Chapter Seventy-Nine: Into the Heart of the Swamp

Three days later, at the Hanze border, Lin Qingyun—whose physique now appeared more robust, muscles rippling beneath his clothes—was passing through security with a new identity. This was a casual request he had made to the Wind King after the new students’ practical trial. He had asked the Wind King to arrange a new identity for him, and the Wind King hadn’t questioned his intentions, simply provided several new identities as he wished. For others, such arrangements would be difficult, but for the Wind King, it was merely a word; his command, and those beneath him would see it done without complication.

“Haifeng, you now have no fixed nationality beyond the border. Hanze is connected to the sea and is considered a dangerous, chaotic region. You are hereby informed…” Lin Qingyun’s new identity was named Haifeng, surname Hai, given name Feng.

Before the resurgence of spiritual energy, the two countries here had always been divided and opposed, but now both lay submerged, creating a unique landscape and decades of chaos. Ordinary people entering required signing documents and receiving extensive warnings. However, as soon as Lin Qingyun filled in his occupation as Monster Hunter, the warnings ceased abruptly.

Monster Hunters, professionals who live by hunting beasts, are encouraged everywhere. Since he was a Monster Hunter, risk advisories became unnecessary. He passed through quickly, and beyond the checkpoint, the scene was entirely different. There was no unified government, but many organizations and factions had taken root nearby, with shops of all kinds, mercenary camps, Monster Hunter teams, and bounty hunter outposts.

The area thrived with activity—casinos, brothels, arenas for life-and-death battles, everything imaginable. Such gathering towns were numerous within Hanze, large and small, but without exception, the deeper one went, the more chaotic they became; those near the border were relatively better. Whether people came to hunt beasts, seek medicinal herbs, or those infamous criminals who fled here after crimes elsewhere, none were easy to deal with. Along with the indigenous survivors who had adapted to this environment, this created the current situation.

The gathering point near the border was too close to Huaxia for Lin Qingyun to linger, so he entered Hanze directly. The border region was passable, but as he ventured deeper, the mist thickened, with swamps covering the surroundings. Only occasional areas with hills or special trees offered places to rest. After years of drastic change, the terrain had transformed. The swamp here was unique: not the typical water-based marsh, but covered by a thick mat of grass, floating atop the water.

Even ordinary people could walk on it without falling through, but exerting too much force would break through. Before arriving, Lin Qingyun had naturally gathered intelligence. Detailed information was scarce, but general descriptions of the region existed. Entering from this direction, he would first traverse several dozen miles of such swamp, then reach elevated marshland, with many mutated trees.

The greatest danger in this section was not the beasts active above the grass mat, for large monsters could not survive here, only smaller ones. The true threat came from beneath the water, where numerous aquatic monsters lurked, the mutated crocodiles being the largest.

Lin Qingyun advanced several miles and suddenly sensed an anomaly beneath him, prompting him to leap into the air.

A three-meter-long crocodile burst from the water, shattering the grass mat, jaws wide, leaping seven or eight meters high. Lin Qingyun’s leap was higher, allowing him to watch as the beast desperately snapped at him.

As he soared upward, Lin Qingyun delivered a punch downward, blasting the crocodile’s mouth and viscera apart, sending it crashing down. No sooner had the crocodile fallen than a commotion erupted below; his spiritual sense detected dozens of monsters rushing in, tearing apart and devouring the fallen beast.

Most of these crocodile monsters were equivalent to fifth or sixth-tier Heart of the Zither realm cultivators, with a few larger ones likely matching higher tiers. One crocodile was hardly enough for them; those who received nothing leapt up themselves, explosively shattering the grass mat beneath.

Their tails hammered the water, sending columns skyward, the force formidable, and their numbers overwhelming. On Lin Qingyun’s feet were Swift Wind Boots crafted from Cloud Realm beast hide—a top-grade magical artifact. With a slight activation, he soared through the air, maneuvering rapidly, while the armguards on his arms transformed into earth-hued shields to block whatever water jets he couldn’t dodge.

Simultaneously, a top-grade flying sword artifact shot forth, instantly slaying several monsters. Magical artifacts weren’t common; lower-grade ones cost hundreds of thousands, but top-grade could run into millions, some even tens of millions, not something just anyone could own. Even high-tier Heart of the Zither cultivators typically wielded only two artifacts.

But Lin Qingyun lacked neither artifacts nor spiritual strength; his soul was powerful, his magical energy immense, able to wield several artifacts simultaneously with ease. Of course, the appearance of these artifacts had been altered; none looked as they once had.

