Dawang Village

  Xiao Huan stood at the entrance of the village, looking worriedly in the direction of Sǐ Zé. The sky, which had been clear and sunny that morning, was now gradually darkening, as if another heavy rain was approaching.

  Yesterday, late at night, she and Grandpa Zhou Yixian and Jinping'er and others were together in the Dead Marsh, but after Jinping'er went out for a trip and came back, her expression was extremely tired, and she sent the two of them out of the Dead Marsh overnight.

  Xiao Huan had secretly asked Jin Ping'er, but Jin Ping'er remained silent and only said: "Now in this desperate situation, the circumstances are far more dangerous than I expected. If you stay here any longer, it's likely to harm yourselves."

  Xiao Huan had always believed in her sister's words, and that night she left the Dead Marsh with Zhou Yixian. Following Jin Ping'er's instructions, they prepared to leave today. However, having known Jin Ping'er for quite some time now, it was only last night that Xiao Huan saw Jin Ping'er's expression so grave.

  She couldn't help but start worrying about her sister in secret.

  "Little ring!"

  A familiar shout came from behind, Xiaohuan turned around and it was indeed Zhou Yixian walking quickly towards her. He said, "Everything is packed up, let's go!"

  Xiao Huan nodded silently, but couldn't help asking Zhou Yixian: "Grandfather, do you think Bao'er will be in danger in the Dead Marsh?"

  Xian was taken aback on Monday and said irritably, "How am I supposed to know?"

  Xiao Huan pursed the corner of her mouth, glared at him, and Zhou Yixian's heart still ached with love for this granddaughter. She sighed, looked around to make sure no one was listening, walked to Xiao Huan's side, and said in a low voice: "These past few days, while we were in the Dead Marsh, we followed Jin Ping'er and encountered Longshengtang disciples several times. But since last night, have you seen any Longshengtang followers?"

  Xiao Huan was shocked.

  On Monday, Xian smiled and his face gradually revealed an expression different from his usual playful smile. His eyes became sharp and bright as he said: "Especially on that day when you met the fish-headed monster, I was listening clearly beside you. The ones who met with Jinping were actually the young masters of the other two major sects of the Demon Cult, Guiwang Sect and Wudoumen - Gui Li and Qin Wu Yan. These three people meeting at this time, and within the territory of the Longsheng Hall, what do you think they would be doing?"

  The little ringed eyebrows wrinkled together, and after a while, she suddenly lost her voice and said: "Grandpa, are you saying..."

  Monday Xianjie Dao: "Not bad, but I'm afraid that the Longsheng Hall, which has been prosperous for 800 years, will be destroyed by these three young evil stars. Yu Yangzi's cultivation is so high, yet...". He let out a long sigh, his expression suddenly turning desolate, and after a moment of silence, he said: "Nowadays, the internal strife within the demonic sects is becoming increasingly fierce, while the orthodox sects are also plotting against each other. The Qingyun Gate suffered a severe blow to its vitality ten years ago and has yet to recover. This world, I fear, will once again be plunged into chaos and bloodshed."

  Xiao Huan was dazed, Zhou Yixian let out a sigh, suddenly came to his senses, chuckled and said: "Let the world be chaotic if it wants to! What does it have to do with us? Let's go, we'll continue to bring blessings to the people of the world."

  Xiao Huan was stunned, but Zhou Yi Xian seemed to have not noticed at all. He walked over, picked up the bundle, and held the bamboo stick with "Xianren Zhilu" written on it in his hand. As he turned around to call out to Xiao Huan, he suddenly froze, his gaze fixed on something behind her.

  Xiao Huan saw Grandfather's strange gaze, and hastily turned around to look, and was also stunned. He only saw the wild dog Dao Ren walking over from the direction of the dead marsh with a gloomy face, his eyes scanning, and then he saw Xiao Huan and Zhou Yi Xian standing at the village entrance.

