Ink Cloud Marsh

---- Huo Prefecture, Ink Cloud Marsh

Preceptor Huang Mi reacted much faster than Sect Leader Kang Da had previously anticipated. The news of the Fourth Palace Master Yu Nian'en's death reached his ears immediately, and he quickly responded.

Xia Ming, the second master of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, soon returned alone from Si Prefecture with two bronze corpses. His disciples were also on their way back. Moreover, the progress of the Double Brightness Alliance army in Ink Cloud Marsh was far less smooth than Kang Dabao had previously predicted.

Objectively speaking, it was only at this point that Sect Leader Kang Da finally understood why the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall was qualified to be the ruler of the northern border of Huangpi Circuit.

The natural barriers of Ink Cloud Marsh were enough to deter any intruder.

This swampy wetland, spanning hundreds of miles, is shrouded in a miasma year-round. After being managed by generations of Golden Core cultivators from the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, it has long been integrated with the mountain-protecting array, making its power extraordinary.

Let alone sending soldiers to escape, even an ordinary Golden Core, if trapped alone, would likely find it difficult to maintain a clear Divine Sense, and would soon lose sight and all six senses.

Based on the words of the local cultivators who were questioned and the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall disciples who were captured by the Double Brightness Alliance, and combined with the fragmentary information that Sect Leader Kang Da had obtained from the Fearless Tower, they were able to roughly figure out the inside story of Ink Cloud Marsh.

The bottom of this swamp is covered with a layer of humus tens of feet thick. When cultivators come into contact with it, not only will their robes be corroded and they will need to use their own spiritual power to protect them, but it will also emit a thick layer of putrid odor.

This putrid stench is extremely fierce. If cultivators do not have methods to ward off the miasma, they may have their Spiritual Qi corrupted and their cultivation ruined within half an incense stick's time.

The pervasive stench of decay is the result of the fermentation of Spirit Plant remains and Demon Beast corpses that have accumulated in the depths of the Dasi Swamp over tens of thousands of years.

The Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall has been operating here for generations, and each generation has had disciples who have specially sought out various toxins to mix into this putrid atmosphere. Over the years, there have been quite a few types of toxins in this atmosphere, so many that even the leaders of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall themselves can hardly describe them clearly.

In fact, even after being tainted by this corrupting energy, the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall has very few means to eradicate the paralysis.

Therefore, it is perfectly normal for this sect to lose four or five lazy and foolish disciples every year due to their disrespect for sect rules and their inability to remember formations and directions.

Moreover, the ambitions of the ancestors of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall were clearly not limited to this. With their limited resources, they intended to completely transform this natural barrier into an impregnable fortress for their own sect.

Seventy-two underground channels were dug along the natural course of the swamp, which could both guide the flow of miasma to form a barrier and release "Spirit-Transforming Miasma" stored in a safe place during wartime.

This poisonous mist, created through a mixture of witchcraft and magic, is even capable of corrupting the natal magic Law Treasure of many cultivators at the Golden Core stage.

The seemingly randomly distributed dead trees on the surface of Ink Cloud Marsh are actually the "Heart-Corroding Stake," a sinister method crafted and laid by disciples of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall.

These deeply buried, dark woods are topped with camouflaged aquatic plants, hollow inside which are filled with poison. They will shatter upon the slightest impact. The splattered poison can even completely corrode defensive artifacts of the Spirit Artifact level.

Even more terrifying are the "Spirit-Devouring Algae" that are found throughout the entire Ink Cloud Marsh waters. These plants, carefully cultivated by the sorcerers, will recklessly entangle any creature that gets close, and their roots can penetrate the skin to absorb spiritual energy, which is then used to nourish the great formation.

The mountain gate of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall is hidden at the bottom of the Black Water Pool in the center of the swamp.

The entrance to this mountain gate is equipped with the "Heaven and Earth Reversal Formation." If an outsider's cultivation level is average, even if they manage to pass through the outer poisonous miasma, they will lose their way under the influence of this formation.

To onlookers, it seemed as if they were moving towards the center of the pool, but in reality, they were going around in circles, and eventually, in a state of complete numbness, they were surrounded and bound by the ever-accumulating poisonous miasma.

Afterwards, they will either exhaust their spiritual power and become dried corpses, or they will be devoured by the swarming ants from the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall.

However, the "Heaven and Earth Reversal Formation" that protects the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall at the bottom of the Blackwater Pool has more than just the effect of confusing the enemy.

As the current leader of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, Preceptor Huang Mi was not simply a ruler who maintained the status quo. During his more than two hundred years in power, he added three layers of thick armor to this formation.

One is the tens of thousands of "Blood-Devouring Gu". Outsiders, unaware of their origins, often find that by the time they discover them, these tiny creatures, as thick as hair, are already frantically gushing out from the cracks in the rock wall, burrowing into the cultivator's body through their pores and gnawing at their internal organs and flesh.

