Back in that dim room, the shadowy figure was sitting at his desk. Standing beside him was a masked man carrying two blades on his back.
"Did you succeed?" the shadowy figure asked.
"Yes," Dual Wielder answered.
"Are you sure that Chu Liang is dead?"
"Of course."
"Then why did he appear on Heaven-Reaching Peak this morning?"
Dual Wielder was startled by the shadowy figure's question. "What?"
"That disciple of the Mount Shu Sect, Chu Liang—he returned to Mount Shu safe and sound. He'd even gathered materials for Core Formation, but he's totally unscathed." The shadowy figure's words carried an undertone of anger. "Who exactly did you kill?"
The shadowy figure held a managerial role in the organization and was responsible for liaising with these assassins. When Dual Wielder said he had killed Chu Liang, the shadowy figure had believed him and reported that to their boss.
However, this morning, their mole in the Mount Shu Sect had suddenly informed the shadowy figure that Chu Liang had reappeared on Heaven-Reaching Peak, seemingly unharmed. Chu Liang's limbs moved as nimbly as ever, and his face looked the same. He appeared to be healthy both in the mind and body. It seemed like he hadn't been attacked at all, let alone killed.
"How is that possible...?" Dual Wielder said doubtfully. "I used the assassination skill Shadow Slash and split him in half. He didn't even have the chance to retaliate... It can't be fake."
"Did you confirm the body?" the shadowy figure asked.
"I..." Dual Wielder began to reply. His voice faltered, and he paused for a moment. Then he said, "The Golden-Furred Hou rushed over very quickly; I didn't have time to check the body properly. But how could someone at the third realm be revived after being cut in half? Unless... the person I killed wasn't him...?"
"Regardless of the reason, he's still alive," the shadowy figure stated. "The problem is that I've already reported to the boss that you killed him. If any news about this Chu Liang gets out in the future, won't the boss think we lied? You know what he's like."
There was a flicker of fear in Dual Wielder's eyes.
He immediately said, "I'll go kill him again!"
"That's what I meant," the shadowy figure replied coldly. "The boss went to the Western Regions to deal with some business. You better resolve this issue before he returns. I'm definitely not taking the blame for this failure."
"Mm," Dual Wielder uttered in response.
The shadowy figure picked up a brush from the desk, dipped it in ink, and drew a bird on the white paper. Then he flicked he made a hand seal.
The paper suddenly burst into flames, and when the fire had consumed all of the paper, there was not a speck of ash remaining. In its place was a vivid and lifelike black crow. It circled in the air briefly before landing on Dual Wielder's shoulder.
"He should be heading to the Immortals' Marsh to find the Celestial Herb of Ascension right now. Just follow the crow for the exact location," the shadowy figure instructed.
This crow wasn't as powerful an ability as the Thousand-Li Locator; it could only allow him to speak remotely. However, he would use Heavenly Sight and Hearing to monitor the target's location and relay it to the operative through the crow.
"The Immortals' Marsh..." Dual Wielder muttered in a tone filled with malice. "If I don't kill him this time, you can have my head when I get back."
...
"It's huge."
As three disciples at the Spiritual Awareness Realm flew over the Immortals' Marsh, they couldn't help but marvel at how vast it was.
According to legend, the Immortals' Marsh had been a seemingly endless lake in ancient times. It had been so vast that it had numerous islands and had been known as the largest lake in the world.
However, over time, the world experienced many changes, and the lake was no exception. The water level of the lake gradually decreased, revealing landmasses in many parts of the lake. What had once been islands turned into mountain peaks.
At present, the Immortals' Marsh was a chain of hundreds of interconnected lakes of all sizes sprawled over an area spanning hundreds of li. If the Celestial Herb of Ascension were to appear here, it would be found growing along the shores of these lakes.
For cultivators seeking the Celestial Herb of Ascension, they had to walk carefully along the lakesides, searching through the places where the herb might be growing. They might overlook the herb if they just did a cursory scan with their divine sense from overhead. Moreover, they might attract the Ba in the lakes.
