The charming widow of the Marquis's mansion: The stable boy carries the flag and raises the dra

Wang Long unleashed his full sensory power, extending in all directions.

Within a radius of several dozen miles, there was no trace of any magical beasts.

There wasn't even the scent of insects or birds.

A dead silence!

After flying for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the scenery ahead finally changed.

It was no longer bare rocks and a dried-up riverbed, but a forest.

All the trees were left with bare branches, like countless withered arms reaching towards the gray sky.

The trunk was grayish-black, and its surface was covered with cracks, as if it had been burned or as if something had drained its life force.

The air was filled with an indescribable stench, like the smell of rotting corpses or sulfur.

Wang Long frowned even more deeply and said in a deep voice.

"Let's go down and take a look."

Little Chirp folded its wings and slowly descended, landing on the edge of this lifeless forest.

The ground was severely cracked, and a chilling wind blew from all around.

Little Chirp transformed back into a fluffy golden ball of fluff, perched on Wang Long's shoulder, its dark grape-like eyes warily scanning its surroundings.

The little fairy floated out of his body, landed on his shoulder, and gently sniffed with her little nose.

"Master, this place is strange."

Her voice carried a hint of doubt.

"Little Fairy can't smell anything."

"It has no scent of treasure, no scent of spiritual energy, not even the scent of earth."

Wang Long squatted down, grabbed a handful of soil, and held it in his palm.

The soil was grayish-black, dry and loose, as if it had been baked.

He loosened his grip, and dirt slipped through his fingers.

"That's really strange."

Wang Long stood up and glanced around.

Some of the dead trees were dozens of feet tall, with trunks so thick that it took several people to encircle them.

Judging from the thickness and shape of the trunks, these trees were at least several thousand or even tens of thousands of years old before they came into existence.

But now, they're all dead.

It died a complete death, leaving not even a single green leaf behind.

"Uncle Long, there's a swamp here."

Xu Wanyun's voice came from ahead.

Wang Long strode over, parted a few dead branches, and a swamp appeared before him.

The swamp was not large, only a few dozen feet in size, and a layer of gray-black mist floated on the surface of the water, completely obscuring it.

It was impossible to see what was underwater; only occasionally could you see a few bubbles rising from the bottom, making a "gurgling" sound.

The surrounding land was cracked and parched, yet a swamp existed here, which was truly bizarre.

Wang Long squatted by the edge of the swamp, observing carefully.

At the edge of the swamp, some low shrubs grew, but they had all withered and died, leaving only bare branches.

Some grayish-white fluffy substances, like spider webs or some kind of fungus, were hanging on the branches.

"There are no living creatures even in the swamp."

Xu Wanyun stood beside him, releasing her literary energy as she probed into the swamp.

The literary energy flowed through the swamp, yet it sensed nothing.

There were no fish, no insects, and no sign of life.

Wang Long stood up, dusted off his hands, and glanced at the desolate forest.

I had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

This area didn't feel like it was formed naturally to him.

It's more like... its life force has been drained by something.

"Master, there's nothing here, not even a bug. It's so boring!"

The little fairy floated in mid-air, hands on her hips, head tilted to the side, her face full of disdain.

She sniffed around and circled the area, but couldn't detect any precious scents, and immediately lost interest.

Her voice was soft and sweet, with a hint of coquetry, and her two little legs swung back and forth in the air.

Xu Wanyun stood beside Wang Long, her beautiful eyes scanning the surroundings, and spoke softly, her voice clear and gentle.

"Uncle Long, this place is indeed a bit eerie, but there's nothing particularly special about it."

"The spiritual energy is scarce, and there are no living beings. It doesn't seem like there's any chance of finding a partner."

She paused, then added.

"There's more than one area marked 'unknown' on the map. Why don't we explore another place?"

Wang Long did not rush to leave. He stared at the strange swamp and remained silent for a moment.

Wang Long took out a monster corpse from his storage ring.

It was thrown directly into the swamp.

The body fell onto the water, splashing up a black spray.

However, the expected slow descent did not occur.

The body vanished the instant it touched the water.

It felt like I had been transported to another place.

No sound was made, and no unusual phenomena were observed.

It just vanished into thin air.

Wang Long's pupils contracted slightly, and he smiled faintly.

"That's interesting."

He immediately picked up a stone from the side and threw it into the swamp.

The stone fell into the swamp and disappeared as well.

A piece of wood vanished.

A low-level spiritual artifact still disappeared.

No matter what you throw, it will disappear instantly once it touches the surface of the swamp.

Xu Wanyun's beautiful eyes lit up slightly.

"Uncle Long, could this swamp be a teleportation array?"

Wang Long nodded, his gaze falling on the water surface shrouded in gray-black mist.

"Very likely."

"This mist should be the energy fluctuations generated when the teleportation array is in operation."

The little fairy floated up from his shoulder, drifted above the swamp, and sniffed hard with her little nose.

"Master, Little Fairy still can't smell anything."

She wrinkled her little nose, put her hands on her hips, tilted her head, and looked disappointed.

"Is something covering it up?"

Xu Wanyun nodded, releasing her literary energy once more as she probed into the depths of the swamp.

There was still no response.

"This swamp seems to be shielded by something."

Wang Long didn't speak, but just stared at the swamp with a furrowed brow.

He was torn.

Should we go down?

This swamp is clearly a teleportation array, but it's unknown where it will teleport you.

In the secret realm of countless dynasties vying for supremacy, the greatest opportunities are often hidden in the most dangerous places.

Most of those who survived the secret realm and eventually advanced to the Grandmaster realm found their opportunities in dire circumstances.

Of course, Wang Long doesn't even look at those inheritances that can lead to becoming a Grandmaster.

"Master, let me go down and take a look!"

Xiao Xian'er noticed Wang Long's dilemma and immediately volunteered.

It floated down from above the swamp and landed in front of Wang Long.

"Little Fairy is a spirit of the artifact, so she's not afraid of danger!"

"At worst, I'll just have to sleep for a while; I'll recover eventually."

Upon hearing this, Wang Long quickly stopped him.

"No!"

Before Wang Long could react, Xiao Xian'er turned around and plunged into the swamp.

The tiny figure disappeared the moment it touched the water's surface.

Wang Long's heart skipped a beat, and he stared intently at the swamp.

"Little Fairy!"

His voice carried a hint of anxiety.

A moment later, Xiao Xian'er's voice rang in his mind.

"Master! Little Fairy is alright!"

"Little Fairy has been teleported to an underground palace!"

"What a huge palace! So many statues!"

"Master, come down quickly! There must be something good here!"