Chapter 93: 89 River

89 River

The Calamity Moon hangs in the sky; the Demon Cave descends.

The beginning of the Yin Calamity.

In the past, Tang Zhao thought that where there was a Calamity Moon, there was a Yin Calamity.

Later, he learned that it is only when there is a Yin Calamity that a Calamity Moon appears.

Only when a large Demon Cave descends does the Calamity Moon flicker in the sky like a warning. In places the Calamity Moon cannot reach, Phantoms and Fierce Beasts of all sizes run rampant in the dark night, harming people silently and without a trace, their crimes only exposed to the world when dawn breaks.

Tang Zhao carried Si Liyu as he shuttled through the Xue Family Garden. According to their agreement, he had to escape five miles before the Demon Cave descended, getting out of the very center of the Demon Cave to regroup with the main force before entering in batches.

This distance was neither long nor short. Tang Zhao's pace was not bad; if he sprinted with all his might, he could cover seven or eight miles in the time it took for a stick of incense to burn. According to past experience, the descent of a Demon Cave always took some time, so there was always enough time.

Especially since they held the initiative this time and had retrieved the Sword Seed earlier than estimated, the Heavenly Demon must also have been caught off guard. Therefore, the time for the Demon Cave to formally descend would be longer, enough for Tang Zhao, who was carrying the bonus of an Art Tool, to run out.

Rushing out of the Huayuan, the view ahead was misty. The chill that had just touched his skin gradually condensed and thickened into fog, drifting everywhere. The familiar terrain became strange, half-hidden by the mist. As Tang Zhao entered the fog, he felt the chill intensify, gradually seeping from his skin into his very Bone. Even though he had Inner energy for Body Protection and was running at full speed, he still felt cold to the core.

Suddenly, his cheek felt slightly damp.

A drop of water slid down his cheek.

It was raining.

He looked up and saw a dark cloud gathering overhead. Wisps of rain drifted down from the sky like fine threads, scattering everywhere.

Was it a natural phenomenon, or an ominous omen?

It must be an ominous omen!

The sky in the distance was clear and cloudless, with two moons shining in harmony; only the sky above his head was drenched in rain. This was definitely abnormal.

The data did not say that the descent of a Demon Cave would bring rain, but Demon Caves had different ominous omens, and this one might bring it. Tang Zhao remembered that this Demon Cave was a "Water-type Demon Cave." So, wasn't rain quite normal?

Carrying Si Liyu, he wasn't exactly soaked, but this was equivalent to using Si Liyu as an umbrella. He wanted to put his teacher down, but after a moment's thought, saving time was the most important thing now. Carrying a person was the most energy-efficient way; there was no need to neglect one thing to attend to another.

Immediately after, he felt the ground beneath his feet become wet. He thought it was just rainwater accumulating, but when he looked down, he saw water seeping out from the soil and stone crevices. The ground was already sodden, and the earth was turning into mud.

Water...

Tang Zhao remembered that this land had been parched for a long time, and the mountain streams had all dried up. Could it be that those water flows hadn't evaporated, but had seeped down, hiding deep underground, waiting to gush out all at once when the Demon Cave descended?

The rain grew heavier, changing from fine threads to raindrops the size of soybeans, then the raindrops connected into lines like streams of water. The water from underground kept surging upward, and soon the accumulated water covered his feet, then his knees...

Tang Zhao waded through the water, his progress becoming increasingly difficult.

In the curtain of rain, he saw a yellow shadow running over, splashing water as it charged, finally diving to Tang Zhao's feet and climbing up his trouser leg.

It was a cat.

An old acquaintance of a cat.

Tang Zhao did not stop, but laughed, "Since you've come, I'll give you a ride."

In such heavy rain, the cat had short legs and a small body, making it even harder to walk. If Tang Zhao hadn't seen it, he wouldn't have gone looking for it, but since he had, letting it hang on him and taking it out was no trouble.

Although it was very fat, it only weighed a few dozen pounds.

The fat cat climbed onto Tang Zhao, then started climbing toward Si Liyu. Tang Zhao ran while shouting, "Stop climbing! I have a piece of candy in my pocket, the last one; eat it and be quiet. Can you understand me? I bet you can!"

Amidst the sound of the rain, the fat cat stopped climbing and dove into Tang Zhao's arms.

Tang Zhao remembered that the candy he carried was given to him by a girl with squinting eyes who wore goose-yellow clothes. She told him that cats also liked to eat candy. Later, he ate a few, the cat ate a few, and Ping Laotou ate a few, leaving only the last one.

The fat cat scrambled in his arms, turning over twice, and sure enough, found it and sucked it down.

After eating, the fat cat meowed, jumped out of Tang Zhao's arms, and splashed into the water.

By this time, the water gushing from the ground and the accumulated rainwater had already risen above Tang Zhao's thighs. When the fat cat fell in, it was already submerged.

Tang Zhao let out an "Ah," unable to bend down. He was anxious, but then he saw the fat cat emerge from the water, paddling its four paws hard and swimming away.

"So you can swim... Then why did you come to me? Hey, that direction is wrong, you have to run outward! It's very dangerous in the Demon Cave!"

After shouting, Tang Zhao swallowed a mouthful of water. He could no longer worry about the small yellow dot remaining on the water's surface and continued to run forward.

The water grew deeper and deeper; if he kept going, he would have to swim too.

"Use the Sword Law."

A serious voice sounded in his ear.

"Teacher Si, you're awake?"

Tang Zhao was pleasantly surprised; he recognized Si Liyu's voice without turning his head.

If it had been someone else's voice, it would have been terrifying.

"Mm," Si Liyu nodded simply and said, "We can't run anymore; use the Sword Law to get out."

