“Hey, Mummy, how come the water is overflowing like this?” At some point, Liu Dashao had casually slung an arm over Master Ni’s shoulder, trying to get chummy.
“They’re trying to freeze us to death—alive!” A sharp glint flashed through Master Ni’s eyes.
“Freeze us to death? What do you mean?” Liu Dashao was puzzled.
“You didn’t go draw talismans? Why are you back already? Hurry up—this concerns everyone’s lives!” Master Ni grunted.
“Relax! I know what’s at stake. Following your directions and positioning, I’ve already completed everything,” Liu Dashao replied with a playful grin.
“That fast?” Master Ni was somewhat surprised, but at this moment, he didn’t have the time to verify it.
“Hehe, it’s not only you who’s capable. I just prefer to keep a low profile, you know what I mean,” Liu Dashao said, rubbing his hands together.
“Is that so?” Master Ni smirked slightly. “But you won’t be able to stay low for long.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because—the battle has begun!” At that moment, Master Ni suddenly leaped from beneath the coffin. The Jade Yang Spike flew from his hand and accurately impaled a Ranyi fish straight through. Some emerald-green blood spurted from the wound, but as soon as it touched the Jade Yang Spike, it evaporated rapidly into a faint wisp of smoke.
Taking this opportunity, Liu Dashao finally got a clear look at the Ranyi fish. Indeed, it was a fish—its semi-streamlined body was covered with indigo-blue scales layered densely upon each other. Where a fish’s head should have been, there was instead a deep hollow reaching into its abdominal cavity, from which emerged a snake-like head, stretching in and out. Even stranger, just as described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, it really did have six legs. However, they couldn’t really be called legs in the traditional sense—each limb connected to the body via a fleshy wing. Judging by its appearance, the Ranyi fish used these six fleshy wings to swim underwater and even glide briefly through the air.
“This creature sure is bizarre,” Liu Dashao muttered, feeling a chill run down his spine. Right at that moment, other strange fish leaped from the water, rushing toward Master Ni’s Jade Yang Spike as if in a frantic competition. Instantly, the hall echoed with the squelching sounds of biting and fighting, enough to make anyone’s heart pound with terror. In a short while, the monsters leapt back into the water, leaving behind only half of a shattered fish skeleton skewered on the spike.
Some remaining scales and blood floated on the water’s surface, dyeing it into a hazy green.
“They even eat their own kind?” Liu Dashao, still shaken from the scene, asked.
“They also eat people!” Master Ni said, grabbing Liu Dashao’s coat. “Quick—run!”
Puchi!
Another eager monster burst forth, only to be pierced through by Master Ni, split cleanly in two. Before its corpse could even fall back into the water, it was swallowed by a cluster of black shadows. The entire water surface crackled and popped like a sudden downpour of rain.
“Fall back—everyone, fall back!” Master Ni shouted as he dragged Liu Dashao backward. However, the others thought differently. After all, these tomb raiders had seen all sorts of weird and terrifying things—how could they lack courage? These fish, judging from what they had just witnessed, were only a little more grotesque in appearance. They bit people and ate flesh, but how much more dangerous could they be than piranhas shown on TV? Therefore, they felt completely reassured. Everyone thought the same thing: if a python guarded a millennium-old lingzhi in the snowy mountains, then something must be guarding treasures hidden beneath this water. Ignoring Master Ni’s warning, they raised their guns and advanced cautiously.
“Southern Crawler!” Old Diao quickly loaded his rifle. “Didn’t you hear what Master Ni said? Retreat immediately! Everyone, get ready! Those with guns stand in front, and those with melee weapons fall back!”
“Come on, Old Diao, you’re overreacting. It’s just a few fish,” Southern Crawler scoffed. “Watch me make a few holes in them and you’ll see how capable I am.”
Saying that, he stepped forward defiantly.
“Hurry back—this thing is beyond your ability to handle,” Old Diao sighed.
“You’re underestimating me,” Southern Crawler replied. At this moment, his rifle was already approaching the golden coffin.
At the same time, the golden coffin itself began crackling and shaking violently. Countless thuds echoed from inside, water splashing high, scattering everywhere.
“Oh no,” Master Ni muttered.
“What’s wrong?” Old Diao inhaled deeply.
“They’ve begun devouring each other,” Master Ni said bitterly.
“But isn’t that a good thing? Once they’ve wiped each other out, everything will calm down,” Zhong Kui said, puzzled. He held an old shotgun, a scattergun-style weapon. Although it lacked precision, it excelled at area attacks—each shot firing dozens of bullets, scattering across half a wall.
“You don’t understand,” Master Ni’s face darkened. “Ranyi fish are the fastest-evolving species in the ancient biological world—there’s no comparison. They don’t evolve through reproduction—they evolve through mutual destruction. Once they evolve to mid or high levels, they won’t just bite people anymore. They will even become immune to physical attacks.”
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