A Demon Dwells in the Abyssal Abyss...

"Hmm? What was this..."

Zhu Yu's thoughts stirred. He drove Spiritual Power beneath his feet and lightly stamped down. A surging force burst forth, churning the soil as a palm-sized, yellowed cloth pouch fell into his hand.

"Hmm? I couldn't sense it at all!"

Within the range of his Divine Sense, the pouch in his hand seemed not to exist. It was truly miraculous. Perhaps that was precisely why the law enforcement disciples had failed to find it.

A flicker of delight surfaced in Zhu Yu's eyes. Without opening it to inspect it, he tucked it into his sleeve, leveled the pit, then stirred the Resentful Soul Pool with Spiritual Power to capture Ghost-Faced Fish.

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The pool water churned. Driven by layer upon layer of waves, black shadows frantically swam and fled, quickly forced into a corner as their space to move grew smaller and smaller.

Splash...

A Ghost-Faced Fish nearly two meters long could endure no longer. It leaped high from the pool, attempting to escape the encirclement of the waves, but the instant it sprang into the air, an inexplicable force swept over it.

The Ghost-Faced Fish could still struggle in the water, but in midair, it had nowhere to borrow strength from. Its body writhed as it was swept onto the shore.

Bang...

Zhu Yu lightly slapped the endlessly thrashing Ghost-Faced Fish on the head. Spiritual Power pulsed from his palm, stunning the half-spirit fish. Without lingering, he picked it up and turned to leave.

Beyond the rolling black mist.

Two icy gazes swept over him.

Zhu Yu nodded politely. As he approached the pair, he sensed two overbearing Divine Senses sweep over him without the slightest courtesy, and his brows furrowed.

Perhaps finding nothing amiss, the law enforcement disciples withdrew their Divine Senses and turned to enter the black mist.

"Tch, how tyrannical..."

Zhu Yu looked back at the two of them, raised a hand to call Little Black, who was curled up not far away in a corner, then headed back toward his own Corpse Field.

Along the way.

He lifted the unconscious Ghost-Faced Carp and stared at it.

[Target: Ghost-Faced Carp Hatchling]

[Race: Ghost-Faced Carp]

[Unranked: 87%]

[Talent: Hard Scales.]

[Status: Unconscious.]

"Fifty Spirit Stones. I wonder what it tastes like..."

It was not that Zhu Yu did not want to sell it, but the Market was too far away. A round trip would take at least half a day. Besides, the Ghost-Faced Fish had not entered a rank yet, so he did not know whether it would sell well.

If he delayed any longer, it would no longer be worth it.

He made his way back to the earthen hill.

Zhu Yu entered the house and fetched a kitchen knife, then went to the well behind the wooden cabin. With practiced movements, he chopped off the head and tail, drained the blood, scraped away the scales, removed the innards, and placed the scraps in a bowl to feed Little Black beside him.

After giving it a simple wash, he returned to the kitchen.

Wisps of cooking smoke rose. The crackling of frying oil sounded from inside the house, and before long, an enticing fragrance drifted out.

Beneath the shadow of a Yin Wood not far from the wooden cabin.

A man and a woman exchanged a glance. Their figures moved like ghosts, and after several flickers, they descended the earthen hill and slowly left along the path.

At the hilltop.

"Still, he was cautious... I'll have to be more careful in the future..."

Zhu Yu stood before the second-floor window, gazing into the distance. He vaguely saw two figures gradually vanish into the darkness.

He had faintly sensed someone watching nearby halfway through the journey. That was why, after returning to the hill, he had not taken out the pouch that could conceal itself from Divine Sense, instead directly slaughtering the Ghost-Faced Fish.

Sure enough, his premonition had been right.

Perhaps because he had been the last person to leave the Resentful Soul Pool, the two law enforcement disciples had harbored suspicions and concealed themselves as they followed him to the hilltop.

Zhu Yu sighed inwardly. It would be nice if I had an array...

Arrays could warn and defend, and could even keep enemies at bay. They were simply too expensive. At the Market, hiring an array master to set up the most basic warning array would cost three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones.

The price at Treasures of the World was even higher—five hundred Spirit Stones.

