Seeing Gao Han's stony expression, Yi Yingying lowered her head in dejection. Her horse ambled slowly behind his dark brown stallion, following in its wake.
Gao Han too sensed that it was unkind to brush off a young maiden so coldly, yet he had never truly conversed with girls before, nor did he know how to soothe or charm them.
Ever since his tenth year, when his water-attuned physique was revealed, every clan had forbidden their daughters from associating with him, fearing that fondness might take root over time.
Marrying their daughters to such a worthless wretch was the last thing any of them desired. Thus, throughout his youth, the only female he had ever known was his own younger sister.
Just as Gao Han stewed in awkward silence, unsure how to act, his body tensed abruptly. He detected a violent, surging aura ahead.
"Look out!"
He let out a sharp cry, reached out, and lifted Yi Yingying off her mount, pulling her onto his own horse to sit before him.
Yi Yingying blushed furiously, her voice little more than a whisper. "How dare you be so forward! Let me go at once!"
Before she could finish speaking, a jet-black force sliced through the air, hurtling toward the horses in the blink of an eye. It struck the steed she had been riding moments prior, cleaving the animal clean in two.
Yi Yingying broke into a cold sweat. Had Gao Han not pulled her to safety, she would have shared the horse's fate.
After splitting the horse apart, the dark force continued surging backward.
"Azure Monument Palm!"
One of the Misty Sect disciples struck out with a palm, summoning a colossal cyan stone monument that crashed into the oncoming dark energy.
The monument shattered into fragments, and while much of the dark force dissipated, the remaining stream barreled onward toward the disciple.
Thud… thud… thud…
He crossed his arms to block the blow, the violent momentum sending him staggering back nearly ten steps, each leaving a deep footprint in the dirt.
The disciple lifted his head with a gasp. "Incredible power! This is no less than a mid-tier First-Rank demonic beast!"
Mid-tier First-Rank beasts matched the strength of at least Fourth Layer True Essence cultivators, with the strongest reaching the Sixth Layer.
Gao Han's expression turned grave as well. Even he would have to fight with all his strength against a Sixth Layer foe—let alone one lurking in the shadows while they stood exposed.
His left arm tightened around Yi Yingying, her curvy, voluptuous frame pressed firmly against his body. Unfortunately, Gao Han had no leisure to savor the moment; his gaze remained locked ahead, fully focused on the impending danger.
He failed to notice their closeness, but Yi Yingying certainly did.
Gao Han's grip was firm and powerful, his strong arm wrapped tightly around her waist, pressing her bosom flush against his chest. A wave of weakness washed over her.
She tilted her head, gazing infatuatedly at his handsome, cold features, her heart pounding wildly. She snaked her arms around his torso and pressed her cheek against his chest.
If only time could stand still at this very moment, she thought.
Meanwhile, Gao Han held her securely with one hand, his other resting on the hilt of his sword, ready to strike at any moment.
He had no intention of taking liberties; his mind was simply taut with tension, bracing for the coming battle.
Against an ordinary mid-tier First-Rank beast, he could hold his own, but a peak mid-tier beast would force him into a brutal, life-or-death struggle—one whose outcome was far from certain.
Minutes ticked by, yet no further attacks came, and no additional energy surged toward them.
Growing impatient of waiting, Gao Han signaled for the others to hold back, gently dug his heels into his horse's flanks, and rode forward.
Unbelievably, he had forgotten to set Yi Yingying down—so tightly strung was his mind that he no longer felt the soft body pressed against him.
He rode through thick underbrush and tangled foliage for roughly two li before spotting something amiss.
The earth within a radius of several dozen square meters had been completely upturned, as if plowed thoroughly, with earthworms and snakes strewn across the surface.
Strangely, every last one of them lay dead, their bodies pitch-black and charred.
Gao Han believed this to be a vital clue. But just then, a piercing scream rang out, so shrill that it made his ears ring.
The sound came from his arms. He looked down and finally registered Yi Yingying's presence.
She had turned to glance behind her as the horse halted, and the gruesome sight had sent her screaming in terror.
Even Gao Han found the scene chilling, let alone a young maiden.
Hoofbeats and shouts echoed from behind: "What's wrong? Are you both unharmed?!"
It was the guards and disciples from the Misty Sect and Serene Lotus Sect. Alarmed by her scream, they galloped over at once.
When they arrived and beheld the ghastly sight, the female disciples of Serene Lotus Sect also shrieked in fear.
A bone-deep chill ran down everyone's spine, their scalps prickling with dread.
Gao Han, however, scanned the entire patch of earth, oblivious to the commotion around him.
After a moment, he spotted what he was searching for and said calmly to the others, "It was indeed a mid-tier First-Rank demonic beast—likely a peak-tier one at that."
"What? Then where is it now?!"
"Prepare for battle! Form a rear guard and fall back!"
Chaos erupted as everyone readied their weapons.
"Enough!" Gao Han shouted sharply. "The beast is already dead. Look at the three-meter-long black Ground-Turning Rat in the center."
At his words, the group calmed down and followed his gaze.
Sure enough, at the heart of the disturbed earth lay a demonic beast over three meters in length—clearly lifeless.
It resembled a giant rat, its forepaws enormous, nearly thirty centimeters wide, with razor-sharp claws extending from them.
This was the Ground-Turning Rat, a First-Rank demonic beast. Its massive claws granted it unimpeded movement underground and served as conduits for absorbing earth-type spiritual energy, enabling it to unleash devastating ultimate techniques.
Gao Han studied it for a moment, then asked Yi Yingying in his arms, "According to the map, how far are we from the Death Swamp?"
Yi Yingying reluctantly sat upright in his embrace, pulled out the map, and studied it carefully.
"Less than one li remaining," she replied solemnly. The fragile maiden had vanished; as a member of the Yi Trading Company, she was no mere decorative vase—she had simply been overcome by her affection for Gao Han.
Now, with their destination merely a li away, she focused her mind, no longer lost in the warmth of his embrace.
Gao Han finally released her, his gaze thoughtful. "We must proceed with the utmost caution. This Ground-Turning Rat must have been killed by some venom from the Death Swamp. That attack just now was its final strike."
His words sobered everyone fully. The greatest perils of the Death Swamp were its ubiquitous poisons and hidden bogs.
The beast had clearly been bitten by a venomous creature within the swamp, a fate that had claimed its life.
Demonic beasts possessed far tougher physiques than humans, yet even a peak mid-tier First-Rank beast could not withstand the venom. What chance would they have if bitten?
One glance at the littered, dead reptiles and insects sent a shudder through the group.
The worms and snakes had perished from the toxic miasma radiating off the already poisoned rat.
If mere residual venom was this lethal, the group now felt a creeping dread of the Death Swamp that lay before them.