Young Jiang Ziya

Although the attack by the Mist Demons was repelled, it served as a wake-up call for the exploration team. The anomalies in Yunmeng Marsh were not spreading slowly, but rather exhibited a tendency of "active erosion."

As dawn broke, the fog lifted slightly, but visibility remained extremely low. Ji Fa summoned everyone to discuss the matter.

"The Mist Demon is a manifestation of filth, appearing and disappearing unpredictably, so it's not advisable for a large group to venture deep into the area," Shen Gongbao analyzed. "I suggest that I, Ji Fa, Lü Shang, and two agile scouts form a five-man vanguard team to scout ahead. The rest of us will stay at the camp to establish a defensive line in case the mist spreads or more monsters attack."

Ji Fa pondered. He knew Shen Gongbao was right; a large group would be hampered by the dense fog, vulnerable to ambushes, and easily lost. But taking only four men into such a dangerous place…

"Your Highness, allow me to accompany you." Wu Geng stepped forward, his gaze resolute. "I am familiar with the terrain of the mountains and forests, and I also have some knowledge of tracking."

Ji Fa looked at the young general and finally nodded: "Alright. Wu Geng and Zhao Qi (the old scout), you two will accompany me. The rest of you will be under the command of General Wu Dan, holding the camp and ready to provide support at any time."

***

The five-person team set off lightly equipped, carrying only three days' worth of dry rations, ropes, medicine, and necessary weapons and talismans. Lü Shang memorized the few pages of diagrams in Shi Yuan's notes about "anomalies in the earth's veins and the flow of filth."

Stepping into the fog-shrouded marshland, the world seemed to be instantly stripped of color and sound. Beneath our feet lay slippery, soft mud and aquatic plants, the air thick with the smell of humus and a faint, sweet, fishy odor. Visibility was less than twenty paces, and the surroundings were deathly silent; even the chirping of insects and birds had vanished, leaving only the breathing of our own people and the soft thud of our footsteps in the mud.

Shen Gongbao walked at the front, holding a compass engraved with runes in his hand. The needle trembled slightly, pointing deeper into the mist. "Follow the compass; it has sensed the source of the disordered spiritual energy."

Lu Shang activated his spiritual vision, vigilantly sensing his surroundings. The mist appeared as a flowing gray-green in his eyes, with the fine black filaments within it even denser than the night before, like countless tiny insects swimming in the mist. He could feel an invisible, oppressive "suction" coming from ahead, as if the foul energy of the entire swamp area was slowly converging towards a certain central point.

After traveling for about two hours, a slightly elevated woodland appeared ahead. The trees were twisted and gnarled, their branches and leaves an unhealthy dark green, and their surfaces were covered with slippery moss and fungi.

"Stop." Shen Gongbao suddenly raised his hand to signal. He crouched down and examined the ground. "Footprints. More than one type."

On the muddy ground, besides their own footprints, there were several strange marks mixed in: a three-toed claw mark resembling that of a giant bird, as big as a washbasin; a long, thin drag mark like a snake, but with scratch marks from scales; and another mark... that looked like a human barefoot, but with unusually long toes and webbed feet.

"There's something moving around here, and... quite a lot of it," the old scout Zhao Qi whispered, his face tense.

Lu Shang's gaze was drawn to something beneath a few withered trees at the edge of the woods. He walked over and parted the tangled vines—there were several skeletons. They weren't fresh remains; they were already partially skeletal, but the surface of the bones had an eroded, dark gray hue, and there were irregular perforations in the skulls. Scattered nearby were some rusty arrowheads and tattered leather armor.

"They were hunters or herb gatherers who went missing before," Wu Geng said after examining them. "But the cause of death... doesn't seem to be a wild animal attack. These holes have smooth edges, as if they were... sucked dry."

A chill ran through everyone's hearts.

"Keep moving forward, but be extra careful," Ji Fa said in a deep voice.

After passing through the woods, the view ahead suddenly opened up, yet it felt even more eerie.

It was a wide swamp dotted with numerous small pools. The water in the pools was neither clear nor murky, but a viscous liquid with a dark greenish glow. Among the pools grew giant, mushroom-shaped plants, several meters tall, unlike anything I had ever seen before. Their caps were translucent, and faintly visible inside were pulsating dark red veins. The sweet, fishy smell in the air was even stronger, almost nauseating.

The most awe-inspiring sight is in the heart of the swamp—where stands a low, yet vast ruin constructed of an unknown black stone. Its ancient and rugged architectural style is clearly not that of humans; it seems more like… the remnant of some far more ancient civilization. Most of the ruins are submerged in the viscous, glowing swamp water, with only fragments of walls protruding above the surface, their surfaces covered in shimmering moss and vines.

