Death Swamp, Giant Tree Summit.

  Lu Xueqi, Fa Xiang, Lin Jingyu and Zeng Shushu four people slowly fell onto a massive tree trunk that was in disarray. The surrounding area was filled with cracks and countless broken branches. Even though some time had passed, it still made one's heart palpitate when thinking about the fierce battle between those two ancient giant beasts just now.

  But at this moment, their attention is obviously more focused on these few people in front of them.

  Fa Xiang slightly furrowed his brow, lost in thought. The people before him were all familiar faces - he had seen them during the battle at Donghai Liubo Mountain and Qingyun Mountain years ago. They were clearly Gui Wang Zong's master, Gui Wang, and his two trusted subordinates, Qing Long and You Ji, plus the now vastly different Gui Li. It could be said that their strength far surpassed their own side.

  Unfortunately, after climbing the tree, at that fork in the road, they parted ways with Xiao Yicai of Qingyunmen, Li Xu of Fengxiang Valley, Yan Hong and others to search separately. Otherwise, although it's not certain they could defeat these four people, they would still have the strength for one battle.

  However, it seems that Gui Wang Zong's side did not intend to take immediate action.

  The four Dharmas of the Demon King Dynasty glanced at each other, then calmly asked Gui Lie: "You'd better say something, how do we deal with these people?"

  Guili did not answer immediately, but instead looked at Guiwang. He saw that Guiwang's face was calm and peaceful, but his eyes flashed with a hint of sharpness. After a moment, he said lightly: "Since the Sect Master has come to this place, naturally all matters will be decided by the Sect Master."

  The green dragon standing beside her slightly furrowed its brow, and the black veil on You Ji's face seemed to flutter lightly as she gazed at Gui Li.

  The Demon King's expression didn't change, and a hint of a smile still lingered on his lips as he slowly said: "When you first came to this Dead Swamp, I already told you that everything here would be up to you. The reason why Qing Long, You Ji, and I are here is just to capture the Yellow Bird. As for these four Righteous Path cultivators, it's still up to you to decide what to do with them. Whatever you want to do, that's what will happen."

  "Pshaw!"

  Suddenly, an extremely disdainful cold hum came from the front.

  The crowd looked forward, but Lin Jingyu's face was as frosty as ever, coldly saying: "Evil demons and heretics, if you have the guts, come up and decide life and death with me. Why bother being like a woman wagging her tongue, how ridiculous!"

  As soon as this was said, the face of Qing Long sank first, but Gui Wang looked at Lin Jingyu from a distance and didn't get angry, instead he smiled and turned to ask Gui Lie: "Is this person Lin Jingyu? Is he your childhood friend?"

  Gui's heart skipped a beat. Until today, Lin Jingyu's reputation wasn't particularly loud, but for some reason, Gui Wang was able to recognize him at a glance. He looked at Gui Wang's faint smile, and his heart suddenly felt a chill.

  The Demon King looked at him and said calmly: "Speak! What should we do?"

  The ghostly figure met his gaze calmly and said, "Most of the matters here have been settled. These people are not crucial characters, no need to bother with them. Master, for now, it's more pressing to take care of Huang Niao."

  The Demon King looked at him without saying a word, and the scene fell silent for a moment.

  The Azure Dragon's eyes flashed with a hint of worry, while the Ghostly Maiden beside him, her face hidden behind a black veil, couldn't be seen to have any expression, but it was likely that she wasn't feeling very relaxed either. The Ghostly Maiden's gaze swept through the black veil, shifting between Gui Li and Gui Wang, before suddenly glancing towards the distance, where she froze in surprise. There, among the four Orthodox cultivators in the distance, Lu Xueqi stood silently at the back, her face icy cold, but her eyes were fixed intently on Gui Li from afar.

  Underneath that icy demeanor, there seems to be a subtle concern that is unknown to others.

  Yuè Ji suddenly stretched out her hand and quietly pushed Qing Long a little.

