Chapter 137: The Swarm Beast Uprising
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“The Pure World Green Lotus has appeared!”
Everyone turned their gaze toward the marsh, and sure enough, a blue lotus swayed gently in the wind. Through the gaps in its petals, the plump and round lotus seeds in its pod were faintly visible. Just as the crowd was brimming with excitement over the emergence of this rare treasure, the ground suddenly quaked violently. From all directions came the cries of birds, the roars of unknown demonic beasts, and the eerie hum of insects.
Before anyone could react, a rustling noise rose from beneath their feet. Countless poisonous insects, each uniquely grotesque, crawled out of the soil and surged toward the heart of the marsh like a tidal wave.
Buzz-buzz—
Looking up, they saw giant bees larger than human heads and carnivorous birds, their massive swarms darkening the skies. Within moments, the marsh seemed to transform into a sanctuary for venomous creatures and savage beasts.
“Ah!”
A cultivator, stunned and too slow to dodge, was bitten on the face by a poison beast. His flesh immediately began to decay, filling the air with a thick, nauseating stench. The pungent odor of blood quickly drew more creatures toward him.
“No! Get away! Get away!”
He conjured a protective spiritual energy shield, desperately trying to fend off the onslaught. However, under the relentless barrage of attacks, his shield shattered in less than a second. In the blink of an eye, he was overwhelmed by the swarm, his screams abruptly silenced.
“Run! Get out of here!”
Panic spread as others screamed and fled, their fear overriding reason. Yet, before they could get far, waves of poisonous insects descended upon them, leaving only lifeless skeletons behind.
“Stand behind me.”
Yu Zhao’s expression was grave as she formed hand seals and quickly set up multiple illusion arrays in front of her. These arrays served to conceal their presence, mask their aura, and distort the senses of their pursuers. Ji Han Zhou, showing perfect coordination, urged Mo Ci and the others to stay close behind Yu Zhao, cautioning them not to stray too far.
Although unfamiliar with Yu Zhao’s capabilities, Mo Ci and her companions followed her instructions without hesitation, trusting her implicitly. What they witnessed next was astonishing.
The swarms of snakes, insects, and beasts seemed to encounter an invisible barrier. They instinctively bypassed Yu Zhao’s group, unaware of their existence.
Mo Ci and her group exchanged incredulous glances, struggling to process what they were seeing.
Ji Han Zhou, observing their reactions, felt a tinge of pride.
They don’t know the half of it. He and Senior Sister Yu Zhao made the best team under heaven.
As this thought crossed his mind, the youngest female cultivator from the Hundred Flowers Valley let out a soft cry and clung to Yu Zhao’s sleeve with her tiny hands.
“Sister Yu, you’re amazing! With you here, I feel like I’m not scared at all.”
“Me too, Sister Yu!” another chimed in.
“And me as well!” a third joined enthusiastically.
Ji Han Zhou’s face darkened with jealousy.
Unacceptable! They’re taking it too far!
While Yu Zhao performed her illusion techniques, others displayed their own talents. Yao Wu Ji summoned a massive giant red spider and sat cross-legged on its back. She directed the spider to spit out sticky, translucent webs—definitely not saliva—at Fang Cheng Lang and Cui Jue. The webbing, odorless and harmless to humans, repelled poisonous insects and caused them to veer away.
With a smug expression, Yao Wu Ji declared to Fang Cheng Lang, “Once again, I’ve saved your lives.”
She seemed to find these two amusing and was in no hurry to let them die.
Understanding her peculiar humor, Fang Cheng Lang remained silent, his gaze piercing through the chaos to land on Yu Zhao. He saw her guarding a group of unfamiliar cultivators, her familiar face now carrying an unfamiliar resoluteness that left him dazed.
So, Little Six has grown into someone who can shield others from the storm.
Regret flickered in his eyes.
What’s lost… will always remain lost.
“Who are you staring at? Your little lover?”
Fang Cheng Lang had been lost in thought for far too long, enough for Yao Wu Ji to notice something unusual.
Following his gaze, Yao Wu Ji’s sharp eyes immediately pinpointed the person who had captured his attention. Her lips curled into a smile that carried an inscrutable meaning. “Interesting.”
Startled back to reality, Fang Cheng Lang wanted to say something but swallowed his words. He feared arousing Yao Wu Ji’s suspicions and dragging Yu Zhao into unnecessary trouble. Suppressing his unease, he dared not glance her way again.
At this moment, only a few dozen cultivators still struggled to hold their ground, while the rest had perished during the earlier battle or under the relentless attacks of the demonic beasts. These beasts, lured by the presence of the Pure World Green Lotus, were now launching a frenzied assault on the marsh.
The marsh, impartial to all creatures, was merciless. Any beast venturing into its territory was either poisoned by the miasma or devoured by the swamp itself. Yet, like fearless warriors, the beasts pressed forward relentlessly.
One by one, countless beasts surged toward the marsh, their numbers overwhelming. The swamp devoured them slower than they could arrive. Eventually, corpses began to pile up across the swamp, forming floating masses resembling driftwood scattered across the murky waters.
The sight sparked thoughts in the remaining cultivators. Was this not the perfect opportunity to harvest the Pure World Green Lotus? If they could return before the swamp claimed the corpses, they might safely traverse the marsh.
It might be their only chance.
“Let’s do it!”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
A dozen figures broke free from the beasts’ encirclement, rushing toward the swamp at lightning speed.
As the first cultivator stepped onto the floating corpses and successfully entered the marsh, the crowd erupted with excitement.
“It’s possible! What are we waiting for?”
More figures darted forward.
Yu Zhao’s eyes flashed with temptation. However, considering the unpredictable dangers of the marsh and the companions she had to look after, she suppressed her desire. Deep down, she suspected the Pure World Green Lotus would not be so easy to claim.
“Hahaha! The Pure World Green Lotus is mine!”
Among those racing toward the lotus, one figure moved with unparalleled speed. By the time others merely entered the marsh, he was already nearing the lotus at its center. His eyes burned with fervor as he reached out to seize the flower’s stem without hesitation.
The other cultivators held their breath, each showing a mix of awe, envy, and hesitation.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the stem, a beast’s head, coated in black mud and nearly indistinguishable from the swamp, shot up suddenly. With terrifying precision, it bit through his waist.
The cultivator didn’t even have time to scream. His body was severed, and he was swallowed whole within moments. The crunch of bones and grinding of teeth echoed chillingly in the ears of every onlooker.
All stared in stunned silence at the monstrous, unknown beast capable of surviving in this lethal marsh. Their shock was palpable.
“Aaaaah!”
The sudden, agonized scream snapped everyone back to attention. Turning to look, they saw other cultivators paralyzed by fear of the beast. Their hesitation had cost them precious seconds, and the marsh had begun to reclaim the floating corpses.
Forced to linger too long, they found themselves blocked by others attempting to retreat. Desperate, they leaped into the air but were struck down by the pervasive miasma. One by one, they fell, sinking into the swamp’s depths, becoming yet more sustenance for the marsh.
Me when the rot consumes.