Chapter 1428: The Wilderness of Shouhua

"Chouhua Wilderness, Zaochi..." Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue silently repeated these words. Unfortunately, despite considering themselves knowledgeable, they had never encountered any related information before.

"The Chouhua Wilderness is also known as the Shouhua Wilderness. As for Zaochi, the cultivation serpent's tone was strange when it mentioned it was a fierce beast, but it refused to explain further," Yu Yanluo recalled, her expression troubled.

"It's fine, we'll know once we go there," Yun Jianyue said, her confidence growing as her cultivation significantly recovered. "I'm more concerned about this cultivation serpent. While a happy ending is good, Shun asked us to retrace Hou Yi's heroic path, and Hou Yi killed it back then. If we bypass this area now, will the trial ultimately be deemed unsuccessful?"

"Little Sister Yu, I'm not directing this at you; don't overthink it," she quickly added.

Yu Yanluo offered a faint smile, her face filled with worry.

Yan Xuehen glanced at Yun Jianyue in surprise. This demoness had always been self-willed and reckless; why had she suddenly changed her demeanor today and even offered a special explanation to Yu Yanluo?

At this point, Zu An said, "It shouldn't be a problem. We couldn't have left the great marsh of Dongting without the cultivation serpent's consent, which implies that successfully passing through the marsh is the sign of completion, not necessarily killing the serpent. Moreover, judging by the local people's reactions, they greatly revere the cultivation serpent, indicating it's not a monster that harms the populace."

Yu Yanluo also added, "That's right. Although it looks fierce, its heart is quite kind, and it truly cares for the people of this land."

Yan Xuehen also nodded in agreement: "This is much better; it saves us from fighting and killing unnecessarily."

Although they hadn't heard terms like "pass the level" before, it wasn't difficult to understand their meaning.

Yun Jianyue pondered for a moment and accepted Zu An's judgment. Of course, she also entertained the thought that if this approach proved unsuccessful later, they could simply return and kill the serpent.

As the leader of the Demonic Cult, she was naturally not one to be soft-hearted.

Led by Yu Yanluo, the group navigated back and forth through the great marsh of Dongting.

They secretly marveled at how these waterways crisscrossed like a labyrinth. In many places, where there seemed to be no path and only jagged reefs, colliding directly with them surprisingly revealed a new waterway, leading to an unexpected breakthrough.

These intricate paths were clearly the work of the cultivation serpent. Without guidance, leaving this place would be virtually impossible.

After an unknown period, the surrounding miasma gradually thinned, and the waterways and mud lessened, giving way to solid ground.

Knowing they had left the great marsh of Dongting, they abandoned their boat and went ashore.

"Is this the Shouhua Wilderness the cultivation serpent spoke of?" Yan Xuehen surveyed her surroundings: vast grasslands and lush valleys. Having previously encountered sea monsters, weak waters, or complex marshes, she had developed a slight aversion to water. Seeing this vibrant mountain wilderness now brought an inexplicable sense of relief.

"Did the cultivation serpent mention how to find that Zaochi?" Yun Jianyue asked, looking at Yu Yanluo.

Yu Yanluo shook her head. "It didn't say, only that it would be very easy to find."

"What does 'very easy to find' mean?" the group wondered, but no matter how long they pondered, they couldn't figure it out.

"Look, there's smoke ahead! It seems someone lives there; let's go ask," Zu An suddenly noticed a wisp of smoke rising from a distant valley. It clearly wasn't from a wildfire, more like an outdoor barbecue.

"This time, let's be careful. Don't reveal at first that we're looking for trouble with Zaochi, in case it's a local totem and we incur the locals' hostility," Yun Jianyue warned.

Recalling their previous encounter in the great marsh of Dongting, the others nodded in agreement.

As they hurried toward the smoke, they gradually caught a scent of roasted meat. The group suddenly felt hungry; they hadn't eaten much since entering this unknown land.

Although they had reached a cultivation level where abstaining from food was a basic practice, not eating for a while had no adverse effects on them.

However, they were still mortals, not immortals, and their appetites could not be suppressed.

"Let's buy some meat from the locals to eat later," Yun Jianyue said, her stomach rumbling audibly.

Yan Xuehen, however, frowned slightly. "But why does this meat smell so strange?"

"It is a bit strange; I haven't smelled anything like it before," Yun Jianyue said casually. "But this unknown land is full of creatures we've never encountered. Who knows, we might get to taste something others will never have the chance to in their lifetime."

Yan Xuehen realized she had a point and was immediately filled with anticipation.

Soon, they saw figures ahead: several ragged individuals with their backs to them, gathered around a bonfire. A large leg was roasting over the fire, sizzling and glistening with oil.

The group, initially eager to approach, froze at the sight.

Yu Yanluo's voice trembled slightly. "Th-that looks a bit like a human leg?"

"It *is* a human leg!" Yun Jianyue's face turned ashen.

Yu Yanluo and Yan Xuehen could no longer stomach it and bent over, dry heaving beside her.

The commotion quickly caught the attention of those by the bonfire. They turned and looked in their direction.

Only then did Zu An and the others clearly see their appearance. They were not human at all; though their bodies were humanoid, their heads were those of beasts, specifically featuring two chisel-like teeth in their mouths.

Upon seeing the group, their eyes lit up with the glint of seeing prey. They picked up weapons like spiked clubs and wooden sticks, letting out strange cries, and charged toward the group.

The group naturally showed no mercy. Witnessing the previous scene, they acted without holding back and quickly dealt with them.

Initially, they considered them a somewhat intelligent species and thought of interrogating them for information. Unfortunately, they only uttered simple syllables and words that the group couldn't understand, so they had no choice but to send them on their way.

Approaching the bonfire, they saw the remains of a man. This sight made even Yun Jianyue unable to hold back, and she began to dry heave.

Zu An dug a pit and buried the remains, pondering whether such fierce creatures were ubiquitous in ancient times, making human survival truly harsh.

The group then searched through the vast Shouhua Wilderness and found many more monsters like the ones they had just encountered.

They had even established camps and villages. Some adult monsters were dancing bizarrely around bonfires, uttering various indescribable sounds.

Other young monsters were chasing each other and playing.

They even saw a male and a female monster sitting shoulder to shoulder under a tree, seemingly engaged in a courtship.

Had they not witnessed their kind roasting a human leg earlier, they would have simply considered it a peaceful, primitive monster tribe.

"These fellows are quite carefree," Yun Jianyue scoffed, then directly produced the Changxin Palace Lamp. With a gentle blow, the flame within immediately transformed into a raging inferno, sweeping towards the monsters.

Yan Xuehen remained expressionless and did not object to her actions.

Only Yu Yanluo's brow furrowed slightly. After all, she possessed snake clan blood and was, to some extent, regarded as an outsider by humans. However, remembering the monsters' cannibalistic behavior, she ultimately remained silent.

The previously peaceful village quickly turned into a sea of fire, and the monsters screamed, running in every direction.

Some monsters noticed Zu An and the others, letting out howls and charging with weapons. However, they couldn't get close, quickly being incinerated by the true flame from the Changxin Palace Lamp.

Just then, an earth-shattering roar erupted from deep within the village. A colossal figure burst forth, seemingly having smashed through the mountainside.

The group clearly saw its appearance: it was a version of the monsters, enlarged dozens of times, with a greenish face and tusks. Its mouth was filled with chisel-like teeth, two of which, on its lower jaw, were particularly long and fearsome.

It held a shield in one hand and a colossal spiked club in the other.

Seeing the village engulfed in flames, it roared and charged out, holding its shield in front of it. It actually managed to push back the flames from the Changxin Palace Lamp!