123: Chapter 123 Slaying the Fish King, the Spirit Eye!

Finally, under the illumination of the Formation's light, several blurry black shadows broke through the water surface and rushed rapidly into the cave!

Fish? No!

They were several strange fish, pitch-black all over, covered in fine scales, with flat heads, mouths full of dense fangs, and over a zhang in length!

The strange fish had scarlet eyes and radiated a brutal, violent aura; they had shockingly all reached the Early Stage Tier 3!

What was even more bizarre was that behind them, the water churned, and an even larger shadow slowly emerged.

It was a giant strange fish, even larger in size, nearly three zhang long, with a triangular head and fangs like daggers.

Its body was covered in dark golden bone plates, and its aura reached the Peak Late Stage Tier 3!

"It is the 'Bone-Devouring Ghost-Head Fish'! They are gregarious, bloodthirsty, have sharp teeth, and hard scales; they are especially adept at underwater ambushes and sonic attacks! That large one is the Fish King!" Mo Ling's expression changed as she quickly revealed the origin of the Yao Beast.

"They must have been attracted by the previous smell of blood, or the scent of the injuries on our bodies!"

Before the words had faded, the first few Ghost-Head Fish to rush out had brazenly smashed through the weak warning light barrier at the waterway entrance. They opened their bloody maws, revealing terrifying sharp teeth, and lunged at the nearest Shi Yue and Jing Wuming.

They were extremely fast, bringing with them a fishy stench and waves of water.

"Scram!" Shi Yue roared, his giant rock fist slamming fiercely toward the head of a Ghost-Head Fish.

"Clang!" The fist collided with the fish head, emitting the sound of metal clashing against metal.

The Ghost-Head Fish was knocked tumbling away, the scales on its head shattered, but it did not die; instead, it lunged again even more fiercely.

Jing Wuming swung his broadsword silently, splitting another Ghost-Head Fish in two. Dark green blood and organs splattered everywhere, the stench assaulting their noses.

But more Ghost-Head Fish were already swarming out from the waterway, numbering over a dozen, rushing crazily toward the group.

The Peak Late Stage Tier 3 Ghost-Head Fish King hovered at the waterway entrance, its scarlet giant eyes coldly scanning the cave. It did not immediately join the battle, seemingly looking for the best moment to launch a surprise attack.

"Hold the cave entrance! Do not let them break our Formation!" Murong Bai shouted sharply, his sword light like a streak of silk, instantly slaying a Ghost-Head Fish lunging toward Ye Chen's direction.

Lei Zhen swung his Lightning Hammer, thunderlight exploding and shocking two Ghost-Head Fish until they twitched and rolled their eyes.

Mo Ling shot out several ice spike Talismans, temporarily freezing the waterway entrance and delaying the influx of the subsequent school of fish.

Zhao Feng, Han Li, and Su Yuwei also fought individually, fending off the lunging bites of the Ghost-Head Fish.

However, these Ghost-Head Fish were extremely fast in the water, had hard scales, and sharp teeth. They also frequently emitted shrill hisses capable of disrupting the Divine Soul, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

Especially since they were numerous, and they were in this relatively cramped cave, the group could not unleash their full strength, and they soon found themselves in precarious situations.

Ye Chen endured the discomfort and swung his ice scar sword. With little Hunyuan True Essence remaining, he could only rely on his Physical Body strength and swordsmanship techniques to maneuver against the lunging Ghost-Head Fish.

Although the gray Hunyuan Sword Qi could restrain Death Qi, it was not very effective against these Yao Beasts that relied purely on their Physical Body and ferocity.

The wound on his left shoulder had just scabbed over, but swinging his sword now pulled at it, causing a dull ache.

A Ghost-Head Fish spotted an opening and slammed fiercely from the side toward Ye Chen's waist and ribs, its large mouth open, a fishy wind blowing in his face.

Ye Chen could not turn his sword back in time and could only turn sideways to block with his left arm.

"Puff!" The Ghost-Head Fish's sharp teeth bit fiercely into his left arm.

Despite the obstruction of his True Essence and clothing, it still sank three points into his flesh. Agonizing pain surged, and fresh blood instantly stained his sleeve red.