The compass needle in Shen Gongbao's hand spun wildly, finally pointing straight at the black ruins. "The source... is there."

"These ruins..." Lu Shang's heart stirred, recalling a simple sketch in Shi Yuan's notes, marked "Suspected ruins of an ancient demon race altar, often found at ley line nodes." The scene before him bore a striking resemblance to the sketch.

"Look over there!" Zhao Qi suddenly pointed to a high stone platform at the edge of the ruins.

There was something moving on the stone platform!

Several slender, grayish-green, webbed-footed, and scaled humanoid creatures were making a worship-like gesture around a swirling, dark green orb of light floating above the stone platform. They were uttering low, indistinct syllables that did not sound like human speech.

Below the stone platform, in the shallow swamp, crawled even more monsters of various shapes: there were mist demons we had seen before, a reptile that resembled a giant lizard but had bone wings, and a soft, wriggling monster that looked like it was made of mud and seaweed.

This place has become a den of filthy monsters!

"They're...holding a ceremony?" Wu Geng asked in a low voice, his voice filled with disbelief.

"Gathering filth to nourish something." Shen Gongbao's face was extremely grim. "That ball of light... is a highly concentrated crystallization of filth from the Azure Heaven! They are artificially creating a 'contamination core'!"

Lu Shang's spiritual vision was fixed on the dark green ball of light. He could "see" countless fine black threads being drawn from all parts of the swamp, and even from the mist in the air, converging into the ball of light. And inside the ball of light, a faint but real "consciousness" was slowly awakening, filled with greed and savagery.

"It must be destroyed!" Ji Fa gripped the Tai'a sword tightly. "Otherwise, who knows what kind of monster will be born once it's fully formed!"

However, there are many monsters around the stone platform, so charging in headfirst is definitely not the best strategy.

"I have a way to divert some of them," Lu Shang suddenly whispered. He remembered his insignificant yet potentially useful ability—to manipulate natural elements, even the "filthy nature" here.

"How do I do it?"

Lu Shang didn't explain, but instead focused his mind, casting his gaze on a relatively open body of water to the side of the stone platform. He subtly moved his thoughts, attempting to establish a connection with the viscous, polluted "water," not to purify it, but rather... to disturb it.

At first, there was no response; the filthy water seemed lifeless. But Lu Shang did not give up. He adjusted his psionic energy to a frequency closer to "resonance" than "command," trying to "imitate" the fluctuations of the filthy energy.

Gradually, the water began to ripple even without wind. Then, a small whirlpool made of viscous green water slowly formed and began to move, making a soft gurgling sound.

This unusual movement immediately attracted the attention of several mist demons and slimes near the stone platform. They stopped their worship and turned towards the vortex in confusion, seemingly sensing some kind of uncontrolled energy fluctuation from the same source.

"Not enough..." Lü Shang's forehead was sweating; maintaining such precise control was quite taxing. He gritted his teeth and urged his will forward again!

The vortex suddenly expanded, and several bubbles even rose from the center, making a slightly loud "gurgling" sound!

This startled most of the monsters below the stone platform, who left their original positions and gathered towards the vortex, letting out warning growls.

"Now!" Ji Fa shouted in a low voice!

Like arrows released from a bow, the five people burst out from behind the giant mushroom where they were hiding and rushed straight towards the stone platform!

The monsters left behind on the stone platform reacted and pounced with shrieks! Among them were the tallest, webbed-footed humanoid creatures that seemed to be the leaders, who conjured spears made of sewage and hurled them!

"Watch out for the sewage spears! They're poisonous!" Shen Gongbao waved his hand and unleashed several fire talismans to intercept the flying spears. The water and fire clashed, exploding into plumes of foul-smelling steam.

Ji Fa took the lead, his Tai'a sword flashing like a bolt of lightning, cleaving a charging bone-winged giant lizard in two. Wu Geng and Zhao Qi guarded the flanks, fending off the other monsters. Lü Shang followed closely behind Ji Fa, using his spiritual energy to deflect any stray attacks and attempting to distract the remaining monsters on the stone platform.

In the chaos, they finally rushed onto the stone platform!

On the stone platform, the dark green ball of light seemed to sense the threat, churning even more violently. The foul pressure emanating from it made Ji Fa and Shen Gongbao, who were closest to it, feel a suffocating nausea. At the center of the ball of light, a distorted, featureless "face" vaguely appeared, uttering a silent roar at them.

"Crush it!" Shen Gongbao formed hand seals, spitting a mouthful of blood essence onto the thunder talisman that had condensed in his palms. "Nine Heavens Respond to the Origin, Thunder God's Decree—Break!"

A bolt of purple lightning, thicker than ever before, appeared out of thin air and struck the ball of light fiercely!

