Zhi Xuan did not stop. He flew towards the high mound he had seen—the place where he hoped there would be shelter. He flew like a bullet, leaving the furious Giant Moss Python swinging its tail in frustration, destroying the surrounding trees.

  'Quick! That snake will not give up until it gets you!'

  Inside the Demon Mist Swamp, Zhi Xuan's escape immediately turned from an embarrassing chaos into a precise movement of survival.

  Swoosh!

  Zhi Xuan shot through the air, the Blue Wind Sword now feeling like an extension of his arm, obeying the centralized will supported by his Foundational Dao Vow. His speed far surpassed normal running ability, and he plunged, turned, and glided smoothly between the dead trees, evading the Giant Moss Python's leaping attacks.

  Behind him, the giant snake raged. It could not maintain its jumping height, and its massive body fell back into the swamp with a loud crash, creating a wave of murky mud.

  Hiss!

  The snake was angry. It knew its prey was in the air, far from its reach. Instead of jumping again, it used its environmental advantage. Its thick tail, the size of an ancient tree trunk, moved beneath the murky swamp water, churning up mud and putrid water.

  WHUSHH!

  With a powerful tail swing, the snake launched a thick spray of swamp water and poisonous mud into the air, creating a projectile of filth shooting towards Zhi Xuan. The liquid was dense with contaminated Yin Essence, and Zhi Xuan knew that if hit, he would be instantly paralyzed.

  In the air, Zhi Xuan felt the biting cold of the poisonous mud projectile attack. He could not dodge by plunging downwards—that would bring him within the Giant Moss Python's range.

  'Up! Now!' Ruo Xianxue hissed.

  Zhi Xuan forced his Taiyin Essence. The Blue Wind Sword responded, ascending vertically with a movement that felt very rough, but effective. He successfully escaped the poisonous mud and water spray. The thick black liquid shot past him, hitting several dead tree branches above him, which immediately withered and emitted a thin smoke—proof of the poison's power.

  Zhi Xuan glided higher, until he was just above the yellowish-green mist. From this height, he could see the bleak scenery of the Demon Mist Swamp stretching out below him. The heart of the swamp, the spot marked on his map, looked like the darkest and most desolate area.

  'There it is, Monkey! The high mound!' Ruo Xianxue shouted.

  About a kilometer ahead of him, towering above the flat swamp, was an unusual mound of soil. It looked like a small hill, covered in strange but dense trees, and most importantly, it looked much drier. It was the only natural fortress in this labyrinth of murky water.

  The Giant Moss Python, now back in the swamp, hissed in frustration. It realized its prey was out of both horizontal and vertical range. However, its instinct bound it to this area.

  Zhi Xuan gave it no second chance. He aimed the Blue Wind Sword straight for the high mound.

  Within seconds, he reached the mound. He did not land on the peak, but glided to the steep side of the mound, looking for a gap or a cave. His eyes, shrouded by channeled Taiyin Essence, noticed a strange pattern. Not stone, but a highly compacted formation of earth and roots.

  He found a narrow gap between two large tree roots, covered by dense bushes. It was the perfect spot.

  Zhi Xuan plunged, sliding off the Blue Wind Sword, and landed smoothly on the dry, mossy ground in front of the gap. He quickly pulled the Blue Wind Sword behind him, then with a little Taiyin Essence, he tore the dense bush roots and pulled them, covering the gap as if it had never existed.

  He entered the dim darkness. The interior felt much drier and warmer than the damp, cold outside air. The foul smell of the swamp was drastically reduced here. The place turned out to be a small cave naturally formed by root and earth formations.

  'We are safe... for now,' Zhi Xuan muttered, collapsing onto the sandy cave floor. He let the Blue Wind Sword lie beside him. He was out of Essence. The sudden escape and intense maneuvering had depleted almost all the Taiyin Essence he had just recovered.

  Zhi Xuan looked around the cave, releasing his Divine Sense, searching for jade essence that could be absorbed. However, the small cave, formed from a dense network of roots and dry soil, was completely empty of mortal Spiritual Aura. The entrance, covered by roots and dense bushes, did give him physical protection, but did not provide cultivation resources.

  Outside the covered gap, he could feel the deadly coldness of the Yin Essence, thick with the devil mist from the Demon Mist Swamp. This Essence was so concentrated that it felt like freezing water. If he were not equipped with the pure Taiyin Essence earlier, he would not be able to survive for even tens of breaths, the Yin Essence would immediately erode his organs and meridians.

