【Age 16: The fog was too thick, growing even thicker, disorienting everyone.
Unconsciously, you seemed to drift with the current. You wanted to object, but Suiniang firmly insisted this was the way out, so you kept silent.
Something unseen in the water tripped you, nearly causing both you and the Old Tortoise to stumble and fall into the water.
Occasionally, you brushed against fallen reeds, as if some creature had trampled over them.
Bandits in this marsh must be relying on boats to move around.
You intended to play the bandit and seize a boat, but no one was in sight, so you gave up.
A faint but ominous premonition crept over you—had you led everyone astray again? Who, in such dense fog, could possibly see clearly enough to navigate?
Suddenly, Suiniang let out a painful wail, clutching her eyes in unbearable agony. Only when she lowered her hands did you realize her eyes were clouded with a misty white film, blood tears streaming down.
Who—who was attacking her?
How on earth was it done?
You raised your guard, flanking Suiniang and Chengxin Shitai protectively.
The fog was too thick, growing ever thicker, making it impossible to find direction.】
***
It was a shimmering surface, rippling like a lake.
Suiniang sensed Him lying at the bottom, resting peacefully.
Something exploded inside her mind—perhaps fireworks, perhaps firecrackers. Her thoughts snapped; only the motions of the ritual dance remained.
Arms crossed, body crouched like an animal, dancing wildly and frantically.
Water swirled chaotically in her mind, as if alive, churning inside her head. The gurgling sounds almost made her feel like a fish blowing bubbles.
Suiniang’s whole spirit withered rapidly, flesh peeling away, strips of skin shedding along the veins on her arms, revealing pitch-black innards.
Chengxin Shitai’s face was calm as she murmured the Heart Sutra, twisting open a pill bottle from her sleeve and pouring pale Wanshou Dan into Suiniang’s mouth, twisted open in pain.
The Scripture Creatures in her mouth stirred and wriggled, emerging from the nun’s lips lively and playful like children.
They kicked and danced in midair.
Chengxin Shitai’s lips trembled as she silently chanted, eyes hazy but voice steady: “We’ve been affected by a wraith’s influence. Run quickly.”
She struggled to clear her thoughts. They had taken a wrong path—they had ended up in the center of the Misty Soul Forest’s marsh.
The wraith’s aura seemed to flow downstream, influencing them. Suiniang had unconsciously followed the call of that aura.
***
Wang Yu gripped the Jingchun Sword’s hilt, face grave. Shitai held Suiniang, continuously chanting scripture, completely deaf to Wang Yu’s calls.
At some point, his prayer beads had been torn apart and dropped into the water.
He gently set down the Old Tortoise, whose eyes were half-closed as if still drowsy.
Wang Yu instinctively tore off a piece of his sleeve, soaked it in water, and covered his mouth and nose. Instantly, his mind cleared.
He seemed to understand why they had started babbling nonsense.
It was because the fog still contained hallucinogenic substances; Shitai had already begun to lose clarity.
The youth thought quickly, tearing off several pieces of cloth to cover the mouths and noses of Shitai, Suiniang, and the Old Tortoise.
Taking a deep breath, his eyes sharpened. Raising the Jingchun Sword, a silver ring of light rippled fiercely, slicing through the fog like an enemy, dispersing it instantaneously.
Centered on him, waves surged in all directions, leaving a clear circular area dozens of meters wide.
“Cough, cough, cough—” Suiniang was suddenly roused from choking on the water.
She struggled to open her eyes, vision blurred and disoriented, thoughts barely keeping pace.
She had never dared to approach this central area before.
Her master had warned that they must never provoke the Great Wraith at the center. Obedient Suiniang had never dared to try.
Thus, she had no idea how agonizing it was to be near here.
Wait—how had they ended up here? When did they arrive?
Like cracking an egg on the bowl’s rim, all her thoughts poured out like yolk and whites mixing. Fingers clenched her chopsticks, stirring wildly.
Everything was muddled together—egg white with yolk, yolk with white—sticky liquid clinging to the chopsticks like reluctant chains.
No wonder none of the Divine Lord’s disciples approached the center. This place was unlike any other.
It was the only Forbidden Zone within the fog region where the Divine Disciples could move freely.
Newborn infants could not control their limbs here; their arms and legs were like oars on a boat, only able to slide in fixed directions.
Nothing could be seen clearly in the water.
Suiniang muttered anxiously as the Goddess Killer gripped her shoulder, trying to wake her while waves crashed over her face.
He was swimming, moving beneath the water.
“Move, go, quickly.”
Suiniang’s lips trembled as if suddenly linked to the lake’s monster; her vision was overwhelmed, and she could see nothing.
She groped for the Goddess Killer’s collar, letting out a furious roar: “Run—”
Beneath the dark lake surface, ripples stirred as if some terrible creature was stirring.
***
【Age 16: Suiniang twitched intermittently, and you struggled to restrain her. She wept and laughed, slipping into a state of delirium.
You were certain that, except for yourself, everyone else had been poisoned and had fallen into vivid hallucinations. This was clearly a toxic marsh, no wonder rumors of the Old Longwang had spread.
You secured the cloth over your face tightly, adjusted the posture to carry both of them, grabbed the Old Tortoise, and prepared to randomly pick a direction to leave.
There were no ghosts or gods in the world; when such stories appeared, it was always someone causing mischief.
You could imagine how the first rumor had started.