  Early this morning, the wild dog Taoist who had been following Gui Li was suddenly ordered by Gui Li to leave the Dead Swamp immediately. The wild dog was shocked and although he knew that the Dead Swamp was extremely dangerous now, leaving also had its advantages. However, being scolded by the young man Gui Li with a cold face made him very unhappy. He grumbled and complained all the way as he walked out in anger.

  At this moment, I suddenly ran into Xiaohuan at the village entrance. The wild dog didn't know why, but my heart skipped a beat and I subconsciously dodged to the side, not knowing what I was afraid of.

  Just as he hadn't walked two steps, Xiao Huan's voice came from behind: "Dao Zhang, wait!"

  The wild dog was stunned for a moment, slowly turned around, and Zhou Yixian frowned as he walked to Xiaohuan's side, saying irritably, "What did you ask him to do?"

  Xiao Huan glared at Zhou Yi Xian, ignoring him. A smile floated onto her face as she walked over and pulled out an umbrella from the bundle on her back. "Dao Zhang," she said to the wild dog-like man, "I haven't returned your umbrella yet."

  The stray dog looked at the umbrella with a changeable expression, hesitated for a moment, and didn't reach out to take it. Xiaohuan, however, was nonchalant, stuffed the umbrella into Ye Gou's hand, smiled sweetly at him, and said, "Thanks again for that day."

  The stray dog suddenly felt a bright light in front of him, as if his eyes were blurred, and he secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

  Xiao Huan walked back to Zhou Yixian's side, took the package from Zhou Yixian's hand and said: "Let's go! Grandpa."

  On Monday, Xian glared at the stray dog standing stupidly in place and followed Xiaohuan away, muttering to himself: "Why do you always smile at him?"

  "Grandpa, he's a good person!"

  Zhou Yi snorted and said, "He's a good man, am I not the reincarnation of the Buddha?"

  The little ring and Zhou Yixian's figures gradually disappeared into the distance, their voices also growing fainter. The wild dog stood still on the spot, holding the umbrella in its hand, not moving for a long time. Suddenly, it took a step forward, walked quickly towards the direction where Xiaohuan and Zhou Yixian went.

  After their figures disappeared one by one, the Dawang Village returned to calmness. A few dozen feet away from the village entrance, a man and a woman stood in a corner. The man wore a long white robe, while the woman had a black veil covering her face. They were Qinglong and Youji.

  Qing Long said faintly: "What is the origin of this week's immortal, do you know?"

  The lady hidden behind the black veil did not speak, only gazing at the black veil lightly swaying, as if slightly shaking her head.

  The blue dragon sank into thought for a moment, and his eyes seemed to have a deep thinking color. He immediately said: "This person is not simple at all, and his granddaughter actually has contact with Jinpinger of the Hepai sect. We need to pay more attention in the future."

  "Yougui fell silent for a moment, then said faintly: 'Let's go! The Master has entrusted us with an important task, we can't delay it.'"

  The green dragon glanced at her, a faint hint of worry flashing in his eyes, but his face remained expressionless as he said, "Alright, let's go!"

  After finishing speaking, the two of them slowly walked out of Dawang Village, but the direction they went was opposite to Zhou Yixian and others, heading straight for the Death Swamp.

  It is unknown where the wind came from, sweeping across the sky and earth, with a hint of desolation.

  The sky seemed to have darkened a bit more.

  "Rumble!"

  A loud thunderclap in the dark clouds, and big raindrops suddenly fell down, wetting the whole world, a gray and hazy scene. The ghost stood on top of a large tree, looking around with its eyes raised.

  Behind him was still that vast and unmatched wall of miasma. In fact, according to common sense, the miasma in the mountains would usually retreat and subside when it encountered rainwater, but the highly toxic miasma inside the Dead Marsh seemed to be completely unafraid of the rain, standing tall and unmoving despite the wind and rain.

