Chapter 117: Soul Return
Chapter 117: Soul Return
Cloudwater Abode.
Li Yi looked around the walls of the room, a thoughtful smile on his face.
“It seems that Lin Heyan really owed me a considerable favor…”
On the inner walls, magic arcs crisscrossed like a magnificent landscape painting. It was unmistakably a magic array!
“Tsk tsk, a magic array — the Nine Transformations of Cloud Mirage! I heard this magic array can transform arcane energy into a cloud-water state, making it more suitable for meditation absorption. It’s especially effective for water-attributed meditation arts like the ‘Nine Bends Meditation’! My Softshell Turtle Dream Art is all-encompassing, so the benefits I gain should be substantial too!”
Even by Li Yi’s exacting standards, this meditation chamber was exceptionally fine.
He naturally understood Lin Heyan’s intention.
Clearly, the other party saw him as a potential investment, intending to befriend him, and thus conveniently gifted him this generous present.
Seeing a leopard through a tube, Li Yi also knew that his reputation, built up over the past year, was gradually becoming known.
The feeling was quite marvelous.
“This magic array was most likely not originally part of the meditation chamber but was created by a predecessor. However, to have such skill in array creation at the Spell Apprentice stage, and such financial resources as well… this person is not simple!”
Without standing on ceremony, he sat down cross-legged and began to meditate quietly.
Soul-Return Marsh was a famous dangerous place. Before heading there, Li Yi had to conserve his strength and maintain peak condition.
The Great Soft-Shelled Turtle hung high, swallowing clouds and spitting mist.
Before long, the misty vapors actually condensed into the form of a cloud mirage, dragon-like yet not a dragon, shrouded in haze and clouds.
Li Yi’s figure gradually faded into it, with only the sound of his deep, steady breathing occasionally emerging.
“The Nine Transformations of Cloud Mirage? Worthy of being a magic array. It doesn’t just strengthen the meditation effect; it also has a nourishing effect on the soul. If one immersed in it long-term, it wouldn’t be impossible for the soul to be baptized, transformed, and one’s innate talent improved.”
“Who was that predecessor?”
“Nowadays, he must certainly be a big shot.”
Li Yi’s voice continued to be heard.
…
The sky was clear and the air fresh.
Wearing strict, practical attire, Zhangsun Shenji’s brows and eyes bore a rare, spirited vigor.
“What’s with you?” Seeing Li Yi’s simple clothing, Zhangsun Shenji frowned. “Did you forget? In the Soul-Return Marsh, there is a perennial haze of poisonous mist. It’s extremely harmful to mages like us with weak constitutions.”
“Weak constitution? That description doesn’t suit me… Rest assured, I have skin of bronze and bones of iron, impervious to all poisons.” Li Yi made a gesture flexing his arm and smiled faintly.
“Stubborn as a dead duck,” Zhangsun Shenji frowned again and shook his head. “You’ll have a hard time later…”
He didn’t know that what Li Yi said was the absolute truth.
His cultivation of Mammoth Shakes the Mountain was progressing smoothly. Li Yi’s physique was robust, and his magic resistance and poison resistance were astonishingly strong.
Even if a poisonous snake bit him, the damage would be quite limited.
A mere poisonous haze was nothing to him.
“Let’s go!” Li Yi didn’t explain, taking the lead and stepping forward first.
Zhangsun Shenji was helpless. He shrugged and could only follow.
Soul-Return Marsh was located south of Mount Li, less than fifty miles from Dawn Cliff.
With the Wind Stride Spell, they dashed like the wind and arrived quickly.
“Is this thing the poisonous haze?” With morning light flowing in his eyes, Li Yi asked curiously.
Before them, rain and mist spread, colored a deep gray. A faint poisonous miasma permeated the air, and many tiny venomous insects fluttered their wings.
“Correct!” Zhangsun Shenji tightened his robe again and nodded. “This poisonous haze is formed from the breath exhalations of magical beasts in the marsh, intermingling and settling over time. This haze not only obscures vision but is also quite toxic.”
“However, this haze is useless against me.” Li Yi reached out, grabbed a clump of the haze, and began to knead, squeeze, and play with it.
“You really are impervious to all poisons?” Witnessing this, Zhangsun Shenji was stunned, his eyes nearly popping out. “Is it Dao Transformation Armament? Or some anti-poison magic item?”
“Neither.” Li Yi was somewhat smug, joking, “Have you heard the saying — ‘naturally beautiful’? That’s me.”
“I’ll give you one word — ‘scram’!” Zhangsun Shenji’s face was full of disdain.