  Qing Long was slightly worried, suddenly had a feeling, turned his head to look at You Ji, only to see You Ji's black veil lightly swaying, moving towards the direction of Gui Wang's shadow. He and You Ji were both among the four great envoys of the Ghost King Sect in those years, how could he not know her thoughts? Yet at this moment, his heart was not without worries.

  After a moment of contemplation, the Blue Dragon quietly walked to the back of the Ghost King and said in a low voice: "Master, what Guiliang said is not unreasonable. Now that Huang Niao has surrendered, we should first settle it down before doing anything else. Otherwise, within the Dead Marsh, both the Wan Du and He Huan factions have people stationed there, and I fear that changes may occur later.

  The Demon King turned his head to look at the Green Dragon, nodded slowly and said: "What you said is indeed so." Then, a faint glint of light flashed in his eyes as he spoke to Gui Li: "In that case, I'll leave this place to you."

  The ghost nodded silently and said, "Don't worry."

  The King of Ghosts looked at him again, suddenly smiled, turned around and left. The green dragon behind him grinned fiercely at the ghost, then followed suit.

  You Ji followed slowly behind, and when she passed by Gui Li's side, Gui Li looked at her and nodded slightly.

  Yuè Jiāo's black veil fluttered slightly, but she didn't say a word and just walked past like that.

  After the figures of Gui Wang and his party disappeared, Gui Lie slowly turned around and looked towards Fa Xiang and the others.

  Fashang coughed and took a step forward, saying: "Zhang Shidi..."

  "The demon coldly said: 'I am called Gui Lie.'"

  Fǎ xiāng yī èr, zài tā bèi hòu de lín jīng yǔ méi tóu jiào qǐ, chén shēng dào: "xiǎo fán, nǐ hé bì rú cǐ? wǒ zhī nǐ xīn dì běn shàn, zhǐ shì dàng nián bèi jiān rén suǒ hài, zhè cái wù rù mó dào……"

  Translation:

  Fǎ xiāng was taken aback. Behind him, Lin's eyebrows furrowed and he said in a low voice, "Xiao Fan, why must you be like this? I know your heart is kind, but you were deceived by evil people back then and mistakenly entered the demonic path..."

  Fashang heard this and felt a bit irritated, but he just smiled wryly and remained silent.

  "...As long as you're willing to turn back, I believe that with Daoxuan's broad-mindedness and magnanimity as the sect leader, he will definitely allow you to return to Qingyun."

  The demon sneered faintly: "Why should I turn back?"

  Lin Jingyu's body shook, his eyes fixed tightly on the childhood friend in front of him. He stood there, with an inexplicable cold feeling, saying: "Heaven and earth are not benevolent, treating all things as straw dogs! I was walking this road just fine, no need for you to come and rescue me."

  Lu Xueqi stood at the end, her body seemingly shaking slightly. Zeng Shushu stood beside her, looking at her expression, frowning slightly, but didn't say a word.

  Lin Jingyu's face was filled with anger, and he took a step forward, just about to say something else, but was stopped by Fa Xiang.

  Fa Xiang looked at Lin Jingyu and shook his head slightly, saying in a low voice: "He has gone deep into demonic possession, you can't be too hasty, or it will have the opposite effect!"

  Lin Jingyu originally blocked the law with a stern face, but after hearing this, he finally knew that it was as he said. He turned his head to look at Gui Li again, and his heart softened, remembering the carefree days when they played together in their childhood. In the end, he gritted his teeth and retreated.

  Fashang hesitated for a moment, then said to Gui Li coldly: "Gui Li, whether you admit it or not, we have a past connection. Since the Tian Emperor's treasure house has been destroyed and there doesn't seem to be any extraordinary treasures left, let us part ways here!"

  The ghost let out a cold hum, glanced at Fa Xiang, then looked around at the others, gazing at Lin Jingyu, Zeng Shushu, and finally his eyes landed on Lu Xueqi's face.