Even more fatal was that a cold, numbing toxin quickly spread along the wound.

Ye Chen let out a muffled groan, his right hand swinging the ice scar sword back to sever the fish head. But his left arm was already numb and powerless, and the toxin was spreading throughout his body.

"Brother Ye!" Zhao Feng exclaimed, forcing back the Ghost-Head Fish in front of him with a blade strike, wanting to rescue him, but he was entangled by another one.

Seeing Ye Chen injured and his movements sluggish, two more Ghost-Head Fish hissed and lunged over.

Just at this moment, the Ghost-Head Fish King, which had been watching coldly from the sidelines, saw a surge of fierce light in its scarlet giant eyes.

It seized this perfect opportunity while everyone was entangled and Ye Chen was injured, its massive body suddenly launching out of the water.

Like a cannonball fired from a chamber, carrying monstrous waves and a terrifying fishy stench, it lunged straight at the injured Ye Chen!

Its speed was extreme, and its bloody maw was open, enough to swallow Ye Chen whole!

"Watch out!" Murong Bai, Lei Zhen, Bai Yu, and the others all changed expressions, wanting to rescue him, but they were all desperately entangled by the Ghost-Head Fish in front of them and could not break free for a moment.

Seeing that Ye Chen was about to perish in the fish's mouth, at this critical moment.

A trace of madness flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. He knew that at this moment, there was no way to avoid it, and he had no strength to resist it head-on. There was only one way: to fight for his life!

He no longer suppressed the toxin at the wound on his left arm; instead, he actively guided that cold, numbing power, mixing it with the little remaining Hunyuan True Essence he had, along with the last sliver of "Nirvana" Sword Intent forcibly condensed from his Divine Soul, and poured it all into the ice scar sword in his right hand.

On the sword body, the gray light suddenly became deep and restrained, as if it could swallow everything.

He stopped looking at the lunging bloody maw and instead locked his gaze deep into the Ghost-Head Fish King's open giant mouth. That vaguely visible, pulsating, scarlet spot with a hint of gold—the location of its demon core!

"Hunyuan... Return to Void Stab!"

He roared silently in his heart, using his last bit of strength to thrust the ice scar sword fiercely into the Ghost-Head Fish King's foul-smelling, tooth-filled giant mouth! Aiming straight for its demon core!

This was a desperate, suicidal tactic. If he could not kill it in one strike, he would surely be bitten to pieces and devoured by the Fish King.

The ice scar sword, carrying Ye Chen's final strength, will, and a sliver of "Return to Void" Dao aura, was like a red-hot iron rod piercing through grease. Without any resistance, it pierced through the soft flesh inside the Ghost-Head Fish King's mouth. It struck with absolute precision into the dove-egg-sized, violently pulsating demon core deep within!

"Pfft!" A slight sound, as if a bubble had burst, rang out.

The Ghost-Head Fish King's massive body, which had been rushing forward, suddenly froze in mid-air. In its scarlet giant eyes, the brutal and violent light was instantly replaced by boundless terror, pain, and disbelief.

It felt that its demon core, the source of its strength and what it relied on to survive, at the moment that gray, inconspicuous longsword pierced in, was like ice and snow under the scorching sun, rapidly dissolving, disintegrating, and annihilating!

A terrifying aura of ending everything and returning to nothingness spread instantly from the demon core throughout its entire body. Vitality, demon power, consciousness... everything was rapidly fading and collapsing.

"Wuwu." It let out a short, low, desperate wail.

Its massive body crashed heavily onto the water's edge in front of Ye Chen, splashing up a large amount of water. It twitched a few times before becoming completely still. Its scarlet giant eyes quickly dimmed and turned gray.

The Fish King was dead? Killed in one strike by Ye Chen stabbing into its mouth?

This sudden turn of events left everyone stunned. Even those Ghost-Head Fish that were attacking crazily were caught off guard. The sudden disappearance of the Fish King's aura caused them to fall into brief chaos and panic, slowing their offensive.

"Kill!" Murong Bai was the first to react, a light of pleasant surprise bursting in his eyes. He shouted sharply, his sword light surging, and seized the opportunity to hack the two Ghost-Head Fish in front of him into several pieces.

