The sudden sight of tranquility washed over everyone, and they let out long, relieved sighs before collapsing limply to the ground, their strength utterly sapped.
Half a day traversing the Death Swamp had left them all exhausted, both in body and spirit—Gao Han included.
The journey had been fraught with peril at every step. Even someone as formidable as Gao Han had walked on tenterhooks, never allowing his guard to drop for a single moment.
Leaning weakly against a tree, Gao Han closed his eyes to rest briefly.
Throughout the ordeal, his mind had been stretched to its limit, hyper-alert to the slightest movement or rustle. At the faintest hint of danger, he would unleash his Ice Momentum, freezing the area solid.
No venomous creature could have survived such a frost, let alone threatened them.
By constantly deploying his Ice Momentum and Soul Eye, Gao Han had worn himself down to the point of mental fatigue. His consciousness gradually faded, and the sounds of the world around him slipped away.
There was little noise to hear, in any case. Everyone lay in deep repose, too drained to speak or stir.
When Gao Han awoke, an hour had passed. Dusk had fallen, and the others slept soundly. The three young women, however, were nowhere to be seen.
At the center of the camp stood a small, delicate tent—pale pink, no less.
Gao Han smiled to himself. It could only belong to the Serene Lotus Sect disciples. Yi Yingying, though the daughter of the Yi patriarch, came from a minor clan that could ill afford such fine luxuries.
Only disciples of powerful sects like Rou Qing could obtain such items, either as rewards from their sect or in exchange for mission payments and Contribution Points.
Gao Han himself wore a storage ring, though he kept it hidden. He had not seen one on the Serene Lotus Sect disciples either, and assumed they concealed theirs as he did.
For cultivators at their level, displaying a storage ring openly would only invite endless trouble.
After an hour of rest, Gao Han's mental energy had largely returned. He seated himself to meditate and circulate his true essence.
It was early summer, and mosquitoes and flies buzzed actively through the air, yet none dared draw near him.
A thin layer of frigid cold condensed around Gao Han, contained neatly within a one-meter radius and lingering without dispersing.
Elsewhere, the air remained stiflingly hot. Many scratched at their skin, pestered relentlessly by insects; some even received sharp, stinging bites directly on their lips.
Time slipped away as Gao Han cycled his essence. After roughly one hundred major circulations, the sky paled in the pre-dawn light, the sun still below the horizon.
He began his customary morning training, lifting a massive boulder to build his physique. Whenever he had free time at daybreak, he trained without fail.
His goal was to push his First-Tier Martial Body to its complete pinnacle, then break through to the Second Tier. At that stage, his raw physical strength would match the Third Layer of True Essence.
Once his Martial Body reached the Second Tier, he could ignore all attacks from cultivators beneath the True Essence realm—save for rare exceptions like his younger self, who had unleashed Second Layer True Essence power at the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation.
By the time Gao Han finished exercising, everyone had awakened and gathered to eat breakfast.
Their supplies of food and water, however, were running perilously low, enough to last no more than two days.
They had departed with ample provisions to sustain the entire group for half a month, but the guards entrusted with carrying most of the rations had perished in the swamp. Their supplies had been contaminated by venom, rendering them unsafe to eat.
Thus, their stores had dwindled to their current meager state. Thankfully, once they exited the Death Swamp, they could hunt demonic beasts in the Qiling Mountains for sustenance.
Gao Han, of course, had no such worries—and he suspected the Serene Lotus Sect disciple with the storage ring did not either.
Before the expedition, he had stocked his ring with daily necessities: writing brushes, ink, paper, ink stones, several changes of clothing, dried food, and fresh water. The Falling Feather Sword, other weapons, and secret manuals also rested inside, though they occupied only a small fraction of the space.
He returned to the group and ate a light meal. As he finished, the four young ladies from the pink tent sauntered out, clearly having groomed and dressed themselves.
Gao Han could not help but marvel. Girls would be girls; even female martial artists could not shake their innate love of beauty. In such a dangerous wilderness, they still took the time to primp—a level of dedication he found admirable.
It was a personal choice, however, and he said nothing. He nodded faintly to the women and pressed forward.
They remained too close to the outer edges of the swamp. Even without poisonous flora, spirit herbs would not grow here. They had to venture deeper.
After traveling roughly one li, Gao Han sensed the spiritual energy in the air growing denser, and knew they were drawing near the true heart of the Death Swamp.
The others noticed the shift as well, glancing about eagerly in search of precious herbs.
"Ah! Spirit Sprout Grass—the main ingredient for forging Martial Strength Pills!" Yi Yingying suddenly exclaimed, dashing toward a small plant in wonder.
Spirit Sprout Grass was tiny and delicate, difficult to nurture to maturity. Its stem measured merely a few millimeters thick, leaving it prone to snapping in even mild winds, making it a rare find.
Yet it contained pure heavenly spiritual energy; ordinary warriors who consumed it could boost their cultivation rapidly.
The grass reached maturity in one year, and with age, it accumulated even greater energy, enhancing its effects. It was an essential component of Martial Strength Pills.
The specimen before Yi Yingying was clearly five years old—exceedingly rare in the outside world.
From her pack, she pulled out a jade spade and gently inserted it into the soil, carefully digging up the grass with its roots and surrounding earth intact. She then placed it inside a jade case she produced from her bag.
Gao Han nodded approvingly. Yi Yingying possessed genuine skill in herb-gathering, and her equipment was well-suited to the task.
As a spirit herb infused with celestial energy, the Spirit Sprout Grass could not touch iron or suffer damage, lest its spiritual essence vanish entirely.
The group now knew for certain they had entered the inner sanctum of the Death Swamp. Yi Yingying declared that they would split up to collect spirit herbs.
The guards and coachmen scattered at once, rushing off in different directions to hunt for valuable plants.
"It's a Healing Orchid Lily—and it's twenty years old!"
"Bloodstop Grass! Dozens of them!"
Spirit herbs flourished everywhere, of exceptional quality. Many varieties were scarcely seen in the outside world, prompting even the sect disciples to join in the harvest.
For a time, the heart of the swamp buzzed with activity. Everyone hunted for rare spirit herbs, plucking them frantically, as if eager to turn over every inch of soil in their search.