Thick, damp mist clung to the air as the group made their way through the winding paths of the Ghost Orchid Swamp. A low sun hovered on the horizon, casting a pale orange glow over the wetlands, but no warmth could be felt here. The murky waters sloshed beneath their boots, and every crooked tree seemed to whisper secrets in a tongue long forgotten. This place was older than any sect and older than most legends.
Li Yi led the way, his Qi constantly cycling to repel the corrosive energies in the air. The swamp reeked of spiritual decay, but buried beneath that rot was something else—power. Faint, ancient, and watching.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Zhao Feiyu asked, drawing his blade slightly. The weapon's edge steamed as it reacted to the dense miasma around them.
"Yes," Lan Qing'er replied, examining a jade compass in her hand. The needle quivered but never settled. "The spirit guide points here. The descendant we seek is within this swamp. Possibly under heavy concealment."
Mo Ruyan looked around. "No wonder. This entire place is a spiritual labyrinth. The natural formation here bends sound and light. If we didn't anchor ourselves with Qi beacons, we'd already be lost."
Li Yi's Core Foundation – Middle Stage cultivation surged once more as he extended his spiritual sense. His Chaos Qi reacted faintly to the environment—it resonated, though weakly, with the bloodline of someone nearby. Someone very much alive… and someone who didn't want to be found.
A ripple of energy cut through the air.
"Duck!" Li Yi shouted.
A massive chain of bone burst from the bog beside them, slamming into a tree behind Mo Ruyan. Bark exploded into splinters.
Dozens of swamp beasts erupted from the mist—scaled alligators with glowing yellow eyes, bulbous frogs with spirit runes etched across their backs, and humanoid shapes with roots for limbs.
"They're not normal beasts," Lan Qing'er muttered, launching a talisman that split into fire birds. "They're spirit-bound!"
"Someone's controlling them," Zhao Feiyu snarled, his sword a blur of steel and heat.
Li Yi leapt into the air, summoning his Chaos Qi. "Heaven-Devouring Claw!"
A black spectral hand tore through the beasts, erasing half their essence in a single strike. Mo Ruyan followed with a rain of piercing light needles, turning another cluster of creatures to spiritual mist.
But the mist itself grew darker.
A figure emerged—cloaked in gray leaves and dark moss, with pale green eyes that glowed faintly under her hood. She was barefoot, standing atop the swampwater as if it were solid stone.
"You have trespassed into the Domain of Ghost Orchids," she said coldly. "Leave, or drown."
Li Yi didn't move. "We came seeking the descendant of the Celestial Flame General. One whose bloodline is tied to the divine seal."
The woman narrowed her eyes. "And what if I am she?"
"Then we are here to warn you. You are being hunted."
The wind stilled. The swamp fell silent.
"Too late," she said softly.
Behind her, the mists coiled and twisted. Three figures stepped forth from nothingness—cloaked in black robes lined with blood-red embroidery. Their aura was monstrous, distorted, as though they stood on the boundary between worlds.
Abyssal Envoys.
Li Yi's Chaos Qi surged in response. He knew these energies. One of them had been at the glacier. Now they had followed the trail here.
"We'll handle them," Zhao Feiyu said, stepping forward.
"No," Li Yi said, stepping ahead. "They're here for me too. Let's finish this together."
The lead envoy laughed—a sound like glass shattering underwater. "You awaken fragments you cannot control, boy. The gate will open. And we will feast upon your realm's sky."
With a roar, battle erupted.
Mo Ruyan clashed with the second envoy, a woman whose fingers bled black threads that turned into chains midair. Zhao Feiyu parried flaming black daggers with his sword, while Qing'er summoned a celestial shield to deflect the corrupted spirit arts.
Li Yi took the leader.
Their attacks collided midair—Li Yi's Chaos Flame Pulse slammed against a Soul-Eroding Lance. The explosion rocked the swamp, sending waves of spirit water crashing against the ancient trees. The mysterious woman, now revealed to be the descendant they sought, summoned the Ghost Orchid Bloom, a glowing violet flower that twisted above her head and rained down spiritual mist.
It weakened the Abyssal energy—but not enough.
Li Yi's aura burned brighter, dark tendrils of Chaos dancing around him. His veins glowed faintly beneath his skin, a sign of his bloodline pushing past its current limit.
"Chaos Ascension – First Vein Release!"
A sigil appeared on his back, faintly glowing with primal energy.
His power doubled in an instant.
The envoy faltered, surprised. "You… You're not just a fragment bearer. You're a source!"
Li Yi's next strike tore the envoy's lance in half, and a final spinning blow shattered his core. The Abyssal creature screeched as it collapsed into dark mist.
The remaining two envoys, sensing the shift, attempted to flee.
But the Ghost Orchid woman raised her hands. "Soul-Rooting Bloom."
Vines of spirit energy erupted from the swampwater, pinning them in place just long enough for Zhao Feiyu and Mo Ruyan to unleash finishing strikes. The last screams of the Abyssal Path echoed into the night.
Silence returned.
The swamp, though still heavy with miasma, felt less oppressive. The creatures vanished into the dark, their master gone.
The woman stepped forward, removing her hood. She was young—no older than Li Yi—but her eyes carried centuries of weight. "My name is Xue Lian. I am the last of the Ghost Orchid lineage."
Li Yi nodded. "We came to protect you. And we still will. The gate is closer to opening than we thought."
Xue Lian looked toward the south. "Then we must go. There is one more who carries the blood. And he is not in this realm."
Lan Qing'er gasped. "You mean…"
"Yes," Xue Lian whispered. "One of us was born in the Shadowverse. And he has already crossed into the Abyss."
Li Yi stared into the night sky. A cold wind passed, one that smelled faintly of ash and old blood.
"We need to cross realms."
And with that, the party's path was once again set—not just across mountains and sects, but across the veil that divided worlds.
—
End of Chapter 19
(Ready for Chapter 20?)