Chapter 204: Meeting Lingxiang in the Wuyang Forest

Lingxiang, if she is not you, then where on earth are you right now...

Zhao Wuyang had been searching for quite some time in this stretch of marshland. He was truly at a loss; all around him, there was nothing but swamps and water mist. As he walked, Zhao Wuyang had to be extremely cautious, for one moment of inattention would lead to a misstep.

But in this desolate place, when would he ever reach the end?

In truth, when Zhao Wuyang had first woken up, he was on a piece of high ground, but he could not see Long Qi and the others anywhere nearby, so he set out to find them himself, yet somehow he had wandered into a swamp and was now lost within it.

This was just great; all around him was an endless expanse of water and marsh, with no way back to where he came from and no clear path forward.

Though it looked like a marsh, he had not seen a single living thing, which was truly terrifying. It was strangely quiet all around; apart from the sound of Zhao Wuyang's own footsteps, it was hard to hear anything else. Occasionally, a bubble would rise from the water, startling him so much that his hair stood on end.

The "Records of Strange Tales of Mountains and Seas" that Lingxiang had given him mentioned some things about Yunmeng Marsh, roughly saying that it was fraught with danger and filled with strange beasts and rare monsters. Now that he had no weapon at his side, if he were to run into some kind of monster, he would truly have no choice but to flee in every direction.

Just as Zhao Wuyang was trembling while probing the ground beneath his feet, he suddenly saw the water mist ahead seem to thin out significantly, though it was filled with heavy black shadows that looked quite sinister.

After hesitating for a long time, Zhao Wuyang finally decided to go forward and investigate; fortunately, what lay ahead was merely a forest, which made him let out a long sigh of relief.

Finally, no more water everywhere!

However, even so, Zhao Wuyang dared not let his guard down; after all, this was Yunmeng Daze, and who was to say this forest wouldn't be even more dangerous than the swamp?

Zhao Wuyang could not practice the Cloud Treading Step, but he did know a little bit of light-body technique. He tapped his feet against the water and reached the shore in a few bounds. Once he stood steady, he hurried to find a tree to sit down by, calming the fear in his heart.

The forest before him looked quite ancient, with towering trees; many of them had gnarled roots and thick trunks that one could not wrap their arms around, which was somewhat similar to the Mountain and River Map, and one could tell at a glance that they had been there for many years.

There seemed to be a breeze in the forest, and as Zhao Wuyang sat, he could hear it rustling through the leaves. He rested for a moment before getting up and walking inside, thinking that perhaps he might run into Long Qi and the others here.

Although it was somewhat dark and gloomy when he first entered the woods, as he walked, light began to shine in, casting dappled patterns beneath the trees, and he could even hear the occasional bird call; it actually had the appearance of a fairyland, no longer like the marshland from before, where everything was silent as if he had entered a ghost land.

This scene caused Zhao Wuyang to relax, and he even felt the urge to enjoy the scenery, casting the matter of finding Long Qi and the others to the back of his mind.

But just as Zhao Wuyang was looking around contentedly, suddenly, blades of water flew in from afar. Although they lacked a fierce momentum, the water arrows all froze upon hitting the trees, and some even grew ice spikes, with waves of cold air clearly visible.

Zhao Wuyang became alert instantly, and just as a water blade flew toward his face, he rolled over and hid behind an ancient tree. He could not help but frown, starting to blame himself for his negligence.

This was Yunmeng Marsh, after all; peace was merely a facade, how could it be so safe?

However, although this Witchcraft looked terrifying, it carried not a shred of killing intent; it seemed only meant to warn the intruder. If it truly wanted to take a life, those trees would have long since been snapped in half.

In a flash, Zhao Wuyang understood, and he immediately said in a loud voice, "I do not know which immortal master is ahead. This junior has become separated from his friends and is only passing through this place to look for them. I have no ill intent whatsoever. If I have disturbed the immortal's cultivation, this junior will simply take a detour."

Once he finished speaking, Zhao Wuyang waited for a long time, but no one responded. He pondered for a moment before speaking again, "Since the immortal master does not answer me, I shall take it that the immortal master has heard me. I only ask for the immortal master's instruction: may this junior pass through this way?"

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