Chapter 911

The night was deep.

The goateed elder, clad in a dark green robe, spoke coldly, flanked by two expressionless sword attendants.

Inside the cabin lay a pool of red sludge, its bloodstained stench drawing countless waterbirds to circle overhead; some dove straight down, snatching strands of flesh before the crowd's eyes and swallowing them whole.

The goateed elder made no move to stop them.

Or rather—

He deliberately allowed it!

The others stared in stunned silence, curled up in the cabin, trembling with fear, every nerve in their skulls thrashing under the assault of the stench.

The weather had not yet turned warm.

Exposed, blood-red muscle tissue steamed with rising heat.

On the cross, Yi Yi Zhiheng and Yi Yi Zhiyu hung their heads, their minds long blurred, only feeling the bone-deep chill of this winter.

They still did not understand how their scheme had been exposed, or how they had drawn the ire of the Yi clan's Elder.

Beneath the skiff.

Blood-red tentacles spread like veins across the hull's layered underbelly, tiny appendages drifting silently, the central crimson mass pulsing like a heart.

One tentacle extended.

A golden-horned shark darting through the water opened its jaws and bit it off, dragging it far away.

The goateed elder gazed silently at the horizon; seeing his intent achieved, he sighed, drawing both hands into his sleeves.

"Shuhan, Binhong."

"Elder!"

The two sword attendants knelt on one knee.

"Two fish-watchers are missing. You two will take over temporarily. I'll send someone regularly with supplies. It won't be long—once spring arrives, you may begin spreading word of the treasure fish's whereabouts. Do not make another mistake."

"Yes!"

Cold wind blew.

The skiff rose half an inch.

The dark-robed elder vanished without a trace.

The sword attendants split to either side and began cultivating.

They endured this for over a quarter-hour.

Only then did the huddled four snap out of their Jianghuai Daze, sitting stunned for a long while, slowly moving their stiff, weak limbs, daring not beg for the two on the cross, and hunching back to their duties on the boat.

They squeezed themselves into the smallest space possible, terrified that any larger movement might draw the sword attendants' notice and land them hanging on the cross too.

Yet every time they smelled the blood, their stomachs churned uncontrollably.

In this eerie silence, a "transparent" current rushed in.

"What… is this?"

Bai Yuan, clad in the Wushen Armor, gazed silently—he had concealed his aura and form, searching nearby for Meng Meng Bai Huo.

He had not found the treasure fish, but stumbled upon this bizarre scene instead!

Moonlight was hazy; three skiffs floated, one carrying two, another four—two alive, two half-dead.

The half-dead had been skinned and hung on crosses, their breaths faint, their cultivation roughly at the Lower Running Horse Realm—on first glance, two dried sausages.

Even he, who had killed many, felt a violent shock to his soul.

"Internal strife within the Ghost Mother Sect?"

This was unquestionably deep water—no fisherman would normally come here. Perhaps a merchant ship, but never these small skiffs.

Cross-referencing intelligence by elimination, it could only be the Ghost Mother Sect, holed up in the Great Marsh.

Are they really this depraved even in their own stronghold?

Liang Qu felt deep wariness surge within him—was this some unknown blood sacrifice?

Poisonous sects are deadly.

Whether the two on the cross were Ghost Mother Sect members or abducted Da Shun martial artists…

If they were sect members, taking them would help uncover the sect's true strength; he could blame the branch's exposure on other causes, earn himself a merit. If they were innocent, they were still worth saving.

His thoughts spun wildly.

"Don't alarm the snake—find the fish first."

If the Ghost Mother Sect was nearby, Meng Meng Bai Huo couldn't be far!

Having found a crucial clue, Liang Qu became more determined, turning his body and extending his perception outward from the skiff, guiding the confused little fish in a meticulous, grid-like search.

Since entering the Eastern Waters, especially the core zone, he had often seen long, brown-red tentacles on the seabed—like veins transmitting information, constantly reminding Liang Qu not to grow careless.

Fortunately, his transformation into Bai Yuan had greatly enhanced all his abilities; his underwater perception range was astonishingly vast, comparable to a radar locator. He avoided areas thick with "veins" and remained undetected—for now.

"Where is the treasure fish…?"

Liang Qu darted in all directions.

On the water's surface:

Some filleted fish, others cultivated.

The Ghost Mother Sect members aboard the skiff remained oblivious.

Unaware that the very Bai Yuan they sought was beneath them, poised to strike early.

Dawn began to break.

The blood pool had thickened into red paste.

The bloodied figures on the skiff gradually hardened into dry, rigid crusts; the moon hung dead center in the night sky, silvering the entire river.

