“Yes!” Emelia nodded and said, “There is no so-called strong or weak in the Spirit World, only ordinary individuals and sages. These sages often have contracts with individuals from foreign planes. They are contracted spirits that have seen the outside world. Having gained knowledge of the greater universe, their wisdom is undoubtedly superior in the eyes of the average being.”
Greem nodded silently. He had vaguely figured out the unique rules of the Spirit World now.
As expected, three days later, they met the ‘Sage’ in a grass hut in a clearing.
It was a panther with pretty black fur. Strangely enough, the panther had six claws, and there was an unusual hook at the end of its tail. However, the most surprising thing about the panther was the soul projection hovering on its head.
The soul projection looked just like the panther itself, only a dozen times smaller.
Most of the soul’s immaterial body was peeking out of its head, while the lower half was embedded in the panther’s head, connected with its soul origin.
A contracted spirit…this was a Second Grade contracted creature!
Greem could sense that this unusual panther had signed a soul contract with someone in a distant plane. Moreover, the contract’s agent could freely summon this panther from the Spirit World to their own world through the contract’s power.
For some reason, Greem felt like his understanding of otherworldly summoning deepened when he saw this panther.
Chapter 1198 - Marsh Wetlands
The Sage appeared very calm when he saw Greem.
In the outside world, a Second Grade creature would surely shiver in fright when they saw a Fourth Grade adept. However, here in the Spirit World, the panther appeared utterly calm and even slightly relaxed.
“Welcome to the Spirit World, great spellcasters from the World of Adepts.” The Sage crouched within a hut just large enough to fit himself. He looked calmly at Greem and his party, and not at all surprised because of their identity. “I am Anthony. What can I help you with?”
Emelia shot a glance at Greem before stepping forward and saying, “Wise Sage, we intend to travel to the Spore Forest, and we were hoping you could point us in the right direction!”
“The Spore Forest?” A human expression appeared on Anthony’s feline face. He lifted his snout and sniffed Emelia’s body a few times. “You are the Spore Princess that ran away to a different plane. It seems like you intend to start a slaughter in the Spore Forest now that you are back in the Spirit World.”
“There’s no need to ask about our intentions. We just wish to complete this transaction without any trouble!” Emelia’s expression seemed a little dark now that her secret had been dug up of the ground.
“You guys didn’t come at the best time!” Anthony ignored Emelia’s words and said, “The Sporepeople have recently formed an alliance with the Fungi Giants and the Swamp Lords. They took over nearly eighty percent of the territory in the Marsh Wetlands, chasing out the lizard people, the bullfolk, and the hydralings. The two forces are still fighting there. You guys will probably get caught up in a war if you head there now.”
“We came here for war to begin with!” Emelia replied with resolution.
“I understand, I do,” Anthony couldn’t help but let out a sigh. “Your uncle chased you away from the Sporepeople. Now that you have someone behind you, you have to come back for revenge! Very well; all that trouble between you and your uncle is no business of mine. According to the Spirit World’s rules, you just have to give me a hundred magical crystals, and I can point you in the right direction. If you can provide me with five hundred magical crystals, I can even draw upon some of my authority and transport you directly to the Marsh Wetlands.”
Emelia smiled when she heard this. She immediately took out five hundred magical crystals and put them in a pile in front of Anthony.
“We choose the second option!”
Greem had arrived here as a ball of mental consciousness. Naturally, he had none of his worldly belongings with him. Meanwhile, Emelia had managed to come here with her actual body due to the unique nature of her soul. As such, she did not lack magical crystals.
“Very well!” Sage Anthony put away the five hundred magical crystals with a broad smile on his face. He then stood up and said in a low voice, “Well then, the three of you stand over here! Adept, watch your contracted spirit carefully, please. Don’t let him leave anything here in my place!”
Once Greem, Remi, and Emelia were gathered around him, Sage Anthony stood on his hind legs, lifted his head, and let out a long growl. A strange halo appeared beneath the party.
The next second, the entire world spun wildly out of control.
The three of them endured the dizziness and sense of distorted spacetime, only to realize that they were now on top of a tall hill.
A strange marsh full of life–though not exactly rich with resources–lay before them.
The tall hill that Greem and his party were standing on was at the edge of the marsh. An uneven sea of trees stretched behind them, with the hill marking the boundary between the marsh and the forest.
This marsh was still preserved in its original state.
The mist was thick and heavy.
The lakes, rivers, and mires spread all over the marsh were plentiful water supplies, resulting in the area being constantly cloaked in dense mist.
Strange, towering mushrooms the size of giant trees were everywhere to inside the marsh.
They were all incredibly huge.
The stalks of the mushrooms were so thick that it would take ten people to wrap their arms around it fully. The giant caps of the mushrooms were hidden in the mist that hung above the land.
Many swamp creatures had also dug homes into the mushroom stalks and lived within.
Small mushroom huts of all shapes and sizes also littered the land. In combination with the unique environment of the Marsh Wetlands, it made for an unusual scene of nature.
Greem looked at the land before him and glanced at Emelia.