The second is "Bone-Corroding Mist," which is formed by refining iron and bronze corpses in a blood-transforming pool for a hundred years. If an ordinary person is attacked by this mist, their bones will turn into a paste within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, rendering them useless.

Thirdly, there is the Shaman Ancestor Banner hanging high outside the formation. According to Preceptor Huang Mi, the remnant spirit of the Witch Ancestor summoned by this banner is enough to qualify as a Golden Core cultivator.

Those who can become the founders of a dynasty are often not concerned with trivial matters. In fact, Preceptor Huang Mi was even more pragmatic and down-to-earth than Sect Leader Kang Da.

This Shaman Ancestor Banner was mostly Preceptor Huang Mi, who invited a skilled craftsman to create it using the remains of the ancestors of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall as material, and carefully nurtured it with many fragmented spirits he had collected.

If it weren't for the fact that the land veins of Ink Cloud Marsh have now been merged with those of the Moyunze, even if the Fourth Palace Master Yu Nian'en had died after the previous conflict between the two families, the elite disciples of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall would not have ended up in such a state of disintegration.

However, even though Preceptor Huang Mi had managed the base so diligently, he could only delay the army's attack and could not withstand the personal visit of someone like Sect Leader Kang Da.

After all, the latter's pupil technique was astonishing, and he was not easily bewitched. His Daoist skills were also quite remarkable, and ordinary methods could hardly stop him.

After Kang Dabao had traversed the thick, putrid miasma, leaped into the tranquil black pool, and dodged numerous ferocious Second Tier water beasts, he finally saw the black banner hanging high outside the gate of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall.

However, at this moment, Sect Leader Kang Da also ran into Second Hall Master Xia Ming, who was leading a group of disciples in a state of high alert.

Kang Dabao was unaware that another high-level cultivator had arrived at the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, and the latter was equally surprised that Sect Leader Kang Da possessed such abilities, enabling him to travel alone to such a crucial location.

However, Xia Ming's reaction was not slow either. At that time, even before the Sect Leader Kang Da had released his invincible Golden Light, he was shocked by the sudden Buddhist chants and Witchcraft Incantation that made his face solemn.

There wasn't much to say afterward. Xia Ming, the Second Palace Master, was no match for Yu Nian'en, who had just been captured alive by Kang Dabao.

Even if the disciples formed a formation to help, if Sect Leader Kang Da was Yixin to leave, and the Ancestral Shaman Ancestor Banner in front of the formation was difficult to activate for the time being, then relying solely on Xia Ming's abilities, it would be difficult to keep Kang Dabao. At most, he could throw some Blood-Devouring Gu over to chase after him for a while and save face a little.

The fleeing Sect Leader Kang Da was actually quite frightened, because he had been somewhat overconfident. After all, if it had been Huang Mi who had laid the ambush, Kang Dabao would have suffered a great loss.

On the way back, Kang Dabao did not stop what he was doing. He used his powerful and unparalleled Divine Sense to thoroughly scan the battlefield until he had a general understanding of it before returning to the camp.

The Sect Leader Kang Da has always been benevolent, and at this time, the newly recruited batch of soldiers came in handy.

These flesh-and-blood puppets, devoid of the six senses and Wuwei of death, are not strong in combat, but they are the best materials to be used for extermination in this place and the treacherous swamp.

However, since it was a team that had been built at great expense, it couldn't just be thrown into this filthy water and allowed to rot. After Yu Nian'en's death, the Double Brightness Alliance's situation in Huo Prefecture, where it had no support, changed drastically.

While the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall was undoubtedly the dominant force in Huo Prefecture, there were still a few families with the surname Liang.

Most of these sects have a good relationship with the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall. If the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall were not currently engaged in a two-front war with an uncertain situation, it is possible that the Double Brightness Alliance Sect Leader Kang Da would have already encountered them on the battlefield.

Even so, these families of good surnames still provided a great deal of supplies and men for the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall's expedition to recapture Si Prefecture.

The reason why Yu Nian'en did not retreat to the Ink Cloud Marsh Mountain Gate with his disciples and wait for Preceptor Huang Mi to return to reinforce him was that he believed that with the help of three mid-grade Third-Tier Middle-Grade puppets, he could easily subdue Sect Leader Kang Da;

Secondly, it is necessary to revitalize the prestige of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall in the surrounding area, and also to win over the hearts and minds of the people within its jurisdiction.

After all, his family had been governing the people with the principles of "tyranny and cruelty" for the past two or three hundred years, so he knew how quickly the "backlash" would come if he showed any signs of decline.

Yu Nian'en never expected that the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall would end up like this after the battle he waged.

What the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall elder, who had been captured alive by Sect Leader Kang Da, was thinking was no longer important. This development was exactly what he wanted. The principle of "eating one cup of the enemy is equivalent to eating twenty cups of my own" was simple, but it was also a tactic that Kang Dabao often used.

Soon, all the forces in Huo Prefecture felt that compared to the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, the Double Brightness Alliance, an outsider who should have been rejected by the local cultivators, seemed to be too lenient.

