Chapter Ninety-One: The Demon Fish

Upon hearing Lord Lin Jianyian, the Scribe, ask what crime the two had committed, the leading cultivator from the Demon Suppression Bureau replied patiently, "Reporting to the Scribe, Young Lord Chu. We encountered these two acting suspiciously on the eastern rocky shore. Their aura was chaotic, and there lingered an elusive hint of Dao transformation about them—signs reminiscent of the tainted cult. So, we approached to test them."

"At the first exchange, their true nature was revealed; both bore symptoms of advanced Dao transformation. We meant to arrest them and bring them back to the Bureau for proper questioning."

No sooner had he finished than the cloaked senior, bound in chains of black iron, could no longer hold back and shouted angrily, "Nonsense! I am a disciple of the Hundred-Refinement Sect in Eastern Province, dispatched by my master to descend the mountain, drive out demons, and protect the people! This Dao transformation was contracted days ago while battling a corrupt creature. How can you label me a heretic?"

"You at the Demon Suppression Bureau arrest indiscriminately, mistaking the innocent for the wicked. How are you any different from the cults you claim to oppose?"

The chief officer, long accustomed to such scenes, remained expressionless. "Whether your words are true or not, you must first return with us for examination. We act solely for the safety of Zhenhai River. We must ensure the Dao transformation afflicting you both does not worsen."

"Otherwise, leaving you within the town would be like placing two thunderbolts ready to explode at any moment. How could we rest easy?"

The senior’s fury burned hotter upon hearing this and was about to retort, but his silent junior gently pressed his arm. Her voice was cool as she addressed Lin Jianyian, "Rather than worry about us, perhaps you should concern yourselves with what calamity may have already occurred within the Eastern Sea."

Lin Jianyian felt a chill in her heart and asked, "What do you mean? What have you seen?"

The young woman saw her words had struck home and continued, "A giant fish, three fathoms long, covered in blue scales, able to produce pearls from its wounds. This creature lures villagers to their doom and devours them, then uses their flesh and blood to conjure humanoid monsters!"

Everyone gasped, chilled by the tale’s wildness and horror.

The senior, seeing his junior silence the crowd with just a few words, though still angry, knew escape was now paramount. He snorted and added, "The villagers’ flesh is consumed, swiftly rotting as their vital essence is drained, condensed into glowing pearls that collect upon the monster’s body."

Recalling the dreadful scene, fear lingered in his eyes.

---

"We were observing in secret when we saw villagers rush forward to their deaths. We tried to intervene, but our appearance startled the seemingly dying monster."

"As soon as we revealed ourselves, the pearls on its body split open, birthing countless frenzied fishmen. They grabbed fishing spears and charged us, intent on dragging us into the beast’s belly."

"The fishmen were nothing, mere rabble. The true horror was the monster itself! As we fought, it emitted agonized wails."

"With each cry, its body convulsed, the pearls shone with a ghastly blue light."

"Suddenly, we felt ourselves sinking, as if plunged into a thousand-fathom abyss. All was darkness; even moonlight seemed cold and dim. An overwhelming pressure pressed in from all sides, leaving us gasping for breath."

"In that depth, only the pearls’ eerie glow remained visible, their allure irresistible, drawing our minds toward them."

"When the wailing ceased, the pressure vanished abruptly, as though we returned to the surface from the abyss, compelled to gulp for air."

"The monster was too bizarre. We dared not linger, fought our way clear, and fled at once. That is how our Dao transformation worsened; otherwise, you would not have captured us so easily!"

His words left the crowd shivering with dread.

Shangguan Chuci’s heart trembled. She had thought the Eastern Sea’s fish were merely tainted, never imagining such frightful monsters now existed.

A vision of the deep sea arose in her mind—dim light piercing the depths, countless grotesque fish flitting through the gloom.

Lu Chenyuan’s heart sank, recalling the persistent call from the Eastern Sea’s depths.

As the time of the Dormant Dragon Tide approached, that call grew ever more urgent and frantic.

Could it be that a great upheaval had truly occurred in the Eastern Sea?

Young Lord Chu had spoken of an ancient phantom dragon hidden in its depths. Was its call for help?

Yet, with his current strength, save for borrowed power, he was but an ordinary man, incapable of aiding it.

He stepped forward and asked the pair, "Where did you see the monster?"

---

The senior was about to answer when his junior interjected, shaking her head, "The rocky shore is complex; we can hardly describe it. But we can lead you there."

Lin Jianyian, hearing this, pondered briefly, recognizing their attempt to stall.

Yet the matter of the monster outweighed the need to apprehend these two unknown cultivators.

She made her decision, instructing the chief officer, "Release their chains. Let them lead us."

The officer hesitated but dared not refuse and complied.

The siblings led the group, retracing their steps through jagged rocks along the shore.

Soon, the view opened onto a sandy stretch, marked with chaotic traces and the charred remains of countless torches, scattered everywhere—evidence of a recent disturbance.

But there was no sign of the giant fish.

Not only was the monster absent, but not a single fishing spear or net from the local fishermen could be found.

Were it not for the deep furrow in the sand, more than a foot deep, like the drag mark of a stranded leviathan stretching from shore into the dark sea, one might truly think the pair were deceiving them.

The senior stared wide-eyed in disbelief, blurting, "How could this be? Where…where has the giant fish gone?"

The group exchanged uneasy glances, none speaking.

Lu Chenyuan crouched, his nostrils flaring, pinching a bit of moist sand between his fingers and raising it to his nose. After a moment, he stood and said gravely, "There is indeed residual tainted energy here."