Fish Demon

The demon beasts were simply too numerous. No sooner had the Golden Light Formation carved out an escape corridor than the opening already showed signs of closing back up. Standing atop a mountain peak and witnessing this scene, the leopard demon stood dumbfounded. It felt deeply guilty and rattled, never expecting the Golden Light Formation to be so terrifying. Because it had insisted on breaking the formation to search for the person, the demon beasts had suffered catastrophic losses. When those Transformation stage great demons returned, they would surely be furious and vent their rage upon it. *Once I get my hands on it, I must return to my tribe and hide for several centuries,* the leopard demon resolved inwardly. Beside it, the crane demon and a flying fish demon were even more beside themselves with fury. Watching their subordinates being engulfed by the golden light made their hearts bleed. At the same time, waves of cold dread washed over them, and they inwardly rejoiced that they had not been at the front line. “I think I saw that fellow Six Eyes. He was caught in the golden light's grinding fury—half his body was shattered. I don’t know if he survived...” The flying fish demon fluttered two long fins, its gaze uneasy and its tone hesitant. “I don’t know if the one I saw was Red Tail’s true body. He had it even worse than Six Eyes—submerged directly in the golden light, dead on the spot without a single bone left. His Majesty favored Red Tail above all. How am I supposed to answer to him!” The crane demon’s voice was shrill, its furious glare fixed on the leopard demon as if eager to swallow it whole. “If you had no designs on these humans yourselves, could this general have forced you? Everything we seize will belong entirely to you, and this general doesn't mind shouldering the demon king's wrath on your behalf. But you must find that man for me!” The leopard demon sneered, seizing the initiative as it leaped up and dashed down the mountain. “What are you two waiting for? The golden light is already spent. Hurry back and find that person! As long as we capture him, the Flood Dragon King will be overjoyed and will surely reward us lavishly. Your kings will benefit as well and definitely won't punish you.” The crane demon and the flying fish demon exchanged glances, their expressions sheepish, before splitting up and charging down the mountain to search. The leopard demon plunged into the horde of beasts, heading straight for the cultivators who had broken through, its nostrils flaring as it sniffed the air. After a fruitless search, just as the leopard demon was growing irritable and anxious, the crane demon came flying swiftly toward it. “The scent of that man's companions has been detected to the north! That group is formidable, with many experts! Flying Fish has already led the subordinates to entangle them.” The leopard demon’s eyes lit up brightly, and it asked urgently, “Is that man among them?” “We didn't detect his scent,” the crane demon said, shaking its head. The leopard demon hesitated for a moment before deciding, “Gather our forces at once. We'll capture his companions first. Keep your wits about you—on no account get targeted by a human Nascent Soul.” At the thought of a human Nascent Soul cultivator, fear flashed through the crane demon’s eyes. It reined in its escape light and flew off in another direction to summon subordinates. The leopard demon, meanwhile, immediately shot toward the direction the crane demon had come from. At that exact moment. Trapped amidst the beast tide, Qin Sang was confronting an eccentric fish demon, his heart filled with silent urgency. This fish demon possessed the head of a fish, but had four limbs like a human and walked upright, dragging a long, slender fish tail behind it. Its eyes were bright and agile, clearly possessing high intelligence. The instant the formation was broken, Qin Sang had been among the first to dash out of the city, following closely behind the golden light in the breakout. With the golden light paving the way, Qin Sang had only needed to gallop at full speed. He quickly flew past the outer boundaries of Yuheng Island, and barring any accidents, he should have smoothly broken out of the beast tide. Yet an accident had occurred nonetheless. Just as Qin Sang was fleeing with all his might, he had been completely unaware that this fish demon had targeted him. Had it not been for his vigilant nature—consistently having the Heavenly Eye Butterfly stand guard—and promptly detecting the fish demon lurking beneath the water’s surface to ambush him, he likely would have suffered an injury already. What infuriated Qin Sang was that while he had chosen not to pursue the fish demon for the ambush, the demon had no intention of letting him go, blocking his path ahead. The fish demon stood on the water's surface, its tail lazily splashing