Chapter 1246: Blue Dragon Jealous of the Lord, White Tiger Carrying the Corpse

By this time, the giant crocodile had been sucked dry by Ma Huang, turning into a mummified corpse. With a wave of his hand, he collected its body, saying, "This crocodile hide is excellent stuff."

It's a top-tier material for making armor or weapons.

Princess Sorun and Prince Silver Shark frowned. They had clearly contributed significantly to defeating the giant crocodile; without their direct engagement, Ma Huang would never have succeeded in his sneak attack.

However, both were of noble birth and came from powerful families, so they didn't really care about a single crocodile hide.

They didn't want to offend a formidable opponent at this moment.

Suppressing their annoyance, they took advantage of the lull to fly across the swamp.

Ma Huang chuckled and followed closely behind.

On the other side, the other groups cursed under their breath. They had originally expected the two to help out after dealing with the crocodile, but who knew they would leave first?

Lion Spirit snorted coldly, tapped his toe, and dashed directly towards a gap in the giant crocodile's territory.

Although Bear One and Bear Two appeared simple-minded, they weren't foolish. Seeing the situation, they weren't about to foolishly endure further attacks.

So, working together, they threw the toad directly into the crowd on the bank, then ran across the water to the other side.

The people on the bank cursed angrily. They had originally hoped these individuals would help clear the path, but instead, they became cannon fodder to delay the ferocious beasts.

Despite their curses, they still had to fend off the toad's attacks. Many masters were hidden among them, and although chaotic for a moment, it wasn't a one-sided battle.

Jin Shi, Princess Changning Kong Nanjin, and others took advantage of the opportunity to force back the Red-Coiled Thorn-Flower Giant Mantis, also fleeing to the other side.

After their recent skirmish, the Red-Coiled Thorn-Flower Giant Mantis well understood their formidable strength. Coupled with the grim lesson of the giant crocodile's tragic death nearby, it had no desire to fight to the death and hold them back.

Others nearby quickly followed. Only those who had stayed far away, fearing being caught in the battle, couldn't keep up and cursed in frustration.

A plump figure, mingling with the crowd, also reached the opposite bank. He chuckled to himself, muttering, "To think of a trick like giving them the map – Daoist Master I am truly too clever!"

This, of course, was Wu Liang, the fat Daoist priest Zu An and his group had encountered earlier.

Just as he was basking in his cleverness, he suddenly saw the forest ahead and the stone figures lining both sides. A sense of profound mystery settled over him, and his smile instantly froze.

"Huh?" He quickly pulled out a compass and trigrams, performing calculations with his fingers. The more he calculated, the more alarmed he became.

"The Azure Dragon envies the master, the White Tiger carries corpses, the Vermilion Bird weeps, and the Black Tortoise hides its head! How can this be such a death trap? Impossible, it makes no sense!"

He paced around frantically in his anxiety. Passersby looked at him as if he were mad, giving him a wide berth.

After a while, Wu Liang watched the distant crowd moving further away, then gritted his teeth. He had come this far; retreating was impossible. He could only bite the bullet and press on.

"The Great Dao has fifty, and the Heavenly Path derives forty-nine – there is always a sliver of hope!"

He kept comforting himself with this thought, then took out numerous talismans and hung them on his body. There were deities from various sects, hoping that among the countless gods and buddhas, at least one would protect him.

Meanwhile, Zu An and his group, walking at the forefront, looked at the stone figures lining both sides. He mused, "This must be a divine path. I wonder what important figure is buried here."

Yun Jianyue said gravely, "Everyone, be careful. With stone figures of this scale and number, no ordinary person is buried here. And how could such a figure allow others to disturb their resting place?"

"Indeed, I sense that the arrangement of these trees is somewhat strange, like some kind of formation," Yan Xuehen said, observing the surrounding forest with her clear eyes.

Zu An also tried to communicate with the small animals around using his jade cong, but there was no response, indicating that this was clearly a desolate place.

At that moment, Yu Yanluo said, "The big snake just told me that there's something in here that can help me unlock my bloodline and achieve a breakthrough."

