Chapter 1330: Fulizhangze (Fuli Swamp)

“Senior Han, your insight is truly remarkable. However, this final step has trapped me for hundreds of years, and I don’t know if I’ll ever achieve my wish in this lifetime.” The Taoist let out a bitter laugh.

Han Li smiled faintly and said nothing more. He reached out to remove the red jade slip from the golden small sword and then immersed his divine sense into it, carefully examining its contents.

The other three waited obediently nearby.

After a short while, Han Li withdrew his divine sense from the jade slip and uttered a name: “Fuli Swamp!”

“What? How could it be that place?” The green-eyed man exclaimed in shock upon hearing the name. The Taoist and Dongguo Feng also paled visibly.

“What’s wrong with this place?” Han Li frowned slightly and asked slowly.

“More than just a problem! This is the area where spies from other races are most likely to appear. Every year, fellow cultivators perish there. It’s a first-class danger zone,” the green-eyed man said grimly, exhaling sharply.

“Are we the only team patrolling this area?” Han Li seemed surprised but quickly regained his composure and asked again.

“No, not at all. The Fuli Swamp is vast. Even if we flew nonstop, it would take half a month to circle it. Generally, four teams patrol the area separately,” the Taoist surnamed Ma explained this time.

“If it’s not just our team’s responsibility, then there’s no need to complain. We’ll just have to be extra cautious,” Han Li said indifferently, raising an eyebrow.

“Senior Han, you may not know this, but two years ago, Senior Xuanguang, the captain of the twelfth team, was ambushed by Shadow Clan members in Fuli Swamp and perished. Two other fellow cultivators also fell with him. And Senior Xuanguang was already a mid-stage Deity Transformation cultivator,” Dongguo Feng said, a trace of fear in his eyes.

“A mid-stage Deity Transformation cultivator! Such a thing happened?” Han Li finally showed a hint of surprise.

At that moment, footsteps echoed from both sides of the corridor as several people emerged.

Five men and one woman: two elderly men, a middle-aged couple, a boy who appeared to be fifteen or sixteen, and a burly man with a ruddy complexion.

These were evidently the other team members who had been meditating in their chambers. Somehow, they had all learned of the arrival of the golden sword message and came out to investigate.

Naturally, they were surprised to see Han Li, but after introductions from the green-eyed man, they quickly came forward to pay their respects.

Han Li returned their greetings with a warm demeanor.

However, after a discreet sweep with his divine sense, he took an extra glance at the boy who claimed the surname Ying.

Like the Taoist surnamed Ma and the green-eyed man, this boy was also at the peak of late-stage Nascent Soul cultivation.

The weakest among them, ironically, were the two elderly men who appeared transcendent and immortal-like.

Yet, when these newcomers learned their next patrol area was “Fuli Swamp,” their expressions also turned grim.

“Enough. We cannot change the orders from above. For the next few years, we’ll just have to be extra careful. We depart tomorrow. Everyone, make your preparations,” Han Li said without further ado. After giving his instructions, he walked into the corridor alone.

He found an unoccupied meditation chamber and did not emerge again.

Han Li’s indifferent attitude left the other cultivators exchanging bewildered glances.

Eventually, their gazes settled on the green-eyed man.

“Brother Zhuo, did you explain the dangers of Fuli Swamp to Senior Han?” the boy surnamed Ying asked.

“Of course I did. But Senior Han didn’t seem to take it seriously,” the green-eyed man sighed.

“Even if he did, what could we do? The orders come directly from the Elder Council. We can’t defy them,” the woman from the couple said helplessly.

“Defiance is out of the question. But at least Senior Han should be aware of the risks and act cautiously. If we encounter powerful members of other races, only a Qingming Guard could handle them alone,” the Taoist surnamed Ma stroked his beard, looking concerned.

“Let’s not worry too much! Although Fuli Swamp is dangerous, the Shadow Clan members were only discovered there last year. It’s unlikely we’ll run into other hidden races so soon. Fuli Swamp is a first-class danger zone, but the rewards for patrolling it are substantial, and we’ll have a long rest afterward. If we endure these few years, we probably won’t be assigned such a dangerous area again. Let’s prepare as Senior Han instructed,” the green-eyed man said after some thought.

Hearing this, the others had no better alternatives and reluctantly dispersed.

Meanwhile, Han Li sat cross-legged on a cushion in the chamber, his hands forming seals, his body faintly glowing with golden light as if in deep meditation. Yet, at the back of his head, faint golden halos flickered mysteriously.

