Chapter Sixty-Six: The Quicksand Marsh

The starry sky shattered.

In the next instant, his figure appeared within a cavern.

The cave was filled with gold, silver, and jewels, their dazzling brilliance almost blinding, yet to him, they were utterly worthless—no different from a pile of glittering stones.

“So… is this a scene from the memory of the Rainbow Dragon?”

He paused, bemused; when realization dawned, he could only laugh helplessly. His consciousness once again approached the Ancient Buddha’s Lamp.

The scene dissolved, and he found himself within an ancient clan. But to his astonishment, every single person in this tribe looked exactly alike—including himself. Moreover, he sensed the very same aura emanating from each of them.

It was the True Spirit Art of Nine Locks.

The corner of his mouth twitched; without hesitation, he directed his consciousness toward the Ancient Buddha’s Lamp once more.

…

After enduring no less than nineteen shifts through worlds and scenes, his vision finally cleared.

This time, he appeared in a canyon.

But what greeted his eyes was the icy face of Ziling.

And with the sensation of something soft and smooth beneath his head…

His heart jolted—he was resting on Ziling’s lap!

“You’re finally awake,” Ziling said coldly, casting him a glance.

Tu Lu started upright, scrambling back several steps in embarrassment. “S-sorry!”

“It’s nothing. Since you’re awake, let’s get moving. The Violet Camel Peak isn’t in this canyon.” Ziling rose, sword in hand.

Tu Lu hurried after her.

“How long was I lost in the illusion?”

“An hour.”

Hearing this, Tu Lu felt a deeper guilt. An hour wasn’t long, but now, every moment was more precious than ever.

That Ziling had been willing to stay behind and guard him left him both guilty and a little moved.

“Don’t misunderstand,” Ziling said coolly. “Word just came in—the other three paths haven’t found any trace of the Violet Camel Peak either. That leaves only the Shifting Sands Marsh. In a place like that, your strength is needed.”

“Yes!” Tu Lu was taken aback, then nodded solemnly.

Soon after, the two of them arrived at the Shifting Sands Marsh.

From the outside, the Shifting Sands Marsh appeared to be a vast, moving swamp—but its shifting range was so broad that all the regions it touched were collectively called the Marsh Zone.

Yet the marsh zone itself wasn’t dangerous; the true peril lay in only a small fraction of the area—just one percent of the marsh. Unless one’s luck was abysmal, an encounter with real danger was rare.

“Could the Violet Camel Peak really be trapped in a place like this?” Tu Lu asked with a frown.

“All the half-step Violet Palace powerhouses under the Violet Camel Peak have been wiped out. Given his strength, he couldn’t have taken any other route. He hasn’t reached the provincial capital yet, so the only possibility is that he’s trapped here!”

Tu Lu shook his head. “No, you know what I mean. Even if he did make it to the capital, he wouldn’t expose himself before absolute safety. And even if he is trapped here, do you think he could survive in such a deadly place?”

“If he’s dead, all the better,” Ziling replied coldly, then leapt down.

Tu Lu sighed and quickly followed.

In the marsh zone, there was no danger if one didn’t encounter the true shifting sands. But if one did, even a Sea-Filling cultivator would be hard-pressed to survive.

Tu Lu was exceedingly cautious.

He didn’t believe they would find the Violet Camel Peak alive in a place like this. Even finding his corpse would be something.

“Watch out!”

Suddenly, a massive wall of yellow sand and earth surged toward him!

Tu Lu’s expression changed. His luck was truly terrible—his defenses were sorely unsuited to this kind of attack.

“Don’t let it swallow you!”

Ziling merged with her sword, appearing before him in a flash. Grabbing him, she dashed out to the side!

But she didn’t stop there. Instead, she circled around the wall of sand and earth, heading toward its rear, and charged straight into it!

“What are you doing?”

“Going in, of course!”

“What?!”

Tu Lu’s expression shifted, but he didn’t resist. As a terrifying suction gripped him, he lost consciousness for a moment.

When he came to, the world around him was a dull yellow, and the sky above was a vast vortex.

Behind them, the flowing sand and earth poured down like a waterfall from the heavens.

“So this is the Shifting Sands Marsh’s secret realm?”

“Exactly! This is the world beneath the marsh zone. As for the shifting sands you see outside, that’s the entrance behind us.”

As she spoke, Ziling’s expression grew grave. “The Shifting Sands Marsh is strange—if you’re swallowed head-on, not even a Violet Palace cultivator can escape alive. Only by sneaking in through the back is there any hope of getting out.”

“Why is that?” Tu Lu asked, startled.

“No one knows,” Ziling replied, shaking her head.

“There were Nascent Soul elders who investigated, but it seems they triggered something unknown and returned gravely injured. Moreover, though it’s a secret realm, there’s nothing much to be gained here. Over time, interest faded and no one explored further.”

Tu Lu nodded lightly.

Ziling continued, “We still need to be careful, especially not to attack any of the beasts here. If we don’t provoke them, they won’t attack us.

According to what’s known, the beasts here are all interconnected. Some are even as formidable as Violet Palace cultivators. With our current strength, if we’re beset by ancient beasts, it would be far too dangerous.”

Tu Lu nodded.

Glancing around, he saw beasts wandering everywhere, yet none seemed to notice them—each going about its own business.

Some even radiated the aura of ancient behemoths.

This was a matter of life and death; he dared not be careless.

But just then, a commotion sounded in the distance.

“Violet Camel Peak!”