My father is the main character, but the female leads want to kill me.

Xiaoqian, who was in the group, couldn't help but complain. She shook the mud off her hands and washed them in a relatively clean place.

Chi Sinian, standing to the side, also looked utterly dejected. For a girl like her with obsessive-compulsive disorder about cleanliness, walking in such a place was torture at all times. What was most annoying was that insects would occasionally fly around in the air, which was really irritating.

"Just bear with it for now!"

Fu Yuemei held her weapon, a fan, in her hand to drive away the insects around her. These ugly things kept buzzing incessantly, almost driving her crazy.

The Tianshan Sword Sect also has mostly female disciples, so they share the same feeling as those from Linghua Academy: an urgent desire to leave this awful place.

After all, walking through this swamp that reaches almost to your chest, facing the possibility of suffocating as you step into the swamp at any moment, and being wary of monsters that may appear at any time, is enough to exhaust one's mind and body.

As Shangguan Mengqing casually chopped aside a patch of wildly growing weeds, her eyes suddenly narrowed, and she quickly sent a telepathic message: "Lin Ran, look to your right!"

"what?"

Lin Ran looked in the direction Shangguan Mengqing had indicated, where a layer of pink mist, visible to the naked eye, began to permeate the air.

"That mist...could it be spraying out from some kind of plant?" Lin Ran guessed.

Shangguan Mengqing nodded: "Very likely, let's ask Mulan?"

"it is good!"

The two quickly reached an agreement, but Mulan was stunned. The two suddenly stopped and stared at each other. What was going on?

"Mulan!" Lin Ran called out.

"Mr. Lin, what's wrong?" Mulan looked at Lin Ran.

Lin Ran then pointed to the area for Mulan to see, pointing out the pink mist. Upon seeing it, Mulan was immediately puzzled. She quickly took out her notebook and flipped through it rapidly. She said in surprise, "I didn't have this kind of mist when I came here before!"

"Looks like we've stumbled upon a great surprise!" Lin Ran exclaimed.

"Keep walking!"

Shangguan Mengqing continued walking, saying, "Things will work themselves out!"

Lin Ran turned around and glanced at Mu Shishuang. Seeing that the latter had put on her mask properly, she felt relieved and quickly followed Shangguan Mengqing.

As the group ventured deeper into the area, the pink mist that permeated the surroundings grew increasingly dense and intense.

Lin Ran had to stop the team again, and he and Shangguan Mengqing discussed a solution.

"Elder Heng, you are protecting the disciples of the Tianshan Sword Sect, you are tied up with ropes... Brother Yue Lei, you are too..." Lin Ran gave instructions to each of them, but when it came to her own team, Lin Ran had a bit of a headache.

To Lin Ran's surprise, Huang Shishi actually stepped forward and took on the task.

Looking at her senior brother who was in love with Shangguan Mengqing, Lin Ran couldn't help but express her gratitude: "Brother Shishi, thank you!"

"no need to thank me!"

Huang Shishi glanced at Shangguan Mengqing and Lin Ran, and said with a smile, "Vice Dean Lin and my junior sister have been leading the way, so naturally I should do something too. I'll protect your students!"

A glint flashed in Shangguan Mengqing's eyes, and she calmly said, "Senior brother, please be careful too!"

"I will!"

Hwang Se-seok rubbed his nose and answered cheerfully.

After a brief adjustment, Lin Ran and his group dared to continue venturing deeper into the pink mist. When they reached a world where almost nothing was pink, Lin Ran was surprised to see skyscrapers and a modern city scene unfold before his eyes.

"Lin Ran, something has invaded your mental realm!"

A cold shout from Fan Hua was like a bucket of ice water that instantly woke Lin Ran up.

The skyscrapers in front of Lin Ran disappeared, replaced by a swamp shrouded in pink mist. Lin Ran scooped up some relatively clean water and splashed it on his face. He spat to the side and cursed, "What is this? How did it lead me into an illusion!"

"You came to your senses faster than I expected!"

Upon hearing the sound, Lin Ran couldn't help but look at Shangguan Mengqing beside him. The moment he turned his head, he saw Shangguan Mengqing's deep blue eyes burning with the Holy Flame of the Mirror Moon, and he was momentarily stunned.

