Forty-eight days of preparation time flew by in extreme tension and busyness.
Within Qingxu Temple, the few aware elders, with highest authority, opened the sect's secret treasury for Xiao Qi and the others. Various rare medicinal herbs, spiritual minerals, talisman materials were continuously delivered to Xiao Qi's courtyard and refinement workshop. Mu Qingfeng took charge of overall coordination, coordinated resources, maintained secret communications with the outside. Liu Yun dragged Xiao Qi and several body-cultivation disciples, simulating marsh environment in the rear mountain, conducting high-intensity combat and survival training, sharpening actual combat responses.
The Shadow Breaking Alliance also went all out. Feng Wuji mobilized all the Alliance's hidden channels, secretly transporting batches of targeted supplies—special corrosion-resistant leather armor, jade slips recording known weaknesses of marsh creatures, several powerful but equally dangerous forbidden artifacts—to the predetermined assembly point.
Xiao Qi poured nearly all energy into pill refinement and talisman creation. He deeply knew that in a place like Ten Thousand Poison Marsh, personal valor was important, but being able to resist pervasive poison miasma and toxins was the foundation of survival and action. Hisconfidence came from the Vermillion Bird Soul Crystal already fused with the jade pendant in his dantian.
He didn't directly use the Vermillion Bird Soul Crystal's origin power—that would be too shocking. Instead, he cleverly guided out a thread of pure "Southern Ming Parting Fire" fire intent, integrating it into pill refinement's furnace fire and talisman creation's spiritual ink.
In the refinement room, hot vapor rose. Xiao Qi's expression focused, controlling that wisp of pale gold Southern Ming Parting Fire, carefully scorching the pill furnace. Within the furnace, dozens of spiritual herb essences for dispelling toxins, avoidingmiasma, strengthening qi and blood, tumbled and fused under high temperature. Unlike ordinary refiners using gentle ground fire or wood fire, Southern Ming Parting Fire was extremely yang and fierce, inherently carrying thecharacteristics of purifying evil. Under its tempering, impurities in the pills were eliminated more thoroughly, medicinal nature becoming purer and moreoverbearing. When the furnace lid lifted, no overwhelming fragrance, only a scorching yet pure aura spread. At the furnace's bottom, dozens of longan-sized, surface with faint golden fire patterns, bright red pills rotated—precisely the "Red Sun Toxin-Dispelling Pills" with effects far exceeding ordinary versions.
At the talisman creation table, Xiao Qi used a special wolf-hair brush, dipped in spiritual liquid mixed with cinnabar, realgar powder, and a thread of Southern Ming Parting Fire intent, painting dragon-walking strokes across sheets of tough demon beast hide talisman paper. The rune patterns weren't traditional styles, but self-derived and improved by him combining the jade pendant's contained purificationDao resonance and Vermillion Bird Parting Fire's evil-destroyingcharacteristics. Where the brush tip passed, spiritual liquid flowed like lava across the talisman paper, solidifying. The final talismans faintly emitted faint golden halos and warm sensation—he named them "Parting Firemiasma-Expelling Talismans."
He nearly worked without sleep, consuming all his and most of the sect's provided materials. Finally before departure, he refined over two hundred "Red Sun Toxin-Dispelling Pills" sufficient for both teams, over three hundred "Parting Firemiasma-Expelling Talismans." This was nearly his current cultivation and divine sense's limit.
Departure day, at the agreed late night. No farewell, no send-off. Xiao Qi, Mu Qingfeng, Liu Yun, three people, under night cover, silently left Qingxu Temple, racing toward the continent's southwest. Accompanying them, the rabbit spirit that insisted on following, stuffed by Xiao Qi into the spirit beast bag.
After several days of non-stop travel, crossing uninhabited wild mountains, they finally arrived at the agreed assembly location—an abandoned mountain god temple about three hundred li northeast of Ten Thousand Poison Marsh's periphery.
This place was already atland of miasma and pestilence's edge. The air began permeating with an indefinite sweet scent. Grass and tree colors became deep and strange. The abandoned mountain god temple half-concealed behind dense, poisonous thorn vines, dilapidated, long sincebreakdevotees.