Tang Zhao suddenly realized, that's right, there was still this move.

The Sword Law could be used for Flying, and there was even more than one way to fly. When he held the Authority Sword, he could perform the Sword Law; he had just forgotten.

This was the difference between him and a real Sword Guest. A Sword Guest, besides having the ability to use a sword, had the consciousness to use the sword in all aspects, while Tang Zhao, who borrowed external power, did not.

He was about to take out the Authority Sword to use the Sword Law, but Si Liyu had already said, "Hold on to me."

Tang Zhao was startled, but Si Liyu had already taken out that blood-red Dharma Artifact and was forming seals with his hands.

Tang Zhao hurriedly hugged Si Liyu, and heard him say, "Sword Law—Flying!"

The Blood Sword shot into the sky, dragging a trail of blood-colored light in the air!

This Sword Law was not like the one Xing Ji described, where the Sword Guest and the sword both turned into a sword rainbow, traveling ten thousand miles in an instant. In essence, it was still the sword flying, just carrying a person along. The speed was fast, but not beyond human imagination, especially since one Dharma Artifact was carrying two people, so the speed decreased, but it could still cover ten zhang in an instant.

Flying halfway, the rain grew heavier and heavier. Later, it was hard to call it rain; it was like a waterfall pouring down from the sky, while the water on the ground flowed upward—not just seepage, but spraying like a fountain, reaching several zhang high. Finally, the water from the ground and the water from the sky connected, continuous and endless. Tang Zhao and Si Liyu could no longer breathe, holding their breath in the water, simply being dragged forward by the sword.

Was this the Demon Cave? They hadn't even seen the shadow of a Heavenly Demon, and the environment was already this harsh. If ordinary people were caught in this water-spout-like omen, how could they have a way to survive?

In the overwhelming water, Tang Zhao couldn't even open his eyes. He squinted, barely able to see the light ahead.

Suddenly, a Shadow emerged from the water in front and charged toward them.

It was a... fish?!

That fish had a body the size of an ox, a strong and powerful tail, and opened its huge mouth to reveal a dense row of steel teeth. It came head-on, intending to bite the two of them to pieces.

Si Liyu was sword-flying in front and naturally saw it, saying, "Kill it!"

His voice could barely travel through the water, but Tang Zhao also knew what to do; he had already drawn his authority sword for Body Protection, and at this moment, he struck directly.

"Sword Art—Horn Strike!"

There is a divine beast called Xiezhi, which dwells in the imperial court; it butts and devours those among the officials who are wicked and depraved.

The single horn on the Xiezhi's head is specialized for butting the wicked and depraved; to be butted is to be killed!

The tip of the Xiezhi Sword suddenly elongated, crashing head-on into that strange fish, entering through its mouth and piercing out through its tail.

Kill!

It seemed as if smoke emerged in the water, but because the current was too strong, the smoke vanished in an instant, and the corpse of that strange fish also disappeared.

The first battle was a success, and Tang Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately after, his heart went cold.

In the currents from all directions, there were countless shadows, large and small; some were like fish, some like shrimp, some baring fangs and brandishing claws, and some Shuttle-ing like arrows. Every shadow represented a danger; passing through the water curtain was like passing through a mountain of blades and a sea of fire!

The Blood Sword was still moving forward.

The battle had just begun!

Viewed from afar, the vast Xue Fu was completely enveloped by a water column, as if a water tornado had risen from the flat ground, reaching the heavens and connecting the earth, piercing through the universe.

The water flow within the water tornado was extremely violent at first, emitting a roar like an explosion, but once the two sides merged, the current actually slowed down gradually, shifting from a collision of torrents on both sides to a single direction, flowing downward all the way.

Water flows to lower ground; this is indeed true.

In the night sky, a silver stream of water flowed slowly downward; one could only hear the gurgling sound of flowing water, and water vapor was dense, covering the surroundings in a faint mist, appearing both real and illusory.

That was not a waterfall, but rather...

"A river."

Xing Ji looked calm as he watched the sky. Behind him, the members of the Land Inspection Division stood in silent formation, waiting.

In the distance, there was a river that originated from the dome, flowing through Bilu, Yuna, and Hongchen, flowing toward the earth, and merging into Huangquan.

This was a river of miracles, with Micro Light shimmering and water waves rippling, as if it were a gentle mother river of the human world.

Looking from below, the cyan-white Calamity Moon was half-blocked by the hanging water waves, revealing a semicircular wheel of light, as if it were a long river and a setting sun.

A spectacle, a beautiful scene, a magnificent Tian He.

But, this was a Demon Cave.

Within the water flow, lively fish could be faintly seen swimming, playing leisurely in the gentle current.

The small fish that appeared to be only a speck of shadow from afar were surely ferocious, massive monsters when seen up close.

Xing Ji drew his sword, his bright red cloak fluttering in the wind, and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, be careful, the Phantom is coming down."

Drip, drop...

The orange cat was soaking wet, dripping water all the way.

Although its fur was limp, it still looked like a ball, because it was its body that was fat, not its fur.

It paddled its four limbs all the way, arriving at someone's feet, and just like it had done before Tang Zhao, it climbed up along the hem of the garment; soon, a pair of hands as delicate as water-washed scallions reached out and hugged it.

The young girl in goose-yellow clothing gently stroked the fat cat in her arms, the single-sided bow on her back fluttering in the wind like a bristled cat tail, and said, "It's almost time for us to make our entrance. You ate someone's candy, so you can't be lazy now."

As she spoke, her squinted eyes suddenly opened, revealing a pair of bright eyes like water-almonds.

Under the moonlight, her pupils were startlingly bright.