Even for sects deeply bound to the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, Sect Leader Kang Da would usually only invite their leaders to the camp for tea. As long as they showed the slightest respect, their lives would be safe, and it could be considered that past grievances were forgiven.

As for the rumors of local cultivators being worried about the Chongming Sect's reputation and the possibility of their families being raided and their families wiped out, nothing has been done yet; these are merely fabrications by those with ulterior motives.

If your family is willing to contribute some supplies and volunteers to the Double Brightness Alliance's attack on Ink Cloud Marsh, then Sect Leader Kang Da's attitude will be even more amiable, and most of the anxiety in your heart will disappear.

Most practitioners cultivate for the sake of Changsheng, and even those who practice Evil Cultivator or banditry rarely have a natural inclination to live in a turbulent place.

Because of Kang Dabao's actions, a considerable number of the Huo Prefecture border states, which were originally on the opposite side of the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty, have joined the Double Brightness Alliance.

Sect Leader Kang Da was initially hesitant about whether to have the disciples of the Chongming Sect lead the way and follow behind the conscription formation as an example, but the various families of Huo Prefecture thought this was the time for them to set an example and were unwilling to give way, which relieved Kang Dabao's hesitation.

They are willing to fight, but they are also capable of fighting.

Even though the Double Brightness Alliance cultivators had mobilized all their sudden wind talismans to try and slightly disperse the miasma, it was all ineffective. After all, the soldiers had neither mind nor spirit, and were therefore immune to the miasma.

The above is true, but it is also true that most of the recruited soldiers are not very intelligent.

The Huo Prefecture righteous men who were paired with him had just entered this miasma when they lost all communication they had received earlier. They were repeatedly tormented by the miasma, the Spirit-Devouring Algae, Heart-Corroding Stake, to the point of being on the verge of death.

The Huo Prefecture militia, which had cleared the way for the main army in the first few days, only managed to travel ten miles before retreating with heavy casualties to recuperate.

Along the way, besides the Huo Prefecture Yicong risking their lives, the group of farmers led by Kang Rongquan also had no rest.

Wherever this elder of the Chongming Sect's Spirit Plant Hall went, he would lead a group of farmers to plant many Spirit Plant, which would barely purify the swamp full of putrid odors and clear a relatively safe path free of miasma.

The reason why Sect Leader Kang Da ordered Kang Rongquan to act in this way was due to his cautious nature, which prioritized risk over victory.

He, the Sect Leader Kang Da, still vividly remembered how the disciples of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, who were still capable of fighting just moments before, behaved in their panicked and disorganized state.

Even without the interference of terrain, things were like this back then. Sect Leader Kang Da dared not imagine what would happen to his Double Brightness Alliance cultivators if they suffered a defeat and fled in panic in such a place.

However, since Ink Cloud Marsh has been under the control of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall for so long, it is difficult for Kang Rongquan, Second Tier cultivator, to maintain this for long. It is only a convenient method. It is likely that it will be eroded back to its original state in just a few months.

Therefore, if Sect Leader Kang Da wants this path to last, he will need Kang Rongquan to continue leading people and providing support.

Having regained their leader, the disciples of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall clearly did not sit idly by. Under the command of the Second Hall Master Xia Ming, brave individuals always stepped forward.

Unlike the sorcerers and warrior monks who were captured by the Double Brightness Alliance and had their talismanic seals removed by the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, the disciples sent out by Xia Ming were extremely familiar with the terrain of Ink Cloud Marsh and were truly at home.

These slippery creatures either lured aquatic beasts from the marshland to attack them with their sorcerer's flute, or led the pursuing disciples to dangerous places, causing great casualties, which greatly angered the eight righteous families who took over the Huo Prefecture Righteous Army to fight.

One of the fake alchemists, unable to bear the harassment any longer, disregarded his status and personally chased after a Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, as soon as he disappeared into the miasma, the life-bound jade tablet left on his clansman shattered into dust.

The sound of grief from within their own ranks had barely begun when Sect Leader Kang Da lit up, and he gave chase.

For Sect Leader Kang Da, removing the False Core's head is indeed a simple matter.

While gaining more lives is certainly a good thing, the constant harassment from the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall makes it difficult to eliminate the resentment among the Double Brightness Alliance members who have been constantly immersed in this stinking water, the grief of seeing their comrades fall beside them, and the fear of losing their way due to the slow progress.

Sect Leader Kang Da was aware of this, and although he was anxious, he did not act rashly. At the same time, he kept a close eye on news from Si Prefecture to avoid being attacked from both sides.

But what you fear most is what comes to pass. After only managing to push through half of the area in the marshland, Kang Rongquan was about to run out of Spirit Plant seeds when he also received news that the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall army was returning from Si Prefecture.

The letter from Fearless Tower stated. "The Nascent Soul behind Rouge Temple and Thousand Buddha Grove have been intimidated by Bai Canhong and have temporarily halted their offensive to observe the situation."