Fantasy: I'm in a discarded alchemy room, but I can turn trash into treasure!

Sikong Ji's words had an effect.

Several Golden Core cultivators exchanged glances, silently retrieved their magical artifacts, and retreated into the depths of the corpse mist.

Lei Ze Sikong's reputation wasn't top-tier in the Eastern Continent, but the fact that his Purple Lightning Longbow had just pierced the head of the Underworld Emperor of Life and Death made him a force to be reckoned with.

The remaining few undeterred rogue cultivators still wanted to linger, but Sikong Ji suddenly bent down and swept the arrows downwards in a circle.

Those people's expressions changed, and they eventually followed them away.

Qin Mo ignored these people.

He stared in the direction where the Underworld Emperor had disappeared, his Heavenly Eye still open.

Deep within the corpse fog, a dark fissure extends southwest from the canyon. At the end of the fissure, thick fog surges, its color deeper than ordinary corpse fog, tinged with a grayish-green.

That area was blurry in the Dharma Eyes, its very essence swallowed up by the mist.

The Underworld Emperor ran in.

Qin Mo pushed off with his foot and his figure swept into the crevice.

A soft twang of a bowstring came from behind, and Sikong Ji's voice descended from above.

"Why are you chasing it? That thing ate two of my Thunderwood Arrows and can still run away. You, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, are just going to your death?"

Qin Mo didn't reply.

He passed through the crack, and the broken bones beneath his feet suddenly disappeared, replaced by a patch of muddy ground soaked in black water.

The fog rose from the ground, so thick that one could hardly see anything more than three zhang away.

The air was filled with a rotten, sour stench.

As I stepped on it, the mud bubbled up a few times, and the black water reached my ankles.

Something was moving beneath the surface, occasionally arching its slender back before sinking back down.

Qin Mo stopped and looked around.

The rotting black grass grew close to the water's surface, the soil was grayish-green, and half a skeleton could be vaguely seen protruding from the mud in the mist.

In the distance, several broken stone pillars leaned in the water, covered with glowing mycelium.

The surroundings were unnaturally quiet, with only the popping sounds of bubbles bursting.

With a thought, Qin Mo's mind automatically conjured up the Spirit Ranking.

The task of killing the Underworld Emperor is still listed at the top, without any changes.

However, two new tasks have appeared below the leaderboard.

Third: Slay the Mirage-Clad Demon Mother and be rewarded with a Creation Returning to Origin Pill, which can extend one's lifespan by two hundred years.

Fifth place: Hunt down the Rotten Swamp Dragon Lizard King, reward: three drops of Five Elements Bone Tempering Liquid.

The Mirage-Clad Demon Mother can transform into the appearance of anyone, making her extremely difficult to distinguish.

The King of the Rotten Swamp Dragons is hidden deep within the Misty Swamp, and can only be lured out by collecting the lizard crystals of ten dragon lizards.

In addition, there are a large number of smaller tasks listed at the end of the list.

For example, hunting ten Rotten Swamp Dragon Lizards can also qualify you for the game, but the rewards are much worse.

The mist behind me suddenly swayed.

Sikong Ji emerged from the thick fog, the Purple Lightning Longbow in his hand still glowing faintly.

She stopped three zhang away, looked down at the black water at her feet, and frowned.

"Myriad Forms of Mist and Swamp".

Her gaze swept over the gray-green mud and the half-skeleton, and her voice deepened.

"The Underworld Emperor is hiding in a place like this; he'll be hard to find."

Qin Mo looked up at her.

"How did you get here?"

Sikong Ji raised his bow slightly, a wisp of purple lightning still lingering at the tip.

"The Thunderwood Arrow left a mark of exorcism within its body, and I can sense its location within a hundred miles."

Qin Mo nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

He swept around the surrounding mud.

The aura of the Underworld Emperor was indeed hidden deep within the misty swamp; the divine eye could only detect a very blurry outline.

Even when severely injured, this thing can suppress its aura and remain hidden. Once it recovers, the trouble will only be greater.

Qin Mo glanced at the Que Ling Ranking and then spoke up.

"cooperate."

Sikong Ji raised an eyebrow.

Qin Mo spoke frankly.

"Your Thunderwood Arrows are effective against the Underworld Emperor, but if you chase it in alone, you might not be able to kill it even if you find it. I can scout ahead and tank damage in close combat. You can suppress it from a distance, and I'll be responsible for forcing it out."