There was a special type of supernatural being known as jiangshi[1]. Ghosts were typically resentful spirits that had lost their physical bodies, but jiangshi were the opposite. They were physical bodies devoid of a soul, animated purely by their resentment-filled qi.
Among the jiangshi, the more mystical ones were called Ba. Generally, only the corpses of cultivators could become Ba. The spiritual energy the corpses contained made them very powerful jiangshi, so much so that they evolved into Ba.
The Ba in the Immortals' Marsh had at one point run rampant, leading to disastrous consequences. Even the weakest Iron Ba in the marsh possessed the power of a third-realm cultivator. After feeding on the blood and qi of living humans, the Ba could gradually evolve from the Iron tier to Copper, Silver, and Gold tiers.
The strongest Gold Ba had the strength of a sixth-realm cultivator, but Gold Ba were extremely rare. Therefore, the Mount Shu Sect usually only dispatched a fifth-realm disciple to protect the other disciples from the Ba in the marsh.
A tier above the Gold Ba was the Cataclysmic Ba, which had power equivalent to a seventh-realm Eminent One. There were a few kinds of Cataclysmic Ba: the Drought Ba, which would make a thousand li of lands barren; the Flood Ba, which would turn land into marshes wherever it went; and the Snow Ba, which would make the weather bitterly cold and icy for six months... These Cataclysmic Ba appeared once every one thousand years, but each time they emerged from the Immortals' Marsh, they would take a large number of lives, making them a huge problem.
It was even said that after a Cataclysmic Ba had taken enough lives, it could grow into an Immortal Ba or a Divine Ba, equivalent in power to an eighth-realm or ninth-realm cultivator respectively. However, such formidable Ba had never been recorded as having appeared in history; it was just a legend.
Over two hundred years ago, the Yu Dynasty experienced a terrible disaster that was brought on by a Cataclysmic Ba. Filled with sorrow, the Yu Dynasty made a firm decision to unite the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten to exterminate the increasingly rampant Ba in the Immortals' Marsh.
However, the first round of slaying produced a mediocre result. The lakes were interconnected through underwater passages, so the Ba could escape by going into the water. Unless there was a powerful spell that could envelop the Immortals' Marsh entirely and slay all of the Ba simultaneously, it would be impossible to exterminate all of them.
An alternative solution was to stop new Ba from forming. Ba were formed from the corpses of cultivators, so it was possible to prevent new Ba from forming if people stopped entering the Immortals' Marsh.
Nevertheless, it was extremely difficult to ensure that. The Immortals' Marsh was filled with spiritual energy, so there were many treasures of nature that cultivators were willing to risk their lives to acquire.
One of them was the Celestial Herb of Ascension. It was a spirit plant that only grew in the Immortals' Marsh.
Thus, it was simply impossible to completely seal off the vast Immortals' Marsh, so the authorities just let things be.
After landing in the Immortals' Marsh, Xu Ziyang said, "You three should spread out a bit and work your way from west to east, but don't move too quickly. The Golden-Winged Falcon will be watching from above. It will immediately give a warning if a Ba appears. If you're faced with a Ba that you can't handle, do your best to protect yourself and drag things out. I'll rush over to you immediately.
"The odds of finding the Celestial Herb of Ascension are very low, but whoever manages to get their hands on it first owns it. You are not to fight over this."
Sticking together was the safest thing to do when navigating through treacherous terrain. However, everyone was here to find the Celestial Herb of Ascension, so if they were to spot it simultaneously, they would inevitably fight over who would take possession of it. Thus, Xu Ziyang had them spread out a bit. This was a lesson he'd learned from experience, having been a disciple of the Mount Shu Sect for many years.
Chen Su smiled and said, "I'll just follow you, Senior Brother Xu. Feels safer this way."
On the way to the Immortals' Marsh, Chu Liang had noticed that Chen Su was a total fanatic for Xu Ziyang. It seemed like her purpose for joining this trip wasn't to find the Celestial Herb of Ascension but to get closer to Xu Ziyang.
