Chapter 1329 - 1329: Ying Gou and Hou Qing Appear

Zhao Yi and the others were genuinely puzzled. They had heard of some powerful beings from the Ancient Times.

But after all, some truly existed, while many were fabricated or exaggerated by later generations.

And as for the four that Liu Zixuan just mentioned, in their view, they seemingly had never truly existed.

Liu Zixuan looked at everyone's bewildered expressions and laughed: "These four powerful beings didn't all entirely exist. Some were fabricated to make up a number, while some had their true strength not recorded, and were even vilified!"

"Then they can't be called ghosts!" Luo Xi furrowed her brow and said.

"In our understanding, ghosts are souls, a form taken after death. But among the four I just mentioned, two of them existed in such a form but were above it. They were often seen in their true forms during the Ancient Times, hence people called them zombies."

Switching his tone, Liu Zixuan said: "Since we haven't figured out how to cross the swamp, I'll tell you a little story. Perhaps together, we might find a solution."

Everyone nodded in agreement, turning their attention to Liu Zixuan.

"Ying Gou was a powerful presence during the Primordial Era. Initially, he was in the same lineage as our Star Sea ancestors, the two Emperors of Tai Di. He guarded the Yellow Springs Nether Sea, but when the Spirit Race warrior Drought Fiend fell into it, the Zombie Poison Blood on her body stained the entire sea, leading Ying Gou from good to demonized, turning him bad."

Liu Zixuan pointed at the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand: "After demonization, Ying Gou was neither alive nor dead, often referred to as a ghost, and his fighting power increased drastically. Ultimately, it was the Grand Emperor who borrowed the might of the Xuanyuan Sword to severely wound him and destroy his physical body."

"Did he not die?" Zhao Yi asked.

Liu Zixuan nodded: "Correct, Ying Gou's soul body, laden with endless Corpse Qi, escaped, but since then, no trace has been found."

"The second one, Hou Qing, was the younger brother of Emperor Houtu. He was sent by the Houtu Tribe to help the two Emperors of Tai Di in the great battle against Youchi. But for some unknown reason, he became part of the Youchi Spirit Race. His power was unmatched, and it took many ancient powerful beings to barely seal and suppress him."

"The third, Drought Fiend, belongs to legend. Nowadays, people's understanding mostly comes from the Earth Book. Drought Fiend is a monster causing droughts. He is neither human nor beast. In ancient times, some called him a ghost, but this mainly comes from legend and lacks historical records like the first two."

"I remember Jiang Chen seemed to exist, right?" Luo Xi furrowed her brows slightly: "I recall watching a film where it seemed to feature him."

Liu Zixuan shook his head: "Actually, Jiang Chen is a fictional creation by later literati, though there are some rumors. The zombies we know today, which feed on human blood and turn victims into zombies, are said to be from Jiang Chen's lineage. Among the four, only he truly fits the description of a zombie."

"So, only Ying Gou and Hou Qing might have truly existed?" the Sword Demon asked.

"Correct, according to some ancient texts and my Holy Medical Scripture, only these two existed," Liu Zixuan shifted the focus to the Ghost Marsh before him: "This place hails from ancient times, and you should know that the other areas we visited were more or less remnants of the two Emperors of Tai Di's battle against Youchi. I'm eighty percent sure that this Ghost Marsh is a trick set by one of them!"

"Would such terrifying beings have reached the world's strongest realm?" asked Tiger, who hadn't spoken for a while, suddenly with a worried expression.

After all, Ying Gou and Hou Qing were feared by many powerful beings of the Ancient Times. If this Ghost Marsh was indeed their doing, it might be even more dangerous than encountering a Unity Realm expert.

Liu Zixuan pondered for a moment: "Probably not. If they had reached the world's strongest realm, these ruins would hardly contain them, and they would continue to cause chaos outside. Even if they did reach that realm, there's something here preventing them from causing further mayhem."

"Ultimately, their strength might just be a bit stronger than a typical Unity Realm, and if we take it seriously, we still have a chance to get through, especially since others have already made it past."

"Then..." The Sword Demon hesitated: "What should we do now?"

Liu Zixuan looked at the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand: "I hope it's Ying Gou. After all, the Xuanyuan Sword is his only nemesis. If it's Hou Qing, we'll have to play it by ear."

"What if they're both here?" Luo Xi had barely finished speaking before spitting three times and laughing awkwardly: "I shouldn't have said that!"

"Hehehe!"

At that moment, two chilling voices suddenly echoed above the Ghost Marsh.

In an instant, the voices moved closer until two faint shadows stood not far from Liu Zixuan and the others.

Both figures looked strikingly similar to Ying Gou and Hou Qing from the Ancient Times!

Liu Zixuan's heart skipped a beat. What he feared had come true, and sure enough, Luo Xi's jinx had been spot on.

Seeing everyone's stunned expressions, Ying Gou sneered: "Quite a few descendants of the Star Race have passed by in recent days, but none as young as you. Those smooth, tender faces are really quite enviable."

Everyone felt a chill at those words, as they were indeed intimidating.

But Liu Zixuan discerned another message within those words.

They mentioned "these days," which indicated that besides the Unity Realm expert from last night, other Martial Artists had passed through as well.

It's important to know that there are only so many Unity Realm experts, so it's possible that Life and Death Realm or even lower Realm Martial Artists have also made it through.

This suggests that passing through here doesn't necessarily require being in the Unity Realm. Although they were more in number, finding the right method still allows for passing through the Ghost Marsh.

This method doesn't necessarily require defeating Ying Gou and Hou Qing.

With this in mind, Liu Zixuan took a step forward and smiled softly: "Do you find boasting entertaining?"

"Little one, there's a presence on you that I find extremely loathsome!" Ying Gou said angrily, finally fixing his gaze on the Xuanyuan Sword: "It's this sword, hmph. If you were just ordinary passersby, we might've made it difficult for you. But since you're wielding this sword, don't think you'll pass through the Ghost Marsh smoothly today!"