A dark shadow, with unmatched strength, broke through the water's surface and soared into the sky.
In that moment, lightning tore through the sky, and the dark figure appeared as a fierce dragon.
Liang Qu stood frozen on his small fishing boat, his mind blank and heart gripped by immense fear.
The shadow seemed both far and near.
Was it a flood dragon? He recalled the terrifying tales told at the dock, legends of a flood dragon in the depths of the Jianghuai Marshlands, said to awake once every cycle of sixty years, causing storms.
No, it can't be right.
Flood dragons should be long and slender, shouldn't they? A glimpse of it in the lightning made Liang Qu certain it was something spherical.
As his thoughts raced, dense clouds suddenly parted, and moonlight poured down, revealing the target of the black shadow—a blazing, giant bird!
With its wings beating, the dark clouds swirled like a vortex, and the intense light almost pierced through the clouds, seeming as if fire burned above them.
The sky brightened abruptly.
Liang Qu closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, both creatures clashed like shooting stars and then ricocheted apart, each falling toward the lake.
The giant bird plunged into the water with a cry.
The lake boiled instantly, sending hot steam skyward, gushing out as if a volcanic eruption had burst from the depths.
The water vapor exploded violently, then quickly cooled and liquefied in the surrounding air, forming a visible white mist under the moonlight, rolling and expanding across the water's surface.
Giant temperature difference currents formed over the lake, with hot and cold air alternating, expanding and contracting, rapidly creating a whirlwind.
Liang Qu's wet hair whipped wildly in the wind, making it impossible for him to stand firm.
The spherical shadow also crashed into the lake, like a god flinging a boulder.
As the boulder fully submerged, the entire water's surface became like a giant lung, expanding and contracting.
Each expansion resounded with a thunderous boom, stirring endless water surges.
The river split, sending millions of tons of scalding waves rushing outward in all directions.
It was a scene like a natural disaster.
Enormous waves rose, and it was several seconds before Liang Qu heard the roar of the tide, followed by the howling wind, until the gigantic wave finally swept him away!
The towering wave loomed close, flipping the boat and throwing Liang Qu overboard.
Drenched in cold sweat, he leapt up instinctively, landing heavily on the bow.
The fishing boat tilted steeply, its sharp prow blocking the waning moon.
Boom! Massive lake water surged, spreading with unstoppable force, and crashed against the boat's hull.
Roaring, roaring! The sound of crashing waves thundered in his ears.
Everything on the boat rolled downward under immense pressure, and Liang Qu's knees felt about to break.
His long hair that flew backward suddenly whipped forward in the gust, swirling wildly.
Liang Qu could barely see, focusing solely on stomping the deck and gripping the boat's edge with both hands, using his body to shield and press down the fish basket from falling.
His muscles and bones trembled, blurring the line between the water's vibrations or his body's own tension reaching its limit.
Crack, crack.
The wooden edge of the fishing boat splintered under his grip, and as he clutched a handful of wood fragments, he squeezed and grabbed hold of the edge again.
It was fast, too fast.
Liang Qu's muscles nearly snapped, as everything around blurred into streaks of light and shadow.
His body's instincts alone guided him.
He felt himself rising, both boat and man lifted high.
Just a slight mistake, and he'd crash down, facing certain death.
Breathe, breathe, breathe! Liang Qu strained to breathe, supplying oxygen to his strained muscles.
He struggled to control the water, as his strength rapidly diminished.
Whenever a wave became too large, threatening to capsize the boat, a current would miraculously push the stern back.
For a moment, a strange balance maintained, as if engaged in a fierce struggle.
Boom! Finally, far enough from the battle's center, the massive waves dispersed first, turning into tiny streams flowing in all directions.
The high-riding fishing boat gradually settled down, floating once more on the water.
Plop, plop.
Small white fish flopped on the deck.
"Cough, cough!" Liang Qu lay limp in the cabin, retching.
He wasn't sure how much water he'd swallowed, but his stomach felt bloated.
