Isloa stepped forward, checked Duo Lai's eyelids and poked Slime's belly, "It seems okay. They don't look like they're affected. Still, try not to inhale too much of the red fog."
"Don't worry, Duo Lai wouldn't really digest all this red fog. He's clever."
Moreover, it's rather hard to eat.
Perhaps Duo Lai is indeed a genius, Isloa thought, as she quickly took advantage of a lull in the red fog to survey the surroundings.
"If my detection is accurate, there are three remaining Roots of Corruption, and the final nest. This nest is located in this direction, and..."
Isloa pointed to a certain spot, "The energy over there is incredibly chaotic, suggesting an intense battle is in progress. It's very likely to be an expelling squad organized by other lords."
She looked at Lu Liu.
Lu Liu pondered for a moment and said, "Yes, to remain cautious, we need to combine all possible forces."
The heavenly recompense from purifying the Nest of Filth is tempting, but if an accident causes the purification to fail, the entire Tianyuan Territory might crumble.
Therefore, all those heavenly rewards are secondary. Purifying the nest is our central goal.
Isloa nodded, "Under normal circumstances, there won't be only three segments of the Root of Corruption in an area. It should have been purified by this expelling team... However, their battle location hasn't changed for a while. It seems this team is not in a very good situation."
Lu Liu spoke, "In that case, we should split up. I will go reinforce this expelling team, and Miss Isloa, you handle the Roots of Corruption."
Isloa thought this over and agreed.
This unseen team managed to eliminate some Roots of Corruption, so they're not very weak. Thus, preserving this team to take some pressure off them is absolutely worth it.
She looked at Lainey.
She's well aware of Lainey's Epic Ability 'Absolute Shining Barrier'; she tested it earlier and found that it could resist the corrosion of the red fog to some extent, eliminate negative statuses, and heal injuries.
However, Lainey can't maintain it for long, and her ability only shows its value when it covers enough subjects.
Exclusively using it on their group of over a dozen people could be seen as wasteful, and it doesn't synergize well with Rakshasa Hong Yi's abilities.
It's clear that the Lord had foreseen this.
"Agreed, let's proceed in this manner."
Lu Liu will lead Lainey and Uta along with ten junior captains to support the reinforcements.
Isloa will lead Duo Lai, Rakshasa, and other strong warriors straight into the heart of the problem.
"Everyone, be careful."
"Be careful! Watch out!"
Within the Land of Filth, somewhere...
A powerful expelling squad consisting of more than a hundred people, most of whom are third-order or higher, is currently embroiled in a massive Monster Tide.
Fire shoots to the sky;
A massive Earth Rock Dragon monster charges forth;
A desperate Lord scans their surroundings, while monstrous tides from all directions continue to break their defense line, sending the jittery lesser lords, who are merely purification tools, into a state of panic, fearing their imminent demise.
"Leaders, think of something quick!"
They shout. However, Kuang Dao and a few other veteran lords are corners of deep concern as they desperately battle the monsters. Yet they are unable to break through the encircling Monster Tide.
Instead, more and more strong warriors are beginning to suffer injuries.
The balance is slowly tipping.
Their initial expelling purification operations went smoothly as they swiftly eliminated four Roots of Corruption, but soon enough, more and more monsters began to surge out from the depths of the Land of Filth, encircling them.
"There are at least, at least twenty-four Fourth-order Monsters!"
Even if most of them are still freshmen in the fourth order, they are still fourth order monsters.
Their expelling squad is already vastly outnumbered by the monster group. The original plan was to break into the core of the Land of Filth with the help of top warriors, purify the Roots of Corruption, and leave without engaging the monsters.
Now, they are struggling to break out of the monster tide due to the distraction of the Fourth-order monsters, let alone form a defensive formation.
Without the Demonic Flame Wang Qi and other top-ranked Dragon Gate warriors fighting on the front lines and restraining the Fourth-order monsters, they would have retreated long ago.
"Why are there so many high-order monsters?"
The veteran lord, known as Canglang, is also trembling.
Kuang Dao released a blade light tens of meters long, injuring a Fourth-order monster and promptly performed a roll to re-enter the formation.
He said, "After all, our understanding of the Nest of Filth is limited, especially the data of a Nest of Filth in its early stages, so any unexpected situations are possible."
Lord Canglang interrupted, "Brother Dao, it's not the time to think about these things. Come up with a solution quickly. You are the temporary commander."
He added, "How about calling in the Army Soul Corps for one strong effort?"
Kuang Dao frowned deeply.
Without the potion, an Army Soul Corps can only stay in the Land of Filth for at most half an hour.
"Yet we have at least three Roots of Corruption that are still not purified. We have to save the Army Soul Corps for critical moments. Otherwise, this mission will undoubtedly end in failure and once it fails..."
There will be no second chance.
The entire area of Shiling City will become a Death Region, with hundreds of territories falling and hundreds of thousands of people being swallowed by monsters.