Chapter 683: Chapter 683: Hunt And Escape

The entirety of the Dreamy Swampland was enveloped in a faint mist.

Evidently, this fog was different from the fog in the Dark Nether Cave. The fog of the latter had been arranged using a magical array. If one failed to find the array plate, they would be stuck in the fog and never be able to leave.

The fog of the Dreamy Swampland, on the other hand, could be considered a bit troublesome for ordinary people as well as to the martial art cultivators with low cultivation bases. For martial cultivators at Zen's level, more attention to the complicated environment and the vicious beasts needed to be paid.

Margaret's eyes widened in disbelief when she saw the poisonous water of the pond. She did not have a strong body like Zen to resist the poison. She felt that if she were to get in the water, her entire body would be corroded by it until not even her ashes remained.

“But I want to take a bath...” Margaret couldn't stand her body in its current state, filthy and dirty.

“Bear with it,” Zen said, shaking his head. He shoved aside the bushes and continued to move forward.

The direction he was heading in was the one Eddie had scanned through his senses. Normally, Zen would be moving away from Eddie, in the exact opposite path. Instead, he was following him. They hadn't yet entered deep into the Dreamy Swampland. Eddie was already in there, and as long as Zen got out of the Dreamy Swampland, he might escape from his enemy successfully.

He was clever enough to do the opposite. As per his judgment, Eddie had released his senses on purpose just to mislead Zen and make him think that he had entered deep into the Dreamy Swampland. When Eddie got the opportunity, he would attack him.

If things went south, Zen would be in great danger.

As Zen advanced ahead, he mulled over a plan to handle the upcoming situation. Suddenly, the expression on his face changed as he quickly bent down and pulled Margaret into the nearby bushes.

In mid-air, a figure turned back into the fog, moving at lightning speed as it shot to the outskirts of the Dreamy Swampland.

“I guessed right,” Zen muttered, his eyes flashing with excitement. If he had just left the Dreamy Swampland, Eddie would have caught him.

Eddie flew at full speed as he rushed out of the swampland. The thick fog could block anyone's senses and even he couldn't release his own for too far. They only stretched to a small area around him. What was most antagonising was that even though the Dreamy Swampland looked extremely desolate, there were countless creatures lurking within. If Zen were to hide inside, Eddie would not be able to discern him.

For that reason, Eddie had to initially give Zen the wrong impression that he had entered deep into the swamp. Very quickly afterward, he would turn back from his way and rush out of the swampland with the speed of a shooting star!

If Zen's plan had been to escape Eddie, he would have chosen to exit the Dreamy Swampland as soon as possible. Then, as Zen turned back, Eddie was very likely to catch him off guard. That brat would not be able to escape from Eddie's hunt! Now he had to track Zen down soon.

However, Eddie did not find Zen at all as he left the Dreamy Swampland. He landed in an open area outside the swampland where he had placed a long and thin rod. On top of it was a purple crystal shining with the power of life vitality.

It was a simple Picture Slab. Eddie had set it up before entering the Dreamy Swampland. If Zen left the place, his Picture Slab would record his movements.

Eddie searched for a while but did not find Zen's figure in the records of the Picture Slab. His mouth twisted into a sinister smile as he muttered, “What a cunning boy! He's still hiding in there!”

At the moment, Eddie was in no hurry to find Zen. He was patiently waiting for Simon to come to help him. Simon had been lurking in the Dreamy Swampland for so many years that no one in the Central Region knew this place better than him.

Eddie had already kindled a message rune to inform Simon about where he was. He did not have to wait long before dozens of beams appeared in the distance, hurtling directly toward him. The source of the beams seemed to move fast. It was undoubtedly Simon.

As Simon landed beside Eddie, he merely nodded in greeting, while the other twenty people with him cupped their hands. They addressed Eddie respectfully, saying, “Greetings, Lord!”

Eddie nodded in reply before he turned to Simon. “Simon, Zen brought that woman from the Xi Family into the Dreamy Swampland! Do you have any ideas to help me find him out?”

