Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 698 I'll Give You Everything

Xu Xuan raised his wrist, and the scabbard of the Shengxie Sword precisely blocked the crocodile's mouth.

He glanced at the other party's chassis and stable back, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Being able to become my mount is your blessing in your next life."

The oppressive aura emanating from the superior hunter was immediately amplified, and the evil energy mixed with the power of the white lotus surged into the core of the corpse puppet.

He doesn't believe in his own personal charm; this guy is more reliable.

As Xu Xuan rode his new mount, his mind raced.

He has three things to do now.

First, stall for time.

Looking back at the sky where the clouds had cleared and the rain had stopped, I knew that my time was running out.

Although Xiaoqing is a bit reckless, she has always been a comrade-in-arms whom you can rely on.

Slaughtering in Dongting Lake, entering the Dragon Palace to obtain the true dragon's blood essence, and searching for the Dragon Gate (whose authenticity is unknown)—these minor tasks should not be difficult.

Second, find the zither.

Now that we're actually here, we should try to help Professor Shi find a piano; we need to have professional ethics.

Old Man Shen was even willing to lend out the ancestral bronze vessel of Bai Lu, so this zither must be no ordinary object.

Third, figure out how to get out.

There's no map or teleportation portal here. Professor Shi said it's through the Yellow Emperor's Song that one can communicate with heaven and earth and get out, so I can try it myself.

I rode the crocodile for a long time but couldn't see the boundary. The mountains and forests were shrouded in mist.

Left with no other choice, I risked flying to a high altitude. Looking at the vast and boundless Yunmeng Marshland before me, I couldn't help but gasp in shock.

The vastness of this ancient body of water far exceeded imagination—compared to the later 800-li Dongting Lake, it was but a drop in the ocean.

Looking out, mist rises where the water meets the sky, and nine water veins, like giant dragons, can be vaguely seen coiling in all directions.

To the east are rolling hills, with ancient trees reaching for the sky and vines entwining them, and the faint roars of giant beasts can be heard.
To the west lies a vast swamp, shrouded in miasma, where humus accumulates to form eerie floating islands;
To the north lies a vast expanse of water, its waves surging, with enormous dark shadows occasionally lurking beneath its surface.
The Yunmeng Marshland, located within the Nine Provinces:

Its eastern border stretches along the eastern edge of Jiangxia County, nestled at the foot of the Dabie and Mufu Mountains, extending to the banks of the Yangtze River; its western border lies east of Yichang and Yidu in Nan County, straddling the crossroads of land and water transportation in Jingzhou and Xiangyang. To the north, it reaches Sui County, Zhongxiang in Yingzhou, and Jingshan, while to the south, it is bounded by the banks of the Xiajing River, its strategic location resembling a tripod standing upright.

During the pre-Qin period, this marshland was a triangular alluvial landform formed by the tributaries of the Yangtze River. Its surface was covered with lush mountains, plains, forests, and foothills, while its interior was winding with rivers, marshes, and weirs. It was a fertile land stretching for thousands of miles, with waterways and land routes intertwined, truly a strategically important location in the Jingchu region.

"No wonder the humans and demons fought fiercely here in ancient times."

He pulled out two crumpled "treasure maps" from the jade pot.

Professor Shi's drawing looked like a child's scribbles. A few crooked lines barely made out a waterway, and next to it were labels like "coma," "convulsions," "mountain," and "looks like there's a monster."

Shen Shan is indeed well-built, worthy of being a self-taught great scholar who can inherit the Bailu Academy.

The densely packed star chart paired with the obscure divination text actually looked quite convincing. A striking circle was even drawn in cinnabar at a key location—the problem is, there were at least seven or eight such circles.

Xu Xuan's lips twitched as he stacked the two pictures together and gestured.

Then sigh... The clues you two provided would require millions of words of trials and tribulations to find the target in an adventure novel.

The Pure Land School is more reliable; the abbots also left behind a lot of information and clues.

Combining this with the information he had just gleaned from the air, he managed to piece together a map in his mind.

Professor Shi drew the direction of the water veins, Shen Shanzhang marked the celestial positions, while the Pure Land School recorded the distribution of demonic energy.

