Yin-Congealing Wonder Bamboo, Water Ape Reinforcements

Splash!

The waves surged and roared.

Mist blanketed both banks, casting everything in gloom. Though it was already noon, the sunlight was shut out beyond the dense fog.

With the shadowy forests lining both shores, this place seemed like a realm of ghosts.

At that moment, a large boat bearing cyan sails was breaking through layer after layer of fog as it slowly advanced.

"This stretch of water is called Lockmist Ferry. Its terrain is unique, and the mist never disperses all year round."

"Though sunlight was not seen here even in the past, there used to be lantern-lit ferries on both sides, with merchant vessels and travelers coming and going. It was quite prosperous. But once the demon calamity began, the place immediately fell into ruin and became so eerie."

On the boat, Uncle Yuan pointed toward the riverbanks as he explained to Lu Xuan and the others, his voice tinged with emotion.

In truth, there was no need for Uncle Yuan to say anything. Lu Xuan and the others had already seen the ruins of small docks along both banks, as well as streaks of long-dried blood.

"Could there be some treasure here? Why else would such a place have so many docks built?"

Zhan Qingyang asked curiously.

"In reply to the Mystic Warriors, though Lockmist Ferry carries rather heavy yin energy, it is also exceptionally suitable for yin-aspected spiritual objects to grow—especially Yin-Congealing Bamboo. This plant grows quite quickly and in great quantities, so every household made a living gathering Yin-Congealing Bamboo and selling it to passing merchants. These docks were built to facilitate trade."

"In the past, whenever I passed through here by boat, I would bring back several hundred jin. Even after deducting the spiritual material tax paid to the Immortal Cult, I could still make double the profit."

Zhan Qingyang shook his head and sighed, clearly regretting the loss of this business.

"Now that a demon calamity has arisen here, where did the original residents go? Could it be..."

Zhan Qingyang looked at the bloodstains on the splinter-strewn ruins and asked solemnly.

Uncle Yuan immediately smiled. "Mystic Warriors, rest assured. Those who could sell Yin-Congealing Bamboo were all cultivators. Though their cultivation was not high and they were not much good at fighting, they still had a few tricks up their sleeves. Most fled amid the chaos."

"Only... there must have been some unlucky ones."

As he said this, Uncle Yuan could not help but sigh.

"Since the cultivators fled and this place was abandoned, why did those demons remain instead of leaving?"

Zhang Xuange frowned and asked.

"The Demon Race is born with intelligence. They know good from evil and understand profit and harm, which is precisely why they are greedy."

"The cultivators around these docks fled for their lives in panic. Aside from a few valuables carried in storage bags, they certainly could not take everything else with them. That was no small stockpile of cultivation resources. How could those demons possibly let it go?"

"Besides, there are always those who do not fear death... and those who trust too greatly in their own strength."

Uncle Yuan shook his head, but then seemed to recall something. He hurriedly bowed, cold sweat appearing on his forehead again. "Of course, all of you Mystic Warriors possess peerless arts. Those vile Water Ape demons certainly will not escape."

Zhang Xuange naturally shook his head and repeatedly said it was nothing.

"Aaah!"

Splash, splash!

Just then, a miserable scream suddenly rang out ahead. River water churned violently, and even the fog trembled without cease.

"Four watch, four remain!"

Lu Xuan abruptly raised his head and looked ahead. Spiritual Sense surged forth. After leaving behind those words, he urged his Cloud Qi and vanished from where he stood.

The others reacted with equal speed.

Wei Zhixing, Ning Wanqing, and Zhan Qingyang immediately urged their Cloud Qi and followed close behind Lu Xuan. The other four remained aboard the Treasure-Gathering Boat, their Spiritual Sense spreading over the river as vigilance filled their eyes.

The scream had come from only several dozen zhang away. With a surge of Cloud Qi, Lu Xuan reached the scene in but an instant.

On the fog-shrouded riverbank stood a Water Ape roughly a zhang tall, with long, slender limbs and blue scales covering its entire body. It was dragging a black-clad man toward the river by its tail.

The man possessed Embryonic Breath Perfected Realm cultivation. A gray collar around his neck emitted a faint spiritual glow.

Yet the collar's glow was meant to conceal his aura, not defend against enemies.

The Water Ape's tail was like a steel whip, immensely powerful. It dragged the black-clad man relentlessly, crushing his bones and making him cough blood.

The Water Ape also held a bamboo basket woven from a special kind of green bamboo, within which spiritual light flickered.