Sikong Ji looked him up and down, his gaze lingering for a moment on the man's tattered outer robe.

"What makes you think you can cooperate with me, a mere mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

Qin Mo did not explain.

He lifted his foot and took a step forward, and the five elements of qi and blood flowed into the earth from the soles of his feet.

boom.

The mud beneath their feet exploded, the cracks extending dozens of feet forward, and black water surged forth.

The shockwave spread along the strata, and three enormous, gray-green figures were violently shaken out from the depths of the mud.

Those were three rotten swamp dragon lizards, each four or five zhang long, covered with gray-green scales, and with a row of bone spurs growing on their backs.

They had just been shaken out of the water and hadn't even had a chance to open their mouths when their chests and abdomens exploded simultaneously.

The force of Qin Mo's kick had already pierced through their scales.

The three-headed dragon lizard shattered into three clouds of blood mist in mid-air. The lizard crystals were ejected from the blood mist and fell into the black water with three muffled thuds.

A new line immediately appeared on the Spirit Ranking: Hunt down three Rotten Swamp Dragon Lizards. Seven more are needed to complete the mission.

Sikong Ji's fingers paused on the bow for a moment.

She didn't speak, but the way she looked at Qin Mo changed.

There were no fluctuations in magic, and no outward release of spiritual energy.

It is purely physical strength.

Qin Mo squatted down, scooped up three lizard crystals from the black water, shook off the mud, and looked back at her.

"And now?"

Sikong Ji withdrew his gaze and remained silent for a few moments.

What do you want?

Qin Mo put the three lizard crystals into his storage ring, his tone indifferent.

"The Life and Death Crystal Core and the Netherworld Emperor's Soul Flame on the Netherworld Emperor's body are mine. You can take the Nascent Soul Breaking Pill."

Sikong Ji's eyes flickered.

The Nascent Soul Breaking Pill is the top reward for slaying the Underworld Emperor, enough to allow a cultivator at the half-step Nascent Soul stage to leap into the Nascent Soul realm.

This thing is a treasure that everyone in the entire Eastern Continent is fighting tooth and nail for.

Qin Mo actually refused.

"You don't want the Nascent Soul Breaking Pill?"

"Not rare."

Qin Mo's tone was excessively casual as he rubbed his fingers on the hilt of the Ancient Broken Sword.

He really doesn't care.

The Qiankun Rebirth Furnace can reshape discarded pills, and he has plenty of ways to obtain pills of the same level.

However, the energy contained in the Life and Death Crystal Core can be directly fed to the Transformation Furnace, and the Netherworld Emperor's Soul Flame can further strengthen divine sense.

These two items were far more valuable to him than a Nascent Soul Breaking Pill.

Sikong Ji stared at him for a few moments.

She possessed the Thunderwood Arrow, ensuring that even the Underworld Emperor could not escape her sensing range.

But this misty swamp is extremely dangerous. It's one thing for her to go in alone and find the Underworld Emperor, but it's another to be able to defeat him.

That Hades was able to escape even after taking two of her arrows. Once it recovers from its injuries, it won't be able to be killed by ranged suppression alone.

She needs someone who can get close enough to entangle the Underworld Emperor.

The guy in front of me has a physical strength that's no less than that of a peak Golden Core cultivator, and he doesn't even want the most valuable part.

"make a deal."

Sikong Ji put away his longbow, his gaze turning cold. "But if you dare to tamper with me from behind, my arrows will not discriminate."

"Don't worry, I'm a man of my word."

Qin Mo smiled slightly.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sharp sword cry suddenly rang out from the west side of the misty marsh.

The sound was extremely piercing, like metal being dragged across a stone.

The sword's cry pierced through the thick fog, carrying a scorching killing intent, heading straight for Qin Mo's location.

Qin Mo's expression changed slightly.

He recognized the sword energy.

A path was cleaved through the thick fog, and a woman in white rode in on a sword.

Her long hair was loose, her face was pale, and her lips were pressed into a thin line.

The flying sword beneath her feet was pure white, its blade constantly humming as if in response to something.

Xiao Qinghuang.

She followed the aura of her natal sword to find her.

Among the seven flying swords Qin Mo took away, there was her lifeline.

Xiao Qinghuang landed three feet above the swamp, her flying sword hovering, her gaze fixed on Qin Mo.

Her right hand gripped the sword hilt, her knuckles white, her whole body taut like a fully drawn bow.

"Give me back my sword."