The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

Chapter 106 Huan Zeqiu

The sky stretches as wide as the water, the water is darkened by the clouds, and all around, the turbid waters are boundless.

Xu Changqing wrapped his dark cloak tighter around himself, channeled a wisp of spiritual energy into the "Blood Fiend Pearl," and exhaled a faint, viscous blood aura, corrupting his human cultivator's aura.

He then summoned a small boat and, following the eastern route map provided by the Tongtianjian, headed straight for the west side of "Kugugou".

After traveling for about ten miles, a vast expanse of swampy forest filled with poisonous miasma stretched across the water ahead.

The trees in the forest were all bare, with only gray-white deadwood rooted in the mud like writhing dragons, and large patches of duckweed with a ghostly green luster floating on the water.

This place has completely escaped the oppressive boundary of the Qinghe Sword Sect's city-protecting formation and has truly stepped into the territory ruled by the demon race.

Xu Changqing did not rush to take risks, but instead took out a concealment talisman from his sleeve and stuck it to his chest.

The safe path provided by the Heavenly Mirror does not mean unobstructed progress; it only means avoiding those doomed, monstrous stock tides.

He packed up his small boat and began walking among the dead trees and floating reefs.

While traveling, he divided his mind into two tasks, sinking into his sea of ​​consciousness.

Deep within the mist, the faint light of the Heavenly Mirror flickers.

"Based on the deduction, we can determine the specific name, location, and surrounding dangers of the remains of a former elite scout in the Dry Bones Gully on the eastern front."

[Deduction begins]

[Deduction: Detailed Prospects for the Superior Concealment Artifact "Illusionary Robe"]

Since a geomantic map had already been prepared, this detailed analysis did not need to take more than ten days.

[Time required: Three days.]

Xu Changqing withdrew from his sea of ​​consciousness, having already made up his mind.

If the journey goes smoothly, it should take about three days to reach Kugugou.

"Splash!"

It only goes a few miles into the swamp.

Xu Changqing saw that the turbid swamp water suddenly surged up dozens of feet away.

He lowered his body to the ground, almost sinking into the mud.

Dozens of low-level aquatic beasts, resembling apes but covered in blue fish scales, were seen traveling through the forest waterways in a loose formation.

These azure-scaled water apes had not yet transformed into human form; they remained in the form of wild beasts, with only some rough water plants and vines wrapped around their waists. In their hands, they either carried large white bone clubs or held rusty, broken magical artifacts.

It was clearly a spoil of war taken from the hands of the fallen cultivators.

At the very front of the group was a water ape with an exceptionally robust physique and several strands of silvery-white fur on its back; its aura was comparable to that of a fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator.

It would occasionally let out a low, short roar or bare its fangs, and the aquatic monkeys behind it would immediately fall silent and obediently adjust their positions.

Legend has it that deep within the cultivation world, there is a strict hierarchy, no cities or houses, and no sense of propriety or shame.

Aquatic creatures in the Qi Refining stage are all unintelligent animals, driven only by instinct and the aura of high-ranking demons, like ants swarming around a swarm of bees.

Only by crossing the threshold of Foundation Establishment, condensing the demon core, and shedding the horizontal bone can one speak human language, transform into human form, and become a true "demon race" that rules over a region of water.

Seeing it today, it is indeed so.

A damp, cold river breeze blew by, brushing against the group of water monkeys.

The lead silverback water ape suddenly stopped, its nostrils flaring violently, and its ferocious beastly eyes swept sharply toward the direction where Xu Changqing was hiding.

Xu Changqing slightly tightened his knuckles, gripping the thunder seal hidden in his sleeve.

However, the silverback water ape merely snorted in annoyance, slapped a small ape that had strayed off course into the mud, growled, and led the patrol team away into the distance.

Once the surroundings returned to deathly silence, Xu Changqing slowly stood up.

He determined his location and continued to swim close to the water's surface.

For the next two days, Xu Changqing stayed up at night and went out during the day.

The scene that unfolded before my eyes was increasingly alarming.

