Reunion

"Fall back!"

Shen Luo cried out in alarm. He grabbed Xie Yuxin beside him, and moonlight flared around his feet as he shot backward with incredible speed.

Two black tentacles brushed past them, caught nothing, and slammed into the ground.

Boom! Boom! Two pits nearly ten feet deep appeared where they struck.

Horrified, Shen Luo dared not stop. He kept retreating at full speed.

White light flashed around Lu Huaming nearby. He, too, withdrew in time and escaped the tentacles.

The river churned, and a black monster as large as a hill emerged.

It resembled an octopus, with dozens of enormous tentacles thrashing wildly. Great waves rose across the river as though it were the sea. Two scarlet eyes between its tentacles fixed on the three people on shore, brimming with bloodlust.

A chill ran through all three at the sight of the terrifying beast.

Had they been a step slower, its tentacles would have dragged them into the river. They would never have survived.

Shen Luo had the Pure Yang Sword Embryo and Red Lotus Karmic Fire, yet he had no confidence he could defeat a beast like this.

The enormous river monster only growled from the water. It did not come ashore to pursue them.

The Nethercold Yin Aura from other parts of the river slowly drifted over. The octopus monster roared at the three of them in frustration, then sank back into the river and soon vanished.

"It seems the monster can't come ashore, and it fears the Nethercold Yin Aura. It only emerged because we cleared the aura from this stretch," Lu Huaming said.

"Then we should stop collecting it. Otherwise, the monster may come out again," Xie Yuxin said.

"I don't think we need to. The river is wide. If we stay alert and don't