Han Yu stood among the disciples, his expression a mirror of quiet exhaustion.

Inside, however, his thoughts were far from weary. Every step of his plan had fallen neatly into place. His Undying Life Charm was hidden where no one would find it, the hollow beneath the trunk, an anchor to his survival.

The materials he had gathered were safely stored beyond the eyes of any elder or disciple. Should death ever come for him, he had already carved out a path back.

Now, all he had to do was to continue as before: the dutiful, unremarkable disciple, one face among thousands.

He dragged his halberd along the ground as he moved back to his tent, letting the weapon's weight and his slow gait reflect the fatigue expected of someone who had fought tooth and nail against the tide. He allowed his robes to remain torn, his hands to remain stained. Every detail reinforced the story of his survival.

Around him, the camp settled slowly. Disciples slumped near fires, tending to wounds or staring blankly into the flames. The healers moved tirelessly from one to the next, applying salves, stitching cuts, and feeding pills to the worst wounded.

Elders patrolled the perimeter, their eyes scanning the shadows beyond the glowing wards, their vigilance unbroken even after the long night.

For many, sleep came quickly, pulled down by exhaustion. For others, fear kept them awake, eyes darting at every sound from the forest. Han Yu lay down among them, closing his eyes, his breathing evening out. But his mind remained sharp, calculating, steady.

Tomorrow, they would march deeper into the inner ring. The dangers would grow. But Han Yu no longer feared what lay ahead.

Because even if death came for him, he had already secured a way back.

The morning after the beast tide was tense and heavy, as if the air itself still carried the cries and howls of the beasts that had assaulted the camp.

The elders did not allow the disciples much rest. Even those who had taken severe injuries were forced to pack up quickly, their wounds freshly bound in medicinal bandages. No one wanted to linger here longer than necessary, for even though they had triumphed last night, everyone knew that it was not because the enemy had been weak.

It had been circumstance, preparation, and the defensive arrays that allowed them to win without deaths.

If another tide struck while they were unprepared, they might not be so fortunate.

The scouts that had been sent ahead returned with reports of a relatively cleared path.

Not only had the elders and peak heads eliminated several powerful beasts in the past few days, but the beast tide itself had drawn in much of the nearby population of spirit beasts. In the end, their greatest threat had ironically created the safest opportunity for the expedition group to proceed deeper.

It was as if the marsh itself had exhaled, leaving behind a temporary stillness that everyone silently agreed to take advantage of.

By the time the sun rose, casting its dim glow over the endless mist of the marshlands, the expedition group was already on the move. Their pace was steady but not hurried, a carefully maintained balance that allowed the injured to keep up while still putting distance between themselves and the site of the previous battle.

Elder Qing, who had overseen their section, remained more vigilant than ever. Him and the other elders did not hang back to let disciples gain experience anymore. Instead, they actively swept the path forward, ensuring that no beast large enough to threaten them remained alive within striking distance.

For the disciples, the journey was strangely calm.

There were encounters with the occasional wandering serpent or swamp lizard, but nothing of the scale they had faced when entering the inner ring. These strays were dispatched quickly, usually by the senior disciples or the elders themselves, with little effort.

It was such a stark contrast to the previous chaos that it almost felt unreal.

Han Yu, however, kept his thoughts sharp. He had accomplished what he needed to do during the chaos of the beast tide, successfully creating his anchor for the Undying Life Charm.

The memory of sneaking into the hollow tree and carving runes in the damp earth was still fresh in his mind. He now carried himself as though nothing had happened, just another weary disciple among many. If there was suspicion, none of it was directed at him.

The group pressed forward for ten full days, navigating through the ever-changing landscape of the marsh that changed from swamps to forest and back again.

There were patches of thick swamp water where disciples had to balance across slick roots, mist-shrouded plains where visibility was reduced to less than twenty meters, and tangled forests where the air was suffused with the cries of distant beasts.

Each step felt like entering another world, yet slowly, steadily, they moved onward.

On the tenth day, when the mist began to thin and the soggy ground underfoot became firmer, the disciples realized they were nearing their destination. What greeted them was unlike anything they had seen in the marsh so far.

Stretching out before them was a vast plain, twenty kilometers wide and remarkably flat compared to the uneven marshland that surrounded it. The sudden openness was unsettling, almost unnatural, as though the marsh itself had been cut away to make room for this place.

The air felt different here too, heavier and thicker, carrying a weight that pressed upon the skin and made the heart beat a little faster.

And in the center of it stood the tomb.

The disciples froze, their eyes widening as they took in the sight. A few gasped, the girls even cried out, and the elders grew solemn as they all laid their eyes upon their destination.

The structure loomed in the distance, ancient yet untouched by decay. Unlike the ruins of sects or forgotten temples that some had encountered before, this was no crumbling relic swallowed by time.