With the three sets of coordinates superimposed, a winding route gradually emerged in my mind: first, head west along the current waterway, pass through the intersection of the three demonic vortexes, and turn to the Kun position when you see the upside-down Seven Star Banyan.
All I can say is that the White Lotus Dharma Image is really useful; it can even deduce something roughly.

"Professor Shi and his group were really lucky back then. They didn't go near the middle area. Otherwise, they would have been bitten to death by the grudges of these little bastards long ago." Xu Xuan muttered as he shook out a stack of paper butterflies from his sleeve.

He was unlucky; he landed right in the core area.

Upon opening his eyes, he saw numerous crazed demon souls, as well as traces left by human war gods and holy emperors, and was almost surrounded and killed by the demons.

The original version of the twisted paper butterfly is fluttering in the forest, perfectly fitting the scene and blending seamlessly into the bloody secret realm.

Some darted into the bushes, some glided along the water's surface, and some even plunged directly into the swamp.

Soon, through the information transmitted back by the butterfly, a three-dimensional map gradually formed in his mind, and he could even compare it with some traces of Dongting Lake in later generations.

“Interesting.” He compared the terrain of Dongting Lake in later generations. “The location of Junshan Mountain has not changed, and the area around Yueyang Tower is still a swamp. After all, the changes in mountains and rivers are traceable.”

"Eastward." After closing his eyes and sensing for a moment, the spiritual sense entangled with the aura of calamity and the resonance of the fragment of the "Xianchi" scroll in his arms both clearly pointed eastward.

That might be where the guqin is, and also the key to his escape from Yunmengze.

“The last place Professor Shi and the others disappeared was on the eastern edge,” he squinted. “It seems the guqin is very likely near Turtle Mountain.”

The eight characters, "癸水归位，玄冥开路" (Gui Water returns to its place, Xuanming opens the way), combined with the Pure Land Buddhist scriptures' record that "玄武眠" (Xuanwu sleeps in the easternmost part of Yunmeng), suggest that the opportunity for him to escape Yunmeng Marsh must also lie there.

Famous mountains and rivers in ancient times generally have significant origins. Just as Baling was said to be the transformation of the Bashe snake, Guishan was said to be the transformation of a sacred tortoise.

Legend has it that when Yu the Great was controlling the floods, he encountered a water monster causing trouble here. He was unable to subdue it for several years, but later a magical tortoise subdued the monster and successfully controlled the floods.

Later, the spirit turtle transformed into a mountain, hence the name Turtle Mountain.

Whether it's true or not, even if the smiling guy himself came, it's hard to say.

That's how myths are; whether they're far-fetched or simply local embellishments, the more they're told, the more they're believed to have spiritual power.

The swamp was shrouded in mist, and visibility was less than ten steps.

It seems that the fog of the ancient Yunmeng and Dongting Lake is overlapping, and even the detection of spiritual sense is intermittent.

Xu Xuan held the Shengxie Sword in his left hand and carried the bronze vessel in his right. Every hundred steps, he would release a paper butterfly to correct his direction.

The rest is up to you.

His luck in the ancient Yunmeng should be quite high.

This world may seem to be ravaged by demonic spirits, but in reality, it has long been suppressed by the luck of the human race! Based on his own calamity aura and the half-scroll of Xianchi in his hand, there is a very high probability that he can find the ancient zither while just taking a stroll.

You might even encounter the Cloud Lord, as well as other monsters.

This is a form of self-confidence.

Whoosh~~~ Snap!
A huge dragon head fell from the sky and crashed down three zhang in front of him, splashing mud everywhere.

Its bluish-black scales were shattered, and lingering lightning still crackled around its broken horns. Its scarlet vertical pupils stared unblinkingly, while the corners of its mouth curled up in a strange way, as if mocking something.

"Snapped!"

Xu Xuan kicked the dragon's head three zhang away, while looking warily at the sky.

The clouds churned, and lightning flashed, but the Cloud Lord was nowhere to be seen chasing after them.

"Strange." He narrowed his eyes. "That guy who likes to wear white and act cool didn't chase after us?"

"No need to look." The dragon head rolled twice on the ground, then grinned with a ferocious mouth. "This king still has some tricks up his sleeve."

The azure dragon's head suddenly spoke, its voice hoarse yet still carrying a hint of arrogance.

Xu Xuan scoffed, not believing it at all.

