After these muddy lakes naturally burst, releasing astonishing streams of water, there were then large amounts of dried branches, weeds, and sludge that blocked it up.

As water surged through this place, floating ice-like mud mounds also moved.

The jet-black furred three-tailed little beast sensed these movements, just that it didn’t know where the earth mound made of rotten wood, dried branches and sludge was drifting towards. It didn’t know whether what it awaited was good or bad.

It saw sunrise above the Great Desolate Swamp for the first time, saw the thick black clouds that were like lead shine.

While waiting in bewilderment, it then saw the sun set over Great Desolate Swamp, bringing forth a deep dark night.

An endless dark night passed. It saw the sky brighten again, now learning something. However, it also began to feel hunger and weakness.

…

After Lin Xi squeezed out drops of liquid from the medicinal herbs he gathered into Chi Xiaoye’s mouth again, he continued to move eastward through the giant riverbed.

The upper reaches really were quite far.

He already followed this riverbed for a day and a night, but this riverbed didn’t show any signs of being close to its end.

Because he was worried that Chi Xiaoye’s injuries wouldn’t let him support her until they reached the upper reaches of this riverbed, Lin Xi rushed this journey, practically only resting for a dozen or so minutes each time there was a black flood, trying to enter meditation cultivation and replenish his soul force like this.

When the black floods passed, the crazy winds, flying muddy water and black dust that would exhaust a large amount of stamina also passed, so Lin Xi would immediately continue.

That was why Lin Xi was actually extremely exhausted.

Continuous battles, continuous trudging, together with these two days of traveling lacking sufficient food to fill his stomach, all of Lin Xi’s muscles were already starting to ache, his every step more difficult than normal. His hair and clothes were full of filth, truly in a sorry state. Perhaps even Yunqin’s dirtiest beggars were nothing more than this.

However, Lin Xi knew that for cultivators who studied the dao, this type of sharpening was precisely the best type of cultivation

Unlike cultivators who didn’t understand battles, just like flowers in a greenhouse, when Lin Xi was in Green Luan Academy, because of his heaven’s choice identity and his nature, he was always facing the turbulent winds head-on. What he encountered when he left the academy was always true life and death slaughter. Before he entered Great Desolate Swamp, he already gradually understood many principles behind cultivation.

That was why his mind was always extremely calm, not feeling the slightest bit of despair, annoyance or impatience.

As such, his speed of entering meditation cultivation became faster and faster.

Originally, while under the waters’ thunderous roars, the crazy endless galloping army-like black flood, he needed five or six halts, or five or six minutes of time before he could barely enter meditation cultivation. However, after a day and night of this, he could already use less than two halts of time to enter meditation cultivation.

Each time he cultivated, the filth and dried black dirt would increase, but his mind instead became more and more brilliant, the distance from Soul Master level shorter and shorter.

The only thing that left him vexed was that even though he could feel that he was getting closer and closer to Soul Master level, as for the exact final amount, whether it would be tomorrow, or if it would be the day after… he still didn’t know.

“Soul Master, Soul Master, when will you come?”

“Upper reachers, upper reaches, just how much longer will it take before I reach the upper reaches?”

“Gao Yanan, Gao Yanan, what are you doing right now?”

“Chi Xiaoye, Chi Xiaoye, many people are still waiting for you to save them… you cannot die here you know…”

Lin Xi continued bitterly, enduring his entire body’s soreness and fatigue as he continued to proceed quickly, meanwhile starting to mutter to himself.

“I won’t die, I will last until I reach the upper reaches.”

Suddenly, a weak voice sounded from behind Lin Xi.

Lin Xi suddenly stopped, “You woke up?”

He quickly turned around, seeing Chi Xiaoye behind him open her eyes, on her face what looked like a smile yet not a smile, powerlessly looking at him.

“Your medicines were actually useful.” Chi Xiaoye struggled to swallow, as if she was doing her best to get rid of some bitterness in her mouth.

Lin Xi was immediately a bit stunned. “When did you wake up?”

Lin Xi said in embarrassment, “How can you eavesdrop on other people’s words?”

“There are times when I am unconscious, entering an endless darkness, unable to move, unable to speak, but I could sense some sounds, able to hear some of your words.” Because of her body’s weakness, Chi Xiaoye stopped for a bit, as if gathering some strength, and only then did she continue, “If I am not mistaken, upper reaches upper reaches you spoke at least five or six times, Gao Yanan you said at least three or four times. Even a cultivator like you could actually be this embarrassed… this Gao Yanan is definitely a girl you admire.”

“She is.” After his initial embarrassment passed, Lin Xi didn’t hide anything either, openly admitting it and saying, “However, can we discuss some more important matters first… are you actually okay?”

“The fever still hasn’t retreated, so I still need to continuously use the medication, or else my condition will still worsen.” Chi Xiaoye released a sound of agreement and then replied quietly.

Lin Xi nodded, continuing to march forward, at the same time asking, “What is there exactly in the upper reaches… and how far away is it?”