  Zhi Xuan had no choice, he reached for the Swan Essence Jade Box from inside his tattered robe. The box was not large, but the Taiyin essence inside felt like a cold spring of life. That was where the little Taiyin Essence supporting the Thousand Feathered Moth—Xiao Die, whom he had named—was still stored.

  'Xiao Die, I am borrowing the essence that is supposed to sustain you,' Zhi Xuan said internally, looking at the jade box. His sapphire blue eyes emitted a sharp sense of guilt.

  He opened the jade box carefully. A chilling cold spread within the small cave. Inside, the reincarnation seed of Xiao Die, the size of a single feather, pulsed with a very faint light. The seed looked increasingly fragile.

  "This is an investment, Xiao Die. I will repay you tenfold after I reach the First Ember," Zhi Xuan whispered, his voice hoarse.

  Zhi Xuan held his breath. He closed his eyes, and with an incredibly subtle control—a control he had just discovered thanks to his Dao Vow last night—He did not take the Taiyin Essence directly.

  Instead, he channeled the cold spiritual Essence from the Ancient Devil Monument integrated in his body, exchanging it with the pure Taiyin Essence that sustained Xiao Die, he forced the Ancient Devil Monument to send out a red thread that extended from his hand, embracing the curled reincarnation seed.

  'Hey, you!' Ruo Xianxue scolded, her voice filled with surprise. 'You dare to take liberties with me, Monkey!'

  Zhi Xuan ignored the Monument's rebuke. He had learned that Ruo Xianxue, although powerful, was bound to him and could not hurt his Sea of Consciousness without harming herself. The centralized will from his oath gave him the cold courage to challenge.

  "Did not you also absorb Taiyin from the Taiyin Crystal when we found this moth?" Zhi Xuan snorted softly, rolling his eyes lazily. "You even kept that for yourself."

  Silence fell over the Ancient Devil Monument. Ruo Xianxue clearly did not expect Zhi Xuan to use this old fact as a bargaining chip. Zhi Xuan used the calmness and spiritual Essence of the Ancient Devil Monument to massage Xiao Die's seed, slowly absorbing the pure Taiyin Essence from within the jade box, leaving a minimal residue to keep the seed alive.

  The pure Taiyin Essence, which flowed directly into his meridians, felt like ice water healing wounds and replenishing lost Essence. Although the amount was small, its purity far surpassed the mortal spiritual Essence outside. His fatigue quickly disappeared, and his Sea of Consciousness, which had just been shaken by the fight and dizziness last night, was now stable again.

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  'Alright, alright. I admit I absorbed some of that Taiyin Crystal,' Ruo Xianxue grumbled, her voice returning to its characteristic lazy tone, as if she had just confessed to stealing candy from a child. 'But that was to support the Ancient Devil Monument so it would not collapse, not for luxury! Now, you have enough energy to survive. Return the rest. That moth seed will die.'

  Zhi Xuan smiled faintly, pulling the red thread back and closing the swan essence jade box. He then got up and stood tall. Watching outside the cave for signs of beasts still lurking.

  He grabbed the Blue Wind Sword beside him, its cold blade feeling like an extension of his hand. Through the narrow gap covered by roots, Zhi Xuan released his spiritual sense, observing the movement outside the cave. The furious Giant Moss Python seemed to have disappeared, but the swamp itself was filled with subtler noise—hissing, trickling water, and thick Yin Essence fluctuations.

  'He is gone,' Ruo Xianxue whispered. 'But do not relax, Monkey. This swamp is a perfect place for hiding, and also a nest for trouble. Now, about your First Ember Formation.'

  Zhi Xuan turned, staring into the darkness of the cave. He had to reach the First Ember, and he needed the Nine Lotus Blood Flower in the heart of the swamp. He took out the heart-protecting jade from inside his robe, tying up his loose hair. After that he began to squat and grab a stone, scratching the ground.

  "Alright, so the heart of the swamp is here," Zhi Xuan said, his hand scratching a circle in the middle of a large circle. Then Zhi Xuan scratched marks shaped like leaves or swords. "The sword mark is a forbidden sign as seen on the ancient map, and the leaf mark is possibly a hidden herbal spot."

