Chapter 48: The Seven-Colored Divine Fish? Shocking the Great Being in the Fusion Stage

"Hehehe, good!"

Hearing Wang Chu speak with such absolute certainty, the old man gave a slight nod. "This old man shall see if things are truly as you say!"

Wang Chu continued reclining in his chair, reached out to pick up his beverage cup, bit down on the straw, and took a small sip. "Would the senior like some?"

The old man raised a hand in refusal. "No need!"

Wang Chu set the cup down, resumed reading his book, and said nothing more.

Beside him, Chuxue also withdrew her gaze and lifted her book to read once again. The book she was currently reading was titled *King of Beggars*, an exceedingly entertaining piece. Every so often, she would be moved to a gentle smile by the contents within.

Time slipped away swiftly, and the time of an incense stick was about to run out.

The old man standing nearby spoke up at this moment: "I remember you telling this young girl just now that within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a fish would definitely take the bait, am I right?"

Wang Chu closed his book and said unhurriedly, "I did indeed say that. To think that the senior heard it as well?"

Old Hong Zhongyuan's weathered face flushed slightly. "My five senses are powerful, so I accidentally overheard your conversation. Do not misunderstand; this old man has no interest in eavesdropping on your chat."

Wang Chu stretched lazily. "Ah, it is quite apparent. The senior radiates righteousness and is definitely not the sort of vulgar villain who listens in at walls."

Feeling somewhat guilty, the old man changed the subject. "The time of an incense stick is almost up now, yet your fishing line doesn't seem to have moved even once."

Wang Chu crossed his hands behind his head, his right leg bent into a mountain peak. "Fishing requires patience. Senior, do not be impatient. Has the time of an incense stick not passed yet?"

Wang Chu's retort left the old man somewhat speechless. After a long moment of silence, he spoke once more, his tone rather indignant. "Hmph, fine! Then let us wait a moment longer. This old man refuses to believe that within this brief span, you will catch..."

Before the old man could finish his sentence, Wang Chu interrupted him. "Oh, it's here!"

It's here?

The old man was slightly startled, then widened his eyes and looked at the fishing line, only to discover that the line was actually beginning to tremble.

No way.

A fish actually took the bait?

This kid didn't even use any bait; how could he possibly catch a fish?

Could it be...

Was he secretly employing some sort of magic?

At this thought, the old man immediately used his spiritual vision to inspect the fishing rod. As a result, he could not detect any fluctuations of spells whatsoever.

So, this was truly a fish that had volunteered to bite the hook?

This... how could this be possible?

"Wow, what a gorgeous fish!"

Just as the old man was filled with doubt, Chuxue suddenly stood up from her recliner, gazed out at the sea surface, and let out an exclamation of wonder.

The old man snapped back to his senses, looked closely, and instantly parted his lips slightly, freezing in place.

He saw that a hooked fish was being pulled up into the air by Wang Chu with the fishing rod.

It was not a particularly large fish. However, its scales were multicolored, just like a rainbow. Throughout the mainland, people generally referred to this fish as the "Seven-Colored Divine Fish."

According to a certain historical record, a fisherwoman once accidentally caught such a fish at sea. After bringing it back, cooking it, and consuming it, celestial phenomena immediately manifested above her head, transforming her overnight from a mere mortal into a Nascent Soul realm cultivator. From that moment on, she soared into the skies with overwhelming good fortune, becoming a disciple of a top-tier first-rate sect. Within a millennium, she rose to become the grandmaster of that very sect.

That person's name was Zhu Caiyu. At a certain grand sect assembly, Hong Zhongyuan had even once crossed paths with this formidable figure...

Yet, even in the case of the fish caught by Zhu Caiyu, the Seven-Colored Divine Fish described in the texts was merely half an inch in length. But the one right before his eyes was a full seven or eight inches long...

Judging by this, the fish Wang Chu had reeled in was at least ten thousand years old.

Ten thousand years...

That was ten thousand years!