“We are here already, and the fighting is imminent. You can tell me about our main enemy on this trip now, can’t you?”
“We are mainly here to obtain the Primal Water. According to what I remember, this has always been in the hands of my Uncle Fahssn. Thus……”
“Thus, if we want to obtain the Primal Water, we will have to kill this Fahssn person!” Greem finished the sentence with a false smile on his face.
“My lord, I had no intention of using you. The fact is that we have to kill our Uncle Fahssn if we want to obtain the Primal Water. Moreover, if you deal with my uncle, I will willingly hand over a Ragveil Herb, Nature’s Soul, and the method of taming the Fungi Giants!” Emelia gritted her teeth and offered all of her bargaining chips.
She knew this clan leader of hers very well after all their interactions over the years. Naturally, she knew what things would be able to move him.
Ragveil was an incredibly rare herb even in the World of Adepts. It was the main ingredient for brewing the Fourth Grade potion Cloud of Deep Sleep, making it an incredibly valuable material.
Meanwhile, Nature’s Soul was an elementium soul formed in nature. It was a primary ingredient used to create high-grade magical equipment and a required material in the creation of an elementium avatar for elementium adepts.
As for the Fungi Giants, Greem had only heard Emelia described them, without any experience of their true power. He was still hesitating about the conditions she offered.
“How powerful is this Fahssn?”
“He was only intermediate Third Grade when I left the Spore Forest. He should be at advanced Third Grade now!”
Advanced Third Grade? An enemy like this was someone we should be wary of?
Greem couldn’t help but look at Emelia in confusion.
Emelia smiled bitterly and explained, “My lord, you have to be careful. Us sporepeople aren’t too powerful ourselves. However, when we run into a powerful enemy, we will choo
se to assimilate with the Fungi Giants we have tamed. When that happened, our powers combined will allow us to advance by a major grade temporarily. If you don’t want any trouble, you will have to kill them before they can merge.”
“Don’t you have any good news for me?” Greem asked somewhat unamusedly.
Emelia immediately relaxed when she heard Greem tease him. She knew that the clan leader must have accepted her offer if he was speaking like that.
“Well…there is one major piece of good news! The creatures living in the Marsh Wetlands, be they carnivorous beasts, plants, or fungal creatures, are all of the plant-attribute. Their greatest fear is fire. That is why they chose such a wet place filled with lakes and rivers as their homes. With your might, you are practically unstoppable here in these marshes!”
“That does sound like good news! Alright, since the Marsh Wetlands used to be your home, why don’t you tell me what we should do next?”
“We should go to the Cave of Shadows and look for Moat! He is a famous Sage in these marshes. We can only slaughter without being rejected by the Spirit World if we obtain his support. Otherwise, killing any swamp creature will draw the hatred of all the natives. It will make our journey much more difficult then!”
“What Grade is this Moat person?”
“Fourth Grade!”
Greem immediately drew in a breath of cold air.
The Marsh Wetlands was only one of twelve regions in the Spirit World, yet the number of Fourth Grade creatures in this region alone approached a dozen. In pure numbers of powerhouses, the Spirit World was no weaker than the World of Adepts. They were a planar world with their own unique civilizations.
Even as tough as he was, Greem didn’t dare wreak havoc in the Marsh Wetlands. A small misstep, and he could be the enemy of every being here.
After some discussion, the three of them put on some simple disguises.
To avoid being recognized by the enemy and alerting them of her presence, Emelia threw on a thick black cloak, put on the hood, and hid her aura with the Assassin’s Ring. Greem remained dressed like an adept and placed Remi on his shoulder.
The three of them stepped into the Marsh Wetlands, one after another.
Upon stepping into the marshes, Greem couldn’t help but be impressed. The Marsh Wetlands was indeed the most beautiful and fantastical of all the marshes he had ever seen.
The entire place was filled with vast lakes and interconnected rivers. The ground was covered in a thick moss and grass layer, upon which a shocking number of mushrooms and fungi grew. The air was filled with a unique, fragrant, and damp aura, along with plenty of spores.
These spores were almost the size of a finger, each with their strange caps and tiny tail wings.
They floated about in the air, glowing with a faint light, illuminating the Wetlands, and turning it into a dream-like paradise.
For some reason, these tiny spores seemed to be afraid of Remi. They would drift away when they approached within ten meters of the adepts.
As the party of three walked through the Wetlands, they could see massive fungus creatures everywhere, floral creatures that could walk upright like humans with their roots, and water elementium that wandered the rivers aimlessly.
They might be intelligent, but it was obvious that their thoughts weren’t too complex, and they hardly schemed at all.
Instincts drove every one of their actions. They ate when they were hungry, slept when they were tired, and drank when they were thirsty. Most of the time, they roamed the land freely, like patrols of this magnificent land. They were free, unbound, and without purpose.
Even when they ran into the adepts, they only looked at them curiously for a brief moment before leaving!
Chapter 1199 - Sage of the Marshes
Nightfall.
The Marsh Wetlands at night was a unique sight of its own.
Emelia had started a fire on a clearing by a lake, and she used a pot to cook a stew. She had picked some fresh mushrooms along the way, and the stew was smelling very nice.
