Black tentacles approached stealthily, quickly coiling around Ye Ling. Spikes emerged from the inner sides of the tentacles, attempting to devour Ye Ling's cultivation.
However, before the spikes could pierce Ye Ling's skin, they were easily shattered by his demonic energy.
"These tentacles..."
Ye Ling looked at the tentacles binding him, not rushing to break free. Instead, he followed them towards their roots, wanting to discover what kind of monster could evade his senses.
But when Ye Ling saw the source of the black tentacles, he was utterly stunned.
"This..."
Ye Ling stared blankly in the direction of the tentacles, never expecting that their origin was the swamp itself!
"This swamp is actually a demon?"
Seeing the tentacles emerge from the mud, Ye Ling was somewhat surprised. He quickly extended his divine soul to cover the entire swamp, searching for its brain.
He had indeed sensed a life force from the swamp earlier, but he had assumed it belonged to the Yuan Dragon or some other living creature within it.
Ye Ling never imagined that the swamp itself was alive!
After searching several times without finding anything resembling a brain, Ye Ling shifted his attention back to the tentacles that had ensnared him.
Ye Ling easily broke free from the tentacles and grabbed a broken piece with one hand.
However, the severed tentacles quickly turned into mud and slipped from his grasp.
"It seems... this swamp is semi-living, without consciousness, acting purely on instinct..."
"The Yuan Dragon's aura remains at the bottom, yet not a single bone was found, nor were there any signs of the surrounding space being disturbed... The Yuan Dragon was most likely digested by the swamp."
"Or perhaps... this swamp is being controlled by some creature?"
Ye Ling murmured softly. Finding nothing at the bottom of the swamp, he no longer lingered and instantly returned to the shore.
"My Lord!"
The Blood-Shedding Qilin, guarding at the shore, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Ye Ling return and quickly stepped forward to ask with concern, "What exactly is the situation below? What kind of demonic creature are those tentacles?"
Ye Ling took Di Zhui, who had jumped from the Blood-Shedding Qilin's back, and turned to look at the calm swamp, saying, "I didn't find the Yuan Dragon's remains, but I discovered something strange."
"This swamp... seems to be alive."
"Al-alive?"
The Blood-Shedding Qilin was slightly taken aback, not immediately understanding what Ye Ling meant.
Ye Ling continued, "Those tentacles you saw earlier were organs of the swamp itself. The Yuan Dragon was just eaten by this swamp, leaving no trace."
At this point, Ye Ling was somewhat annoyed.
The Yuan Dragon was a rare material, and now it had been completely swallowed by this living swamp. Xiao Lan's body also had no prospects.
The Blood-Shedding Qilin hadn't fully processed Ye Ling's words. It murmured, "A living swamp... How can such a strange creature exist in the world? It's unheard of..."
As their Qilin clan inherited the power of their bloodline, they also inherited some memories from their ancestors. They knew most of the significant events and famous beings that had appeared from the prehistoric era to the present day.
However, in the Qilin clan's memory bank, the Blood-Shedding Qilin had never encountered such a bizarre creature as a living swamp!
Moreover, if the swamp was alive, why did it choose to eat the Yuan Dragon at this particular moment?
The Blood-Shedding Qilin's doubts grew, but the more it thought, the more confused its mind became. Finally, it shook its head vigorously, giving up on trying to understand.
Thinking further would make its head explode.
The Blood-Shedding Qilin asked Ye Ling, "My Lord, what should we do now... Should we deal with this living swamp, or go retrieve the treasure?"
After all, the events at the living swamp were an interlude. its purpose in bringing Ye Ling here was to retrieve the treasure deep within Jianlong Divine Mountain. Wasting too much time here was meaningless.
Furthermore, it had no idea how to deal with the swamp.
Drain it dry?
Ye Ling cast a deep glance at the swamp and then said to the Blood-Shedding Qilin, "Very well, take me to find the treasure you mentioned first. We'll deal with this place later."
In any case, the swamp wasn't going anywhere, and finding the truth about the living swamp would take time. It was better to go and retrieve the treasure from Jianlong Divine Mountain first.
After seeing this living swamp, Ye Ling became even more curious about the treasure the Blood-Shedding Qilin had mentioned.
Upon entering Jianlong Divine Mountain, as they ventured deeper into the mountain, Ye Ling also discovered that the mountain was not as simple as he had imagined.
But it made sense. Jianlong Divine Mountain was one of the few places in present-day China inhabited by a large number of demons. With top-tier great demons like the Blood-Shedding Qilin and the Yuan Dragon residing here, if the mountain were simple, it would be an insult to its name.
"My Lord, please follow me."
The Blood-Shedding Qilin didn't want to linger in this strange place. After Ye Ling agreed, it quickly led Ye Ling away from the living swamp and headed towards the depths of Jianlong Divine Mountain.
Shortly after Ye Ling and the Blood-Shedding Qilin left, a pile of black bubbles emerged from the center of the living swamp, and then a man made of mud rose from the swamp.
"Hehehehe... Food... Treasure..."
It cackled while looking in the direction Ye Ling and the Blood-Shedding Qilin had left, then transformed into a mass of mud, detached from the swamp, and pursued Ye Ling.
...
Deep within Jianlong Divine Mountain, Jianlong Mountain Valley.
Upon entering the deepest part of Jianlong Divine Mountain, the surrounding white mist dissipated, and the desolate, eerie environment suddenly transformed into a place of birds singing and flowers fragrant. Numerous adorable little sprites darted about in the depths of the valley.
Precious medicinal herbs grew all around, and a peculiar floral fragrance permeated the air. Just breathing it in made one feel refreshed and invigorated.
Entering the valley, Ye Ling surveyed the beautiful scenery and smiled, "I didn't expect the depths of Jianlong Divine Mountain to hold such scenery. It's truly a paradise on earth."
Di Zhui jumped out of his embrace and rushed into the midst of a group of sprites, playing with them, creating a scene of peace.
It was likely that no one would imagine that just a few steps behind Ye Ling lay a desolate dead zone filled with withered bones and evil spirits.
The Blood-Shedding Qilin walked to Ye Ling's side and explained, "Jianlong Divine Mountain was once the place where my clan's ancestors and a senior Yinglong resided. During the late prehistoric era, when the demon race fought against immortals and gods, my ancestors and the senior Yinglong protected the displaced sprites here. This was also one of the few havens at that time."
"After my ancestors and the senior Yinglong passed away, this place remained a paradise for the demon race until today."
"As for the areas outside the valley, they are wastelands left behind by great demons who failed in their attempts to occupy Jianlong Mountain Valley. Most of the resentment there is formed by those great demons who died in the white mist."
"Jianlong Mountain Valley, a demon paradise..."
Ye Ling scanned the beautiful scenery of the valley again and smiled, "In today's world, beautiful sights like this are hard to find. It makes one want to protect them."
The Blood-Shedding Qilin respectfully bowed to Ye Ling and then said, "My Lord, the treasure is in the center of Jianlong Mountain Valley. Please follow me to retrieve it."
"Mm."
Ye Ling nodded and followed the Blood-Shedding Qilin deeper into Jianlong Mountain Valley.
At this moment, a mass of mud seeped into the valley from the white mist outside.