The Divine Nine-Dragon Cauldron

The newcomer was Senior Brother Liu. He came forward and stood a hundred feet away to ensure that he had enough distance to respond, now that he was faced with two people with extremely swift body techniques.

“We are all from the Red Blood Palace; we should join hands to face our common enemy. Of course, I’m willing to assist you.” Senior Brother Liu grinned. “I think we will be safer by collaborating.”

Gongsun Wuxie had always been plotting against others. Would she believe him so easily?

“It seems like we don’t need your help.” Gongsun Wuxie pointed at the two whiffs of Purple Cloud Vital Energy on top of her head and cast a cautious glance at the whiffs of Purple Cloud Vital Energy above Senior Brother Liu’s head. Three whiffs meant that he had killed three people. Senior Brother Liu certainly wasn’t kind.

Now that Gongsun Wuxie had achieved her goal, what was the point of collaborating with a stranger and taking the possible risk?

“More than half of the time has passed. I believe those who get to stay are all capable individuals like us,” Senior Brother Liu said as he looked at them. “The two of you have impressive body techniques, but it doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to safeguard your wellbeing in the next half of the day.”

His words were reasonable. Nearly all the weak ones had already been eliminated. Those who were still preparing in the secret realm were only the tip-top strong individuals. It wouldn’t be as easy and effortless as before if they ever crossed paths with them.

Gongsun Wuxie was thoughtful, her small face serious. She thought for a moment before replying. “Alright, Senior Brother Liu can come with us. Hopefully, we’ll meet up with more senior brothers and sisters as we move forward.”

Senior Brother Liu smiled.

“I don’t like him,” the young girl said, pouting as she stared at Senior Brother Liu with animosity. She only recognized Gongsun Wuxie as her battle companion who shared the same interests as her.

Gongsun Wuxie laughed and said, “Don’t be like that! He’s also a friend of ours with the same interests.”

“Is he?” The girl stared at Senior Brother Liu like a vigilant little beast.

Senior Brother Liu narrowed his eyes and flashed an amiable smile, but was greeted with a cold, ruthless snort from the girl. The three of them had come to terms for the time being.

“What do you have in mind now, junior sister?” Senior Brother Liu stepped forward.

Gongsun Wuxie answered nonchalantly, “Haven’t you heard? We’re going to travel further into the central region and fight for more Purple Cloud Vital Energy.”

Liu said, “What I mean is, perhaps I could provide some useful information.”

“Oh? What does that mean?” Gongsun Wuxie rolled her eyes.

Liu smiled mysteriously. “It means just the way it sounds. Before running into you, I was in the central region, and I discovered a gang of three in a swamp area.”

Gongsun Wuxie’s eyes shone. “What faction do they belong to? How strong were they?”

“They don’t belong to any faction. They are some wandering martial artists who have gathered here. The strongest one has the capacity of an eighth-grade fairy, and the weakest one is a seventh-grade fairy. The three have obtained the Purple Cloud Vital Energy and are now hiding in the swamp,” Liu said.

Gongsun Wuxie was excited. “Why didn’t you get rid of them when you discovered them? Why have you come all the way to find helpers?” she asked.

Liu replied, “Of course it was because I couldn’t do it alone! The swamp is a little peculiar. It is constantly changing. Once you step into it, you’ll be easily trapped without agile body techniques. I saw with my own eyes how a fifth-grade Almighty entered the swamp to hunt down those three, and how he was engulfed then and there and got eliminated. The two of you have impressive body techniques. I think that it’ll be a breeze for you to get through the swamp, so I’ve come here to tell you about it.”

Swamp area? Gongsun Wuxie looked at the girl.

She nodded gravely. “Yes, there really is a swamp area in the central region. It is called the Ruolan Swamp. One who has practiced unique cultivation techniques could adapt to the dangerous marsh in the swamp. It is indeed a suitable hiding spot. I estimate there must be more than three people hiding there now,” she said.

If many people were hiding there, it meant that many predators were there too.

After some contemplation, Gongsun Wuxie was full of anticipation. “Alright, let’s head for the Ruolan Swamp.” The three of them set off right away.

