Bit of Wit 3

However, because they had been bridging all over the swamp going from spot to another, there was no straight route back to land, not good, yet it did give them a glimpse of what was coming. Both could see how from the further end of the swamp something on the scale of a mound was coming up, not exactly seeing its figure since there were so many trees and mud covering its figures.

¨What the hell is that thing!¨ Zhuan An made a girlish shriek when seeing that this mound was a living being and supposedly coming at them.

¨Hell I know, but it sure knows that we are outgunned here¨ Xiao Fan knew that anything that size would be something out of the Body Activation realm ¨Just keep running and look out for anything coming out of the water¨ He had the notion that if it showed to them from so far away, it would have some method to close that distance.

He was proven correct as around the mound, small water pillars were going on, yet when they vanished the only thing left were long tentacles, which then begun swarming towards their direction.

'Oh, did I jinx them?' Xiao Fan thought when seeing that him calling out for something more to happen would produce exactly that. And for sure he had jinxed it very correctly as next to the pathway they were running on the water began to act weirdly.

Bubbles and some squishing sounds could be heard all around them, then the next thing they knew those water pillars that they had seen forming farther away were now next to them.

¨I think we're in the wrong territory¨ She exclaimed while feeling how her clothes were getting wet from the water splashing all around them.

¨Keep on running, you don't think anything else¨ Xiao Fan wanted to note that she having no weapon on her currently shouldn't even try to fight these things.

By now they were only at the turning point in the path wherefrom the final stretch towards the land, it was the final yet also easily the longest part of it, and looking at the current situation of being surrounded by these tentacles their escape wasn't too good.

Then like they had seen before when the water pillars would end the tentacles would show themselves and join the swarming of the two, yet this time they would be starting next to them.

However, Xiao Fan wasn't going to wait for so long, or wait for them to strike at them, he still has the Rising Ruler on him, and he had been slicing into these pillars of water whenever they were close enough to be hit. First, he had been really scared for this was still Body Realm combat and knowing the oppositions cultivation was impossible before things would collide.

So when the Rising Ruler had cut its yellow edge into the blue water, he for a moment was extremely anxious if he could do something to these tentacles at all ¨It cuts! It cuts!¨ So when he felt that he had definitely sliced something in half, he shouted this revelation to the person ahead of him a couple of planks.

To his shouting, he got no response, but he neither was he waiting for one as he brought the sword which had cut through the pillar of water to the other side where another pillar was gushing up. Then slashing into that one, he felt the resistance was different, and he instantly wanted to think why, yet he figuratively slapped himself for such a thought and kept on madly slicing his sword into anything that resembled a hostile.

Still, everything was somewhat okay until things seemed to become a little tricky, for he saw that the plank between him and Zhuan An was being lifted up by a tentacle that had swirled around it.

Seeing that his route to land was being cut off, he made the decision not to jump over that plank but to jump onto the plank already a few meters in the air since why not, this way he could slice more things and not be up in the air for an extended period of time he didn't give these tentacles the chance to catch him without him having a chance to block.

The jump itself was a success, and neither did the tentacle lifting the plank notice his arrival so he could now demonstrate the stability that a cultivator on his grade would have. For even if the blank was constantly being twisted broken and shaken by the tentacle playing with it, Xiao Fan could still run on it without giving it much of a thought. What? No good ground? Then make it with your feet while running. Shaking? Laughable, this type of shaking had nothing on a person who could land on his two feet after getting blown into the air by an attack.

In reality, this meant that Xiao Fan could run on the plank now lifted in the air, slicing into the tentacles trying to pester him while still running towards the tentacle lifting the plank.

And when he was there, it was only a simple slice and the monster, not by his will, gave up on the plank that Xiao Fan didn't need anymore as he dropped back down onto the pathway, still behind Zhuan An exactly the same distance.

However, that seemed not to be for long as the whole pathway was being lifted into the air, for some reason it seemed that the monster trying to nab the really wanted them to stay in the swamp and not leave it, almost like it couldn't come to land?

This notion now in his mind Xiao Fan took a quick look towards the monster while he was spinning with his sword, and from the glimpse he got when doing so, he could see that indeed the being chasing them hadn't changed spot from the time it had appeared. It stayed in the deeper end and controlled its tentacles that could come near the shore.

