198: Golden Fiend Swamp

The current of the Rusty Water River was viscous and sluggish, shimmering with a rust-like dark red luster. The river water was permeated with a faint metallic stench and corrosive Spiritual Qi.

If an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator stayed here for too long, their Meridians would likely be damaged.

But for Gao De, this current mixed with golden malevolent aura was nothing more than a slightly murky pond.

He pushed his Hidden Scale Concealment Technique to the limit, his massive Dragon body becoming like a nimble shadow in the water, moving upstream along the riverbed without causing a single ripple or fluctuation in Spiritual Qi.

The Rainbow on his wrist also completely retracted its radiance, blending in with the surrounding environment.

The river was indeed inhabited by the Yao Beast known as the "Iron Wire Crocodile."

They were no more than seven or eight zhang long, their bodies covered in dark, iron-like scales, with long, sharp snouts. They lurked in the silt at the river bottom or in the crevices of rocks, and unless they actively attacked, they were almost indistinguishable from their surroundings.

Most of these Yao Beasts were First or Second-Rank, with a few leaders reaching the Peak of the Second-Rank.

They were completely unaware of the passing of this "colossus" that was Gao De. Occasionally, one or two would instinctively probe towards the shadow, only to be scared off by a wisp of faint Dragon might released by Gao De in advance—that was the suppression belonging to a higher level of life, stemming from the fear deep within their Bloodline.

After traveling like this for two days, the metallic stench in the river water grew increasingly heavy, and the water color gradually shifted from dark red to pale gold.

The vegetation on both banks became sparse, the rocks exposed, their surfaces covered in a thin layer of crystals shimmering with a metallic luster.

The air began to fill with a visible pale golden mist—this was the "golden malevolent aura miasma" unique to the Sunken Gold Marsh.

This type of miasma not only eroded the Physical Body but also wore down mana and interfered with Divine Sense; long-term inhalation could even damage one's Dao foundation.

Gao De circulated his Demonic Power, and a layer of faint rosy light naturally flowed over the purple scales on his body. This was the protective Spiritual light infused with the Dao rhythm of the niluan pure blood nest, which had excellent purification and resistance effects against such exotic energy.

When the golden malevolent aura touched the rosy light, it was like snow meeting the sun, quietly melting away.

"I am about to enter the territory of the Sunken Gold Marsh." Gao De understood this in his heart.

He became even more cautious, his Divine Sense carefully extending outward like silk, avoiding the dense areas of miasma while perceiving the surrounding environment.

According to the integrated map information, the Rusty Water River would merge into a vast marsh filled with dark golden puddles and rust-colored reeds about thirty miles ahead—that was the northern edge of the Sunken Gold Marsh.

However, just at a river bend more than ten miles from the confluence, Gao De keenly sensed a trace of abnormality.

On the north side of the river bend, on a seemingly ordinary steep cliff, there were traces of manual excavation!

Although it was almost unrecognizable, covered by vines and weathered by time, with Gao De's Divine Sense and eyesight, he could still see that it was a cave entrance that had been roughly sealed. Extremely faint traces of Spiritual Qi remained at the edges of the entrance—had he not been specifically looking and possessing perception far exceeding those of the same rank, it would have been impossible to discover.

"The Rong Family... left a hidden stake here?" Gao De felt a shiver in his heart and immediately stopped advancing, lurking in the shadows at the bottom of the river to observe carefully.

Although the entrance was sealed, there were several unnatural protrusions on the surrounding rock wall, vaguely forming a rudimentary node for a surveillance Formation.

This Formation was extremely well-hidden and seemed to be in a semi-dormant state, only reacting to specific frequencies of Spiritual Qi fluctuations or the passing of powerful living beings.

"It wasn't set up recently; it has been here for at least several years. It seems the Rong Family is not completely ignoring this 'unpopular' route of the Rusty Water River, they just devote less attention to it." Gao De judged.

He carefully bypassed that area, quietly passing through the deep water area on the other side of the river bend without triggering the Formation.

This discovery made him even more vigilant.

The Rong Family's importance placed on the Sunken Gold Marsh might be higher than the outside world imagined.

