"The Wandering Marsh lies ahead!"
Qin Dashan pointed toward a vast expanse of flat, endless mudlands. "This is as far as I can take you," he said. "It's not that I'm afraid to go further. The truth is, the higher your cultivation, the faster you'll die once you sink into this marsh."
"This is the Wandering Marsh?" Qin Yang frowned, peering at the seemingly ordinary mudlands. Scattered across the terrain were a few massive trees and even small patches of shrubs and wildflowers.
Qin Dashan nodded. "Exactly. What you see here is all deception. There's no way to tell where the marsh begins and where the solid ground ends. You only learn when you're already trapped. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that this entire area is the Wandering Marsh!"
"What about the Tian Swallowing Beast?" Qin Yang asked.
Qin Dashan shrugged. "According to our clan members, they drove the beast twenty li away. By now, it's likely already sunk into the marsh. If it hasn't, then it must be remaining completely motionless."
At this point, Qin Dashan chuckled. "If it's smart, it won't dare move. As long as you stay still, the Wandering Marsh won't consume you. But if you struggle—even the slightest movement—the pull grows stronger. None of your true qi or martial techniques will help."
Hearing this, Qin Yang's heart filled with unease. One wrong step could mean my life here!
"I advise you to abandon this attempt," Qin Dashan said. "The Wandering Marsh is far too perilous."
But his words failed to sway Qin Yang. With a sigh, Qin Dashan took his leave.
Qin Yang stared blankly at the ground before him, then recalled his newly acquired frost power. He gently pressed his foot forward.
A thin layer of ice formed beneath his foot, bringing unexpected relief!
With this ice layer, even if I slip, it won't matter! The Wandering Marsh will be as solid ground to me!
If my body starts sinking, the marsh will only grip the frozen ice. That'll give me enough time to escape!
Thankfully I prepared so many pills earlier. The Breath Recovery Pills will prove invaluable now!
Qin Yang moved with deliberate slowness, channeling true qi with each step as if practicing a laborious martial technique.
Can't risk anything when my life's on the line.
The twenty-mile journey took two full hours - slower than an ordinary person's walking pace.
Finally, after circling around massive trees, Qin Yang spotted a colossal creature half-buried in the earth.
Climbing onto a tree to rest, Qin Yang's face displayed a mixture of awe and trepidation.
Recalling the Fire Dog's description of the Tian Swallowing Beast: "It doesn't look like a demonic beast, but it is one. It seems harmless, but its ferocity is utterly devastating."
The creature's rotund body, with its distinct black-and-white fur pattern, resembled a massive bear, yet it exuded an air of endearing cuteness.
Qin Yang never would have dreamed that the Tian Swallowing Beast was actually a colossal... panda!
The beast had also detected Qin Yang's approach. With great effort, it turned its head, revealing a face marbled with dark circles beneath eyes that glared with piercing intensity at the intruder.
"You despicable Qin Family lackey!" the beast roared, its body straining against the mire. "Our enmity is irreconcilable!" As it moved, its entire form began to sink visibly into the ground.
The Tian Swallowing Beast immediately stilled, maintaining perfect immobility.
"Tsk tsk, the Wandering Marsh is truly a fearsome place!" Qin Yang marveled. "Even a Zongshi-level demonic beast is powerless here!"
He wondered if his frost power could help free this panda. Given the creature's plight, Qin Yang resolved to rescue it regardless.
"Do you know those people are old retainers of the Qin Family?" Qin Yang asked.
The Tian Swallowing Beast's expression shifted to confusion. "You're not with them? Who are you?"
"I am of the Qin Family," Qin Yang said slowly.
The Tian Swallowing Beast erupted in fury. "Then you're with them... Qin Family? Which Qin Family?" The beast froze, bewildered.
Qin Yang replied calmly, "Which other Qin Family could there be?"
The beast fell silent, its eyes reflecting memories.
A thousand years ago, as a youngling, it had been saved by the Qin Family and brought to this secret realm. This place had been its paradise - all demonic beasts threatening it had been sealed by the Qin Family to guard precious treasures.
Those were the happiest days of its life. It had sworn to repay their kindness, but before it could mature, the Qin Family had been destroyed, and their old servants had taken control of the realm.
Everything changed from then on. Without the Qin Family's maintenance, the secret realm had deteriorated over a thousand years, and the power it had painstakingly cultivated had been constantly suppressed and diminished.
What was even more hateful was that the Qin Family's old servants knew of its existence and had always sought to enslave it. Thus, it had fought against the Qin Family's old servants for exactly a thousand years.
In the end, it had been forced into this corner, its life hanging by a thread.
"The Qin Family still has descendants? Hmph! You're not pretending, are you?" The Tian Swallowing Beast looked at Qin Yang with suspicion.
What despicable humans! What vile tricks won't they resort to? Just this impersonation alone must have been used countless times over the past thousand years.
"Dragon's Might!" A faint pressure emanated from Qin Yang's eyes.
The Dragon Jade emitted a trace of its aura, causing the Tian Swallowing Beast's eyes to widen abruptly.
"Dragon Jade?" The beast's voice trembled with disbelief. "This youth actually possesses the Qin Family's Heavenly Realm Secret Key! With this artifact, his identity requires no further verification."
Now it was Qin Yang's turn to be astonished. "This panda actually knows about the Dragon Jade?"
One couldn't help but marvel at the intricacies of fate. Through different circumstances, both man and beast had developed a sense of kinship toward each other.
The light in the Tian Swallowing Beast's eyes gradually dimmed as it spoke with a tinge of sorrow, "I've finally met a true descendant of the Qin Family, but it's too late. I'm trapped in the Wandering Marsh. No one in this secret realm can save me now."
To escape the Wandering Marsh, even the strength of a Zongshi Realm cultivator would prove insufficient. Moreover, within this secret realm, the peak of power was limited to the Zongshi Realm.
"That may not be true," Qin Yang chuckled, leaping down with a swift motion.
"Don't come closer!" The Tian Swallowing Beast tried to stop him, but it was too late. What it found unbelievable was that Qin Yang was clearly standing on the swamp, yet his body wasn't sinking in!
Upon closer inspection, it turned out Qin Yang's body was indeed sinking, but the moment he began to sink, he would swiftly move to another spot.
Finally, he found a solid piece of ground and stopped.
"How is this possible?" The Tian Swallowing Beast carefully examined and discovered the secret. The ground Qin Yang had been standing on originally had a thin layer of ice that was slowly melting.
"What kind of ability is this?" The Tian Swallowing Beast asked.
"You should be more concerned about whether I can save you," Qin Yang shrugged.
"Perhaps you really can save me from this predicament." The Tian Swallowing Beast stared at Qin Yang, feeling a mix of emotions. If this kid saved him again, he would owe the Qin Family two lives!
"I can save you, but you need to promise me one condition," Qin Yang said.
The Tian Swallowing Beast said directly, "You can say it!"
"Sign a contract with me."
"You despicable brat! You're taking advantage of a demon's crisis!"