At that moment, a sudden gust of wind arose outside the cave, sweeping through the valley without any warning.
All Yu Ci heard was a loud “whoosh” as a powerful force squeezed its way in, instantly filling the entire cave.
Yu Ci didn’t fully understand the mechanism of the illusion barrier outside the cave. It seemed to have some tangible qualities that could block certain external influences, making the illusion feel more real, but at times, it didn’t. For instance, this strong wind was able to penetrate right through, as the barrier couldn’t keep it out.
In the brief moment Yu Ci was distracted, the Dragon Fish that had been curled up abruptly sprang into action, darting upward. Yet, before its tail had even left the ground, it suddenly twisted its body and struck downward.
The move was almost seamless, with precise timing that left little to criticize.
Yu Ci didn’t move, as though he was deceived by the Dragon Fish. However, just as it broke past his feet and prepared to accelerate, a wall-like barrier suddenly rose in front of it. With a muffled thud, the Dragon Fish crashed into the barrier. The strong impact caused it to bulge outward, but ultimately, the resilient obstacle held firm.
The robe infused with innate Qi had withstood the test.
Yu Ci chuckled. In vast, open spaces, capturing a creature like the Dragon Fish without speed would indeed require strong tools. But in certain special terrains, a spare daoist robe would do just fine.
Aside from using mist-like sword intent or talismans, it was challenging for Yu Ci to control his “innate Qi” with great precision. Yet, something as simple as channeling it through his robe posed no issue. Swiftly, he reached out and grabbed the Dragon Fish struggling beneath the robe. Even through the fabric, he could feel the creature’s powerful strength under its slick scales.
There was no way Yu Ci would let it go.
Meanwhile, the wind blowing into the cave grew stronger, scattering the dried grass that had once served as the demonic beast’s nest, swirling it around and refreshing the air inside.
Then, the ground beneath him began to tremble.
An earthquake?
Despite focusing most of his attention on the Dragon Fish, Yu Ci had been keeping an eye on his surroundings. It was strange; even with the howling winds and continuous shaking underfoot, there was no sign of any anomaly on the Divine Map. Within a fifty-mile radius, everything appeared clear aside from the scattered haze of Core Formation mist. However, somewhere out there, a vast stretch of turbulent clouds and wind had appeared, rolling endlessly, creating an awe-inspiring scene.
The wind direction seemed chaotic…
While Yu Ci was studying the Divine Map, the fierce wind pouring into the cave subsided somewhat, although outside, it only intensified, bringing a strong northern gust that sliced across the cave entrance, producing a series of muffled howls.
During this time, the ground’s tremors ceased. Yu Ci wondered if an earthquake had caused the erratic weather in Sky Rift Valley.
“Perhaps it was just a false alarm?”
Strengthening his grip on the still-struggling Dragon Fish, Yu Ci felt uncertain. He knew that strange events in Sky Rift Valley couldn’t be taken lightly. Yet, his mind was focused on the Dragon Fish in his grasp. After a moment’s thought, he decided to handle this prize before investigating further.
On his way from the Heart Prohibition Monastery, he had sought guidance from Daoist Yu Zhou on how to secure a captured Dragon Fish, and the old daoist had shared a method. Both of them had only intended it as a precaution, not expecting it to actually be of use.
Yu Ci retrieved a stone box from his Storage Ring — the same one he used to gather Shrimp Whisker Grass. The box was just over a foot long, a bit too small to accommodate the seven-foot Dragon Fish.
He carefully pulled the Dragon Fish from under his robe. Though it continued to thrash, Yu Ci took the opportunity to examine it closely.
In truth, he had already seen it clearly on the Divine Map; now, it was less about examining and more about feeling the weight of the Dragon Fish.
Touching its slick, scaly skin, Yu Ci recalled that Daoist Yu Zhou had mentioned three criteria for assessing a Dragon Fish’s quality: the transformation of its plant body to flesh and blood, the emergence of bone and antlers, and the awakening of dragon essence, which divided them into three tiers:
The first tier was the complete transformation of its plant body into flesh, marked by scales covering its body.
The second stage was the shift from ordinary flesh to the legendary dragon bloodline — a lengthy process spanning millennia, even tens of thousands of years, signified by budding horns on its head, indicating that its marrow had begun to change, containing the essence of a heavenly dragon.
The third and final stage was a complete transformation into a heavenly dragon, where its essence would emerge, breaking through its mortal body to emit divine radiance across the heavens and earth — the awakening of dragon essence.
This Dragon Fish’s features were still indistinct, yet its scales were fully formed, and it had the beginnings of budding horns on its head, signifying it had completed the transformation to flesh and was now changing its marrow. It was of considerable quality. If it hadn’t spent countless years in Sky Rift Valley, it must have had some fortuitous encounter during its growth, allowing it to mature early.
Either way, this creature was immensely valuable!
It took quite a bit of effort to stuff the Dragon Fish into the stone box. Though its slender and flexible body could be bent, even tied in knots, its struggling strength was formidable. In the end, Yu Ci gritted his teeth, applied more force, and even used a series of calming talismans he had learned from Elder Yu Xuan of the Thousand Spirit Gate. Once the Dragon Fish was dazed from exhaustion, he coiled it up and squeezed it into the box.
First, he securely closed the box lid, then applied the specially prepared sealing clay along the edges to seal it completely. According to the old daoist, the Dragon Fish would enter a state of suspended animation in this environment, making it easier to transport.