Lei Zhen, Shi Yue, Jing Wuming, Bai Yu, and the others were also greatly encouraged and seized the opportunity to counterattack. Mo Ling once again activated her Talismans, freezing the waterway. Zhao Feng, Han Li, and Su Yuwei also gritted their teeth and attacked fiercely.

Having lost the command and deterrence of the Fish King, the remaining Ghost-Head Fish, although ferocious, were now a disorganized mob. Under the group's fierce assault, they were soon wiped out.

The cave returned to silence once again. But the air was filled with a thick smell of blood and fishy stench. On the ground, more than a dozen Ghost-Head Fish corpses lay scattered everywhere, their dark green blood flowing and mixing with the dark river water.

Ye Chen leaned on his sword, panting heavily, his face pale as paper. Black blood flowed from the wound on his left arm, the toxin was spreading, and his vision was going black in waves. That sword strike just now had almost drained his last bit of strength and focus.

If not for the Fish King's carelessness in opening its mouth to bite, exposing its most fragile demon core to the sword, and if not for the Hunyuan Return to Void power coincidentally restraining the demon core condensed from demon power, he would have had no chance of success. Even so, he had reached his limit.

"Junior Brother Ye!" Murong Bai rushed to Ye Chen's side at the first opportunity, supporting his swaying body, and quickly checked the wound on his left arm.

"It is the 'Yin Corpse Poison' of the Ghost-Head Fish! The toxicity is fierce, it can erode Qi and blood, and paralyze the Divine Soul! Quickly take this Medicinal Pill!" He hurriedly took out an antidote, stuffed it into Ye Chen's mouth, and simultaneously circulated his energy to help him force out the poison.

Mo Ling and Su Yuwei also rushed over to help. Bai Yu also walked over, took one look at Ye Chen's pale complexion and the blackened wound, frowned slightly, but said nothing. He just silently took out a jade-green Medicinal Pill that emitted a refreshing fragrance and handed it to Murong Bai.

"This is the 'Green Spirit Antidote Pill', it has miraculous effects against cold corpse poison."

Murong Bai looked at Bai Yu, nodded, took it, and fed it to Ye Chen. The Green Spirit Antidote Pill was indeed extraordinary; upon entering his mouth, it turned into a stream of cool vitality, rapidly neutralizing and resolving the "Yin Corpse Poison".

With the cooperation of Murong Bai's True Essence and Ye Chen's own Hunyuan True Essence, the black Qi in the wound on his left arm quickly receded, and the numbness also lessened significantly.

"Many thanks."

Ye Chen said weakly to Bai Yu.

Bai Yu waved his hand and walked to the side, beginning to treat the wounds on his body caused by the Ghost-Headed Fish.

The others also treated their own injuries and cleaned up the battlefield.

Although the Ghost-Headed Fish were fierce, their scales, bones, and demon core were all excellent Materials for Artifact Refining and Alchemy, so they naturally could not be wasted.

Shi Yue, Lei Zhen, and Han Li quickly harvested the useful Materials.

"This place is not suitable for a long stay."

Murong Bai said in a deep voice.

"The smell of blood is too strong, and this waterway connects to the lake; there is no guarantee that more formidable things won't be attracted here. We must leave immediately."

"But, Junior Brother Ye..."

Zhao Feng looked at Ye Chen with concern.

"I... can still walk."

Ye Chen gritted his teeth and, with Murong Bai's support, managed to stand up.

Although he had taken an antidote pill and stabilized his injuries, the excessive blood loss, the exhaustion of his Hunyuan True Essence, and the fatigue of his Divine Soul meant his current state was even worse than before.

"Let's leave here first and find a more hidden place. There seems to be a passage deeper in this cave; let's head inside and see."

Mo Ling pointed to the deeper darkness behind the cave.

There, it seemed there was a faint current of air flowing.

Everyone hesitated no longer and packed up.

With Shi Yue leading the way, Murong Bai and Bai Yu supporting Ye Chen, and Mo Ling guiding the direction, they headed deep into the cave.

The cave wound downwards, getting deeper and narrower.

