Chapter 542: Desolate Marsh Bone Mountains

This scene happened too suddenly and was somewhat unbelievable, causing Han Li to be momentarily startled, then a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes. He thought to himself that it was no wonder he hadn't sensed these blue-haired strange men lurking here earlier.

Several of the strange men burrowed into the ground and immediately fled into the distance at an astonishing speed.

Han Li's eyes flickered slightly, but he made no move.

Although the concealment technique of these blue-haired strange men was exquisite, he could still vaguely sense them, but he had no intention of giving chase.

The Golden Child's small face was filled with anger, but she was not good at sensing. She turned her head to look at Han Li, and although she didn't speak, her questioning intent was clear.

"Let them go," Han Li shook his head and said slowly.

"Why not chase them?" the Golden Child asked reluctantly.

"These blue-haired strange men are not ordinary desolate beasts; they should come from some nearby desolate foreign tribe. Blindly pursuing them might bring more loss than gain," Han Li said.

"Even if there were ten times as many of these blue-haired monkeys, I wouldn't take them seriously!" The Golden Child raised her small fist and snorted discontentedly.

"Never underestimate these desolate foreign tribes. Many tribes possess extraordinary strength, and most of these foreign tribes worship desolate true spirits like the sand beast we encountered earlier, making their true power hard to gauge. Our goal is to cross the desolate lands; treasure hunting is only incidental. We must not create unnecessary trouble," Han Li said in a slightly deeper voice.

Hearing this, the Golden Child recalled the strength of the giant sand beast, her small expression changed slightly, and she said nothing more.

"Master, I didn't expect you to know so much about the desolate lands," the Pixiu said somewhat lazily.

"Since we'll be surviving in these desolate lands for a considerable time, it's only natural to know ourselves and our enemies as much as possible," Han Li said with a smile.

He had actually learned very little about the desolate lands in Yuanhuang City; it was only after offering a high reward in the Wuchang Alliance that he finally obtained some valuable information.

"Let's go. These desolate foreign tribes are very hostile to desolate-hunting cultivators. Since they suffered a loss this time, a large force might come after us soon," Han Li said, glancing around.

"How boring. Uncle, I'm a bit sleepy. Call me if something fun happens!"

The Golden Child yawned listlessly, then with a flicker of her form, turned into a speck of golden light that landed on Han Li's finger, condensing into a golden ring.

Han Li made a hand seal and waved his hand. The jade flying carriage glowed brightly and continued flying forward.

To avoid pursuit by those blue-haired foreign tribes, he no longer slowly searched for treasures on this leg of the journey. Instead, he activated the concealment restrictions and traveled at full speed, quickly leaving this white mist mountain range.

After flying out of the mountain range, the terrain ahead became flat and open. Before long, a somewhat dim forest appeared ahead.

Looking from afar, most of the trees in this forest were grayish-black in color, with dense foliage. Even though it was daytime, the forest was still dim, giving a cold and unpredictable feeling.

Seeing this, Han Li frowned slightly, but still drove the jade flying carriage straight into the forest.

"Eh, that's strange. The spiritual energy in this forest is quite abundant, yet there's hardly any aura of spiritual materials," the Pixiu suddenly spoke after a while.

Han Li's expression turned serious. His divine sense had also been sensing the surroundings, and he too found this place quite strange.

In the dim forest below, not only were there few spiritual herbs, but there was also hardly any aura of desolate beasts.

Although this place seemed somewhat strange, Han Li didn't take it too seriously. If there was no danger here, he could just speed up the flying carriage and move on.

"Eh, such a powerful spiritual energy fluctuation, and such a rich aura! Master, I sense something good ahead to the left, something extraordinary!" After flying for half a day, the Pixiu suddenly stood up, its eyes shining brightly.

Hearing this, Han Li's face showed a hint of hesitation. After a moment's thought, he still urged the jade flying carriage to fly toward the left front.

After a while, a lifeless black muddy swamp appeared ahead.

The swamp was barren, covered everywhere with black mud that emitted a rotting smell. Occasionally, large bubbles emerged from the mud and burst, releasing wisps of purple-black miasma.

"Pixiu, are you saying there's a treasure here?" Han Li asked with a slight frown.

Sweeping with his divine sense, the spiritual energy in this area was even thinner than in the forest. Not to mention spiritual materials, he couldn't even sense any aura of living beings.

"No mistake, deep in the swamp! This time we've found something good; don't forget my contribution!" the Pixiu said firmly after twitching its nose.

"Then let's go take a look." Han Li seemed still somewhat skeptical, but still urged the flying carriage forward with a hand seal.

After flying a bit further, his expression suddenly changed, and he stopped the jade flying carriage with a hand seal.

The purple-black miasma in the swamp below was extremely thick, forming a dense layer above the swamp, making it as dark as night.

