Chapter Thirteen: Trapped in the Mire, Encountering a Former Foe

A pall of gray miasma hung over the entire stretch of swamp, obscuring all sense of direction. The marsh was in full bloom with dazzling flowers, their delicate fragrances wafting through the air, yet this sweetness sent a chill down one’s spine. The entire place radiated an uncanny menace, an invisible force that cowed every would-be explorer and made them hesitate to advance.

Yu Shang and Xiao Yin, the two visitors, were clearly unsettled by the ominous danger lurking beneath the swamp’s innocent façade. This power was anything but ordinary; it treated everything here as its plaything, and Yu Shang and his companion were no exception. It was like a leopard toying with its prey, capturing it only to let it flee, and when the prey believed itself safely escaped, seizing it once more—over and over, until the beast grew weary of the game and finally devoured its victim. The taste of hope given and then destroyed was enough to drive anyone to despair.

Now, Yu Shang and Xiao Yin were like helpless prey, toyed with at the whim of this force, unable to resist no matter how they struggled. All their efforts were futile against its binding grip.

“What’s happening? Why do I feel as though I’m trapped, unable to breathe or break free?” Terror and helplessness flickered in Xiao Yin’s eyes. He felt like a lamb laid out on the table, awaiting slaughter, a fear so profound that he was left utterly at a loss.

“Don’t try to resist it. The more you struggle, the stronger its control becomes.” Upon hearing Yu Shang’s warning, Xiao Yin forced himself to suppress his urge to resist, and sure enough, he felt some relief.

“Careful!” Yu Shang suddenly shouted, rushing toward Xiao Yin.

At the sound of his warning, Xiao Yin spun around just in time to see a vaguely human-shaped monster erupting from the swamp, lunging straight at him. The creature exuded the stench of rotting corpses, its flesh decayed and riddled with writhing carrion insects. The sight was repulsive in the extreme. Most horrifying was its exposed skull, cracked and splintered, as if a single tap would shatter it completely. Two hollow sockets, long emptied of their eyes, gaped from the ruined face, drawing the gaze with a sinister allure. Within those lifeless pits lurked a strange power; anyone meeting their gaze felt as if ensnared by some dark sorcery, drawn deeper and deeper, losing even the sense of self.

Shaken from his trance, Xiao Yin gave a violent shudder and exclaimed, “I nearly fell under its spell!” He called out to Yu Shang, who was fending off monsters on the other side, “Hey, don’t look into that thing’s eye sockets, or you’ll be caught under its control!”

But Yu Shang was too busy hacking at the bizarre monsters to reply. These abominations seemed impossible to kill or even wound; no matter how they were cut down, they refused to die. Their rotting, blade-like bones could even pierce Xiao Yin’s protective barrier, and their wild, untrained swipes were enough to slash Yu Shang’s skin—a body newly reforged in the forest, once impervious to harm by any but the most advanced cultivators. Clearly, these creatures must have been powerful in life, and the being that now animated their corpses as puppets was even more terrifying.

Time dragged on as the monsters pressed their relentless assault. Exhausted and covered in wounds, Yu Shang and Xiao Yin grew desperate. Blood dripped from their injuries, each drop seeming to summon yet more monsters from beneath the earth, until an endless horde was upon them. Driven to the edge of madness, they struggled on.

With two furious roars—“Flowing Water Severance!” and “Heaven-Supporting Palm!”—the pair launched a renewed counterattack. Yu Shang’s technique was meant to entrap, his true energy flowing like water to momentarily stem the monsters’ advance. Xiao Yin’s assault, forged from the gathered energies around him and a surge of inner warmth, became a towering barrier that crashed down upon their foes. This combination of defense and offense was a perfect strategy.

The monsters, caught off guard by this fierce onslaught, were knocked to the ground. Seizing the moment, Yu Shang and Xiao Yin broke free from the encirclement and fled through the swamp. They ran for what felt like an eternity before finally emerging into a strange new realm.

“If only I could have used flight back there, I’d have vanished in an instant instead of fighting those disgusting things to the death. Now my energy is completely drained, and with these new wounds, regaining my former strength will be nearly impossible!” Xiao Yin complained bitterly, his grievances echoing to the sky.

“Those monsters were formidable indeed. Even without souls or cultivation, their sheer physical might nearly overwhelmed us. I’m growing ever more intrigued by the master of this place—to command so many powerful beings, what kind of existence must they be?” Yu Shang said excitedly, his tone holding no hint of defeat, but rather a spark of exhilaration.

“Hey! Did you even catch the point of what I just said? Instead of worrying about that old monster, shouldn’t you be figuring out what we do next? What if more of those freakish things show up?” Xiao Yin snapped, scanning their surroundings with heightened vigilance.

“Meow, my little snake, after all these years your courage is still as small as ever!” A sleek black cat strolled over, its jade-green eyes glittering like polished gems, impossible to meet directly.

“You! You wretched beast! After all these years, you’re still alive?!” Xiao Yin glared at the cat, his voice dripping with venom.

“Haha! If you’re still around, how could I bear to leave you behind?” The cat cackled, its tone mocking and deeply irksome.

Yu Shang regarded the mysterious feline with curiosity, while secretly sending a message to Xiao Yin: “Is this the black cat you said chased you here, trapping you in the Netherworld and nearly costing your life? Judging by your tone, there’s real bad blood between you two!”

“Hmph! I have a huge score to settle with that beast. If not for him, I wouldn’t have been defeated so badly and ended up hunted by the Celestial Realm. He’s got some luck, surviving even that old monster’s wrath!” Rage flared in Xiao Yin’s eyes as he recalled the past, his hatred so intense he seemed ready to drink the cat’s blood and gnaw its bones in revenge. It was clear how bitterly he had suffered because of this cat.

You might be wondering just what enmity could drive them to wish each other dead. Let me tell the tale from the beginning.

Back in the prime of his cultivation, brimming with youthful vigor, Xiao Yin set out to temper himself in the mortal world. Having known only cultivation and no pleasure, he was unprepared for the lively bustle and joy of a human marketplace. Newly come to the world of men, he was soon captivated by the lively, crowded bazaar. He was lost in the festivities when a jarring commotion broke out in the marketplace’s center.

Curiosity drew the naïve Xiao Yin to investigate. He arrived just in time to hear a man’s voice: “Lan’er, why are you hiding here? Come back to the Celestial Realm at once to receive your betrothal decree!”

The man grabbed the seemingly frail woman to lead her away, but she broke free of his grasp and retorted, “Marry you? What a joke! All of Heaven knows your true nature—that you’re lecherous and untrustworthy. I may not be born of celestial nobility, but I’ll not consign my life to your hands!”

“So, you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! Don’t blame me for what happens next!” The man’s gentle, affectionate demeanor vanished, replaced by his true colors. He summoned a magical treasure and tried to capture the woman. She fought back with a crimson whip, but after a few exchanges she was outmatched by his cunning assault and quickly subdued.

“Hmph, you’d best come quietly. I am, after all, the son of a high-ranking celestial deity. You could do much worse. But keep resisting, and once we’re wed, you’ll regret it!” With that, he tried to drag her away.

“Hold it! For someone of the Celestial Realm, your manners are thuggish and crude!” Unable to stand by any longer, Xiao Yin stepped forward to intervene.

“Heh, a brat still wet behind the ears dares defy me? Tired of living, are you?” The man tossed the immobilized woman aside and strode up to Xiao Yin.

His arrogant words ignited the youthful pride in Xiao Yin. “If you’re so confident, why not duel me and see who’s really courting death? Take this!”

“Fool! Prepare to die!” The man lunged forward as their confrontation began.