In fact, Shang Ziliang was hoping to do the same. He had deliberately joined the trip so that he could build a bond with Xu Ziyang. If Shang Ziliang could gain the approval of his potential future brother-in-law, wouldn't things fall into place for him with Xu Ziqing?
Yet, when Shang Ziliang arrived at the Hall of Weapons before leaving for the trip earlier, he saw Chu Liang there. Putting himself in Chu Liang's shoes, Shang Ziliang thought that Chu Liang had likely joined the trip with the same intention.
He must have come to impress Xu Ziyang too! Shang Ziliang thought.
His resentment for Chu Liang resurfaced with a new surge of animosity.
With Xu Ziyang around, Shang Ziliang didn't dare to scheme against Chu Liang anymore... especially after suffering so many defeats in the past. Nevertheless, he still burned with a competitive spirit.
His gaze burned with the raging flames of war as he vowed inwardly, I must outshine that guy. I need to let my future brother-in-law see how brilliant I am!
While Shang Ziliang was thinking that...
Xu Ziyang turned back and said coldly, "Are you coming or not?"
It turned out that Chu Liang had taken off on his own. Chen Su had followed Xu Ziyang, and the pair had already walked ahead several dozen zhang. Shang Ziliang was the only one still standing at their starting point, daydreaming with a silly smile. Who knew what obscene things he was thinking about?
Xu Ziyang warned again, "In the Immortals' Marsh, one must remain vigilant at all times. You may find yourself in mortal danger at any moment!"
Upon hearing Xu Ziyang's words, Shang Ziliang snapped out of his daydream and quickly jogged to catch up, nodding repeatedly. "Ah, yes, yes, understood!"
Seeing Chen Su's and Shang Ziliang's behavior, Chu Liang was bewildered.
Could it be that I'm the only one in this group who is earnestly searching for the Celestial Herb of Ascension?
1. Known as Chinese vampires. ☜
Back in that dim room, the shadowy figure was sitting at his desk. Standing beside him was a masked man carrying two blades on his back.
"Did you succeed?" the shadowy figure asked.
"Yes," Dual Wielder answered.
"Are you sure that Chu Liang is dead?"
"Of course."
"Then why did he appear on Heaven-Reaching Peak this morning?"
Dual Wielder was startled by the shadowy figure's question. "What?"
"That disciple of the Mount Shu Sect, Chu Liang—he returned to Mount Shu safe and sound. He'd even gathered materials for Core Formation, but he's totally unscathed." The shadowy figure's words carried an undertone of anger. "Who exactly did you kill?"
The shadowy figure held a managerial role in the organization and was responsible for liaising with these assassins. When Dual Wielder said he had killed Chu Liang, the shadowy figure had believed him and reported that to their boss.
However, this morning, their mole in the Mount Shu Sect had suddenly informed the shadowy figure that Chu Liang had reappeared on Heaven-Reaching Peak, seemingly unharmed. Chu Liang's limbs moved as nimbly as ever, and his face looked the same. He appeared to be healthy both in the mind and body. It seemed like he hadn't been attacked at all, let alone killed.
"How is that possible...?" Dual Wielder said doubtfully. "I used the assassination skill Shadow Slash and split him in half. He didn't even have the chance to retaliate... It can't be fake."
"Did you confirm the body?" the shadowy figure asked.
"I..." Dual Wielder began to reply. His voice faltered, and he paused for a moment. Then he said, "The Golden-Furred Hou rushed over very quickly; I didn't have time to check the body properly. But how could someone at the third realm be revived after being cut in half? Unless... the person I killed wasn't him...?"
"Regardless of the reason, he's still alive," the shadowy figure stated. "The problem is that I've already reported to the boss that you killed him. If any news about this Chu Liang gets out in the future, won't the boss think we lied? You know what he's like."
There was a flicker of fear in Dual Wielder's eyes.
He immediately said, "I'll go kill him again!"