A confident smile appeared on Simon's face. “I am very familiar with every area of this Dreamy Swampland,” he murmured, pride seeping into his voice. “As long as the boy is still in the Dreamy Swampland, I will find him sooner or later. Eddie, just follow me.” He then turned to the Virtual Tribulation Realm warriors with him, giving them instructions. “You will search different areas according to my orders. The Dreamy Swampland is huge. Finding a person within it seems as difficult as looking for a needle in a haystack. But in fact, it would not be so arduous to find him. Each area has different kinds of beasts. Once Zen passes through them, he will certainly disturb those living there. And once he fights them, I will be able to sense his location.”

Hearing Simon's arrogant tone, Eddie frowned. He had once demanded Simon to call him “Lord”, but Simon, after agreeing to it ever so casually, still called Eddie by his name. ꞦἈƝǑ𝐁ĚS

Apparently, he still didn't agree to Eddie's status as the divine kingdom's ruler.

They were willing to cooperate with each other in the divine kingdom's grand plans because they had the same goal. However, since both were Life and Death Realm masters, neither was willing to submit to the other.

'Well! I will bear with you until my Lustful Demon Array succeeds. If you still don't submit to me at the time, I won't show you any mercy, ' Eddie thought to himself.

Eddie was not the only person to bear a grudge against his cooperator.

There was no doubt that Simon had made valuable contributions to the development of the Heavenly Evil Divine Kingdom, but he would never agree to acknowledge Eddie as the only ruler of the divine kingdom.

Certainly, he had his own reasons for joining on in this hunt for Zen.

According to Simon, Zen and Margaret — both must be killed at this place. He didn't want Margaret to fall into Eddie's hands, for once Eddie succeeded in his Lustful Demon Array, Simon's fate wouldn't be so hard to imagine. Perhaps the best course of action for Simon would be to completely submit to Eddie, but once Eddie grew even stronger and ruthless in the martial arts, Simon would very likely be the first person to be dead meat.

Both of them were hatching plots of their own. But when they worked together, they were indeed the greatest force in the entirety of Central Region.

Under Simon's instructions, they all entered the Dreamy Swampland, communicating with each other using message runes.

Eddie had never entered the deepest parts of this broad swamp. Perhaps, from ancient times until now, Simon was the only person who had ever lived here, which was why he was so familiar with every inch of the Dreamy Swampland.

After Simon separated from the others and entered the swampland, his body started emitting a kind of dark green poisonous fog. The fog quickly spread, merging with the fog of the swampland while he kept floating in the air. His eyes widened with concentration as if he was trying hard to communicate with someone or something.

Zen and Margaret were moving quite slowly and cautiously in the swampland. They had only covered less than ten miles in quite a long while.

It was difficult to walk in the swampland when the entire place was covered with mud and dirty water. Margaret frowned along the way as she lifted her dress with her hands. With every step she took, her lips curled with disgust and reluctance, and as she watched her sleeves sink into the pitch-black mud, she could not help but feel overwhelmed with repulsion.

Zen had of course noticed her unpleasant expressions, but he could not afford to attend to this proud young lady under such urgent circumstances.

Humans could vary a lot in their personalities. Lavender's status was a thousand times higher than this young lady of the Xi Family. She was considered a top-level cultivator even in the Upper World. It could be said that she was born noble, meant to stand at the highest level of lives and look down on all living beings of the Lower World.

However, after Lavender realized the situation she was in, she quickly acknowledged Zen as her master. She was so decisive in her choices that she placed all her hopes on Zen almost without hesitation. Margaret, on the other hand, seemed not to understand the situation around her.

After they crossed over a patch of grass, a vast stretch of lagoon appeared in front of them. The lagoon was not deep. The water in it would only reach their waists, but since they didn't dare use their life vitality to fly across it, they would only be able to slowly wade through the water.

“There's no poison in the water, right?” Margaret asked, turning to Zen.

Zen stepped into the lagoon first. “No,” he replied flatly.

Margaret's face broke into a small smile. At last she could wash the dirt off her body and clothes!

They slowly made their way through the lagoon. Margaret used the water to wash the mud off her body. Her white clothes clung to her body as they got wet, outlining her slim waist and the graceful lines of her figure.

Just as Margaret was concentrating on washing her body, a few ripples broke the surface of the water not far away from them. They silently raced through the quiet water surface, approaching Zen and Margaret.