Lady Snake Scorpion stood at the highest hall of the Jade Alum Palace amid obscure and dense fog, boundless. Due to activating Five Poisons Mountain's forbiddance, this dense fog had then concentrated to the peak. Even the Lady Snake Scorpion who was an expert in Gu Poisons could pass through it.
Little Diao and Little Chan stood around her. The Twin-tailed Scorpion Xie Chan that had just finished recovering in the Star Nest was still somewhat weak, her complexion pale. Gone were her former high spirits, and in her eyes was an additional trace of hatred.
"These Azure Dragon Territory cultivators actually came." Lady Snake Scorpion's pupils were ice-cold. The entire Five Poisons Mountain's forbiddance took ten years to specially construct, layer upon layer of Five Poisons. The moment the forbiddance activated, ordinary cultivators that entered would die without doubt. Furthermore, Lady Snake Scorpion at this time distinctly sensed that Five Poisons Mountain's array points were being broken bit by bit.
"Kill these annoying bastards." Little Chan's silvery teeth were about to be ground to pieces.
"Mother, shall we notify that man?" Little Diao expressionlessly inquired.
"There is still no need for that trouble yet." Lady Snake Scorpion's biggest worry was still that cultivator who had escaped from the Roc Demon King's hands because it seemed from Little Chan's words that that cultivator was seemingly only Galaxy Initial Stage in cultivation. If it was like this, that was too shocking. However, a Galaxy Cultivator could not possibly be this abnormal. Lady Snake Scorpion surmised this should be that Enviless of the East.1
"Zhong Qi!"2 Lady Snake Scorpion suddenly said.
A lanky and stern man emerged like a ghost.
"Lady, what command do you have?"
"Five Poisons Mountain perhaps cannot stand against that Enviless of the East. At that time, This Queen must trouble you." Lady Snake Scorpion said.
"En." Zhong Qi nodded, as if handling a Supervoid Cultivator did not count as anything at all.
Hearing him speak as such, Lady Snake Scorpion exhaled. This Zhong Qi was a kindred spirit3 of the Roc Demon King. Reportedly, he was a terrifying White Tiger Territory cultivator. His cultivation was incomprehensible that even the Roc Demon King was reverent of him. Having him handle Enviless of the East, Lady Snake Scorpion was more reassured. Then, Lady Snake Scorpion walked into the top hall's center. In the center of a black magic circle, several black array banners floated. The array banners were painted with the totems of Five Poisons, and two sides were already damaged. Lady Snake Scorpion beckoned with her hand, and a black clawed toad banner flew before Lady Snake Scorpion.
Several hundred Demi Soldiers below the Jade Alum Palace assembled into the Five Poisons Great Array. The black banners in their hands flapped continuously as they walked at a mysterious pace.
"Just let the Toad Black River become the place you bury your bones." Lady Snake Scorpion watched the banner before her. She formed a hand seal and coldly smiled.
…
Passing by the scorpion's barrenness, what appeared before Su Xing's group was a boundless, massive sea. This sea was a uniform ink-like black. From the foul smelling black qi that rose out from the sea, one look told that this contained powerful poison. Many lotus leaves floated on the sea's surface. The lotus leaves being soaked in the black river all year round had dyed them black. This sea was incomparably immense, and due to them not being able to use flight, the faces of all the cultivators changed when they saw such a large black river.
"This has got to be a joke. Over this kind of poison river, how can we cross it."
"Death without doubt!"
"This is fundamentally impassable."
Ancestor Qianli was displeased and said: "What are you shouting about? Could it be that you did not see those lotus leaves?"
"Everyone need not be anxious. We only need to step on these lotus leaves, and then we can cross." Daoist Master Qing Lian slightly smiled.
"Can that lotus leaf support a person?" Some cultivators changed expressions.
Su Xing watched as Ancestor Qianli's expression brimmed with a mocking expression that was anything but reassuring. As expected, Ancestor Qianli easily flipped his hand, lifting that cultivator that talked, and a gale directly sent him flying over.