  That icy woman stood at the end, her face as frosty as snow, her eyes like water, profound and unfathomable, and it was impossible to guess what she was thinking in her heart.

  The ghost's gaze was withdrawn and he said no more, turning around and leaving.

  Not long after, he faintly heard someone chasing up from behind. Gui Li's eyebrows furrowed and he turned around to look, suddenly stunned. It was Zeng Shu Shu who had caught up, and looking at the faces of Fa Xiang and others behind him, they also seemed somewhat astonished.

  Zeng Shu ran to his front, back to Fa Xiang's equal person, stared at the ghost for a moment, suddenly smiled and said: "You won't kill me, will you?"

  The ghost stared at him, looking at his smile, seemingly unchanged from the year they met on Tongtian Peak in Qingyun Mountain, still so bright and sunny. After a moment, his gaze finally slowly softened, but his voice was still as calm as stagnant water, saying: "What's up?"

  Zeng Shu made a "tsk" sound with his mouth, shrugged his shoulders and said: "Anyway, I still consider you as a friend, but what you think, I have no way to control." He paused for a moment, suddenly blinked his eyes several times, and whispered: "Big brother, can I hug this three-eyed spirit monkey?"

  Gui Li's expression changed, and the scene of Xue Shu being entangled with him in his youth suddenly appeared in his mind, filling his heart with an inexplicable warmth. In fact, he had grown up in Qingyun Mountain since childhood, having a deep affection for every blade of grass and tree on the mountain, let alone Xue Shu, one of his few friends.

  Zeng Shu saw Gui Ye and didn't say a word, but it seemed that he didn't have any disdain or opposition in his heart. He felt a surge of excitement. His mind had always been extremely intelligent, and towards Gui Ye, this friend who had entered the demonic path, he still looked at him with great importance. It's just that he deeply knew Zhang Xiaofan's stubborn personality, for the sake of a promise back then, he would rather die than give up. As expected, for this matter, the serious injuries he suffered back then were not small.

  So over the years, in order to pull this good friend away from the devil's path, Shu Shu didn't know how many methods she had secretly thought of alone, and finally could only come up with one thing - it's better to be slow than to rush.

  At this moment, Zeng Shu's gaze fell on the little gray lying on Gui Li's shoulder, and his eyes lit up instantly. He smiled and said, "Little Gray, it's me! Do you still recognize me?"

  Little Grey was lazily sprawled on Gui Lian's shoulder, and for some reason, his monkey face was flushed red, looking somewhat like a human who had drunk too much wine. After being called several times by Zeng Shu Shu, he finally opened his eyes weakly, glanced at Zeng Shu Shu, let out two impatient "squeaks", and then closed his eyes again.

  Zeng Shu didn't get angry at all, but instead seemed to be delighted, with the four words "drooling three feet" clearly written on his forehead.

  Gui Li looked at Zeng Shu's expression, which seemed to have not changed in the slightest over the past decade. He suddenly let out a sigh and said, "Forget it! It's tired today too. If fate permits, we'll meet again another day and talk then."

  Zeng Shu looked at Xiao Hui with a reluctant and loving gaze, nodded slightly, and then shifted his eyes to Gui Li's face.

  The demon's voice was faintly heard: "In the future, if we are sworn enemies, you and I will be at odds. As for...". He raised his eyes to look at Zeng Shu-shu, after a while, slowly said: "You and I have different paths, we must be enemies, but in my heart, I still consider you as a friend."

  Zeng Shu was overjoyed, his face lit up with a smile, and he nodded vigorously. He stretched out his hand to give Gui Li a hearty slap on the shoulder, but then thought better of it and withdrew his hand. Suddenly, his eyes sparkled as if an idea had struck him, and a sly smile spread across his face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a worn blue book with no title or words on its cover, leaving one to wonder what kind of book it was.