They had overt control over regular channels and resource points, and they also left hidden hands in remote paths like the Rusty Water River; therefore, it was impossible for the Rong Family to be unaware of the secret of the "sharp gold ancient stele" deep within the Sunken Gold Marsh, and they were likely plotting something in the dark.

After traveling a bit further, the Rusty Water River finally came to an end, and the river water flowed into an endless swamp emitting a pale golden mist.

This was the Sunken Gold Marsh.

Puddles were scattered across the swamp like stars in the sky, the water quality was murky, shimmering with a metallic luster.

The ground was mostly soft mud mixed with metal particles, growing sparse "Golden Sword Grass" with leaf edges as sharp as blades, and low-growing shrubs with branches like rusted iron wires.

The concentration of golden malevolent aura in the air had significantly increased, vision was limited, and Divine Sense probing was also subject to considerable interference.

Gao De did not rashly venture deep inside, but first went ashore along a relatively dry gravel beach at the edge of the swamp, resumed his human form, and put back on the hair ornament transformed by Rainbow.

In such a complex environment, although combat power was limited in human form, the target was smaller, which was more conducive to concealment and detailed investigation.

He took out the integrated map and compared it with the scene before him to identify the direction.

"We are currently located at the northern edge of the Sunken Gold Marsh. According to the map and the old Cultivator's information, about two hundred miles to the southeast, there is an area called 'Broken Gold Beach,' where golden Qi is congested, occasionally producing 'Broken Gold Sand' and 'Red Copper Essence,' and possibly even small pieces of 'earth vein gold essence,' making it one of the richest resource points on the periphery."

"At the same time, it is also one of the key thoroughfares to the middle layer area, with several relatively safe paths that can be used to penetrate deeper." Gao De planned his route.

"First go to Broken Gold Beach; for one, to collect resources and refine my Demonic weapon; for another, it is a transportation node, where I might be able to observe more clues, including the movements of the Rong Family or other explorers."

After determining his goal, Gao De once again employed his concealment methods, becoming like a wisp of gray light smoke, skimming along the ground, weaving through the thin pale golden mist and craggy rocks, heading towards the southeast.

The environment of the Sunken Gold Marsh was indeed treacherous.

In addition to the omnipresent golden malevolent aura miasma, various strange metal-attribute Yao Beasts lurked in the swamp:

There were "Iron-Spine Centipedes" shaped like enlarged centipedes, with each segment of their torso appearing to be cast from refined iron, and mouthparts capable of spraying metal fragments;

There were "Golden-Armored Crocodiles" that inhabited the puddles, shaped like crocodiles but with sharp bone plates on their backs, capable of manipulating weak golden magnetic forces;

And there were even "Gold-Devouring Ants" that moved in swarms, only the size of a fist, but possessing sharp mouthparts capable of gnawing on gold and iron...

Most of these Yao Beasts were at the First or Second-Rank level, with a few leaders reaching the Early Third-Rank.

They were extremely well-adapted to the golden malevolent aura environment, had strong concealment, and often launched attacks suddenly from the mud or mist.

Relying on his powerful Divine Sense for early warning and his agile movement techniques, Gao De was always able to avoid them in advance or resolve them instantly without causing too much of a commotion.

He killed a few Early Third-Rank "Golden-Armored Crocodile Kings" and "Iron-Spine Centipede Kings" that were blocking his way, taking their Yao cores and Materials from parts containing golden Qi; these were useless to him, but could be kept for exchange or to reward subordinates.

Three days later, Gao De approached "Broken Gold Beach."

This was a gravel beach of considerable size, with the ground covered in gravel and sand of all sizes, shimmering with various metallic lusters.

The concentration of golden malevolent aura in the air was higher, almost turning into a pale golden veil, with visibility less than a hundred zhang.

In the center of the beach, there were several obvious depressions, filled with purer metal particles, with treasure light vaguely flowing.

However, Gao De did not immediately go up to collect them.

He hid behind a huge, rusted brown rock, his eyes scanning the beach sharply.

On Broken Gold Beach, there were traces of a battle!

Several larger metal ore piles showed signs of being overturned and collected, and the ground retained scorched marks from Spell bombardment and a small amount of dried, dark red bloodstains that were not from Yao Beasts.

