C598 The First Person to Escape

Before the entrance shrouded in mist, Lee Yuchan stood alone, her expression icy. She cast her gaze toward the fog-enshrouded expanse, her heart filled with unease. Tan Yuan had not shown herself again, and no newcomers had gathered here, awaiting Tan Yuan's summons to lead them.

Three women, dressed in vibrant colors and of striking beauty, kept watch at the entrance, their smiles nothing more than a facade. Despite the evident fluctuations of vitality, remnant souls, and spiritual energy, and their occasional conversations, Yuchan felt an eerie sense of wrongness each time she looked at them. Even the Qiao family members and the Dragon Attendants from across the way, after some time, sensed the oddity in the trio. Their expressions were unnaturally rigid, seemingly unchanged for far too long, as if they were inanimate.

The night deepened, starless and moonless, the marsh silent and still.

"Whoosh!"

All at once, a gray crow, wings beating, led a group of five young men and women toward them. "It should be right ahead," a crisp voice floated through the air.

Startled, Yuchan turned sharply toward the newcomers and called out, "Zhao Yafu!"

The Dragon Attendants from Dragon Lake, catching the scent of the refined Dragon Soul and dragon's breath, were taken aback and turned their attention to the speaker. Zhao Yafu, of the Asvetaesi Zhao family, had a secret pact with Dragon Lake. After the Zhao family's successful Dragon Devour, she was favored by the Moonfang Tiger of Shadow's Keep and became its hand-chosen disciple.

A sixth-level gray crow, leading five men and women from Shadow's Keep, made their entrance with an air of drama. The crow's eyes gleamed with a haughty light, surveying its surroundings with the imperiousness of an emperor over their domain. It showed no reverence for the Untamed that one might expect from a lesser demon in Godsblight Marsh.

Zhao Yafu, at the forefront, was a cultivator of the Subtlety realm. Behind her, Zhan Tianxiang had received the legacy of the Golden Elephant God and was in the late period of Veil Breaking. Following them were three others, two men and a woman, all human cultivators of the Shadow's Keep's mystique from the Land of Quiescence. This was their first venture out of the Land of Quiescence, accompanying Zhao Yafu and Zhan Tianxiang to Godsblight Marsh for a trial.

"General Lee!"

After more than two years, Zhao Yafu, now radiant with elegance and beauty, couldn't contain her exclamation upon seeing Lee Yuchan.

"General Lee!"

Zhan Tianxiang offered a small grin and a slight bow in her direction.

Time and circumstance had not been kind to the Lee family, once part of the imperial elite, now crumbled like a fallen edifice.

Branded as malevolent by the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, the Lee family was nearly expunged from the annals of the Everlands. The once-revered female general had lost her former stature.

Zhan Tianxiang's Zhan family, on the other hand, had risen to prominence within the Shadowlight Empire, rivaling the Su family in power.

He himself had become a formal disciple of the Shadow's Keep and advanced to the late stages of the Veil Breaking Realm.

His prospects were dazzling, with a potential future akin to the Python Queen Xu Zixi—employing the dark arts in his cultivation, aiming for the Spirit Walk Realm, and perhaps even forging a Solar Spirit to venture into the extraterrestrial realms.

For these reasons, his greeting to the former general was nothing more than a courteous nod—his respect for the Lee family and Lee Yuchan had long since faded.

"Let's get moving."

Lee Yuchan didn't acknowledge him, focusing solely on Zhao Yafu as she softly urged, "Return to where you came from."

"Asvetaesi, the Zhao family, it's you—the girl from before!"

A Dragon Attendant from Dragon Lake approached Zhao Yafu with a menacing look.

Members of the Qiao family, including Qiao Xu, along with other Dragon Attendants from Dragon Lake, quickly converged on the scene.

"Do you dare to mess with the hand-chosen disciple of the mighty Astral Tiger?" A sixth-level grey crow scolded the Qiao family and the Dragon Lake attendants in a piercing voice, "Despicable creatures, take one more step and I'll ensure your end!"

"Moonfang Tiger!"

The Qiao family members hesitated, their expressions shifting at the mention, and they paused.

The Dragon Attendants, however, remained undeterred and pressed on.

One of them scoffed, "Have you not realized where you are? The Untamed of the Marsh is a Dark Deity, a match for the Astral Tiger. This is the domain of the Untamed!"

"Really? Not even the Untamed would harm her, much less you," the sixth-level gray crow screeched in fury.

Suddenly, the three brightly dressed women's eyes glowed ominously, as if someone was peering coldly through them at the scene. Lee Yuchan felt a shiver run down her spine.

