The morning light over the sacred mountain had only just dispersed the last wisps of sinister mist when Loran and his companions finished packing. Elder White stayed in the temple to preside over the Holy Spring purification ritual. Before they left, he handed Loran a Holy Spring Amulet. "This amulet can temporarily withstand the abyssal evil power. If you encounter a crisis you cannot handle, crush it to summon the temple's projection of light for support."
Lei Lin stretched its fiery wings in the morning breeze, its golden-red flames burning hotter than yesterday. Last night, Liya had used the residual warmth of the Life Crystal Core to nourish its essence, and its wingtips could now condense tiny "light fire motes" that would automatically unleash purifying power upon touching anything evil. Meanwhile, Snow Spirit Qilin had tied the ice talisman around its neck. The pale green light woven through its pearly-white frost mist had grown more distinct, and the black light pointing south from the talisman pulsed ever more urgently, as though urging them to hurry.
"The Swamp of the Dead is shrouded in soul-rotting miasma year-round. It erodes the mind and nourishes undead creatures." Liya leafed through the Illustrated Catalog of Plants, tracing the swamp map on its pages with a fingertip. "According to the catalog, there is a Bone Swamp Island at the center of the swamp. It is rumored to have been a battlefield in an ancient undead war. The concentration of rotting souls is highest there, so the Insect Clan's nest is most likely on the island."
The Icefield Wolf walked close to Lei Lin's fiery wings, its golden eyes scanning their surroundings warily. After they left the sacred mountain, the stench of decay gradually replaced the sacred aura. The distant southern horizon had a grayish-purple tinge-a sign of gathering soul-rotting miasma.
When they reached the Deadwood Forest at the edge of the swamp, the surrounding trees suddenly shook violently. Withered vines coiled toward them like living creatures. Half-rotted skulls hung among the vines, eerie green ghost flames flickering in their eye sockets. These were Rotting Soul Vines contaminated by the miasma, capable of draining the life force of those who passed.
"Careful! There are Rotting Soul Worm eggs on the vines!" Liya immediately swung her staff. Emerald-green vines sprang from the ground and entwined with the Rotting Soul Vines. The moment their natural powers collided, countless thin cracks split open along the Rotting Soul Vines. Several translucent worms crawled out, pale green soul mist wrapped inside their bodies. They were the Rotting Soul Worms that could parasitize the undead.
Pure white light condensed at Loran's fingertips. His three-element power became threads of light that precisely bound the Rotting Soul Worms. The light power within the threads instantly purified their bodies. Deprived of its hosts, the soul mist turned into wisps of smoke and dispersed. Lei Lin spat fire motes onto the roots of the Rotting Soul Vines. The motes erupted upon contact with the miasma, scorching the roots black. The withered vines instantly lost their vitality and slumped to the ground.
"These Rotting Soul Worms can attach themselves to undead creatures and cause the dead to undergo a second mutation." Liya wiped the sweat from her forehead. "If they parasitize the large undead deep in the swamp, they will become even harder-to-handle Rotting Soul Puppets."
After they passed through the Deadwood Forest, the full expanse of the Swamp of the Dead finally unfolded before them. Grayish-purple miasma blanketed the entire swamp. Rotten vegetation and animal bones floated on the water, and skeletal arms occasionally reached out of the muddy water, trying to seize the ankles of those passing by. Snow Spirit Qilin's frost mist condensed into a barrier of light around the group. The pale green light within it intertwined with the Holy Spring Amulet's glow, temporarily blocking the miasma's corrosive effects.
The Icefield Wolf suddenly stopped and growled toward the depths of the swamp. Its nose kept twitching, and a trace of wariness flashed through its golden eyes. A muffled bubbling came from beneath the muddy water, as though some enormous creature were moving.
"It's a Rotting Soul Giant Crocodile!" No sooner had Liya spoken than the water exploded and a ten-meter-long giant crocodile leaped out. Blackish-purple wormholes covered its scales, Rotting Soul Worms filled its eye sockets, and the miasma spewing from its mouth could actually corrode the air, leaving streaks of grayish-black behind.
