"D-don't eat me! I'll fight you to the death!"
Seeing that things were going badly, Fake Daoist swung the hook and rope in his hand with all his strength, gouging a wound into the colossal creature.
Only then did he get a clear look at the monster's full appearance.
It had the head of a catfish, but a pair of curved horns sprouted from it. Its body had no scales, and its two enormous whiskers were more nimble than the hook and rope.
Fake Daoist's attack enraged the Catfish Demon. It opened its gaping maw and let out a terrifying, low growl. Then its two whiskers shot straight out like steel bars, piercing right through Fake Daoist's chest.
Fake Daoist's eyes widened, and his head drooped lifelessly. The Catfish Demon flicked its long whiskers, opened its jaws, and swallowed Fake Daoist's corpse whole.
The entire process unfolded as smoothly as flowing water. A First-class expert had managed to leave the Catfish Demon with nothing more than a small wound.
After swallowing Fake Daoist, the Catfish Demon seemed satisfied and was about to sink back down.
That was when Ye Kang moved.
He shot forward. With Flying Swallow Ascending Cloud at Great Perfection, he lightly tapped the water as if walking on level ground, and in the blink of an eye, he had charged to the middle of the lake.
The Catfish Demon turned its head. Its huge, blood-red eyes fixed on Ye Kang, filled with confusion.
It seemed to be thinking, What's with this food? Why is it bringing itself right to my plate?
Having tasted human flesh, the Catfish Demon naturally wouldn't pass up such a delicacy. It opened its mouth, and its two whiskers shot out again, lashing toward Ye Kang.
But Ye Kang was no Fake Daoist.