The Divine Fire Raven soared out, scraping against the rocks, leaving large chunks of stone scorched black.
The Black Serpent Fish King had been hit by several thorny fireballs thrown by Yu Lie.
Though its thick skin and scaly armor had spared it from serious injury, the Snow Sand Balls, though less powerful than the thorny fireballs, were far more venomous.
The white flames ignited by the Snow Sand Balls burned on the Fish King's scales and even covered one of its eyes, driving it into a frenzy.
With a sharp hiss, the sound of scales grinding against each other filled the air.
The Fish King, momentarily relieved, lunged forward, intent on devouring Yu Lie.
But the appearance of the Divine Fire Raven filled it with a sense of impending doom.
The grinding of scales abruptly stopped.
The Fish King swiftly changed its target, lunging sideways in an attempt to evade the fiery bird.
Yu Lie, who had already released the Divine Fire Raven, watched this with a cold smile.
The fire tools crafted by Daoists were far from mindless.
The Divine Fire Raven, a masterpiece from the Lead and Mercury Fire Treasures Collection, was second only to the "Fire Dragon Emerging from Water" in both ingenuity and power.
It was no mere bird!
Yu Lie, holding the raven whistle in his mouth, commanded again, "Rise!"
With a shrill cry, the massive fire raven, its crimson wings glowing with a golden hue, gracefully arced through the air.
It followed the Fish King's movements, suddenly changing direction without landing, instead circling above the Fish King's head.
Though the Fish King's movements were fierce, they were no match for the agility of the fire raven in the sky.
As soon as the Fish King lifted its head, the raven swooped down, striking it squarely.
Sizzling sounds filled the air as the Divine Fire Raven landed on the Fish King's head.
Its body melted like syrup, sticking firmly to the Fish King's skull.
No matter how the Fish King twisted and turned, it couldn't shake off the fiery bird.
The raven then raised its beak, elegantly spreading its broad wings, slowly covering the Fish King's head and neck.
The raven's fiery form, crimson with golden highlights, had wings so finely detailed that each spark falling to the ground burned a deep hole.
It looked less like a raven and more like a phoenix forged from red copper and gold, dazzlingly magnificent!
Yu Lie watched this scene with a mix of surprise and delight.
Though he had high expectations for the Divine Fire Raven's power, the spectacle before him still left him in awe.
In that moment, Yu Lie realized he had severely underestimated the fire tools from the Lead and Mercury Fire Treasures Collection.
The fire tools crafted from its designs not only unleashed the power of gunpowder but also obeyed commands with precision and grace, rivaling the talismans made by Daoist disciples.
The Fish King, in agony, could feel its flesh and bones being consumed by the mysterious fiery creature on its head.
Fear extinguished its ferocity, and it thrashed its massive body, trying to retreat into the black river behind it.
Yu Lie, still marveling at the beauty of the fire raven, immediately blew the raven whistle with force.
With a piercing cry, the raven on the Fish King's neck raised its head.
Its crimson-gold body dimmed slightly, and the surrounding light darkened.
In the next moment, an even more ear-splitting cry erupted, deafening Yu Lie.
Boom!
The fire raven suddenly expanded, swirling around the Fish King's body like a tornado, its flames roaring and howling!
Yu Lie, standing more than twenty paces away, still felt the heat on his face.
After three breaths, the swirling raven gradually shrank, its cries fading until it was no larger than a fist.
It let out a few final croaks before vanishing completely, leaving only a few sparks behind.
The once-ferocious Fish King now lay with its head severed, its scales cracked and scorching hot.
Half of its skull was burned to the bone, and one of its eyes had fallen out, landing on the molten rock and quickly turning to ash.
Yu Lie's eyes sparkled with excitement.
With a single strike, the Divine Fire Raven had not only decapitated the Fish King but also melted the surrounding rock.
Its power was truly fearsome!
"I wonder how powerful the real 'Fire Dragon Emerging from Water' would be!" Yu Lie thought to himself.
Aside from Yu Lie, another living creature was deeply shaken by the Divine Fire Raven's might.
The myna perched on Yu Lie's head, its beak agape and wings spread, utterly stunned.
It had just witnessed a "giant myna" that was beyond belief.