The air became more damp and cold, but the sweet, fishy scent of the poisonous miasma gradually faded away.

...

They walked for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Suddenly, the path ahead opened up, revealing a cave that was slightly smaller than the previous one but much drier and warmer.

On one side of the cave, there was surprisingly a small, naturally formed hot spring pool.

The pool water bubbled with heat, emitting a faint smell of sulfur.

Beside the pool grew some glow-in-the-dark, heat-loving fungi, providing a bit of light.

"A good place!"

Shi Yue's eyes lit up.

"Having a hot spring means there might be geothermal heat below. The temperature here is suitable, it is resistant to poisonous miasma, and it is hidden enough!"

Mo Ling also carefully inspected it once and nodded, saying.

"There are no traces of Yao Beasts here, the rock walls are solid, and there is only one entrance, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. We can take shelter here, and once our injuries have mostly recovered, we can make further plans."

"Good, we will rest here."

Murong Bai made the final decision.

Everyone was finally able to fully relax.

They set up a warning Formation and assigned guard duties.

Murong Bai, Shi Yue, Lei Zhen, and Jing Wuming took turns keeping watch.

The others seized the time to use the hot spring and Medicinal Pill to heal their injuries with all their might.

Ye Chen sat by the hot spring, feeling the warm steam, and his body and mind relaxed slightly.

He took a Medicinal Pill and immersed his injured left arm into the warm spring water, using the geothermal heat and the medicinal power to accelerate the expulsion of the remaining poison and heal the wound.

The Hunyuan One-Qi Art slowly circulated, recovering his True Essence.

This time, the injury was truly too severe.

He didn't know how long it would take to fully recover.

He glanced at Bai Yu, who was not far away and also closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

He then looked at the busy Mo Ling and Su Yuwei, as well as Murong Bai and the others who were on guard.

In his heart, however, there was a faint trace of unease.

This Falling Star Lake was more dangerous than expected.

They had only just entered, and they had already encountered such formidable enemies as the "Seven Emotions Soul-Devouring Demon Orchid," "Shadow Fiend" assassins, Rotten Bone Nether Crows, Netherworld Corpse Generals, and the Bone-Eating Ghost-Headed Fish King.

Moreover, that mysterious Black-robed Man, as well as the potential remnants of the Netherworld Sect, were still in the shadows.

How should they proceed on the road ahead?

As he was pondering, in the depths of the cave, where the hot spring water was bubbling, a trace of extremely faint, yet pure and gentle water-attributed Spiritual Qi, completely different from the surrounding geothermal Spiritual Qi, quietly escaped.

It was inadvertently captured by Ye Chen's sharp, recovering Divine Sense.

"Hmm?"

Ye Chen's heart stirred, and he carefully sensed it.

That Spiritual Qi seemed to be coming from deeper within the bottom of the hot spring pool.

That trace of pure and gentle water-attributed Spiritual Qi was extremely faint; had it not been for the fact that after Ye Chen's Divine Soul was injured, his sensitivity to the surrounding energy fluctuations had actually become even more acute due to the tempering of the "Great Sun Visualization Method," he probably would not have noticed it.

It quietly drifted out from deeper within the bottom of the hot spring pool.

It was completely different from the slightly complex sulfurous steam contained within the pool water itself, which was caused by geothermal heat.

It carried a natural, fresh quality that seemed capable of cleansing the body and mind.

Ye Chen's heart moved slightly.

This Water-Eroded Cave was once a temporary Immortal Cave for ancient Cultivators.

Could this hot spring pool also not be naturally formed, but rather transformed?

Was something hidden deep at the bottom of the pool?

He temporarily suppressed the curiosity in his heart.

The most urgent task was to recover from his injuries as quickly as possible.

Although this trace of Spiritual Qi was pure, it was too weak, and for him at the moment, it was like a drop in the bucket.

He focused his mind and continued to circulate the "Hunyuan One-Qi Art."

At the same time, he sank a portion of his consciousness into his Sea of Consciousness, using the "Draw Yang into Soul" technique of the "Great Sun Visualization Method" to slowly visualize that trace of pure Yang light, nourishing and repairing his injured Divine Soul.