After a bit of banter, the two returned to the main topic.
“However,” Zhangsun Shenji’s expression turned serious as he said calmly, “the most troublesome thing in the Soul-Return Marsh isn’t the poisonous haze, nor the swamp, but the minor magical beast lords beneath the waters.”
“What level?” Li Yi asked the key question.
“Mostly around Level Five. However, I’ve heard there are also Seventh Level behemoths lurking within.”
“Seventh Level?” Li Yi’s expression changed drastically.
“The trouble is, these lords lie dormant at the bottom of the water, each staking out their own territory. If you accidentally enter, you might be attacked.” Zhangsun Shenji had a headache expression.
“So, are there any markers within their territorial ranges? Claw prints? Urine traces?” Li Yi asked slowly.
Zhangsun Shenji shook his head.
“That is troublesome.” Li Yi also began to feel a headache.
“However, it’s not without a solution.” Zhangsun Shenji had come prepared. He raised his right arm, and a surge of emerald green emerged—it was a plant resembling ivy. “This Goldthread Lily can sense powerful creatures and is extremely sensitive. However, there are places beyond its capabilities, and that’s where your Air Servants need to scout ahead… Do you still have your Clear Sky Bracelet?”
“It broke long ago, in the Dragon’s Burial Ground.” Li Yi shook his head with a bitter smile, then added, “But I can summon them myself.”
With that, he raised a hand, performed a few simple and concise magic gestures, and three clusters of water mist simultaneously condensed.
In no time, water light shimmered, and three Dew Servants stood side by side.
Since it was just scouting, Water Elementals weren’t necessary; Dew Servants were sufficient.
“This…” Zhangsun Shenji’s eyes were complex. He was silent for a long moment, speechless.
Summoning a Dew Servant was not difficult for a Spell Apprentice.
The problem was the quantity.
Three whole ones!
One Dew Servant was normal.
With precise magic gestures, aided by the support of magic items or bloodline ability, summoning two was already considered quite outstanding.
But Li Yi, not only did he not rely on a magic item, his magic gestures even seemed perfunctory, yet he summoned three in one breath!
“It seems I chose the right partner.” After a long silence, he smiled strangely. “However, the mysteries surrounding you, kid, are growing more and more.”
“Mysteries? What mysteries do I have?” Li Yi smiled faintly, changing the subject. “Don’t just stand there; let’s go! That Mist-Hidden Epiphyllum won’t wait for us.”
…
On the other side of the Soul-Return Marsh, a group of people stood in a circle.
“You’re saying he fled into there?” A young woman pointed at the hazy poisonous mist, a slight frown between her brows.
She appeared fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a hot and unconventional style—a short top and short skirt that revealed long, jade-like legs and a flat stomach, and she was barefoot with snow-white feet, appearing bewitching and gorgeous. Strangely, even though she had walked quite a bit, her feet remained spotless.
“That’s right! I think he also figured that the Soul-Return Marsh is unsuitable for heavy cavalry to enter, using it to hide from us.”
The one answering was a heavily armored knight clad in dark silver plate armor, with his armor clanging with every movement.
He was clearly the leader, followed by eleven other heavy knights.
Including him, it was exactly one squad of knights according to Empire regulations.
“So you’re saying the Empire’s elite ‘Forbidden Garrison Cavalry’ can’t even capture a mere Sword Tone?” The young woman glanced sidelong at him, her tone sarcastic.
At these words, loud clattering of armor sounded, and many knights’ faces filled with anger, assuming attacking postures.
“I advise you not to!”
The young woman’s eyes were like knives. As her gaze swept across, the battle-hardened warhorses actually retreated one after another, fearful and unwilling to advance.
“Forget it, I alone am enough!”
The young woman sneered, turned around, and left them with a cold back.
From behind, one could see two oddly curved scimitars crossed horizontally on her waist and back.
“Wait, Miss Chuxue, he is the same level as you and highly experienced. He’s not easy to deal with!” The heavy cavalry leader thought for a moment and hurriedly tried to stop her.
“Same level? Which martial artist of the same level is a match for me?” The young woman didn’t even turn her head.
“But there are also many magical creatures in this marsh…”
At this point, the heavy cavalry leader couldn’t help but let his tone sink.
Wasn’t that woman equivalent to a magical beast herself?
Just as he hesitated, he saw the young woman crouch on the ground, seemingly having found some trace, and with a few leaps, she disappeared into the mist.
“Boss, what do we do?” A knight stepped forward and asked cautiously.
“Wait here!” The heavy cavalry leader said grumpily.