That was almost the first thought that crossed everyone's mind simultaneously, but immediately following it was another: Was this person courting death?

Especially since, where this person was stepping, there wasn't even a single broken piece of wood, let alone a "Floating Heaven Jade Plank."

For a mud flat like the one ahead, one would essentially sink the moment their foot touched it. Within the "Spirit-Banning Marsh," even the mightiest Spirit Master was no different from an ordinary person; getting stuck in the mire generally had only one outcome: death. And the higher one’s cultivation, the more unwilling they would be to die with regrets!

Though the few individuals couldn't obtain the "Gold Jade Gourds" themselves, they were unwilling to let them fall into another's hands. However, just as they were waiting to watch that person make a fool of himself, their eyes suddenly widened: that person actually passed over the twenty to thirty meters of muddy area as lightly as a feather, landing on the slightly firmer mound of marshland. Then, they swiftly plucked the six "Gold Jade Gourd Seeds," stuffing them all into their robes.

"Whoosh!"

With an almost imperceptible sound of air being cut, that green shadow effortlessly crossed the wide stretch of mud again, hurtling toward the distance, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

"...Did I just see that right?"

A middle-aged man couldn't help but rub his eyes, muttering in disbelief, "That person actually took all the 'Gold Jade Gourd Seeds'?"

"Yes, not even using the 'Floating Heaven Jade Plank.'"

"Such speed, could he have used spiritual power?"

"Impossible, impossible. Even if a Celestial Spirit Master saw this place, their spiritual power wouldn't work. He certainly doesn't look like a Celestial Spirit Master!"

"Perhaps the shoes he's wearing have some hidden secret... Wait, did any of you get a clear look at him?"

"Look? Hell no, his entire head was wrapped in cloth!"

"..."

About half an hour later.

"Ha!"

In an extremely hidden patch of grass, a strange, suppressed laugh rang out once before abruptly stopping. Immediately after, half of a perfectly round head cautiously poked out. Seeing that the surroundings were completely silent, and there wasn't a single shadow in sight within his field of vision.

After a moment, a bald man, looking to be around twenty-five or twenty-six, with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks, stood up. Looking at the stalk of red herb in his hand, he burst out with joyous cries: "I'm rich, I'm rich! It’s the 'Blazing Three-Section Vine'! It's said to be the main ingredient for refining a sixth-grade spiritual medicine. I never thought I'd be this lucky..."

"Ah?"

Before he could finish speaking, the bald man shrieked: "My 'Blazing Three-Section Vine'..."

Looking at his empty right hand, the man anxiously scanned left and right. A split second later, he spotted a faint green figure flashing away dozens of meters to his left.

"Stop! Stop!"

The bald man roared and lunged after him, but after taking two steps, his sole sank into the ground. He was instantly drenched in a cold sweat, and he quickly threw himself forward, crawling carefully back to his original spot. By the time he let out a sigh of relief and straightened up, the figure of that person was long gone from his sight.

"Damn thief!"

The bald man smashed the ground fiercely with his fist as if his parents had died, but he felt the ground beneath him wobble slightly. He nearly jumped out of his skin again, not daring to act so rashly anymore...

At the peak of a mountain spire, two groups of people stood facing each other in confrontation.

Each side had eight or nine people; their strength was evenly matched, and neither dared to make the first move rashly.

Between them was a massive stone shaped like a sharp cone. In a fissure of the giant stone, a white shadow could vaguely be seen, dotted with streaks of colorful markings.

"Brothers, this 'White Serpent Mottled Flower' was discovered by us first, so it should rightfully belong to us."

"What use is it that you discovered it? We saw this stone first. Can you claim herbs that grow within a stone that is ours?"

"That can't be said. If the herb wasn't in the stone, I wouldn't believe you'd haul the stone away."

"Who says! If you don't stop us, we’ll carry the stone away right now!"

"..."

"Everyone, stop arguing. I will keep this 'White Serpent Mottled Flower' safe for you all!"

Just as both sides were arguing until their faces turned red, a light chuckle suddenly pierced their ears. Immediately after, a green shadow was seen darting past the side of the giant stone. Before they could recover from the sudden sound, the green shadow was already ten meters away.

One person glanced at the fissure in the giant stone and roared angrily, "The herb was snatched by that bastard!"

"Chase!"

"This must be the old man hanging himself—tired of living! Daring to snatch my herb!"

"Get the herb back, and we'll split the money evenly."

"..."

Everyone's eyes were blazing with fury, and they aggressively pursued the green shadow. They were currently on a mountain peak, able to run with abandon without worrying about sinking into the marsh. But what infuriated them was that the further they chased, the greater the distance became between them and the green shadow ahead.

They were still halfway up the mountain when the green shadow entered the marsh.

By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, the green shadow had already vanished towards another mountain peak several hundred meters away.

The space between the two peaks was filled with standing water, giving absolutely no sense of security. The group had no choice but to stop, exchanging glances, each seeing a hint of incredulity in the other's eyes.

"How did he cross? A 'Floating Heaven Jade Plank'? Impossible. For a marsh like this, let alone just a 'Floating Heaven Jade Plank,' even a 'Soaring Heaven Jade Plank' would be useless."

"How could he run so fast? Could he have found a way to use spiritual power?"

"That damned robber, he even covered his head! It looks like this isn't the first time he’s been robbing in the Spirit-Banning Marsh!"

"..."

"..."

"Damn it, there are so many herbs in the 'Spirit-Banning Marsh,' can't you find them yourself! Why must you steal the herbs I painstakingly found! Be careful you don't end up with a son who has no asshole!"

"Haha, my luck is good. One was snatched, and I found another so quickly!"

"Huh? Where's the herb? Ahhh, it’s that bandit again! Give the herb back! Ouch, I'm falling in, help, help!"

"Thief, don't think I'll forgive you just because you saved my life!"

"..."

"Brother, be careful. Did you just find an herb?"

"No! If I had a harvest, I wouldn't be standing here... What do you mean? Why are you asking?"

"I heard there’s a bandit in this Spirit-Banning Marsh who specializes in snatching herbs. He’s incredibly fast, appears out of nowhere and vanishes without a trace, and nothing can stop him, no matter the terrain. You better be careful."

"Tch, telling ghost stories. Aren't you that bandit? Scram, or I’ll beat you!"

"You really don't know a good deed when you see one, you jerk!"

"..."

From dawn to morning, from noon to afternoon...

Such scenes were constantly unfolding in various parts of the "Spirit-Banning Marsh," and for a time, the sky above this marshland seemed saturated with resentment!

............