Marshlands covered large areas of the realm.
Most of the marshlands were wreathed in multicolored miasma that was acidic and toxic.
The Lizardmen converged on the location where Nie Tian and the others were garrisoned from two different directions.
As they flew past marshlands, they channeled the miasma in them with their bloodline power, causing them to surge towards Nie Tian and the others.
Originally, the multicolored miasma was faint, and carried a limited amount of toxins.
However, as more and more miasma joined the action, it rapidly grew thicker and more powerful.
With a speed that was much faster than the Lizardmen, the multicolored miasma surged towards the place where Nie Tian and the others were.
Brow slightly furrowed, Lou Hongyan took a sniff of the air that had become sour. “A rotting aura that carries nerve-numbing, flesh-melting toxins…”
Then, with a soft exclamation, she summoned fierce flame power into her lungs to purge the toxins.
“The Lizardmen have the ability to mobilize miasma. If the concentration of the miasma builds up to a certain level, it will pose a threat to us.” As she said these words, every Saint domain and Void domain expert enveloped themselves in their own domains that were like giant spheres.
Some of them were filled with flashing lightning bolts.
Some of them were filled with clusters of floating flames that were vested with their owners’ awareness and the profound truths of flame power.
Others were bone-piercingly cold, as if illusory snow-capped mountain peaks stood within them, exuding an icy aura that could freeze all things, and turn living beings to ice sculptures.
All of the domains had been forged according to their owners’ cultivation attributes, with precious materials, as well as their owners’ soul awareness and understanding of the power they practiced.
Domains could be viewed as Qi warriors’ second bodies, which were even more important than their fleshly bodies in some sense.
One expert after another enveloped themselves in their domains, keeping away the toxic, acidic miasma that converged on them from different directions.
Like they were enveloped in special wards, the experts wouldn’t be harmed by the miasma as long as their domains didn’t shatter.
This was the first time Nie Tian had ever seen so many domains in one place.
He glanced around, and saw that Void domain experts’ domains were ethereal and illusory like reflections in water, as they could be clearly seen, but gave him a sense of unreality.
However, Yang Fan and the other Saint domain experts’ domains looked as real as themselves.
Their domains were like heaven and earth they had created, which give Nie Tian a sense that everything within them could be touched by hands.
This was the difference between Void domain experts’ domains and Saint domain experts’ domains.
Lou Hongyan’s domain, however, was the most special of all. Illusory volcanoes could be seen floating within her domain, spewing flames unceasingly.
One river of flames after another interwove with each other in midair. Like veins, they formed some secret fire spell formation.
A blazing aura that could burn the heavens and destroy the earth filled her fire domain, while she controlled everything about it like a god.
As soon as these Void domain and Saint domain experts unleashed their domains, they were no longer affected by the surging miasma.
Huang Jinnan and Nie Tian were the only ones who hadn’t entered the Void domain.
As the toxic, acidic miasma built up around them, each breath Nie Tian took caused a stabbing pain in his lungs, and he felt as if his meridians and flesh were being injected with nerve-numbing toxins.
He secretly summoned his bloodline power and mixed it with his flame power, with which he refined the toxins that had invaded his system.
WHOOSH!
As he summoned wood power, an emerald green ward formed around him, keeping the acidic, toxic miasma away.
FIZZ! FIZZ!
Even so, the toxins within the miasma attacked his wood power ward unrelentingly, causing multicolored sparks to sputter off the emerald ward.
After a while, it started to drizzle.
As raindrops fell onto the emerald ward, the ward suffered from even stronger corrosion. Wood power began to be drained from his wood power core at a rate several times higher than before.
Nie Tian’s expression flickered.
He looked up. Each falling raindrop seemed to be a condensation of the acidic, toxic miasma.
As the destructive raindrops continued to fall onto his wood power ward, he soon started to feel strained, and that his wood power ward was about to shatter.
Huang Jinnan and Lou Hongyan’s subordinates also looked skywards as they engaged in a discussion.
