Chapter 554 - Cloud Dream Swamp

Long Chen was feeling a bit shy when everyone started staring at him like that. “Dear brothers and sisters, I know I’m handsome, but there’s no need to keep staring at me lustfully like that.”

All of them laughed at his joke, even Long Yue. When Lan Ling’er saw that Long Yue was laughing, she shouted in surprise, “Everyone, look! The Icy Dragon Queen can actually laugh!”

Long Yue’s face fell and she stopped smiling. She didn’t even give others a chance to tease her as she looked at Long Chen. “Not bad. Once the issue of the Scarlet King Seal is over, we will help you advance into the Earthly Martial Realm. All six of us know what to do, so we should be able to lend you some help with our experiences.”

“What do you mean ‘not bad?’ It’s a miracle!” Lei Chen chuckled. His body was large, so his voice was loud too.

Long Chen knew that thanks to the Red Souls placed all over the Divine Martial Empire, all of them had up-to-date information. Their information network was on par with a faction like the Ancient Demon Domain. That was why they knew everything that had happened a few days ago.

Jiang Wuya stood up and assessed what had happened. He looked at Long Chen with pride. “Long Chen killed the Void Sword Saint. He wouldn't have been able to do it without the assistance of his demonic beast and our Third Brother, but what’s important is that his scheme and the tools at his disposal brought about that result.”

His compliment was the greatest assurance that Long Chen could get right now.

Long Chen felt that thanks to his newfound strength, he had finally integrated into the group. At least he wouldn’t be dragging them down, and more importantly, he was no longer the weakest amongst them. At least Lan Ling’er couldn’t defeat him.

As for the rest, Long Chen dared not challenge them. Jian Chen was strong, and he knew Long Chen’s moves. Long Chen would lose the moment he got close to him. Lei Zhen and Chi Ying were strong too. Lei Zhen had a Category Three King-tier beast soul with the lightning attribute, white Chi Ying specialized in assassination.

Every member of the Dragon clan was strong.

“Alright, now that everyone is here, we should depart for the Cloud Dream Swamp. There are tens of thousands of people heading there right now, but the swamp is a large place. Who knows where the Scarlet King Seal will be located? We can only enter there and wait for it to appear.” Long Yue then looked at Lan Ling’er. “Ling’er, there will be a lot of people around, so we need your help to disguise us.”

“Alright.” Lan Ling’er used her male voice to talk. She was now a gentleman that appeared to be delicate and handsome, just like how Xiaolang was previously.

If Xiaolang reached the King-tier, he would be able to take human form.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Long Chen was looking forward to that.

With Lan Ling’er’s skill, everyone had their disguises ready in an hour. It would be hard for others to notice that they were the Dragon clan. Of course, those within the upper echelons of the Ancient Demon Domain and the Martial Alliance would be able to tell.

Their preparations were done.

At this time, Long Yue informed them about what she knew so that they would be ready. “One more thing. The Martial Alliance has sent out two Martial Saints and ten Martial Kings to kill us. I’ve killed three of them, but the others should be making their way here after learning about the news of the Scarlet Emperor Seal. We will have to face formidable foes. I’ve also heard that one of the Martial Overlords, Yang Ningfeng, was also heading here.”

The three Martial Overlords of the Martial Alliance. Each of them was at the Third Earthly Martial Stage, on par with Long Yue. Yang Ningfeng was most likely as strong as Long Yue, and there were two Martial Saints and seven Martial Kings reinforcing him.

“Who else do we have to face?” Long Chen asked.

“Most cultivators belong to the Martial Alliance and many factions work under them, but there are a few exceptions. The stronger cultivators are given the title of Martial King, but some become Martial Saints instead. Those who have allied themselves with the Martial Alliance include the Huangfu family and the Ancient Demon Domain, but they are not completely loyal. They will prioritize themselves when it comes to obtaining treasures, so I don’t know if they will be there. Though I don’t think people like Jiang Wuxie and Huangfu Fengchen would stay still.”

Long Chen understood her explanation.

