The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 278 - 170 Battle Commences_2

Fortunately, this map is constantly being improved, and since Yunxiao Palace is the organizer every year, they hope the teams they send out will perform well. Thus, every team leader is given a copy of the map.

After walking for a short while, the view indeed opened up to reveal a small lake. Ning Xiaoxian looked at the lake water with more worry than joy.

The water was too murky, who knows what was lurking inside. After searching around the lake, they found a broken wooden valve and chopped down the nearby trees to repair it. Wei Mazi, originally a carpenter, found this simple woodworking task too easy, and quickly fixed the valve.

In fact, Wang Yue had raised a different opinion. For safety’s sake, he suggested walking along the shore to bypass the lake, but Pang Hai thought about it and still shook his head in refusal. From the experiences of others, this lake had never had any strange creatures, and they were pressed for time—could they afford to lose at the starting line, wasn’t this saying only effective for kindergarten kids in Huaxia?

In such teams, the authority of the leader is unquestionable, so once Pang Hai spoke, Wang Yue said nothing more. The group boarded the valve, paddling as lightly as possible towards the opposite shore. If nothing went wrong, they should arrive in about half an hour.

Ning Xiaoxian sat in the center of the valve, consciously staying away from the lake water on both sides. She judged from the depth of the water where the oar touched that it was at least four meters deep. Although the forest was dense, none of the usual croaking of frogs, chirping of insects, and bird noises could be heard. Sitting on the valve with nothing to do, she felt an eerie silence all around. "This place is definitely not normal," she thought to herself.

The warm sun hung high in the sky. When Zhang Sheng’s ancestor saw the Moonlight Cup, there was also a full moon in the sky. What did this imply? It implied that this secret realm was most likely still located on the Nan Zhanbu Continent, only that it had been enclosed by a great power with Divine Skills beyond her understanding, set up as a secret realm to test mortals. What was the purpose of this? She couldn’t figure it out. But if this was the case, shouldn’t the wildlife in the jungle be able to reproduce on their own? Why then did this patch of jungle feel so ghostly, unlike the Mortal World?

Time passed bit by bit in tranquility. There was often light fog in the marsh, and just then, a breeze blew, clearing the fog in front of them and revealing that the opposite shore was not far away. This silent environment was actually quite torturous, all team members had been tense all the way, and couldn’t help but relax a bit now, with Wei Mazi stopping paddling to wipe the sweat off his forehead saying: "Thank goodness, we’re almost there." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Before the words fell, Hao San, who had been silent for a long time beside him, suddenly pulled him. This sudden pull, unexpected and from a petite woman with surprising strength, made him stagger inwards, nearly falling down, and the wooden valve was dragged askew, making a turn on the water.

"You..." Had this woman gone mad? He was both furious and anxious, about to scold her, when the calm lake water suddenly parted, and "splash," a giant shadow shot out, a huge mouth stopping where his upper body had just been sitting, snapping shut with a terrifying click sound of its sharp teeth.

The shadow could have lunged further forward, but the wood valve being dragged askew, the long side struck its body, blocking its lunging motion.

He was now almost lying down, the giant beast practically pressing down on him, the posture was indescribably humiliating and awkward, but the people on the boat were not in the mood to laugh.

It turned out to be a huge crocodile! Its body submerged in water was unclear, but its head alone was at least a meter and a half long, Ning Xiaoxian guessed its total length must be at least seven meters!

The water here wasn’t deep enough to harbor giant fish, but hiding a flat giant crocodile was still easy.

The giant crocodile was not afraid of humans, after missing its first bite, it immediately turned its head and opened its big mouth again, aiming to bite Wei Mazi. Once such a creature clamped down on its prey, it would never let go until it dragged the prey under the water to drown. How could Pang Hai allow it to continue hurting people? He leapt forward, arms outstretched, and clasped its mouth shut.

He was experienced, knowing that while a crocodile’s biting force was astonishing, the force to open its mouth again was weak, so he tensed his arm muscles firmly holding on, allowing the giant crocodile’s body to thrash in the water. The others were not to be outdone, they drew their weapons and targeted the crocodile’s vulnerable spots.

Ning Xiaoxian was not idle either, pulling out Hao Jing’s longsword and chopping several times at the crocodile’s throat, the wound spraying foul-smelling black blood, nauseating to smell. Crocodiles’ bodies are covered with scale armor, only their bellies bearing fine scales. But these vulnerable spots were hidden underwater, they could only target underneath its throat, and also had to be careful not to accidentally injure Pang Hai. Everyone’s weapons were coated with poison, as hurting their own team would indeed be embarrassing.

Wang Yue’s short sword was obviously very sharp, easily piercing through the giant crocodile’s left cheek and exiting from the right. When an injury was inflicted on a vital spot, the giant beast struggled even more fiercely, but thanks to Pang Hai’s extraordinary strength, he held on till the end. After several moments, the giant beast finally stopped moving.

The five of them, gasping for air, pushed the giant crocodile’s body into the water. The foul blood spread out in the lake, attracting a large number of dark shadows to come and enjoy this feast. In an instant, the lake water seethed as if boiling, it was unknown how many aquatic creatures had come to relish the meal!

Not daring to delay, they took the chance while no other creatures were paying attention to them, and quickly paddled the valve towards the opposite shore. Wei Mazi finally caught his breath and hurriedly thanked "Hao San". If it weren’t for her quick reaction, he’d be left with only half a body now.

Ning Xiaoxian shook her hand at him, indicating that there was no need to make a fuss about it. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)