Unprovoked Malice

What difference does a little bit of Favorability make? Liang Qu jumped into the water with anticipation, but he didn't expect to experience any benefits. As soon as he entered the water, an uncomfortable feeling of unease welled up in his heart.

It felt as if someone had pressed a fine needle against my forehead, causing a strange stinging pain.

What's going on? How come the entire Jiang Huai River seems to be hostile towards me now that I've gained Favorability? Liang Qu walked back to the boat on the water, and the pricking sensation between his brows finally dissipated.

It went back into the water, and there it was again.

He was a little confused. He looked at the Fat Catfish and the Cannot Move beasts beside him and asked them if they also felt the malice in the water and felt uncomfortable.

The beasts looked at each other and shook their heads.

Only the Fat Catfish raised its body and patted its side with its fin, where it had just been kicked and was Cannot Move, leaving some claw marks, indicating that it was uncomfortable there.

Liang Qu resisted the urge to kick him again.

Communicate with Ze Cauldron within the Sea of Consciousness.

[Cauldron Master: Liang Qu]

[Refine Marsh Spirit: Marsh Ape (Azure) (Fusion Rate: 28.5%)]

[Marsh Spirit's Favor: First Level of Martial Dao Divinity (River Master Emperor); Ying Long Mark: First Level; Tian Wu: First Level]

[Innate Skills: Water Leap, Water Breathing, Water Prison, Soaring Water Riding Waves, Intimidation]

[Marsh Essence: 2500 points]

River's Favor: 1.0001

You read that right.

The Favorability is slightly above one point; it's a positive number, not a negative one.

Where did this malice come from? Liang Qu frowned.

He has always had a hunch about the Favorability, suggesting that it is more of a privilege or authority.

As his Favorability increased, his relationship with the Jiang Huai River became closer, just as Jiang Huai River opened his arms to him, making it easier and more comfortable for him to Water Control and move around.

This was something he had tested repeatedly, and Liang Qu even suspected that the Favorability could improve his luck in the water.

There's no reason why increased Favorability should turn into malice towards him.

Unless the malice didn't originate from the Jiang Huai River...

Who else could it be? Liang Qu suddenly thought of that undercurrent that could freely move between Deep Water Area and Shallow Water Area waters.

The Demon Court, which existed long ago, also seemed to have some control over the Jiang Huai River.

Back then, the true dragon still existed; now...

Could it be that Flood Dragon? The more Liang Qu thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

The fact that he could sense the presence of malice in the the Unseen was extraordinary, so naturally he would try to target a few individuals with high combat power.

Currently, the strongest Great Marsh in the entire swamp is the Flood Dragon, and perhaps only it has the ability to make people feel malice as soon as they enter the water.

Is he being targeted by Flood Dragon? Why?

Liang Qu is beyond comprehension.

The emergence of conflict inevitably involves issues of interest. When did I infringe upon the interests of the Flood Dragon?

Can it also gain Favorability?

Or perhaps his Favorability had affected something else? He had been in the water the whole time; could the Flood Dragon sense his location? Liang Qu paced back and forth at the bow of the boat.

The entire Great Marsh was practically his Treasure Vault, and thanks to this Treasure Vault, Liang Qu's cultivation resources were almost never lacking.

"One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand soldiers." Climbing up from the bottom is not so easy. Others work hard to complete tasks, save money, buy elixirs, and fight with others for fortuitous opportunity. Let alone Galloping Horse, they have to go through countless life-and-death crises in the Four Gates of Skin, Flesh, Bone, and Blood.

All he had to do was wait for the beasts to deliver the goods to his door. With the vast Blue Sea of Great Marsh behind him and his Master providing him with Cultivation Method techniques, he could accomplish in a year what others took more than ten years to achieve.

The only time it could be described as dangerous was when he fought the Crab Monster.

That time, the Whale Gang's performance was nothing compared to that one, where they had the upper hand.

Liang Qu pondered deeply, then suddenly turned his gaze to the Fat Catfish. The Fat Catfish turned its head to look behind it and found that there were no fish behind it.

If it really is the work of Flood Dragon, wouldn't the Toad know what's going on? After all, it's a top-tier Great Demon.

"A Fei, I have a very difficult task for you!"

The Fat Catfish looked left and right, then plunged into the dark current carrying a large iron anchor on its back.

After a dizzying spin, the Fat Catfish crashed to the ground. Before it could even look around, its head sank heavily.

