The Mystery of the Youth

Yi Yun swiftly removed the silk and some venom from the Thousand-legged Black Silkworm's body, then took several of its steel teeth and put them into his Space Ring. Afterward, he used his Movement Technique to speed towards the depths of the wilderness.

For those undergoing trials in the Divine Desolation Training, storage space is a major issue. Generally, they only take the most valuable materials from large wild beasts, otherwise their Space Ring will quickly become full.

During the high-speed flight, Yi Yun activated the Energy Vision of the Purple Crystal.

The Savage Power in the surrounding space rippled like water, Yi Yun soon saw energy points appearing in the distance of the wasteland.

"One head, two heads, three heads..."

These energy spots are actually the Thousand-legged Black Silkworm.

Yi Yun immediately changed direction, avoiding the swarm of Thousand-legged Black Silkworm, and ran towards the depths of the wilderness.

Just before the Thousand-legged Black Silkworm launched its sneak attack, Yi Yun had been sound asleep for two hours, which was enough for him.

Although the nights in the Great Wilderness are dangerous, Yi Yun can use his Purple Crystal Vision to clear a path and avoid danger in advance.

As he sped along, Yi Yun took the opportunity to sense the Dharma Aspect Totem that was slowly condensing within his body.

Killing just one Thousand-legged Black Silkworm is far from enough for the Dharma Aspect Totem to be fully formed.

However, Yi Yun could already sense that it was developing.

Once a martial artist's Dharma Aspect Totem appears, it becomes fixed.

However, the forms of the Dharma Aspect Totem in the "Myriad Beast Catalog" change in various bizarre ways depending on the wild beasts killed.

From its initial form to its final shape, and then to its complete state, it may even undergo mutations and evolution.

The Dharma Aspect Totem has mutated; who knows what kind of scene that would be...

Yi Yun was somewhat expectant, but he also knew that his current state was still far from the point of transformation of the Dharma Aspect Totem.

His long journey has only just begun.

The wilderness was pitch black and boundless. Yi Yun didn't know how long he had been traveling. He encountered some wild beasts lurking in the darkness, but he avoided them in advance.

As the first rays of dawn pierced the darkness, a layer of mist enveloped the distant land, constantly shifting its form and carrying an unpleasant odor.

This is miasma!

Then, Yi Yun heard a gurgling sound of bubbles.

A vast, dark swamp appeared before Yi Yun, shrouded in a thin mist like a veil over the mud.

Upon arriving here, the pungent smell in the air was extremely strong.

"It's the Blackwater Swamp." Yi Yun recalled the records in the Divine Wilderness. The rotten mud and miasma in the Blackwater Swamp were poisonous, and the deeper one went, the more toxic they became.

Especially the black mud in the swamp, which is corrosive, like the bodily fluids of Thousand-legged Black Silkworm.

Logically speaking, such a highly poisonous Blackwater Swamp should be barren.

Strangely, a brightly colored aquatic plant grows in the swamp, its vibrant flowers contrasting sharply with the surrounding putrid black mud.

Yi Yun knew that this alluring flower was called the Blood Corpse Flower. It fed on rotting corpses and thrived in miasma. The Blood Corpse Flower itself was also highly poisonous.

Given Yi Yun's current state, if he were to envelop his body in vital energy, he could resist the corrosive effects of the mud. However, as time goes on, Yi Yun's vital energy will be rapidly depleted.

This Blackwater Swamp is vast and sprawling; Yi Yun estimates that it will take him at least a day and a night to cross it.

However, Yi Yun estimated that he could not last an hour in this highly poisonous swamp.

Moreover, the Blackwater Swamp is also home to a very small number of wild beasts, such as the Blackwater Ancient Crocodile. Encountering even one of them can be troublesome!

"Do we have to take a detour?"

Yi Yun frowned slightly. If they had to take a detour, they would have to go on a long journey to reach Falling Star Abyss. The journey was long, and with the occasional encounter with wild beasts, it would take about ten days.

As Yi Yun was pondering, a thought suddenly struck him.

That is...

Yi Yun looked into the distance in disbelief. There, amidst the thin miasma, a young man dressed in green rode a Green Ox and slowly approached.

The Green Ox trod lightly on the swamp with its four hooves, yet not a speck of mud touched its feet.

