“Supreme Godly Monarch,” Lin Juemie muttered to himself, then said, “You think Qiu’er is a Godly Monarch? That shouldn’t be possible. Our Southern Region hasn’t produced a Godly Monarch in tens of thousands of years.”
“Then how do you explain that God Beast?” Lin Beisheng asked. “A God Beast that could make a Grand Empyrean back down, how could it be following Qiu’er’s commands?”
“Well…” Lin Juemie fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.
“No matter what, this doesn’t concern us much anymore. Qiu’er has his own path to follow. Perhaps his destination is the Immortal Bridge,” Lin Beisheng said.
“We just need to manage the Nine Heavens Sect of today. Record everything truthfully in the Epoch Chronicle, and let future generations judge for themselves.”
Hearing this, Lin Juemie gave a small nod, accepting it.
...
In the Swamp Lands, Xu Zimo awoke from his cultivation.
As the saying goes, time is forgotten in the mountains; years pass in an instant when cultivating.
He had spent an entire month absorbing the mist, finally slowing down after breaking through another meridian.
The results of this month’s cultivation were significant. The tenth extraordinary meridian, the second cycle, the Sacral Chakra, had been opened.
The spiritforce within his body now flowed like a mighty ocean instead of a mere river, surging endlessly and continuously.
His body had become even more refined and powerful.
However, the further he progressed with the strange meridians, the more mist he needed. Xu Zimo decided to find the source of this mist, thinking it would benefit his cultivation greatly.
The mist in the Swamp Lands merged with the air, and sharp cries echoed from deep within the forest.
Xu Zimo stood up and walked deeper into the marsh.
After about ten minutes, the ground beneath his feet suddenly gave way, and he fell without warning into a marsh pit.
The mist obscured everything, and the surrounding mud pulled at him with suction force, trying to swallow him whole.
A pungent, foul smell assaulted his nose.
The mud quickly rose to his waist. The more he struggled, the deeper he sank.
Xu Zimo tested the situation. Even a Fusion Heaven cultivator might not escape from this kind of suction.
What was worse was that anyone who entered the marsh and inhaled the mist wouldn’t be able to integrate it as he did with his strange meridians.
When the mist clung to the meridians, over time, it would block the flow of spiritforce entirely.
Eventually, even a Fusion Heaven cultivator would become no different from an ordinary person.
This was why the Swamp Lands were considered forbidden ground. The Grand Empyreans couldn’t see through the mist and would get lost, and the deadly marshes would stop 90% of intruders.
Moreover, above the marsh was a barrier-like force that prevented people from flying through the air.
Despite all the danger, Xu Zimo’s Godly Monarch realm made him quite safe here.
He pulled himself out of the marsh, looking ahead into the endless white mist.
Closing his eyes slightly, he released his spiritual sense.
With his God-Soul, he could detect abnormalities within several kilometers, an ability gained after advancing to Godly Monarch and igniting the God-Flame.
Through this sense, Xu Zimo found something odd.
This was supposed to be the habitat of the Lizard Race. No matter the species, there should be some sign of them.
But in his perception, not a single living thing could be found.
Using his divine sense to avoid more marsh pits, Xu Zimo kept walking forward.
The rain eventually cleared. Even the downpour seemed tired and stopped around dusk.
The climate in the marsh grew more humid and cold. The mist remained, thick and white, obscuring the darkness.
Xu Zimo had walked for half a day and still hadn’t seen any living creature.
“This doesn’t make sense,” he frowned slightly.
He stopped under a large old tree, sat on a branch, and extended his spiritual awareness.
Time passed slowly, and the night grew darker.
Until midnight, when a disturbance deep within the marsh woke Xu Zimo.
His eyes snapped open. In the next instant, a faint afterimage remained on the branch while he appeared several hundred meters away.
There, in a patch of blooming wisteria, a girl in a green robe was cautiously picking flowers.
Looking closely, her pupils were green, and her ears were triangular like a cat’s.
As Xu Zimo appeared behind her, the green-robed girl sensed him instantly.
Frightened, she cried out, dropped her basket, and instantly opened a spatial gate in front of her and stepped through.
“A Particle World?” Xu Zimo murmured in surprise.
Seeing the gate about to close, he waved his right hand. With the power of creation, he locked the entrance.
After quickly stepping inside, the space rippled before returning to calm.
...
His vision gradually became clearer.
Xu Zimo landed on solid ground.
Looking around, he found himself on a plain, surrounded by fruit orchards.
There were green grapes, yellow plums, purple fire fruit, all decent varieties.
Up ahead, wisps of smoke rose into the air. A village could be vaguely seen in the distance.
At that moment, Xu Zimo understood.
No wonder he couldn’t find the Lizard Race, they lived in a Particle World.
Only occasionally did they venture into the outside world. If the entrance to the Particle World wasn’t open, even he wouldn’t have found it.
According to the fusion technique manual left by the World Sovereign Empyrean Sect, the Lizard Race weren’t ordinary lizards.
From birth, they could take human form. But their dream had always been to become dragons.
Xu Zimo walked toward the village along a path paved with broken stones.
Before long, several women emerged from the fruit orchards on either side.
They had well-maintained skin and also wore green robes, with baskets hanging from their arms.
They too had folded triangular ears. Laughing and chatting, they walked toward him.
At first, they looked puzzled when they saw Xu Zimo.
After sizing him up, their expressions changed slightly.
“Who are you?” the leading woman asked cautiously.
“I came to explore the Swamp Lands and accidentally got lost and ended up here,” Xu Zimo replied with a smile. “I was hoping to ask for directions.”
“You’re not one of us, you're not from the Lizard Race,” another woman said after looking him over. “You’re human, aren’t you?”