(Part 1)

Half a month later, the three of them left Liaowang Mountain and set off for Yuanling Swamp in the southern barren lands.

Because of the small improvement in Hou Chi's spiritual power, the little task of driving the cloud was given to her. Feng Ran gave this a nice name: To kill a chicken by using a knife that killed cows.

The Yuanling Swamp was notorious in ancient times because the fierce beasts hiding in it were very difficult to deal with. But although the fierce beasts were very tyrannical, they didn't have the intelligence that the magical beasts did, and were even inferior to demon beasts. Even if there were ancient beasts, even if they had cultivated for tens of thousands of years, they only had chaotic thinking. Unless they encountered good fortune, they could never evolve.

It was just that if one faced a fierce beast, even if they had the power of a god, it would be very difficult to kill them. Legend has it that in Yuanling Swamp, there were unborn fierce beasts from ancient times. Therefore, tens of thousands of years ago, the Heavenly Emperor issued an edict that as long as the fierce beasts in Yuanling Swamp did not go out of their geographical scope, they would not be restricted by the rules of the Three Realms.

Everyone knew that ancient fierce beasts were slow-witted but brutal, merciless when it came to killing, but they didn't know that when their intelligence was turned on, the ancient fierce beasts were more powerful than the ancient magical beasts [1], but for tens of thousands of years, there was no successful evolution for any ancient fierce beast, so no one in the Three Realms knew much about them.

Because Qing Mu had entrusted the Four Seas search to the dragon kings, the three of them went into Yuanling Swamp of the barren lands to look for Bo Xuan.

An erratic immortal cloud appeared in the sky, stopped above Yuanling Swamp, then twisted into the shape of a fried dough twip and fluttered down, making a bang when it touched the ground. The little demons around the swamp were startled, hiding their traces.

This random immortal lord really didn't value their life and dared to make trouble outside Yuanling Swamp at this time.

"I'm scared of you, Hou Chi, I'll drive the cloud next time." Without waiting for Hou Chi to disperse the immortal cloud, Feng Ran had already jumped off the cloud with a grayish face, her expression somewhat sad.

The immortal cloud dispersed. Hou Chi was covered in dust and dirt, and her bun was scattered around her neck. She had an unruly appearance. She fidgeted with her blue clothing, and said triumphantly, "This drive wasn't that bad. I could actually drive for six hours. Feng Ran, you tell me, am I naturally talented and have much higher controlling powers than a normal immortal lord?"

Feng Ran looked at Hou Chi with a bitter face. She frowned for a long time before saying a few good-sounding words. Seeing Qing Mu's lips carrying a smile, she hurriedly changed the subject, "Qing Mu, when you enter Yuanling Swamp, you have to hide your immortal aura."

Qing Mu raised his eyebrows and walked over to redo Hou Chi's hair. He was a little surprised, "You have cultivated in Yuanling Swamp for a thousand years. Do you still need to be so cautious?"

Feng Ran nodded, her expression a little solemn, "You don't know this place." She exhaled and looked at the area shrouded with gray mist not far away, and a sense of sorrow rarely seen before appeared in her eyes, "I was abandoned here by the Phoenix Clan to live and die on my own. If it wasn't for the Tree Demon, I don't know how many times I would've died."

"Is this place really so dangerous?" Hou Chi asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yuanling Swamp was formed in ancient times. It is a gathering place for the beasts of the world. There are many demon beasts in there, and quite some have reached the peak power of a high lord. It's just that this place is regarded as a separate area. As long as you don't leave Yuanling Swamp, you won't be affected by the Qingtian Pillar, so even if they reached the position of a demon lord, they will not appear on the Qingtian Pillar. After my huge battle against Jing Yang, I left this place and was then restricted by the rules of the Three Realms."

"Oh? This happened?" Qing Mu never knew that there was a place that wasn't affected by the Qingtian Pillar. After all, the Qingtian Pillar was the only incarnation left by the Ancestral God in the world and could restrain the creatures of the Three Realms.

"Yes." Feng Ran nodded. Seeing Hou Chi's curious look, she paused before saying, "And my thousand years in Yuanling Swamp was nothing more than cultivating in the periphery. I have never visited the center of it."

"Does the center...have fierce beasts left over from ancient times?" Even Feng Ran was very cautious and did not step foot inside. Qing Mu thought about the rumors about Yuanling Swamp and guessed.

"Yes. Have you heard of a demon beast breaking into Qingchi Palace ten thousand years ago?"

Qing Mu nodded. "I have heard of it. The dragon Wu Heng from the Demon Realm trespassed into Qingchi Palace, and was later chopped into ashes by God Gu Jun."

As he talked, he looked towards Hou Chi. He didn't know if the girl had inherited God Gu Jun's good temper.

