Kill the Fish!

The vast river breeze brings moisture and warmth to Huainan, and the tender green grass sprouts from the ground, like spring water surging from the depths of the earth.

Under the tree roots, small orange flowers bloom first, and dense moss spreads deeper into the narrow opening. After a winter's slumber, the slender snake crawls out of the cave, looking slightly stiff.

The sound of birds flapping their wings rapidly approached from afar. An eagle folded its wings, extended its sharp claws, and darted through the branches and leaves like an arrow, leaving a long shadow before spreading its wings and swooping down onto the tree trunk.

The sharp beak tore open the snake's belly, and dark red blood dripped down the branch onto the small flower.

The thunderous sound of hooves shattered the silence, knocking down the hanging snake carcass and startling the giant eagle into fleeing from the woods.

Liang Qu took the lead, and the tiny yellow flowers were kicked up by the horse's hooves, falling to the ground and turning into fragments.

He glanced sideways at the soaring eagle, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yang Dongxiong, clad in black iron armor with a square-headed, straight-edged broadsword hanging at his waist.

Then, the seven senior brothers, all dressed in close-fitting clothes and riding horses, followed one after another, burying the fallen yellow flowers in the dust.

About a quarter of an hour later, Liang Qu reined in his horse.

Through the gaps in the trees, one could already see the lake surface shimmering in the sunlight not far away.

Yang Dongxiong raised his hand, and everyone obeyed his command.

"Is this the place?"

Liang Qu nodded. "It's that lake in front. There are three Sturgeon Monster Spirit patrolling at the lake's mouth. I didn't dare go any further in, for fear of something unexpected happening."

"It was right not to go in. Getting close to water may bring you good fortune, but it may also bring danger."

Xu Zishuai spurred his horse forward. "Master, have you noticed something?"

"There's a hint, but it's not certain yet. It's probably a demon that has gained sentience; it even knows how to Qi Concealment aura. Dismount!"

The group dismounted, found a grove of trees a little further away, tied their reins, and went to the lakeside.

The clear blue waves rippled, and the lake water was deep, revealing its great depth.

Yang Dongxiong measured the mouth of the lake; it was five zhang wide, a small opening.

Looking at the water level of the Hukou River, it has been raining frequently lately, but it has only been a light drizzle, so the water level has not risen much and is far below the riverbank level. If it were another month, it would probably be level, but it is just right now.

After careful consideration and comparison, Yang Dongxiong had already made up his mind.

"Yu Dun, Lu Gang, Zi Shuai, the three of you go and prepare to block the lake mouth."

"Yes!"*3 Upon hearing the news, the three separated, with Lu Gang and Yu Dun standing on either side of the lake.

Xu Zishuai leaped to the opposite bank of the river, forming a triangular shape around the entire lake mouth.

"The rest of you, hide well along the river and protect yourselves. If you see any fish that have escaped, stop them!"

"Yes!"

Liang Qu, carrying a long spear on his shoulder, found a patch of withered reeds upstream.

In mid-March, before the reeds have grown, all that's left are yellow grasses from the winter, crunching underfoot.

Crouching in the grass, Liang Qu was concentrating intently.

While they couldn't offer much help in dealing with demons, watching the powerful Hunting Tiger Hunters up close was still beneficial, greatly expanding their understanding.

Many things cannot be experienced firsthand simply by reading books.

Liang Qu Qi Concealment his mind and saw Yang Dongxiong walk to the lakeside and stand still, his Qi and Blood completely contained.

If one did not know that Yang Dongxiong was Hunting Tiger Great Martial Master, an ordinary person might mistake him for a wiry old man.

"It's been a long time since I've used my full strength."

Yang Dongxiong placed his hand on the hilt of the knife, his five fingers clenched together, and took a deep breath.

Boom! The rolling grass swayed violently, finally unable to hold on, and was torn in half, floating in mid-air.

Whoosh! The broken grass that had flown into the air was pressed back to the ground, and billowing dust spread out. All the plants were neatly pressed down, and the entire ground seemed to sink several inches out of thin air.

Yang Dongxiong exhaled Long Qi, slumped his shoulders and elbows, took a step forward, and cleared away all distracting thoughts.

The sound of muscles and bones rubbing and twisting was like muffled thunder, and the surging and boiling blood resembled a raging storm.

Even though they were a hundred meters apart, the oppressive feeling was still overwhelming!

The long sword was drawn, its cold light urging forth.

Clang!

A solid, Black Gold blade of light slowly flew out from the blade, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes swift, sometimes gentle, and an indescribable tremor suddenly rose in Liang Qu's heart.

Birds within a radius of several miles took flight in fright, and burrowing ground squirrels hastily abandoned their stored grain. Even horses tied to tree trunks just two miles away neighed in fear.

Inside the simple "palace," the sleeping Sturgeon King was awakened by the terrifying aura and tried to escape by flicking its tail, but it was too late.

The blade rang out and arrived in an instant, accompanied by Gang Wind that pierced through the air and the lake surface, cutting through and slicing through everything, almost cleaving the entire lake in two.

Liang Qu clearly saw a building that looked like a pile of rubble, but still resembled a "palace" appear in the center of the lake. In the blink of an eye, the flying blade shattered the "roof" and cleaved straight into it.

The palace, built of rubble, collapsed, and an equally powerful aura rose from the lake—it was a colossal sturgeon over sixty meters long! The sturgeon had a gaping wound several meters wide on its side, from which blood gushed.

"There really is a demon!"

Liang Qu's eyes shone brightly; his guess had indeed been correct.

If there are Spirit Monster guarding the gate and they live in harmony, there must be a powerful force suppressing them!