Zu An was startled. The cultivation of the demon race was not always straightforward. Although she could now use Medusa's abilities, she faced significant limitations. If she could fully awaken her bloodline, her strength would likely increase by a substantial margin.

In that case, even if this was a dragon's lair or a tiger's den, they had to venture in.

Yun Jianyue asked doubtfully, "I didn't see you two chatting just now?"

Yu Yanluo's face flushed slightly. "Our snake tribe has its own special methods of communication."

Having lived in human society for a long time, she often considered herself more human and felt a little shy about mentioning her snake-like aspects in front of the others.

Just then, gasps of alarm erupted nearby.

They looked up and saw that as they ventured deeper, wisps of mist began to rise around them.

Initially, the mist was thin, and fog in mountainous forests was common, so no one paid it much mind at first.

But in what seemed like the blink of an eye, everyone realized the mist had become so thick that they couldn't see anything more than a meter away.

The speed was too rapid; everyone knew it was definitely not normal.

Soon, the sounds of various weapons being drawn filled the air. Clearly, everyone was on high alert, fearing something might rush out of the mist and launch a surprise attack.

Zu An said in a deep voice, "This mist seems to block spiritual perception. We can barely sense what's happening in the distance now."

Ever since cultivating his divine soul, a large surrounding area had always been under his constant monitoring. Now, he felt as if he had become blind.

It truly is easier to go from frugality to luxury than from luxury to frugality.

Yan Xuehen also nodded. "It's similar for me. Let's not get separated. This is most likely a labyrinth."

Yun Jianyue said with a mischievous smile, "Ice Maiden, are you afraid of getting lost? Why don't I hold your hand, then you won't get separated."

Yan Xuehen merely turned her back to her. Yun Jianyue wasn't angered, "Oh, you don't want me to hold your hand? Then do you want Little Anzi to hold it?"

Yan Xuehen snapped, "Demoness, will you ever stop?"

Just as Zu An was about to intervene, a piercing scream suddenly echoed from not far away. Faintly, they perceived a figure thrashing wildly, seemingly clawing at something on its face with both hands. After a moment, it collapsed heavily to the ground, and all sound ceased.

The group was startled. The scream was truly horrific; it was even more agonizing than the sounds made by those who were devoured by the ferocious beasts when crossing the swamp.

Zu An and the others exchanged glances, deciding to go and investigate. The scream was too chilling; they had to find out what happened.

Quite a few others shared their same thoughts, such as the individuals who had just fought fiercely with the beasts in the swamp.

They saw a demon clan member lying on the ground, his face unrecognizable, his face and neck torn to bloody shreds. Judging by the blood under his fingernails, he had inflicted these wounds upon himself.

Many had seen him fight before; while not on par with Princess Sorun and her companions, he wasn't far behind.

For such a master to die so inexplicably in this place, everyone felt a sense of ominous foreboding.

"Could something be hidden in the mist, attacking by surprise?" Princess Sorun asked, puzzled.

"Impossible," Duan Tiande replied. "I was near him just now. No one approached him, and he himself was very vigilant, deliberately keeping his distance from others."

Dark Elves were always skilled in stealth and assassination, so if even he said nothing approached, then there certainly wasn't.

"Then how did he die?" The others were dumbfounded.

Just then, more screams of agony rang out.

Everyone quickly turned to look. The group gathered in the front row examining the corpse consisted of those with the highest cultivation and status. Others had to stand on their tiptoes at the outer edge to see.

The further out, the lower the cultivation level.

Of course, there were also some independent masters who stood cautiously alone at a distance, warily observing anyone who approached them.

They had initially thought the ones in trouble would be those solitary individuals, but unexpectedly, it was instead those crowded on the outer fringes of the group.

They, too, were behaving exactly like the previous victim, desperately clawing at their own faces and necks, their bodies grotesquely contorted as they stumbled about like zombies.

Thudding sounds echoed as they fell, their screams not lasting as long as the previous master's. One by one, they collapsed, and then all sound ceased.

Witnessing these scenes unfold from close range, yet still not understanding how they died, a chill ran down everyone's spines.