Someone wandered into the marsh and was confused by the hallucinatory substances in the fog, mistaking some animals for the dragon.
The legend said the dragon’s form combined features of various creatures.
Dragon antlers looked like deer antlers; the dragon’s body resembled a snake; dragon eyes resembled rabbit eyes; its mane was like tiger whiskers.
Thus, the shameless Snake of the Marsh might have been mistaken for the Longwang under the influence of hallucinations.
You swept through the reeds at the water’s edge with the Jingchun Sword, dragging the two and the tortoise, trying to climb ashore.
Behind you, waves surged fiercely, crashing against your back. You turned vigilantly, pupils contracting sharply.
From the center of the lake, a massive creature suddenly emerged, mist swirling like a rolling wave.
The marsh trembled. Amid the violent waves, a long, brownish-yellow, stripe-like shape lifted its head from beneath the water.
You caught a blinding flash of light; atop the swirling mist, something sparkled and refracted countless rays.
Your heart trembled.
Only one thought remained: Damn, you’ve fallen into hallucination too.】
***
Suiniang seemed to see the Divine Lord.
His body gleamed with a pearly luster; thin scales drifted like sheets. These human-skin scales had been cut and shaped perfectly, sticking together like paper sculptures on that immense body.
The Divine Lord swam, and the leather scales fluttered in the breeze.
It was a dragon made of human skin!
Yet Suiniang felt no fear, only a rising sense of closeness, yearning to approach.
The Divine Lord’s eyes were a pair of glazed crystal orbs.
Holy, pure, like two broken suns illuminating all.
She clasped her hands, tears streaming, kneeling in devout worship.
The left half of His body was ablaze, countless skins and flesh sacrificed to the Lord. Their skin was the Divine Lord’s skin; they were God’s believers and His garment.
Wangu Changchun Mingde Mengzhang Shenzhu.
Bestower of light to travelers lost in the fog, guiding the way forward; a benevolent immortal, eternal master.
The power of the divine was indescribable! Beyond words!
Pause.
As a believer, she must meet the Divine Lord!
Wang Yu struggled to hold back Suiniang, now crazed by hallucinations. She charged toward the marsh’s center, water nearly chest-high.
The old nun was stunned, then suddenly produced a small knife, cutting flesh repeatedly, trying to peel away newly grown skin.
The youth’s fists were no match for four hands; he couldn’t control the two who had lost their minds.
Waves pounded like ocean surf, all bodies tossed like untethered rafts.
Chaos everywhere—fallen reeds and towering water splashes.
The creature at the lake’s center was at its peak excitement, releasing a piercing scream that tore through the sky.
Countless waves rose with its frenzied body.
Wang Yu gritted his teeth, slashing at the two with his hands shaped like blades.
An ordinary person struck by a hand blade would lose consciousness; even madmen were no exception.
The two rolled their eyes and fainted into the marsh, blood flowing freely, dyeing the nearby waters red. Wang Yu dragged them to shore.
Turning, the young hero’s eyes locked on the Snake of the Marsh at the lake’s center—its body covered in shriveled, yellow-brown moss, utterly repulsive.
Such a fierce beast dwelling in the lake—no wonder it was mistaken for the Longwang.
The Longwang seemed to notice the small figures in the reeds. Its orange-yellow, filthy eyes narrowed to pinpricks, exuding pure savagery.
The fog seemed eternal, swirling around the Longwang’s enormous body, which suddenly halted.
Its coarse dragon head drooped.
Wang Yu bit his lip, his gaze sharpening like an arrow released from a bow, diving toward the beast.
Silver light rained down like a sudden storm!
The Longwang roared violently, the lake instantly churning into raging waves.
It was too large, too tall. Its massive body was broad and sturdy; the swaying leather scales formed an unmatched armor.
Jingchun Sword slashed at it, leaving only faint scratches.
Wang Yu panted heavily, feeling utterly powerless.
His strained nerves throbbed painfully as hallucinations wormed their way into his mind.
No matter what a huge creature did, it was a destruction and devastation to the small world around it.
The enormous tail chased Wang Yu, sending up towering waves.
Trees towering around the marsh snapped under the tail’s blows.
The thunderous crashes of falling trees mixed with waves’ roar, scattering gusts and startling countless birds.
The Longwang opened its massive mouth and bellowed furiously!
Wang Yu lost his balance midair, spinning. A flying splinter of wood struck him hard, sword flashes swirling.
He planted his left foot on the debris, flipped up, sword gleaming coldly as he aimed straight at the Longwang’s lower jaw.
The Longwang was extremely alert, swinging its head sharply; its thick, sturdy antlers thrust Wang Yu forcefully away.
Wang Yu coughed harshly, guts feeling twisted inside.
The young man was hurled into the marsh, splashing huge waves until colliding with a stubborn rock underwater, finally stopping.
“Wah—”
Wang Yu suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, mixed with bits of flesh.
Wind rose and clouds swirled as the Longwang gave a long, mournful howl.
Wang Yu furrowed his brow, sweat beading his forehead.
This snake was far too clever; once he approached its vital spots, the entire serpent would rapidly mobilize every part of its body.
To truly strike it, he would have to devise a trick to disrupt its rhythm.
A wave swept forward, and a black tortoise about one or two meters long fell before Wang Yu, splashing dirty water into his face.
Wang Yu froze.
In the chaos, he had actually left the Old Tortoise behind in the marsh.