  The ghost slowly turned its head and looked forward, but only saw that in this inner swamp, a dense forest grew unexpectedly. At a glance, the forest stretched endlessly in the bleak wind and rain, and it was unknown how far it extended. Moreover, the rain was quite heavy, and although the visibility was much clearer than before in the miasma, it still couldn't be seen too far.

  "Squeak, squeak!"

  Suddenly, the branches beside him jumped a few times, and it turned out that Xiao Hui had returned to the tree branch, jumping and running back. He jumped onto Gui Li's shoulder two or three times, and unexpectedly picked some wild fruits from somewhere, grinned, handed one to Gui Li, and stuffed three or four into his own mouth, chewing with a big smile.

  The ghost smiled slightly and took a bite, feeling a bit astringent at first, but with a unique aftertaste.

  At this time, the rain grew heavier, and the thunder rumbled incessantly. Guī Lì didn't use his magical treasures to resist it, letting the rainwater pour down on him. Xiao Hui sat on Guī Lì's shoulder, its fur gradually getting wet, but it seemed not to care, only focusing on the fruit in its mouth, "crunch crunch" eating happily. Its long tail stretched out behind Guī Lì, swishing back and forth, looking quite amusing.

  The ghost slowly ate the wild fruit in his hand and suddenly said softly: "Xiao Hui, did you recognize her just now?"

  Little Grey's mouth was still chewing on the wild fruit, and he muttered a few unclear words, his monkey eyes gleaming as he stared at Gui Liang.

  Gu Lian seemed to have no idea that he could get any answers from the monkey, and simply said to himself: "Why didn't she kill me? Isn't she always the one who hates the demonic sect the most?"

  "Rumble!"

  Xiao Hui didn't answer, but instead a thunderclap suddenly sounded in the sky.

  The ghost slowly raised his head and looked up at the sky, where a vast expanse of rain threads hung like knives and swords, transforming into thousands of strands that poured down...

  His body trembled slightly, and suddenly his mind wandered, as if he had returned to that night in his youth, when he and the kind-hearted old monk were outside the village, speaking to him in a calm and gentle tone.

  This scene has been etched in his heart all these years, never fading in the slightest.

  His hands clenched into fists, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, and even his body began to tremble with excitement. At this moment, the Devouring Soul in his sleeve also lit up as usual, almost simultaneously, a familiar icy sensation spreading throughout his body, the ominous aura of the Blood Bead seemed to condense in his eyes bit by bit.

  Xiao Hui cried out in anxiety on his shoulder.

  In the sky, a lightning bolt pierced through the long sky, and with a fierce howl, it flew up, its whole body shining brightly red in mid-air. Its right arm stretched out, and the Soul Devourer had already arrived in its hand. Only to see that the mysterious blue light gathered in the rainwater, condensed into a huge light, and slashed down with a loud crash.

  His eyes were now completely red with bloodshot, his face was full of murderous aura, his face was twisted, and he let out a low growl, like a wild beast.

  This giant green axe chopped down fiercely, and the big tree that was standing just now was cut in half from the middle by him, crashing to both sides.

  Rumble!

  The sky, and another thunderclap rang out.

  Xiao Hui jumped to one side and silently stared at him.

  The demon knelt on one leg in the muddy ground soaked with rainwater, its right hand tightly grasping the soul-eating sword, its whole body trembling, a fierce light flashing in its eyes, but its face was full of painful expression.

  Who knows his fallen pain...

  A tranquil and positive energy rose quietly within his body.

  On the rain-soaked clothes, on the right arm, a circular faint light suddenly lit up again. This pure and positive energy was extremely strong, coming from the "Xuanhuo Mirror" tied to his right arm, entering his body, and gradually suppressing the evil energy of the Blood Devouring Bead.

  After a long time, the red glow in his eyes gradually disappeared, and his face also became calm. On the contrary, the aura of the law treasures released by Xi Hun and Xuan Huo Jian scattered and gradually weakened until they were no longer visible.