"Wu Heng came from Yuanling Swamp, but he betrayed it, and later went to the Demon Realm. His strength is about the same as mine. He can't be considered one of the top in Yuanling Swamp but is only second-rate at best. The three-headed fire master in the center of Yuanling Swamp is the master here. The Three-Headed Fire Dragon is from ancient times, and his demon power is much higher than that of ordinary fierce beasts..."Feng Ran curled her lips at Qing Mu as she said this, "You've fought against nine-headed snakes in the North Sea. How strong are those things?"

"Very difficult." Qing Mu replied with a frown, thinking of the shocking battle.

"The nine-headed snake is only a beast after ancient times. In terms of demon power, its power is less than one-thousandth of the Three-Headed Fire Dragon. I guess this Three-Headed Fire Dragon now has the power of a demigod."

"Demigod?" Qing Mu and Hou Chi were a little surprised. Even if Qing Mu inherited the Taicang Spear, he wasn't able to walk up to the god door. This Three-Headed Fire Dragon indeed had some abilities.

"Don't worry. Although they don't like outsiders, they are not bloodthirsty. As long as we don't create trouble after going inside, they won't pay any attention to us. And we just won't go into the center. Bo Xuan won't be there."

"Okay." Qing Mu nodded, spreading a burst of spiritual power on Hou Chi before pulling her toward the gray mist.

[1] "Magical beasts" – "shen shou", they can also be translated into "God beasts"

(Part 2)

Yuanling Swamp in the gray mist was not as dark as terrible as the rumors described it to be. It was just that the evil aura was dense here, filled with a bloody smell, making this vast area a dangerous place that no one approaches. Only the outside was surrounded by a swamp, but when one entered, they would discover another universe in a jungle. The demon forest here was faintly red, and the scorching heat could be felt everywhere.

Feng Ran probed around with her spiritual power, and sighed softly, "Yuanling Swamp is affected by the Three-Headed Fire Dragon's demon powers. The hot air here is much stronger than ten thousand years ago, and it seems like the demon power has risen quite a bit. Although bloody battles are not constant here, it wasn't this quiet. I think it's because this demon power is too intriguing."

"The demon power here is so strong that it is a little abnormal. I feel like the demon aura of the entire Yuanling Swamp is converging in the center. There should be something wrong with the cultivating grounds of the Three-Headed Fire Dragon."

Qing Mu's expression was also a bit solemn. His hand holding Hou Chi's tightened. Feng Ran may have not felt it, but he could feel a trace of ancient wildness from the ferocious hostility. It was probably not the best idea to provoke the Three-Headed Fire Dragon. It was no wonder the Heavenly Emperor would make Yuanling Swamp an exception in the Three Realms, and the rule still existed now.

"Enough about him. We are just here to look for Bo Xuan's aura. I will take you guys to a safe place first, then you can use your power to search."

Feng Ran was the most familiar with this place. Along the way, there weren't any unfair fierce beasts. Even if they had a stronger aura, they hid from Qing Mu's deterrence.

The three of them walked for two hours before approaching a place where peach blossoms were in full bloom. The peach forest here was also stained with a crimson color, which made it even more eye-catching.

"The evil aura is even stronger than before. I feel a huge amount of energy gathering outside the gray mist. Doesn't it feel too quiet here?" Qing Mu looked around, his expression solemn.

"Then we shouldn't go in deeper. This is already the center of the outer zone. Just use your spiritual power to feel around here. If you can't feel Bo Xuan's aura, we will leave immediately. Remember, your spiritual sense shouldn't be too close to the hot center." Feng Ran stopped and gestured towards Qing Mu.

"I set up the formation. As long as the spiritual formation is not broken, the Three Fires Dragon won't be able to sense our existence."

Qing Mu nodded his head and placed a spiritual barrier outside the peach forest. He sat on the ground cross-legged with closed eyes, and a pattern emerged from his fingertips, the spiritual power slowly spreading into the surroundings.

Feng Ran raised her eyebrows at Qing Mu, who was breathing steadily. She was a little surprised. Even if it was only the outer area, it covered thousands of kilometers. She didn't expect that Qing Mu could spread his sense so far in this hot place. But looking at him, it didn't seem like there was any gain.

An hour later, Qing Mu's spiritual formation was gradually unable to stop the intruding powerful evil spirits. The scorching force from the center of Yuanling Swamp even showed signs of breaking through the layer of gray mist. Thunder flashed above the sky, and a rumbling sound came slowly.

"Is the Three-Headed Fire Dragon going to have his position promoted?" Looking at the increasingly obvious omen, Feng Ran's expression suddenly changed and her voice faded away.

Hou Chi looked at Qing Mu unblinkingly. Hearing Feng Ran's voice, she said suspiciously, "Promotion? Do you mean...?"