“Such strong acidic toxins!”
“I can feel my power leaving me at an alarming rate while the rain falls on my domain.”
“From the look of it, these Lizardmen actually know something.”
Lou Hongyan shot a sideways glance at Nie Tian and said, “Nie Tian, your cultivation base is far too low. You won’t be able to contend against the miasma and rain over the long term. Go to uncle Yang. He’ll take care of you.”
With a plain smile, Yang Fan beckoned for Nie Tian to come over.
The other Saint domain and Void domain experts also fixed their eyes on Nie Tian, but there wasn’t much contempt in their eyes as they did so, since they understood that Nie Tian had just joined the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace. Even if he would become a bright star that shone across the starry river with the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace’s guidance and support, he was still too weak at the moment.
Looking somewhat dejected, Nie Tian said with a bitter smile, “It’s alright. I can manage.”
“Don’t try to be brave. We won’t make light of you.” Lou Hongyan tried to persuade him.
“I’m fine… really.” Nie Tian refused her offer. Then, after a moment of pondering, he decided to resort to the Star Boat.
As star power was channeled from the Star Stones at the bottom of the Star Boat, a glorious starlight ward enveloped the Star Boat.
This instantly solved his problem by warding off the miasma and falling rain.
“Come out!” As he exclaimed these words inwardly, the enormous Bone Blood Demon flew out of his ring of holding and stopped underneath his Star Boat.
It practically placed the Star Boat on top of its skull, which was as smooth as giant piece of jade.
Upon seeing this, the experts muttered to each other in low voices.
“An eighth grade puppet.”
“Its battle prowess should match that of a middle or late Void domain human expert. Not bad.”
“With it by his side, he’ll be able to protect himself to some extent. At least, we won’t have to spend too much energy looking after him.”
At first, they had assumed that once a battle broke out, Nie Tian, who was at the Profound realm, wouldn’t be able to protect himself from the sixth and seventh grade Lizardmen. Therefore, they would have to keep an eye on him, lest he got killed by the Lizardmen.
Only after seeing the Bone Blood Demon did they feel somewhat relieved.
WHOOSH!
At this moment, Huang Jinnan let out a deep breath and opened his eyes. Smiling, he said, “It’s done.”
His subordinates had enveloped him with their domains while he had carved the spell formations.
Now that he had finished, the dazzling golden light that shot out of the mountain of Golden Obsidian was channeled by him, forming an airtight golden ward that enveloped him.
Upon seeing this, his subordinates stopped protecting him with their domains.
Lou Hongyan seemed slightly concerned as she said, “The miasma is getting thicker, and the rain is getting heavier. Those Lizardmen must be using this method to wear us out first. This is their home. They must have long since adapted to the toxins. We’ll be at a disadvantage if we fight them here.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Yang Fan said, smiling. “Let these low creatures play their games. They won’t be able to escape the destiny of dying at our hands anyways.”
HOWL!
A heaven-shaking, earth-moving howl echoed out from the distance.
A ninth grade Lizardman that was more than twenty meters long was running towards them with four legs from a distant marshland.
As he did, his gigantic tail created deep ditches in the solid ground like a huge metal plough.
As soon as he appeared, the miasma that had wreathed the entire area seemed to be channeled by his bloodline power, and started to surge restlessly.
“He can manipulate miasma and toxins,” Yang Fan said with a grim face.
HOWL! HOWL!
More howls echoed out from ahead of and behind them.
Moments later, seven other exceptionally large Lizardman warriors showed up one after another. Some flew. Some walked with two legs. Some ran with four legs.
Eyes narrowed, Lou Hongyan said, “All eight of them are at the ninth grade. It seems that all of their most powerful warriors are here to deal with us.”
With these words, her pupils gradually turned red, as if they were being painted with blood.
At the same time, a red ribbon flew out of her domain, within which there were hundreds of crimson spots that were filled with raging flames.