  He slowly got up, looking tired. For the past decade, he had been studying the Demon Dao Tian Shu day and night, and the Blood Devouring Bead's innate evil energy had also been seeping into him day and night. He didn't know how many times he had almost lost control to the Blood Devouring Bead's demonic energy, but fortunately, his body still had the Taiji Xuanqing Dao and the Mahavairocana Sutra, both of which were orthodox and supreme cultivation methods that allowed him to barely hold on.

  But most crucially, every time he was on the verge of losing his mind and scattering his spirit, another mysterious treasure on his body, the Xuanhuo Mirror, would emit a magical and pure Yang energy, pulling him back from the brink of completely falling into the demonic path of slaughter.

  He himself didn't know how much longer he could withstand the Blood Devouring Bead's natural demonic aura, and for him, every time he thought of past events, thought of Bi Yao, that kind of torment was truly unbearable. If it weren't for his exceptionally stubborn nature, he probably would have gone mad long ago.

  But these things, even the most cunning and astute individuals did not notice, were completely unaware that their most capable subordinate was on the verge of madness day and night.

  He slowly stood up, opened his mouth, and only then realized that his voice had become hoarse: "Little Gray, let's go!"

  The little grey eyes blinked and jumped back obediently, jumping onto his shoulders two or three times.

  The demon gently stroked Xiao Hui's fur, his lips moved, but in the end he didn't say anything. He took a deep breath and stepped forward, walking towards the depths of the forest ahead.

  In the death swamp shrouded in rain, except for the sound of wind and rain, it seems that nothing can be heard between heaven and earth. The ancient and dense forest is silent, with rain hitting the branches and leaves, and water droplets falling down.

  The horizon, another thunderclap!

  It has been raining for half an hour, and it still doesn't seem to be stopping.

  Lin Jingyu wiped his face with a brush of water, wiping away the raindrops on his face, but in an instant, another wave of rain came pouring down. He gave a faint bitter smile and abandoned his efforts.

  He stood alone in the ancient forest, with only his own shadow surrounding him. Being alone in this desolate and unfamiliar place, he really felt a kind of inexplicable fear.

  Originally, the outstanding young masters of Qingyunmen and Zhengdaotianyinsi, as well as those from Fengxiagu, were all entering Neizeli together. However, when they crossed that wall of miasma, something unexpected happened - a strange storm eye suddenly appeared in the middle, causing everyone to be blown off their feet and become disorganized. Before they could even stabilize themselves, an enormous monster suddenly emerged from within the miasma and passed through their midst.

  Due to the miasma blocking their view, no one could see the monster's appearance clearly, and the monster seemed to be just passing by, without making any moves to harm them. However, its body was too enormous, and although everyone had a high level of cultivation, they were all frightened and scattered in the emergency, and since they were also in the midst of the miasma storm, they ended up getting separated like this.

  Lin Jingyu flew all the way, relying on the "Dragon-Slaying Sword" to protect himself, and rushed out of the miasma, also arriving in this ancient Neize Forest. And the position he rushed out of was actually only a short distance from where Gui Li was, just tens of miles away.

  These two childhood friends, who were once as close as brothers, are now completely unaware of the situation. But even if they knew, what they would face might be an even more painful scene.

  Lin Jingyu was unaware of all this, he raised his head to look at the sky, only to see that the dark clouds were still thick, it seemed that this rain would continue for another half day, and he couldn't help but mutter a few curses under his breath, hesitated for a moment, and finally continued walking forward.

  Winding through the forest, there was actually no road to speak of, except for the tall trees, the space between them was also filled with dense and lush thorny shrubs, all sorts of strange flowers and grasses, exotic beasts and poisonous insects that had never appeared in the world outside the dead marsh, would suddenly appear before Lin Jingyu's eyes.