A day passed in the blink of an eye.

When Han Li opened his eyes and emerged from the chamber, he found the green-eyed man and the others already waiting in the hall. They hurried forward to greet him.

Han Li waved them off and scanned the group, his gaze settling on a beautiful female cultivator.

She appeared very young, in her twenties, with skin as white as jade, almost translucent, and eyes that sparkled like stars.

At first glance, Han Li felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if he had seen her somewhere before.

A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

“Senior Han, this is Fairy Xu. By the way, Fairy Xu is also a direct descendant of an ascended cultivator,” the Taoist surnamed Ma introduced with a smile.

“A descendant of an ascended cultivator?” Han Li’s heart stirred, but outwardly he merely nodded calmly.

The female cultivator seemed reserved as well, offering only a brief greeting before falling silent.

“Everyone’s here. Let’s depart.”

Without hesitation, Han Li led the group out of the stone hall and headed toward a nearby teleportation hall.

This hall was guarded by another team of cultivators. Though a Golden Court Boat was parked there, it wasn’t needed for such a short-distance teleportation.

After presenting his identity token, Han Li and the others stepped onto the teleportation array in groups of three or four.

Amid flashes of white light, all eleven were transported out of Tianyuan City to an unfamiliar location.

As soon as Han Li and the green-eyed man shook off the slight dizziness from the teleportation, they scanned their surroundings, and Han Li’s brow furrowed slightly.

They stood in a small stone chamber with a one-way teleportation array beneath their feet. The walls were covered in glowing runes, clearly sealed with restrictions.

The Taoist surnamed Ma and the others who had teleported earlier were waiting nearby.

Han Li calmly stepped off the array and walked to the chamber’s door. He took out a green jade pendant and waved it at the door.

A beam of green light shot out, and the runes on the door shimmered before it slowly opened, revealing a passage about ten feet wide leading upward.

Without a word, Han Li transformed into a streak of light and shot out first.

The ten subordinates followed closely, each activating their own flight techniques.

Shortly after the last person left, the stone door closed again with a faint glow.

Han Li had already emerged from the passage and now hovered above a small hill, surveying the area.

They seemed to be in a desolate hilly region. Looking back, about a hundred miles away, towering city walls were faintly visible through a hazy white glow. The runes floating on the walls shimmered with astonishing spiritual light even at this distance.

Han Li studied the walls for a long time, his eyes flickering with thought.

As far as he knew, the massive walls of Tianyuan City facing the untamed wilderness had no gates. Both humans and demons had to rely on teleportation arrays within the city to enter or exit.

This, combined with the dense array of restrictions, ensured that Tianyuan City remained impervious to infiltration by other races.

However, Han Li’s patrol area lay in the opposite direction. He turned his gaze elsewhere.

In that direction, rolling green hills stretched as far as the eye could see, peaceful and serene, giving no hint that they were already in the legendary untamed ancient world.

According to the map, the so-called Fuli Swamp lay about ten thousand miles away. Due to its unique terrain, it could partially block divine sense scans, making it a favored hiding spot for spies monitoring Tianyuan City’s movements.

Tianyuan City had no choice but to regularly dispatch teams of cultivators to patrol the area. However, the spies sent to monitor the city were all highly skilled, especially in concealment techniques. Counterattacks often resulted in human casualties, making the swamp a perilous zone.

Thus, Fuli Swamp, along with a few other areas, was classified as a first-class danger zone—the last place any patrol team wanted to be assigned.

But now that Han Li’s team had been designated for this area, they would face immense risks in the coming years.

Han Li pondered silently before glancing back at his subordinates and uttering a single word: “Go.”

Over a dozen streaks of light shot into the sky, heading toward the horizon.

Ten thousand miles was nothing to cultivators at or above the Nascent Soul stage. Before long, Han Li spotted their destination in the distance—a rolling green line on the horizon.

As they drew closer, it became clear that the “green line” was actually a vast expanse of mist, within which mountains and trees were faintly visible.

Slowing his flight, Han Li flipped his hand, producing a specially crafted detection disk.

He tapped it lightly with a finger, and the disk glowed red. The other cultivators also took out identical disks and activated them.

These were called “Alien Detection Disks,” standard equipment issued by Tianyuan City to patrol guards. They could sense the presence of other races within a certain range.

However, the disks typically only detected general directions and weren’t always reliable against races with unique abilities.

Still, using them provided some measure of security.

Thus, Han Li and the others activated their disks, slowed their flight, and cautiously entered the mist.

Soon, they vanished without a trace.