at the same time.

Li Tianyi finally cut off the tendons of the Styx Python.

"Whew, whew! I'm exhausted!"

Lying diagonally on the ground, panting heavily, he caught a glimpse of the enormous python out of the corner of his eye. "The scales and bones of this thing are also very hard. We can't waste them."

Just as I was about to put it into the system space, an electronic voice sounded: "The rest is of no use to you. If you really want to take it, you can take its ears."

"oh!"

Dragging his weary body, he arrived at the giant python's head and swung the Po Jun sword with all his might, but it did not break.

He struck the same spot repeatedly until he finally cut it down.

"Friendly reminder: There's nothing good here anymore. You can check out the middle reaches." (System)

Li Tianyi ignored the system and leaned back in his chair to rest.

I don't know if it was because I was too tired these past few days or for some other reason, but I fell asleep in no time.

Time flies, and several hours have passed in the blink of an eye.

But a cracking sound came from the bottleneck.

He suddenly opened his eyes, circulated his internal energy, and the cracks widened.

However, no matter how hard it was hit, the bottleneck could not be completely broken.

"It seems that a life-or-death battle is still needed to break through."

After figuring it out, I immediately packed my belongings and headed towards the center...

I don't know how long it took, but we finally reached the edge of the middle.

However, there was a strong smell of decay in the air.

"What a lousy place! It stinks!"

Even sprinkling a handful of deodorizing powder cannot completely eliminate the odor.

Li Tianyi immediately became alert and looked around warily. Everything in sight was decay, even some tall vegetation had completely rotted, and dead branches would fall from time to time.

"Something's fishy here; we need to be careful."

We followed the main road towards the heart of the middle reaches of the river.

Just as I crossed the edge of the area, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the color of the river had changed, so I quickly turned towards the river.

The upper part of the river is pale yellow, while the lower part is pale red.

An even stronger stench than before wafted over.

vomit!

I kept gagging, and I felt terrible.

After digging out various deodorizing powders again, the odor was finally suppressed.

He greedily inhaled two breaths of cold air, and his mind and body returned to their most peaceful state. He then began to look around.

"Judging from what we've seen, this place definitely harbors a creature even more terrifying than the Styx Serpent." His brows furrowed, and his expression grew increasingly grim. "I wonder how Brother Xin and the others are doing. We must leave here as soon as possible."

The more I think about it, the more agitated I become.

Speed ​​up and move forward.

Li Tianyi was worried about Fang Xin and the others, so he didn't pay much attention to where he was standing. If he had looked closely, he would have found a lot of blackened animal bones nearby.

After passing through the bone area, there is a rocky beach ahead, with weathered stones standing tall. The only way to get across is to climb over them.

Using his light-footed skill, he leaped onto the first large rock.

The stone was so weathered that it could not support the weight of the body and collapsed instantly.

Losing balance under one foot, I can only use the other foot for leverage.

He did two somersaults and landed smoothly on another weathered rock.

This rock is big enough and in a semi-sheltered position. As long as it is not attacked with full force, it can definitely withstand ten or so people.

Looking ahead, the rocks there are even larger.

He gave a bitter smile. "Leaving here would be impossible in less than half a day."

Once your mindset changes, you'll move forward more steadily.

Half a day passed quickly.

"Once we get past the last big rock, we can leave the rocky beach."

His eyes hardened, and he channeled all his inner strength as he climbed the weathered mountainside.

Having finally reached the mountainside, I caught a glimpse of white mist descending in the far distance.

"How strange."

He channeled his inner energy into his eyes, but he still couldn't see clearly, so he could only continue climbing.

After more than ten minutes of effort, we finally reached the top of the mountain and hurriedly looked towards the place where the mist was rising.

"Huh, where's the fog?"

To get a clear view, I pulled out a high-powered telescope and kept adjusting the focus. I didn't feel any fog or even the wind.

"This place is not safe to stay any longer, let's leave immediately."

After donning the wingsuit flying gear, they landed successfully.

As soon as my feet touched the ground, I had an indescribable, strange feeling.

Li Tianyi didn't think much of it, put away the wingsuit flying device, and then began to look around.

The surroundings were deathly quiet.

He slowly turned around, and his peripheral vision caught sight of the ground. He was immediately terrified. "What a huge corpse. No wonder I felt strange when I landed. I landed on a corpse."

The body was intact, but the head was long gone. Judging from the size of the body, the creature underfoot was likely a snake.

His expression grew increasingly grim as he tightly gripped Po Jun, inching forward to explore.

After several minutes, I finally reached the end and jumped down.

"What kind of creature killed it?"

Unable to figure it out, I could only quicken my pace and rush towards the heart of the middle reaches.

We raced all the way to the heart of the territory.

The river water has changed from pale yellow to dark yellow.

"What a strange place, we can't linger any longer."

All the strength was channeled into his legs, and he shot out like an arrow...

On the other side.

Fang Xin and Qiao Xiaoxue were taken to a secret room in the Chimelong Escort Agency.

Liu Changlong carefully moved a box out and gently placed it in the center of the table.

"I don't know who designed this box. It requires multiple sets of passwords and keys to open."

He took out three keys and said, "My two benefactors, please follow my orders."

The two men each took a key and nodded emphatically.

With a solemn expression, Liu Changlong slowly opened the combination lock on the box.

The above is a code made of bronze digital rollers.

He quickly turned it to the correct password and shouted, "Prepare the key!"