A huge iron anchor struck its head.

The Fat Catfish used the rocks to get up, found the anchor on the ground, picked it up, and slammed it hard onto the ground.

After falling twice, it finally picked up the anchor and headed to the Toad's nest, only to find that the Toad was not home.

Inside the cave, dark brown vines stretched out menacingly, and the Fat Catfish dared not approach, only clinging to the anchor and shrinking at the entrance.

"Not here?"

Liang Qu's eyes flashed upon receiving the message from Fat Catfish.

"A Fei, when the Toad comes back, ask it where it went first."

The Fat Catfish took several hours to arrive.

A dark shadow shot in from a distance and landed heavily on the ground.

The raging tide surged in all directions, and the entire underwater world was like a gale of force eight. The Fat Catfish clung tightly to the anchor, plowing out dozens of meters of land.

The Toad finally noticed the Fat Catfish at its feet.

"Little Brother?"

When the water flow stopped, the Fat Catfish quickly picked up the anchor and gave it to the Toad.

The anchor's unusual shape immediately piqued the Toad's interest.

What is this?

The Fat Catfish bit the anchor and slammed it to the ground. It then began to swim, dragging the Great Anchor with it. The entire anchor sank into the sand and gravel, getting deeper and deeper until it could no longer be pulled out, after which it began to wave its fins.

"A new type of anchor?"

The Toad used its webbed feet to pick up the palm-sized iron anchor, and the more it looked at it, the more beautiful its shape seemed.

It planted the Great Anchor in the ground, dragged it for a while, and the resistance indeed became greater and greater, until finally the entire Great Anchor sank into the soil.

The Toad pulled hard, lifting up an entire patch of ground.

This thing seems perfect for making a weapon? It's just too small, and the materials aren't very good.

After a chaotic dance, the Toad imagined himself carrying a Great Anchor as a weapon, and immediately puffed out his chest.

Seeing his elder brother amusing himself, the Fat Catfish didn't forget his mission and hurriedly inquired about the Toad's previous whereabouts.

"I?"

The Toad sighed, returned to its cave, lay down on the Fire Bird's feathers, Erlang, and twirled the Great Anchor in its hand.

"I don't know what's gotten into that Long Insect today. It summoned a few of us and said it wanted to kill a thief. We don't know if the thief is human or demon, or where it is exactly. It only says that it's in the south, and it might even be on the shore."

The Toad pursed its lips.

South?

That's too broad a scope.

The Long Insect's tone suggested it wished they could sweep all the way south and onto the Shang An, killing anyone in their path.

Died young.

If they really Shang An and incur public wrath, human Martial Master are not easy to deal with; they could easily lose their lives if they're not careful.

"If it is the true dragon who gives the order, I will have to think about it. As for the Long Insect, let whoever wants to go go."

"Occupying the Dragon Palace yourself and expecting other demons to risk their lives for you is no better than finding Mirage Worm to inhale some white smoke and have a good dream."

The Fat Catfish, not understanding the situation, simply relayed the Toad's words back to the catfish.

On the other side, Liang Qu's eyes lit up.

It really was that Flood Dragon!

Fortunately, it could only vaguely sense its location, so Liang Qu was safe for the time being.

But why can I sense such targeted malice while others can't? Isn't it because it doesn't know its target? "Could it be due to the degree of Favorability? Is the Jiang Huai River reminding me? The cicada senses the autumn wind before it even blows?"

Liang Qu was perplexed by too many things.

The Great Demon beneath the Great Marsh are so closely connected. The Toad seems to be related to the previous True Dragon. Could it be one of the four generals under the True Dragon? Liang Qu recalled what the Old Giant Clam had said: outside the Dragon Court, there are four palaces, inhabited by four top-tier Great Demon.

The battle between the Toad and the Fire Bird, which altered the celestial phenomena, was already quite awe-inspiring. Now, it seems the Toad might be even more powerful.

Bottom of the water.

The anchor broke the current and sank to the bottom of the river.

"Little Brother, wait a minute."

The Toad rummaged through its pile of junk and found a large seashell, the very one that had once imprisoned the Fat Catfish. It really liked the anchor that had been delivered this time and couldn't let its Little Brother suffer a loss.

What if he doesn't come back? "Here, take this."

The Toad pulled a small, golden fish from the shell and handed it to the Fat Catfish.