Chapter 1331: Giant Beast, Strange Man

The Floating Mire Swamp was indeed far more treacherous than any other place!

For some unknown reason, as soon as they entered the swamp, Han Li and the others found their spiritual senses unable to extend beyond a hundred zhang. Moreover, the area was filled with dense mist and illusions, making it impossible to guard against all dangers.

The most troublesome of all were the strange insects called “Guai Worms” that lurked beneath the wet, muddy surface.

These creatures had segmented bodies resembling centipedes, covered in countless slender, razor-sharp mouths. They could spew a toxic mist capable of corroding magic treasures and devouring the protective spiritual light of cultivators.

If there were only one or two, the blue-eyed burly man and the other cultivators wouldn’t have paid them any mind. However, these creatures were a swarm species—when they emerged from the mud, dozens would attack at once, each about a zhang long and capable of low-altitude flight.

Naturally, every time they disturbed a swarm, the group would be thrown into chaos.

Of course, if they weren’t on patrol duty, they could have simply flown over the swamp at high altitude, rendering the Guai Worms irrelevant.

But the patrol team was tasked with investigating traces of the alien races, making it impossible to fly too high. They had to stay at low altitudes, which meant frequent encounters with the Guai Worms—unavoidable and unpredictable.

Once, they even provoked an enormous swarm, with three to four hundred Guai Worms surging out of the swamp at once.

If not for Han Li suddenly unleashing his Magnetic Divine Light, freezing the creatures mid-air before incinerating them with a burst of spiritual fire, the group would have suffered a major setback.

This single act of Han Li’s dispelled any lingering doubts among his subordinates about his abilities, earning him a newfound respect.

Of course, the Floating Mire Swamp held dangers beyond just the Guai Worms.

There was an ancient beast called the Silver-Headed Beast, which lurked in the dense forests of the swamp. It could ignore all attacks and split its body at will, making even Han Li find it difficult to deal with.

Fortunately, the beast was somewhat slow-moving and highly territorial—once they fled beyond its domain, it wouldn’t pursue them.

Thus, in terms of danger, it was still less fearsome than the Guai Worms.

Even so, within a short time of entering, Han Li and the others deeply understood why the Floating Mire Swamp was classified as a first-tier patrol zone.

The group had to remain on high alert at all times, or else they’d suffer minor setbacks.

Before they knew it, Han Li and his team had ventured deep into the swamp for over twenty days. Though they proceeded with caution, they still found no traces of the alien races.

This allowed Taoist Ma and the others to breathe a sigh of relief, and the tense atmosphere within the group gradually eased.

On this day, after flying for most of the day while holding the “Alien Detection Disk,” even as high-level cultivators, they couldn’t help but feel fatigued. After all, maintaining constant mental focus during patrols took a toll on their spirits.

Then, a clear-water pond about a hundred zhang wide appeared ahead. Beside it was a small patch of gravelly ground, lined with a row of unusually vibrant green bamboo. A cool breeze swept through, making the scene as picturesque as a painting.

Their spirits lifted at the sight.

The blue-eyed burly man exchanged glances with the others before approaching Han Li with a respectful bow. “Senior Han, this place seems suitable. Should we rest here for a while before continuing our patrol?”

“Mm, fine. But be cautious—check for any abnormalities first,” Han Li replied indifferently, showing no objection.

Throughout the journey, Han Li rarely gave orders and mostly accepted suggestions from the blue-eyed man and the others. This had gradually made the group more comfortable around him.

“Of course!” The blue-eyed man grinned and waved to the others.

Immediately, two elderly men and the married couple flew around the area, scanning with their Alien Detection Disks. When no reactions were detected, the group landed on the gravelly ground with relief.

They didn’t plan to stay long, so each quickly found a clean spot to sit cross-legged and recover their depleted mental energy.

As a Deity Transformation cultivator who had also practiced the Great Development Art, Han Li hadn’t found the patrol particularly taxing. Instead of sitting like the others, he leisurely walked to the pond’s edge and examined it.