But Shangguan Mengqing quickly added, "I forgot you had Fan Hua's help. Be grateful to Fan Hua, otherwise you would have ended up like that girl on your back."

What happened to Shi Shuang?

Lin Ran quickly turned around and looked at Mu Shishuang. Mu Shishuang's eyes were now filled with pink, and she was tightly gripping Lin Ran's back with both hands, her body trembling uncontrollably, her mouth trembling as she called out, "Father... Sister..."

"this…"

Lin Ran then looked at Fu Yuemei and the others behind her. Huang Shishi, Yue Lei, and even Elder Heng, who was in the Dragon Transformation Realm, had pink light in his eyes. They were all trapped in their own illusions, muttering to themselves, and in the end, they all walked in a certain direction.

"Yuemei, where are you going!"

Lin Ran gasped in surprise. He stepped forward to stop Fu Yuemei, but his disciple acted as if she didn't recognize him and used her spiritual power to punch him in the abdomen. Lin Ran and Mu Shishuang behind him were sent flying backward.

Seeing this, Shangguan Mengqing unleashed a deep blue ball of spiritual energy, which arrived behind Lin Ran, dissipating all the force on Lin Ran's body and gently carrying her back to the swamp.

"Mengqing, thank you!"

Lin Ran thanked them, then looked with some concern at Fu Yuemei and the others who were walking slowly, and then at the pink mist enveloping the surroundings. He said helplessly, "We still overlooked this strange mist..."

Unexpectedly, this pink mist was seeping in without anyone noticing, even controlling Elder Heng, who was at the Dragon Transformation Realm. This shows the power of the mist.

If it weren't for Fan Hua's help, he probably would have ended up the same way.

"Let me go, let me go!"

Behind Lin Ran, Mu Shishuang suddenly started screaming wildly and struggling incessantly.

"Shi Shuang, calm down!" Lin Ran shouted.

But his calls had no effect. Mu Shishuang even opened her mouth, revealing her white teeth, and bit down hard on Lin Ran. Although she didn't even break the skin, the power of the pink mist was evident.

"bump!"

A dull thud sounded, and Mu Shi's head lolled to the side, collapsing onto Lin Ran's shoulder.

Shangguan Mengqing said calmly, "Be decisive, let's go. Let's hurry and follow them. Maybe we can find the culprit!"

"it is good!"

.....

143. Demonic insects and poisonous creatures, the old man

Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing were the only two in the team who were not affected by the pink mist, while Fu Yuemei and even Elder Heng, a powerful expert in the Dragon Transformation Realm, were affected.

This is the biggest crisis their team has faced so far. If they can't get rid of this pink mist, the team will likely suffer heavy casualties before even reaching the Qianlong Secret Realm.

Lin Ran followed beside her apprentice, watching the devout and joyful expression on Fu Yuemei's face. Not only Fu Yuemei, but also Huang Shishi and Elder Heng were the same.

He couldn't help but whisper to Meng Qing, "Did you notice the expressions on their faces? They were grieving before, but now they look completely different!"

Shangguan Mengqing glanced at it and nodded, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes. She guessed, "It seems that the illusion being created so far is meant to immerse people in joy, a bittersweet experience? Heh!"

As if she had thought of something, Shangguan Mengqing looked at Lin Ran with a smile in her eyes and said, "It's too early for Fan Hua to make a move. I want to see what you look like when you're immersed in the illusion. I bet you're surrounded by wives and concubines and doing all sorts of nonsense!"

Lin Ran: "..."

Is he really that lecherous? Even when he's immersed in the joy of fantasy, he's like this. Isn't that too insulting to me, Lin?

Lin Ran, with a stern face, said in a tone of an elder's admonition, "Meng Qing, there are appropriate occasions for joking. We are in a dangerous situation right now, so let's think about how to rescue our companions!"

"Ok!"

Shangguan Mengqing nodded obediently, pointed ahead, and said, "Old man, a problem has arisen. Let's find a way to solve it!"

"what?"