  The ghost frowned and looked at the book with a few familiar eyes, but for a moment he couldn't remember where he had seen it before.

  Zeng Shu quietly handed the book to Gui Li, smiling softly and saying: "We are brothers after all, it's been ten years since we first met, I'll give you a small gift."

  The demon king looked at Zeng Shu's appearance, with a smile that was 70% joyful but also had 30% inexplicable slyness. He furrowed his brow and glanced at the book in his hand, flipping it open to take a look...

  "Ah!"

  Even with the calm and composure of a ghost, his body still shook slightly, hastily closing the book. The content of this book was astonishingly filled with texts and pictures, all of which were **men and women**, it was actually the spring palace book that they had written ten years ago when they were still young, on Tongtian Peak, wanting to use it to exchange for Xiao Hui.

  "You......" Ji Li was momentarily stunned and couldn't speak.

  Zeng Shu glared at him and said, "If you don't want both of us to lose face, then don't speak so loudly."

  He glared at him, a strange sense of confusion in his heart. He should have thought this person was being ridiculous, but somehow, this seemingly dull and uninteresting action suddenly made him feel much closer to Zeng Shu Shu in front of him, as if the past had come back again.

  Zeng Shu smiled at him and turned to leave. This time, he was quick-witted in an emergency, but it actually had a deep meaning. To pull this friend back from the devil's path, he had to make him recognize himself as a friend first. Now that he had taken the risk of being ridiculed by everyone to do this boring thing, Ghost Ji was indeed speechless. It was likely that when they met again in the future, their relationship would be much better than it is now.

  At this point, he couldn't help but smile on his face.

  He waited for him to walk back, saw his face reveal a smile, and said: "Zeng Shixiong, what's so happy about?"

  Zeng Shu's mood was great, and he made a face at Fa Xiang, saying: "The Buddha said: Inexpressible, inexpressible!"

  Fa Xiang smiled and glanced at Gui Li in the distance, seeing him standing there with a thick blue book in his hand, his face seemingly complex, lost in thought. He shook his head and said to the others, "Things are settled here, let's go! If there's anything else, we can talk about it later."

  Zeng Shu nodded first, followed by Lin Jingyu and Lu Xueqi, who also nodded in silent agreement.

  They transformed into four-colored rays of light and rose into the air, circling once in mid-air before disappearing into the distance.

  Kui stood on the giant trunk, suddenly feeling a sense of emptiness in his heart, as if he had lost something. His gaze fell on the book in his hand, and then he raised his hand, seemingly wanting to throw it away, but suddenly let out a bitter laugh, and finally put the book back into his bosom.

  He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and then said with renewed energy: "Xiao Hui, let's go!"

  Xiao Hui this time didn't even open his eyes, and vaguely called out twice: "Squeak, squeak." It's not clear if it counts as a response.

  The demon's face slightly smiled, his right hand waved, and the Soul Devouring Treasure was activated, transforming into a green light that flew away like lightning, leaving the giant tree behind.

  The fierce ghost flew rapidly over the dead marsh, like a cloud driving through the fog, and pierced through the misty air. He came out of the inner marsh, slightly identified the direction in mid-air, and then flew to where the Ghost King's men were stationed outside the marsh.

  His flight speed was naturally extremely fast, but the dead zone was vast and wide. After flying for a short half-hour, what he saw in front of him were still endless grasslands everywhere, all green as far as the eye could see. Although he didn't know how many deadly traps lay beneath, from mid-air it looked like a picturesque landscape, invigorating his spirits.

  Just as he was about to fly quickly to the location of Gui Wang Zong's horse, Gui Lie suddenly furrowed his brow, and in the air, there was a faintly familiar bloody smell drifting with the wind.

  The ghost's face changed, and with a soft whistle, the green light under his feet grew stronger, and he rushed down from high altitude.