The pond wasn’t deep, its clear water revealing the bottom at a glance.

Within it swam slender silver fish, each about the width of a finger, appearing completely harmless.

Seeing this, Han Li frowned and instinctively glanced around, his gaze sweeping over the dozen or so green bamboo nearby.

Apart from the faint rustling of the wind, the area was eerily silent.

The blue-eyed man and the other ten were either by the pond or beneath the bamboo, equally motionless.

Han Li’s eyes flickered, and after a brief pause, his pupils suddenly contracted before returning to normal.

He slowly turned, stepping as if to walk toward the bamboo.

But no one noticed that, in the instant he turned, ten faint red threads shot from his sleeves and vanished into the gravelly ground without a trace.

The entire process was silent and undetectable.

Han Li strolled leisurely to the bamboo and stopped before one stalk, staring at it with an indifferent gaze.

His behavior was peculiar enough to draw the attention of the seated Young Master Ying and Fairy Xu, who opened their eyes in surprise.

Ignoring their stares, Han Li’s eyes suddenly flashed coldly. With a flick of his mouth, a streak of golden light shot out, lightning-fast, and slashed through the bamboo.

A crisp *crack* sounded as the thick green bamboo split cleanly in half.

“Huh?” Young Master Ying exclaimed in surprise.

Fairy Xu’s beautiful eyes widened in shock.

But before they could process what had happened, an unbelievable scene unfolded, leaving them stunned.

From the severed bamboo, a foul-smelling, ink-green liquid gushed out, spraying several feet high.

At the same time, the ground trembled violently, and a pained roar echoed from beneath. The other bamboo stalks shuddered, transforming into thick, green tendrils that lashed at Han Li like octopus arms.

But with Han Li’s abilities, they had no chance of hitting him. With a mere flicker, he vanished from the spot, reappearing above the pond, his cold gaze fixed on the writhing mass of tendrils.

The blue-eyed man and the others, startled from their meditation, hastily took to the air. Some, in their haste, even summoned flying swords and sabers, slashing at the tendrils.

Seeing Han Li effortlessly sever one, they assumed the creatures weren’t much of a threat.

Yet to their shock, their weapons rebounded upon impact, producing metallic clangs as if striking solid metal.

Just as they were about to switch tactics, the gray-white gravelly ground by the pond darkened, twisting and warping into massive purple-black scales.

They had been resting on the back of a colossal ancient beast—a round, featureless creature with no visible mouth or nose, but with a dozen or so zhang-long tendrils sprouting from its back. The “bamboo” had been these very tendrils in disguise.

Somehow, this beast had concealed itself from their spiritual senses and even the Alien Detection Disk.

“Attack!” Han Li commanded coldly from above the pond.

The blue-eyed man and the others shuddered, quickly summoning other treasures. A barrage of multicolored lights surged toward the beast below.

The ancient beast showed no intention of fleeing. Instead, its tendrils writhed violently, forming a green barrier that deflected all incoming attacks with ease.

Young Master Ying snorted, rubbing his hands together before releasing a volley of red and yellow sparks. These transformed into fist-sized fireballs, raining down alongside Fairy Xu’s silver ice-lightning bolts.

The combined assault was deafening, engulfing the beast in a storm of thunder and flames.

The others smiled, thinking the battle was won.

Han Li, however, remained expressionless, merely observing.

A bone-chilling snort suddenly cut through the chaos.

A strange wind rose from below, swirling into a towering cyclone that swallowed the thunder and flames whole.

With a final roar, both wind and fire vanished, leaving the beast unharmed.

Young Master Ying and Fairy Xu paled, while the blue-eyed man and the others tensed.

Now, standing atop the beast was a bizarre figure—a green-skinned humanoid clad only in a beast-hide loincloth, bald and expressionless, its lower body fused with the creature as if they were one.

Its cold, emotionless eyes sent chills down their spines.