  Zhi Xuan focused his gaze on the crude sketch on the cave floor. His finger scratches created a simplified map from the ancient scroll, with the large circle representing the Demon Mist Swamp, the small circle in the center representing the Pure Spring Pool, and other symbols he remembered, the curved sword mark and the leaf mark.

  "We cannot go straight to the heart of the swamp," Zhi Xuan mumbled. "Guardian formation, the strongest Azure Kings, and I am only a newly recovered Divine Wheel. We have to do the 'Broken Duck' method like we did back then."

  'Broken Duck? You want to trick a giant Azure King with shouts and thrown pebbles, Monkey?' Ruo Xianxue scoffed, clearly amused by the ridiculous analogy. 'This is not the Exchange Market, this is the Demon Mist Swamp. The spiritual insects here have much sharper senses than the stupid Jade Snake you tricked before.'

  "The principle is the same, Ruo," Zhi Xuan countered, his tone containing cold resolve. He ignored the mockery. "Disturbance and Greed. The Azure Kings not only protect the Pure Spring Pool, but also the surrounding treasures that are their food or defense. They are greedy, just like Gu or any other cultivator."

  Zhi Xuan pointed to the leaf marks on his map. "I will not use Ginseng because we do not have any. I will use the herbs themselves as bait. We will look for herbs first."

  'Then, what kind of bait do you need? To trick an Azure King, you need something that is at least valuable to the Consciousness Transformation realm, but not worth defending for them,' Ruo Xianxue challenged.

  Zhi Xuan sighed and rose from his position. "I do not know, but we will look first."

  Zhi Xuan took a deep breath, the foul smell of the Demon Mist Swamp stinging his nose. He pushed aside the bushes covering the cave entrance, only opening the gap as small as possible.

  "We need ingredients that emit a strong Spiritual Aura, but have no direct use for Azure King Level Spiritual Beasts," Zhi Xuan mumbled.

  "Monsters here worship Yin Essence. They are not interested in Yang-natured herbs or blood-replenishing herbs unless it is to heal serious wounds."

  'Look for something that emits Yang Essence, Monkey. Something that will disturb the Yin Essence they breathe every day,' Ruo Xianxue suggested. 'They will see it as a disturbance or a threat, not food.'

  Zhi Xuan nodded. Good idea. He channeled Taiyin Essence into the Blue Wind Sword and began to move along the back of the dry mound. Every step was careful, his spiritual sense scanning the environment, searching for Essence fluctuations different from the surrounding Yin mist.

  After moving for about fifteen minutes, Zhi Xuan felt a faint surge of energy. The energy was not cold, but felt warm and pulsating, like a small ember. It came from a cluster of dead trees far on the side of the mound.

  Zhi Xuan plunged, the Blue Wind Sword gliding calmly. He reached the location and immediately found the source.

  It was a cluster of Soul Ember Fruits, growing on the rotten roots of an ancient tree. The fruits, bright orange, emitted a strong Yang Essence aura. Soul Ember Fruits, although useful for Divine Wheel cultivators who wanted to increase soul power, were dangerous for swamp beasts because the pure Yang Essence could burn their excessive Yin Essence.

  'Soul Ember Fruits!' Ruo Xianxue exclaimed. 'Good value for Divine Wheel cultivators, but Poison for Yin Beasts! Perfect for bait!'

  "These fruits are useless to an Azure King," Zhi Xuan mumbled, his eyes shining. "But if they are thrown and break, their Yang Essence will explode in their Yin environment, disturbing their senses and attention."

  Zhi Xuan quickly picked five fruits, storing them in his robe pouch. The fruits felt warm and emitted a pulsating heat behind his robe fabric.

  "Alright, now let us set off firecrackers in the little beasts' lair."

  Zhi Xuan channeled Taiyin Essence from the Monument's red thread into the five Soul Ember Fruits. Each bright orange fruit immediately emitted a pulsating heat, sucking the coldness of the Yin Essence in the Demon Mist Swamp, preparing it to be the perfect distraction. He was already at the edge of the dry mound, now observing the bleak swamp.

  'Remember, Monkey. These Soul Ember Fruits are fragile. Throw with caution, but make sure they break upon landing,' Ruo Xianxue instructed, her tone filled with anticipation.

  Zhi Xuan nodded internally. He tied the Blue Wind Sword with his tattered robe fabric—a trick to free his hands and conceal the artifact—then began to move along the edge of the mound, avoiding the stagnant water that emitted foul bubbles.