Lin Ran looked in the direction Shangguan Mengqing pointed, subconsciously took a step back, and muttered, "Holy crap, what the hell is this?!"

Following Fu Yuemei and the others, Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing found the source of the pink mist, where a withered black old tree stood in the center.

The tree was hollow, with a large clump of pink flesh growing on it. The top of the clump had several very large red petals, and the central stamen emitted a large cloud of pink mist as the clump writhed.

Nearby, many roots also grew in the muddy water, but they were pink and looked like water pipes. The roots were transparent and sometimes emitted a red glow, which traveled all the way to the lump of flesh in the center.

Shangguan Mengqing had sharp eyes; she noticed that the roots were sucking up corpses, their bodies pale and ghastly white from being soaked, their expressions lingering on a state of pleasure and happiness, as if they had died in joy.

"Lin Ran!"

Suddenly, Shangguan Mengqing shouted, and Lin Ran turned around. Then, Lin Ran felt her left hand being pulled into the pool by a huge force, and the two of them plunged into the pool.

Fortunately, the water in the pool here in the swamp was relatively clear. The two stared at each other in the pool, and Lin Ran said telepathically, "Why did you pull me down? No, you pulled Shi Shuang down too!"

Lin Ran suddenly thought of this problem and quickly used his spiritual power to shield Mu Shishuang from the backflow of the pool water. After solving Mu Shishuang's problem, Lin Ran turned around and his pupils suddenly contracted. In the reflection of his pupils, Shangguan Mengqing's figure was infinitely magnified.

Their foreheads were pressed together, and Shangguan Mengqing reached for Lin Ran's lips, their lips touching.

Even though there was no lipstick in the world, Lin Ran could still taste a sweet sensation from its softness, as if he had fallen into the clouds. Just as he was about to take advantage of the situation, Shangguan Mengqing, like a smooth and beautiful mermaid, nimbly slipped out of Lin Ran's arms.

"Wow!"

The two emerged from the water one after the other, their hair sticking wetly to their faces.

Lin Ran was quite disheveled, but Shangguan Mengqing, even though she was soaked to the bone, still gave people the feeling of "a lotus emerging from clear water, its fragrance still lingering".

"You go save them, I'll deal with that thing!"

Shangguan Mengqing looked at the pink flesh that was still spraying mist and continued, "As for the people, leave them in the Liusu Palace for now. Once I've dealt with that thing, you can release them!"

"So that kiss you just gave me was a farewell kiss?" Lin Ran said, somewhat unhappy.

"You can think so!"

Seeing that Fu Yuemei and the others were about to enter the core area, Shangguan Mengqing started to move, leaving Lin Ran with a dashing and elegant back view: "Stop daydreaming, hurry up and save people!"

"What a self-righteous woman!" Lin Ran muttered helplessly.

He went to Fu Yuemei and the others, knocked them unconscious one by one, and threw them into the Liusu Palace. When he got to Huang Shishi, Lin Ran inevitably went a little too far.

He was definitely not settling a personal score; he just got nervous and lost control of his strength. He's not that kind of person.

The pink fleshy monster seemed to realize that its prey was disappearing one by one, and suddenly went berserk, immediately locking its target on Shangguan Mengqing, who had already entered its territory.

"hiss~"

A sound similar to a snake's cry frequently emanated from the monster, which was radiating a bright pink light, and dark red patterns suddenly appeared on the surface of its lumps of flesh.

Its body suddenly sprouted numerous pink tentacles, which were as sharp and swift as snakes. Together with the roots that were anchored in the pool, they seemed to be trying to trap Shangguan Mengqing in this inescapable net.

Shangguan Mengqing no longer used the Autumn Rain Sword, but instead used the Water Moon Sword, the exclusive weapon of the Mirror Moon Holy Emperor. This deep blue longsword, combined with the Mirror Moon Holy Flame, could unleash considerable power, which also showed that Shangguan Mengqing was going all out.

When those tentacles attacked, sharp barbs sprouted from their skin, like giant pythons dancing wildly, instantly turning the world upside down, splashing mud and grass debris everywhere, creating an extremely terrifying spectacle.