"The omen of the Nine Heavens Profound Thunder. It only appears when one is about to be promoted to the position of a god. The Three-Headed Fire Dragon was already a demigod tens of thousands of years ago. It seems like this time...it will obtain the god position."

Hou Chi was taken aback when she heard this. For tens of thousands of years in the post-ancient world, no one had been able to become a god by their own strength. If the Three-Headed Fire Dragon succeeds, it would be a huge event. Unexpectedly, in a barren place far away from the Three Realms, one would be able to see such a spectacle.

"It's no wonder that with its strength, it is willing to hide in Yuanling Swamp and not see the sun. It's afraid that the Heavenly Emperor would stop it from responding to the tribulation in advance. Now that the time has come, if it successfully overcomes the tribulation, it will really become the fifth god of the Three Realms."

"The Heavenly Emperor...?"

Hou Chi raised her eyebrows, understanding what Feng Ran said. Now that the Three Realms system has been established, the Heavenly Emperor was very powerful. If there is another god, it will definitely make the current situation unstable and cause chaos in the Three Realms. It would also threaten the Heavenly Palace's position in the Three Realms.

At the same time, a huge and fierce demon power rose from the hot center and finally broke through the gray mist over Yuanling Swamp. This ferocious aura instantly spread throughout the Immortal and Demon Realms. The booming Nine Heavens Profound Thunder gathered in the sky above Yuanling Swamp with a force that could destroy the world. The clear and solemn sky suddenly disappeared and darkened.

It was the omen of being promoted to a god, and the one being promoted was a fierce beast! Understanding the meaning of the Nine Heavens Profound Thunder, the immortals and demons of the Three Realms were shocked for a moment, and all their casts were cast towards Yuanling Swamp...

Unexpectedly, there was such a terrifying ancient fierce beast hidden in this world!

A slight fluctuation suddenly appeared in the spiritual sea. Qing Mu suddenly opened his eyes, frowned, and looked outside the peach forest, "Someone is coming, and his spiritual power isn't low."

"Did the Three-Headed Fire Dragon discover you?" Feng Ran immediately said, then immediately frowned, "That's not right, its promotion to a god is so important. Why would it take your existence into consideration?"

"No, this person has a strong immortal aura. He is not a demon beast from Yuanling Swamp. But it's obvious that he is running away. Something bad must have happened..."

As soon as Qing Mu's words came out, a bright white light suddenly appeared in the depths of Yuanling Swamp. The huge white light turned into a semicircle and shrouded the sky, among which the red flames flew. A shadow of the Three Fires Dragon churned and dashed in it, and an earth-shaking roar came, shocking everyone.

"That's the Demon Slayer Wheel. Someone wants to defeat the Three-Headed Fire Dragon at this time. Are they crazy? With the spiritual power of the Demon Slayer Wheel, the Three-Headed Fire Dragon with demigod power can't be restrained at all!"

Seeing this scene, Feng Ran suddenly widened her eyes, her expression full of shock. Hou Chi's expression also sank, looking somewhat puzzled.

"It doesn't matter if he's crazy or not. This Demon Slayer Wheel is obviously effective." Qing Mu pointed towards the air. Sensing the immortal power getting closer and closer to the peach forest, he raised his eyebrows. This aura seemed a little familiar. It was...

Accompanied by the angry roar of the Three-Headed God Dragon, the Nine Heavens Profound Thunder that gathered in the air showed some signs of dissipating, and the wild demon power that soared to the sky also dimmed.

"The ascending god must attempt its promotion at the very peak of the time. Although that Demon Slayer Wheel cannot kill the Three-Headed God Dragon, it can dissolve its demon power. As long as its power retreats to that of a demigod, it will naturally not be able to overcome the tribulation and will not be promoted to a high god. This person is really courageous."

The roars were constant. Watching the Three-Headed Fire Dragon tumbling in the Demon Slayer Wheel, Qing Mu sensed that the thunder outside the swamp completely disappeared, and he raised his eyebrows and exclaimed.

"How is this good? When the Three-Headed Fire Dragon breaks out of the Demon Slayer Wheel, we will suffer. We can't deal with a demigod either." Feng Ran snorted and hurriedly said, "Let's go. We must leave the swamp before it rushes out."

"Too late." Qing Mu sighed, and a sea of red fire suddenly reflected in his pupils. He pointed towards the sky with a serious expression, "It has already rushed out."

A 'click' suddenly sounded, and the Demon Slayer Wheel suspended in the air suddenly shattered, turning into white light and falling down not far from the peach forest.

"You dare to prevent me from being promoted to a god. You human, this Yuanling Swamp will not allow you to leave!"

The earth-shaking roar resounded from the sky. The magnificent fire dragon flew in the air, its crimson eyes staring at the huge swamp, and an ancient wild aura quickly enveloped thousands of kilometers.