Tan Yuan reappeared soon after, smiling warmly. She gestured for those from Dragon Lake to remain calm and then turned, invitingly gesturing for them to enter. "Please, come inside."

"Whom are you inviting?" Zhao Yafu asked, puzzled.

"You, all five of you," Tan Yuan clarified, gesturing towards Zhao Yafu, Zhan Tianxiang, and the three young members of Shadow's Keep. "Little Crow, if your esteemed ancestor were here, I'd let him in, but not you."

The sixth-level gray crow let out a sharp, scathing retort, "What are you? How dare you speak to Grandpa Crow like that?"

Tan Yuan ignored the crow, focusing on Zhao Yafu. "You're here because of Loong Tianxiao's dragon's breath, aren't you?"

Zhao Yafu nodded in confirmation.

"Indeed, you've tracked him down accurately," Tan Yuan said with a smile. "Not only is Loong Tianxiao here, but Yu Yuan is inside as well."

Zhao Yafu's eyes sparkled with excitement. "I came straight here after Xu Zixi told me that Yu Yuan was sent by Shadow's Keep to the Marsh. I traveled from the Land of Quiescence to the Forgotten Ruins via the teleportation circle."

The Forgotten Ruins are under the jurisdiction of Shadow's Keep. Zhao Yafu and Zhan Tianxiang had used the Ethereal Void's teleportation circle to get back to the Forgotten Ruins, intending to visit their family in the Shadowlight Empire.

The three senior brothers had accompanied them to explore the Forgotten Ruins. Upon hearing from Python Queen Xu Zixi that Yu Yuan had ventured into the Godsblight Marsh, the group of five recklessly followed suit.

Shortly after their arrival, Zhao Yafu detected Loong Tianxiao's presence and followed it.

"Please," Tan Yuan said, pointing towards the misty depths. Her gaze shifted to Lee Yuchan. "This time, you're also permitted to enter."

Lee Yuchan was taken aback.

Tan Yuan continued, "The choice is yours."

"I'm on it!"

...

Within the Sword Prison.

After being gently reminded by Zhan Yun, Yu Yuan once again entered a deep state of sword comprehension. The sword's will and sword light on the small mountain top began to stir once more.

As the sword's will and sword light soared towards them, the gathered magnates in the cave had no choice but to scatter.

They spread out widely, deliberately clearing a broad path for the sword's will and sword light to traverse.

This time, the incoming sword's will and sword light didn't scatter chaotically but instead sought out their targets—the sword sheaths—and vanished into them one after another.

The sword lights hidden within the sword's will seemed sentient, knowing exactly when to act.

Several hours later.

When the sword lights had disappeared into Yu Yuan's sword sheaths like streaks of lightning...

"It's about time," declared the fat old man, who was holding a horsetail whisk in one hand and sipping wine. After sensing the environment for a moment with his eyes closed, he addressed those gathered, "Let me give it a try."

With a flick of his whisk, he vanished into thin air.

The next moment, he reappeared at the mouth of the cave, from which most of the sword's will and light had already departed. One more step, and he would be free.

Among the intersecting sword lights, there was a fist-sized gap.

The fat old man let out a chuckle, transformed into a ball of light the size of a walnut, and slipped through the opening.

In a flash, he was gone.

"Hahaha! Ahahaha!"

The fat old man, the first to emerge, emptied his jug of fiery liquor in one gulp. His booming laughter shook the space that was on the verge of calming.

"Master!"

The elder who had been working alongside Yan Qiling to stabilize the space called out with excitement.

"You're still alive."

The fat old man, eyes brimming with tears, looked at him and said with deep feeling, "I ran into trouble and thought for sure you'd be hunted down by the Skyreach Consortium. How on earth did you manage to survive?"

The elder, who had assisted in stabilizing the space, trembled as he gazed at the man who had led him on many adventures since his youth. "Master, the Space Formation Technique you taught me proved useful to many, and that's how I was rescued."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to the figure in the white robe and said, "Master, this person is the owner."

The fat old man flicked his dust whisk and offered a respectful bow to the figure suspended in the air. "Regardless of your reasons for noting my disciple, I am grateful for this favor."

"There's no need for formalities. He has been of great assistance to me," the owner responded.

"Shadow's Keep! Zhao Yafu!"

Perched above on the small floating palanquin, Loong Yang's nostrils flared, and she let out a coy giggle, "Zhao Yafu was already chosen by us. She belongs to me now!"

Without waiting for the palanquin's owner to respond, Loong Yang's palanquin soared into the air and dove towards Zhao Yafu.

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