droplets. A long, narrow wound stretched across its body, and a large swathe of flesh—from its left arm through its chest and belly—was completely gone, likely caused by a graze from the Golden Light Formation. Yet despite being severely wounded, the fish demon's arrogance remained overweening. “Hand over all the treasures on your person to this king, and this king will spare your life!” The fish demon’s gaze was greedy as it stared at the storage bag at Qin Sang’s waist, speaking in human tongue. It believed only a fraction of the leopard demon’s drivel, but was convinced Qin Sang had an extraordinary treasure on him; otherwise, the leopard demon wouldn’t be fussing about so desperately. If he truly was the person wanted by the Flood Dragon King, the treasures he carried would be even more extraordinary. Therefore, once it discovered Qin Sang, it had immediately summoned its trusted subordinates, without the slightest intention of contacting the leopard demon. *A great demon that has consumed Emperor Flowing Dew!* Qin Sang’s heart sank. The strength of this fish demon was probably no weaker than that of the body cultivator he had encountered outside the Hall of Seven Kills. Even with its injuries, it would be extremely difficult to deal with. What alarmed him even more was that several powerful auras were rapidly approaching from the distance, clearly reinforcements summoned by the fish demon. Once trapped in a siege by great demons, he would truly have no wings to escape. Fortunately, he too was far from the person he once was. Under such circumstances, not a single second could be wasted. Without uttering a word, Qin Sang forcefully hurled the Primordial Concentric Rings toward the fish demon. The fish demon flicked its long tail, whipping up a water column several tens of feet high to clash against the Primordial Concentric Rings as a probe. Unexpectedly, a flash of light burst forth, and a two-headed hou leaped out from within. Its vertical pupils unleashed a tempest, shredding the water column in the blink of an eye before pouncing toward the fish demon. “With cultivation like yours, you actually resign yourself to being enslaved by a human? Shameless!” The fish demon was startled, then flew into a towering rage. It cursed the two-headed hou while attempting to lure it with benefits. “Quickly help me capture and kill this man! I will report your merit to the king, and he will bestow Emperor Flowing Dew to help you transform all the sooner!” The two-headed hou wore a helpless expression, thinking to itself that if not for the restricting ring bound to it, it would have fled long ago—why would it willingly endure such hardship? Turning a deaf ear, the two-headed hou pressed on. Qin Sang also arrived on his flying sword. With a wave of his hand, Nine Nether Demonic Fire transformed into a thread of flame, shooting straight toward the fish demon’s wound. Sensing the eerie nature of the Nine Nether Demonic Fire, the fish demon’s heart tightened. Not daring to let the demonic fire close in, it found itself outmatched under the pincer attack of man and demon, inwardly crying out in dismay. The fish demon cursed and coaxed the two-headed hou unceasingly, but rather than inciting the hou to turn traitor, it merely provoked its ferocity. The situation appeared favorable, but Qin Sang knew full well that now was not the time for a drawn-out struggle. Those powerful auras were drawing closer and closer; he could delay no further and had to make a swift, decisive move. At this thought, Qin Sang cast a cold glance at the fish demon. Catching the exact moment it dodged the demonic fire, he hesitated no longer and unleashed his greatest trump card—the Star Conch. *Whoosh!* A treasure radiance flared abruptly, its astonishing momentum striking terror into the fish demon. “What is this...” Panic filled the fish demon’s face, and it let out a shriek. The Star Conch closed in on its eyes in an instant. The fish demon finally saw clearly that this was precisely the conch-shaped magic treasure the leopard demon had conjured back then—yet the leopard demon had never warned them that its power was so terrifying! By this point, it had no time to denounce the leopard demon. The Star Conch expanded rapidly before its eyes. The fish demon’s pupils shrank. A whirlpool formed beneath its feet, and it lowered its body to flee into the vortex, while the scales across its body shimmered with blue light like armor. Moving in seamless coordination, the two-headed hou and Qin Sang instantly lunged forward to cut off the fish demon's escape. *Boom!* The Star Conch struck the fish demon dead-center on its right chest. The scales upon its body were pierced straight through by the Star Conch, and the entire right side of its torso nearly blasted apart. The fish demon’s agonizing shriek made the surrounding demon beasts instinctively tuck their tails in terror.