  A sharp, blue-green light descended from the sky, bringing with it a fierce gust of wind, sweeping over the lush green grass and ponds. The invisible wind blew the water in the pond to either side, creating ripples on its surface.

  Soon, Gui Li saw the gathering place of Gui Wang's clan, and many people were still gathered there. It seemed that at least most people were safe and sound, and he was relieved by half.

  At this time, the disciples of Gui Wang Zong also discovered Gui Li falling from the sky and stood up one after another.

  The ghost fell to the ground, standing on the earth, but his first reaction was that his eyebrows were locked even tighter. The bloody aura here was extremely strong, it seemed that the bloody smell he smelled in the high air just now was emitted from here.

  The crowd of Ghost King Sect disciples next to him all bowed their heads and stood solemnly. Although Gui Lie had not been killing people indiscriminately in recent years, he had been cultivating the demonic path, and his temperament had changed greatly. His body often involuntarily emitted a cold and ruthless aura. In the Ghost King Sect, apart from the sect master Ghost King, the person that ordinary disciples feared the most was actually him, this rising star.

  At this time, a young man emerged from the crowd, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, quite handsome, who was Yan Hui.

  He saw him walk up and bow to the ghost, saying: "Deputy Sect Master, you're back."

  The ghost nodded and said, "What's going on here?"

  Yan Hui was about to speak but stopped, and instead used his eyes to convey a message to Gui Li. Gui Li understood the hint and walked forward. Yan Hui looked around and shouted loudly: "The Deputy Sect Master is back, everyone stay at their posts, no need to panic."

  Everyone responded in unison and immediately dispersed.

  Yan quickly followed Gui Lie and said in a low voice: "Follow me."

  After speaking, he walked quickly to a secluded place on the right. The two of them walked for a while and came to a place where the grass was lush and tall, with wild grass as high as half a person. Although there was no one around, the bloody smell in the air became even stronger.

  Gui Li turned to look at Yan Hui, and Yan Hui's face also became slightly pale. He said in a low voice, "You see for yourself!" As he spoke, he walked over to the clump of grass and parted it with his hand.

  The ghost slowly stepped forward, looking towards the grass thicket. In an instant, his face changed greatly. The exterior of this grass thicket looked no different from its surroundings, but inside, it was all stained with human blood, dyed a deep red color. A bloody smell wafted up, making one want to vomit. Underneath the dense grass thicket, thirteen corpses were piled up, their deaths extremely tragic, almost every body broken into several pieces.

  Although he had been in the demonic cult for many years and was accustomed to the brutal and bloody scenes, this kind of cruel method was also something he saw for the first time.

  He closed his eyes, calmed himself down, and immediately regained his composure. He slowly walked forward, carefully examining the corpses in front of him.

  Yan Hui followed behind him, saying in a low voice: "These disciples were arranged here to stand guard last night. This place is the farthest from our main force and is our most distant outpost. These people are also quite skilled. Unexpectedly, last night, they were all slaughtered silently."

  His face was gloomy and his eyes gradually turned cold. He said slowly: "Who is the murderer? Is there any clue?"

  Yan Hui did not answer immediately, but instead said: "Deputy Sect Master, you come and take a look."

  The ghost looked at him with a glance, and saw that Yan Hui had crossed over these miserable corpses and walked into the depths of the grass. In an even deeper part of the grass, there was another corpse, but this person's body was relatively intact, except for his left hand which had gone missing somewhere.

  Guilei's eyes twitched slightly, this person was familiar to him, named Xu Chonghai, a high-ranking figure in his own sect, unexpectedly also died here.

  Only then did Yan return and walk to Xu Chonghai's side, saying: "Look."

  The ghost walked closer and looked down at the ground, suddenly seeing Xu Chonghai's skull next to it, with only one right hand left on the muddy ground, scribbling out two words:

  Fish - monster.

  The word "fish" is still clear, but the second character "" is already messy and confusing, it seems that Xu Chonghai is exhausted.

