Chapter 1347: Giant Beasts and Monsters

The Floating Dawn Marsh proved to be far more bizarre than any other place. For some unknown reason, upon entering the marsh, Han Li and his companions found that their spiritual sense could not extend beyond a hundred zhang. Moreover, the marsh was filled with dense mist and numerous illusions, making it impossible to guard against its hidden dangers.

The most vexing issue, however, was the strange creatures called "Gui worms" that thrived in the damp mud beneath.

Each of these worms had a segmented, centipede-like body covered with countless slender, sharp mouths. They could spray a corrosive poisonous mist capable of damaging magical artifacts and devouring a cultivator's protective spiritual light.

While one or two would naturally be disregarded by cultivators like the green-eyed brawny man, these peculiar worms were gregarious creatures. When they burst from the mud, dozens would emerge at once, each about a zhang long, and they possessed the ability to fly at low altitudes.

Consequently, every encounter with a swarm left the group scrambling.

Had they not been on a patrol mission, they could have simply flown high above the marsh, making the Gui worms a non-threat.

However, since the patrol team's objective was to search for traces of foreign tribes, they had to fly at low altitudes, making high-altitude flight impossible.

This meant Gui worm attacks were frequent and difficult to prevent.

On one occasion, they even disturbed an enormous swarm, causing three to four hundred Gui worms to surge out from beneath the marsh.

Had Han Li not suddenly unleashed his Primordial Magnetic Divine Light, instantly immobilizing the strange worms in mid-air before incinerating them with a powerful spiritual flame, his group would have truly suffered a significant setback.

This particular intervention by Han Li dispelled any lingering doubts his subordinates had about his divine abilities, earning him their greater trust.

Beyond the Gui worms, the Floating Dawn Marsh presented numerous other dangers.

An ancient beast known as the Silver-Headed Beast lurked in the dense thickets of the marsh. It could ignore all attacks and split its own body, a characteristic that even Han Li found exceptionally difficult to contend with.

Fortunately, this beast was somewhat slow and highly territorial, ceasing pursuit once its prey left its domain.

Thus, in terms of sheer danger, it was not as formidable as the Gui worms.

Even so, shortly after their arrival, Han Li and his companions gained a profound understanding of why the Floating Dawn Marsh was designated a Level One patrol area.

The group had to remain highly vigilant at all times; a single oversight could easily lead to a minor setback.

Thus, in the blink of an eye, Han Li and his group had spent over twenty days deep within the marsh. Throughout their journey, everyone remained cautious, and thankfully, they had not yet found any traces of foreign tribes.

At this, Daoist Ma and the others breathed a collective sigh of relief.

The grim atmosphere that had enveloped the team perceptibly lightened.

On this day, the group had been flying for most of the day, holding their "Spirit Discs." Even as high-ranking cultivators, they couldn't help but feel a little weary. After all, patrols requiring constant mental focus were quite taxing on one's spirit.

Ahead, a clear pond, over a hundred zhang wide, suddenly appeared. Beside it was a small patch of gravel where a row of exceptionally verdant green bamboos stood elegantly upright. Cool breezes wafted by, making the scene as picturesque as a painting.

Their spirits were instantly lifted.

After exchanging glances with the others, the green-eyed brawny man flashed forward, approaching Han Li respectfully. "Senior Han," he said, "this place is quite suitable. Shall we rest here for a bit before resuming our patrol?"

"Mm, you may," Han Li calmly instructed, without objection. "Be careful, and check for any anomalies."

Throughout their journey, Han Li had rarely given direct orders and had largely accepted the suggestions of the green-eyed brawny man and the others.

This had subtly fostered a more familiar relationship between him and the others.

"Of course!" The green-eyed brawny man's face lit up with a smile as he gestured to the rest of the group.

Immediately, two elderly cultivators and the married couple quickly circled the area. As their Spirit Discs showed no reaction, the group confidently descended onto the gravel patch.

They weren't planning on staying long, so they quickly found clean spots, sat down cross-legged, and began restoring their depleted spiritual energy. As a Spirit Transformation cultivator who had also practiced the Great Evolution Art, Han Li had not found the patrol particularly strenuous. Therefore, instead of sitting down with the others, he leisurely walked to the edge of the pond and observed it.

The pond was not very deep; its water was so clear that the bottom was visible at a glance.

Small, finger-sized silver fish swam idly in the water, appearing harmless.

Seeing this, Han Li frowned. He instinctively raised his head and scanned the surroundings, his gaze sweeping over the dozen or so green bamboos nearby.

Aside from the gentle rustling of the wind, there was no other sound, making the area eerily quiet. The ten cultivators, including the green-eyed brawny man, sat motionless, some by the pond's edge, others beneath the green bamboos.

Han Li shifted his gaze, glancing once more at the pond's surface, which was as calm as a mirror. After a slight pause, his pupils suddenly constricted, then immediately returned to normal.

He slowly turned, taking a step as if to walk towards the green bamboos.

