BDSMST -Chapter 124 Fierce Battle in the Swamp and a Mysterious Visitor

The beast’s roar echoed through the underground cavern, shaking loose gravel from the rock walls. The hideous monster didn’t pause for a moment. Its enormous body, carrying the stench of the swamp, slammed heavily into another support pillar of the suspended walkway.

Crack!

Another ear-grating snapping sound rang out.

The entire hanging walkway sank sharply and began to sway violently. The ropes stretched to their limits, groaning under the unbearable strain.

“Marquis!” Wei Ziqian shouted anxiously. He had already commanded the guards to form a semicircular defensive formation, protecting Jiang Suisui and the two children in the center. Every crossbow was aimed at the monstrous creature.

Yet Gu Yan stood on the shaking walkway as steady as if he were nailed to it. Without turning his head, he said calmly, “Hold the formation. Do not shoot recklessly—its scales are too thick.”

His gaze remained fixed on the beast. The creature clearly possessed intelligence. Instead of attacking the person standing in front of it, it chose to destroy the structure of the walkway, trying to make everyone fall into the swamp below.

After landing its strike, the beast seemed quite pleased with itself. Cruel light gleamed in its muddy eyes. It retreated again, its massive tail stirring the swamp and raising waves of foul-smelling sludge as it prepared for another charge.

Gu Yan moved.

Instead of rushing forward, he quickly retreated several steps along the swaying walkway. At the same time, the long saber in his hand flew from his grasp. The blade of refined steel flashed coldly through the air—but its target was not the beast’s head or body.

It was the thick rope wrapped around the rock on the opposite shore—the main cable of the “overhead track.”

Slash!

The blade cut through the rope instantly.

With the rope severed, the walkway lost the tension pulling it toward the far side. Anchored only to the rock wall on this side, the entire structure swung violently backward.

The massive force of the swing caused the charging beast to miss its target. Carried forward by inertia, its huge body slammed directly into the hard rock wall.

Boom!

A deafening crash rang out as fragments of rock flew everywhere. The beast let out a painful howl, dark red blood seeping from its enormous head.

“Nice!” someone among the guards couldn’t help but cheer.

Using the momentum of the swing, Gu Yan lightly landed back on solid ground at the edge of the swamp. Catching the returning saber, he didn’t pause even for a moment. With a push of his foot, he dashed along the swamp’s edge, actively closing the distance with the beast.

He understood clearly—passive defense meant certain death. The creature’s thick hide made crossbows nearly useless. Only close combat, striking its weak points, offered a chance of survival.

The beast was completely enraged now. Shaking its head, it abandoned the idea of destroying the walkway and instead locked its gaze onto Gu Yan.

It opened its massive mouth, releasing a wave of foul wind, and snapped down with its rows of sharp teeth.

Instead of retreating, Gu Yan advanced. At the moment the jaws were about to close, he lowered his body and slid along the ground beneath them. His saber swept upward, slashing open a deep wound beneath the beast’s relatively soft lower jaw—deep enough to reveal bone.

“ROAR—!”

The intense pain drove the beast completely mad. Its gigantic tail swept across with tremendous force, shattering rocks wherever it passed.

Gu Yan didn’t dare block it directly. With a tap of his toe, he leapt high into the air. Stepping on the beast’s sweeping tail to gain momentum, he vaulted upward and, within a few swift movements, climbed onto the monster’s back.

Like a hunter clinging to a mountain, his body pressed tightly against the rough scales. No matter how violently the beast rolled or shook, it couldn’t throw him off.

His blade stabbed again and again toward the gap between the creature’s neck and skull—the thinnest point in its armor.

Thud!

At last, one strike pierced through.

The beast let out a shrill wail, its massive body twisting even more wildly in the swamp, sending mud and sludge flying everywhere.

“Brother Yan!” Jiang Suisui’s heart leapt to her throat. All she could do was shield the two children behind her, their little faces pale with fright, so he wouldn’t be distracted.

Gu Xuan bit his lip hard, his small fists clenched tightly. Watching his father fight the monster with his life on the line, a sense of helplessness he had never felt before seized him. He wanted to help—but realized he could do nothing.

Just as the battle reached its most intense moment, a strange and melodious flute sound suddenly drifted from the opposite side of the swamp.

The flute wasn’t loud, yet it carried an uncanny penetrating power, reaching everyone’s ears clearly.

When the struggling beast heard the flute, its movements noticeably slowed. It seemed deeply afraid of the sound. Its struggles grew weaker and weaker until it gradually stopped moving altogether.

Its massive head turned toward the direction of the flute, fear appearing in its muddy eyes.

Gu Yan seized the opportunity. Channeling all his strength into his arms, he pressed the saber downward with full force, completely severing the beast’s neck bone.

The giant creature let out a low whimper. Its body twitched a few times before falling still, slowly sinking into the black swamp.

Gu Yan jumped down from the beast’s back and landed on a relatively solid rock, his chest rising and falling heavily. The fight had drained a great deal of his strength.

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But new trouble soon followed.

As the flute sound drew nearer, a group of figures emerged from the darkness on the opposite side of the swamp. They moved swiftly, stepping in a strange pattern that allowed them to walk across the seemingly impassable swamp as if it were flat ground.

There were about twenty or thirty of them. Both men and women wore primitive clothing made from animal hides and coarse hemp. Most carried long spears or blowpipes. Their faces were painted with strange patterns, and their eyes were filled with vigilance and hostility.

At the front stood an exceptionally tall man.

He did not carry a flute. Instead, he held a pitch-black bone spear.

His gaze swept over the destroyed walkway and the beast that had just sunk into the swamp. Finally, it settled on Gu Yan, who stood with his blade in hand.

The man raised the bone spear and pointed it toward Gu Yan from afar. In a stiff and strange accent, he demanded:

“Outsiders—why have you trespassed into the sacred land and disturbed the Lord of the Swamp?”