Cloud Marsh

Chapter 693: Cloud Marsh

“Sixteen hours? So this world originally had thirty-two hours in a day?”

Hearing this, Li Huowang felt his mind churn. Some things that were common sense here were actually wrong?

“Correct. Dragon Veins vary in size, but according to the almanac records, there were indeed sixteen hours.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“What? You’ve never looked at an almanac—costs one tael of silver on any street corner? Aren’t you supposed to be a Daoist? Surely you’ve read the Four Books and Five Classics?”

Li Huowang didn’t know how to answer for a moment. But after thinking about it, it seemed reasonable enough. If the entire world was insane, what did it matter if there were a few more hours in a day?

Just then, a thought burst into Li Huowang’s mind.

“What if… what if all the remaining Dragon Veins were gone? What would happen then? A world with zero hours? What kind of world would that be?”

Li Huowang shook his head violently, flinging the thoughts away. “Forget how many hours there are in a day. Where are the three Dragon Veins? That’s the most important thing now!!”

“Cloud Marsh.”

The moment those words were spoken, Li Huowang quickly found a map of Later Shu and studied it intently.

Later Shu’s terrain was barren, but it wasn’t completely devoid of water. Within its borders lay a miasma-shrouded swamp, a place thick with legends: Cloud Marsh.

Staring at the map, Li Huowang gritted his teeth. “There’s no point dawdling any longer. Let’s go! We’re getting those Dragon Veins back. Eleven hours a day is already too few.”

The situation was dire. Li Huowang and his group set out. They weren’t the only ones moving—every Military Path practitioner in Later Shu, along with reinforcements from Qingqiu, also launched their counterattack against the territory the Fa Sect had seized.

Whatever their individual goals, against the Fa Sect, they remained allies.

With Li Huowang making such a large move, the Fa Sect naturally wasn’t going to sit idly by. All of Later Shu instantly descended into chaos.

On the barren Gobi, everyone rode at full gallop, racing toward Cloud Marsh.

Just as their group charged into a low-lying depression, the ground split open, revealing a bottomless black pit.

But before anything could emerge from beneath the earth, an eerie sight occurred—these mounted riders had no purchase whatsoever, galloping in midair.

A pale hand, its thumb adorned with a jade thumb-ring, plunged into Li Huowang’s skull. As he moved, it slid out again through the back of his head.

“Mirage. Xuanpin’s trick. They’re not here.”

Meanwhile, the real Li Huowang and the others had already appeared at the outskirts of Cloud Marsh.

The Fa Sect, of course, wasn’t about to let them approach easily. The outer reaches of Cloud Marsh had become a full-blown battlefield.

The Fa Sect defended; Later Shu and Qingqiu attacked.

It was like a massive millstone, grinding living people in and grinding out death and broken limbs. Heaven itself seemed unable to bear the sight, sending down a light drizzle.

As the rain grew heavier, the number of dead on the battlefield increased. Rain slammed into pools of blood, shrouding all of Cloud Marsh in a veil of red mist.

“Die!!”

Covered in writhing tendrils, Li Huowang roared as he cut through the crowd, leaving a trail of corpses wherever he passed.

But no matter how many he killed, the Fa Sect believers kept coming. They threw themselves into death without hesitation, swarming like insects—endless.

Pushing forward through sheer force, Li Huowang’s group finally reached the edge of Cloud Marsh.

Seeing that the other Sitian Jian officials had already gone deeper into the marsh, Li Huowang didn’t linger on the periphery. He led the others charging inside.

“This way! Go this way!”

Shangguanyuting, Xuanpin’s agent, navigated the muddy swamp, continuously pointing Li Huowang in the right direction.

Away from the battlefield, the surroundings of Cloud Marsh grew quiet. But that didn’t mean it was safe—in fact, it became far more dangerous.

With two wet thwips, invisible arrows shot out from a nearby pool, piercing through Li Huowang’s back at incredible speed and emerging from his chest.

Li Huowang, gripping his Purple-Tasseled Sword, turned and glared coldly at the pool. Peng Longteng’s towering figure crashed heavily into it, sending water splashing everywhere. Within moments, the pool’s water rapidly turned blood-red.

To avoid further ambushes, a small lump soon swelled on the back of Li Huowang’s head, then split open. Li Sui’s dual-pupiled eye emerged, watching for threats in his blind spot.

Li Huowang grabbed the invisible arrow in his chest with one hand and pulled it out. He walked to the pool’s edge, staring at his own reflection, a flicker of hesitation in his expression.

“Ji Zai… what the hell are you doing? If all three Dragon Veins are gone, are you really just going to watch? Is this the ‘preparation’ you mentioned?”

Yet Ji Zai remained utterly silent.

Li Huowang’s face showed a trace of disappointment. He truly wanted to know what Ji Zai was up to right now. Was there really anything more important than dealing with the Fa Sect?

“Watch out. Zheng Boqiao’s run into a tough one.”

Xuanpin’s figure appeared beside Li Huowang.

After glancing at the reactions of the others, Li Huowang understood—this was just an illusion from Xuanpin; her real body was elsewhere.

“Even with the Military Path holding off the Fa Sect’s cannon fodder, the Fa Sect still has plenty of skilled fighters.”

“Isn’t that a bit late to mention? Everyone, converge. Don’t let the Fa Sect pick us off one by one with superior numbers.”

“You’re underestimating the Sitian Jian. They’ll be fine. If they’re truly being encircled, I’ll send others to support. I’m saying this so you’ll stay alert. Here.”

Xuanpin extended her hand, offering Li Huowang an old wooden box.

“What’s this?”

Li Huowang reached out to take it. Oddly, Xuanpin’s body was illusory, but the box in her hand was solid.

“Some Innate Pneuma, gathered from Later Shu. Use it when you see the Dragon Veins. There isn’t much this time—Heart-Elements are too rare, and a good number have been wasted already.”

Li Huowang’s expression was complex as he looked at the red box. He took it and tucked it into his robes.

Suddenly, Li Huowang’s head jerked to the side, dodging a flying stone that shot past from behind. As he spun around, he spotted a stone statue standing motionless not far away.

Frowning, Li Huowang drew his Bronze Coin Sword and swung it forcefully. The statue split apart instantly, sending dark green worms splattering everywhere in all directions.

It only looked like stone. In reality, it wasn’t—it was more like a human-shaped cocoon.

“Senior Brother Li,” Bai Lingmiao suddenly spoke up beside him, “there are many more of these things far ahead.”

Hearing this, Li Huowang turned to Xuanpin. “Tell your people to be careful. Looks like the Fa Sect has laid out a feast in our honor.”