¨Keep on running, the beast can't get to us if we get into the forest¨ Xiao Fan wanted to give this piece of hope to her, who was having a worse time than him since she didn't have a weapon other than her hands, but it seemed that the tentacles cared very little about blunt weapons.

¨Then this will be easy¨ Zhuan An spoke something that came up to her mind; currently, she has something else to worry than to talk nice, like punching these tentacles which from it only backed away, not even stunned for a second.

Soon both of them were hopping on these wooden planks that were for the most part in the air, being dragged away by the tentacle or tentacles gripping to them.

The beast had little idea of coordination as the whole thing seemed to compromise of two orders, one attacking the two of them obviously, and the second one destroying the pathway. Nevertheless, as mentioned before, the execution of this was lacklustre, for the individual tentacles were janky almost to the point that they didn't scare him much.

Sure they were scary looking, and the small eyes in them were something out of a nightmare, but when something doesn't work, it ain't scary at all for Xiao Fan, who would focus more on the not working factor.

It was to the point that Xiao Fan beginning to think this more of a practice than a danger to them since there was no feeling of danger anymore, the tentacles would try to swarm him? Spin around with the sword, and the problem would be solved. What the enemy took your plank? Either get it back or jump on the part of the swamp that looked like it could handle them for the flash that was needed for their next jump.

The only problem, at this point, seemed to be Zhuan An, who in front of him was still having troubles against the tentacles not caring if they got hit by a fist. Moreover, for her, it hadn't been a practice; she had been taken captive once by these tentacles and a pretty girl like her having her waist wrapped around by a tentacle, well, let just say she didn't enjoy it.

Neither did she get out from that grip without the help of a sword from a certain someone.

So by now, they were already going next to each other in a way where Xiao Fan could cover for them while Zhuan An focussed more on finding themselves a path to land amongst all this.

Them doing so was going well until the tentacles that had been coming from near the monster itself at the very beginning were finally catching up to them.

For these tentacles proved to be much harder, their slimy skins hard enough that the sword needed all the power from the cultivator handling it to be cut down, and of course, they were much more numerous and were joining in with the already existing ones.

¨Do you know how to handle a sword?¨ Xiao Fan asked.

¨I do¨ She replied.

¨Your turn then¨ He spoke, his voice exhausted from swinging the sword so much.

¨Give it to me¨ Zhuan An got the idea, and so then reached her hand back to receive the sword.

¨Wait a second... Now!¨ He cut one more of those tentacles before gently yet swiftly placing the blade into her hand.

¨Got it!¨ She spoke when feeling the blade hit the skin between her thumb and index finger, and when so, she simply clamped her hand on the blade, brought it up so that she could start swinging.

The transaction done, Xiao Fan now left without a weapon didn't, of course, become jobless, he jumped over Zhuan An with one leap and took her duty of finding them a path in this chaos, which mostly meant looking for dry spots in the swamp, seeing as most of the wooden planks they had thrown here were now somewhere under the water or too high in the air being destroyed by the tentacles.

'There's a tree. A log that has come to the surface. A carcass' Anything that could be used as a landing pad was being used by them, who were only a hundred or three hundred meters away from safety.

Meaning only a few seconds, a few jumps and they would be on solid ground where they could outrun these tentacles that moved in the water for sure.

By now one would have already thought that the giant monster that had been in all actually larger than a mountain wouldn't be interested in them anymore since they had cut it so much, yet nope, the monster wanted them, and it wouldn't stop. Though the only thing the two of them would be giving it was more pain from which the huge mouth of the creature made noises.

Still, not focussing more on the low groans of whatever this swamp monster was, the two of them were now already nearing the land, or he was.

Zhuan An was getting left behind, her skill on the sword was equal to Xiao Fan's; however, the number of opponents weren't equal, for she had much more trying to catch her and they were stronger ones since he had taken care of the smaller ones.

Due to this, she wasn't hanging onto the pace of Xiao Fan, who made to land much before her.

'Where is she?' Xiao Fan, himself also noticed this, yet didn't dwell on it too long as he took a look towards the swamp where she had gotten stuck fighting with the tentacles.

¨Oh fck oh fck¨ He started repeating, but at least this time he was acting by running towards the horses and the spear that Zhuan An had left behind.

Xiao Fan couldn't let her die there just like that.