Expeditions are different from caravans in that they only aim for rare materials that are of high value, and seek quality rather than quantity. Therefore, the scale of the expedition is generally very small, and it will not be like a caravan with a dozen people, a dozen ghosts and a dozen cattle. There is only one place for them: Death Ze.

There is no doubt about the danger of the dead ze, so joining an expedition is definitely risking a greater risk than a caravan, and the casualty rate is also high, but the return is higher. As a result, there are always Yin cultivators and ghost cultivators who are not afraid of death or ask for money and death to join the expedition team and go to the Death Ze to explore and hunt for curiosities.

The expedition had gone three days further out of Zemen, in the city of Zuoqiu, and then came again to the place where I had last fished out the bird's meat from the river. A new sign has been erected at the fork in the road, just like the mantra that Bird Meat had memorized before: "Go to the right to the stone forest, and go to the left to die." ”

After this three-way intersection, we continued to walk forward for two days until we reached Deathze. Dead Ze is only a short five-day journey away from Zuoqiu City, which is why every time Ze Chao erupts, Zuoqiu City is the most vulnerable Yin City.

When I arrived at Death, I learned that the word "death" in Deathze was actually only spoken to the people who came in, and for all kinds of creatures in the underworld, this place can be regarded as a vibrant "underground paradise"!

This is the gathering place of several major underground rivers, and the underground rivers that flow through Zuoqiu City and Shilinzhai finally flow here, and wash out countless large natural caves in an endless stream. Due to the abundance of water and adequate ventilation, all kinds of underground life flourish, forming a large underground swamp.

It is said to be a swamp, but in fact, there are many plants growing on the walls and ceilings of the caves, some of which grow horizontally, and some of which grow backwards like plants in the upside-down forest. Countless long vines and roots hang down from the roof of the cave, and they are connected to each other with the ordinary plants that grow on the ground, interacting with each other, like a three-dimensional forest. It's like getting into a big sponge!

Unlike the creatures on the ground, the creatures in the dead are able to absorb energy not from the sun, but from geothermal heat, and breathe not oxygen, but yin. In particular, there are several large yin veins connected to the depths of the dead river, and the yin qi is very thick, and it forms a mist-like state when it floats out.

Therefore, the animals and plants that grow in the dead Ze are born to live in this kind of place where the yin qi is strong, and all the attributes are extremely yin, and there are many rare animals and plants among them that become "treasures" in the eyes of yin cultivation.

However, although it is full of "treasures", it is not a safe place. There are many powerful monsters living in it, and they roam around every day to hunt for food. And every few years, when the number of monsters in the dead Ze accumulates to a certain level, the Ze tide will erupt, and monsters of all sizes will swarm out under the inexplicable drive, wreaking havoc everywhere along the course of the underground river. The first to bear the brunt is Zuoqiu City and Stone Forest Village.

In addition to the large number of monsters, Death Zeri has recently become more dangerous due to some external factors. Because there are rumors that there is a powerful ghost bandit hiding in the dead river, and from time to time they will come out to rob the road, which makes it more and more unsafe.

Speaking of ghost bandits, Bird Meat and I have just experienced a life and death test, and we are also apprehensive about it. It is very likely that the group of ghost bandits who attacked the caravan were the ghost bandits hiding in the dead forest, and since they dared to run outside to rob the road, if they ran into it here, it is estimated that there would be no politeness at all.

However, if it comes, it will be safe. The expedition team did a desperate job, in order to pay a very good return. How can you get the baby without risk? How to make a fortune?

In this expedition team of six, only the captain Long Xiaoyan and his former teammate "Big Stupid Cow" Ghost Xiu Lu Dian had participated in the expedition and had experience in exploring into Death Ze, and the other four were still novices. So, the first time we came in, we were all cautious. Fortunately, our goal is not to rush to a certain place, but to search for traces of the Nine Ghost Serpents in the Dead Forest, and it doesn't hurt to slow down.

In order to facilitate the search, Long Xiaoyan did not arrange the formation of the expedition team into the "long snake formation" commonly used by caravans, but arranged a diamond-shaped formation. The diamond-shaped array is like an awl with two pointed ends, with sharp points in front and back, and parallel in the middle.

The big stupid cow Lu Dian carried his stone monument to open the way in front, and he also held a mountain machete in his hand, cutting the vines blocking the road from time to time. The stone tablet on his shoulder looks clumsy, but I think it's also a good defensive penitre, and it can be used as a shield. Hehe, this is similar to me using an iron pot as a shield!

The new captain, Long Xiaoyan, is in second place on the right side after his big stupid friend, who can not only command from the front, but also protect the flanks of the big stupid cow. Liu Yuxin, a ghost cultivator who is obsessed with gender, stood on Long Xiaoyan's left, holding a short crossbow in each hand, and could also provide fire support in the rear row to the big stupid cow in front at any time.

