Sea Beasts

Of course, such a fine battlefield could not have been discovered by Sun Chengshan alone. Before long, other Martial Artists began arriving one after another.

They were quite wary of the group led by Sun Chengshan and tacitly kept their distance from them.

That way, they could avoid conflicts during a scramble and getting seized by the Shadowless Fist Gym disciples for a vicious beating.

That was the advantage of being organized and having numbers—often, it served as a deterrent.

"They're here!"

Wang Yu suddenly heard cries of alarm from somewhere in the distance and immediately narrowed his eyes to look.

He saw a Silver Spotted Octopus emerge from the seawater in a low-lying area.

What was astonishing was that the octopus actually used its tentacles to stand upright on the sand.

Its fat, bulbous head rose at least two or three meters into the air.

So much for soft-bodied marine creatures. That clearly was not quite the case.

Several Martial Artists nearby were stunned, their faces blank.

Faced with the mass of writhing tentacles before them, they did not know where to begin.

The octopus was quite ferocious. Using four tentacles caked with sand as supports, it rapidly crawled toward the human Martial Artists, astonishingly fast.

The Martial Artist it targeted did not even have time to flee. He could only roar to bolster his courage, leap up, and bring his blade down on the approaching octopus.

He put all his strength into the strike, trying to cleave the octopus in half from its head.

But the tentacles the octopus lashed out were even faster. The Martial Artist only managed to sever one tentacle with his blade before the rest instantly wrapped tightly around his entire body.

At the same time, they released a paralytic toxin that sent the Martial Artist's entire body into convulsions.

Then, sharp bony spikes emerged from the suckers on the tentacles, puncturing the bound Martial Artist's body full of holes as the octopus rapidly sucked up the flowing blood.

This Martial Artist was about to die without having accomplished anything at all.

"This..." Wang Yu's expression changed slightly.

"Master, this is the sort of monster we're supposed to deal with?!"

This was vastly different from what he had imagined.

Where was the treasure-grade seafood they had been promised?

Sun Chengshan shook his head. "That fellow was too rash. That is a Poison Vine Octopus. It is said to live three thousand meters beneath the Silver Belt Sea, and it carries an unknown toxin. It is no easy creature to provoke.

"Once those tentacles catch hold of you, even I probably would not be able to break free."

"Then how are we supposed to deal with it?" Zhang Erdan hurriedly asked, somewhat frightened.

"You can't deal with it. Be smart—run the moment you see one.

"Only those whose reaction speed is faster than its tentacles can find an opportunity to kill it. To possess that kind of reaction and speed, one must at least be a Martial Artist at the Body Tempering Fourth Layer Realm."

Sun Chengshan cautioned them. Any useful experience he knew, he would share with these disciples without reservation.

"Also, the blood-and-flesh gelatin on a Poison Vine Octopus is highly nutritious. If handled properly, it is even slightly more valuable than Blood Pig Meat.

"That thing may look bizarre and difficult to deal with, but I doubt there will be any shortage of people willing to take care of it."

Just as Sun Chengshan had said, three Martial Artists soon charged at the Poison Vine Octopus that had come ashore.

Their movements were clearly superior. Quick, agile, and calm, they easily evaded the octopus's tentacles. Once they closed in, they killed it in just a few moves.

They also rescued the Martial Artist who had lost too much blood and was barely clinging to life.

Then, carrying the octopus's corpse and the severely wounded Martial Artist, the three swiftly retreated.

Their movements were clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

It was obvious that the three were experienced veterans who knew how to handle such situations.

The shore by the tide was the most dangerous place now. They could not linger carelessly.

If some unheard-of deep-sea monster suddenly pounced on them, there would be nowhere to run.

All of a sudden, another wave crashed against the pile of jagged rocks where Wang Yu and the others stood, scattering sprays of water.

Some small living creatures were washed ashore with it.

Wang Yu focused his gaze and saw more than ten flat, slender little fish flopping about in the crevices between the rocks below.

Their bodies were covered in emerald-green scales and were about the size of a palm.

Their protruding mouths contained two rows of densely packed, spike-like teeth.

Looking at those little fish flopping wildly about, Wang Yu felt they seemed familiar.

Then he remembered. Were these not the dried salted fish Sun Chengshan had given him to eat before?

They had also been palm-sized, with a salty bitterness that had left a deep impression.

These were treasure materials as well, though compared with Blood Pig Meat, the nutrients and energy they contained were far inferior.

Given his current physical strength, eating several of them might not even compare to a single bite of Blood Pig Meat.

Still, something was better than nothing.

"Master." Wang Yu spoke up, gesturing below.

"Mhm, those are Fine Leaf Fish. They pose no real threat. You and Hezheng go down and collect them. Just be careful of their sharp teeth—don't let them bite you," Sun Chengshan said.

"Yes." Song Hezheng nodded.

The two of them then descended the slope, each heading toward where the fish had scattered.

As Wang Yu approached, the fish seemed to sense the threat and actually let out a strange hiss.

It bared its teeth at Wang Yu, looking grotesque and ugly, merely waiting for him to reach out so it could bite down.

But Wang Yu was faster. As he drew close, he struck like lightning, slapping the fish across its body and killing it outright with the force of his palm.

He grabbed it by the tail and casually flung it upward.

Other disciples above caught it and placed it in the crate they had brought.

Some Martial Artists in the distance hesitated, but in the end, none dared come over to compete with Wang Yu's group for those little fish.

Before long, Wang Yu and Song Hezheng had collected all ten-odd Fine Leaf Fish.

Just then, Sun Chengshan stood on the rocky slope and noticed another disturbance in the rising sea. He immediately called Wang Yu and the other man back up in alarm.

Wang Yu decisively rushed up the rocky slope without even looking back, even using his movement technique.

Song Hezheng, however, was not only a beat slower to react, but slower in speed as well. He had only retreated halfway up the slope when—

A large fish burst from the water like a torpedo and flew through the air, crashing toward Song Hezheng as he struggled to climb the slope.

Given the fish's size and charging speed, if it struck him, Song Hezheng would likely suffer injuries—perhaps even grievous ones.

Seeing this, Sun Chengshan grew anxious. He sharply drew in a breath, drove force through his feet, and charged down.

His physical strength had already reached the peak of the Body Tempering Fifth Level, with one foot already stepping into the sixth realm.

Thus, when he charged at full force, his momentum was formidable, and his speed was anything but slow.

He forcefully got there first, his fist smashing into the incoming fish.

Man and fish tumbled down the rocky slope together.

Wang Yu had just turned back, never expecting events to unfold like this.

Sun Chengshan had been desperate to save someone. After falling, it was clear to see that the arm he had used to throw that punch was covered in bloody cuts.

The fish rolled to one side. It appeared unharmed, showing just how tough its hide was.

"Master!" The disciples were all startled as well.

Everything had happened too suddenly. Sun Chengshan had fallen so abruptly and been injured.

The most distressed of all was Song Hezheng, who had been saved. Gritting his teeth, he jumped down, intending to protect Sun Chengshan.

The fish pressed itself against a rock, twisting its long body. It looked both like a fish and a sea snake, over two meters long and thickly rounded.

Its green markings shimmered with dense, tiny specks.

"Hezheng, fall back! You can't handle this Green Spotted Snake!"

Sun Chengshan clutched his injured arm, frowning hard as he tried to drive Song Hezheng away.

Song Hezheng stood in front of Sun Chengshan without saying a word, all his attention focused on the Green Spotted Snake.