Han Li didn't care much about the miasma. He drove the flying carriage downward and stopped about ten zhang above the swamp, frowning deeply.

In the black mud below lay rows of white bones, most of which were already decayed, but one could still tell they were bones of various demon beasts.

These demon beast bones varied in size, from over ten zhang to over a hundred zhang long.

Not only the area beneath him, but also ahead, the bones stretched to the horizon. In such dim light, they emitted faint white glows, making the scene even more eerie.

The Pixiu seemed startled by the sight and dared not speak, only sneaking a glance at Han Li.

Han Li's expression didn't change much. After pausing for a moment, he urged the flying carriage forward with a hand seal.

The further they went, the more demon beast bones there were in the swamp, almost covering it entirely. Eventually, the black mud was no longer visible, and the surrounding temperature dropped sharply.

"Is it still ahead?" Han Li suddenly asked.

"M-master, it should be ahead, but this place is a bit scary. Maybe we should... forget it..." The Pixiu lay prostrate on the ground, motionless, and said in a buzzing voice.

"I hope your premonition is correct," Han Li said.

Since he had come this far, he naturally didn't want to back out. Based on past experience, rare treasures were always guarded by strange beasts nearby, which was understandable. However, this beast should not be easy to deal with and possessed some highly advanced aura-concealing ability, making it impossible for him to gauge its depth so far.

But from what he had felt in the desolate lands so far, with his current cultivation, even if he encountered danger, he should be able to protect himself. If he encountered something truly beyond his ability to contend with, he could simply turn tail and flee.

With these thoughts in mind, Han Li silently continued to drive the flying carriage forward, but he heightened his vigilance and slowed down considerably.

After proceeding for a while longer, he stopped the flying carriage with a hand seal.

They had now reached the depths of the swamp. The number of bones here was astonishing, piling up into massive bone mountains all around.

Moreover, the bones here were much larger than those seen along the way. Giant skeletons the size of mountains were everywhere, stacked layer upon layer.

Even Han Li felt a chill in his heart at this sight.

"Master, the treasure is over there!" The Pixiu suddenly spoke, pointing ahead.

Ahead, between two huge bone mountains a few li away, there was a small emerald green pool several zhang in size, with crystal clear water.

In the center of the pool grew a golden lotus, as large as a washbasin. The lotus had nine petals, each golden but of different shades, yet they combined harmoniously without any discord.

Above the lotus appeared nine golden rainbows of varying shades, shimmering and resplendent.

Han Li's heart stirred, and he quickly urged the flying carriage over.

Even from several hundred zhang away, the rich fragrance emanating from the golden lotus was overwhelming. Han Li took just one whiff and felt an indescribable comfort throughout his body; several of his immortal apertures showed signs of opening.

Seeing this, he was both surprised and delighted.

Although he didn't recognize what this golden lotus was, just its fragrance told him it was a supreme spiritual object.

Han Li was about to fly closer for a look when suddenly a change occurred. A piercing cry came from the distant sky.

The sound entered his ears, causing his soul to tremble violently, and his body swayed.

But Han Li's divine sense was extremely powerful, and he quickly steadied himself, though his expression changed.

The sky above suddenly darkened, and a huge black beast appeared in mid-air.

This beast was enormous, comparable to the giant sand beast encountered in the sand sea. It resembled a flood dragon, covered in huge black scales, each over ten zhang in size. On its head grew several giant black bone spikes, each several hundred zhang long. Its four huge dragon claws blotted out the sky.

The black flood dragon's huge eyes stared fixedly at the golden lotus, full of greed. But then it turned its gaze to Han Li, who was still on the flying carriage, and a fierce glint flashed in its eyes.

"Ah, Master, I... I'm also a bit sleepy!" The Pixiu exclaimed, then with a flash of white light, it turned into a pendant hanging at Han Li's waist.

A golden light flashed on Han Li's body, and he was about to act.

Suddenly, a scorching wind arose out of nowhere, and the giant dragon's tail swept down.

Han Li felt the air around him tighten, and before he could react, the giant tail was already upon him, bringing with it a terrifying pressure that seemed capable of tearing the sky apart, surging toward him like a tidal wave.

His expression changed, and he quickly waved his hand. Three Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords shot out, instantly transforming into three giant green swords that crossed in front of him.

Before Han Li could make any other move, the black dragon's tail struck the three giant swords.

With a deafening bang!

The three giant green swords trembled violently, most of the green sword light on their surfaces was dispersed, and the crossed swords were knocked apart, flying in three directions.

However, fortunately, the force of the tail strike was blocked.

Seizing this opportunity, Han Li, while inwardly lamenting, quickly made hand seals to drive the jade flying carriage backward, dodging the residual impact, and at the same time waved his hand to recall the three Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.

This black flood dragon seemed even more powerful than the giant sand beast from before!