Crisis in the Swamp

Such behavior was nothing short of a robbery; he had absolutely no intention of leaving anything behind for the cultivators who would come after him.

Gu Changyuan had always adhered to this principle in life. Whether in the Nine Heavens Realm or the Ruins of Disorder, it had always been the same—he never held back out of politeness.

Although the resources in these secret realms could hardly be considered top-tier compared to the ancient immortal materials and chaotic spiritual items in his own personal space.

But who would ever complain about having too many resources?

Besides, these were still resources from an Immortal Emperor's secret realm; their quality was much better than the items found in the outside world.

Furthermore, he planned to bring more factions into his own system in the future, and the cultivation resources he would need to distribute would only increase.

Stockpiling more now meant worrying less later.

There would always come a time when they would be needed.

As he walked, a tiny figure appeared in Gu Changyuan's line of sight.

The little creature was quite small, covered entirely in silver-gray fuzz. Its four legs were still unsteady, causing it to bob up and down as it ran.

It scurried around the forest, at one moment chasing a butterfly and veering off course.

The next moment, it tripped over a tree root, tumbled twice, and then scrambled back up to continue running.

Then.

Bang.

The little creature slammed headfirst into a large tree.

It froze for a moment, shook its head, took two steps back, and then—bang, it crashed into it again.

His hands were just feeling a bit idle anyway.

Gu Changyuan reached out with his right hand and, across the distance, directly grabbed the little wolf pup into his grasp.

Suddenly lifted by an invisible force, the little creature kicked its four limbs wildly in the air, only to realize it was no longer on the forest floor.

It raised its head and looked at the strange being that had suddenly appeared before it.

A face wearing a white mask, with a pair of eyes hidden behind it, was studying it with great interest.

The wolf pup instantly bristled, letting out sharp yelps as its four legs flailed desperately in the air.

Gu Changyuan held its body with one hand, raised the other, and tapped his fingertip against the center of its brow.

A wisp of spiritual energy gathered at his fingertip, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible oppressive aura.

A warning of death instantly exploded from the depths of the little creature's soul.

It was an instinctual fear—this being in front of it could crush it to death with effortless ease.

The wolf pup's yelps came to an abrupt halt.

Its entire body stiffened, its limbs drooping, not daring to make another move.

Looking at its cowardly appearance, Gu Changyuan smiled in satisfaction.

He flipped the wolf pup over and cradled it in his arms, supporting its body with one hand while gently stroking the fur on its back with the other.

Relax,

Gu Changyuan glanced down at it, his tone casual.

I will let you go once we are out of this forest.

The wolf pup shrank into his embrace, completely motionless.

But after a while, realizing that this terrifying creature truly seemed to have no intention of harming it, its body slowly began to relax.

Gu Changyuan, meanwhile, continued to circulate his divine sense, scanning his surroundings. With sharp eyes, he carefully searched for hidden, special locations within the secret realm.

...

Jun Mukong gripped his sword in his right hand and swung it down for the final strike against the last Gray-Scale Crocodile in front of him.

A flash of sword light swept past, and the massive crocodile's head fell in response. Blood spurted out, splashing onto the murky water and sending out ripples of dark red.

All around lay the scattered corpses of over a dozen Gray-Scale Crocodiles. They were all about ten feet in size, their bodies covered in grayish-black scales that looked like a heavy layer of stone armor.

Their long snouts were filled with razor-sharp teeth, and even in death, their cold, slitted pupils remained wide open.

Upon discovering that their group had been teleported to this swampland, Jun Mukong constantly used the spatial perception of his Void Dao Body to monitor every inch of the surrounding space.

He had read related records in the Holy Land's ancient texts; swamps in such secret realms were prone to hiding bottomless sinkholes.

These sinkholes were concealed by thick swamp grass and muddy water, making them impossible to distinguish with the naked eye.

If one accidentally fell in, the space within the sinkhole would warp, making it not only difficult to escape but also exposing the victim to the corrosive miasma of the swamp. Those with low cultivation bases could be instantly swallowed up, leaving no bones behind.

Therefore, Jun Mukong walked with extreme caution. Every step he took landed on solid ground confirmed by his spatial perception.

At the same time, he used his spiritual energy to lay down an invisible bridge along the group's path, ensuring that the disciples behind him would not step into empty air.

However, because the swamp was rich in spiritual energy and the environment was moist, spiritual plants flourished here. Swamp spiritual plants capable of aiding cultivation could be seen everywhere.

The surrounding disciples carefully harvested the spiritual plants within the safe zones confirmed by Jun Mukong. Their movements were swift and precise, not daring to be the slightest bit careless.

During the harvesting process, they encountered a pack of Gray-Scale Crocodiles.

These crocodiles usually lurked beneath the muddy water, blending in with the swamp and making them very difficult to spot.

When the disciples approached a seemingly ordinary mud pit, over a dozen Gray-Scale Crocodiles suddenly lunged out of the muck, opening their bloody maws and pouncing toward the nearest disciple.

Jun Mukong reacted instantly.

He took the lead in killing the ambushing crocodiles, and then, together with the disciples, cleared out the rest.

Once they finished cleaning up, Jun Mukong led the group forward to continue their exploration.

The mist in the swamp had grown thicker than when they first entered.

The air was thick with a damp, rotting scent. Occasionally, bubbles would rise from the muddy water with a gurgling sound, adding an eerie atmosphere to the silent swamp.

Jun Mukong walked at the very front, his spatial perception fully active, not missing a single trace of anomaly in his surroundings.

After about half an hour—

His footsteps suddenly paused.

A figure was rapidly dashing toward the group.

It was not the sound of footsteps, nor the sound of splashing water, but an extremely faint noise of an object sliding at high speed through the mud.

Just as Jun Mukong was about to call out a warning—

A thick, sturdy tail suddenly lashed out from a dense patch of swamp grass.

The tail moved with blinding speed, like a bolt of black lightning, and instantly wrapped around a female disciple's ankle. The scales on the tail stood on end, digging tightly into her flesh. The immense force was so sudden that she did not even have time to let out a cry of alarm.

Failing to react in time, the female disciple felt a massive pulling force from her foot. She instantly lost her balance, fell backward, and was rapidly dragged away into the depths of the swamp by the tail.

The surrounding disciples only saw the female disciple get snatched away with a swish, her falling body splashing up a large burst of muddy water.

Swish—

In just a single breath's time, her figure had completely vanished into the thick mist.