The great black fish fell silent.
Its body kept trembling from time to time, making Gu Qingshan and Leng Tianxing realize just how much pain it was enduring.
This was practically a death by a thousand cuts. Even a Demon Beast would find such punishment unbearable.
Seeing the two men grow more solemn, the boatman said, "Don't you dare pity it."
"Why?" Leng Tianxing asked.
"Heh, you can't tell, can you? This Demon Fish's cultivation has already reached Spirit Transformation Late Stage. It's almost on the verge of becoming a Saint," the boatman said with a grin.
The two were even more astonished.
A Demon Beast on the verge of becoming a Saint was being executed by a thousand cuts like this? How was that possible?
"But why would it—" Leng Tianxing couldn't help asking.
"Because it couldn't resist its appetite. In a single night, it swallowed five islands whole. Every living thing on those islands was devoured. Nearly a hundred thousand members of the Human Race alone," the boatman interrupted, sneering.
The boatman sliced off the fish meat piece by piece with a small knife and continued, "In a fit of rage, the Immortal Venerable captured it and sealed its cultivation. It must endure a hundred thousand cuts before it can be reborn."
The last piece of flesh was sliced away. Aside from its head, all that remained of the fish was a crystal-clear skeleton.
The boatman wiped his hands and said, "This is only the seven thousand three hundred and fifty-first time. It still has a long way to go before it reaches a hundred thousand."
As he spoke, he swung his arm and tossed the whole fish into the river.
The fish skeleton swam across the surface for a while, then silently sank beneath the water.
Leng