When Xiao Qi's three pushed open the creaking wooden door, several vigilant gazes immediatelythrowshoot. Firelight flickered, revealing Feng Wuji, Falcon, Stone, and five other unfamiliar yetfierce and capable cultivators' figures. Including Xiao Qi's three, the total participating in this operation was eleven people—bright line four, dark line seven—all present.
Most Shadow Breaking Alliance members wore dark combat clothes convenient for jungle and marsh activities, bearing anbattle-hardened'sferocious aura and wind-stained appearance. When they saw Xiao Qi's three, especially sensed Mu Qingfeng and Liu Yun's pure spiritual power fluctuations belonging to major sect's true lineage, complex emotions flickered in their eyes, but more was recognition facing a common strong enemy.
"You've come." Feng Wuji stood,concise. His gaze swept Xiao Qi,slightly nodded as greeting.
No excessive pleasantries, time was urgent. Xiao Qi directly walked to the temple's center, took several jade bottles and a large stack of talismans from his storage bag.
"Alliance Master Feng, these are the toxin-dispelling pills andmiasma-expelling talismans I prepared—quantity should be enough for all of us." Xiao Qi handed them over: "The pills are called Red Sun Toxin-Dispelling Pills, talismans called Parting Firemiasma-Expelling Talismans. The effects... should exceed ordinary market goods considerably, perhaps having special effects against marsh's poison barriers."
A Shadow Breaking Alliance pharmacist stepped forward, took a bottle of pills, poured one onto palm for careful observation, leaned close to smell. When he sensed thesupreme yang purification meaning contained within, his face immediately showed amazement: "What pureyang fire power! These pills... can actually directly scorchsubtle poisonmiasma that invaded the body? This refinement technique, unheard of!"
He then picked up a Parting Firemiasma-Expelling Talisman, input a thread of spiritual power to activate. The talisman immediately dispersed a pale gold halo about five chi in diameter. Within the halo's range, the uncomfortable sweet scent in the air instantly dispersed, replaced by a faint warmth and cleanliness.
"This talisman... can actually actively purify surrounding environment?!" The pharmacist's voice carriedincredible excitement: "Alliance Master! Having these pills and talismans, our survival probability within the marsh increases by at least thirty percent! No, fifty percent!"
Upon speaking, all Shadow Breaking Alliance members' gazes toward Xiao Qi changed. Perhaps before there were still doubts about this young Qingxu Temple disciple, but now this tangible, life-related logistics guarantee thoroughly won their respect and gratitude.
Feng Wuji deeply glanced at Xiao Qi. Without saying thanks, he solemnly accepted the pills and talismans, quickly distributing to each member present. "Each person twenty toxin-dispelling pills, thirtymiasma-expelling talismans. Handle carefully, use as needed."
After distribution, the temple's atmosphere noticeably relaxed, gaining more confidence.
Feng Wuji walked to the temple gate, pointing toward that faintly visible even in night, shrouding the southwestern horizonmulticolored swirlingground, speaking deeply: "Ahead lies Ten Thousand Poison Marsh. Tomorrow at dawn, we depart. According to plan, split toward predetermined positions. Remember—within the marsh, every step kills. Besides poison barriers and demon creatures, must guard against Shadow Snake Pavilion patrol teams and hidden sentries."
He turned back, gaze blazing, sweeping across every face: "Final check of each person's equipment, pills, talismans. At Chou-Shi third watch, dark line team follows me in departing first, heading toward southeast corner Thousand Weeping Pool vicinity, searching for underground river entrance. At Chen-Shi time, bright line team led by Daoist Tang proceeds directly toward Soul Burying Depression."
"This journey, death without life." Feng Wuji's voice low yet powerful: "But if successful, will cleanse demonic atmosphere, console thousands of dead! Everyone,take care!"
"take care!"
The low response echoed within the dilapidated mountain god temple. Eleven people, from different backgrounds, bearing different hatreds and missions, at this moment for the same goal, at this death-and-despair symbolizing marsh's edge, completed final assembly. Fire crackled, illuminating their firm, solemn faces. The air permeated with pills' lingering fragrance, talismans' spiritual light, and a resolve to advance without turning back. The darkness before dawn especially deep, and deeper darkness awaited them in that colorful marsh's depths.