The cultivator turned pale with fright. His body fell and could only stand on one of the lotus leaves. Panicked and standing up in doubt, the lotus leaf seemingly could not hold and rocked a bit, scaring this cultivator into nearly tumbling. Only after seeing that it could steadily and smoothly support a single person did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Everyone, please cross first! However, this is the Toad Black River. Beneath the river resides the Black Claw Toad.4 Be careful of their poison tongues, and you will be able to pass." Daoist Master Qing Lian slightly smiled. That smile of respectful invitation made people feel that it brimmed with a dagger chilling to the bone. "However, that Black Claw Toad will naturally be handled by This Daoist Master and Ancestor Qianli behind you. You must be very careful."
"Su Xing, hold tight your wife and stay here, and then follow This Daoist Master across together." Daoist Master Qinglian faintly said.
Ancestor Qianli also called out to Fang Xin'gu.
"That black lotus can only support one or two people. Safety being the purpose, your Star Generals had better return first."
"It will do for me to follow Cousin." Zheng Yanran twitched her lips.
Gongsun Huang kissed Su Xing's cheek. Her body was feeble, and this black river's poison gas was vile, making her unwilling to stay.
Su Xing cast an inquisitive gaze to Wu Siyou.
Wu Siyou's cool and elegant eyes were saying: Do not think you can do that.
Su Xing shrugged his shoulders. He had wanted to say something when he suddenly heard the sound of something falling into water.
The cultivator that had been sent flying by Ancestor Qianli had originally thought to step across this Toad Black River in a single spurt of energy. The beginning was rather smooth, but stepping on a lotus leaf after a hundred meters, that lotus leaf could not sustain his weight and sunk. That poison water was seemingly a thousand catties heavy, for that cultivator that fell into the river unexpectedly could not struggle free in any way and desperately sunk before everyone's eyes.
The expressions of all the cultivators present simultaneously changed. The cultivators that had originally wanted to move to the next lotus leaf momentarily stood still in terror as they looked at the two Ancestors.
A cultivator had wanted to retreated, and it was at this time that the two Ancestors' true colors were finally revealed.
That cultivator that had wanted to return was shook back by a palm from Ancestor Qianli.
"Senior!!!"
Everyone shouted in fright.
"For the next part, we thank everyone for their trouble finding a path." Ancestor Qianli gave an evil grin. "Some of these Black River Lotus Leaves are incapable of supporting cultivators. We ask that everyone find a path that crosses the river."
"Ah??"
Several dozen cultivators changed expressions one after the other. These words of Ancestor Qianli's clearly showed he wanted to buy the path using the lives of the cultivators – to go personally test these, to step on top of these safe and sound naturally was passable while sinking naturally was a dead end. Although this type of method was very cruel, it nevertheless was the most effective method.
"Seniors are immensely powerful adepts, there is no need to be this difficult…"
"Snap!"
A bold cultivator had wanted to use soft words to plead for a way out, but he had not yet finished speaking when Ancestor Qianli impatiently extended an arm and pointed. Several bolts of Blooming Water Divine Thunder Flying Swords appeared out of thin air, chopping off that cultivator's head.
Everyone lost the color in their faces. Daoist Master Qing Lian had the cool eyes of a bystander, not caring at all.
"What did you think we wanted you for? What are cultivations like yours even capable of." Ancestor Qianli strangely laughed. Soon after, he asked: "Right now, you are to offer to This Ancestor a portion of your time. Afterwards, This Ancestor will not treat you unfairly. Any suggestions?”
Absolute silence!
Everyone simply stared at each other. At this time, they had chosen to sink. That cultivator's headless corpse still gurgled with blood. It went limp and collapsed where it was, the blood splashing over the ground. His end was displayed in their eyes. These Sect Ancestors from the start had planned this, so who would dare have objections?
Although everyone was unwilling, they could only inwardly swallow bitter fruit.
"Could it be that we cannot go test which lotus flowers can support a person?" Su Xing wrinkled his brow and asked. He somewhat disliked their methods.
