Ancient Alliance

Leaving the Jade Clarity Retreat, Li Su and Zhiwei followed the newly acquired map, avoiding several areas marked as "dangerous" and heading northwest.

The deeper they ventured, the more the evil qi in the world seemed to grow denser. However, unlike the pure desolation and silence they had encountered before, this region began to exude an ancient, wild aura.

Giant fossilized beast bones, unlike any they had ever seen, were half-buried in the ground. On the heavily weathered stone walls, primitive murals occasionally depicted scenes of giants battling fierce beasts, filled with a sense of desolation and power.

According to the map, they would soon pass through a vast wetland called the "Shadowed Marsh."

The map's annotations for this area were extremely detailed, warning that it was not only filled with poisonous miasma capable of corroding primordial spirits and magical powers, but also home to countless strange poisonous insects. Furthermore, deeper within, some "ancient remnants" resided, who were extremely xenophobic and employed peculiar methods. It was strongly advised to detour completely or pass through quickly, and under no circumstances to venture deep.

"Ancient remnants?" Zhiwei sounded a little scared. "They sound terrifying."

Li Su scanned the marsh, shrouded in gray-black mist and stretching as far as the eye could see, with a grave expression.

The marsh gave him a truly dangerous feeling. Poisonous miasma permeated the air, and it was deathly still, yet within the silence, it hid many powerful and ancient life forces. It was even more unsettling than Jue Sha Ridge.

"We'll pass through cautiously. Try not to disturb anything," Li Su said solemnly, re-examining the miasma-repelling talismans gifted by Yu Jizi.

The two of them suppressed all their auras. Li Su even set up a small concealment formation beforehand to cover himself and Zhiwei before carefully stepping onto the edge of the Shadowed Marsh.

The marsh was muddy and treacherous. Black wastewater bubbled, emitting a nauseating stench.

Bizarre, twisted dead trees stood crookedly, like ghostly figures.

The dense gray-black miasma severely obstructed spiritual sense detection, allowing them to see only a few dozen yards around.

Various poisonous insects rustled, hidden beneath the mud, water, and decaying leaves, peering out at the world.

They followed the relatively safe route indicated on the map, moving slowly and daring to make no careless mistakes.

The miasma-repelling talismans emitted a clear light, warding off the surrounding poisonous miasma with faint sizzling sounds.

However, as they reached the central area of the marsh, an unexpected change occurred!

The surrounding miasma suddenly churned violently, forming a massive vortex that trapped the two of them in the center!

At the same time, the already soft mud beneath their feet instantly became like quicksand, exerting a powerful suction force, attempting to drag them into the abyss!

"Not good!" Li Su urgently channeled his magic power. His bamboo roots firmly gripped a hard reef below, stabilizing his body. Simultaneously, his Star Evil Body Protection aura flared, resisting the suddenly intensified corrosive miasma!

Zhiwei cried out in alarm, almost swallowed by the quicksand. Fortunately, Li Su quickly wrapped her with his bamboo branches.

"Who's there? Get out!" Li Su's spiritual sense swept towards a certain point in the miasma vortex, and he shouted sternly.

He sensed a hostile and ancient, vast will controlling all of this!

"Outsiders... Leave... or... die..." A hoarse, difficult voice, as if unused for a long time, came intermittently from the depths of the miasma, carrying a strong warning.

Immediately after, from the mud and swamp around them, figures slowly rose.

They were tall, dressed in simple animal skins, with bronze skin. Their bodies were covered in strange paint, and they held bone staffs or stone spears, their eyes cold and hostile as they looked at Li Su and Zhiwei.

Their auras blended with the marsh, possessing a primitive, savage, yet powerful sense of strength, completely different from the pure and ethereal nature of Xuanmen cultivators.

"It's... it's the Witch People!" Zhiwei's voice trembled with fear. "Legend says they are descendants of the ancient Witch Clan... they deeply hate outsider cultivators!"

Descendants of the Witch Clan? Li Su's heart trembled.

He hadn't expected to encounter a legendary race here. Weren't the Witch Clan in decline after the Witch-Demon War? How could remnants still survive in such a perilous place?

The elder at the forefront, holding a black wooden staff inlaid with beast bones, possessed the most powerful aura, faintly reaching the Celestial Immortal realm (the Witch Clan did not cultivate primordial spirits, but focused on their physical bodies and laws, known as the Great Witch Realm).

His cold gaze swept over Li Su and Zhiwei, finally landing on Li Su's unique bamboo body, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

"Xuanmen aura... and... a repulsive demonic aura..." the Old Witch Doctor's voice was hoarse. "Leave... the land of the Witches... you are not welcome..."

Li Su's mind raced. A direct confrontation was clearly not a good strategy; these Witch People were obviously skilled at fighting in this environment.

