Originally, only five Qi warriors from the Realm of Black Marsh were drifting towards the central islands on floating logs.

However, as Dong Li appeared and threatened them, some other Qi warriors who had been hiding in the dark realized that they had been exposed, and thus stopped sneaking around.

SHEW! SHEW!

Two black-robed men jumped out from behind a dense bush and lightly landed on two more floating logs covered in moss.

The two of them were at the middle Greater Heaven stage, slightly stronger than the first five.

In the same way, they propelled the logs with their spiritual power, and like arrows leaving bowstrings, they shot towards the small islands at the center of Black Water Lake.

They had visited the islands a few times before Dong Li’s arrival, and thus knew that the spirit plants on them hadn’t reached maturity yet.

The purpose of the five going there had been to check on them and see how much longer it would take for them to reach maturity.

However, Dong Li’s appearance made them realize that it was no longer an option for them to harvest the spirit plants after they reached maturity.

Even though they understood that the medicinal efficacy of the spirit plants would be compromised if they picked them before they reached maturity, they couldn’t afford to worry about that now.

Therefore, they were bent on snatching the spirit plants, evacuating from Black Water Lake, and returning to the Realm of Black Marsh as quickly as possible so that they wouldn’t be surrounded and killed by powerful reinforcements from the Dong Clan.

Standing by the edge of Black Water Lake, Dong Li’s bright eyes shone with a vicious light as she watched the two Qi warriors from the Realm of Black Marsh jump out from the dark and rush towards the central islands.

Dong Li snorted a cold laugh. “A bunch of stupid morons. You really think people can just come and pick the spirit plants in Black Water Lake as they please?”

It seemed that the purpose of her revealing herself and crying out to them was to spur the Qi warriors from the Realm of Black Marsh and make them anxious.

The two middle Greater Heaven stage experts emerging and rushing towards the central islands was exactly what she had anticipated.

WHOOSH!

Another middle Greater Heaven stage expert from the Realm of Black Marsh secretly dashed towards Dong Li along the edge of Black Water Lake.

Instructed by his senior martial brother, the man had come to intercept her in case she wanted to tamper with their operation.

Dong Li seemed to have noticed his movements and recognized his intentions. Her expression didn’t flicker a bit as she continued to fix her glittering eyes on the seven Qi warriors who were approaching the center of Black Water Lake.

She seemed to be waiting for something.

When the two middle Greater Heaven stage experts were a significant distance away from the shore, and there was no way they could jump back, Dong Li suddenly sneered out loud.

At the same time, a green, glowing sphere whizzed out from her palm and stopped above Black Water Lake in the blink of an eye.

Rain was still drizzling down from the sky.

Nie Tian and Luo Xin also noticed the green glowing sphere that had shot out from Dong Li’s location.

“What’s that?” Luo Xin asked in a low voice.

“I have no idea." Nie Tian shook his head, puzzled.

In the next moment, the green, glowing sphere suddenly exploded in midair, sending out a substantial amount of fine drops of green liquid in every direction. Mixed with raindrops, they fell into the lake, carrying a strange smell that was both sweet and bloody.

As they made contact with the lake’s surface, tiny green splashes were created.

Keeping a close watch with his Heaven Eyes, Nie Tian had a feeling that the green liquid seemed to contain something that was bizarre and deadly.

Soon, the green liquid spread out on the lake surface as the water rippled.

The grayish-black lake surface seemed to be rapidly painted green. Not only did the green liquid quickly spread out on the surface, but it also spread down towards the depths of the lake.

Nie Tian couldn’t help but exclaim, “What?!"

“What’s going on?” Luo Xin wasn’t aware of what was happening.

Nie Tian didn’t respond, but instead closed his eyes under her gaze.

By doing that, he concentrated all of his attention on his Heaven Eyes, and the connection between him and his Heaven Eyes grew stronger.

Now, he was able to detect the increasingly noticeable fluctuations of flesh and blood from the depths of the unfathomable lake.

When they had first arrived by Black Water Lake, he had scanned the lake water with his Heaven Eyes.

However, back then, he had only felt that Black Water Lake was unfathomably deep, and that the lake water seemed somewhat strange. When he had commanded his Heaven Eyes to probe into the depths of the lake, it had been very consuming.

