Volume Three: Rising Fame - Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Misty Swamp

The ground was uneven and full of pits. With every step, one felt an immediate sensation of being about to sink in, and in many places, pools of stagnant water were visible.

Even under this bright, sunny sky, stepping into this area instantly plunged one into profound gloom.

This region was shrouded in dense fog, with extremely low visibility. Countless dark, withered trees loomed indistinctly; catching a sudden glimpse of them out of the corner of one's eye gave the eerie impression of malevolent ghosts baring their fangs and brandishing their claws.

"Is this the Misty Marsh?" everyone exclaimed in awe.

After a brief pause, the group stepped into it.

At the front was Li Yu, who closed his eyes and sensed his surroundings. His spiritual perception encountered no obstruction here whatsoever; the fog in this place was likely just naturally formed.

Moreover, viewed with the naked eye, the interior of this silent marsh was utterly dead. With neither withered trees nor stagnant water making a sound, the enveloping atmosphere of utter stillness pressed down with a terrifying sense of oppression.

"It's so cold, it feels like being surrounded by death!" Wen Xiangxuan voiced, glancing around without catching the slightest trace of life.

Li Yu chuckled and said, "It's cold because you're wearing too little!"

Of course, this was just a joke. They were all fifth-rank cultivators; wearing short sleeves and shorts in temperatures below minus ten degrees Celsius would present zero problems, and they wouldn't even need to jump around to stay warm.

It was the atmosphere of this place—giving one the distinct sensation of stepping into a realm of death, devoid of sound and life, save for the silent fog—that made Wen Xiangxuan feel a creeping chill.

"Besides, that feeling of death is probably your intuition sounding an alarm, warning you of danger!"

Li Yu said slowly, and as his words fell, he stomped his foot heavily onto the ground.

*Boom!*

Muddy water splashed in all directions, mixed with an abundance of intensely crimson liquid.

"What is this?"

Everyone was startled, looking toward the spot where Li Yu had stomped. In the center of the newly formed deep depression lay a shattered, massive snake head.

"This monster wasn't trying to hunt us, was it?"

Someone gritted their teeth. Looking at just this exposed snake head, they swallowed hard. The snake's eyes alone were larger than a human head, and the body buried beneath the mud must have been immensely long!

"Let's go. Everyone should be gathered near the center, let's go take a look!"

Li Yu leaped out of the deep pit he had created. The mud and water that had been forced outward by his immense strength were now slowly flowing back to fill the depression.

Just as the snake head was about to be swallowed by the muddy water, two writhing, meter-long creatures could be seen opening their fangs and pouncing onto the snake head to devour it.

Who said there was no life in the marsh?

All the active creatures were hidden deep underground! Through his spiritual perception, Li Yu had already detected more than a dozen different species of exotic beasts!

The group resumed their march.

Tuman Xiang then poured out all the information she knew.

"It is said that Qing Yuan joined a team led by a fifth-rank cultivator, but ended up in a conflict with that fifth-rank. The injured Qing Yuan fled into this marsh to heal his wounds. After the incident, news leaked out that the fifth-rank cultivator had discovered a treasure in Qing Yuan's possession and acted out of greed."

"The news spread far and wide, and afterwards, many teams learned of the matter, all wanting to come try their luck in case they might acquire the treasure!"

"Or perhaps to eliminate a rival!" Li Yu sneered. With so many people mobilized, how could it possibly be just for treasure? Surely some of them were seizing the opportunity to wipe out the injured Qing Yuan!

"What Young Master thinks makes complete sense!" Wen Xiangxuan pondered for a moment, then asked Tuman Xiang, "How can we be certain that Qing Yuan is still in this marsh and hasn't already escaped far away?"

"Because his injuries are far too severe; it is utterly impossible for him to have traveled far, unless he threw caution to the wind and chose to flee directly from the very beginning," Tuman Xiang replied. "Before the next day even arrived, people from other teams had already surrounded the area from all directions!"

Hearing this, everyone nodded and simultaneously cast their gazes upon Li Yu.

Qing Yuan was from the same clan as him; would he choose to rescue him?

"It seems he suffered quite severe internal injuries!"

Li Yu said indifferently.

For a fifth-rank cultivator to have no choice but to hide nearby showed just how severe his internal wounds were, and he had likely suffered more than just internal trauma!

He looked at Tuman Xiang and said, "Tell me about all the teams you know of. I'd like to see who exactly is here."

"One known party is the fifth-rank cultivator who heavily injured Qing Yuan. His name is Wang Fenghua, and he has a full seven subordinates under him, mostly at the sixth rank."

"Another is also a fifth-rank cultivator named Zhuyang Feng, who is likewise a direct scion of the Zhuyang Clan. He has five subordinates, two of whom are at the peak of the sixth rank!"

Tuman Xiang thought for a moment and continued, "It is rumored that a certain imperial prince is also interested in this matter. He was originally supposed to come, but for some unknown reason, he seemed to have diverted his route and left. It's uncertain whether he has secretly returned to spy on us!"

The Great Ming imperial family had sent three princes into this trial, and two of them were already known to be dead!

Li Yu thought to himself that if this lined up with the timeline, the only possibility was the final prince whom he had not yet met. It was said that this prince always wore a mask and very few people had ever seen his true face.

Tuman Xiang said, "Aside from these three factions, I don't know if any other teams have come over, but in all likelihood, there are some."

"In other words, there are at least two fifth-rank cultivators!" Li Yu's expression showed a flicker of interest.

Two fifth-rank cultivators meant that the strength of both teams was quite decent. That was even better; the stronger they were, the more points he would reap!

"Young Master, there are tracks over here!" Xing Chengping reported.

Landing on the ground, he examined a somewhat depressed area and spoke up, "Judging by these marks, the battle should have taken place today. If my guess is correct, it was likely a fight between a sixth-rank cultivator and an exotic beast."

Li Yu nodded.

Ever since word broke out that Qing Yuan was heavily injured and hiding here with a treasure, this misty marsh had become a place of right and wrong. Even if there had been unrelated bystanders earlier, they would have long since withdrawn.

Traces left behind today could basically be pinned on those harboring "ulterior motives" toward Qing Yuan!

"Follow the tracks and go take a look." Without overthinking it, Li Yu led the group, tracing the intermittent marks deeper into the misty marsh.

If it were anyone else tracking in a place with such abyssal visibility, they would easily miss clues and lose their direction. But Li Yu was different. Although subterranean obstructions could slightly shorten his detection range, right here on the surface, it was just ordinary fog. Under the blanket of his spiritual perception, no trace could escape his notice!