Their battle dispersed the mist somewhat, and in another direction, several people advanced lightly across the grass mat, not daring to pause. Turning, they saw someone flying with artifacts in midair, rapidly slaying monsters below.

“Damn, this guy is fierce—just arrived and already going all out…”

“He’s definitely a rookie, pretty tough, but he won’t last long at this rate.”

“Hey, man, be careful! Stay airborne too long and trouble will find you…”

These few, impressed by such ferocity, remarked among themselves. No one lingered long in this area; killing crocodile monsters wasn’t worthwhile, so most hurried through quickly.

One burly, bald man with a fierce look called out to Lin Qingyun. Lin Qingyun’s spiritual sense easily covered their side, so he understood their words clearly. Hearing the bald man shout, he turned and nodded slightly.

Just then, the commotion of their battle attracted many avian monsters. The first to arrive weren’t especially strong, only about third-tier Heart of the Zither, whom Lin Qingyun dispatched with an enlarged defensive shield. But soon, more and more gathered, their cries echoing.

“Damn, run! Don’t let them fixate on you…” The bald man cried out, accelerating his rush forward.

Indeed, the cries grew louder, some carrying sonic shockwaves, as more avian monsters converged.

In this region, the real danger lay with the avian monsters. The environment was ideal for their proliferation, so their numbers were staggering. Though not in the deepest area where the strongest resided, sheer quantity posed its own threat.

When a crocodile king over ten meters long appeared among the beasts below, and several ninth-tier Heart of the Zither avian kings appeared in the sky, Lin Qingyun plunged into the water. With a surge of energy, a barracuda-shaped artifact enveloped him, propelling him at full speed beneath the surface.

Though the crocodile king pursued closely, matching Lin Qingyun’s speed, he at least avoided countless avian monsters.

After rushing for more than ten miles, still unable to shake the crocodile king, Lin Qingyun burst through the grass mat, ascending into the air.

The crocodile king, possessing higher intelligence, did not pursue him out of the water but glared angrily from the surface.

It had been a long time since anyone had so wantonly slaughtered its minions.

Lin Qingyun paid it no mind, quickly leaving the area. He had entered with the intent to unleash a bout of slaughter, testing how well the information he had purchased matched reality.

Such experiments were safe here; in truly dangerous regions, inaccurate intelligence could be fatal.

This time, Lin Qingyun had come partly to search for clues or news related to his parents, partly to assess the extent of the Heavenly Demon Sect’s influence here, and lastly, to hone himself.

His progress in his previous life had been too rapid; he had never thoroughly tempered himself in certain realms.

Though now, using the experience and vision of his past life, his current realm’s combat skills and spells far surpassed his peers, that was all.

Lin Qingyun needed to master each realm completely, attaining its peak before ascending.

For instance, when Xie Zhiqiang reached high-tier Heart of the Zither and killed Zhang Baole and his bodyguards with that blade technique, Lin Qingyun had no confidence in defeating him at the same realm without relying on magical artifacts, even with the advantage of his prior experience.

Having crossed the region of floating grass mats, he soon reached another swamp, its soil soft enough to swallow a person, plants growing everywhere, trees abundant above. Clearly, the grass mats from earlier were formed from the branches and leaves of these trees, carried downstream by dead vegetation.

The ecosystem was tightly interconnected. Lin Qingyun no longer sought out groups of monsters but began searching for powerful solitary beasts.

In the blink of an eye, ten days passed. Lin Qingyun fought at least a dozen battles daily. Most monsters he targeted were slain; a few escaped through special means.

Deliberately tempering himself, Lin Qingyun reduced his reliance on equipment, testing his speed against fast beasts, strength against the strong, physique against those with tough bodies, and soul against those with mutated spirit.

Though at first he was frequently bested, after injuries he would retreat using his artifacts, heal, then return to continue.

With the best techniques, pills, martial skills, and spells at his disposal, he experimented ceaselessly, seeking the most suitable methods to maximize his abilities.

In this way, his progress was rapid, and he could constantly test and adjust. Of course, danger was ever-present; twice he was targeted by Cloud Realm monsters, but fortunately they were only at the initial stage.

With numerous artifacts enhancing him, and his body and soul nearly reaching Cloud Realm strength, Lin Qingyun managed to escape death.

If this were another region, the proximity to Hanze would mean that excessive numbers of monsters and avian beasts would attack human nations. But domestically, this was not a concern. With nearly fifteen million square kilometers, the borders not only had powerful guardians but also retained the presence of great monsters and kings who had pledged themselves to humanity, ensuring peace and safety within.