Although the progress was slow, he could feel the stinging pain and weakness of his Divine Soul gradually lessening bit by bit.

Inside the cave, it was silent.

There was only the bubbling sound of the hot spring water and the even, long breathing and breathing regulation sounds of everyone.

Time quietly slipped away for an entire day while they healed.

During this period, Murong Bai, Shi Yue, and the others took turns keeping guard, and no accidents occurred.

The smell of blood from the Bone-Eating Ghost-Headed Fish did not seem to attract any more terrifying predators.

Perhaps it was because this cave was sufficiently hidden and deep, or perhaps it was because the edge area of the Falling Star Lake was inherently a place where the strong preyed on the weak, where danger and opportunity coexisted; killings happened every day, so it was not strange.

...

One day later.

Under the effects of Medicinal Pills, the hot spring, and their respective Cultivation Techniques, everyone's injuries had finally stabilized and recovered by one or two tenths.

Although they were still far from fully recovering, at least they had basic mobility and self-defense capabilities.

The "Yin Corpse Poison" in Ye Chen's left arm had been completely cleared, and the wound had healed and scabbed over.

His True Essence had recovered by about half a tenth; although it was still thin, it could already circulate smoothly within his body.

The injury to his Divine Soul was the slowest to recover and still throbbed with pain, but it no longer affected his normal thinking and actions.

He opened his eyes and looked at the others.

Murong Bai's complexion had improved a lot and he was whispering about something with Mo Ling.

The complexions of Shi Yue, Lei Zhen, and Jing Wuming had also obviously improved.

Zhao Feng, Han Li, and Su Yuwei were gathered together, seemingly exchanging insights from the recent battle.

Bai Yu was alone, leaning against the rock wall, playing with that iron fan, his gaze seemingly drifting towards the bubbling hot spring pool from time to time.

Ye Chen's gaze fell once again on the hot spring pool.

That trace of pure water-attributed Spiritual Qi was still continuously and faintly escaping.

"Senior Sister Mo Ling."

Ye Chen suddenly spoke, his voice still a bit hoarse.

"This hot spring pool seems to have some abnormalities."

Upon hearing this, Mo Ling turned her head, looked at Ye Chen, and then looked at the hot spring pool.

"What has Junior Brother Ye noticed?"

"Deep at the bottom of the pool, there seems to be extremely pure water-attributed Spiritual Qi escaping, which is different from the nature of the Spiritual Qi in this geothermal hot spring."

Ye Chen said.

Mo Ling's eyes narrowed.

She immediately walked to the edge of the pool, crouched down, reached her hand into the warm pool water, and closed her eyes to sense it.

A moment later, she opened her eyes, a flash of surprise appearing in them.

"There is indeed! It is very pure and very subtle; if not for Junior Brother Ye's reminder, I would have almost ignored it.

This Spiritual Qi... seems to originate from deep at the bottom of the pool, and it carries a kind of fresh feeling unique to a natural Spiritual Vein that has not been refined."

"A Spiritual Vein?"

Murong Bai also walked over, his expression shifting.

"In this Falling Star Lake area, due to the fall of ancient star fragments, the earth veins are chaotic, and the properties of Spiritual Qi are complex and violent; there are very few pure, single-attribute Spiritual Veins like this.

Unless..."

"Unless it is a small 'Spirit Eye' artificially gathered, sealed, and cultivated by ancient Cultivators using Formations or special means."

Bai Yu interjected.

He had walked over at some point, his gaze looking at the pool water with great interest.

"A Spirit Eye?"

Zhao Feng and the others also gathered around, curiosity appearing on their faces.

"Yes, it can be understood as the spring head of a micro-Spiritual Vein."

Mo Ling explained.

"Ancient Cultivators often opened up Immortal Caves in places where Spiritual Qi gathered and set up gathering Formations.

Over the years, they would gather Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to form a Spirit Eye that was beneficial for Cultivation."

"This hot spring pool is very likely the place for gathering Spiritual Qi and Body Tempering that the Cultivator of that year set up, utilizing the geothermal heat and underground water veins.

It is just that the years are long, the Formation has failed, the Spirit Eye has gone dormant, and only this hot spring remains."