In the third row, I and Bird Meat are two brothers and sisters. Holding the only animal in the team with his left hand, Birdmeat is responsible for guarding the baggage on the lizard's back while dealing with threats from the right side. And with a shield in my left hand, I naturally stood on my left.

Liu Yuxin, who was in front of me, was very satisfied with my position, and yelled at me from the moment he set off, showing me goodwill. I listened with a dark face and finally cleared up the misunderstanding: it turned out that she just wanted my shield to protect her back a little more, because she was the one with the lowest defense as an archer...... Nima, don't you just finish it!

After the break is the Ximen Truss. It's not that his defense is very high, but it is said that his Yin Banner is good at spotting the Yin objects around him, whether they are ghosts or monsters. Therefore, after he breaks it, it is more reassuring for the big guys, and it is better to react quickly if there is an abnormality.

This "awl", which was composed of four people, two ghosts and one lizard, slowly burrowed into the dense three-dimensional forest of the dead Ze and began to search for the traces of the Nine Ghost Snakes.

Although I was mentally prepared early, I didn't expect that the first day of entering Death Ze would be very unreassuring.

First at the entrance, we found a large number of intricate footprints and some abandoned debris, which were clearly left by other expeditions that were ahead of us.

Long Xiaoyan carefully inspected the footprints and various traces everywhere, and then said to us: "We are the latest expedition team to start, if I count correctly, there have been five expeditions in the past two days!" ”

"Five? it! Are they here to catch the market? Bird Meat fussed.

Long Xiaoyan glared at Bird Meat unhappily, thinking that he had interrupted his words. Then he continued: "According to the previous information, even if there are many Nine Ghost Snakes, I estimate that the total number is only a dozen. Death Ze is so big, it would be good to find one, if it is found by two expeditions at the same time, I am afraid that the snake will not be killed, and there will be a fight between the two groups of people. ”

"Boss, what do you say?" It was the big stupid cow Lu Dian who spoke, he thought he was Long Xiaoyan's number one horseboy, and he always called the other party "boss".

"I'm going to take a path that no one has ever taken! That's it! ”

Long Xiaoyan's hand pointed to a puddle on the far right. It's overgrown with weeds and vegetation, and it looks like there's no way out at all!

As a result, Liu Yuxin, who loves cleanliness very much, raised objections. Of course, in addition to hating the woods, the dense vegetation is indeed the most difficult terrain for an archer to exert her strength, because the line of sight and shooting route will be severely obstructed.

"Can't we go a little bit inside and pick a smoother path?" She asked.

"The Nine Snakes are large and long, so they like to hide in this kind of abundant aquatic and grassy places, relying on the buoyancy of the water and the cover of the grass to hunt. So walking this path is more likely to spot their traces. Long Xiaoyan still patiently explained. But it could be seen that his face was beginning to be a little unhappy. When he first became the captain, he was constantly interjected and questioned, and he was always a little annoyed.

"Then let's go, listen to you!" I sighed in my heart, but I still decided to give Long Xiaoyan a face and maintain his authority as the captain.

From the very beginning, the expedition team stepped into knee-deep puddles and searched awkwardly. Among them, only Liu Yuxin seemed to be more free, she floated on the water, trying not to let the snow-white armor suit on her body get a little muddy water.

But not the rest of the team. Needless to say, people must be used step by step. Even the ghost cultivator Lu Dian, who opened the way in front, was covered in mud in order to explore the way for the people behind him, really like a big buffalo that had rolled in the mud.

As a result, after barely walking for an hour, the big stupid cow really fell into the puddle!

The underside of the swales is so muddy that no one can see what's underneath. I can often feel inexplicable creatures swimming between my instep and calf. But Lu Dian accidentally stepped into a mud puddle and almost fell in.

Luckily, he's a ghost, too, and although he's a little clumsy, he's always floating. Long Xiaoyan stretched out his hand in time and pulled him up. That's the benefit of having a ghost cultivator take the lead.

In addition to the terrain discomfort, the monsters in the water depression are also very unfriendly. After walking for two hours, we were attacked by a swarm of giant mosquitoes!

These big mosquitoes are really not ordinary!

They're about the size of a basketball when they don't spread their wings, and when they fly around you, they're like small gunships!

The weapon of these "gunships" is the long, pointed mouthpiece at the front of their heads, which stretches out a foot long.

"Buzz buzz!"

When the giant mosquito swooped down like a tide, the sound of the wind fanning its wings was no less than the sound of a fighter jet's motor. And looking at the posture they swooped over, I'm afraid that a person's head can be pierced by a sting!