This was the first time it had seen a myna so large, wreathed in flames, and exuding such divine power.
Strangely, it felt that the giant myna looked remarkably like itself, especially the tuft of feathers on its head, which were identical!
"Caw! Caw! Caw!" The myna flapped its wings, hopping excitedly on Yu Lie's head.
It flew around him in a frenzy, as if drunk or high, making Yu Lie fear it might crash to the ground.
"Caw! Master! Big! Big!" Yu Lie, snapped out of his reverie by the myna, glanced at the bird with a strange expression.
His black myna had a bit of spiritual bloodline, was quite intelligent, and could mimic human speech.
Recently, Yu Lie had been feeding it Beast-Taming Pills, so he could somewhat understand its meaning.
The bird had been inspired by the Divine Fire Raven, thinking it too could grow large and spew flames in the future.
It was now showing off to Yu Lie, hoping for better treatment.
To be fair, the Divine Fire Raven had been modeled after the myna when Yu Lie crafted it at home, so it was no wonder the bird had mistaken it for itself.
Ignoring the myna for the moment, Yu Lie cautiously scanned the surroundings.
He needed to collect the Fish King's corpse and leave quickly.
The earlier commotion had been as loud as thunder, and if he didn't leave soon, others would surely come.
But just as he took half a step forward, Yu Lie paused.
He pulled out another thorny fireball and a Snow Sand Ball, hurling them at the Fish King's body and head to ensure it was truly dead and wouldn't suddenly revive.
The explosions lit up the area with blinding light.
To Yu Lie's dismay, the seemingly dead Fish King's massive body twitched again.
Its half-burned head, with its gills fluttering, began to bite wildly, showing signs of life!
Yu Lie gasped.
"It's still not dead?!"
This made him realize that the Black Serpent Fish King was on a completely different level from ordinary Black Serpent Fish.
Its bones were tough, and its life force was even tougher!
He suspected that the amount of Fire Dragon medicine in the raven was only a quarter of what was needed for a full "Fire Dragon Emerging from Water," which was why the Fish King had been burned and severed but not completely killed.
Without further hesitation, Yu Lie pulled out another Divine Fire Raven.
His Blood Toad Pouch was well-stocked, so he decided to try again.
With a gentle blow, the tin raven flapped its wings.
Yu Lie then blew the raven whistle and commanded, "Go!"
With a shrill cry, another fire raven flew from his head, crashing into the Fish King and igniting it in flames.
But the black myna, watching from the side, was puzzled.
This fiery raven was only slightly larger than itself.
After landing, it expanded to about the size of a pig or dog, barely melting a thin layer of rock on the ground.
Compared to the previous giant raven, this one looked more like a reflection of the black myna, resembling it even more closely!
The myna landed on Yu Lie's head, looking around in confusion.
It began to worry that it might only grow as large as a pig or dog in the future.
Yu Lie, still ignoring the myna, released another ordinary Divine Fire Raven.
This time, he finally shattered the Fish King's skull, killing it for good.
After a few more tests to confirm the Fish King's death, Yu Lie quickly approached.
Without bothering to examine the Fish King's body, he stuffed it into his Blood Toad Pouch.
He then collected his iron fishing rod and other items, leaving behind anything he couldn't carry, tossing it into the black river.
After cleaning up the scene, Yu Lie called out to the myna and swiftly left the riverbank, disappearing into the darkness.
He lingered in the opposite direction for a while before safely returning to the town with the massive Fish King corpse in tow.
Back in town, the commotion from his explosive fishing had indeed attracted the attention of many fishermen that night.
Someone cursed, "Who the hell was using talismans on the mountain near the town? Must've been at least a seventh-grade talisman! What a waste of money!"
"Exactly! Scared all the fish away. I didn't catch a single one today! It's not my fault, not my fault..."
Yu Lie, empty-handed and with his bird, walked down the street with a sullen expression, swaying as he headed home.
Once back in his stone house, he closed the doors and windows and immediately pulled out the massive Black Serpent Fish corpse.
The ferocious fish, large and rugged, looked as if it were made of black iron.
Yu Lie examined it with a pleased expression.
He knew that his second layer of poison cultivation—Bone Poison—was within reach!
The transformation of copper tendons and iron bones was now just around the corner!
(End of Chapter)