With Xiao Yi Xian's flight speed, it didn't take long for the two to reach the edge of the Nether Poison Swamp. Though only fifty kilometers from You Ming City, that distance measured the swamp's periphery. At its heart lay the You Ming Lake, encircled by mountains, not filled with water but with viscous purple venom. This lake and its surrounding ranges formed the Nether Poison Swamp, a vast region rivaling a small empire in size.
Unlike the Magical Beast Mountain Range, home to beasts of various attributes, the swamp teemed with poison-attribute magical beasts, with non-poisonous ones confined to the outer edges. It was a paradise for poison masters, but their cultivation was perilous. A misstep could lead to toxins backlashing, reducing them to pus—much like absorbing a Heavenly Flame: either you conquer it, or it consumes you.
Stepping into the swamp's outskirts, a rancid stench laced with biting cold assaulted them, like invisible claws gripping their throats. The sky was shrouded in thick, dark purple mist, a torn veil of the underworld, suffocatingly oppressive. Sunlight struggled through, casting eerie, mottled shadows that deepened the swamp's sinister aura.
At the basin's center, a purple marsh glowed with an uncanny light, like a giant demon's eye. Gurgling mud spat foul bubbles that burst with teeth-gritting gloop sounds. Rotting plant husks floated on the surface, entwined with twisted vines that seemed alive, ready to drag intruders into the abyss. Swirling purple toxin mist coiled above, merging with the sky's fog to form warped vortexes, as if portals to a nether hell.
From the marsh's depths came faint, chilling wails and shrieks—perhaps trapped souls or hidden, terrifying beasts. The surrounding rock walls, coated in moss and glowing fungi, oozed purple slime that dripped into the marsh, rippling its toxic surface and amplifying the eerie atmosphere.
Xiao Heng and Xiao Yi Xian ventured deeper, finding poisons and toxic creatures everywhere. "This place is perfect for my Calamity Poison Body. Every breath boosts my Dou Zhi Qi," Xiao Yi Xian said, thrilled.
"The You Ming Lake at the swamp's core has the densest toxins. The poisons and creatures there should yield the strongest toxins," Xiao Heng said.
"The swamp's overlord is a peak sixth-tier Black Scale Poison Dragon. It recently clashed with the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect. Both it and their leader, Xie Shan, were gravely injured. The sect's Dou Huang and Dou Wang experts chased it into the lake's depths. That's to our advantage," Xiao Yi Xian noted.
"With your Calamity Poison Body's cultivation speed, reaching Dou Huang won't take long. The dragon's recovery will be slow. We might even recruit it as muscle," Xiao Heng said.
"Let's hurry!" Xiao Yi Xian urged.
"Mm!" Their Dou Zhi Qi was strong enough to avoid delays from weaker beasts.
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Two days later, they reached the You Ming Lake. The toxic air was so dense that Dou Ling or weaker cultivators would perish instantly. Thanks to his Devouring Blue Flame, Xiao Heng, a Nine-Star Da Dou Shi, was immune. Inhaled toxins were endlessly converted into energy droplets, stored in the flame's core. This place is a goldmine, he thought.
A kilometer from the lake, they carved out a cave for cultivation. Xiao Yi Xian set a Dou Zhi Qi barrier at the entrance, its poison attribute blending seamlessly with the swamp's ambiance, masking their presence as just another toxic creature's lair—common in the swamp.
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While Xiao Heng and Xiao Yi Xian trained in the Nether Poison Swamp, far in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Xiao Yan clashed with the Wolf Head Mercenary Group during a herb-gathering trip, giving him a short-term training goal. Yun Shan, sect leader of Yun Lan Sect, arrived to secure a Purple Spirit Crystal for her disciple, Na Lan Yan Ran. Smarter than in the original tale, she brought two Dou Wang confidants. With their aid, facing the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King was easier, but Xiao Yan, ever the opportunist, snatched the crystal.
Failing her goal, Yun Shan and her Dou Wang allies sought alternatives. By chance, Xiao Yan cultivated a wisp of purple fire, upgrading his Flame Mantra to Mid Huang Class, slightly boosting his "quick-draw" stamina. He broke through to Dou Shi, decimated much of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, and, sparing the lesser culprits, left Qing Shan Town for the Tagore Desert to "play in the sand."
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In the Nether Poison Swamp, Xiao Heng and Xiao Yi Xian lived comfortably. Xiao Yi Xian spent the year efficiently crafting and consuming poisons to boost her strength. The swamp overflowed with raw materials, and the You Ming Lake's toxins, mostly fifth-grade or higher, were top-tier. Chu Yun's poison masters consumed poison materials slower than the swamp produced them, and none could match Xiao Yi Xian's relentless, cooldown-free toxin absorption.
Like alchemists absorbing Heavenly Flames, poison masters needed auxiliary materials and preparations for refining toxins. For a year, Xiao Heng avoided intimacy with Xiao Yi Xian, fearing it would hinder her progress. In the last six months, she immersed herself in the You Ming Lake, directly absorbing toxins with the Blue-Purple Devouring Flame's toxic purple attribute. She's unstoppable, Xiao Heng thought.
Xiao Heng advanced from Nine-Star Da Dou Shi to Nine-Star Dou Wang. After reaching Dou Wang, he hunted fourth- and select fifth-tier poison-attribute beasts for energy droplets. At One-Star Dou Wang, he could handle fourth-tier and weaker fifth-tier beasts, resorting to underhanded tactics for stronger ones.
With no access to normal pill ingredients, Xiao Heng, surrounded by abundant poison materials, turned to refining poison pills, becoming a poison master of Chu Yun. Might as well make use of it.