The giant crocodile lashed its tail hard at Lei Lin. Loran immediately flipped into the air, the pure white glow of his knight's sword condensing into a blade of light that slashed at its wormholes. The instant the light blade pierced them, countless Rotting Soul Worms crawled out, only to be purified one by one by Lei Lin's fire motes. Snow Spirit Qilin breathed out frost mist, freezing the crocodile's limbs so it could not sink into the muddy water.
"Attack its throat! That's the core where the Rotting Soul Worms gather!" Liya shouted. Loran immediately changed direction and leaped onto the crocodile's back, driving his knight's sword straight into its throat. Pure white light erupted. The crocodile let out a shrill scream, and vast amounts of soul mist spewed from the wormholes in its throat. The Rotting Soul Worms were completely purified, and the crocodile's enormous body crashed down and sank into the muddy water.
The group had barely breathed a sigh of relief when an eerie buzzing suddenly came from deep within the swamp. The miasma began churning violently, and countless eerie green points of light rose from the muddy water. Each point was a Rotting Soul Worm. They gathered into a cloud of insects in the air and flew toward Bone Swamp Island.
"The swarm is gathering at the center of the island. They must be supplying soul mist to the insect queen!" Loran tightened his grip on his knight's sword. "We have to hurry. If the insect queen absorbs enough soul mist, she'll be ten times stronger than the previous Bone-Corroding Insect Queen once she hatches!"
Lei Lin immediately beat its fiery wings and carried the group through the air at low altitude. The closer they drew to Bone Swamp Island, the denser the soul-rotting miasma became, and the Holy Spring Amulet's glow began to dim. Snow Spirit Qilin's ice talisman suddenly pulsed violently. A simple map of the island actually appeared within its pearly-white light, with a pale green "safe zone" marked on it.
"The ice talisman is guiding us to the safe zone!" Snow Spirit Qilin said with delighted surprise. "There might be something there that can purify the miasma, or... natives of the swamp!"
Following the ice talisman's guidance, the group landed beside Clear Lotus Pool on the western side of Bone Swamp Island. Pale green Soul-Purifying Lotuses bloomed in the water, and the dewdrops on their petals could disperse the miasma. Ancient runes carved into the rocks beside the pool bore some resemblance to the Elf Clan's nature runes, yet also possessed the fluid grace of the water element.
"These runes are the Swamp Spirit Clan's totems!" Liya gazed at the runes, her eyes full of delighted surprise. "Ancient texts say the Swamp Spirit Clan are natives of the Swamp of the Dead. They can control the water element and Soul-Purifying Lotuses, and are the natural enemies of rotting souls and the Insect Clan! They should still be nearby!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than ripples suddenly spread across the pool. A dozen or so short figures with pale green skin emerged from the water. They held spears made from Soul-Purifying Lotus stems, wariness gleaming in their eyes. "Outsiders, why have you trespassed into our territory?"
The Swamp Spirit elder leading them leaned on a wooden staff inlaid with Soul-Purifying Lotus seeds. The seed at its tip glowed pale green, temporarily suppressing the surrounding miasma. His gaze swept over Loran's group. When he saw the ice talisman around Snow Spirit Qilin's neck, surprise flashed in his eyes. "Is that... an ice talisman of the ancient Qilin Clan? Are you companions of Lord Qilin?"
Snow Spirit Qilin nodded, and a Qilin phantom appeared within its pearly-white frost mist. "We came to stop the Insect Clan from hatching their queen. The rotting souls in the swamp are growing denser. If this continues, the Insect Clan will occupy the entire swamp."
The Swamp Spirit elder sighed and walked to the pool's edge with his wooden staff. "We discovered the Insect Clan's plot long ago. Three months ago, blackish-purple slime suddenly appeared at the Altar of the Dead in the center of Bone Swamp Island. The Rotting Soul Worms have grown more and more numerous, and our Soul-Purifying Lotuses can barely hold them back anymore. The young people of our clan went to investigate the altar, but never returned..."