Lu Xuan immediately understood. This was one of the "fearless of death" people Uncle Yuan had mentioned.

He must have been unwilling to abandon the treasures left behind in his home, so he had secretly returned to Lockmist Ferry to retrieve them, only to be intercepted by this Water Ape. His life now hung by a thread.

Boom!

At that moment, the Water Ape also spotted the streaks of escape light from Lu Xuan and the others. Surprise flickered in its eyes, but it reacted with extreme swiftness and immediately opened its mouth to spit.

In an instant, the mist over a hundred zhang of river surface was stirred into motion. The fog seemed to take on substance, blocking the group's sight.

The Water Ape seized the chance to leap forward, intending to dive into the water.

Bang!

Yet the once-rippling river surface became hard as steel in an instant. Even this Qi Refining First Layer Water Ape's demon body was left baring its fangs in pain after crashing into it.

But it could not spare any thought for the pain. It immediately sprang up, trying to find another stretch of river to enter.

Yet as it darted left and right, it discovered that at some unknown time, an invisible force had suppressed the entire river surface. It was as though molten iron had been poured over it, turning it solid; not even a single scale could enter the water.

It immediately panicked.

By then, four streams of Cloud Qi hovered in the air, surrounding it from every side.

One qi blazed bright as the sun; one glittered with brilliant radiance; one was dim and hazy; one was a clear breeze without shadow.

"Who are you people?!"

"I am of the Water Ape Demon Clan! This ferry has already been occupied by my clan. If you harm me, eighteen Qi Refining great demons will arrive in an instant to take your lives!"

Knowing that things had gone badly, the Water Ape immediately raised its head, looked at Lu Xuan and the other three, and spoke viciously.

"You are of the Water Ape race, born with intelligence, knowing good from evil and understanding propriety. Why do you still kill people, seize lives, and take their spiritual materials?"

Zhan Qingyang's expression turned stern as he asked coldly.

The Demon Race was not made up of Spirit Monsters, not a pack of muddleheaded, ignorant beings.

Demons were also living creatures with intelligence. They had clans and inheritances. Apart from their appearances and habits differing greatly from humankind, there was not much else that set them apart.

"When my Demon Race kills humans, it is as tigers kill humans, as humans kill chickens. It is the natural order. What reason is needed?!"

The Water Ape craned its neck and answered coldly, while the corner of its eye kept glancing toward the fog behind it.

Naturally, such small movements could not escape the group's notice, yet Lu Xuan and the others did not stop it.

Zhan Qingyang merely said flatly, "Chickens and tigers are creatures without spirit or intelligence. Their actions are governed wholly by instinct, and they know not the meaning of life and death. Are you the same?"

"Moreover, demons that take humans as their natural food do not exist in this world at all. If you keep arguing with that nonsense about tigers eating men, then I will disperse your intelligence right now and reduce you to a wild beast, so you may learn what instinct truly is!"

At those words, the Water Ape immediately shrank its neck. It could not help releasing the middle-aged man from its tail, then forced a smile.

"Why must you Mystic Warriors make things difficult for me?"

"My Demon Race has always been poor, lacking cultivation resources. Now that Tide-Listening Kingdom is in turmoil, this is precisely the best time for us to acquire such resources!"

"These minor Embryonic Breath cultivators merely rely on the two mu of spiritual fields left by their ancestors, yet they enjoy so many spiritual objects. Their virtue does not match their station at all!"

"I can see that your Mystic Warrior arts are profound. This little ape admires you deeply. How about I offer this basket of Yin-Congealing Wonder Bamboo to you all?"

"This Yin-Congealing Wonder Bamboo is a genuine second-rank spiritual object. It must grow in a yin cellar for a full eighteen years before it fully matures, and it cannot be placed in a storage bag. It is a rare treasure of Lockmist Ferry."

As it spoke, the Water Ape pushed the basket of spiritual bamboo across the water's surface and smiled ingratiatingly at them.

Lu Xuan and the others naturally said nothing. The Cloud Qi around them simply flickered endlessly, making them seem like divine beings amid the boundless fog, awe-inspiring to behold.

Sweat appeared upon the Water Ape's scales, and its heart trembled violently.

It feared that its life would be lost the very next moment, while the corner of its eye continued to dart toward the depths of the fog.

Splash, splash!

More than ten breaths passed like this before the sound of river water suddenly churning arose from deep within the fog.

The Water Ape's face immediately lit up with delight.

The reinforcements had arrived!