As hard as he had tried, the perception of his Heaven Eyes had only been able to reach about ten meters below the lake surface, not any further, and he hadn’t detected any signs of life.

However, as the green, glowing sphere cast by Dong Li exploded, and countless drops of green liquid spread to the depths of the lake, lives seemed to be awakened and become active.

After a brief pondering, Nie Tian instantly realized that some kind of living being must have been lying dormant in the deepest parts of the lake.

It was just that they had been sleeping in places so deep under the lake’s surface that they had been out of his Heaven Eyes’ reach.

Since Nie Tian was only barely able to detect what was happening in the lake via his Heaven Eyes, it was almost impossible for those conspiring Qi warriors from the Realm of Black Marsh to discover anything.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Huge waves suddenly rose next to one of the floating logs. In the next moment, the mouth of a gigantic, thoroughly-black Blood Eye Crocodile pierced out of the lake surface.

A bloodthirsty and merciless look filled the Blood Eye Crocodile’s bloodshot eyes.

With a violent roar, it lifted one of its huge claws and slammed it down towards the Qi warrior who was the closest to the central islands.

Flabbergasted, the Qi warrior, who was one of the first five early Greater Heaven stage Qi warriors to enter Black Water Lake, exclaimed, “A fourth grade Blood Eye Crocodile!”

He was still about fifty meters from his target island, which was not a distance he could cover with a single leap.

Only Qi warriors who had reached the Profound realm would be able to soar through the air, but his cultivation base wasn’t even close to that.

WHOOSH!

A gruesome, white bone staff flew out of the Qi warrior’s hand and emanated dazzling light to resist the crocodile’s slamming palm.

BOOM!

The light unleashed by the bone staff warded off the slam. However, the piece of ancient wood he was standing on couldn’t withstand the heavy burden, and thus sank into the water along with him.

Upon seeing this, the enormous Blood Eye Crocodile also dove into the water.

One huge wave after another was created in that part of the lake, as apparently, a fierce battle was taking place beneath the surface.

It wasn’t long before the log returned to the lake’s surface.

However, the early Greater Heaven stage Qi warrior from the Realm of Black Marsh didn’t surface with it.

Instead, scarlet blood bubbled up next to the log and gradually scattered.

At the same time, the other few Qi warriors that were rushing towards the central islands let out blood-curdling screams, “Spirit beasts!

“Spirit beasts have been lying dormant in the depths of Black Water Lake!”

A ten-meter-long, white python emerged from the deepest parts of the lake.

Simultaneously, a Tiger Head Shark charged to the lake’s surface. Baring sharp teeth that looked like two rows of sharp blades, it swam towards one of the Qi warriors from the Realm of Black Marsh.

Two other Blood Eye Crocodiles also floated to the surface, each setting their eyes on a target.

Without exception, those Qi warriors were all sizable distances away from the central islands.

Under the joint attacks of the spirit beasts, whose fierce nature seemed to have been stimulated by Dong Li’s green glowing sphere, the logs they stood on soon fell apart.

Without anything to support themselves, they fell into the water one after another, and ended up in the spirit beasts’ bellies.

Nie Tian’s seven Heaven Eyes floated quietly above the lake, where they watched the spirit beasts tearing apart and swallowing those black-robed Qi warriors.

The scene was so bloody and brutal that Nie Tian felt a numbness in his scalp.

All seven of the Qi warriors from the Realm of Black Marsh had been at the Greater Heaven stage. However, under those spirit beasts’ ferocious attacks, they failed to even survive for even five minutes. With agonized shrieks, they were all quickly eaten alive.

Standing on the shore, Dong Li looked very calm, her eyes shining with joyful light.

The Qi warrior who had come towards her seemed to have been shocked by the sudden changes in Black Water Lake. Having long since stopping charging, he stared blankly towards the bloody scene in the lake, eyes wide and filled with fury.

“Did you eat a bear heart or a leopard gallbladder? (see note 1) You actually dared to attempt to snatch things from our clan. A bunch of ignorant fools!” Dong Li said coldly.

Note:

1. Eat a bear heart or a leopard gallbladder: become blindingly daring (and do something stupid).