How could someone with such cunning be beaten up like this?
But the remnant soul of the Azure Dragon that fell from the sky is indeed a clue—it's rare to find a demon soul that can maintain its sanity in Yunmeng Marsh.

In addition, there were still a few questions that needed to be answered, so after weighing the pros and cons, a bold decision was made.

He slashed the crocodile corpse puppet beneath him, annihilating its soul.

Crocodile: Peanuts for me?
Xu Xuan grabbed the dragon's head and moved through the forest like a ghost. He continuously made hand seals, scattering talismans along the way, before disappearing into the water.

"seal up!"

As starlight appeared, a formation plate made by Bai Suzhen was activated, and a simple barrier was instantly formed, isolating the outside world.

“I told you not to worry,” the dragon head grinned smugly. “Back then, that scoundrel Yun Zhongjun also tried to destroy my dragon soul, but I still managed to escape. This is divine power!”

Someone rolled their eyes: "The demon soul is just a head and it's still being stubborn. Besides, you're a jiao, not a dragon."

After uttering a sentence that enraged the Azure Dragon, Xu Xuan finally asked the question: "How did you find me?"

Logically speaking, his ability to conceal his aura is unparalleled; even the Cloud Lord has to put in some effort. How could this Azure Dragon possibly do so?
“Heh,” the remnant dragon sneered, “You still carry the arrows of that brat Liu Che.” Its tattered dragon whiskers trembled. “These things have been stuck in my body for countless years, so naturally I can sense them.”

Xu Xuan suddenly realized that his frugality had backfired.

Arrows imbued with the imperial aura and dragon blood of Emperor Wu of Han, and possessing a certain legendary status, are truly valuable items.

He took out the ancient arrow from his pocket—a faint trace of dragon energy did indeed linger on the shaft.

"I see." He activated his spiritual senses to examine the arrows, then looked at the Azure Dragon thoughtfully.

Meanwhile, the Azure Dragon began to chatter incessantly.

Having escaped the bewitching power of the White Lotus, the malevolent energy of Yunmengze, and once again narrowly escaped death, he has rediscovered the true meaning of "it's better to live a wretched life than to die a good death."

What do you mean by "overlord of Dongting"? This fighting and killing is just outrageous.

It's best to be reborn and start over.

If it could escape Yunmeng Marsh and enter the Six Paths of Reincarnation, it would have a chance to rise again no matter which path it was reborn into.

However, this place is clearly a prison for the demon race, and the only way to leave is to ask an outsider for help.

One is Yun Zhongjun, the other is a human brat; there's simply no choice.

Moreover, in its eyes, Xu Xuan was nothing more than a pitiful wretch who had been chased in, and easy to manipulate.

“Listen, kid, you humans often say that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

“I know Yunmengze very well. If you have a way to leave Yunmengze, then cooperating with you is the best option.”

"Now let's forge a soul pact, or swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao, and then leave this damned place together."

Xu Xuan didn't care about the green dragon's incessant chatter; he was confident he could survive even without this thing.

So what value does this head itself still have?

It couldn't possibly be unaware of Yun Zhongjun's information, nor should it be aware of the Dongting Dragon Palace's information, and it should also know about this last remaining remnant soul.
It's very valuable.

The question is whether this evil dragon is willing to cooperate, and what methods I should use.

Perhaps this scrutinizing gaze is somewhat blatant and disrespectful.

This was simply unbearable for the high and mighty Azure Dragon.

Dragons frolicking in shallow waters, mocked by shrimp?
"Human, if you do not agree to my request, I will summon the Lord of Clouds. I may not die, but you will!"

Since Qingjiao had the means to escape from Yunzhongjun's clutches twice, he must have some trump cards up his sleeve.

These words finally brought Xu Xuan back to his senses, and then he smiled.

From the moment you took the initiative to contact me, our entanglement has been inseparable, you fool.

They must have been driven mad by the First Emperor's jade seal.

The Father smiled kindly: "You may not know who I am, what I have done, or what I am about to do."

The Azure Dragon sensed a strange aura, an aura that was unusually complex and peculiar. What exactly did the human want to say?
"What do you want to do?!"

“It’s very simple,” Xu Xuan said slowly, playing with the arrows and using the power of cause and effect to strengthen the connection between the man and the dragon.

His eyes gradually began to shine.

"I give you everything."

(End of this chapter)