Chapter 11: Entering the Great Marsh

Ji Ning and his party rode three black-maned beasts, charging out from the edge of the forest.

"Look," Uncle Dala pointed ahead. "That's Dongshan Marsh ahead."

"Dongshan Marsh."

Ji Ning gazed into the distance.

In the distance, the endless marsh stretched vast and boundless, shimmering with beautiful colors under the spring sunlight. He could even see birds of prey swooping down to snatch fish, and in the lush water plants, the tails of massive aquatic creatures occasionally surfaced, along with a huge head that emerged now and then. This was a realm of demons!

"Dongshan Marsh," Ji Ning murmured. "Finally here."

Dongshan Marsh lay between the Ji clan and the Tiemu clan. The Tiemu clan was a hegemon of equal power to the Ji clan, and they were hostile to each other!

Dongshan Marsh spanned a thousand li, comparable to the territory of a province in his past life. Such a vast marsh naturally gathered many demons; the Ji clan alone knew of as many as twelve great demons!

Since leaving Xifu City to venture out, Ji Ning had wanted to fight a great demon at the early Xiantian lifeform stage. But great demons lurked deep in mountains and marshes—how easy were they to find? Earlier, he had scouted a spot and waited nearly a month without finding one. In a fit of anger, Ji Ning made a snap decision to change course and head straight for Dongshan Marsh!

"There are many demons in Dongshan Marsh, and most are at the early Xiantian lifeform stage. I refuse to believe I won't encounter one." Ji Ning was a fearless young calf, but he dared not be careless, for many of the Ji clan had died in Dongshan Marsh—his own grandfather had perished there!

…

"Mowu, Qiuye." Ji Ning leaped off the black-maned beast and instructed, "Dongshan Marsh is too dangerous, fraught with peril. The black-maned beasts are useless here. You two take the three beasts and go to the Tieshi tribe. Wait for me there!"

Mowu and Qiuye exchanged a glance and could only respectfully reply, "Yes, young master."

"Da." Ji Ning looked at the tall, dark-skinned man beside him. "You and I will enter the marsh. Let me familiarize myself with the main areas, then I'll return with you to the Tieshi tribe to rest."

"Yes, young master." Uncle Dala replied respectfully.

"Let's go."

Ji Ning walked straight ahead, and Uncle Dala, carrying a large axe, followed closely. Qiuye and Mowu watched their young master head toward the distant Dongshan Marsh. Though anxious, they could do nothing—one was a servant, the other had taught him wilderness skills; neither was a match for Ji Ning in strength.

The vast marsh was beautiful and varied.

"In this marsh, there are muddy lands and grassy wetlands," Uncle Dala said with a smile. "There are even small forests. But more often, there are bogs that swallow you with one step... and the most expansive, unfathomably deep lakes. The paths here are the hardest to walk; one misstep and you might sink into a swamp."

Ji Ning walked beside him.

"Our Tieshi tribe has lived in the forests by the marsh for centuries, often fishing here. We know well which paths are safe and which are not." Uncle Dala was confident.

Slap! Slap!

Treading through the muddy water, Ji Ning followed the tribesman into Dongshan Marsh.

"Look here." Ji Ning produced a piece of animal hide from thin air and handed it over. "This is a map of Dongshan Marsh. Take me to these circled places."

"Ah!" Uncle Dala was startled. "These are where the great demons lurk—the most dangerous spots. We never dare go near them."

"You don't need to get close," Ji Ning shook his head. "Just take me there and point them out from a distance."

Uncle Dala wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded. "Alright, I'll take you there, young master."

…

Dongshan Marsh was immense, and traveling only on foot was slow. Moreover, Ji Ning's destinations were scattered here and there, winding over thousands of li. Fortunately, with Uncle Dala's guidance along hidden paths, they moved easily through the marsh.

Over a month had passed in the blink of an eye.

Ji Ning carried food and drink in his storage crystal, and he could also roast demon beast meat. He slept wherever he could—on a mound or in the grass. He didn't rush to provoke the lurking great demons; he only wanted to confirm their locations. From now on, alone in the wild, relying on his 'Unity of Heaven and Man' movement technique, he could walk on water and cover a thousand li in a day.

"That's the last spot." Uncle Dala pointed into the distance, where lush, man-high water plants swayed in the wind. "There, in the thickest part of the reeds, lurks a great demon. I've heard it's a huge rhinoceros, as big as a small mountain—a great water rhinoceros."

"Good. Let's head back. When we return to the Tieshi tribe, I'll reward you handsomely." Ji Ning said from the side.

"You've already given me more than enough, young master." Uncle Dala quickly replied.