Withdrawing his gaze, Zhu Yu still did not take out the cloth pouch to inspect it. He sat cross-legged and meditated for a while. When he felt the Ghost-Faced Fish stew was nearly ready, he rose and went downstairs.

The kitchen.

When he lifted the pot lid, steam billowed up. Milky-white broth rolled and boiled, and the simply cooked Ghost-Faced Fish filled an entire large pot. A rich fragrance rushed straight at him.

Seeing this.

Zhu Yu immediately fetched a bowl and chopsticks and began eating straight from the pot.

Though the Ghost-Faced Fish looked ugly and strange, its flesh was exceptionally delicious. Once swallowed, wisps of cool energy flowed into his mind.

He did not know whether it was an illusion, but he felt more energetic the more he ate, as though he had consumed some great tonic...

"Does this strengthen the soul? ..."

Surprise flashed in Zhu Yu's eyes. His chopsticks moved even faster as chunks of chewy, delicious fish entered his mouth. Wisps of cool energy flowed into his mind, and his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

And at that moment.

On a patch of barren land ten miles away.

A man and a woman stood side by side.

Before them, a curtain of light materialized. Within it were not only the reflected image of Zhu Yu eating fish, but also Bai Meng's group entering the Resentful Soul Pool.

After several breaths of silence.

The man said, "It seems Qi Yuanwu didn't leave that inheritance behind."

"Let it be. It was merely some wild inheritance of unknown origin. Judging by that person's condition, it seems there may be lingering consequences."

The woman's expression remained calm. She nodded and said, "If we keep monitoring him, some people will be displeased."

"Alright."

The man nodded. With a sweep of his sleeve, the curtain of light silently transformed into specks of radiance and dispersed.

Without lingering, the pair's figures flickered and melted into the darkness.

At the same time.

Not far outside the wooden cabins where Zhu Yu and the others lived, specks of light flashed for an instant before vanishing without a trace.

"Phew..."

Zhu Yu patted his stomach and let out a satisfied breath.

Before him, the pot once brimming with Ghost-Faced Fish meat held only fish broth and bones.

"The bones and spines have some effect too. I'll save them for Little Black tomorrow..."

Zhu Yu smiled and turned to leave.

The second floor.

Sitting cross-legged on the soft couch, Zhu Yu took the pouch that could evade Divine Sense from his sleeve. He did not rush to open it, instead bringing it close to inspect it carefully.

He did not know what material it was made of. It was dark gold in color, woven from fine threads, with a strange beast embroidered in pale blue thread on its surface—a creature with a dragon-like head and a fish-like body.

"What a pity it's too small. If it could conceal a person's body, it truly would be a rare treasure..."

Zhu Yu shook his head slightly and looked at the cord tying the pouch shut. He carefully untied it. There was no imagined internal space; its interior was just as small as its exterior appeared.

And at the bottom of the pouch.

There lay a piece of jade as large as an infant's fist, entirely deep blue, identical to the strange beast embroidered on the pouch.

"This was... an Inheritance Jade Slip!"

The thought flashed through Zhu Yu's mind. In a daze, a roar like a bull's bellow rang out in his head. Then, before his eyes, the strange beast jade trembled once and came alive...

Its fish tail swayed as it floated into the air.

Zhu Yu's pupils met a brilliant golden vertical eye. Soundlessly, streams of information poured into his mind like a babbling brook.

"A demon dwells in the Abyssal Abyss, its head like a dragon's, its eyes like crimson candles..."

[Warning, under invasion by an unfamiliar will...]

[Warning, under invasion by an unfamiliar will...]

[Information being recorded... Recorded...]

Roar...

The instant the information appeared, the spiritual light in the strange beast's golden vertical eye abruptly dimmed. Cracks emerged across its surface and slowly spread over its entire body. With a low roar, it silently turned into specks of firefly light and scattered away.

Boom...

Zhu Yu felt the world go dark for an instant, followed immediately by a blinding flash. The next moment, the cloth pouch appeared before him again, along with what lay at its bottom...

Hmm? Crushed stones...?

Where was my enormous Inheritance Jade Slip?