Chi Xiaoye didn’t immediately reply, instead asking, “How long have you already walked for?”

“A day and a night, add another few hours give or take.”

“Then we should be able to arrive before sundown today.”

Chi Xiaoye’s head hung, powerlessly leaning against Lin Xi’s back, quietly speaking with great difficulty, her voice intermittent, “The upper reaches has a cave barbarian troop that I previously arranged to defend… They are one of the only tribes capable of shipbuilding, as well as extremely fast boat rowing. Even if it is your Yunqin’s powerful cultivators who control a boat, there is no way they can catch us in this muddy lake. They will use boats to bring us through the continuous muddy lakes and then I will give out the signal that I successfully escaped, have all of the cave barbarian troops who deeply penetrated enemy lines to withdraw to Great Magnetic Swamp. If Yunqin’s army still dares to continue chasing, we will carry out the final decisive battle against Yunqin’s great army there.”

Lin Xi muttered quietly, “What kind of place is this Great Magnetic Swamp, where is it?”

“It lies at the end of this river… further east of this river are continuous mud lakes. If one doesn’t enter the mud lakes and instead heads south, then they will reach the Great Magnetic Swamp.” Chi Xiaoye coughed quietly a few times, breathing heavily as she slowly explained, “That place is a continuous swamp that doesn’t have much plants growing within, instead,within the earth, it is completely filled with magnetic earth that has powerful suction force towards metal. It is unknown how deep the mud is, in that place, even if it is a Sacred Expert level cultivator, they still cannot use their weapons, unless what they use isn’t a metal weapon… Otherwise, all armors and weapons cannot be used inside at all.”

“If things really reach that step, your side deciding to fight a decisive battle, Yunqin’s army wouldn’t continue further, because Yunqin military’s greatest advantage lies in your soul weapons and powerful military equipment. If almost all of their weapons and military equipment cannot be used… even if they can win, Yunqin’s military still wouldn’t be able to endure this type of loss.” Lin Xi turned around to look at Chi Xiaoye, saying, “If it wasn’t because they wanted to see if they could take advantage of that great victory to learn some secrets from you, or try to understand more deeply about some areas Yunqin still hadn’t step foot into, Yunqin’s military definitely wouldn’t have crossed the borders of their military maps.”

Chi Xiaoye looked at Lin Xi and said, “Your Yunqin is willing to pay any price to kill me, while you are helping me escape. From this, you are already a Yunqin traitor.”

Lin Xi said seriously, “I am merely running for my life as well… as for whether I am a traitor or not, if I can allow much more Yunqin people to survive, then if I have to become a traitor, so be it.”

Chi Xiaoye remained silent for a moment, and only after a bit of time did she raise her head with a bit of difficulty, saying, “We’ll talk more if we can escape.”

“Escape first.” Lin Xi nodded. The two’s conversation was a bit strange, but both sides understood the other party’s intentions.

“From when you could feel you were going to break through into Soul Master to when you truly broke through, soul force powerful enough to move out of your body, how long did it take?” Lin Xi changed the topic again, asking her about cultivation matters.

Chi Xiaoye thought for a bit and said, “Roughly a month or so of time.”

“More than a month?” Lin Xi frowned.

Chi Xiaoye nodded. “Even though I used a month, your aura is now already substantially different from when I first met you, your cultivation progress speed should be far above mine previously. That is why the time you need should be considerably lower than what I needed.”

“Actually, even if it is a month and a half, it is already not slow.” Lin Xi thought for a bit, unable to help but ask, “How could you control those plant roots? …what kind of cultivation principle is this?”

“There isn’t much to hide here either… actually, there aren’t too many magical areas to speak of.”

Chi Xiaoye slowly explained, “In almost all plants in this world, even the extremely poisonous types, there are some nutrients within them that are beneficial for us. Similarly, our bodies also has many nutrients these plants need. There are some cultivators whose soul force is a bit special, this is related to the unique constitution of the body. There are some among our cultivators behind Great Desolate Swamp that are rather special, as they accumulate soul force, their bodies would also accumulate large amounts of vital energy that is extremely beneficial for plants.”

“This vital energy could make plants quickly grow, moreover allow us cultivators, through the continued concentration of this type of energy, to control plants like soul weapons.”

“It isn’t only binding, if the cultivation level is higher, the vital energy force within our bodies will become more powerful, even able to turn these plants into sharp swords and penetrate the bodies of our enemies. Some Sacred Expert level cultivators among us can even send seeds into the bodies of enemies, make them germinate within their body, inflict even greater damage that way.”

Lin Xi understood, nodding. “That is why this is something completely innate. Cultivators without this type of aptitude cannot learn it at all even if they want to.”

Chi Xiaoye nodded.

“This world’s unknown places and unknown experts are indeed too many.” Lin Xi thought about how he wasn’t the only one with an ability others didn’t have, unable to help but recall what that middle-aged uncle left on that stele. When he thought about how not even he dared to claim that he was unmatched in this world, he couldn’t help but release a sigh.