The entire night was spent in seated meditation, regulating breath! It also allowed me to witness an unseen aspect of the Mist Marsh at night!

Though I couldn't identify the source of every disturbance, I clearly observed minute movements all around! Beyond the swarms of locust-like soldier ants and giant lizards, the swamp was also home to quite a few solitary wanderers!

These strange creatures were all new to me! I could barely imagine that such a multitude of peculiar beings even existed in this world!

Although I couldn't rely on light or my physical eyes for observation! My Illusionary Demon Eye's spiritual sense and its three-dimensional imagery still clearly displayed this bizarre world to me!

There were creatures the size of a man, yet possessing countless strange appendages like octopus tentacles! These beings moved effortlessly through the mire, showing no fear of getting stuck in the swamp!

Moreover, their tentacles were incredibly agile, capable of snatching insects the size of a fist! Those insects were also quite peculiar!

Their bodies resembled small balloons, and when seized by the tentacled monsters, they would inflate to an enormous size, making it no simple feat for the tentacle-beast to swallow them! The trees were not quiet either!

Occasionally, a creature about the size of a football, yet resembling a toad, would hop out! Their leaping ability was astonishing!

They could hunt the strange, mosquito-like creatures that flitted in the night sky, creatures that were strangely the size of a fist! However, these hopping creatures seemed highly sensitive to the light and scent of the Dark Incense torches, keeping their distance and daring not to approach too closely!

This fortunate aversion ensured the group remained undisturbed! Before I knew it, a faint glimmer appeared on the eastern horizon!

Leafdrop and I quickly roused everyone! The dawn in the Mist Marsh is when the miasma is thickest; sleeping too deeply at this time, allowing the miasma to invade, could mean never waking again!

Though everyone longed for a few more moments of sleep, they rubbed their eyes, hastily washed up, donned their helmets, and pulled down their face shields! Then they busied themselves taking down the hammocks and cooking breakfast!

But just then! Long Xin suddenly cried out, "Look, what is that?" I instinctively turned toward the direction Long Xin pointed!

Within the hazy fog, a blurry, fist-sized red shadow danced back and forth; if one hadn't looked closely, it would have been completely missed! This startled me; my spiritual sense, even without deliberate focus, registered every subtle movement in the surroundings, yet I could not sense the presence of this red shadow—it seemed merely an illusory image!

But upon closer inspection, it revealed itself to be an exquisitely beautiful butterfly! Everyone gasped in amazement!

"It's a butterfly." "It really is a butterfly." Leafdrop’s face changed drastically! And Mist Wind and Mist Shadow exclaimed, "It’s a Blood Mist Demon Butterfly." As they spoke, the butterfly instantly flew far away, vanishing into the vast fog, as if it had never been there at all!

And my perception could not track its whereabouts! "Is something wrong!" I asked instinctively!

Leafdrop’s face was pale, his eyes grimly dark: "The Blood Mist Demon Butterfly is a mutated butterfly bred by the hunters of the Blood Mist Clan to scout for enemies. The appearance of one here means the Blood Mist hunters are nearby." "The Blood Mist Clan!" Long Xin gasped, "Have our tracks been exposed?" "It’s highly probable.

Yue Che may have sent the Blood Mist Clan to intercept us to halt our pursuit," Morning Light analyzed. "No doubt about it," Leafdrop confirmed.

"Everyone must be careful. The Blood Mist Hunters are notoriously insidious and cunning, and this territory is most familiar to them." Everyone’s face fell!

The atmosphere instantly became intensely grave! Encountering Blood Mist Hunters here was absolutely not a pleasant prospect!

What worried me even more was how this exposed trail might affect the pursuit of Yue Che—that was impossible to guess. In short, the worst-case scenario had materialized!

Thinking this, I could only sigh resignedly: "We can only act according to circumstances now. Everyone, just be vigilant." "En!" Leafdrop nodded slightly.

"Perhaps we should speed up. If we can shake them off, that would be best," Long Xin suggested.

"That's nearly impossible," Leafdrop stated. "Once a Blood Mist Demon Butterfly marks you, there is no shaking off its tracking." "So, it’s only a matter of time before they launch an ambush," I said in a low voice.

"En!" Leafdrop nodded. "This is truly troublesome," I murmured.

"It seems we must resolve them in one swift action when they attempt to strike, otherwise, we won't know a moment of peace on this journey." "If that’s the case, why don't we turn the tables and use their plan against them?" Ash Sweep’s eyes suddenly lit up. "You mean lure the snake out of its hole?" Long Xin exclaimed happily.

"That’s a good idea," I nodded. "Luring the snake out?" Leafdrop’s expression was serious.

After a moment of thought, he smiled faintly: "Two hundred miles ahead is the Warm Water Lake in the marsh. It’s a fine location to set the trap." The Mist Marsh stretched for a thousand miles, thick with poison and lurking deadly threats!

Along the way, we constantly encountered venomous insects and savage beasts of the swamp, but those active during the day were not overwhelmingly dangerous creatures. With everyone's caution, and with Leafdrop, the great expert, leading the way, nothing untoward happened!

And we finally reached the Warm Water Lake Leafdrop mentioned just before sunset! What a clear, bottom-revealing Warm Water Lake!

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed such a pristine warm lake could be hidden within this overwhelmingly muddy swamp! The lake was vast, at least over a hundred square units!

It was elliptical in shape! Calm and wave-less like a mirror, its clarity allowed us to see several unknown fish joyfully chasing each other!

The air around it was surprisingly fresh, giving everyone a feeling of refreshment, exhilaration, and joy! The dusty travelers couldn't help but cheer loudly!

"Finally, we can have a proper wash," Long Xin, Matcha, and Mist Wind, the three beauties, were ecstatic. "Morning Light, Morning Wind, Ash Sweep, take up guard duty," I instructed, then, unable to wait, I rushed to the water!

After a careful inspection confirmed the water in the Warm Lake was safe! I scooped it up and drank my fill to my heart's content!

Then, satisfied, I splashed some onto my face, washing away the travel grime! "This water is truly sweet," Long Xin commented.

"Of course," Leafdrop managed a faint smile. "Every time I enter the Mist Marsh, I make a point to visit here.

You must know this is the only warm lake within a thousand-mile radius of the Mist Marsh." "Let’s just spend the night here!" Matcha declared. "We won't find such a great place to enjoy ourselves again!" "Once night falls, this place won't be so peaceful," Leafdrop warned.

"Being the only warm lake nearby, it’s also the most vital water source. After dusk, this area becomes the most frequent hunting ground for monsters." "Is it really that exaggerated?" "If you don't believe it, we can stay and see for ourselves!" Mist Wind countered...

"Heh heh," Ash Sweep chuckled dryly. "Better not.

I don't want to end up as a monster's appetizer." "Hahaha." Laughter erupted from the group!