He attempted to communicate: "We are merely passing through and mean no harm. We only wish to travel northwest and will not disturb your territory."

"All outsiders... say they mean no harm..." The Old Witch Doctor stomped his wooden staff. The surrounding miasma churned again, and the Witch warriors raised their stone spears and bone staffs, radiating killing intent.

Conflict seemed imminent!

Suddenly, Li Su had an inspiration. He remembered the jade slip he had obtained from the ancient teleportation array! It mentioned "Di Jun" and "Heavenly Court." Di Jun was the ancient Demon Emperor and a sworn enemy of the Witch Clan! However, the jade slip also conveyed the despair of those who remained and warnings to those who came later. Perhaps...

He immediately used his spiritual sense to transmit a fragment of fluctuation from that jade slip, imbued with a sense of desolation and helplessness: "...Yet the great war was fierce, and heaven and earth were overturned... The return path is uncertain... If later generations arrive, be cautious and cherish..."

The moment this fluctuation was transmitted, the Old Witch Doctor froze, his eyes erupting with astonishing light, staring intently at Li Su!

"You... where did you obtain this 'Ancient Spirit's Sigh'?" His voice was filled with disbelief, excitement, and trembling. Even the surrounding miasma seemed to fluctuate.

Li Su's heart stirred. There was hope! He maintained his composure and responded with his spiritual sense: "I obtained it by chance from an ancient ruin. Do you recognize this, elder?"

The Old Witch Doctor did not answer. Instead, he stared intently at Li Su, his gaze seeming to pierce through him.

After a long while, the hostility emanating from him slowly receded. He waved his hand, signaling the surrounding Witch warriors to lower their weapons.

He sighed, his voice still hoarse, but with less coldness and more weariness. "So... you received the inheritance of those 'abandoned ones'... No wonder you have a strange aura about you, neither purely Xuanmen nor from the Demon Race, but mixed with the scent of ancient stars..."

Abandoned ones? Did he mean the demon court personnel who remained at the ancient teleportation array? Li Su remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

The Old Witch Doctor looked at Li Su, his eyes complex. "Since you have a connection with those 'abandoned ones' and are not an enemy... according to the ancient covenant, you may pass... but only you."

He pointed at Li Su, then coldly glanced at Zhiwei. "This Rabbit Demon, no."

Zhiwei's face turned pale.

Li Su said sternly, "She is my companion, not an enemy."

The old witch doctor shook his head. "The covenant is only for the inheritors of the 'Abandoners.' Yao cannot be trusted." His tone was resolute.

Just then, the "Bedrock Rune" deep within Li Su's Primordial Spirit pulsed with warmth again. An extremely faint "Bedrock" Dao rhythm, originating from the giant beast's skull, emanated unconsciously.

This wisp of Dao rhythm was incredibly subtle, yet it caused the old witch doctor's expression to change once more. He carefully sensed Li Su, especially the faint, ethereal "Bedrock Rune" phantom that vaguely appeared on Mo Xing Bamboo's body. The surprise and uncertainty in his eyes deepened.

"...The resonance of 'Buzhou'? Though minuscule... it's unmistakable... you've actually been touched by the aura of 'Buzhou'?"

The old witch doctor muttered to himself, his gaze towards Li Su completely transformed. From a slightly softened look before, it now held a hint of... inexplicable reverence? (The Witch Clan originated from Pangu, and Buzhou Mountain was formed from Pangu's spine, holding special significance for the Witch Clan.)

He fell silent for a long while again, then finally spoke slowly, "Very well... Since you bear the legacy of the 'Abandoners' and are favored by the resonance of 'Buzhou'... perhaps you are the variable in the ancient prophecy... You two, you may pass..."

With a wave of his wooden staff, the surrounding miasma vortex instantly calmed, and the quicksand beneath their feet returned to normal.

"Follow this Water Serpent Bone Bridge, and you can safely cross the heart of the marsh. Remember, do not stray, and do not pry into the depths of the marsh, or you might awaken the slumbering Ancestral Spirits, and no one will be able to save you."

The old witch doctor pointed to a faint path in the marsh, paved with enormous white beast bones.

"Thank you, senior." Li Su breathed a sigh of relief. Although he didn't quite understand ("Buzhou" resonance? Did he mean the "Bedrock Rune" imprinted by the giant beast's skull?), at least they had narrowly avoided disaster. He led Zhiwei onto the beast bone path.

The old witch doctor watched their receding figures, his gaze deep. He whispered in a voice only he could hear, "The body of Star Bamboo, the fate of abandonment, the meaning of Buzhou... Is the Primordial World about to stir again..."

After Li Su and Zhiwei disappeared, he turned, leading the Witch Clan warriors, and slowly sank back into the depths of the marsh, as if he had never appeared.