Chapter 445: Ancient Variant

Splash~!

The calm surface ahead suddenly exploded.

A thick, ink-green tentacle, covered in suckers and barbs, shot out of the water like a giant serpent, carrying foul-smelling mist and a sharp tearing sound as it lashed violently toward the lead elder, Mo.

"Watch out!"

Elders Han and Wan shouted in unison.

Elder Mo reacted instantly; his flying shuttle veered sharply sideways while he launched a metallic circular shield covered in intricate patterns.

Boom!

The tentacle struck the shield with a muffled thunderclap.

The shield flared wildly; Elder Mo and his shuttle were blasted backward over ten zhang, his face turning pale.

The tentacle, having missed, retracted swiftly into the water, leaving only churning waves and spreading stench.

"What the hell is that?!" Wang Qi cried out.

Before anyone could react, the water around them erupted in successive explosions.

Another seven or eight similarly thick, grotesque ink-green tentacles emerged simultaneously, forming a massive cage that converged from all directions to crush the mechanical fish and the two elders in midair.

These tentacles were coated in slime and densely covered with fine, flickering faint-blue phosphorescent barbs—clearly highly toxic.

"It's 'Ghost-Face Octopus'! An ancient variant—didn't expect any still alive here! And not just one!"

Elder Mo's voice rang out, filled with shock and fury, "This thing possesses immense strength; its tentacles carry poison and can drain souls—avoid being entangled at all costs!"

"Hmph, vile beast, you seek death!"

Elder Wan's eyes flashed with malice; dark green toxic qi erupted around him, coalescing into several snarling phantom venomous snakes that surged forward to meet the incoming tentacles.

The "venomous snakes" tangled with the tentacles, emitting a sizzling corrosion sound; the dark green toxic qi and the tentacles' faint-blue phosphorescence eroded each other, locking in stalemate.

Elder Han also acted—he flung his sleeve, releasing dozens of silver glints that shot forth: each a needle finer than a cow's hair, yet razor-sharp, aimed precisely at the tentacles' joints and suckers, producing a rapid, crisp "ding-ding-ding" as they struck. Though they failed to sever the tentacles, they forced them to spasm and recoil repeatedly.

The mechanical fish became the primary target.

Two of the thickest tentacles lashed in from left and right like colossal whips.

Chen Mu's gaze remained calm; he manipulated the mechanical fish's massive body to display astonishing agility, rolling sharply sideways to narrowly evade one tentacle's direct strike, while simultaneously activating the rear thrusters to full power, blasting a powerful jet of water that propelled the fish forward in a sudden dash, skimming past the other tentacle.

The barbs scraped against the mechanical fish's alloy scales, producing a grating, teeth-on-edge "squeak," leaving behind white scratches—but failed to penetrate.

"Attack its underwater core!" Elder Han's voice came through.

Chen Mu immediately understood, commanding the mechanical fish to dive its head downward while activating the attack mechanism at its mouth.

The mechanical fish opened its massive maw; energy gathered within, then erupted in a deep blue beam laced with high-frequency vibrations, piercing straight into the faintly visible ink-green shadow beneath the water!

Boom~

Water erupted skyward, accompanied by a low, pained, bestial roar.

The shadow writhed violently; all tentacles thrashed wildly, churning the entire water into a raging storm.

The energy beam had clearly inflicted heavy damage.

"Perfect opportunity!"

Seeing this, Elder Wan sneered, clasped his hands into a seal, and suddenly retracted all surrounding toxic qi, condensing it into a single purple-black spear adorned with eerie patterns. It shot through the water with a piercing shriek, striking the core of the wounded shadow with pinpoint accuracy.

Pfft~!

The spear pierced its body; the shadow's roar cut off instantly, followed by violent convulsions. Ink-green bodily fluid mixed with toxic qi gushed from the wound, rapidly blackening a large patch of water.

Several tentacles went limp, slowly sinking to the seabed.

"There are more!"

Elder Mo warned.

Around them, several massive shadows slowly approached; more tentacles began emerging from the water.

"No time to linger—push through!" Elder Han ordered decisively.

Chen Mu immediately pushed the mechanical fish to its maximum speed, shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow toward the direction Elder Mo indicated.

Elders Han and Wan flanked the fish, continuously repelling or dodging incoming tentacles to clear a path.

A chase through the dark waters against the ancient variant "Ghost-Face Octopus" had begun.

Energy beams, venomous spears, needle projectiles, tentacle lashes—attacks interwove, turning this long-silent water into utter chaos.

【Corpse detected. Collect?】

"Yes!"

Chen Mu, while maneuvering the mechanical fish to dodge attacks, collected the cards.

【Corpse detected. Collect?】

"Yes!"

…

Under the protection of the two Tiangong Realm elders, the mechanical fish finally broke through the "Ghost-Face Octopus"'s habitat waters and entered a narrower but calmer channel.

Behind them, the massive shadows and tentacles did not follow—seemingly bound by some invisible limit to their territory.

The group exhaled slightly, yet their tension did not ease.

For ahead, the water grew even deeper, nearly black as ink, and faint, wispy strands of pale purple mist began drifting across the surface; wherever the mist passed, even the ink-green fungal mats seemed to writhe and contract slightly.

"Purple Poison Miasma!"

Elder Wan's eyes showed solemnity for the first time, "Such pure Yin Poison Qi forming a natural miasma here? A prime location! Ha! It seems Hanhai Sect studied poison arts extensively back then!"

He was not afraid—instead, he seemed excited, inhaling deeply the pale purple mist, his face relaxing in ecstasy, his poison cultivation visibly stirring with renewed vigor.

Elder Han, however, frowned tightly, pressed a jade talisman to his forehead, sensed carefully for a moment, then spoke gravely.

"Deep within the poison miasma, there's strong spatial distortion and energy resonance—the core area must be near. But this Purple Poison Miasma is violently toxic and erodes the soul; Innate Realm disciples cannot withstand it. Xianbo, distribute the Anti-Toxin Pills—double the dosage, have everyone take them now."

"Yes." Chen Mu replied, pulling a jade vial from his robe, pouring out several pale silver pills emitting a cool medicinal fragrance, and handing them to Wang Qi and the other Tianqi Gate disciples.

As for the two from Seven Demon Valley, Elder Wan merely glanced at them and said coolly, "Our Seven Demon Valley has its own methods to resist poison."

Upon hearing this, the two each swallowed another black pill.

Elder Han saw this but said nothing; his eyes grew even colder.

The mechanical fish carried them slowly into the pale purple toxic miasma.

In an instant, their vision was filled with thick purple mist; the light dimmed further, leaving only a faint view of a few zhang ahead.

Silence—deadly silence—broken only by the sound of flowing water and the low hum of the mechanical fish.

An invisible pressure settled on everyone's heart, as if countless eyes watched from deep within the fog.

Chen Mu's spiritual sense was also severely suppressed within the miasma, limited to only a dozen zhang around him.

His vigilance at its peak, he guided the mechanical fish forward along the faint direction indicated by Elder Mo.

Along the waterways deep within the miasma, the ruins were no longer covered by ordinary fungal mats.

Instead, strange giant "cocoons," half-embedded in rock walls or water, appeared!