Swamp Mist, Witch Clan Appears

# Chapter 20: Swamp Mist, Witch Clan Emerges

Hoofbeats thundered along the official road. Seven days later, Li Yifan led the Seventh Squad to Fishery Salt Town at the edge of the Black Swamp.

The town was shrouded in damp, hot fog. The air carried a salty, fishy smell and a faint hint of rotting vegetation. The town was small, its houses mostly built from wood and stone, looking somewhat dilapidated. Few pedestrians walked the streets, and most wore worried expressions, hurrying along. An oppressive, uneasy atmosphere hung over the entire town.

After Li Yifan revealed his identity, the Old Town Chief, as if grasping at a lifeline, welcomed them into the town hall.

"You Xuntian Envoys have finally come!" the Old Town Chief said, his voice trembling. "In the past half month, eight strong young men have gone missing! All of them were sleeping soundly at home at night, and by morning they were gone—doors and windows intact, not a sound! This, this must be the work of some evil spirit!"

Li Yifan asked in a low voice, "Is there any pattern to the disappearances? Any connection between the missing? Were any traces left at the scenes?"

The Old Town Chief tried to recall. "A pattern... it seems they all disappeared around the moonless nights. The missing were all strong, vigorous young men with abundant blood energy. No particular connection between them. The scenes... the Inspection Division checked and said there was a very faint, cold, rancid smell, but it dissipated quickly. No footprints or other traces were found."

Moonless nights, vigorous young men with abundant blood energy, a cold rancid smell... Li Yifan compared these clues to the corpse energy from Linshan County in his mind. They felt similar, but this was more concealed and filthy.

"Take us to the most recent disappearance scene," Li Yifan ordered.

The Town Chief led them to a house at the west end of town. The yard was simple, the interior furnishings sparse, with no signs of struggle. Li Yifan activated his Detection skill and carefully inspected the area. The faint cold, rancid smell in the air had almost completely dissipated, but his keen senses still caught an extremely weak residue. At the same time, he noticed barely perceptible traces on the ground, like dried mucus.

[Skill: Detection Proficiency +10! Detected subtle traces, captured residual aura.]

"Not a direct abduction by corpse puppets..." Li Yifan mused. "More like they were lured or drugged unconscious and then taken. These traces... secretions from some kind of slippery creature?"

He sent Qian Xiaoliu to scout the town's perimeter, Zhao Xiong and Sun Shi to interview the townsfolk, and Chen Feng and Zhang Tie to help the Inspection Division review case files. He himself, along with Qian Xiaoliu who had a keen sense for auras, followed the faint residual evil energy toward the Black Swamp outside town.

The closer they got to the swamp, the thicker the fog became, and the cold, rancid smell grew faintly detectable. The swamp's edge was thick with vegetation and muddy, the air filled with deadly miasma. Li Yifan had everyone take Detoxification Pills and proceed cautiously.

After tracking for several li, the evil energy traces became clearer near a puddle but then abruptly stopped, as if vanishing into thin air. The puddle was murky, with some broken scales and a few strands of dark green fur scattered around it.

"Captain, look here!" Qian Xiaoliu pointed at a vague drag mark on the muddy ground by the water. "Looks like something heavy was dragged into the water!"

Li Yifan crouched to examine it. The edges of the drag mark also had that mucus-like residue. He speculated inwardly: "Could it be a Monster Beast from the swamp causing trouble? But then how to explain the evil energy?"

Just then, Sun Shi, who was on flank guard duty, suddenly called out in a low voice: "Who's there? Come out!"

Everyone instantly went on alert! Through the thick fog ahead, several figures appeared indistinctly. Their movements were silent, as if they had merged with the swamp environment.

The figures drew closer—three men in crude leather armor, their faces painted with colored mud patterns. They carried bone spears or poisoned blow darts, their eyes wary and cold, exuding a wild aura that blended with the swamp. The leader's aura had actually reached early Sinew Refining!

"Swamp Witch Clan!" Zhao Xiong said in a low voice, his tone grave.

Li Yifan's heart tightened as he recalled Commander Wang's warning. He stepped forward, cupped his fist, and said, "Xuntian Guard on official business, tracking evil traces to this area. No offense intended to your tribe."

The Witch Clan leader sized up Li Yifan, his gaze pausing briefly on the Xuntian Guard token at Li Yifan's waist. In stiff official speech, he said, "Xuntian Guard? This is our 'Black Water Tribe's' hunting grounds. The 'evil' you're chasing—does it stink of rot and specifically target living people?"

Li Yifan's heart stirred: "Exactly! Do you know what it is?"

The Witch Clan leader snorted coldly: "That's the work of the 'Water Ghost Hag' from the 'Rotten Mud Pool'! They've been corrupted by evil energy, become bloodthirsty. They come ashore on moonless nights to catch people. We're looking for them too."