Not long after they left, Su Yu arrived from a thousand meters away. He stared in the direction in which they were headed, and murmured to himself, “Ruolan Swamp. What scheme does Senior Brother Liu have up his sleeve?”

Solely speaking of capabilities, Senior Brother Liu would be no match to Gongsun Wuxie and that young girl combined. If he tried to attack by force, he would more likely get killed in return. Therefore, he must have devised some kind of entrapment at the Ruolan Swamp.

Su Yu wouldn’t be able to expose Liu even if he showed himself now. It was better to follow him and act according to the circumstances.

Half an hour later, the fuzzy haze ahead became denser, and the vapor in the air was more concentrated. It wasn’t sturdy soil under his feet anymore, but a narrow muddy path. They seemed to be gradually approaching somewhere with opulent sources of water.

“We’ve reached the Ruolan Swamp. Based on the marks that I have left along the way, we are less than 300 meters away from the three of them. Please be prepared, Junior Sisters,” Senior Brother Liu said, lowering his voice and sounding alert.

Gongsun Wuxie gazed at the surroundings, the tips of her feet tapping lightly non-stop, like a dragonfly on water. Hers and the young girl’s feet remained clean and bright. They were totally free of filth in the soft, marshy mud and were not soiled at all. Their high-speed movement meant that their journey had been smooth sailing all the way.

In contrast, Senior Brother Liu found half of his body sunk in the mud already, making it very tough for him to move forward. If he forced himself to continue, he could very possibly meet the swirls hidden deep in the mud, which could engulf him completely. It was extremely perilous.

“Junior Sisters, this is as far as I can go. It depends on you now,” Senior Brother Liu said helplessly, coming to a halt.

Gongsun Wuxie took a look at his condition and nodded. “Alright, take care.” She led the girl into the blurry haze, and they sprinted off. After covering two hundred meters, neither of them could feel each other’s presence anymore. Gongsun Wuxie held the girl back and rapidly changed their direction. They took a detour and walked back, instead of going three hundred meters on.

“What’s going on? Why don’t we kill those three fellows?” The girl was nonplussed.

Gongsun Wuxie looked contemptuous. “He really thought he could fool people with such trifling tricks? Senior Brother Liu isn’t reliable at all, I think what awaits us three hundred meters ahead isn’t three weak men at all, but a trap. Now, we go back and see what he’s doing. That will make everything clear.” Gongsun Wuxie’s eyes shone with cunning wisdom.

They rushed back to where they had left Senior Brother Liu, but he was nowhere to be seen. The spot where Liu had been stuck in the mud showed no signs of forceful struggle, but there was a hole which seemed like someone had escaped from it with ease and a line of footprints that stretched for three hundred meters ahead. Obviously, Senior Brother Liu had freed himself from the marsh as soon as they had left and had been secretly following them since.

Judging from the depth of the footprints on the mud, Senior Brother Liu seemed to have used some kind of method to resist gravity, enabling him to easily walk on the mud.

“Humph, something is really going on. Let us follow him and give him a surprise!” Gongsun Wuxie laughed coldly. Along with the young girl, she was about to stalk their stalker instead.

Meanwhile, Liu was crouched three hundred meters away, amidst a mass of reeds which were floating on the marsh. He was scanning the fuzzy haze ahead as he frowned. “Strange! Could they have been finished off so easily that they didn’t even make a sound?” His eyes were full of dread as he stared at the thick, dense haze ahead. He had concealed his scent in a very subtle way. He waited for some time, making sure that no sound or motion was being made.

“It seems that they will be unlikely to return,” he thought to himself. “Gongsun Wuxie is known as the Evil in the East in the outside sanctum, quick-witted and lithe. Now that she’s been finished off so easily, she doesn’t seem all that great to me.”

Liu stood up slowly, stepping on a green leaf as tall of a human and slowly gliding backward in the swamp. He had relied upon this method to steady himself on the mud and avoid sinking downwards.

After retreating thirty to forty meters, Liu seemed to have sensed something. He turned to look abruptly. “Who is there? Come out!”