Chapter 92

Deep in the dense forests of the Southern Frontier, a miasma as thick as ink shrouded the entire mountain range like a gray gauze curtain. Half a foot of rotting leaves accumulated underfoot, producing a teeth-setting squelch with every step, as though the earth itself were groaning in agony. Vividly colored venomous insects crawled frequently among the rotting leaves, their faceted eyes gleaming with an eerie light in the darkness. The patterns on their bodies resembled bizarre spell scripts, seemingly concealing some mysterious power. Gu Jinghong wore night-traveler's garb, the morning dew from his journey the previous day still clinging to his shoulders. The dew, mixed with the forest humidity, made his clothes cling tightly to his body—damp and cold—and the chill seeped through his skin straight to his marrow. The Human Sovereign Seal in his hand emitted a faint golden glow, like a flickering candle in a bitter night, barely dispelling the miasma lingering around him. Wherever the golden light reached, the miasma churned and stepped aside like a living thing, revealing distorted phantom ghost faces that vanished in an instant. The air was also filled with a pungent, fishy stench, reminiscent of the odor exhaled by countless decaying corpses.