Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

As dusk approached, a layer of thick, grayish-white miasma, like a light veil, enveloped the entire swamp.

"Be careful!"

Ning Che let out a sharp shout, and the crescent moon was held horizontally in front of him.

The eerie green lights simply stared at him, making no other move.

But the Dao Lu's senses indicated that danger had undoubtedly appeared, so he immediately used his Wind-Following Ears to make the bursting of each bubble sound like thunder.

Upon hearing Ning Che's warning, the four of them reacted immediately.

Zhao He and Chen Mu, carrying large and small bags on their backs, stood guard on either side, each brandishing their swords as if facing a formidable enemy.

Zhong Hongyao raised her hand and cast a spell, and a palm-sized, earthen-yellow shield covered with symbols floated up. It lowered a semi-transparent light curtain, enveloping her within it.

This is clearly a magical artifact; as expected of the eldest daughter of the Zhong family, her preparations are indeed exceptionally thorough.

Lin Ye was the slowest to react but the fastest to strike. With a low roar, eight streams of blood energy immediately enveloped his body. He arrived at the edge of the swamp and delivered a punch to one of the swamps.

The blood-red fist shadow, as if it were a tangible object, flew out and crashed into the swamp, stirring up a huge wave that caused the other four people, including Ning Che, to take a step back.

Ning Che's lips twitched, and at the same time he caught a faint sound. He then locked onto that small blank space amidst the mud splattering everywhere.

It has to be said that sometimes, Lin Ye, this reckless fellow, can actually crack some things very quickly.

He drew his knife.

The waning moon shimmered with clear light, like snow falling in the wind, turning into frost when it touched the ground.

The wildly growing white ice crystals outlined a giant rat whose body length was close to that of an adult's forearm.

Its body was turning from transparent to blackish-gray, and from this distance, Ning Che could see that it had cheeks around its mouth.

The next moment, it shook its head and tail, smashed through the spreading ice crystals, and fled into the depths of the swamp, its movements so fast that only its afterimage could be seen.

But Lin Ye had already blocked its path. He was just a bit reckless, but he wouldn't have missed such an obvious opportunity.

"Invincible Fist of Ten Directions!"

He shouted out the name of the move, and eight streams of blood energy immediately transformed into eight fist phantoms, striking the giant rat from all directions. He himself also stepped forward and threw out both fists at the same time.

The name of this punch was somewhat...unique, but its effect was truly remarkable. Ten punches sealed off all of the giant rat's movement, forcing it to take the blows head-on.

The large rat let out a screech. It stretched out its front paws, the tips of which gleamed faintly.

Then, completely defenseless, they were utterly destroyed.

The blood mist exploded, and they had no chance to know what spell the giant rat hadn't yet cast. It's a pity no complete corpse was left behind; otherwise, they might have been able to obtain some information and materials.

The giant rat was clearly a demon who was not good at direct combat. It was first forced to reveal its true form and then forced to fight head-on. It died cleanly and neatly, leaving no trace of its body.

Ning Che sheathed his sword, a silent warning creeping into his mind. This was a demon that could threaten him; its strength was by no means weak. But when all its methods were countered, it was utterly powerless.

The eyes in the swamp disappeared, the mud churned, and many tiny bumps went deeper into the swamp at a speed similar to that of a normal person running.

"Let's go." Ning Che hung the Crescent Moon Blade back on his waist and called everyone to head to the stronghold.

The roads here are not suitable for horses, so the group has left their carriages in a village more than ten miles away. For cultivators, the lack of carriages and horses is not a problem during their stay here.

As Ning Che stepped into the muddy water on the road, he felt a sluggish and sticky sensation, as if something was gently pulling him underwater.

The fog grew thicker and smelled foul, making him nostalgic for the gas masks and face shields he had in his previous life.

On second thought, it seems there isn't such a thing in this world yet. Maybe if he researched it, he could earn some extra money. Then he could try to buy a few spirit stones... That's a bit of a stretch.

Perhaps due to the fog, no one spoke along the way.

Ning Che walked at the front, constantly using his keen hearing to gradually remember the characteristics of the footsteps of the four people behind him:

Lin Ye's steps were the heaviest, Chen Mu's the lightest, and Zhao He's footsteps were the least distinctive and the hardest to remember. Occasionally, there were metallic clanging sounds coming from Zhong Hongyao's body, indicating that besides the small shield, there was something else with her.

The mountain keeper's outpost was behind a small hill not far away.

This mound wasn't originally there; in fact, it's quite new.

It is said that when the commander of the mountain guards took office, he personally inspected the territory of Feihu.

He walked to a nearby village called Caixia Village, and seeing the rampant miasma, he used magic to find the source and found this rat swamp.

At that time, there were two powerful seventh-rank demons in the Rat Swamp, and no one dared to approach them. The commander killed them both with a single move. Then, he used magic to move this mound from elsewhere to serve as the stronghold for the mountain guardians.

From then on, the mountain guardians stood watch here, and once the number or strength of the monsters exceeded a certain threshold, a master would lead a team to kill them.

Over time, the miasma in the rat swamp dissipated significantly. Even those with weak constitutions were not seriously harmed as long as they did not venture deep into the source of the miasma.

The group of five quickly found their destination.

The mound rose about six feet above the water, its soil cracked and filled with dried moss. On its back lay the watchtower of the mountain keeper.

It was a two-story brick house, which seemed out of place with its surroundings.

The cast-iron gate was tightly shut, with only a sliver of light leaking through the crack, casting a pale yellow glow on the mud outside the threshold.

There were people talking inside, their voices were low, interspersed with a few coughs.

Ning Che raised his hand and tapped it three times lightly, the sound particularly clear in the silence of the swamp.

The conversation inside the room stopped abruptly. "Who is it?" someone asked, their voice hoarse and wary.

"The mountain guardian has been ordered to be transferred to the Rat Swamp and has come to take over."

After a sound of a lock being opened, the door creaked open.

The light shone on Ning Che.

A middle-aged man with graying temples walked out. His face was sallow, his eyes were sunken, and his cheekbones were high. The standard uniform of the mountain guard camp hung loosely on him, as if it were hanging on a rack.

Behind him stood two men who looked younger, with equally tired expressions and identical wariness and numbness in their eyes.

"Star Team Leader." The middle-aged man's gaze fell on the token in Ning Che's hand, then swept over the four people behind him. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he didn't say anything more: "I am Li Laogen—do you have the seal?"

Perhaps it was because he hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time, but the change in his tone was rather abrupt. Ning Che didn't seem to care, and presented the iron plaque and official documents.

He took it, his hands trembling slightly, gripping the metal plate tightly and examining it from all angles.

Just as Lin Ye was getting impatient and stepped forward to urge him on, he finally put his hand down and shouted into the house, "Let's go—pack your things—the shift change is finally here—"

He shouted until he was hoarse, and Ning Che was a little afraid that he would faint.

Fortunately, cultivators' physical condition is not that fragile, and no accidents occurred.

After shouting, he ran back to pack his things, leaving Ning Che standing outside. It was one of the young men who had been standing behind him who invited Ning Che in. Ning Che gestured for the four to wait outside, then followed them inside.