Chapter 3140: Chapter 3140: The Black Marsh
A vast black marsh stood at the foot of the mountain in the north of the Dark Region.
While the pool was tranquil all year round, an occasional bubble would burst, emitting a deadly poisonous mist.
If it could be avoided, no creature in the Dark Region would willingly approach the black marsh.
Da! Da! Da!
Over ten horses were galloping in the black marsh.
Being able to move at that speed, they were clearly familiar with the area.
It was the elite of the Royal Monkey race, the Coldness Monkey Guards, that rode the horses. In the lead was the Chief Flag Monkey, the race's commander.
Hiss! Hiss!
As the group of monkeys marched forward, a small black snake rushed out from the marsh beside them, trying to bite the Chief Flag Monkey.
Swish!
The Chief Flag Monkey's reaction was keen—with a casual wave of his hand, the little black snake had been cut into pieces.
He grabbed the head in his hand and examined it before frowning. “It's poisonous! Be careful!”
The black marsh was known to be a highly toxic place. Any creature that could survive there was not to be underestimated.
Once the Chief Flag Monkey gave his warning, he pulled his horse's mane and led the group forward.
In the middle of the group, the horse carried both Yan and Natalie on its back.
With the strength of ordinary Souls of Light, they weren't even matched against the ordinary creatures on the Other Shore. And those in the Dark Region were far stronger than those in the Light Region—Yan and Natalie didn't stand a chance against them in battle.
“All I know is that the Dark Region is boundless darkness. I didn't expect there to be any complex forces within,” Natalie commented, looking around the marsh.
With a frown, Yan said, “I wonder why they bring us here from so far away.”
She had nothing to do with the Star Falcon race—why did they suddenly decide to make a move?
Along the way, Yan and Natalie tried prodding the black monkeys for answers, but they had no problem ignoring them completely.
Quack!
A strange, harsh scream suddenly broke the atmosphere.
They all looked up into the sky to find the source.
Several huge birds swooped down, coming for the Royal Monkeys.
“Commander! The Ghost Wing Birds are here!” one of the Royal Monkeys confirmed.
The Coldness Monkey Guards were the most powerful group of Royal Monkeys—both their mentality and strength were far superior to those of ordinary Royal Monkeys. ŗ𝐚Ɲo͍ᛒ˧
If the other monkeys saw the birds approaching, they would have already been panic-stricken.
“These beasts… They've come to make trouble at the most critical moment!” Coldness came over the Chief Flag Monkey's face before he gave the order, “Disperse!”
“But this is the black marsh…” one of the Royal Monkeys remarked hesitantly.
It was true that the Ghost Wing Birds posed a threat, but the monkeys scattering into the black marsh was nothing short of courting death.
“It's too late. The birds are approaching fast!” another Royal Monkey pointed out.
If they were outside the black marsh, they'd have a way to deal with the birds. But all the creatures were subject to limitations in the black marsh, save for the creatures that could fly, like the Ghost Wing Birds.
“You go first. I will guard the rear!”
When he stopped his horse, the Chief Flag Monkey's armor began glowing with a golden light—his power was accumulating.
This time, the senior leaders ordered for Yan to be brought into the Dark Region and sent to the purified being. The Chief Flag Monkey had to complete the mission, even at the cost of his own life.
Quack! Quack! Quack!
Just as the great Ghost Wing Birds swooped down rapidly, the black marsh suddenly shook in the distance, from where a slender snakehead rolled out. Whoosh! It passed through tens of thousands of feet with accuracy and precision, catching a Ghost Wing Bird instantly.
The creature didn't even have time to respond—it was dragged away by the snake's tongue in mere seconds before it disappeared completely in the depths of the marsh.
Quack! Quack! Quack!
The rest of the birds screamed nervously, maneuvering their wings in an attempt to escape.
But the tongue that rolled back shot out rapidly again, sweeping away another Ghost Wing Bird in an instant.
“Da!”
“Da!”
“Da!”
In mere seconds, eight Ghost Wing Birds in the air were completely swept away by the tongue.
Natalie and Yan were stunned frozen by the scene.
They already considered the Royal Monkeys extremely powerful creatures in the Dark Region—never did they expect the creatures to fall to a natural enemy like the Ghost Wing Birds. As Natalie silently relished in the fact that the Ghost Wing Birds couldn't leave the Dark Region, a great tongue dashed out and swallowed up all the Royal Monkeys.
Where did the tongue come from?
While Natalie and Yan couldn't exactly be optimistic about their fate, they couldn't help but sigh at the scene they had just witnessed—they had no clue what other secrets they might come across on the Other Shore.
“It's the stage ruler!”
“The stage ruler has made a move!”
“That was close...”
Surprisingly, the Royal Monkeys seemed excited to see the huge tongue.
The Chief Flag Monkey even rode to the front line and ordered, “Take out the Dark Nether Bugs!”
The ruler of Stage Fourteen did not belong to any force. Over the years, the Royal Monkeys had tried all they could to build a good relationship with the stage ruler, but to no avail—the latter was far too irritable. In the years that they offered Dark Nether Bugs as tribute to the stage ruler, many of them were swallowed up.
Soon, six Royal Monkeys got off their horses and each raised an iron plate above their heads. On the iron plates, Dark Nether Bugs were curling up.
“Slow down!”
“Don't bear any hostility—the stage ruler is very sensitive!”
“Slower!”
The Chief Flag Monkey didn't fail to remind his team members.
And so the Royal Monkeys carried the iron plates, carefully moving step by step. If they moved even slightly too fast, they'd end up being the stage ruler's food just as the Dark Nether Bugs.
Although there were only a few miles ahead, the Royal Monkeys walked for ten whole minutes.
When they reached the edge of a black marsh, the tongue shot out once again and swept over one of the monkeys—along with the Dark Nether Bug above his head, he was dragged into the darkness.
The scene had all the other Royal Monkeys trembling in fear. But they were the Coldness Monkey Guards—they wouldn't shy away from death. None of them had the slightest intention to throw away the Dark Nether Bugs and flee.
“Stage ruler!”
The Chief Flag Monkey hurried over to the edge of the marsh and bowed respectfully.
Having already tasted the delicious Dark Nether Bug, the stage ruler wasn't likely to attack again so soon.
Plop! Plop! Plop!
From the dark marsh emerged a head covered in spikes of flesh. A pair of orange eyes sat on the sides of the head, the pupils flickering back and forth so fast that they looked like lines. A hoarse voice then resounded. “You're using the Dark Nether Bugs to please me again?”