Chapter 142: Dramatic Ups and Downs

Immortal clouds billowed, wreathed in myriad rays of auspicious light.

The scenery within the inner sea was distinct and clear: a bright moon hung low in the sky, while the supreme sun shone high above. One half was a tranquil night sky, and the other was a clear, sunny day.

Lately, Shanhai spirits had been frequenting a solitary island, causing many fishing cultivators to suspect that the legendary Shanhai Mirror lay hidden right beneath it.

Amidst the vast, boundless sea of stars, this island was merely a grain of sand—not a single reef was to be seen within a radius of one hundred thousand miles, making it utterly solitary. Yet, right above this very place, the densest gathering of immortal cloud fishing platforms in the entire inner sea converged.

Strands of divine power, crystal-clear and straight as arrows, pierced through the immortal clouds and descended into the sea of stars.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the surface of the sea churned. Ultramarine spiritual Qi surged, and a single strand of divine power instantly tightened, bursting forth with a dazzling radiance.

"Someone else has reeled in a Shanhai spirit?!"

Cultivators from all directions looked on in astonishment, gazing at the churning sea before tracing the central crystal-clear thread upward. When they saw the identity of the angler, they all involuntarily held their breath for a moment.

High up in the firmament floated an exceptionally massive cloud of pink spiritual Qi.

At the edge of this cloud sat a woman wearing a blue-tear mask. Her aura was extraordinary, shielded by an exceptional ancient artifact that completely severed divine sense, making it impossible for anyone to see her true appearance.

Her eyes were tranquil as she held a silver fishing rod. The skin at her neck was as white and tender as snow, and three thousand strands of dark hair fell softly, unbound, dancing gently in the breeze.

What surprised onlookers the most was that she had rolled up both pant legs all the way to her snow-white knees.

One of her sleek, tender, and dainty calves was tucked underneath her, while the other hung down casually. The pinkish-white hue of the soles of her feet was clearly visible to all.

Such a fishing posture could only be described as stunningly unconventional.

"Gui Qingzhong! It's her again—the Emperor of Spirits' most pampered and most talented daughter. In just half a day, she has already hooked three Shanhai spirits. She's practically cheating!" a fishing cultivator muttered in dejection.

"Moo!"

Accompanied by the churning water, the strand of divine power was reeled in, unexpectedly producing the bellow of an ox.

A golden fish, shaped like a small calf with golden fur, was firmly caught by its mouth on the line.

The golden calf was furious, glaring at the woman above and struggling continuously to shake off the divine power thread. Its horns, which looked as though they were cast from pure gold, glowed and rammed against the void, producing a deep and powerful sound.

"A bovine fish! It's actually this Shanhai spirit!"

"Bovine fish love to sleep and lie down. When startled, their cry sounds like a great ox and can travel a thousand miles. If its skin is hung up, the fur stands on end when the tide rises and lies flat when the tide recedes. It's a precious material for forging artifacts!"

The cultivators gasped in admiration. A single bovine fish could be exchanged for a thirteen-seal divine slip, equivalent to the entire net worth of a peak defying-slayer. It was truly a sight to evoke envy.

"Moo!"

The little golden calf cried out in discontent. The woman behind the blue-tear mask glanced at it indifferently and gave a slender tug with her hand. The force on the divine power thread increased abruptly.

Struck suddenly by this immense strength, the calf was hurled directly up into the sky, its bovine eyes widened in sheer disbelief that such a woman possessed terrifying might.

"Crack!"

Gui Qingzhong effortlessly pulled the calf up, her gaze serene and calm, and tossed it into a snow-white pagoda—her personal spirit-storage pool.

The crowd sighed in envy, marveling at the noble young lady's superb fishing skills.

A small minority, however, grumbled inwardly, feeling that this descendant of the Imperial Lord had an absurdly high catch rate that defied reason, even for a solitary island. They suspected she was cheating.

"Heavens! That's the aura of a water qilin!"

Suddenly, a voice drew everyone's attention. Accompanied by an aura that reached the absolute pinnacle of power, this stretch of the sea instantly surged with violent waves.