Covered entirely in blood crusts, Yi Yi Zhiheng and Yi Yi Zhiyu felt a long-absent warmth in the cold.

Occasionally, waves rocked the skiff, causing tiny flakes to fall; the cracked wounds reopened as if scraped with a knife.

"Master, it's time to eat." The sword attendant glanced over.

"Eat this?"

The sect member bringing the porcelain plate trembled: "On the boat… there's only this…"

The sword attendant stared at the raw fish and soy sauce on the plate, fell silent for a moment—he remembered the Elder's promise of supplies.

"You eat. I'm not hungry."

The disciple held the plate toward the other.

"I'm not hungry either."

"I'm starting to get hungry."

Liang Qu rubbed his stomach—he had run all the way from the Southern Region without eating a single meal.

Since gaining control of the fat catfish, he had never personally dived to catch fish again; today's actions truly felt like a memory of the past.

Suddenly—

A small fish sent a message.

"It's here!"

Liang Qu's spirits surged.

The Wushen Armor activated too quickly would cause motion blur; he avoided the darting golden-horned and silver-horned sharks, approaching at the pace of an ordinary swimmer.

The Ghost Mother Sect members ate dried rations with raw fish; one pulled a wriggling white worm from between his teeth, frowned, and flicked it into the water.

The great ape swam.

The terrain rose and fell in waves.

In the darkness, countless algae waved like ghostly hands.

Dozens of li away, a pure-white fish, resembling a zebra perch, darted through the rocks.

Around it, "veins" of Mengyu fish spread thickly, like a crimson carpet.

Beautiful!

Unparalleled purity of color!

The moment Liang Qu saw Meng Meng Bai Huo, he froze in place, staring at its unique white hue, lost in a whirl of thoughts—he could barely suppress this instinctive reaction.

His mind filled with boundless, fantastical images, as if on a peaceful, even spirited afternoon, forced by his master to close his eyes for a nap.

For several full breaths.

Only then did Liang Qu rein in his thoughts, remembered his purpose, and felt a chill of fear.

Thank heaven he came early—otherwise, he'd have fallen for it!

A linked message was sent.

Inside the Wu Gong.

The fat catfish, scarred on its head, darted left and right, arriving at the designated spot, waving its whiskers, closing its eyes, and standing ready.

Meng Meng Bai Huo sensed something amiss and cautiously darted forward.

The treasure fish moved.

The "veins" on the seabed instantly transmitted the signal.

The sect members, guided by the golden-horned sharks, immediately dropped their bowls and slid the skiff.

Hidden, Liang Qu slowly trailed behind the treasure fish, spreading out his refined water, exerting every ounce of strength to activate the Wushen Armor and conceal his form.

He silently counted to three, then suddenly raised his hand.

A torrent surged!

Meng Meng Bai Huo sensed the violent current—but before it could whip its tail to flee.

A blurred shadow loomed overhead!

Puff!

White vapor scattered; the fat catfish tightly shut its eyes, unmoved by the demonic hues, its massive head darting swiftly out of the whirlpool, opening its round, cavernous mouth to suck in with a gale!

Whoosh!

Incredible suction, violent currents.

Mud whirled like a tornado; even though Meng Baifire's power was formidable, it struggled desperately to surge upward, yet could not escape the abyssal maw!

Almost the instant the blurred shadow appeared, the "veins" on the ground sensed danger, bursting through the earth, writhing wildly as each tentacle snapped and darted away.

Boom!

The giant mouth snapped shut.

The pure hue vanished without a trace.

The fat catfish, mouth clamped around Meng Baifire, reeled backward, retreating into the whirlpool.

Caught!

Almost the moment Meng Baifire disappeared, the heavens shook and the earth trembled!

"How dare you!"

A thunderous roar exploded across the sky!

The dark blue robe flapped violently.

Two fingers formed a sword.

A jade-white celestial sword suddenly hovered above Bai Yuan's head, stabbing down with supreme dominance!

The air tore like cloth, air currents coiled around the sword's tip; the crushing pressure hollowed an invisible pit in the marsh, yet Liang Qu did not dodge or evade—he widened his arms, drawing endless torrents into his chest, forming a hundred-zhang water column in an instant, twisting his body, stepping forward, and striking upward with ferocious might!

The torrent tore apart.

Rolling white vapor propelled massive waves, roaring past.

The staff and sword clashed violently!

Boom!

The jade-white celestial sword let out a mournful cry, its surface cracking in countless lines, like fragile porcelain, shattering midair!

Heavenly light descended.

The old man's pupils shrank sharply.

(End of Chapter)