The Black River stretched long and wide, flowing for thousands of miles.
After leaving the mountain stronghold, Yu Lie followed a fixed direction and once again arrived at the banks of the Black River.
There, he set up a temporary cave for himself to live in.
As expected, the rumors he had heard in the town were true.
The Black Serpent Fish King, a fearsome creature, only existed one per stretch of the river.
After killing one, if you wanted to hunt another, you would have to travel far to a different section of the river.
Fortunately, after leaving the town, Yu Lie was already dozens of miles away from the nearest river section.
By continuing to move away from the town, the second fishing spot he chose was nearly a hundred miles away from the previous Black Serpent Fish King.
At the new fishing spot, Yu Lie patiently waited for several days and successfully caught his second Black Serpent Fish King!
Boom!
Fierce flames roared along the banks of the Black River, accompanied by the screeching of fire crows.
When the smoke cleared, a massive, crocodile-like Black Serpent Fish King with shattered scales lay before Yu Lie.
Looking at the dead fish king, Yu Lie took out an ordinary Divine Fire Crow just to be safe.
He shouted at the fish king:
"Go!"
The second Divine Fire Crow descended, and with a loud crack, it exploded, shattering the fish king's skull and spilling its brains.
The fish king didn't resist at all, likely already dead from the previous attack.
However, Yu Lie frowned as he observed the scene, not showing any signs of relief.
This Black Serpent Fish King was noticeably smaller and weaker than the one he had hunted before.
Yu Lie had secretly wondered if this fish king might be of the smaller but more ferocious type... but now, the fish king's death had proven that it was indeed weaker than the one near Blackwater Town.
A single Divine Fire Crow loaded with fire dragon medicine was enough to kill it.
Yu Lie sighed softly, "As expected, these fierce creatures grow the largest and fattest near human settlements."
But this meant that he likely wouldn't be able to use this second fish king to complete his bone-marrow cleansing transformation in one go.
Yu Lie estimated that he would need at least two or even three fish kings of this size to gather enough flesh and blood essence to support the entire cleansing process.
Suddenly, Yu Lie's head snapped up.
He glanced at the dense forest behind him, quickly stepped forward, and stored the fish king's corpse.
After briefly cleaning up the battlefield, he swiftly moved along the river, heading away from Blackwater Town.
He was determined to travel another hundred, two hundred, or even three hundred miles to hunt more fish kings!
Not long after Yu Lie disappeared from the banks of the Black River, figures began to appear on both sides of the river.
They were nearby hunters, drawn by the commotion Yu Lie had caused.
Dressed in either green or black robes, these figures cautiously observed the scorched rocks on the riverbank, their faces filled with wariness.
One group walked directly to the scene.
Most of them had one or several human heads hanging from their waists.
The leader, dressed in a green robe, had a refined appearance and no heads hanging from his waist.
Looking at the traces of gunpowder, he smiled gently, giving off a warm and comforting aura.
"Gunpowder? Must have killed a big one! Too bad I, Ye Zhuosan, arrived too late to get a share."
The green-robed Daoist sighed.
Standing by the river, he tossed a seed the size of a human head.
The seed immediately sprouted vines, which slithered like snakes across the river, forming a rope bridge.
The green-robed Daoist's figure flickered as he stepped onto the vines and crossed the river.
He called out to the three behind him:
"Hurry up! Although the disciples of Blackwater Town can't directly attack us according to the rules, they have plenty of ways to deal with us. The commotion was too loud just now; we can't stay nearby any longer. Cross the river quickly!"
The three mid-level green-robed Daoist youths responded in unison, "Yes, Elder Ye!"
At that moment, a sweet, tinkling laugh came from the dense forest behind them:
"Oh! Is that Brother Ye? Wait for me, A'Miao!"
Ye Zhuosan and his subordinates, who were already crossing the river on the vines, all changed their expressions.
The three mid-level Daoist youths cursed under their breaths:
"Damn it! We told that crazy woman not to come this way, but she just had to show up!"
"That lunatic not only killed the upper-level Daoist youths from other towns but also slaughtered the mid and lower-level ones without mercy! She's so brutal that even the disciples from our town who followed her were all killed. She directly provoked the disciples of Blackwater Town to send ferocious beasts after her."