"The Altar of the Dead is the Insect Clan's nest!" Loran said immediately. "We need your help. Soul-Purifying Lotuses can purify the Rotting Soul Worms and the miasma. As long as we join forces, we can definitely stop the insect queen from hatching!"
The Swamp Spirit elder hesitated for a moment and looked at the Soul-Purifying Lotuses in the pool. "The Soul-Purifying Lotuses need the Lotus Heart Crystal to unleash their full power, and the crystal is hidden in the Soul-Purifying Spring beneath the Altar of the Dead. But Rotting Soul Puppets and Insect Clan slime cover the area around the altar. We cannot get anywhere near it..."
"We can help you get the Lotus Heart Crystal!" Liya said immediately. "Loran's three-element power can purify the slime, and Lei Lin's flames can disperse the rotting souls. As long as you can guide us, we can break through the altar's defenses!"
The Swamp Spirit elder looked into Loran's resolute eyes, then glanced at Snow Spirit Qilin's ice talisman. At last, he nodded. "All right! We trust Lord Qilin's companions! I will send our clan's finest warriors to lead you in through the altar's secret passage. It will let you bypass most of the Rotting Soul Puppets."
He turned and gave the Swamp Spirit warriors behind him a few instructions. They immediately submerged and began clearing the Rotting Soul Vines from the passage entrance. Meanwhile, Loran walked to the edge of the soul-purifying pool and picked up a Soul-Purifying Lotus petal. A dewdrop fell from it onto his knight's sword, and the blade's pure white glow actually grew brighter. The power of the Soul-Purifying Lotus and his three-element power could nourish each other, giving him greater confidence in the battle ahead.
"Clearing the passage will take an hour." The Swamp Spirit elder handed Loran a Soul-Purifying Lotus seed. "Hold this in your mouth. It can completely block the miasma's corrosive effects, and will automatically release purifying power when you encounter Rotting Soul Worms."
Loran took the lotus seed and held it in his mouth. A cool sensation spread down his throat, and the slight dizziness caused by the miasma instantly vanished. He looked toward the center of Bone Swamp Island. The buzzing there was growing louder and louder, and he could even see a blackish-purple pillar of light within the miasma. Clearly, the insect queen's hatching had already reached a critical stage.
Snow Spirit Qilin's ice talisman was now flashing violently as well, pointing toward the altar. A trace of dark red actually mingled with its black light-a signal that the insect queen was about to hatch. More fire motes condensed on Lei Lin's fiery wings, and golden-red flames danced around its body, as though it were gathering strength for the coming battle.
An hour later, the Swamp Spirit warriors emerged from the water and nodded to the group. "The passage is clear! We can leave!"
Loran and his companions followed the Swamp Spirit warriors into the secret passage beneath Clear Lotus Pool. Glowing Soul-Purifying Lotus seeds were embedded in its walls, illuminating the way ahead. Faint insect cries and the wails of rotting souls drifted from the far end. A decisive battle against the insect queen, one that would determine the swamp's survival and even affect the entire continent, was about to begin.
The Swamp Spirit elder stood at the passage entrance, watching their retreating backs as he prayed softly, "May Lord Qilin protect them. I hope they succeed..."
Inside the passage, Loran tightened his grip on his knight's sword. The pure white light at his fingertips intertwined with the pale green glow of the Soul-Purifying Lotus seed. He knew the coming battle would be harder than any he had faced before, but with his companions beside him and the Swamp Spirit Clan's assistance, he had confidence that he could stop the Insect Clan's plot and protect this swamp shrouded in rotting souls.
In the direction of the Altar of the Dead, the blackish-purple pillar of light grew ever brighter. The countdown to the insect queen's hatching had begun. A new storm was brewing deep within the swamp.