"That's what I meant," the shadowy figure replied coldly. "The boss went to the Western Regions to deal with some business. You better resolve this issue before he returns. I'm definitely not taking the blame for this failure."
"Mm," Dual Wielder uttered in response.
The shadowy figure picked up a brush from the desk, dipped it in ink, and drew a bird on the white paper. Then he flicked he made a hand seal.
The paper suddenly burst into flames, and when the fire had consumed all of the paper, there was not a speck of ash remaining. In its place was a vivid and lifelike black crow. It circled in the air briefly before landing on Dual Wielder's shoulder.
"He should be heading to the Immortals' Marsh to find the Celestial Herb of Ascension right now. Just follow the crow for the exact location," the shadowy figure instructed.
This crow wasn't as powerful an ability as the Thousand-Li Locator; it could only allow him to speak remotely. However, he would use Heavenly Sight and Hearing to monitor the target's location and relay it to the operative through the crow.
"The Immortals' Marsh..." Dual Wielder muttered in a tone filled with malice. "If I don't kill him this time, you can have my head when I get back."
...
"It's huge."
As three disciples at the Spiritual Awareness Realm flew over the Immortals' Marsh, they couldn't help but marvel at how vast it was.
According to legend, the Immortals' Marsh had been a seemingly endless lake in ancient times. It had been so vast that it had numerous islands and had been known as the largest lake in the world.
However, over time, the world experienced many changes, and the lake was no exception. The water level of the lake gradually decreased, revealing landmasses in many parts of the lake. What had once been islands turned into mountain peaks.
At present, the Immortals' Marsh was a chain of hundreds of interconnected lakes of all sizes sprawled over an area spanning hundreds of li. If the Celestial Herb of Ascension were to appear here, it would be found growing along the shores of these lakes.
For cultivators seeking the Celestial Herb of Ascension, they had to walk carefully along the lakesides, searching through the places where the herb might be growing. They might overlook the herb if they just did a cursory scan with their divine sense from overhead. Moreover, they might attract the Ba in the lakes.
There was a special type of supernatural being known as jiangshi[1]. Ghosts were typically resentful spirits that had lost their physical bodies, but jiangshi were the opposite. They were physical bodies devoid of a soul, animated purely by their resentment-filled qi.
Among the jiangshi, the more mystical ones were called Ba. Generally, only the corpses of cultivators could become Ba. The spiritual energy the corpses contained made them very powerful jiangshi, so much so that they evolved into Ba.
The Ba in the Immortals' Marsh had at one point run rampant, leading to disastrous consequences. Even the weakest Iron Ba in the marsh possessed the power of a third-realm cultivator. After feeding on the blood and qi of living humans, the Ba could gradually evolve from the Iron tier to Copper, Silver, and Gold tiers.
The strongest Gold Ba had the strength of a sixth-realm cultivator, but Gold Ba were extremely rare. Therefore, the Mount Shu Sect usually only dispatched a fifth-realm disciple to protect the other disciples from the Ba in the marsh.
A tier above the Gold Ba was the Cataclysmic Ba, which had power equivalent to a seventh-realm Eminent One. There were a few kinds of Cataclysmic Ba: the Drought Ba, which would make a thousand li of lands barren; the Flood Ba, which would turn land into marshes wherever it went; and the Snow Ba, which would make the weather bitterly cold and icy for six months... These Cataclysmic Ba appeared once every one thousand years, but each time they emerged from the Immortals' Marsh, they would take a large number of lives, making them a huge problem.
It was even said that after a Cataclysmic Ba had taken enough lives, it could grow into an Immortal Ba or a Divine Ba, equivalent in power to an eighth-realm or ninth-realm cultivator respectively. However, such formidable Ba had never been recorded as having appeared in history; it was just a legend.
Over two hundred years ago, the Yu Dynasty experienced a terrible disaster that was brought on by a Cataclysmic Ba. Filled with sorrow, the Yu Dynasty made a firm decision to unite the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten to exterminate the increasingly rampant Ba in the Immortals' Marsh.