  It wasn't long before Lin Xingyu had already encountered several dangers, and if it weren't for his cleverness and vigilance, he would have suffered greatly in these past ten or so years of cultivating the Dao.

  "With a 'whoosh' sound, the Dragon Slayer sword sliced through a green light, cutting a venomous snake that had pounced from a nearby branch into two segments. At the same time, Lin Xingyu could no longer bear it and immediately sprang into the air, using the power of his magic treasure to rise into the sky."

  He was in mid-air, and only then did he slightly relax, while also secretly being shocked. In the inner swamp, it was truly a case of "one step, three surprises", with the number of dangerous places far exceeding that of the outer swamp. He really didn't know where so many kinds of poisonous insects had come from.

  He glanced down at the ground, and the remains of the red viper were still writhing in agony on the ground, seemingly not yet dead. Apart from this viper, he had also encountered attacks by a poisonous scorpion, a gecko, and a mutated lizard just now, truly a crisis-ridden situation.

  Lin Jingyu had originally thought that it was unnecessary to waste his energy, and he could just walk on the ground for a while, but now he didn't dare to land easily no matter what. He looked around in mid-air, and suddenly his body shook violently.

  All that could be seen was the depths of the forest in front, behind the veil of rain, a golden light suddenly flashed by, mixed with the sound of wind and rain, and there were faint voices shouting.

  Lin Jingyu's heart was filled with joy, and he didn't hesitate any longer. He hastily urged on his magic treasure and flew towards the place where the golden light was flashing.

  He flew through the air with his magical treasure, and in an instant he arrived at a nearby place. When he looked carefully, he was shocked to see that in the middle of the forest, there was a large empty space, and in the center of it, there was a pond with a rare and extraordinary flower blooming on its surface.

  This flower is extremely large, with a diameter of several meters, and if it weren't for seeing it with my own eyes, it would be hard to believe that such an extraordinary species exists in this world.

  Looking down from mid-air, the lower part of the flower is green, while the upper part is divided into countless branches, showing a bright red color. The middle part clearly distinguishes between red and green, with an obvious dividing line in between. At the end of those red branches on top, there are small balls that shine like dew drops, glistening with water droplets, but it's unclear whether they're wet from rain or naturally so.

  In this stormy weather, the strange flower sways gently in the wind, and a faint sweet fragrance is spreading in the air.

  Lin Jingyu was shocked and then his attention was drawn to the two people and a beast next to the strange flower. At a glance, he suddenly had a pleased expression, and saw that the two people standing in the field were Zeng Shushu from Fenghui Peak and Fa Xiang from Tianyin Temple.

  In this strange land, Lin Xingyu was overjoyed to meet a familiar face and couldn't help but call out.

  The two people in the field suddenly heard a shout, and they were shocked. They turned their heads to look, and saw that Lin Jingyu had rushed down, and they were all overjoyed. But after a moment, Zeng Shu pointed at Lin Jingyu to look forward, and Lin Jingyu calmed his mind, but was immediately frightened again by the strange creature in front of him.

  Originally, the monster that was confronting Fa Xiang and Zeng Shu was also extremely strange. However, since Lin Jingyu was first stunned by the giant, strange flower in front of them, and they were too excited to notice the monster in front of them at the time. Now looking at it, it appears to be a duck-like creature, about one zhang tall, with a cyan body, light red eyes, a red tail, sharp teeth in its mouth, and two wings on its back, resembling a fierce bird species.

  At this moment, only the monster's low roar was heard, its wings shook, and suddenly a strong gust of wind mixed with rain poured over.

  Lin Jingyu landed beside Zeng Shu and Fa Xiang, the three of them now leaning against the strange flower. Lin's brow furrowed as he took a step back.

  Just then, Fa Xiang's face suddenly changed color, and he hastily stretched out his hand to pull Lin Jingyu back, saying in a low voice: "Absolutely do not approach that flower!"