Water Ghost Hag? Evil energy corruption? Li Yifan seized on the key information: "Evil energy corruption? From where?"

The leader's eyes flickered, as if reluctant to say more: "Deep swamp matters. Outsiders shouldn't pry. The Water Ghost Hag's lair is dangerous. Leave if you don't want to die." With that, he made a gesture, and the three Witch Clan warriors quickly retreated into the thick fog and vanished.

"Captain, can we trust what they said?" Qian Xiaoliu asked.

Li Yifan pondered for a moment: "The Swamp Witch Clan have lived here long; their knowledge of this area far exceeds ours. The 'Water Ghost Hag' explanation matches the clues. But they seemed to be hiding key information about the source of the evil energy." He looked toward the swamp's depths. "The Rotten Mud Pool... It seems we must go meet this 'Water Ghost Hag' ourselves."

Based on the Witch Clan's directions and their own tracking, the squad determined the general location of the "Rotten Mud Pool." It was a dangerous area deep in the Black Swamp, with thicker miasma and frequent Monster Beast activity.

After thorough preparation, the squad ventured deeper into the swamp again. The further they went, the harsher the environment became. Mud pits and sinkholes were everywhere, poisonous insects swarmed, and thick miasma obstructed their vision. Fortunately, with Detoxification Pills and miasma-repelling talismans, plus the squad members' tacit cooperation, they managed to press forward with difficulty.

Along the way, they encountered several attacks from swamp Monster Beasts. There were venomous crocodiles lurking in the muddy water, thick-skinned and ferocious in their ambushes; ghost-faced spiders hanging from dead trees that could spray paralyzing venom; and packs of Rotten-Fang Jackals, bloodthirsty and relentless. These beasts were mostly influenced by the environment, carrying a violent aura.

Li Yifan's Bone Forging Late cultivation and his Iron Bone Technique at Minor Accomplishment showed their power here. Facing a venomous crocodile's pounce, he no longer dodged entirely; sometimes he could rely on his strong bones and tendons to withstand the impact, while counterattacking fiercely with his Burning Wood Saber Technique, whose scorching saber energy also restrained the beasts. Zhao Xiong and Sun Shi's defense, Qian Xiaoliu's precise shooting, and Chen Feng and Zhang Tie's support allowed the squad to advance steadily.

[Encountered swamp Monster Beasts. Tempered in real combat. Iron Bone Technique Proficiency +5! Burning Wood Saber Technique Proficiency +8! Squad cooperation tacit increased!]

After over a day of arduous travel, they finally neared the "Rotten Mud Pool" area. The air here was thick with a strong stench and evil energy. Bubbles gurgled up from the mud pools, releasing toxic gases. The surroundings were eerily silent, with even fewer Monster Beast traces.

"Everyone be careful. We're close," Li Yifan said in a low voice, signaling everyone to conceal their auras and move stealthily through the dense vegetation.

Soon, a huge mud pool covered in black-green oily sheen appeared before them. At the pool's edge, bones and tattered clothing could be seen, sending chills down the spine. In the center of the pool were several strange nests built up from mud and dead branches.

Night gradually fell. It was a moonless night, without stars or moonlight. Pitch black surrounded them, broken only by the occasional bubble popping in the mud pool and the chirping of unknown insects.

Suddenly, there was movement from the nests in the center of the pool! Several hunched, slippery figures slowly crawled out. They were roughly human-shaped, but their skin was dark green and covered in slime. Their fingers and toes were webbed, their heads narrow and pointed, their eyes murky like dead fish, and rancid drool dripped from their mouths—these were the "Water Ghost Hags" the Witch Clan had mentioned!

There were five or six of them, their auras cold, roughly equivalent to Skin Refining to Body Refining realm martial artists. They crawled ashore, as if waiting for something.

Just then, Li Yifan keenly sensed a purer, more filthy evil energy quietly spreading from deeper in the swamp, enveloping the area. The Water Ghost Hags, feeling this evil energy, grew restless and agitated, letting out "heh heh" low growls, stirring toward Fishery Salt Town.

"So there really is a behind-the-scenes hand controlling them!" Li Yifan's heart tightened. The purity of this evil energy far surpassed the Water Ghost Hags, and was even more insidious than the Evil Cultivator from Linshan County!

"Prepare for battle!" Li Yifan ordered in a low voice. "Clear out these Water Ghost Hags first, force the person behind the scenes to show themselves! Zhao Xiong, Sun Shi, frontal containment. Qian Xiaoliu, ranged support. Chen Feng, Zhang Tie, flank harassment. I'll take the lead! Watch out for evil energy interference!"

Everyone held their breath, focusing. Blades were drawn, arrows nocked. A fierce battle around the Rotten Mud Pool was about to erupt. And the Evil Cultivator hidden deep in the swamp had finally revealed the tip of the iceberg.