The boy on the ox's back, holding a Short Flute and wearing a bamboo Bamboo Hat, sang a melodious tune that teased the breeze in the swamp, causing clusters of Blood Corpse Flower to sway in the wind.

The poisonous swamp, which had seemed to be fraught with danger, suddenly transformed into a serene paradise, even the alluring Blood Corpse Flower appeared to have softened.

Yi Yun was stunned for a moment: green robes, Green Ox, Short Flute...

The sight of a boy dressed like a farmer Shepherd Boy suddenly appearing in this lifeless Blackwater Swamp was truly visually striking.

This young man seemed completely out of place in this endless, desolate land.

Who exactly is he...?

As Yi Yun watched the Youth in Green approach riding Green Ox, he touched the hilt of the Thousand Army Saber with one hand, and his entire body circulated his vital energy.

He couldn't discern the boy's cultivation level at all, feeling that the other party was just an ordinary person. Even with the Purple Crystal Vision, the energy contained within the boy wasn't necessarily much stronger. However, he possessed a colorful life magnetic field within his body, which was dazzling and beautiful.

The boy saw Yi Yun, slightly removed the Short Flute from his lips, and smiled gently at Yi Yun. "Hello."

The boy's voice was like a gentle breeze.

Yi Yun remained wary; he nodded slightly in return.

"You are... a trial participant from the Divine Wilderness?"

Yi Yun instinctively sensed the boy's strength, but judging from his age, he was only sixteen or seventeen. Such a prodigy was simply unimaginable.

"A trial participant?" The young man paused for a moment, then smiled and gently shook his head. "I'm not. I'm just a traveler passing through the Divine Wilderness..."

"A traveler? Passing through the Divine Wilderness!?"

Yi Yun was startled. Judging from the direction the young man came from, he had most likely crossed the Blackwater Swamp.

He crossed the highly poisonous Blackwater Swamp with ease, but that wasn't the most surprising thing for Yi Yun.

To his astonishment, the boy was clearly heading towards the Tai'a Divine Kingdom, while the north from which he came was completely desolate and uninhabited. North of the Divine Wilderness lay endless wastelands, where countless powerful wild beasts lurked. Many of these beasts were so powerful that even Human Race Sage would flee in terror!

The young man actually said he was passing through the Divine Wilderness. If he really came from the north, then where did he come from?

It couldn't possibly be the other side of the Divine Wilderness...

Yi Yun's heart was in turmoil, but on the surface, he remained calm. He stopped speaking. This mysterious young man was from a completely different world than him.

Or perhaps he wasn't even a teenager at all...

"Hmm... you're very interesting."

The boy looked at Yi Yun and smiled gently, "We should meet again."

After he finished speaking, he rode his Green Ox past Yi Yun.

The melodious flute music rang out again, and the cheerful notes seemed to materialize, dancing freely in the blue sky and white clouds.

The carrion birds in the sky were also attracted by the musical notes and flew around the boy not far away.

In the ponds far from the swamp, strangely shaped, highly poisonous fish leap out of the water, blowing bubbles with great joy.

These lives, which were feared and loathed by others, now seemed to have transformed into joyful sprites. This scene left a very deep impression on Yi Yun...

Yi Yun watched the young man disappear from sight. He sensed a strange magic in the young man's flute music, a power capable of manipulating the minds of wild beasts...

When the boy first crossed the Blackwater Swamp, he strolled through it as if he were walking in a garden.

His target was so obvious, how could those wild beasts not notice him? But... perhaps because of this strange flute music, he was not attacked at all.

"This boy is truly strange. He should possess the ability to control wild beasts... What is he doing in the Tai'a Divine Kingdom?"

Yi Yun muttered to himself, "The path of martial arts is full of strange and wonderful things. It's not surprising that some people have the ability to control beasts."

As for why the boy went to the Tai'a Divine Kingdom, or whether he was just passing through, Yi Yun didn't bother to think about it anymore. What he should be concerned about now was how to cross this Blackwater Swamp.

Taking a detour would be too far.

Yi Yun walked along the edge of the swamp for about fifteen minutes before suddenly stopping.

Um?

In his Energy Vision, a ball of pure black energy appeared, lurking underground.

"Gurgle, gurgle--"

In the misty depths of the swamp, an unusual movement suddenly arose: the silt churned and large clumps of silt bubbles rose to the surface.

A dark silhouette appeared in the very center of the mist... (To be continued~^~)