Chapter 276 - Carefully

Li Yuanqing stepped on it. This lush grassland was actually not what it looked like on the surface. Before his feet touched the grass, he was about to sink in. This seemingly flat grassland was actually a swamp that stretched for thousands of miles.

Li Yuanqing thought for a moment and stepped down heavily. The grass under his feet flashed and became hard. The place that was originally a pool of mud and would sink when he stepped on it was gone. He walked on the grass as if he was walking on flat ground. He walked for dozens of miles, and suddenly, he stopped.

Behind him, countless black insects had already gathered. These insects gathered into a river and followed behind Li Yuanqing, constantly approaching him. He had only stopped for a while when the insects arrived in front of him. They were about to turn into a river and drown him.

These insects all had very low cultivation levels, but when they gathered like this, they gave off a very sufficient pressure. No matter how strong one’s cultivation was, they were unwilling to compete with these insect-type demon beasts. These guys did not know what life and death were.

The black sea formed by the black insects drowned the entire grassland. The grassland that was green just now could no longer be seen. Only the pitch-black insects covered the ground.

Behind him was the green grassland, and the place he came from had already turned into a black sea. Li Yuanqing did not continue forward. Instead, he stood on the dividing line between the two and looked at them quietly.

A large fire spewed out of Li Yuanqing’s palm.

The flames sprayed wantonly in the silence. The moment those insects touched the flames, they started burning with crackling sounds. Moreover, they spread extremely quickly, like oil that had been ignited. In an instant, they spread throughout the entire sea of insects.

For a moment, the entire grassland was filled with the crisp sound of an explosion.

Li Yuanqing, the instigator of all this, stood at the boundary and watched as the black insect tide gradually turned into charred charcoal. No expression could be seen on his face.

It turned out that from the moment he stepped onto this land, he had summoned these insects. Every step he took woke up a large group of insects. These insects crawled out of the ground and followed him. They gradually gathered into an ocean current and finally became such a huge scale.

Li Yuanqing had just cultivated a technique called the Crimson True Flame. With just a slight move, the Crimson True Flame easily defeated the insects. He looked down at the small flame still burning upward in his palm and revealed a satisfied expression.

The Crimson True Fire had never obtained a very good combat opportunity. Today, it was used. From the looks of it, the effect was still very spectacular. After destroying the insects that were dozens of miles away, those insects did not know how to escape, instead they surged forward. Even though they felt that the flames in front of them were very monstrous, they still kept coming to die.

Indeed, it did not take long for these guys to die completely. After the last spark gradually fell, the originally green grassland had already turned into ashes. This layer of charred charcoal covered the original green grass, covering the slippery swamp with a hard shell.

The main reason was that not only were these insects abundant, but they also had enough fuel in their bodies. The fire burned those insects into charcoal and burned a lot of water from the soil below.

If anyone else came to the grassland at this time, they would not be as helpless as the rumors said.

Li Yuanqing understood the reason why their trip here had gradually become difficult recently. These insects were very powerful. At the very least, it was a strange thing for such a huge number to have so much spiritual energy.

This was no wonder that some ordinary cultivators could not approach this place at all. Even Spirit Transformation cultivators would find it difficult to guarantee their survival.

It was a pity for this piece of land. Although there were many insects here, there were many good things growing on the swamp. There were many decades-old materials among them. After picking these materials, they could be used to refine some other tools.

Now, these materials, along with those insects, had been burned clean by his Crimson True Fire. Only a small amount of fire-resistant materials were barely left behind, but it was pitifully little.

After the fire behind was extinguished, Li Yuanqing did not stay here any longer. He turned around and continued forward towards the depths of the grassland.

If one wanted to walk in, the wetness of the soil would increase exponentially. After walking a hundred miles, the swamp would be very wet and slippery, making it impossible to stand still. In fact, when they walked further in, they could feel an obvious suction force pulling them down, as if it wanted to keep them here.

Li Yuanqing had no choice but to increase the output of spiritual energy under his feet. The soil under his feet was unpredictable. From time to time, one or two human-shaped demons would jump out of the swamp.

These little demons were all rowing the boat. Suddenly, they jumped out and opened their scarlet mouths, revealing their white and sharp teeth as they bit at the humans’ feet.

However, Li Yuanqing’s leg was not like an ordinary person’s. It was as hard as an iron plate.

The little demon jumped out of the swamp and was half a meter tall. It jumped in front of Li Yuanqing and looked at his fat legs as if it was looking at its lunch. This little demon was extremely proud and bit down on his leg without hesitation.

However, there was a crisp sound. The little demon seemed to be in a stalemate on Li Yuanqing’s leg. It was stuck there without moving. Its entire mouth was perfectly pressed against Li Yuanqing’s thigh, but the two rows of teeth were gone, as if they were embedded in Li Yuanqing’s flesh.

