Splash!
The sound of water echoed as a black serpent fish leaped out of the river, only to be swiftly caught by Yu Lie and dragged ashore.
With practiced ease, he killed it and stored it in his Blood Toad Pouch.
Standing steadily at the edge of the cliff, the only sounds reaching his ears were the flowing water, the mountain breeze, and the occasional caw of a bird.
It was his mynah bird, released to patrol the area within a five-hundred-step radius, keeping watch for any danger.
Time passed, and one by one, river fish were hooked and pulled up by Yu Lie.
Perhaps because he hadn’t fished by the river in a while, his skills had grown rusty, and many fish managed to escape the hook.
For the same reason, the black serpent fish king he had been eagerly anticipating had yet to appear.
This made Yu Lie’s heart sink slightly, wondering if he had come all this way for nothing.
But he quickly pushed aside these distracting thoughts.
Even if this trip turned out to be fruitless, he could always return tomorrow, the day after, or in the days to come.
With the wine cup in his possession, he could continuously produce pure bait, and sooner or later, the fish king would be lured in.
As the moon rose, the darkness on the mountain where the town was located began to recede.
In its place, a silvery glow draped over Yu Lie, standing on the cliff like a fisherman covered in winter snow, his entire body shimmering with a silvery hue.
Yu Lie remained calm and patient, continuing to wait.
Even as the number of fish he caught dwindled in the latter half of the night, he didn’t consider leaving or changing his fishing spot.
From his previous encounters with the black serpent fish king, he had observed a pattern: the longer he stayed in one spot, the higher the chance of encountering the fish king.
Unlike ordinary black serpent fish, the fish king was more ferocious and greedy, eager to devour even the fishermen on the shore.
The scent of the river water filled Yu Lie’s nostrils, and the cold fishing rod in his hand had long since warmed from his grip.
Suddenly, a loud splash made his ears perk up.
“Is it here?”
This sound was different from the usual flow of water—it was the sound of something massive moving in the river.
Yu Lie’s eyes lit up with anticipation.
He tensed his body, slowing his breath as if afraid to startle the giant fish that had finally been lured in.
But after dozens of breaths, the strange sounds in the black river ceased, and there was no further movement.
Yu Lie began to wonder if he had misheard or if the fish king had fled.
He shook the thin fishing rod in his hand, hesitating as he glanced at the thicker rod beside him.
Boom!
At that moment, a massive splash erupted.
Yu Lie’s expression changed as he quickly retreated.
A familiar yet terrifying black shadow surged up from the river below, slamming into the cliff with tremendous force.
Crack! Sparks flew as the cliff face shattered.
Yu Lie narrowly dodged the attack, his face lighting up with excitement.
“It’s here!”
Without hesitation, Yu Lie tossed aside the thin fishing rod and grabbed the thicker one, as thick as a man’s arm.
From his Blood Toad Pouch, he retrieved the carefully prepared bait, stored in iron cages the size of human heads.
He swiftly attached multiple baits to the rod and kicked it forward.
The iron chain, carrying the bait, clattered as it descended into the river, the floating bait glowing faintly like falling stars.
At the same time, Yu Lie pulled the thick iron chain, retreating steadily and hooking it onto several iron stakes he had prepared earlier.
The most dangerous aspect of fishing for the black serpent fish king was its cunning nature—it would deliberately try to drag the fisherman into the river.
Once in the water, not only would catching the fish king be impossible, but the fisherman’s own survival would be in grave danger.
Therefore, Yu Lie had to find a way to pull the fish king ashore, where its strength would be greatly diminished, before he could slaughter it.
The massive hook, laden with pure spiritual bait, sank into the river.
Almost immediately, Yu Lie felt the iron chain tighten, accompanied by a creaking sound.
Reacting quickly, he yanked the chain and began running backward.
The chain scraped against the rocks, sending sparks flying.
After just a few steps, Yu Lie felt an immense force pulling from the other end of the chain.
The fish king thrashed violently, trying to drag him into the river.
The strength was akin to that of a giant elephant, far surpassing any ordinary black serpent fish.
Fortunately, the iron stakes Yu Lie had prepared earlier came into play.
Using them as leverage, he first allowed the fish king to gain some ground, then used its momentum to pull back with all his might.
Crack! The iron chain twisted under the immense force, and at a deliberately weakened point, it snapped with a loud bang.
Boom! A massive sound echoed as if a small mountain had fallen into the river.