However, the first round of slaying produced a mediocre result. The lakes were interconnected through underwater passages, so the Ba could escape by going into the water. Unless there was a powerful spell that could envelop the Immortals' Marsh entirely and slay all of the Ba simultaneously, it would be impossible to exterminate all of them.
An alternative solution was to stop new Ba from forming. Ba were formed from the corpses of cultivators, so it was possible to prevent new Ba from forming if people stopped entering the Immortals' Marsh.
Nevertheless, it was extremely difficult to ensure that. The Immortals' Marsh was filled with spiritual energy, so there were many treasures of nature that cultivators were willing to risk their lives to acquire.
One of them was the Celestial Herb of Ascension. It was a spirit plant that only grew in the Immortals' Marsh.
Thus, it was simply impossible to completely seal off the vast Immortals' Marsh, so the authorities just let things be.
After landing in the Immortals' Marsh, Xu Ziyang said, "You three should spread out a bit and work your way from west to east, but don't move too quickly. The Golden-Winged Falcon will be watching from above. It will immediately give a warning if a Ba appears. If you're faced with a Ba that you can't handle, do your best to protect yourself and drag things out. I'll rush over to you immediately.
"The odds of finding the Celestial Herb of Ascension are very low, but whoever manages to get their hands on it first owns it. You are not to fight over this."
Sticking together was the safest thing to do when navigating through treacherous terrain. However, everyone was here to find the Celestial Herb of Ascension, so if they were to spot it simultaneously, they would inevitably fight over who would take possession of it. Thus, Xu Ziyang had them spread out a bit. This was a lesson he'd learned from experience, having been a disciple of the Mount Shu Sect for many years.
Chen Su smiled and said, "I'll just follow you, Senior Brother Xu. Feels safer this way."
On the way to the Immortals' Marsh, Chu Liang had noticed that Chen Su was a total fanatic for Xu Ziyang. It seemed like her purpose for joining this trip wasn't to find the Celestial Herb of Ascension but to get closer to Xu Ziyang.
In fact, Shang Ziliang was hoping to do the same. He had deliberately joined the trip so that he could build a bond with Xu Ziyang. If Shang Ziliang could gain the approval of his potential future brother-in-law, wouldn't things fall into place for him with Xu Ziqing?
Yet, when Shang Ziliang arrived at the Hall of Weapons before leaving for the trip earlier, he saw Chu Liang there. Putting himself in Chu Liang's shoes, Shang Ziliang thought that Chu Liang had likely joined the trip with the same intention.
He must have come to impress Xu Ziyang too! Shang Ziliang thought.
His resentment for Chu Liang resurfaced with a new surge of animosity.
With Xu Ziyang around, Shang Ziliang didn't dare to scheme against Chu Liang anymore... especially after suffering so many defeats in the past. Nevertheless, he still burned with a competitive spirit.
His gaze burned with the raging flames of war as he vowed inwardly, I must outshine that guy. I need to let my future brother-in-law see how brilliant I am!
While Shang Ziliang was thinking that...
Xu Ziyang turned back and said coldly, "Are you coming or not?"
It turned out that Chu Liang had taken off on his own. Chen Su had followed Xu Ziyang, and the pair had already walked ahead several dozen zhang. Shang Ziliang was the only one still standing at their starting point, daydreaming with a silly smile. Who knew what obscene things he was thinking about?
Xu Ziyang warned again, "In the Immortals' Marsh, one must remain vigilant at all times. You may find yourself in mortal danger at any moment!"
Upon hearing Xu Ziyang's words, Shang Ziliang snapped out of his daydream and quickly jogged to catch up, nodding repeatedly. "Ah, yes, yes, understood!"
Seeing Chen Su's and Shang Ziliang's behavior, Chu Liang was bewildered.
Could it be that I'm the only one in this group who is earnestly searching for the Celestial Herb of Ascension?
1. Known as Chinese vampires. ☜
