"Be careful, there's a strong yin energy inside," Li Li warned in a low voice, already holding a golden talisman in his hand.
Rong Jiaojiao carefully sensed the danger but didn't detect any fatal threat. She nodded, took out a stack of Heavenly Thunder Talismans from her spatial talisman, and prepared to act at any moment.
The two silently slipped into the cave, and the further they went, the stronger the stench became.
Elder Li probed the cave with his divine sense and suddenly his expression changed drastically. He grabbed Rong Jiaojiao and shouted, "Retreat quickly!"
Just as the two retreated rapidly, the entire cave suddenly shook violently, and countless blood-red runes emerged from the cave walls.
Those seemingly ordinary vines suddenly came to life, coiling around the two of them like venomous snakes.
"It's a trap!" Rong Jiaojiao exclaimed, instantly activating the Heavenly Thunder Talisman in her hand.
With a deafening roar, lightning scorched the attacking vines black. However, even more vines surged in from all directions, each covered in sharp barbs and gleaming with an eerie blue light.
Li Li's golden talisman transformed into a protective barrier around the two of them: "These vines are highly poisonous!"
Suddenly, Zi Ling darted out from Rong Jiaojiao's shoulder, transforming into a streak of purple light that weaved through the vines, causing them to wither wherever it passed.
But soon, a chilling laugh echoed from deep within the cave: "The little thing is quite clever."
A hunched figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
It was an old woman dressed in tattered Miao clothing, her face covered with strange tattoos, and she was leaning on a snake-shaped cane.
What's most chilling is that her left eye is actually a bright green snake eye!
Li Li gasped, "I never expected it to be a Miao shaman."
The old woman grinned, revealing a mouthful of black teeth: "You little brat from the Xuanmen sect, how dare you ruin my good time?"
Rong Jiaojiao noticed that a blood-red bead was embedded at the top of the old woman's snake-shaped cane, which was continuously absorbing the black energy drifting from the battlefield.
"You used war to collect blood and evil energy to cultivate evil arts?"
Rong Jiaojiao questioned sharply, "How vicious! They are all soldiers who protect our country!"
The old woman chuckled strangely, "The little girl is quite clever. But..." She suddenly raised her cane, "Knowing too much won't help you live long!"
The blood droplets on the cane suddenly burst into a dazzling red light, and the entire cave was instantly shrouded in blood.
Countless poisonous insects crawled out from the ground and walls, surging towards the two like a tide.
Li Li said to Rong Jiaojiao, "She is at the same level as me, a Celestial Master. She also has many Gu worms. You must protect yourself."
After speaking, he quickly formed a hand seal: "Heaven and Earth, Mysterious Origin, Root of All Qi! Golden light swiftly appears, covering and protecting the True Man!"
The protective shield formed by the Golden Light Mantra kept the poisonous insects out, but the insects kept crashing into the shield, making a sickening "sizzling" sound.
“This can’t go on.” Rong Jiaojiao gritted her teeth and took out a purple-gold “Heavenly Thunder Talisman”.
Upon seeing this, a hint of apprehension flashed in the old woman's snake eyes: "That old man Leng Qianjue's top-grade Heavenly Thunder Talisman? This little girl has quite a background!"
Rong Jiaojiao didn't answer, but pricked her fingertip and dripped blood onto the talisman: "Nine Heavens Respond to the Origin, Heavenly Thunder Descends to Slay Evil!"
Three bolts of purple lightning descended from the sky, splitting open the top of the cave.
The old woman screamed, her body twisting strangely as she transformed into countless small snakes that scattered and fled.
"It's a substitution technique!" Li Li shouted. "The real body is still in the cave!"
Sure enough, a venomous voice came from deep within the cave: "I will remember this grudge! When I have mastered the Blood Fiend technique, I will make you wish you were dead!"
Before the words were even finished, the entire cave began to collapse violently.
"Let's go!" Li Li grabbed Rong Jiaojiao and rushed out.
The two had just rushed out of the cave when a deafening roar came from behind them. Looking back, they saw the entire mountain collapsing, with dust billowing into the sky.
Zi Ling suddenly perked up her ears: "Master, it's over there."
On the treetops in the distance, a dark figure was moving swiftly—it was the old woman!
"Chase!" Rong Jiaojiao summoned her flying sword without hesitation.
The two pursued closely and soon arrived at a misty valley.
Mist filled the valley, and an ancient Miao village could be vaguely seen.
Li Li suddenly stopped: "Something's wrong, this fog..."
Before they finished speaking, the surrounding trees suddenly moved and surrounded the two of them in the blink of an eye.
"It's a maze!" Rong Jiaojiao exclaimed.
The old woman's voice came from all directions: "Welcome to my Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, enjoy yourself!"
In the fog, countless poisonous insects and snakes began to gather. Even more terrifying, black liquid began to seep from the ground, instantly withering the vegetation wherever it passed.
"It's the Corpse-Rotting Poison Swamp!" Li Li's face turned grim. "That old hag has actually cultivated her poison skills to such a level!"
Rong Jiaojiao gripped the talisman in her hand, but a resolute glint flashed in her eyes: "Elder Li, it seems we have to fight with our lives on the line."
Li Li took a deep breath and took out an ancient-looking copper coin from his pocket: "I originally intended to keep it to deal with the demon spirit... Fine, today I'll let you see the demon-suppressing copper coin of the Celestial Masters Sect!"
Just as the two were preparing to fight to the death, a clear and melodious sword cry suddenly rang out from the sky.
A white light streaked through the poisonous fog like a meteor, turning all the poisonous insects in its path into dust.
A cold voice rang out: "Disgusting things should disappear from this world."
The old woman screamed in terror: "Who is it? How could this be..."
The words came to an abrupt halt.
As the poisonous fog dissipated, a flying sword was seen floating in the air, with an old man and a young man standing on it.
The young man was dressed in a Zhongshan suit and wore gold-rimmed glasses, an outfit that seemed somewhat out of place in the current setting.
Standing next to him was an elderly man dressed in short black clothes, who seemed to follow the young man's lead.
But in his hand he held a longsword that gleamed with a chilling light, clearly indicating that the earth-shattering sword strike just now was from the old man's hand.
At their feet, the old woman was already decapitated.
The young man gestured with his chin toward the old woman, and the old man immediately understood. He flew down and searched the old woman's body. After a moment, he took out a blood-red jade slip and the strange blood bead, and respectfully handed them to the young man.
The young man took the items, his gaze lingering on Rong Jiaojiao for a moment, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Interesting little girl, we meet again."
Rong Jiaojiao asked in confusion, "Have we met before?"
How could she not remember seeing this person before? With his demeanor and appearance, if she had seen him before, she shouldn't not remember.
Although he wasn't as good-looking as Jun Yuangui, he wasn't much less so.
The young man raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Whether I've seen you or not is up to me. Little girl, listen carefully, my surname is Mo, and my given name is Bai."
Seeing his cynical and suave debauchery, Rong Jiaojiao rolled her eyes inwardly. She thought he might as well be called Mo Hei (Ink Black), since he was black all over.
But he still cupped his hands and said, "Friends from the Mohist school!"
The person's cultivation level was at the late stage of the Profound Master realm. Rong Jiaojiao addressed him as a fellow Daoist, but she forgot that her cultivation level was currently suppressed to the mid-stage of the Mage realm.
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