"Elder Ye, we absolutely cannot travel with Miao Mu!"
As they spoke, the sound of silver bells rang out.
A woman wearing a silver hat emerged from the forest, smiling brightly and waving at Ye Zhuosan and his group.
The woman's silver hat resembled a bird's nest, and her body was adorned with silver ornaments, making her look like a shimmering, agile bird.
However, Ye Zhuosan and his subordinates wanted nothing to do with her.
They hurriedly crossed to the other side of the river and, without a word, cut the vine bridge.
Ye Zhuosan, with a helpless expression, cupped his hands toward Miao Mu across the river, giving her a look that said "good luck," and then led his subordinates away without looking back.
"Hmph!"
The silver-hatted woman stomped her feet by the river, cursing under her breath, "Four heartless bastards!"
She then turned her gaze toward the Daoist youths hiding in the shadows on this side of the river.
Her smile grew even brighter:
"Brothers, A'Miao can't cross the river. Could you take me in?"
The nearby Daoist youths, whether from Blackwater Town or Greenwood Town, all looked as if they had seen a ghost and quickly scattered into the forest.
Unfortunately, one group of Blackwater Town Daoist youths was too slow.
The silver-hatted woman's voice rang out behind them:
"Brothers from Blackwater Town, don't be afraid... A'Miao won't eat you!"
Ah! Chii!
Horrified screams echoed through the dense forest, accompanied by the woman's unrestrained laughter:
"Another mid-level one! I'll kill a few more before leaving. That way, the old folks in town will have no choice but to make me number one."
Birds and beasts scattered in fear! Even the fierce tigers on the riverbank roared in terror.
Roar...
Squelch!
On the other side, Yu Lie, with a look of delight, extended his claws and tore open the throat of a heavily wounded fierce tiger.
He was completely unaware of the events behind him, not knowing that his caution had just allowed him to avoid two of Greenwood Town's most dangerous figures.
Roar...
The fierce tiger before Yu Lie let out a final, choked roar before its blood bubbled and gushed from its neck, filling the air with a metallic stench.
This fierce tiger, with a body length no taller than a person, had bat-like wings on its sides.
It was known as the "Flesh-Winged Tiger," a ferocious beast.
These tigers were active at dawn and dusk, their eyes glowing like ghostly flames, their bodies covered in patterns resembling ghostly faces.
They loved to eat humans, and their skins could be used to make clothing that protected the wearer from evil spirits.
Although smaller than ordinary tigers, their ability to fly low made them one of the more difficult eighth-grade tiger and leopard beasts to capture.
Yu Lie had been traveling nonstop for sixty or seventy miles until evening when this Flesh-Winged Tiger, just emerging from its den, spotted him and mistook him for a fleeing prey, launching an attack.
The result was obvious: the Flesh-Winged Tiger failed in its hunt and was instead killed by Yu Lie on the spot.
After finishing off the Flesh-Winged Tiger, Yu Lie examined it carefully, a look of satisfaction in his eyes:
"Good luck. It seems I've found the other ingredient for the Dragon-Tiger Feast!"
His "Bell-Cauldron Cooking Technique" and "Tiger-Leopard Thunder Array" both required the use of demon beast materials as supplements, and one essential ingredient was the blood and bones of fierce tigers and leopards!
Yu Lie's plan was to use the spine of the Black Serpent Fish King, mixed with the blood and bones of tigers and leopards, to cook a Dragon-Tiger Feast for consumption!
Originally, he hadn't decided which tiger or leopard bones to use, but now, having encountered the Flesh-Winged Tiger on his journey, he had his answer.
Picking up the Flesh-Winged Tiger's corpse, Yu Lie stopped his journey along the river and instead followed the scent of the tiger, moving away from the river.
Flesh-Winged Tigers were different from ordinary tigers.
Like bats, they lived in groups in caves and had a strong sense of family.
One Flesh-Winged Tiger wasn't enough for Yu Lie's needs.
He needed to kill several more.
Five or six wouldn't be too few, and eight or nine wouldn't be too many.
Yu Lie privately thought that cooking the entire family would be the best!
Whether it was day or night, he would hunt another chapter.
(End of Chapter)