Li Yuanqing looked down at the little demon hanging on his thigh and shook his legs helplessly. The little fellow’s entire body was hard as it fell into the swamp with a bang. Its sharp teeth had also turned into white fragments.

This fellow had used too much strength just now and shattered his soul. Not to mention not eating a sumptuous lunch, he had even lost his life here.

Li Yuanqing shook the soil off his body and looked at the center of the grassland. The color inside was even brighter. It looked harmless and very safe. However, he knew how dangerous this place was. As long as he took a step in, the danger would increase.

Especially since he had only traveled for more than a hundred miles, the changes were shocking. There would even be a level of change every ten miles. It was really unknown how this change was formed.

What kind of energy could turn such a vast land into such a scene? Moreover, so many various little demons were born here.

Li Yuanqing did not have an answer yet. He continued to walk in, wanting to find the answer in his heart. The deeper he went, the more he could feel that the fog in the air was even thicker.

When he first came in, he was only unsteady on his feet. However, in the end, it was as if his entire body was filled with fog. The fog became richer and the pressure became stronger. There was no need to say anything about the wetness under his feet. If he was not careful, he would fall into the swamp. Countless mouths below were watching covetously.

No one had been in the Ten Thousand Mile Grassland for a long time.

There were rainbows in the sky. It was unknown where the light came from, but it illuminated the entire grassland and provided endless light. When the light passed through the thick fog, the constantly changing shapes turned into various colors. It was so dreamy.

If he had just entered the central area, he would probably be mesmerized by this dreamy color and fall into the swamp to be fed to the demons. However, Li Yuanqing was not a careless person. He had been observing his surroundings since he arrived and discovered something very impressive.

The colorful light spots and lines in the air were still changing shape. Of course, this was not a big problem, but most importantly, there seemed to be something small swimming in the middle of the lines.

If one did not look carefully, they would not be able to tell as those fellows were very small. Compared to the normal rainbow bridge, they were as weak as flies. However, it was such a small thing that alerted Li Yuanqing. This was because he could tell that there were not one or two lines, but countless lines. If one looked deeper, they would be able to clearly see countless insects swimming in the thick and turbid wet air.

Li Yuanqing took a step forward and a strange energy instantly enveloped him. It was as if a small bubble had formed outside his body. He created an area around his body. The white shield protected him from the corrosion of the mist outside.

Although the mist looked harmless and was peaceful here, if he really put the mist into his defense and made contact with his skin, he would definitely regret it.

This mist had a very strong corrosive effect. As long as it touched a person’s skin, it was very easy to corrode their skin. What’s more, the spiritual energy in their entire body would also be corroded.

It would be very difficult to mobilize the spiritual energy tainted by this foul aura. If there was a fight, their strength would definitely be greatly reduced or even paralyzed.

Li Yuanqing looked at the little insects swimming on the shield beside him. These little fellows looked harmless and were clearly not a threat. They carefully lay on the shield and swam around, as if this was their home.

Compared to the pitch-black little fellows outside, these guys inside looked much more amiable. It did not make people want to chase them away. If one looked carefully, it was not difficult to discover that these very kind and gentle-looking little insects had rows of extremely sharp teeth at the top of their fat bodies. A corrosive liquid kept secreting from their very narrow mouths. When it landed on the shield, it corroded it into tiny cracks.

These cracks were already a considerable amount for their very small bodies. However, Li Yuanqing poured his spiritual energy into the shield continuously and did not give them a chance to break through his shield.

He did not chase these insects away. Instead, he brought them along and continued forward. Along the way, he saw many precious and strange plants.

The thousand-year-old water lotuses were as black as frozen black duckweed. There were also many Water Devil Crystal Gourds interspersed among them.

There were so many materials here. Even if only a portion of them were taken out, it would cause a very strong commotion outside. But it was just here. It looked so comfortable to grow in the water outside.

However, there was killing intent hidden in the seemingly calm water. Looking down, one could see that some powerful and strange demon beasts were gathered at the roots of these plants.

Black water snakes occupied it and kept twisting their waists. They circled the roots of the plant and swam forward very leisurely, as if they were taking a stroll.

There were also some pitch-black fish that were ignored if one did not look carefully.

However, no matter what form they took, no matter what species of demon beast they were, they all had a very common characteristic here. They were all black. Including the swamp below. At some point, it had already become such thick black water.

This black water made one feel dead silent. There seemed to be no living aura inside, but there were so many living beings growing inside. This strange feeling was really a strong contrast.

A toad was lying quietly on the equally pitch-black lotus leaf. If one did not look carefully, it would be completely difficult to notice it. He carefully stayed there.

Li Yuanqing happened to pass by the toad and did not disturb it. However, the little fellow suddenly opened its eyes. Its eyes were bright gold.