Remi had vanished somewhere when the sun went down.
Greem wasn’t worried about him at all.
After all, he wasn’t a Third Grade Spirit of Pestilence for nothing. If Remi were to go berserk, he alone would be enough to turn an entire area into a land of death instantly.
Meanwhile, Greem had arrived at the top of one of those colossal mushrooms when night fell. He sat at the edge of the mushroom cap and looked down at this uniquely different planar environment. His heart was filled with awe and respect for the wondrous work of nature.
Dense and humid mist hung in the air of the marshes, causing the stars above to appear blurred and faint.
Massive mushrooms of varying sizes lay spread out within Greem’s sight, looking like an unusual forest. Greem was impressed. While you were here, you would get the impression that it wasn’t the mushrooms that were large, but that you had shrunk in size.
All of a sudden, it was as if humans had turned into ants. The wild mushrooms by the roadside that could be crushed with a press of a finger had now turned into giant trees, and your power was insignificant and tiny.
The fluttering, glowing spores hovering in the air between the mushrooms were almost like fireflies.
They were everywhere, all at once. They took root where they landed and grew into new mushrooms.
Some of these mushrooms would be fortunate enough to grow to massive sizes, becoming a member of this forest of mushrooms. Others would be eaten by the wandering Fungus Giants and swamp creatures the moment they sprouted.
Apart from these glowing spores, there were also many giant sporebats flying around in the sky. They fed on the bright spores, circling the giant mushrooms and devouring these drifting lights.
These sporebats resembled stingrays, beating their flat wings as they glided in the air. They had a black stinger at the tip of their tails, vaguely letting off a poisonous aura.
Naturally, ordinary sporebats didn’t dare find any trouble with Greem.
However, there would always be some ignorant fool who came knocking on the door.
While Greem was admiring the unique night scene from the top of this fifty-meter tall mushroom, a Third Grade sporebat found him and lunged at him.
It was a sporebat with an unusual knack for fighting– a combat spirit. Its wings were black and covered with hard, brown bristles. Its kin also had decent magical resistance.
However, its offensive options were more limited. It could only spit acid or strike with its poison stinger. Naturally, none of these attacks were any threat to Greem at all. If it wasn’t to experience the might of a so-called combat spirit, Greem could have ended this battle in mere seconds.
Greem’s fireballs evaporated the acid spit by the Blackwing. Meanwhile, every time it tried to approach Greem, it would be forced away by his flames.
After a few fruitless attempts, the angered Blackwing finally used its combat spirit powers.
An unusual mental shockwave blasted against Greem. It wasn’t very powerful, but its strange paralyzing powers caused Greem to freeze on the spot.
To think, the powers of a Third Grade creature could altogether bypass Greem’s magical resistances and affect him directly! For a reasonably long duration as well! This unusual ability instantly drew Greem’s attention!
The Blackwing took advantage of Greem’s momentary paralysis to glide forward. The poison stinger on its tail immediately stabbed at his neck.
However, that was the limit of its attack!
The next second, a giant blazing hand grabbed the Blackwing by its tail, firmly anchoring it to the spot. The next second, the flames flared and quickly spread all over the Blackwing’s body.
The searing pain put the Blackwing in tremendous agony. It struggled with all it had, but it could not break free of the blazing hand’s grasp.
The Chip had finally recovered now. It was sending out several notifications in Greem’s mind.
[Spirit Paralys
is. Unique species ability of elite Sporebats. During combat, the creature is able to shed scale powder to be silently inhaled by the opponent. When required, the scale powder can be activated with Spirit to paralyze the opponent’s mind and render them defenseless.]
“So it wasn’t a pure mental power, but a sort of technique combining Spirit and an unusual substance.” Greem couldn’t help but start brooding in silence.
He had slightly underestimated the opponent today.
If he had treated the Blackwing as a worthy opponent, he would have at least protected himself with a Ring of Fire, even if he did not simply just summon the Burning Domain. In that case, the Blackwing’s scale powder would have been burned to ashes the moment it approached him. It would never have been a threat.
However, the fact that its scale powder could paralyze a Fourth Grade’s mind for even a brief moment made it worth examining.
Just as the thought of killing appeared in Greem’s mind, an oddly elderly voice appeared in his mind as well.
“Visitor from afar, let this ignorant child go! I apologize sincerely to you in his name and the name of the Marsh Wetlands.”
Greem turned around. A one-meter-tall creature was looking calmly at him not far in the distance.
If it weren’t for the pure nature’s aura in his body, Greem would have thought of him as an ordinary swamp corruptor. Its one-meter stature was indeed too small. It was also covered in brown seaweed and pungent mud. Even its face was covered by the tangle of seaweeds, making it hard to see its actual appearance.
However, its powerful spiritual pressure as a Fourth Grade creature could not be overlooked!
“You are…” A name shot through Greem’s mind as he instantly extinguished the flames burning on the Blackwing.
However, after such a terrible burning, the Blackwing was on its last legs. It hung limply from Greem’s hand by its tail.
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