  Lin Jingyu was taken aback, stopping in his tracks. However, after exchanging a glance with Fa Xiang, the smile that had been plastered on his face suddenly turned cold, and he lightly pushed Fa Xiang's hand away.

  Fǎ xiàng éyì zhī yí zhe, tàn xī yī shēng, bǎ shǒu suō le huí qù, zhī dào lín jīng yǔ bì jìng xīn li zhòng dé dàng nián cǎo miào cūn de nà yī chǎng cǎn jù, wù zì fàng bù xià.

  At this moment, Zeng Shu suddenly raised his voice and shouted: "Be careful!"

  The two were shocked and looked forward, and indeed that strange creature flapped its wings, jumped into the air, and rushed over.

  Zeng Shu hastily said: "Fashi brother, we will proceed according to plan."

  Lin Jingyu was about to intervene, but upon hearing this, he couldn't help but pause for a moment and stop in his tracks.

  Only to see the monster's momentum was fierce and rapid, in the blink of an eye it had arrived right in front of them. Fa Xiang and Zeng Shu Shu simultaneously let out a low shout, separating and scattering to both sides. The monster's appearance was ferocious, but its head seemed not too bright, for a moment it pounced on the original spot, still stunned, seemingly unable to think clearly which enemy to chase. But in this brief moment, Fa Xiang's "Wheel of Reincarnation" and Zeng Shu Shu's "Xuan Yuan Sword", simultaneously struck at it from the side.

  That monster was not afraid at all, opening its mouth to let out a loud roar. With two "bangs", the two treasures hit the monster's body and sent it flying backward. However, looking at the monster in mid-air, it seemed to be completely unscathed, its teeth and claws still sharp. This level of endurance even made Lin Jingyu change color with surprise. If he were the one who had been hit by Zeng ShuShu and Fa Xiang's full-strength attack, he might not have been able to withstand it.

  As the monster shook its wings, it was about to make a fierce counterattack once it stabilized its body. Lin Jingyu concentrated and prepared for battle, but at this moment, he suddenly trembled all over, slightly opened his mouth, and couldn't speak.

  The monster flew backwards, and behind it was nothing but that huge strange flower. The monster's body flew about, colliding with the red crystal branches above the flower one by one. Suddenly, the monster let out a roar, but its voice was already filled with terror.

  In an instant, the strange flower underwent an incredible transformation. All the flowers suddenly came to life and swarmed towards the monster from all directions. The red crystal balls on the branches of the flower seemed to have a strong adhesive force, sticking the monster in place. Despite its struggles, it could not break free. In no time, more and more petals layered around it, eventually wrapping the over 10-foot-tall monster completely. Even the monster's roar gradually subsided.

  Fazheng and Zeng Shu, who had set this trap, were now witnessing the strange flower's terrifying appearance, and they couldn't help but change color in their faces, just like Lin Jingyu.

  After a long time, the strange flower finally wrapped up the monster completely, and no shadow of the monster could be seen anymore. The scene suddenly returned to calmness, with only the sound of wind and rain left in the sky.

  Three people looked at each other in dismay, Fa Xiang sighed and stood up with a single palm, softly reciting Buddha's name.

  "Shén Mó Zhì Yì. Bǎi Cǎo Piān" - Savage Flower: A barbaric and strange species, the flower blooms over a zhang high, with red on top and white below, having a red bead at its tip that sticks to living things and swallows them whole.

  Note: In "Modern Carnivorous Plant Encyclopedia", this plant is suspected to be a member of the genus Utricularia, which has a distribution in South America and Asia (North America has not been clearly queried, but it seems to have a distribution as well?). The body shape is not large, carnivorous, and poses no great harm to humans. Its appearance is similar to that described in ancient books, possibly aquatic Utricularia or possibly moss.

  Note 2: This object is from "Shan Hai Jing. Shan Jing Volume 5. Zhongshan Jing. Qingyao Mountain".