An old man in black robes laughed heartily and said, "This sea area is truly miraculous. I never imagined it would entice a water qilin out for this old man! Splendid, simply splendid! My wait of many days has not been in vain!"

A whirlpool expanded, and endless torrents surged, kicking up towering waves that pierced the heavens.

High above, the stars trembled, water vapor poured down, and the void itself began to riot.

A top-tier Shanhai spirit had emerged, something the previous golden calf could not even begin to compare with.

"Humph!"

The black-robed old man let out a cold snort. Brilliant beams of light shot from his eyes as a massive hand condensed from light-energy—steady, heavy, and dazzlingly divine—magnified to a span of a thousand miles, and viciously grabbed toward the sea.

"Roar!"

An angry roar echoed from below.

The ferocious entity down below lashed its shadow wildly. The aura of the water laws surged violently, and wave after wave of legal energy erupted, suppressing heaven and earth. The cosmos roared as it slashed upward in retaliation.

"Insignificant trickery! You merely enjoy a slight advantage in the water laws here within the sea of stars. This old man will deal with you in an instant!"

The black-robed old man shouted coldly. As he finished speaking, his body abruptly burst forth with terrifying radiance, resembling thousands of snow-capped peaks clad in silver, reflecting the brilliance of the heavenly sun. With majestic and overwhelming momentum, he smashed downward with peerless terror.

The surrounding fishing cultivators felt their minds shake.

This light-realm old man was far too powerful; his comprehension of the mysteries of light had reached the absolute zenith.

In an instant, the sea of stars was split apart, as though hundreds or thousands of suns had crashed into the ocean, illuminating the world and continuously crushing heaven and earth.

With a thunderous shock, the overwhelming water vapor blasted apart, and the formidable entity below was completely submerged by the light.

The hearts of the crowd tightened.

A water qilin—this was the first time one had been enticed out in the solitary island sea area. Possessing this Shanhai spirit represented an opportunity to comprehend the laws of water, a prospect that even Sovereigns would find hard to resist.

Was this black-robed light lord about to strike it immensely rich?

"Roar!"

Suddenly, an even more violent roar resounded.

An azure-blue true dragon head, fully a thousand miles wide, broke the surface of the water. Its snow-white fangs were wreathed in sea-blue flames. As its jaws opened and closed, water surged and roared like thunder, causing the entire sea area to tremble continuously.

Everyone held their breath. The water qilin had actually surfaced!

This was undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Unfortunately, the Star Sea Sanctuary had established a strict rule: whoever enticed the Shanhai spirit got to keep it, and outsiders who seized it would face severe punishment.

With a deafening crash,

The water qilin's powerful lower jaw snapped shut, swallowing all the light emitted by the black-robed old man in a single gulp. It cast a cold, disdainful glance at him before slowly sinking back beneath the sea of stars.

All of this happened with lightning speed. While the onlookers were still stunned and watching the spectacle, by the time they recovered their senses, the water qilin had already vanished without a trace.

The black-robed old man's expression changed, and he was just about to strike again when a melodious and elegant voice drifted softly from afar.

"Fellow Daoist, hold on."

The newcomer was a middle-aged, beautiful matron dressed in a light green gown draped with a white gauze robe. Her demeanor was serene and elegant, and as she arrived, she wore a faint smile.

"What is the meaning of this?" The black-robed old man frowned.

"Fellow Daoist, the crystal line on the fishing rod in your hand has snapped, rendering you unable to pursue the Shanhai spirit any further. This is the rule set by the Sanctuary. Moreover, this fishing rod was specially crafted by a sage and carries a hefty value. The broken crystal line requires compensation of ten thousand divine spirit stones from you."

The middle-aged matron pointed toward the fishing rod in the old man's hand.

Upon hearing this, the black-robed old man looked down at his fishing rod, and his face instantly turned crimson.

During the fierce battle just now, no one had paid attention, but the crystal line on the fishing rod had indeed snapped amidst the water qilin's heaven-shaking bite...

The old man's expression turned unsightly. From his initial euphoria to confident anticipation, and now to stifled frustration, his state of mind had undergone a dramatic rollercoaster.

How had the meat right at his lips just flown away?