Chapter Seventy-Five: Right and Wrong Before the Path of Life and Death

At this moment, a man and a worm had already ventured a hundred miles deep into the Bewildering Jungle. The mist was growing denser, and the trees more and more lush. Following the directions on the map, Qin Chuan arrived at the entrance to the two-star region, only to find it shrouded in a cloud of multicolored poisonous miasma.

“Ding! Multicolored Poison Miasma detected. Extremely dangerous. Certain death upon contact.”

“Ding! Multicolored Poison Miasma will dissipate in five hours.”

Hearing the system’s prompt, Qin Chuan finally understood the situation.

Drowsy Worm, too, felt a chill upon seeing the miasma, swallowing hard. “Boss, I think that stuff is deadly—any spirit creature touched by it would die, no exceptions.”

Qin Chuan thought for a moment and said, “Little one, this miasma will dissipate soon. Rather than just waiting here, why don’t we go farm some experience?”

“Alright!”

So, man and worm set off cheerfully to hunt a round of elite creatures.

The spirit beasts, who might otherwise have escaped unscathed, found themselves once again facing disaster due to the appearance of the miasma.

While Qin Chuan was busy hunting elites, a beautiful maiden in purple followed in his footsteps, retracing the path he had taken.

This maiden was none other than Zi Zi, the sixth young mistress of the Zi Spirit Court.

“Hm, every so often there’s a skeleton, and the blood hasn’t dried yet. I’d bet it’s the work of the Black Demon Sword.”

“It’s hard to imagine—hundreds of skeletons by the marsh, all left in the wake of his slaughter.”

“This Black Demon Sword truly lives up to its reputation: ruthless and tyrannical, just as the rumors say.”

“But the more formidable this sword is, the more I want to claim it for myself.”

Zi Zi blinked her lively eyes, a sweet smile curving her lips, dimples deepening in her cheeks.

Qin Chuan had no idea that, without even realizing it, he had attracted the attention of a beautiful woman—one particularly determined to win him over.

Thanks to Qin Chuan’s earlier sweep, Zi Zi encountered no danger along the way, not even running into a single spirit creature as she arrived at the entrance to the two-star region.

By now, the multicolored miasma was already beginning to thin; in less than half an hour it would dissipate.

But as Zi Zi approached the entrance, her luck seemed to run dry—for nearly a hundred spirit creatures were gathered there.

All these creatures were formidable figures from the one-star region, now promoted to two-star, each at level 22.

They were assembled here, waiting for the Path of Life and Death to open.

In the Bewildering Jungle, advancing to a higher-level region meant braving the Path of Life and Death. This passage was often blanketed in the multicolored miasma and only cleared at specific times, for just half an hour.

If one failed to pass through within that window, there would be no chance of survival.

Normally, these spirit creatures fought and killed one another without hesitation, but now they were unusually quiet, knowing that a grueling trial lay ahead, and there was no point in wasting strength on pointless conflict.

Yet Zi Zi’s appearance was like a boulder cast into a tranquil lake, causing an instant uproar.

“Well, well, where did this little beauty come from? She’s a real treat for the eyes.”

“Hmph, any force bordering the Bewildering Jungle is either Black Wind Cliff or Zi Spirit Court, so she’s either a ghost or a demon.”

“That’s right—those two forces have always enslaved our kind. Now’s our chance for revenge.”

“Haha, you’re right! Let's take her down together—think of it as a snack before the challenge.”

“With skin that fair and tender, she must taste delicious.”

“I’ve never eaten a humanoid creature before—just imagining it makes my mouth water.”

…

In no time, nearly a hundred spirit creatures had surrounded Zi Zi.

Her expression was grim, as if struggling to suppress a strong urge. She had never seen such a scene before; most of the creatures before her were snakes, insects, centipedes, spiders, and the most attractive among them was merely a thousand-vine tree.

Any normal girl would have been terrified, and Zi Zi could only feel nauseated, her voice trembling, “Stay back! Don’t come any closer! If you do, I’ll throw up!”

The spirit creatures were all coated in venom and exuded a pungent stench that would make any sane person retch.

“Damn, this girl’s got nerve, looking down on us! Kill her!”

“Yes, kill her!”

…

At once, the creatures twisted and crawled toward her.

Suddenly, a blue light flared around her—a small blue orb floated beside Zi Zi, exuding a faint, refreshing fragrance.

When the spirit creatures saw the orb, they immediately retreated, a trace of fear in their eyes.

“That… that’s a Blue Camphor Pearl!”

“Damn, how does this girl have something like that? The smell makes me dizzy and nauseous!”

“Enough! Don’t be scared! Use your skills and kill her!”

“Yeah, as long as we don’t get close, that pearl’s nothing.”

With their resolve renewed, the spirit creatures launched their attacks.

“Take this—Poison Spider Web!”

“Rainbow Venom Sting!”

“Toad’s Poisonous Mist!”

…

Suddenly, green light filled the air, and a barrage of skills rained down on Zi Zi.

Zi Zi’s true form was the Violet Spirit Fox; after a thousand years of cultivation, she had taken human form and reached level 22. Though only level 22, she was far superior to any spirit creature present.

With a resonant clang, Zi Zi drew her sword—a black blade radiating a sharp, innate aura. Though not a spirit weapon, it was forged from rare meteoric iron.

Forming a sword seal with her fingers, she unleashed a flurry of sword light, shouting, “Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers!”

As a high-plane demon, her cultivation system was utterly different from that of common creatures. With a human form—the crown of all spirits—she was inherently nobler and more powerful.

Her sword light formed an impenetrable defense within three meters.

A chorus of ringing impacts filled the air; the first wave of attacks was utterly ineffective.

“Hmph, this girl’s tough. Keep firing skills—wear her down!”

“Yes, wear her down!”

So, the spirit creatures launched wave after wave of attacks, forcing Zi Zi to defend herself tirelessly.

“These wretched crawling things, bullying me with their numbers! I can’t believe my luck is so bad—to run into this pack right now.”

“I haven’t even caught a glimpse of the Black Demon Sword, and already I’m in deep trouble.”

Zi Zi’s anger mounted, and she swung her sword with increasing ferocity—but her energy was quickly draining.

After about ten minutes, the stalemate remained, but Zi Zi was clearly out of breath. If this continued, disaster seemed inevitable.

The spirit creatures, seeing her falter, grew more excited.

“Come on, everyone, keep it up! Our delicious snack is almost within reach!”

“Haha, I can hardly keep from drooling just thinking about it.”

“Just imagining that tender flesh makes my teeth ache with anticipation!”

“Haha!”

…

Hearing their triumphant laughter, Zi Zi grew deathly pale. Just the thought of being devoured by snakes and insects gave her goosebumps all over.