Chapter 116: The Thousand Saints Swamp

"What are you saying! My older brother was killed by Lin Yanghao? How is this possible!" Le Hao burst into tears as he spoke.

Le Hao and his brother, Le Wu, had been very close since childhood; otherwise, Le Wu would never have set out to avenge him.

"It is true. We saw it with our own eyes. It happened like this..." The speakers were, of course, the three who had escaped from Lin Yanghao. They had now returned to the Tianwu Sect.

"Lin Yanghao, I, Le Hao, swear to the heavens! If I do not kill you, I am not a man!" Le Hao’s eyes turned blood-red, his body surged with murderous intent, and his heart burned with rage.

At this moment, all he knew was that Lin Yanghao deserved to die! Even hacking him into ten thousand pieces would not suffice to soothe his hatred. Not only had he destroyed the foundation of the Tianwu Sect, but he had also killed his own brother. If Le Hao were not currently reduced to a mere Nascent Soul spirit, he would have struck out at Lin Yanghao immediately.

...

After nearly a month of travel, Lin Yanghao and Zeng Quan finally neared the Thousand Saint Swamp. Through his battle with Le Wu, Lin Yanghao had gained a rough understanding of his own strength. He no longer feared any ordinary Nascent Soul stage cultivator. He was full of confidence for this trip to the Thousand Saint Swamp.

After Le Wu died, his storage ring had naturally become ownerless, making it easy for Lin Yanghao to open. Upon opening it, however, Lin Yanghao was filled with disappointment. How could a Nascent Soul stage cultivator be so poor? It was one thing to be poor, but his wealth didn't even amount to one percent of Lin Yanghao's own!

Lin Yanghao failed to realize, however, that it was impossible for everyone to be as monstrous as he was—having first extorted a fortune from the major sects of the Southern Region and then ransacked the entire treasury of the Tianwu Sect. Inside Le Hao's storage ring, there were only about thirty thousand mid-grade spirit stones, one high-grade spirit artifact, and some medicinal pills for cultivation. The high-grade spirit artifact was, of course, the Blood Shadow Sword that had been used against him earlier. Other than that, there was nothing.

According to Zeng Quan, the Thousand Saint Swamp was currently in chaos, and it seemed that demonic cultivators were also eyeing the treasure hidden there. Therefore, as soon as they arrived at the edge of the swamp, Lin Yanghao braced himself, keeping a sharp eye on every movement around him.

"Big Brother, shall we go in?" Zeng Quan asked, puzzled as he saw Lin Yanghao stop.

"Let's go. We will head to the place where Le Hao originally obtained the Star Emperor Purple Iron." Ling'er’s condition was not optimistic, so his primary task was to find that material.

Zeng Quan finally understood; so Lin Yanghao was after the Star Emperor Purple Iron all along. No wonder he was so insistent on coming here. The Star Emperor Purple Iron was so rare that obtaining even a single piece was a heaven-sent stroke of luck. It seemed Lin Yanghao’s plan was likely to fall through.

The Thousand Saint Swamp was a vast marshland. While it wasn't exclusively swamp, it was covered in it, making the terrain extremely complex.

Following Zeng Quan, they did not encounter a single person on the road, which struck Lin Yanghao as very strange. Wasn't it said that the factions in the Thousand Saint Swamp were complex? How could there be no one in sight? There had to be something suspicious about this, and Lin Yanghao became even more cautious, refusing to let his guard down.

The place where Le Dong had obtained the Star Emperor Purple Iron was inside a stone door located within a canyon. When he had first entered, Le Dong was thrown out by an invisible force, and the Star Emperor Purple Iron had been brought out with him by accident. Only after a closer look did he realize what it was. Afterward, he tried every possible method but could never enter behind that stone door again. Later, he had encountered Lu Chen and Zeng Quan, who tried to seize it, followed by the arrival of Lin Yanghao.

Zeng Quan speculated that the treasure everyone was fighting over was, in all likelihood, behind that very stone door. Zeng Quan knew he lacked the strength to compete, so he had abandoned the idea. After all, if things went wrong, it could cost him his life, and he was not willing to bet his life on it. However, he now chose to believe in Lin Yanghao’s strength. If they could really get in, even if he only got to drink the soup left over by Lin Yanghao, he would still be set for life!

"Is this the place you were talking about?" Before them lay an unremarkable canyon, a place so desolate one might call it a wasteland where even birds wouldn't dare to land. If Zeng Quan hadn't identified it, Lin Yanghao would never have associated this spot with any treasure.

"Yes, this is it," Zeng Quan confirmed.

Lin Yanghao nodded and walked into the canyon. Truly, one cannot judge a book by its cover, and the ocean cannot be measured with a bucket. The ancients were right; they never deceived me...

"This treasure belongs to the Alchemy Sect! Anyone who tries to snatch it will become our enemy from this day forth."

"Humph, so what if you're the Alchemy Sect? Do you think the Artifact Sect is easy to bully? We are determined to claim this treasure as well!"

"Count the Talisman Sect in too! Let’s see whose strength is truly superior!"

Just as they approached the stone door, a barrage of voices drifted over. They claimed to be from the Alchemy Sect, the Artifact Sect, and the Talisman Sect. Every word fell clearly into Lin Yanghao’s ears, leaving him stunned. There were people here! And they were members of the three most renowned major sects of the Northern Region.

There seemed to be even more...

"Damn it, how am I supposed to play this!" Lin Yanghao thought. "Wasn't it said that nobody knew about this place? Are these people ghosts? Can we not have a decent time?"

Lin Yanghao felt like cursing. This wasn't how you treated a person! He was just a small-time cultivator who came here looking for some Star Emperor Purple Iron. Was that too much to ask? Now, with the intervention of these powerful groups, even if he had three heads and six arms, he might not be a match for them.

Lin Yanghao hid quietly in the distance, not daring to make a sound, fearing he would be discovered. He observed that these three sects were indeed confident, each possessing an imposing force. Every side had several Soul Formation stage cultivators, and countless Nascent Soul and Golden Core stage disciples. And looking at the situation, they were on the verge of a fight.

"Why don't I let them fight it out and reap the benefits as the fisherman?" Lin Yanghao thought excitedly. "Let them fight! The more intense the battle, the happier I’ll be. When they are all battered and bruised... no, when all three are exhausted... then my opportunity will come. Why am I so clever?"

"Everyone, listen to me. We can't even open this stone door yet, and we have no idea what's inside. Don't you think it's too early to start fighting over it? Let’s find a way to open the door first, and then we can compete. What do you think?"

Suddenly, a voice poured a bucket of cold water over Lin Yanghao's plans. It was an old man speaking, and Lin Yanghao felt like he could eat the man alive. "Why are you so annoying?" he thought. "They were about to start fighting, and you had to go and stir the pot!"

If his strength had been enough, Lin Yanghao would have undoubtedly rushed out to beat the old man. Strength! Strength! Everything in this world is determined by strength!