However, the box absolutely couldn’t be placed inside the Storage Ring; that space was entirely unsuitable for living things. One careless move could lead to unpredictable consequences. The old daoist speculated that the previous time the Dragon Fish Grass unexpectedly transformed into a Dragon Fish might have been related to this.
He had been lucky last time, turning misfortune into blessing, but there was no need to take that risk again.
Yu Ci spread his clothes on the ground, preparing to wrap them into a bundle to carry on his back. But as he unfolded the clothes, it seemed as if something was hidden underneath. Judging by its position, this object should have been buried in the grass nest, but the strong wind blowing into the cave had scattered the grass, revealing it.
He placed the stone box by his foot, reached under the clothes, and pulled the object out. “What’s this?”
At first touch, Yu Ci thought it was a whip, but now it looked more like a long cord with hooks at both ends. The design was unusual, and he couldn’t figure out its purpose.
The hooked cord was about three feet long, with a grayish-green color along its entire length. It didn’t look particularly pleasant, but it seemed to be woven from a very fine and high-quality thread, with craftsmanship even more delicate than that of the “Spirit-Restraining Rope” he had seen earlier. The cord was tough and cool to the touch, retaining its chill even after he held it for a while.
The hooks on either end of the cord were quite eye-catching, matching the cord’s color, with curves like crescent moons, only a few inches across, exquisitely crafted, with sharp tips that glinted coldly, giving them a dangerous look.
Yu Ci hadn’t expected to find something so refined in the chaotic lair of the demonic beast. It couldn’t have been too comfortable having this under its body, right?
Actually, Yu Ci found the whole thing odd.
Judging by what happened to Old Xu’s “Spirit-Restraining Rope,” it was clear that demonic beasts absolutely hated ropes or cords of any kind. So why would it have something like this in its own nest? Moreover, it was in perfect condition, hidden in the grass nest without a single stain.
When he shook the middle of the hooked cord slightly, the two hooks struck each other, producing a pleasant clinking sound. The sound was incredibly melodious, like delicate wind chimes, with lingering echoes that seemed to float around.
At the same moment, Yu Ci distinctly sensed a faint force attempting to penetrate the defenses of his Heart-Binding Horn and reach his spirit.
Could this effect be from the collision of the hooks?
It seemed to be a valuable item. Using the faint light from his Divine Map, Yu Ci examined it more closely but couldn’t discern much. Thinking of the sound produced by the hooks’ collision, he concentrated briefly, channeling a bit of “innate Qi” into the cord, bringing the hooks together with a light “ding.”
The moment the sound rang out, Yu Ci realized something was wrong. The sound waves shifted too quickly, transcending sound and becoming an interplay of two mysterious energies. His innate Qi had acted as the catalyst for this change, but without a way to control it, he could only let it collide and even mutate.
This time, the protective barrier of the Heart-Binding Horn faced a much stronger impact. The abrupt, shifting force made it difficult for the Heart-Binding Horn to absorb as easily as before, causing it to tremble noticeably.
At that moment, the stone box on the ground suddenly jerked.
Yu Ci shouted, “This isn’t good!” But before he could act, the stone box exploded with a loud bang, scattering fragments. One piece flew directly at his eye, and as he dodged, he saw the Dragon Fish stretching and contracting its seven-foot-long body in midair. With a powerful spring, it shot toward the cave entrance.
In the flurry of events, Yu Ci had no time to ponder whether the technique taught by the old daoist had failed or if it was due to the hook collision. All he knew was that if the Dragon Fish escaped into the vast outside world, catching it would be a near-impossible task.
The cave was only about ten zhang deep, barely giving Yu Ci time to react before the Dragon Fish would dart out.
Already familiar with the Dragon Fish’s flight pattern, Yu Ci knew how to intercept it. Without a second thought, he threw the object in his hand. But he quickly realized the mistake: cords and stones were not the same.
Sure enough, after flying only a few feet, the hooks at both ends of the cord clinked together, halting its momentum and sending it tumbling to the ground, where it collided with the rock with a series of “ding ding” sounds.
Each sound created invisible ripples, some strong, some weak, colliding and intertwining with each other.
Yu Ci had no time to care about this. Realizing the error as he threw the cord, he had already lunged forward. Although he couldn’t match the Dragon Fish’s speed, he wielded his Pure Yang Talisman Sword, ready to take the risk of damaging the prized creature if he couldn’t reach it in time.
Just then, the Dragon Fish began to transform again.
Sponsor Chapters at the Patreon Shop: Along with BuymeaCoffee where you can use your local currency, the Shop section on Patreon can be used as a way to make a one-time-payment. I will be creating products in the Shop section with the title of the webnovels. It will only have an image as the product, but it will count as the payment for the Sponsored Chapters.
For example: You will buy the product with the title “Flower Stealing Master” to sponsor a chapter for the novel. As far as I know, you can buy the same product multiple times, so you should be able to sponsor as many chapters you want. I hope it was easy to understand.
Introducing CN WN Bundle ($15) for those who prefer to read only CN webnovels. This bundle gives you access to all the advance chapters of the Chinese Webnovels on Goblinslate immediately, and will stay ahead of the regular release for the month! Get it on Patreon!
That means, you get:
FSM – Four Advance Chapters! ($10)
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AM – Two Advance Chapters! ($5)
IDT – Two Advance Chapters! ($5)