This seemingly delicate youth was terrifying. In over a month in Dongshan Marsh, they had been attacked by demon beasts many times, but those beasts all died with a single sword strike! Ji Ning didn't care about the corpses, but Uncle Dala's heart ached—these were demon beast meat! Selling the meat could greatly benefit his tribe. He couldn't carry it all, so he only cut away the most valuable parts.

"Hm?" Ji Ning and Uncle Dala both looked into the distance.

On a distant mound, faint figures could be seen.

Deep in the marsh, there were muddy lands, swamps, and even mountains. One mountain, called Dongshan, gave the marsh its name: Dongshan Marsh.

On the mound near the lake, several hundred people had gathered. Suddenly, ten figures sprinted toward Ji Ning and Uncle Dala.

"What's going on?" Ji Ning frowned.

"Run!" Uncle Dala turned to flee in terror.

Whoosh!

Among the ten runners, one in blue armor charged forward at astonishing speed, blocking Uncle Dala's escape route.

"You two." The man in blue armor glanced coldly at them, pausing briefly on Ji Ning's finely crafted beast-hide clothes, then dismissed him. "Come with us!"

"What do you want us for?" Uncle Dala bowed respectfully, seeing the armor.

The other nine arrived as well, all clad in armor.

"Hurry up. Come with us, or die here!" The armored guards were all cold-faced, weapons in hand, clearly well-trained.

Uncle Dala looked at Ji Ning.

"Let's go see first." Ji Ning spoke calmly. These armored guards were no ordinary men, but to him, they were mere chickens and dogs... Why were they taking him? Unless necessary, Ji Ning wouldn't easily resort to slaughter.

"Move."

"Hurry."

Under the watch of the ten armored guards, Ji Ning and Uncle Dala walked toward the mound.

The mound was overgrown with weeds. Several hundred people were gathered there, many bound hand and foot, lying on the ground. About a hundred armored guards stood around. In the center sat a burly, towering man on a stone chair. He was about ten feet tall, clad in heavy armor, with a domineering gaze.

Ji Ning was startled as he looked at the heavily armored giant in the center. The 'demon stone' he carried began to heat up, sensing demonic aura. Ji Ning could also feel that the armored giant surrounded by guards had an unusual presence.

"A great demon." Ji Ning scanned carefully.

All around were humans. A demon that could take human form was undoubtedly a great demon!

He had brought many items on this journey, and the demon stone was one of them. A demon stone is a natural, special stone that glows and heats up when it senses demonic aura. In cities larger than Xifu City, demon-reflecting mirrors hung on the city gates. These mirrors were made from polished demon stones; whenever a demon approached, the mirror would emit light.

Humans have human aura, and demons naturally have demonic aura—'aura' here meaning life energy.

"Da!"

"Uncle Dala!"

Suddenly, several shouts rang out.

Uncle Dala, walking beside Ji Ning, turned to look. Among the bound captives, a dozen or so were lying there, calling out. Uncle Dala's face showed anxiety: "Black Tiger, why are you tied up here?" Those dozen were all from his tribe.

"Ada, why did you come here? That giant is a great demon! It will eat us one by one!" one of the bound tribesmen shouted anxiously.

"A great demon?" Uncle Dala was shocked.

Ji Ning, however, looked at the heavily armored giant sitting in the center, surrounded by guards. On closer inspection, he could see blood at the corner of the giant's mouth, and the giant was chewing contentedly. This stirred killing intent in Ji Ning's heart: "So the great demon my demon stone sensed is him. Among the twelve great demons of Dongshan Marsh, I wonder which one he is."

"Shut up!" An armored guard walked over and kicked the bound captives, kicking wildly. "All of you, shut up!"

"Helping a great demon kill your own human kin, and you tell us to shut up?"

"You disgrace the Tiemu clan's Blue Armor Guards!"

"Kick us! Kill us!"

The kicked captives shouted frantically.

"Stop." The heavily armored giant on the wide stone chair spoke in a deep, rumbling voice, like the low sound of a horn. "If you kick them to death, I'll eat you."

The guard glanced at the giant and reluctantly backed off.

"Water Rhinoceros King!" The bald leader of the Blue Armor Guards shouted lowly. "We've already captured over five hundred people for you. Our men are scattered, capturing as many as we can. Return our young master to us, and the Tiemu clan will let this matter slide. Otherwise, if things really escalate, Water Rhinoceros King... you know you cannot withstand the Tiemu clan's wrath."

Ji Ning, watched by two Blue Armor Guards in the distance, brightened.

Water Rhinoceros King?

Among the twelve great demons of Dongshan Marsh, only one was a water rhinoceros—a great demon at the early Xiantian lifeform stage!

"Early Xiantian lifeform?" Ji Ning's eyes flickered with killing intent. "I've been looking for a great demon of this strength for so long. Truly, 'treading iron shoes, I sought him far and wide, but got him with no effort at all!'"