My Substitute CEO Bride (Nash Calcraft)

Chapter 405
Under the scorching sun and without any cover, those without any cultivation abilities were drenched in sweat. Fortunately, they
had finally conquered the steep mountain. After a brief rest, they continued for another half-hour before arriving at the terrifying
Swamp Valley.
Swamp Valley was a dry riverbed with barren mountains cradling it on either side. It was filled with withered yellow grass, black
soil, and emitted a foul odor of decaying vegetation and bodies.
“Are we going to climb another mountain?”
Nico looked at Swamp Valley stretching endlessly before him with an expression of despair.
Bradley shook his head and said, “If we go over the mountain, it’ll probably take us seven or eight hours. There’s a cave in front
of Swamp Valley. We can reach Soul-Splitting Ridge in just an hour by going through it.”
With that, Bradley took off his shoes, tied the laces together, and hung them around his neck. He then stepped into the muck
confidently and led the way. “It’s safe to walk along the edge. Don’t worry, just follow along!”
The rest of the group followed suit after taking off their shoes.
After walking for 400 or 500 meters, nervousness suddenly seized Nico as he said, “Grandpa, I think I smell corpses...”
Melody shrugged. “We’re in the wilderness. There’s probably plenty of wild animals here, and they’re likely to get stuck in all the
sticky mud here.”
Nico gulped. “I mean the smell of human corpses...”
Melody looked puzzled and asked, “You can tell the difference in the smell between animal corpses and human corpses?”
Nico nodded. “Human corpses smell quite different from that of animals.”
Suddenly, Heidi pointed to a spot about 200 meters ahead.
“Look! There’s someone up
ahead.”

Everyone immediately looked up. Indeed, there was a figure. It was standing in the middle of the Swamp Valley riverbed,
seemingly watching them.
“That’s a corpse. That’s probably what Nico smelled.”
Using his Third Eye, Nash noticed it was a thoroughly decomposed corpse and was curious as to why it was standing there
despite its state of death.
Bradley smiled faintly. “There’s been a lot of deaths at Swamp Valley. There’s no need to be surprised.” With that, he continued
leading the group forward.
Soon, they reached the corpse. It was dressed in traditional garb, and the face had decomposed to the point where their features
were no longer visible. White maggots dotted the decaying flesh, wriggling. The foul odor assaulted everyone’s senses.
Heidi pinched her nose tightly, but the stench still brought tears to her eyes. “Stop looking at
1. Let’s go.
Bradley picked up his feet, and the group continued forward.
After walking for about 2,000 meters, their path was blocked by a three-meter-wide stream. On the other side of the stream was
the cave entrance.
Bradley took out a flashlight to illuminate the way, and the group entered the cave. After walking through pure darkness for an
hour, they finally saw light ahead.
As they exited the cave, a cliff appeared before them with water cascading down like the Milky Way descending from the
heavens.
Looking around, they saw the continuous expanse of mountains and lush greenery. There was fresh air all around. There were
birds singing, and the fragrance of flowers filled the air, creating a picturesque scene that resembled a hidden paradise.
“What beautiful scenery!” Heidi’s eyes sparkled. “Melody, we should take lots of photos later!
Melody smiled faintly and said, “The scenery is indeed lovely, but don’t forget that this place is called Soul-Splitting Ridge.”
Heidi turned to Bradley. “Oh right, Old Perry, why is it called Soul-Splitting Ridge? Is it very dangerous?”

Bradley took out two bundles of rope from his backpack and tied them together as he started his explanation, “Soul-Splitting
Ridge used to be the tomb of an ancient wealthy merchant. To protect his tomb, the merchant imported a lot of venomous
snakes, insects, rats, and ants from the Western regions...’