He had thought the Ancient Demon Domain worked for the Martial Alliance, but that wasn't the case. The Ancient Demon Domain had its own system, it was just that the Martial Alliance was huge and they had to submit to them by name, or they would be branded as fugitives just like Long Chen was.

Lei Zhen was worried. “The Northern Battle clan in the Warring Kingdom is actually quite far from here, but the influence of the Martial Alliance still reaches there. We are proud warriors who would rather die in battle than be enslaved. We are the only major force that hasn’t submitted to the Martial Alliance.”

“The Martial Alliance controls a lot of kingdoms in the Ten Thousand Nations Territory. Only the Warring Kingdom refused to submit to their rule, so they stuck out like an eyesore. Fourth Brother, you should ask your tribesmen to be careful, or they might invade your kingdom,” Jiang Wuya said.

“My people are worried about it, but we do not fear death from battle. Even if we die, the Martial Alliance will never make us submit.”

“Battle clan ...” Long Yue’s eyes twinkled before saying, “The Phantom Ravine is no longer safe. If the Martial Alliance intends to destroy the Battle clan, we should head towards the north to help them once this is over. We also need a safe place to stay.”

Hearing her words, Lei Zhen kneeled on the ground and said, “Big Sister, I thank you. Even if you make me work myself to the bone, I will follow you.”

Long Yue quickly pulled him up. “I’ve actually intended to do this for a long time. We are a family, and we will live or die together. Don’t kneel again, or I will have to disown you.”

Lei Zhen stood up upon hearing that.

Everyone laughed.

Looking at the six of them, Long Chen had a feeling of belonging. It was just like his bond with Xiaolang. They would live or die together. Even though Long Chen had joined their group very recently, he was already quite fond of them.

All of them looked after each other.

After talking, they started making their way towards the Cloud Dream Swamp. To prevent the others from noticing them, they rarely talked in public. They weren’t afraid, but there was no reason to attract unwanted attention.

After passing by Cloud Heaven City, Long Chen finally spotted the Cloud Dream Swamp in the distance. He was shocked to see how even the skies were blackened by the gas escaping the swamp. The black gas rose and lowered like the grinning face of a ghost.

Under the dark sky was a gray mist that contained the gasses of the swamp. The miasma was poisonous, and those below a certain cultivation level would not be able to enter.

Underneath the miasma was the endless black swamp. Due to the mist, Long Chen could only see part of the swamp, but the black mud and large bubbles were enough to scare him.

Staring at Long Chen’s expression, Lan Ling’er looked at him slyly. “My dear brother, it seems that it’s your first time seeing the Cloud Dream Swamp.”

“I’m afraid I know nothing about this place.”

“In that case, I will be merciful after seeing how pitiful you are. There are two forbidden areas in the Divine Martial Empire.”

“Two?” It was the first time Long Chen had heard of this.

“The reason they are forbidden areas is because they’re havens for demonic beasts. Both places are home to powerful demonic beasts that can decimate regular cultivators with ease. The first is the Cloud Dream Swamp and the second is the Immortal Sea. The most powerful demonic beast in the Immortal Sea is the more fearsome one out of the two, but most cannot reach it to begin with, so not a lot of people know of its existence. The Cloud Dream Swamp, on the other hand, is called the land of the dead. The name itself should tell you why.”

“Immortal Sea.” Long Chen had heard of it numerous times, and the Heavenly Phoenix was always mentioned. It was most likely the strongest beast in that area.

“Ignore the Immortal Sea. Let me tell you about the Cloud Dream Swamp. It’s a very vast area, around the size of two kingdoms in the Ten Thousand Nations Territory. It’s a swamp with countless Poison Insects and Poison Beasts. This place is like heaven to them. Due to the advantages in the terrain and their poison, the beasts are very hard to deal with. There’s also legends of numerous King-tier beasts in the depths of the swamp. All of them can assume human form too!” Lan Ling’er tried to scare Long Chen with her suspenseful tone.

She wanted to see him frightened, but she was disappointed when Long Chen showed no hint of fear.