If the old man were to consume it, perhaps his long-stagnant Unity realm cultivation bottleneck would finally break through!

At this thought, the old man once again felt a sense of unreality.

No.

An ordinary-looking kid, using an ordinary-looking fishing rod without any bait, could actually catch such a heaven-defying divine fish?

Could this Seven-Colored Divine Fish be a fake? Or had he misidentified it?

While the old man was questioning his entire worldview, Wang Chu had already dragged the seven-colored fish ashore and placed it into a small bucket.

At this moment, the clear sky suddenly clouded over with heavy clouds, and seven-colored rays of light faintly spilled out from the black clouds. Following that, rumbling heavenly thunder emitted muffled echoes from within the layers of clouds. This display was practically as though the heavens themselves were furious.

The old man, who had still been somewhat skeptical of whether he had misidentified the creature, no longer doubted his own judgment upon seeing these sudden supernatural phenomena in the sky.

This truly must be the Seven-Colored Divine Fish! The very same Seven-Colored Divine Fish he had failed to catch through all his years of fishing, a creature he hadn't even dared to dream of!

At this moment, the old man didn't even know how to describe his own feelings. He looked at the young man not far away who was tilting his head up in a frown, and could not help thinking:

Why?

Why on earth?!

Just because he is young? Just because he isn't taking it seriously?

Just as he was burning with injustice, the young man's next action practically drove the old man to the brink of suffocation.

After looking up at the clouds in the sky, he lowered his head to look at Chuxue, who had crouched down to admire the Seven-Colored Divine Fish, and asked, "Have you seen enough?"

Chuxue stood up and replied, "Mm, I've seen enough." She turned to gaze at the sky. "How did this weather change so suddenly? Wang Chu, is this fish you caught extraordinary in some way?"

Wang Chu waved a hand and said quite casually, "Nah, it's just a pretty little golden fish that makes the weather turn gloomy. Since you've finished looking at it, I'm going to let it go."

Chuxue was somewhat uncomprehending. "You caught it, only to let it go again? Why?"

Wang Chu explained with a hint of disdain, "This fish tastes terrible, and it has too many bones. Leaving it in the bucket will only make the weather worse, so we might as well throw it back into the sea."

Chuxue nodded with a half-understanding look. "Oh, then I'll help you release it."

Wang Chu pointed toward the sea ahead and instructed, "Alright, grab its body and throw this stinky fish into the sea. Remember, do not use any spells."

Hearing this, Chuxue immediately followed Wang Chu's instructions, reached out to grab the body of the Seven-Colored Divine Fish, and with a swing of her arm, hurled the creature into the sky.

Before the fish could even fall back into the ocean, Hong Zhongyuan beside them was practically on the verge of tears.

No.

That was a Seven-Colored Divine Fish of over ten thousand years! At a time like this, you're still showing off in front of a little girl, complaining that the fish has too many bones and tastes bad—aren't you afraid of incurring divine retribution?!

If you don't want it, you could sell it to me!

Hong Zhongyuan could no longer care about the poise of an elder cultivator. He immediately unleashed his spiritual power, intending to snatch back the divine fish that was about to fall into the sea.

However, the embarrassing part was this:

Even though he had already unleashed a grabbing technique capable of moving a mountain, the fish in the air seemed as though it had become illusory; he simply couldn't grab hold of it at all!

He could only watch helplessly as the Seven-Colored Divine Fish plunged into the sea, turning into a tiny ripple...

As the ripple vanished, the old man stared blankly at the surface of the sea, unable to cry, feeling as though the sky were collapsing upon him.

Ah, ah, ah!

Such a rare opportunity, such a magnificent opportunity!

And it was just missed by me like this!

Dammit!

I am truly damned!

Just as the old man was consumed by regret, Wang Chu did not forget to considerately sprinkle a handful of salt onto his wound:

"Oh, Senior, so you wanted it? If you wanted it, you should have told me earlier! If you don't say anything, how am I supposed to know you wanted it? Now look, the fish has run away and is gone. Sigh..."