  His goal was to circle the area, looking for a gap towards the heart of the swamp, and launching the distraction. He stepped slowly, his spiritual sense filtering the environmental noise, focusing his hearing on the water fluctuations centered ahead.

  After walking for more than two hours, Zhi Xuan reached the outskirts of the swamp's heart, the place was dense and covered in thick mist, if someone did not have a strong Divine Sense, then with the naked eye they would not be able to penetrate the devil mist.

  "The heart of the swamp is there," Zhi Xuan mumbled, pointing to the direction where the devil mist looked thickest, almost black. "The Giant Moss Python will be a barrier, he does not know about the pool. We have to force him to move or distract him."

  Zhi Xuan crouched behind a pile of rotten tree roots, his focused gaze penetrating the thick devil mist. The black mist swirled and drifted, and behind it, he could feel the deadly Yin Essence fluctuations—the sound of a large beast's heartbeat, which felt like a muffled rumble of thunder. He was sure it was the Giant Moss Python, and perhaps others.

  Zhi Xuan took out one of the Soul Ember Fruits from his robe. The bright orange fruit felt warm in his palm, and he channeled the Taiyin Essence subtly onto its surface, causing the fruit to pulse with sharp heat. He ignored Ruo Xianxue's faint warning about depleting the energy he needed for the First Ember. This was an investment; he was buying time and opportunity.

  He observed the waterway. The Giant Moss Python—or perhaps others—seemed to be patrolling in a circular pattern around the heart of the swamp. The strongest Yin Essence fluctuation was felt about a hundred meters in front of Zhi Xuan, moving slowly from left to right.

  'When it moves away, throw that Soul Ember Fruit in the opposite direction from our path to the heart of the swamp,' Ruo Xianxue instructed, her voice filled with tactical firmness. 'We must make them think the threat is coming from the east, as we move west.'

  Zhi Xuan waited. One minute felt like an hour. The large Yin Essence fluctuation began to fade on the right. As soon as he felt the distance was enough, he took action.

  With a fast and practiced movement, he threw the Soul Ember Fruit with controlled force, aiming it as far as he could to the right side, away from where he was hiding.

  Swoosh!

  The fruit flew through the thick devil mist, and within a few seconds, there was a loud CRACK sound as the Soul Ember Fruit hit the swamp water.

  PZzzzzzzzzzzzt!

  A loud sizzling sound followed. The Yang Essence accumulated inside the fruit exploded upon contact with the Yin Essence-rich swamp water. The explosion did not produce light, but it produced a shockwave that released pure Yang Essence into the air, burning the surrounding devil mist. In the middle of the mist, a huge hiss of anger was heard, much louder than Zhi Xuan had heard before—not just one, but two hisses.

  WHUUMMPPH!

  The large Yin Essence fluctuations immediately spun around, moving with terrifying speed toward the explosion location. It was a pure instinctual response to an existential threat.

  'Two Giant Moss Pythons,' Ruo Xianxue whispered, her tone tense. 'Or maybe more. Perfect. They have taken the bait. Move, Monkey!'

  Zhi Xuan did not waste the opportunity. He took a deep breath, feeling the coldness of calm. He quickly pushed aside the roots and bushes, then rushed to move in the opposite direction—to the left, toward the heart of the swamp. He sped along the edge of the mound, his feet avoiding the deadly mud. The Blue Wind Sword in his hand now served as a valuable balancing stick.

  Sssssssssss...

  Zhi Xuan heard a closer hiss, right in front of his path. Another Python! Suddenly, from the left side, exactly on the path he was about to take, the swamp water exploded upwards. Another creature—this time, a human-sized Giant Moss Scorpion with a hard moss-layered shell—leapt out. Its tail, curled upwards, emitted a deadly neurotoxin poison.

  Zhi Xuan was shocked, but his Dao Will forced him to react. He did not have time to think about the Blue Wind Sword. He had freed his hands and he forced all the integrated Ancient Devil Monument spiritual Essence in his body into his body.

  "Jump!"

  He leaped with brutal force, letting the Blue Wind Sword fall into the mud. His jumping movement was incredibly powerful, propelling him high into the air, beyond the range of the Scorpion's sting.

  CRACK!

  The Scorpion's sting hit empty air. While hovering in the air, Zhi Xuan looked quickly. The Scorpion returned to a ready position, its tail trembling, waiting. He could not land. He had to retrieve the Blue Wind Sword that he had dropped.