More importantly, he captured two other lingering Spiritual Qi auras in the air besides the golden malevolent aura—one was sharp and fierce, carrying the unique Sword Qi flavor of the Heavenly Sword Alliance's Cultivation Technique; the other was relatively mellow and long-lasting, vaguely having the shadow of the Rong Family's water-attribute Cultivation Technique, but it was different, seeming more ancient and obscure.

"People from the Heavenly Sword Alliance have been here? And they clashed with possibly the Rong Family... or with local forces of the Sunken Gold Marsh?" Gao De speculated in his heart.

He carefully released his Divine Sense, carefully sensing the direction and intensity of the lingering traces.

The battle traces extended towards the southeast of Broken Gold Beach, which was one of the paths to the middle layer of the Sunken Gold Marsh.

"Follow and see." Gao De made his decision.

He concealed his figure and carefully followed the battle traces.

After traveling about fifty miles, the golden malevolent aura became increasingly thick, and the terrain gradually changed from a relatively open beach to a complex landscape of craggy rocks and crisscrossing gullies.

This already belonged to the edge of the middle layer area of the Sunken Gold Marsh.

The traces became chaotic at the entrance of a narrow canyon with towering rock walls on both sides, and then came to an abrupt stop.

Gao De lurked in the shadow of a huge rock outside the entrance of the canyon, looking inside.

The mist inside the canyon was thicker, and the golden malevolent aura was almost flowing like pale golden liquid.

And deep in the canyon, about three miles away, he vaguely saw the outline of broken walls and ruins!

That seemed to be the remains of a small ruin.

Collapsed stone pillars, half-buried foundations, the style was ancient, not contemporary architecture.

In the center of the ruins, there seemed to be half a broken stele-like object standing, but it was obscured by thick fog and could not be seen clearly.

And on the periphery of the ruins, on the rock walls on both sides of the canyon, Gao De discovered traces of human work again—these were several newly excavated recesses that could only accommodate one person, with extremely exquisite concealment Formations arranged at the entrances; if not for his powerful Divine Sense and intentional searching, it would have been almost impossible to discover.

In the Formations, there were faint auras of Cultivators lurking, no fewer than five people, all with cultivation at the middle or Late Stage of Foundation Establishment!

Their auras were restrained extremely well, like rocks, and they were staring fixedly at the direction of the ruins, seemingly waiting for something.

What shocked Gao De even more was that near those concealment points, he sensed an extremely faint aura of the Rong Family's Cultivation Technique, which was of the same origin as the hidden stake on the cliff of the Rusty Water River, but purer, and... it seemed to be mixed with a trace of indescribable, obscure fluctuation that seemed to come from the ruins themselves.

"The Rong Family... has been lying in ambush here for a long time? What are they waiting for? Waiting for the people from the Heavenly Sword Alliance? Or waiting for changes in the ruins?" Gao De held his breath and focused, raising his own concealment to the limit, his thoughts flying in his mind.

It seems that the ruins deep in the Sunken Gold Marsh really do affect the nerves of the Rong Family.

They have not given up, but are laying out plans here in a more secretive way. The appearance of the Heavenly Sword Alliance may have disrupted their plans.

Gao De did not act rashly.

Like the most patient hunter, he lurked quietly in the shadows at the entrance of the canyon, his Divine Sense highly concentrated, observing every subtle change in the ruins, the ambush points, and the surrounding environment.

He had a premonition that something big was about to happen in this canyon filled with golden malevolent aura. And his goal—the "earth vein gold essence" and even the secret of the "sharp gold ancient stele"—might all be revealed in the upcoming events.

The master of Qianjiao Cliff, the Purple Lightning Flood Dragon Gao De, was now an observer in the shadows, waiting for his own Opportunity.

The chess game of the Sunken Gold Marsh seemed more complex than he had imagined.

The Rong Family's scheming, the intervention of the Heavenly Sword Alliance, and the mysterious ruins themselves all together constituted a fog waiting to be unveiled.

And he, too, would cautiously search for his own Opportunity to Breakthrough to the Fourth-Rank within this fog.