Fang Xin was fine, but Qiao Xiaoxue was a little nervous.

"It's alright, don't be nervous," Fang Xin said with a faint smile.

Qiao Xiaoxue's tense mood eased considerably as she awaited Liu Changlong's orders.

He remained silent for a long time.

Half a minute later, he quickly took out his key and aimed it at the largest keyhole.

"I'll count to three, and you'll all insert the keys at the same time."

The two nodded.

"1, 2, insert!"

Insert all three keys at the same time and turn them.

Click!

The box popped open, and a desolate, ancient aura wafted out.

"Fully unleash your inner strength; you'll need at least the power of a Grandmaster."

Liu Changlong, who was only at the Grandmaster level, dared not be careless and exerted all his internal energy.

Fang Xin and Qiao Xiaoxue, on the other hand, were true Grandmaster level experts. They easily twisted the barrier using less than four-tenths of their strength.

The box was fully opened, revealing a soft sword with a blue hilt and a completely black blade.

"This is a famous sword ranked among the top five in the weapons list?" Liu Changlong was greatly disappointed. "Why do I have a feeling that it's not strong at all?"

“I think so too,” Fang Xin said.

Qiao Xiaoxue rolled her eyes at them, "What do you know? The Spirit Serpent Soft Sword is a divine weapon with its own consciousness. Once it recognizes you, it will teach you swordsmanship that is invincible in the world. If it does not recognize you, it will definitely hurt itself."

"Hiss, this is a bit strange." Fang Xin's eyes flashed with worry.

Liu Changlong looked at the two men with a complicated expression. "My two benefactors, I will not force you. Whether you are willing to escort the goods or not, Changlong Escort Agency will be eternally grateful."

Qiao Xiaoxue looked at Fang Xin.

Fang Xin remained silent, his brows sometimes relaxing and sometimes furrowing.

"Chief镖师, I can't make up my mind about this right now." After a pause, "How about this, give us one night to consider it?"

“Of course, no problem.” Liu Changlong smiled and cupped his hands. “Before we rest, I’d like to ask my two benefactors to help me close the box.”

"good!"

The three of them worked together and successfully closed the box.

"My two benefactors, this way please!"

The two followed him out of the secret room and went to a room to rest.

"Honey, what are you really thinking?" Qiao Xiaoxue asked, linking her arm with his.

Fang Xin made a shushing gesture, circulated all his internal energy, and sensed the sounds around him.

After a long while, he whispered, "Wife, don't you find it strange? Changlong Escort Agency is a third-rate escort agency. Even if the person who entrusts the goods is stupid, they would not ask someone like this to help transport the goods."

"Oh, right!" A hint of worry flashed in Qiao Xiaoxue's eyes.

“There’s another major point of suspicion.” Fang Xin opened his palm, revealing the smallest key lying there. “I took it after I closed the box. Look closely at the back; isn’t there a pattern engraved on it?”

Qiao Xiaoxue picked up the keys and examined them closely. "Where are they?"

Fang Xin pointed to the reverse slope, "Here!"

An image of a serpentine sword appeared.

In the image, there is a white-clad man whose outline is indistinct, holding a serpentine sword.

"If I'm not mistaken, this person is one of the Five Greats of the Martial World, the Spirit Serpent Sword Immortal. His Spirit Serpent Sword Technique is so superb that even the number one expert of Wudang, the leader of the righteous sects, Yun Zhongzi, is no match for him." Qiao Xiaoxue cupped her hands in the direction of Wudang.

"How strong would that be?" Fang Xin frowned. "A Martial Emperor? Or a Martial Sovereign?"

"No one knows the specific level. However, I once heard my father mention that the Five Greats of the World do not rely solely on combat strength, but on overall strength, including character and magnanimity, etc."

"I see." Fang Xin's brows furrowed even more. "This matter is too complicated. Should we get involved?"

"Honey, like I said, I'll listen to you." Qiao Xiaoxue smiled sweetly.

Fang Xin patted her arm. "I knew you'd fallen for the Spirit Serpent Soft Sword the moment you saw it. Such a divine weapon is better off you owning it than falling into the hands of villains."

"I want to take this shipment first. Once it reaches its destination, I'll ask the Alliance Leader about its current owner. No matter the cost, I'll exchange it for you."

"Thank you, honey, you're so thoughtful." Qiao Xiaoxue snuggled against him.

Fang Xin gently patted her back, but his gaze was fixed on the direction of Datian Village. "I wonder how Xiaotian is doing now?"

"That's easy. We can simply use the Honorary Elder Token to have the Twenty-Four Sects help us find it."

"Oh right, I'll go and pass on the order right away."

The token appeared, infused with internal energy, and emitted a strange sound.

A short while later, there was a knock on the door.

A tall man stood outside the house.

"Your subordinate greets the two elders." He cupped his hands and bowed. "May I ask what brings you in such a hurry?"

"I'm looking for a brother I haven't seen for a long time."

"Please describe his features briefly, Elder," the man said.

"He's 180cm tall, short hair, thin, round face, and has a bronze complexion. He likes to wear black clothes and blue pants." Fang Xin finished speaking and added, "Around 23 years old, and he carries a 1.2-meter-long Tang sword. If you see him, just say that Brother Xin is looking for him."

"Yes, I will take care of it immediately."

The man rose and fell several times before disappearing from sight.

Fang Xin and Qiao Xiaoxue's expressions gradually became complicated...