"Gag!" It was like some switch had flipped.
Liang Qu, who couldn't vomit moments ago, turned into a water fountain, spewing like a hangover morning.
He vomited for almost a minute, finally emptying his stomach.
His stomach churned, and his head throbbed with pain, while his muscles and bones groaned.
Any exertion brought uncontrollable trembling.
Nothing he did could ease the aching, as if a constrictor coiled around him, squeezing his blood vessels shut.
It felt unbearable, but at least he was alive.
Another wave struck, violently rocking the boat, and Liang Qu's jaw hit the deck without feeling any pain.
Summoning a bit of strength, he flipped himself over, lying on his back, gasping like a fish suffocating above water.
He inhaled as much air as possible to recover, and after a while, his sluggish mind resumed thinking.
Was that the great demon of Jianghuai Marshlands?
Liang Qu had heard tales of great demons but never seen one.
He never imagined he'd witness such a battle between two demons, even breaking apart the storm clouds and stopping the rain.
Terrifying.
Though the two seemed close, their actual distance was vast.
Yet, when he turned and glimpsed the dark shadow, icy fear clenched his heart, leaving him shaking.
It wasn't even the aftermath of the battle! It was just the enormous wave caused by the demon striking the water that nearly destroyed him and his boat.
It was unimaginable what facing such a creature up close would be like.
No wonder fishermen near Jianghuai Marshlands warned against venturing into deep waters—a warning etched in their very genes from generations of blood-filled lessons.
Could Master Yang possibly handle that spherical demon?
At that moment, Liang Qu realized why underwater resources were so elusive.
The underwater environment wasn't suited for human survival.
Facing such a great demon, even martial masters of high realms would struggle.
As for the flaming giant bird, it surely faced dire odds.
Though it fell into the water together with the demon, flame and firebirds were surely countered by Jianghuai Marshlands' elements while the spherical demon was obviously a water creature.
Judging by the shape, Liang Qu highly suspected it was a toad.
The whole ordeal likely involved the toad demon sensing the bird, leaping out to hunt, and knocking it into the water, waging combat on its home ground—a capture as simple as a fish in a barrel.
Still dazed in the boat's cabin, Liang Qu faintly heard a piercing bird cry.
With strength slowly returning, he crawled up to look, but saw only dense mist and a fleeting flash of flame in the distance.
Better leave quickly; not all spectacles were meant to be joined.
Liang Qu felt terrified.
He gritted his teeth through muscle pain and reached for the oars to make an escape.
Oh, right! Fatty Catfish—what happened to Fatty Catfish?
Splash! Sensing Liang Qu's call, the Fat Catfish surfaced, trembling.
Though the surrounding water rippled, the fish remained unharmed.
The wind and waves filtered through dozens of meters of water became gentle swells, leaving Fatty frightened but safe.
"Quick, take me back to the dock, let's head back."
Fatty eagerly complied, and Liang Qu rowed alongside.
A quarter-hour later, they reached the riverbank without further incident.
The wave had carried Liang Qu far.
Fortunately, it shortened his return trip.
Leaving Fatty Catfish and the Immovable to guard the lotus roots, Liang Qu headed back to the dock alone.
The dock lay enveloped in darkness, all lights extinguished, with no sound from the fish market.
Originally orderly boats were all crammed together, tossed by waves and wind.
Liang Qu could only find an outermost wooden post to tie his hemp rope.
He checked the boat's cabin, finding only a fish basket and a ballast stone intact, held in place by his body, while the net and stone knife vanished.
Inside the once waterproof compartment, the stove lay scattered.
The newly bought cotton clothes were drenched, with even the compartment cover missing, leaving it filled with dirty water.
Scooping up the soaked heavy cotton clothes, Liang Qu nearly wept.
The wet cotton would surely clump, losing its comfort.
Fortunately, the fish basket remained, with the Red Blood Perch intact—so not a total loss!
(End of Chapter)