The remains of giant tortoises, as large as mountains, have transformed into floating islands, densely covered with the foul-smelling mud nests of water birds. There are also swarms of sharp-toothed water monsters fighting over a recently deceased member of their kind.

Even more strikingly, there was a colossal phantom, neither human nor inhuman, with wings on its back, riding on rolling black clouds as it swept across the sky.

Where the phantom passed, thunder rumbled, and it uttered obscure and incomprehensible syllables. Although it was not human speech, it was like divine thunder from the heavens, causing all the low-level water beasts within a ten-mile radius to prostrate themselves on the ground, trembling in fear.

Humans cultivate immortality by emphasizing wealth, companions, methods, and location, establishing sects, and passing on knowledge and skills.

The Great Swamp Demon Clan, especially the high-ranking demons, has a natural power of life and death over low-ranking demon beasts. They do not need formations to restrain them or punishments to drive them. With just a single pressure, they can make all beasts submit.

On the third day, Xu Changqing traveled day and night, avoiding several waves of patrolling monsters, before finally stopping.

The water narrows ahead, and black rocks rise abruptly from the ground on both banks, shaped as if cleaved by a knife and axe, carving out a gloomy waterway in the marsh.

A pale miasma hangs over the water year-round, and on the cliff face, tangled vines are covered with the stark white bones of unknown aquatic beasts and human cultivators—this is the "Dry Bone Gully".

The water had become stagnant here, with grayish-black flocculent matter floating on it, emitting a strong stench of decay and putrefaction.

Just then, a clear sound came from the depths of his mind.

The three-day period has arrived, and the radiant light of the Heavenly Mirror is flowing.

[The simulation is complete]

[Location of the remains: Middle section of the western wall of the Dry Bone Gully, three zhang behind the inverted stalactite in a crevice.]

[Danger: A nest of mid-grade Tier 1 Bone-Rotting Poisonous Bees] uses a skull to build their nest; their venom is lethal upon contact with blood, and they thrive in cold, dark places.

Xu Changqing slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the steep cliff face to the west, shrouded in mist.

He held a Crimson Flame Talisman between his fingertips, lightly touched a protruding black reef on the water's surface with his toes, and moved like a gray crane, silently attaching himself to the western cliff face.

The cliff face was slippery and covered with moss.

Xu Changqing gripped the rock crevice firmly with his five hooked fingers, and with the help of the vines, he climbed upwards little by little.

Beneath our feet lay stagnant, bottomless water, from which several enormous water pythons could be vaguely seen churning in the murky turbidity.

Xu Changqing remained unmoved, neither listening nor asking.

Halfway up the mountain, a huge upside-down stalactite comes into view.

Beyond the stalactites, the cliff face recedes, revealing a narrow crevice that allows only one person to pass sideways.

Xu Changqing gripped the rock with one hand and peered out.

Deep within the crevice, in utter darkness, a long-weathered skeleton leaned against the rock wall. Atop the skeleton draped a robe as thin as a cicada's wing, shimmering with a faint, watery sheen, untouched by the ravages of time.

Superior-grade magical artifact, the Illusionary Robe.

Inside the skull cavity of that withered skeleton, there was a dark brown mud nest.

Occasionally, a few bees, about the size of a thumb and with a dark blue stinger at the back of their tails, crawl in and out, emitting a faint buzzing sound.

These bone-corroding poisonous bees are most fond of the marrow of cultivators, and their nest here clearly indicates that they have used the remains of this scout as a breeding ground.

Xu Changqing held his breath and restrained his own energy.

If the beehive is disturbed, hundreds or thousands of poisonous bees will swarm and attack. Even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator would be seriously injured in this narrow crevice.

Xu Changqing pondered for a moment, but did not immediately activate the Crimson Flame Talisman between his fingers.

Although fire magic is effective against insects, at such close range, if it were to explode suddenly in this narrow crevice, it's uncertain whether it would damage the Illusionary Robe.

After all, it is merely a concealment artifact with weak defensive capabilities, and it is more likely to collapse the rock strata, burying the opportunity along with it.