Sixty meters long, twice the size of the blue whale, the largest creature in my previous life! Its body is covered with five rows of bony plates, like armor, and its entire body is as heavy as glue, making it difficult for ordinary people to breathe when they look at it.

If the fishermen of Yi Xing City saw this, they might shout "Dragon King!" and hold another River God Sacrifice.

Such Sturgeon Fish Demon must have large tendons on its body.

Sturgeon Dragon Tendon are said to enhance the natural talents of young children, strengthen the muscles and bones of martial artists, and nourish the marrow of the elderly, boosting vitality and extending lifespan! How could such a treasure not be tempting?

Moreover, the entire lake is only a little over half a mile in size, which is extremely small compared to the territory ruled by ordinary demons; it is practically a cramped dwelling.

Why would a skilled Hunting Tiger choose to live in a cave?

There must be an even bigger secret!

Enraged to be ambushed and slashed in his sleep, the Sturgeon King unleashed a torrent of shockwaves with a flick of its long tail, causing the earth to crack and the lake water to surge forth like a tsunami.

Seeing that the visitor was actually on the shore, they immediately changed their strategy and turned to flee into the water.

"What a clever beast!"

Yang Dongxiong laughed loudly, and the trees on the shore were shaken and their branches were broken.

As Xu Shi grew older, she needed the sturgeon tendons to nourish her body. Did she ask the knife in his hand before she tried to escape?

Yang Dongxiong flipped his wrist and spun his blade, his powerful Qi and Blood surging into the sky. In the blink of an eye, he slashed out several more times, the blade shadows condensing and the blade beams intertwining, converging together as if a fishing net had been cast out of thin air.

Countless sharp points pressed down, causing the entire lake level to drop abruptly, and endless lake water poured back into the river, creating a roar like a tidal wave.

The wind was so strong it could cut your face, and even Liang Qu's eardrums would be torn apart.

The water level of the entire lake dropped by tens of meters, and in the very center it dropped by nearly a hundred meters, completely exposing the entire chaotic stone palace to the air.

Without water to obstruct its path, the blade's edge became even sharper. The Sturgeon King's prized carapace offered no protection whatsoever, and its entire body was ripped open with several wounds that exposed bone.

Blood mingled with the lake water, causing excruciating pain. The four whiskers, like sharp whips, lashed the air, emitting sharp whistles.

A large amount of lake water flowed into the river through the lake mouth, turning into two surging waves that rushed towards both sides of the river.

Yu Dun, Lu Gang, Xu Zishuai knew the time was right, so they worked together and used all their strength to blast the lake mouth down.

Mud and rocks poured in from both sides, resembling earthen dragons turning over, forming an obstacle.

Subsequently, with the continuous reinforcement by the three, a simple embankment higher than the river surface was quickly built.

The water that flowed into the river could not be returned, and the water level dropped to less than half of its original level.

A large number of small fish were minced into meat, which turned into Blood Water and mixed with the lake water.

Liang Qu also saw several Spirit Monster with their white bellies up, hopping around in the "square" in front of the palace.

Even the area around his feet was soaked by the lake water, and much of the water flowed back into the lake before it could seep into the ground.

White water, like a curtain, flowed down from the edge of the entire lake pit, making Liang Qu feel as if he were standing at a waterfall viewpoint.

This can be considered a change in terrain, right?

Sturgeon King looked at the almost empty waters around it, its body suddenly changed, and it grew four limbs!

With the lake mouth blocked, it tried to escape to land! Demonization human! Liang Qu hadn't expected the Sturgeon King to be able to do something like this.

When Spirit Monster spirit reaches the level of a demon, it is possible for it to transform into human form, but usually only Great Demon can transform freely, and there are very few examples of ordinary demons being able to do so.

This transformation isn't like the handsome men and beautiful women in novels; that's completely meaningless. Who would want to become another species? For love?

Demons view humans as humans view cats and dogs; they may find them cute, but they would never want to become one of their kind and seek pleasure with them.

Except for a very few individuals and demons.

The reason for this is strength.

The Great Demon that transforms into a human grows limbs and gains the advantage of hands and feet, but does not have a human appearance at all.

Demons are not born with intelligence; rather, their intelligence is naturally acquired after transcending the mundane, which means they are destined to lack sociality.

It is extremely difficult for those without social attributes to develop advanced intelligence, just like the so-called "wolf children" of the past.

Raised by wolves from a young age and not raised in society, its genes are no different from those of ordinary people, but its intelligence level is no different from that of wild animals.

It is said that there is Demon Court at the bottom of the Jianghuai Rivers, where Great Demon exchange goods and resources, forming a rudimentary society.

Besides, most demons are unable to accumulate the experience of their predecessors, let alone create a martial arts system, and fight solely with their physical bodies.

Some intelligent Demon Beast will choose to develop limbs, learn human martial arts, and use weapons in order to increase their strength and at the same time try to break free from the constraints of water and have more ways to survive.

Unfortunately, the Sturgeon King in front of us is far from being good enough.

Even Liang Qu could see that it had absolutely no combat experience outside of water. If it were to sprout limbs, it would only look awkward and foolish.

Yang Dongxiong leaped into the lake, his blade unstoppable.

In the Jianghuai Marshlands, the Sturgeon King, with its advantage in the water, makes the outcome uncertain, but here, the result was predetermined.

This is a hunt, not a duel.

Tathagata the eagle eating a snake that we saw on the way here.

Blood splattered everywhere, and the huge limbs were severed at the root.

The Sturgeon King can't hold on any longer! Time to heat up the oil!