Ancestor Qianli's gaze brimmed with ridicule: "If you are capable, then go test them, so long as you can find a bridge."
"For the purpose of fairness, This Daoist Master proposes for everyone to separately find a path, alternating your advance. This way, we can avert casualties." Daoist Master Qing Lian slowly said.
Everyone secretly fumed at these old farts. Fairness, your mother.
You frauds.
The cultivators that had originally been taking joy in Su Xing's misfortune of contracting a trash Star General genuinely wished they could substitute. Su Xing and Fang Xin'gu had actually happened upon good fortune. Due to surprisingly being accepted by the two Ancestors as disciples, it was for this reason they were not required to pathfind. However, Su Xing completely had no doubts that if these cultivators were to all die on the road, these two Ancestor's so-called "Master and Disciple camaraderie" would become "die for the sake of the Master."
Ancestor Qianli already began to call out the names of the cultivators one after another to go pathfind. A Galaxy Late Stage male cultivator at this time hopped onto the five hundredth flower. In front of him were several dozen lotus flowers soaking on the black river. From the surface, it was incomparably calm. He basically could not see concealed dangers. His eyes attentively gazed ahead, seemingly utilizing his Divine Sense to discern which of these lotus flowers could support his eight. For a long time, he did not step out.
Seeing him this careful, Ancestor Qianli impatiently said: "Do not waste your thoughts. If we could see things, would we still have made you open a path??! Do not squander our time. At this moment, you can only submit to the will of Heaven. Everything depends on luck, hurry and go!"
The male cultivator grit his teeth. Shortly after, he chose a relatively larger lotus that was fifty paces away from him. The lotus was flower was full, seemingly capable of holding some weight. Grasping a sword array, the cultivator pounced towards that lotus flower. Moving at this time over the black river, he could only rely on his own body techniques. In the case these black lotuses sunk, then he simply could not drag himself away. In ordinary times, light movements body techniques could display surprising efficacy.
"Tata!"5
The male cultivator's two legs stepped onto that lotus leaf, and his face suddenly displayed an expression of pleasant surprise. Just as he was about to excitedly whoop a few times, he suddenly discovered that this lotus leaf was slowly sinking into the black river. His heart panicked. Eyeing the nearest black lotus leaf, he prepared to forcefully jump over.
"Putong!"6
The moment he exerted, the malicious words instantly sunk into the black river waters. The moment his body was splashed by water, he was incapable of mustering any strength. The person seemingly became a thousand catty iron lump that sunk downwards. The male cultivator screamed in terror.
"Bastards, you despicable old bastards. Your Servant will become a ghost that will never let you go!!" The male cultivator howled in despair. The flying sword his hand grasped attacked Ancestor Qianli.
Ancestor Qianli was unconcerned.
Several tens of flying swords had not yet flew before him when they clattered down into the river. That male cultivator's body had already been submerged in the blink of an eye. A Galaxy Late Stage cultivator had unexpectedly died as easily as blowing dust away. Su Xing was secretly fearful.
When the other cultivator heard the male cultivator's words in the face of death, each and everyone gnashed their teeth. They glared at Ancestor Qianli and Daoist Master Qing Lian with hidden resentment. If they did not know that acting out would only result in even less suspenseful death, they would have already made a move.
The two Ancestors did not care. Gazing at them as if they were bugs, Ancestor Qianli sneered: "You go!!"
A female cultivator had been pointed out. With grief across her entire face, she jumped to the spot the previous male cultivator stood. She pondered for a moment, and then she jumped to the nearest lotus leaf. Everyone stared attentively at her. When they saw the lotus leaf steadily support her weight, they sighed in relief. The female cultivator cried tears of joy, for she had a sort of feeling she had just escaped from calamity.
"Wifey, prepare to move in a moment." Su Xing squinted his eyes, executing Sound Transmission.
The Wu Siyou who had long already watched the two hypocritical old farts Ancestor Qianli and Daoist Master Qing Lian with an ill mood went, “En.”
