursue them effectively for the time being.

The dark figure underwater seemed to be caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the mud pit, and its attack slowed down.

"Phew... Phew... Finally... escaped..." Zhang Daniu plopped down on a rock, feeling like all the bones in his body were falling apart.

The feeling of surviving a disaster filled everyone's hearts. Looking at the chaotic crocodile group on the opposite reef, and then at each other's disheveled and blood-stained appearance, an indescribable complex emotion permeated the air.

There was lingering fear and exhaustion, but more than anything, there was a sense of unity and confidence that arose spontaneously after experiencing a life-or-death ordeal.

They did it. In dire straits, they didn't collapse; instead, under the sect leader's command, each performed their duties, trusted each other, and truly pulled through!

At this moment, this small team finally showed a hint of having been through blood and fire.

We're safe for now.

On a larger reef, five people sat or lay down, panting heavily. After the adrenaline subsided, what surged in like a tide was extreme exhaustion and aches and pains all over their bodies.

Shi Tie leaned against a relatively clean rock, his chest heaving violently like a bellows. His bronze skin was covered with fine sweat and congealed scabs. On his left arm was a foot-long wound ripped open by the sharp teeth of a crocodile, the flesh turned outwards, which looked quite frightening.

He carelessly tore off a tattered piece of his sleeve and haphazardly wiped the blood off the iron rod.

Zhang Daniu collapsed to the ground, sprawled out, too weak to even move a finger. He wasn't seriously injured, but he was exhausted, with a few bruises from being swept by the crocodile's tail.

Su Xiao's condition was slightly better, but her face was as pale as paper, and her brow throbbed with pain due to excessive consumption of her spiritual energy.

She mustered her strength, took out a water bag from her cloth bag, and handed it to Zhao Qingyan, who was leaning against a rock and almost exhausted.

"Junior Sister Qingyan, have some water." Su Xiao's voice was a little hoarse.

Zhao Qingyan took the water pouch, her small hands still trembling slightly. She took a small sip, and the cool water slid down her throat, finally calming her nerves.

The near-death experience she just had was incredibly traumatic for her, a girl who grew up in a village and had never witnessed any bloodshed.

Especially the scene where the talisman explodes and I escape from the crocodile's jaws—thinking about it now still makes my heart pound.

Shen Mo stood on the edge of the reef, his gaze warily sweeping over the surrounding waters. He too had expended a great deal of energy, his spiritual power almost depleted, but his expression remained calm.

After confirming that the crocodile herd would not attack again in the short term, he slowly turned around.

"Everyone, check your injuries immediately, treat your wounds, and recover your strength as soon as possible," Shen Mo gave a concise order. He then sat down cross-legged, took out a low-grade spirit stone, held it in his hand, and began to meditate silently.

"I'm fine! Just a superficial injury!" Shi Tie said in a muffled voice, but his constantly bleeding arm betrayed him.

Su Xiao sighed, walked to Shi Tie's side, squatted down, and took out a small bottle of hemostatic powder carefully prepared by Li Xiaocao from her cloth bag. The herbs were produced in Qingyun Mountain; although their effects were not as good as the pills sold in the market, they were better than nothing.

"Senior Brother Tie, don't push yourself," Su Xiao said softly, carefully washing his wound with clean water. The wound was deep, and the white bone was vaguely visible. Su Xiao frowned as she looked at it.

"Hiss—" The powder stung as it hit the wound. Shi Tie gasped, his dark face twitching, but he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound.

"Bear with it." Su Xiao's movements became even gentler, and she took out a clean strip of cloth to carefully bandage him. "This time, we really owe a lot to Senior Brother Tie for taking the lead."

"Hehe..." Shi Tie grinned, trying to laugh, but the movement aggravated his wound, making his expression somewhat comical.

"Of course! I'm the senior brother! Besides, if it weren't for Junior Sister Su's... uh, I mean, her magical music technique, I wouldn't have been able to hit that crocodile's mouth!"

Upon hearing this, Su Xiao gave a weary smile: "I was just lucky, it was all thanks to the guidance of my senior brother, the sect leader."

She looked at Shen Mo, who was meditating, her eyes filled with admiration.

Today's battle made her truly realize that this seemingly unassuming senior brother, the sect leader, possessed such a calm mind and astonishing skills in times of crisis.

On the other side, Zhang Daniu, having recovered, also got up and approached Shi Tie, saying with a mixture of lingering fear and gratitude:

"Brother Tiezi! Thank you so much! If it weren't for that blow, I would have been dragged down with that beast!"

Shi Tie waved his hand, his arm aching, but he was secretly pleased: "Alright, alright, stop flattering me! Be smarter next time! Strength alone isn't enough for a fight, you need brains too! Look at the sect leader, that's what you call amazing!"

He is now completely convinced by Shen Mo.

Zhang Daniu scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly, "I know! Next time I'll just chop off their bellies and eyes!"

After resting for a while, Zhao Qingyan felt much better. Seeing Su Xiao busy at work, she took the initiative to pick up the water pouch and walked over to Zhang Daniu: "Brother Daniu, have some water too. Let me take a look at your injuries."

Zhang Daniu was flattered and quickly waved his hand to refuse, "No need, no need! Qingyan, I'm thick-skinned, I'm fine! You were amazing just now! You just threw a few sheets of paper and trapped those crocodiles! It was truly miraculous!"

He was utterly impressed by Zhao Qingyan's skill of "turning paper into mud".

Zhao Qingyan blushed slightly at the praise and said softly, "I... I just did what the sect leader told me to do... Actually, those talismans weren't very useful..."

"It worked! It worked so well!" Shi Tie interjected, his voice still booming. "If it weren't for Qingyan's move, we might have been wiped out!"

"I never would have guessed! Qingyan, your skill in handling talismans can be incredibly useful in a pinch!"

Receiving her senior brother's affirmation, Zhao Qingyan felt a sweet warmth in her heart. Her original fear and lingering apprehension were largely dispelled by a faint sense of accomplishment.

She secretly glanced at Shen Mo, who was still meditating with his eyes closed, and thought to herself: I must study array formations and talismans even harder, and not let down my senior brother, the sect leader.

A moment later, Shen Mo slowly opened his eyes. Although his face was still a little pale, his eyes had regained their clarity.