  "What's with the fish monster?" The ghost scrunched up his eyebrows.

  Yan Hui nodded and said, "I don't know what this means either. Could it be that there are fish monsters or evil spirits around here? But after discovering them today, I immediately searched the surrounding area and didn't find any traces of fish monsters."

  The ghost slowly turned around and walked out of the thicket, Yan Hui also followed. The unpleasant smell in the air was still heavy, but compared to the thicket, it seemed much fresher.

  The demon took a deep breath and suddenly said: "Where is Killer Monk? Why isn't he here?"

  Yan Hui fell silent for a moment, then said: "He saw this scene early in the morning and was furious. Later, he somehow inferred from Xu Chonghai's gestures that those mysterious fish monsters were heading south, so he chased after them alone. I tried to persuade him but he wouldn't listen. And...

  He stopped halfway through what he was saying.

  The ghost glared at him and said, "What?"

  Yan's face flashed with a hint of hatred, saying: "Originally, Vice Sect Master, you strictly ordered that before your return, we cannot have conflicts with the He Huan Sect and the Wan Du Men. But this morning's bloody case, I think it might be the poisonous hand of the Wan Du Men or the He Huan Sect. So, I secretly brought people to their location to investigate. If it was indeed them, then naturally we should avenge."

  The demon's voice was faint and distant: "Things happened suddenly, you didn't do anything wrong. What happened after he left?"

  Yan Hui hesitated for a moment, saying: "This is indeed beyond my expectations. The Wan Du Men cavalry had already withdrawn from the Dead Marshes the day before yesterday, and as for the He Huan faction...” He glanced at Gui Li, speaking in a low voice: “It seems they also encountered something similar to us, with over twenty people dead.”

  The ghost's expression changed slightly, and he said, "Is there such a thing?"

  "Exactly," replied Yan, "I personally investigated and made sure before returning."

  The ghost stood there in silence, seemingly lost in deep thought.

  Yan Hui hesitated for a moment and didn't dare to disturb, but after a long time, seeing Gui Li was still not speaking, she couldn't help but softly say: "Deputy Sect Master, what should we do now?"

  Guili did not directly respond to Yan Hui's words, but instead seemed to suddenly remember something, turned his head and looked at him, saying: "Before I came back, had the master of Guiwang Sect come here?"

  Yan's face changed color, and he nodded immediately, saying: "Yes."

  A faint glimmer flashed in the demon's eyes as he said, "What did he say?"

  Yan replied, "The Sect Master came with Qing Long and Zhu Que, the two Holy Envoys. He looked around this place, his face looking very unsightly, but in the end, he only said one sentence: 'All matters here will be handled by the Deputy Sect Master.' After that, he left with the two Holy Envoys."

  The ghost's face was expressionless, and there was another silence. Yan Hui naturally didn't know that the relationship between the Ghost King and the Ghost had become somewhat subtle, so he could only watch him from the side.

  After a moment, Gui Lie nodded and said: "You handled this matter very well. Now that the matter of Si Ze is settled, from now on, you immediately lead your subordinates to leave this place and return to Huo Xia Mountain."

  Yan Hui nodded and said: "And what about you, Sect Master?"

  The ghost turned its head and gazed at the white clouds drifting lazily across the sky, which looked spotlessly clean. Who would have thought that beneath it, so many bloody things had occurred?

  He calmly said, "Although the Killer Monk was impulsive, his tracking skills were exceptional. These fish monsters are of unknown origin and killed my subordinates, so I must investigate further."

  Yan Hui slightly lowered his head behind his back and said, "Yes."

  The ghost nodded and said, "You can go!"

  After he finished speaking, his gaze gradually turned southward, where the grass was vast and the wind passed through the dead marshes, and it was unknown what secrets were hidden.

  Suddenly, in his mind, the mysterious fish-headed monster that suddenly attacked Xiaohuan when he and Jinpinger and Qin Wuyan met in secret a few days ago appeared.