The canyon was dark and cold, jagged rocks jutting up from the ground like a thousand fangs. The poisonous mist here had thickened to the point that it blurred vision completely, and not a single living thing could be seen.
Within the canyon, a wisp of green flame—like a ghostly will-o'-the-wisp—floated forward. Everywhere it passed, the poisonous mists were swallowed and refined into its body, making its fire burn ever more fiercely.
Behind it, Liu Xi and his group followed closely. Their expressions grew heavier with each passing moment as the air thickened with poison so dense it was visible to the naked eye. The flame's direction made it clear—it was heading deeper into the swamp. It might be a fragment split from the Ghostly Poison Flame, or perhaps the piece torn off when the Flame Scale Python absorbed it years ago.
Now, drawn by instinct, it was returning to its true body. At least, that was Liu Xi's deduction.
The deeper they went, the heavier the poison became.
Liu Xi's Heavenly Flame guarded him, incinerating everything harmful before it could approach. Xiao Yixian's Woeful Poison Body rendered all poison useless against her—these toxins were far weaker than her own.
But Qing Lin and Zi Yan were different. The dense miasma had begun to affect them—faces pale, eyes slightly unfocused.
Noticing this, Liu Xi immediately took both of their hands, drawing on the Heavenly Flame to expel the poison from their bodies. The emerald light pulsed faintly across their skin before the toxins were burned away completely.
Beside them, Xiao Yixian strolled calmly through the haze, utterly untouched. These poisons couldn't even begin to approach her, let alone harm her.
The further they advanced, the darker it grew. Within three meters, visibility was almost zero.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The canyon's jagged rocks loomed like ghostly silhouettes in the green haze, giving the sense that unseen spirits were beckoning from the shadows. Even the bravest would've felt their scalp prickle in this place.
Suddenly, through the mist ahead, a faint outline of a cliff appeared. Embedded within the sheer wall was a narrow crack.
The green flame darted forward—shoop!—and slipped straight into the crevice, disappearing within seconds. Only a dim green glow flickered from inside, casting eerie reflections on the stone.
"Big Brother!" Zi Yan called softly, uneasy.
Liu Xi narrowed his eyes and exhaled slowly. 'We've come this far. Turning back now isn't an option.'
With three living Dou Zuns at his side and two Dou Zun puppets in reserve, what ghost or demon could possibly pose a threat?
"Don't be afraid," he said quietly. "I'm here. Let's go take a look."
He stepped forward first. Qing Lin, Zi Yan, and Xiao Yixian followed, their figures slipping one by one into the narrow fissure. Despite its appearance, the crack opened into a deep cavern.
No one knew how far it extended. Even after flying for some time, they couldn't see an end. To prevent any surprises, Liu Xi led the way, his Spiritual Perception spread to its limits, scanning every inch of the tunnel.
But there was no danger—only the endless hum of quiet.
Then, ahead of them, the green flame suddenly dove downward into what seemed like a subterranean pit.
When they reached the edge, Liu Xi frowned. The shaft was only about a meter wide, its walls smooth and slick—clearly the work of some serpent-type magical beast. The flame below lit the tunnel bright as day.
"I don't sense any danger," Liu Xi said. "I'll go first. Stay close behind me—don't stray too far."
"Mm," the three women answered in unison.
With that, Liu Xi leapt down, gliding swiftly through the tunnel. The green flame drifted ahead like a guide. After roughly ten minutes, the passage opened up, revealing an exit.
As they slid out into the open, the world turned pitch black. There wasn't a single natural light source—but Liu Xi's pupils glowed faintly with azure fire, allowing him to see clearly.
They stood within a massive underground cavern. Sharp, triangular stone spikes hung densely from the ceiling, while the ground was uneven and littered with fallen shards.
The green flame continued drifting forward—and then Liu Xi saw it.
Coiled in the distance was a massive emerald fire serpent, hanging upside down from a stalactite like a burning phantom.
Liu Xi's pulse quickened. He licked his lips, a rare gleam of excitement flashing through his eyes. "So this is it… the Ghostly Poison Flame."
Behind him, Qing Lin, Zi Yan, and Xiao Yixian appeared, scanning the area warily before gathering around him. When they followed his gaze, their eyes widened in astonishment.
Qing Lin's pupils shifted—the Jade Snake Three-Flower Pupils blooming in her eyes as threads of mysterious light rippled forth.
"It's not a real serpent," she murmured. "My pupils can't sense any living essence."
Moments later, the pattern in her eyes faded, and she shook her head slightly.
Xiao Yixian cast her a sidelong glance. When that strange bloom appeared in Qing Lin's eyes, she had felt a faint aura of danger—something cold and ancient. 'So this girl isn't ordinary after all… no wonder she could reach Dou Zun so quickly.'
Liu Xi smiled faintly. "Of course it's not a real serpent. That's the manifested form of the Ghostly Poison Flame. It must have already sensed our arrival. Let's go greet it, shall we?"
He stepped forward, the corners of his robe fluttering softly.
The moment Liu Xi appeared, the fire serpent stirred. Two emerald eyes opened, glimmering with confusion, curiosity—and hunger.
It immediately noticed the small wisp of flame floating beside Liu Xi—the fragment that had once been torn away. With a hiss, it opened its mouth and inhaled sharply. The fragment was sucked into its body in an instant.
Crackle! Crack!
The serpent's fiery body coiled and slid down from the stalactite, sending shards of stone tumbling noisily to the ground.
Liu Xi paused midair, watching as the colossal serpent—over ten meters long—charged straight toward him.
A grin tugged at his lips. "Not bad… its aura's about equal to a Dou Zong. For the 20th-ranked Heavenly Flame, that's quite the accumulation."
The serpent lunged, its blazing eyes filled with primal greed.
'If I devour him,' it thought, 'I will become stronger.'
The Ghostly Poison Flame had inherited a serpent's body but not its wisdom—instinct ruled over reason. The emerald fire flared violently as it lunged to swallow Liu Xi whole.
Liu Xi's gaze hardened. He flicked his sleeves, releasing a surge of Spiritual Power that rippled through the air like an invisible tide, enveloping the serpent completely.
"Hmph. You still dare bare your fangs at me?"
Boom!
The serpent froze mid-lunge, its body suspended in the air. The fierce light in its eyes dimmed to emptiness, motionless like a statue.
Moments later, its pupils flickered back to life—but now they gleamed with calm submission rather than fury. The once-proud Ghostly Poison Flame lowered its head, coiling obediently beneath Liu Xi's feet.
"The Ghostly Poison Flame," Liu Xi murmured softly. "A fine flame, but… too weak for me now. Eating it would be tasteless—abandoning it would be a waste."
Then something caught his attention. His gaze moved past the serpent's enormous body—to the shadowed depths beyond it, where a dark, glimmering river stretched across the cavern.
Liu Xi's expression shifted subtly. He floated forward and landed at its bank.
A vast black current flowed silently before him. Not a single ripple stirred the surface; even the faintest feather wouldn't float upon it.
"This must be the Ghostly Poison River," Liu Xi said quietly. "No bird dares fly above it, no leaf can float upon it. The poison contained within could destroy even a Dou Saint—it's a forbidden domain for all living beings."
He looked up, eyes narrowing in realization. "So beneath Chu Yun Empire lies this Ghostly Poison River… No wonder it birthed the Ghostly Poison Flame—and the Poison Swamp itself."
(End of Chapter)
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