Deep within Luoshen Gorge, a thick mist of poison hung, making even the air slightly fishy; if inhaled, it would prove quite troublesome. Throughout the gorge, countless massive black fissures stretched, occasionally emitting deep roars. Over centuries of evolution, every creature here had developed potent toxicity—any misstep and one would find themselves in serious trouble. Hearing this, the young physician also glanced around, her eyes slightly closed. As one with the厄难 toxic constitution, she seemed especially sensitive to certain poisons... After a moment of sensing, she opened her eyes again, pointing her jade finger toward the northern direction and softly said, "That way—she should be arriving soon. I can already smell the faint scent of poison coming from him, even from this distance." Xiao Yan nodded slightly, glanced at the earth spirit automaton trailing closely behind him, then exhaled gently. It seemed today would surely be a fierce battle. With the combined strength of an eight-star domain cultivator and the formidable physical prowess of the beast, this celestial scorpion dragon would certainly prove to be a formidable opponent. "Xinlan," he said, turning to address her, "when the battle begins, try to stay as far away as possible—don't get caught in the crossfire." Then, with a swift movement, he dashed toward the direction indicated by the young physician. Xinlan nodded slightly. With her level of strength, it was obvious she had no place in this kind of battle—staying far away was undoubtedly the best course of action. "Now then, you've taken the antidote prescribed by Xiao Yan. As long as you don't actively provoke those fierce toxic creatures, they won't target you," said Xiao Yixian, offering her a gentle smile before pulling her along and quickly following behind Xiao Yan. At the very forefront of this large group of white silhouettes stood four slightly hunched, elderly figures. Simply standing there, they emitted three powerful waves of icy aura that spread out gently, creating an overwhelmingly oppressive atmosphere. Among these four, the most striking was the elder standing at the center. This elder had silver hair and beard, and held a cane resembling a jade-cast serpent's head. The serpent's head, with its massive open maw, bore a fierce, cold gaze, and its two pairs of cold, serpentine eyes radiated a sense of chill. Compared to the other three elders, he appeared quite ordinary—there was no noticeable surge of energy radiating from him, and even his weathered face seemed unusually dry, with eyes slightly clouded and half-closed. In appearance, he bore no distinction from a typical elderly man. What struck the onlookers as most surprising was that precisely this elderly man, who appeared unremarkable at first glance, stood right at the center of the formation—so much so that even the three towering white-robed elders, whose aura was powerful, trailed behind him by half a step, their expressions carrying clear signs of respect. "It seems that three senior monks and several disciples from the Ice River Valley have all perished at the hands of the Lady of the Lethal Poison. It appears the Ice River Valley is truly incensed this time. That elderly man with the staff shaped like a serpent—I believe he is the Heavenly Serpent Elder of the Ice River Valley. Even within that valley, he ranks among the top three figures. Isn't that right?" "The Heavenly Serpent Elder? Indeed it is! I didn't expect the Ice River Valley to send him out as well. Then the Lady of the Lethal Poison must be in serious trouble." "...” The murmurs from around them did not stir the white-robed procession in the slightest. The white-haired elder with the serpent staff, his eyes slightly clouded, simply said, "Are all the people here assembled?" "Yes, everyone is here, awaiting the Elder's instructions," replied a white-robed elder standing beside him. The elder known as the Serpent Elder slowly nodded, extended his hand, and a chill radiated out, forming a sheet of ice mirror. Upon its surface, a scene unfolded—clearly featuring Xiao Yan, Xiao Yi, the Earth Spirit Puppet, and even the Heavenly Fire Sovereign. "These are fragmented images recovered from the shattered souls of the ice river valley disciples. I didn't expect the calamitous poison maiden to have outside allies. However, these individuals—I've never seen before. They must be from beyond the Dan Domain... Heh. It's been many years since the ice river valley has faced such a bold challenge. My hands are trembling just thinking about it." With his gaze, the elder who held the serpent cane scanned the ice mirror, a smile spreading across his face—his laughter deep and resonant, like that of a night owl, chilling and unsettling. Hearing this laughter, the three white-robed elders standing beside him each felt a wave of cold ripple through their skin. They knew well: the more joyfully he laughed, the more intense his inner resolve and murderous intent grew. "Come on. Old man as well wants to meet these newcomers soon—the pressure from Ice River Valley can't be challenged..." Gently waving his hand, the elder then leaned on his serpent cane and slowly made his way toward Luo Shen Jian. Behind him, the disciples of Ice River Valley followed closely, moving with such quiet precision that not a single sound was made—clearly a well-trained group. A series of eyes watched as the figures of Ice River Valley gradually faded from sight, exchanging glances filled with eager anticipation. They knew now that Luo Shen Jian would never be calm again... Xiao Yan rubbed his hands, a glow of warmth shining in his eyes. After journeying all the way from Hei Jiao Region to the Central Plains, he had finally encountered a living Scorpion Poison Dragon Beast. Xiao Yi smiled and nodded, saying, "I believe it must have sensed me as well. Apparently, beings of this caliber possess a keen awareness of my厄难 poison body." "Then let us meet this so-called Ancient Poison Beast and see what it looks like. Xinlan, you stay here—don't follow us." Xiao Yan smiled and gave Xinlan a gentle instruction. "Understood," Xinlan replied, adding, "Be careful." Xiao Yan smiled, then stepped lightly on the ground, his body transforming into a streak of black as he swiftly darted toward the stone fortress. Following closely behind came Xiao Yi and the Earth Spirit Puppet. At the speed of three, they had nearly arrived within a kilometer of the stone fortress in the span of a moment. Only as they drew closer did they begin to truly sense the vastness and imposing grandeur of the fortress. Ho! As the three stepped into the kilometer-range of the stone fortress, the land beneath them suddenly shook violently. Then, a thunderous dragon's roar burst forth from within the fortress, sweeping outward like a gale, sending fragments of stone flying across the ground. "Haha! Little beauty, I never thought you'd come all this way. Then, stay and become my wife—let your ordeal-touched body bear my most perfect, most pure-blooded offspring!" The dragon's roar echoed, and at the same time, a booming laugh rolled out from within the fortress, spreading like ripples across the surrounding area. With the great laugh fading, a sharp, rushing wind sound erupted as a blood-red figure shot out from the stone fortress like a lightning bolt. Behind it, two massive dragon wings—each stretching ten zhang in width—unfolded, while behind the figure, a blood-colored scorpion's tail, several meters long, extended, its tip gleaming with a sharp, cold radiance. The figure hovered in the sky, the round moon behind it, the wings spread wide, the venomous tail coiling like a serpent, roaring upward, its toxic mist surging in waves.