At the same time, a strange roar reached Yu Lie’s ears, causing him to pause momentarily.
But he quickly regained his composure, following the plan he had prepared.
If he couldn’t pull the fish king up, he would use the multiple baits on the chain to lure it up the cliff.
Yu Lie vigorously shook the iron chain, steadily dragging it toward the shore.
Moments later, the strange sound returned, and the chain tightened again as the fish king, enticed by the remaining bait, began climbing up the cliff.
Step by step, the strange sound grew closer.
Finally, a dark, twisted figure emerged at the spot where Yu Lie had initially fished.
Even under the moonlight, the fish king’s scales remained pitch black, as if absorbing the light.
“Screech!” A sharp sound rang out clearly in Yu Lie’s ears, emanating from the fish king.
But it didn’t seem to come from its mouth—rather, it appeared to be produced by the friction of its gill-like scales on either side of its neck, resembling the sound of metal scraping.
Yu Lie stood still under the moonlight, carefully observing the fish king, his eyes filled with awe.
The black serpent fish king was indeed massive! Just the half of its body that had emerged from the water was as tall as Yu Lie, and its raised head, like a snake’s, coldly scrutinized him, its fish eyes glowing with a sinister light.
Yu Lie pretended to tremble in fear, turning and running away.
According to the few accounts of capturing the fish king in the town, the creature was cunning and cruel, chasing after moving prey like a tiger.
Exposing one’s back to it would provoke its ferocity.
If a low-level disciple encountered the fish king onshore, the best way to survive was to lie still and hope it would retreat back into the river.
Sure enough, as soon as Yu Lie turned to run, the fish king surged forward, fully emerging from the water and revealing its massive, crocodile-like body under the moonlight.
At the same time, Yu Lie shook out more bait from his sleeve, the scent wafting through the air and further enticing the fish king to chase after him.
The sharp scraping sound intensified: “Screech!”
Under the moonlight, a massive, snake-like creature with scales scraping against the rocks lunged toward Yu Lie, its speed and agility on land surpassing even Yu Lie’s own, despite his tempered body.
Fortunately, Yu Lie had been prepared.
Sensing a gust of wind behind him, he didn’t look back but instead pulled out two thorny fireballs from his pouch and hurled them backward.
Boom! The fireballs exploded on impact, scattering sharp thorns in all directions.
Even though Yu Lie had managed to put some distance between himself and the explosion, a few thorns still struck him, tearing his robes but leaving his tough skin unharmed.
The fish king, hit by one of the fireballs, momentarily paused its attack.
But immediately, an even sharper scraping sound erupted.
Yu Lie glanced back and saw the fish king’s scales flaring open, its body swelling by nearly a third, a dark aura swirling around it.
It was completely unharmed!
Under the moonlight, the fish king’s ferocity only grew. “Screech!” the strange sound echoed.
Yu Lie thought to himself, “This fish king is truly formidable, even on land. It’s not to be trifled with!” He felt a surge of relief, grateful that he hadn’t attempted to hunt the fish king immediately after completing his copper tendons and iron bones transformation.
Even with the help of his companions, he likely wouldn’t have succeeded.
But things were different now.
As the fish king unleashed its fury, Yu Lie turned to face it head-on.
With a flick of his sleeve, he hurled nine thorny fireballs and three snow-white sand orbs at the fish king, bombarding it without restraint.
In one swift motion, Yu Lie also retrieved the Divine Fire Raven, a weapon loaded with dragon fire medicine.
Standing firm, he felt the explosions and flashes of the fireballs, the white light illuminating the area.
Calmly, he blew gently on the ignition point of the Divine Fire Raven and aimed it at the fish king.
“Screech!” A sharp sound emanated from Yu Lie’s hand.
Whoosh! The Divine Fire Raven trembled in his grasp, a burst of flame shooting out as it slowly rose into the air, hovering several times Yu Lie’s height above him.
A massive firebird, as large as a person, suddenly appeared above Yu Lie, its fiery wings spreading and casting a brilliant light that illuminated the surroundings.
Feeling the searing heat of the flames, Yu Lie pointed at the fish king, a whistle in his mouth, and commanded, “Go!”
The Divine Fire Raven was no ordinary weapon—it obeyed commands, striking wherever it was directed.
Screech!!
The fiery raven, hearing Yu Lie’s command, dove toward the fish king with blazing speed, radiating intense heat and light…
(End of Chapter)