103: Su Lin: I want them all! Ye You: You'd better hold on!

From Daochu Sect southwards, the journey was long, spanning several states.

Ye You once again summoned her netherworld boat.

Su Lin sat cross-legged on the soft couch in the main seat, his eyes closed, fully focused on adjusting his breathing.

This trip to Yunmeng Marsh was fraught with unknowns, so he had to keep himself in peak condition.

Ye You was unwilling to let go of this rare time alone with him.

She silently moved to Su Lin's side, not making a sound.

She lay on her side next to him, propping her head with one hand, her eyes fixed on his profile.

From his tightly closed eyes, to his straight nose, and then to his pursed lips.

The boat was quiet, with only her breathing, very light and shallow.

After a while, she reached out and gently touched Su Lin's shoulder.

Su Lin did not react.

She leaned in closer, her warm breath brushing past his ear, her voice very low, delivered directly into his ear.

"Revered Master?"

Su Lin still didn't open his eyes, only his eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Revered Master, you must work hard! Once your cultivation reaches Void Refining, your Disciple can give herself to you!"

Her voice was even lower, tinged with a morbid smile.

"By then, Revered Master, would you like to..."

"Take the usual path?"

"Or... forge a new one?"

Su Lin's tightly closed eyes finally opened at this moment.

His gaze was clear, calmly looking at the pretty face so close to him.

"I want the usual, and I also want to explore the unusual new path."

The smile on Ye You's face froze for a moment.

She had anticipated all sorts of reactions from her Revered Master.

Either he would scold her for being mischievous, or avoid the topic, or even ignore her.

She had never imagined that he would answer so straightforwardly.

But precisely because of this, it made her even happier.

"Revered Master is truly greedy."

She leaned in even closer, her nose almost touching his, and slowly added in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"However... it's not impossible, you know."

"As long as Revered Master, you can endure."

After speaking, she sat up contentedly, pulled back a little distance, no longer disturbing him, but quietly guarding him.

Su Lin looked at her triumphant expression, then closed his eyes again, immersing his mind in cultivation.

The netherworld boat's speed was extremely fast, and after several days, it had already traversed ten thousand li.

The flying boat's speed slowly decreased, eventually hovering over a vast and boundless green marsh.

"Revered Master, we're here," Ye You's voice came, already back to her usual tone.

Su Lin opened his eyes and stepped off the flying boat with her.

As their feet touched solid ground, a refreshing aura washed over them.

This was Yunmeng Marsh.

Unlike the rumored dangerous land filled with poisonous miasma and extreme peril, the Yunmeng Marsh before them had clear air, even permeated with a strange medicinal fragrance that calmed the mind.

The scent did not originate from any single herb, but was a Fusion of hundreds of different medicinal properties, which brought clarity to those who smelled it.

"This place..." Ye You frowned, "It's too quiet."

It was indeed very quiet.

As far as the eye could see, there was lush greenery and abundant water plants, yet not a trace of life.

There were no bird calls, no insect chirps, not even the sound of wind blowing through the water plants.

The entire marsh was dead silent, a quietness that made one's heart uneasy.

Su Lin didn't speak; he stepped forward, walking deeper into the marsh.

Ye You immediately followed, staying close to him.

They walked for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, then Su Lin stopped in front of a patch of withered yellow water plants.

At his feet lay a shriveled deer carcass.

The deer was in the posture of lowering its head to drink water, with no wounds on its body, and its fur intact, yet it had long lost all signs of life.

Its flesh, its internal organs, and even its bone marrow had vanished, leaving only an intact skin, wrapped around a hollow skeleton.

Its life had been completely drained by some invisible force.

Ye You also saw the deer carcass; she knelt down and touched it with her fingertip, and the deer carcass turned into ashes.

"It's not just it," Su Lin's voice came.

Ye You looked up, following Su Lin's gaze.

In the marsh ahead, scattered like stars, lay more carcasses.

There were birds, beasts, and even the skeletons of some huge Yao Beasts.

They were all like that deer, maintaining their last posture before death, their life completely squeezed dry, leaving only an empty shell.

This seemingly vibrant marsh was actually a colossal graveyard.

Su Lin closed his eyes, carefully sensing the strange medicinal fragrance in the air.

He understood.

This medicinal fragrance was the culprit.

This scent could soothe the mind, making living beings unknowingly drop their guard.

Then, when they were most relaxed, it would slowly, completely drain their life essence, bit by bit.

"What a cruel method."

Just then, a rustling sound came from the dense forest ahead.

Su Lin and Ye You exchanged glances, instantly concealed all their Qi, and flashed behind a huge black rock.

A moment later, a group of people emerged from the forest.

There were about a dozen of them, all wearing identical black robes embroidered with eerie Puppet patterns.

They were from the Thousand Puppet Sect.

This group did not discover Su Lin and Ye You's tracks; they looked to be in very poor condition.

Everyone was dispirited, their steps unsteady, leaning on each other as they struggled to move through the marsh.

"Protector Mo... I... I can't hold on much longer..."

A young Disciple named Xiao Liu gasped for breath, his face pale as paper.

"What the hell is going on in this ghost place! What's in the air?! My spiritual power... my spiritual power is constantly draining!"

The one called Protector Mo was a middle-aged man named Mo Chen, whose cultivation was at the Late Stage Void Refining, the highest among this group, but at this moment he was also sweating profusely, his lips cracked.

"All of you, shut up!"

Mo Chen growled, "That Medicine Immortal is just ahead! She must also be affected by this environment and won't last much longer!

As long as we catch her, we'll figure out everything here!"

"But Protector Mo," another Disciple named Li Chen worried.

"That Medicine Immortal's methods are too bizarre; several teams of our Senior Brothers have already lost contact."

"What's there to fear!" Mo Chen forced himself to stay alert, "No matter how strong she is, she's just one person!

We have the Magical Artifact bestowed by the Sect Revered Master, enough to resist the erosion of this place! Hurry, don't let her escape!"

They encouraged each other and continued to trudge forward.

Behind the black rock, Ye You looked at Su Lin, her eyes asking if they should act.

Su Lin shook his head slightly, signaling her to continue observing.

That team of Thousand Puppet Sect Cultivators didn't go much further.

Xiao Liu, who was walking at the very front, swayed, then, without warning, fell straight forward.

"Thud."

He fell into the muddy water without making any sound.

"Xiao Liu! What's wrong with you?"

Li Chen behind him was startled and quickly went to help him.

But as soon as his hand touched Xiao Liu's body, he recoiled in horror.

The fallen Xiao Liu's body was shriveling at a visible rate.

"Ah!"

Panic instantly spread through the group.

"What's happening! He..."

Before Li Chen could finish his sentence, another Disciple beside him also buckled at the knees, collapsing to the ground, his body similarly beginning to wither.