No one noticed that the moment Han Li turned, his hands, concealed within his sleeves, flicked his ten fingers. With a flash of red light, ten faint red threads mysteriously vanished into the gravel ground.

The entire process was silent and left no trace.

Han Li slowly walked to the vicinity of the green bamboos, stopping before one of them to gaze at it with a placid expression.

His actions were rather peculiar.

The young man surnamed Ying and the female cultivator surnamed Xu, who were meditating nearby, couldn't help but open their eyes and glance at him in surprise.

But Han Li paid no attention to their gazes. A moment later, a cold gleam shot from his eyes. He opened his mouth, and a golden light spurted out, striking the green bamboo with lightning speed.

With a soft 'crack,' the bowl-sized green bamboo was instantly severed in the middle. "Eh!" exclaimed the young man surnamed Ying, somewhat surprised.

Fairy Xu also wide-eyed. But before either of them could form another thought, the incredible scene below instantly astonished them.

From the severed stump of the green bamboo, dark green liquid immediately spurted out. It was incredibly foul-smelling and rose several feet high.

Even more astonishingly, almost simultaneously, the entire ground began to tremble, followed by an unusually painful roar rumbling from underground. The other green bamboos shook and transformed into thick green fleshy tendrils, lashing violently at Han Li like octopus tentacles.

With Han Li's divine abilities, such an attack could not succeed. He merely flickered and vanished from his spot, reappearing the next moment above the pond, where he coldly observed the bizarre scene of the fleshy tendrils wildly flailing before him.

The green-eyed brawny man and the others, who had been meditating nearby, were also roused from their trance. Seeing the sudden change, they were naturally horrified and swiftly ascended into the air. Some, more impatient, even immediately released several flying swords and daggers, striking fiercely at the fleshy tendrils.

Having seen Han Li sever this thing with a single sword strike, they instinctively assumed it was nothing significant.

But to their utter astonishment, when these flying swords and daggers struck the tendrils, they emitted strange metallic clangs and were easily repelled.

Just as the green-eyed brawny man and the others, still in shock, were about to unleash other treasures to attack, the previously grayish-white gravel patch by the pond suddenly turned pitch black. The gravel then twisted and shifted, transforming into head-sized purplish-black scales. They were, in fact, standing on the body of a gigantic ancient beast.

This beast was a bizarre, round creature with no discernible mouth or nose, yet with fleshy tendrils over ten zhang long growing from its back. It had been lying camouflaged next to the pond, and the dozen or so green bamboos were all transformed fleshy tendrils from its back.

Han Li and the others had merely been resting on the beast's body. It was unknown what divine abilities this beast possessed, as it had not only eluded everyone's spiritual sense but also remained completely undetectable by the Spirit Disc.

"Attack!" Han Li commanded in a low voice, suspended above the pond.

The green-eyed brawny man and the others felt a chill in their hearts and immediately unleashed various other treasures. In an instant, streams of colorful light surged aggressively towards the gigantic beast below.

The ancient beast showed no intention of fleeing. Instead, the fleshy tendrils on its back danced rapidly, forming a shimmering green light barrier to protect its body.

The moment the two collided, a loud rumbling sound erupted. The fleshy tendrils were as tough as ordinary magical artifacts; any treasure that struck them was unceremoniously swept back, unable to get close even by an inch.

Seeing this, the young man surnamed Ying let out a cold snort, rubbed his hands together, then flung them upwards. Bizarre clusters of reddish-yellow light points immediately appeared in his hands. These then shot out, transforming into countless fist-sized bolts of thunder and fire that rained down on the beast. Meanwhile, Fairy Xu's body shimmered with cold silver light, and after a frantic flash, countless clusters of ice-attribute lightning also plummeted downwards.

As both types of thunder and fire simultaneously unleashed their power and intertwined, their momentum was astonishingly fierce. After a deafening roar of thunder, the dazzling lightning completely enveloped more than half of the giant beast.

Seeing this, the rest of the group couldn't help but smile.

At this moment, Han Li did not make a move, merely observing his subordinates' attacks with an expressionless gaze.

"Hmph!" A bone-chilling cold snort suddenly emanated from within the thunder and fire.

Immediately afterward, a strange wind spontaneously emerged from below.

This wind was dull and initially very small, but after a few swirls, it suddenly transformed into a towering hurricane. With a single sweep, it enveloped all the thunder and fire below.

The group heard a roar from within the hurricane, and then both the gale and the thunder and fire simultaneously vanished, as if canceling each other out.

The young man surnamed Ying and the female cultivator surnamed Xu both instantly changed their expressions, while the green-eyed brawny man and the others were secretly startled.

The giant beast below reappeared, but this time, a strange figure had emerged from its body.

This strange figure had pale green skin and, aside from an unknown animal hide covering its lower body, wore no other clothing. It had no hair on its head. While it possessed a mouth and nose, its eyes were devoid of any emotion, causing a chill to run down anyone's spine at first glance.

Even more bizarrely, the strange figure's arms were crossed over its chest, but its lower body, from the thighs down, was entirely merged into the giant beast's body, as if it were originally one with the creature.