The ball of light vibrated violently, its dark green glow flickered intermittently, and cracks appeared on its surface!

Ji Fa seized the opportunity, poured all his strength into the Tai'a Sword, and the Crimson Eyebrow Mark shone brightly with red light. With a resolute will to cut through evil, he fiercely pierced into the core of the light cluster!

"laugh--!!!"

Like a red-hot iron block falling into ice water, a piercing, corrosive sound rang out. The ball of light emitted a sharp, almost soul-tearing, silent shriek before exploding violently!

The dark green, foul energy, like an exploding abscess, sprayed in all directions! Ji Fa and Shen Gongbao, who were directly hit, were forced back several steps by the energy shock, their faces turning pale. Lü Shang hurriedly mobilized his spiritual energy, setting up a weak barrier in front of them to block most of the foul spray.

The ball of light completely dissipated, leaving behind only a small pool of black, viscous substance that kept evaporating and shrinking before finally turning into nothingness.

With the core destroyed, the few remaining webbed-footed monsters on the stone platform let out desperate howls, their bodies rapidly shriveling and disintegrating into flowing black liquid. The monsters that had been lured away below the stone platform also seemed to have lost their source of power, their movements becoming sluggish and dull, and they were quickly wiped out by Ji Fa and the others who had reacted.

The swamp has returned to "calm," but the unpleasant sweet and fishy smell and oppressive feeling have not completely disappeared.

"It's just a temporary interruption." Shen Gongbao gasped for breath, his face grim. "This 'ritual site' has been operating for some time, and the leyline nodes have been contaminated. Destroying one core won't prevent the contamination from accumulating; sooner or later, a new one will emerge. We must find the true source of the contamination, or... purify this leyline."

Purifying the earth's veins? Easier said than done. Lü Shang looked at the sticky swamp beneath his feet and the desolate ruins in the distance, his heart heavy.

"Retreat to camp first," Ji Fa decisively ordered. "This place is not safe to stay any longer."

The five quickly evacuated the stone platform and returned along the way they had come. The path they had taken so cautiously on the way there was now much faster on the return journey due to familiarity and vigilance.

However, just as they were about to leave the twisted woods and could already see the faint glow of the campfire in the distance—

Mutation and regeneration!

The ground began to shake violently without warning! It wasn't the general shaking of an earthquake, but rather as if something enormous was turning over in the depths of the swamp beneath their feet!

"Stand firm!" Ji Fa shouted.

The tremors lasted for several breaths, accompanied by a deep, rumbling sound like the growl of a giant beast emanating from the ground. Then, to everyone's horror, they saw, in the direction of the distant black ruins, the swamp water churned and bubbled violently, with mud and sewage shooting skyward!

An unimaginably large shadowy silhouette slowly rose from beneath the boiling water, then slowly sank, leaving behind only a massive whirlpool that gradually spread and covered almost the entire central swamp area!

Even a fleeting glimpse was enough to instill in one a sense of oppression and fear far exceeding any monster encountered before, and perhaps even... no less than the Demon Lord of Chaoge!

"What...what is that?!" Zhao Qi's voice trembled.

"Quickly!" Shen Gongbao's face turned deathly pale. "This place is filthy, and it has given birth to... something terrible! It's asleep; the commotion just now was merely a disturbance! Hurry!"

The five of them held nothing back and rushed out of the fog-shrouded swamp at top speed.

Back at camp, Wu Dan and the others, seeing their disheveled appearance and grave expressions, knew the reconnaissance had gone terribly wrong. After hearing the brief report, especially the fleeting glimpse of the abyss's shadow, everyone's faces turned extremely grim.

"The pollution in Yunmengze... is far more severe than anticipated." Ji Fa gazed at the thick fog billowing up behind him once more, his voice low and menacing. "Destroying a core is merely a drop in the ocean. That thing underground... is the real threat."

Lü Shang remained silent, his hand resting on the Xuan Bird amulet in his robes. The shadow of Yunmengze loomed over the land, and the crisis of Guixu, as Yin Jiao had spoken of, hung precariously overseas. The land of Shenzhou seemed to be sitting atop a volcano about to erupt, and there was more than one volcano.

Yin Jiao gave a three-day deadline, and tomorrow will be the last day.

Should they stay and assist Ji Fa in dealing with the looming and increasingly pressing crisis at Yunmengze?

Or should we head to the ethereal yet potentially crucial East China Sea Ruins to seek the answers to the so-called "key" and "destiny"?

Night fell again, and thick fog formed a wall. Lü Shang lay in his tent, listening to the faint, deep pulse coming from the direction of the swamp, like the slumber of a giant beast, and tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

The two choices, like two forks in the road, tore him apart.

Regardless of which path you choose, the road ahead is destined to be fraught with thorns and unknown darkness.