Chapter 414: Slaughter

Chapter 414: Chapter 414: Slaughter

The fishing boat traveled downstream along the Azure Dragon River.

The water glittered.

From time to time, massive creatures swam beneath the surface, their passage marked by dark shadows.

The five hired Cultivators seemed even more eager than Bai Mo and his companions.

The old cultivator stood at the edge of the boat, occasionally pointing at the water with another man and whispering.

Occasionally, large fish would leap from the water or try to capsize the boat, only to be slain by the five disciples from Martial Peak.

The fish carcasses either floated on the surface or sank to the bottom, a sight that made the old cultivator and his men green with envy and full of regret.

But since Bai Mo’s group was on important business, they didn’t dare to say anything.

After navigating several bends in the river, they entered a region Bai Mo didn’t recognize.

Night fell, and the sky was studded with stars.

The old cultivator exchanged a few words with the others, then suddenly stepped forward.

"Everyone, inside the upcoming bend, there’s a ninety-percent chance we’ll find the nest of the Golden-Scaled Demon Fish."

"The current slows down there, attracting plenty of fish and shrimp. It’s a favorite haunt for many of the larger fish in the Azure Dragon River."

"If the Golden-Scaled Demon Fish built its nest here, it would never have to worry about food..."

They had made similar claims several times before, but none had proven true.

This time, however, a smile suddenly blossomed on Brother Zheng’s face.

"This is the place..."

He had spotted a palm-sized patch of blood on the riverbank. Fish were fighting to leap onto that spot, ramming their heads against the ground.

Those that succeeded would return to the water with their auras greatly enhanced, a faint demonic qi swirling around them.

This was the essence blood of a Cultivator, left behind by someone injured and not cleaned up properly.

Bai Mo turned to the old cultivator. "You all go ashore and find a place to hide."

"If you don’t want to wait for us, you can just head back on your own when it’s over..."

The old cultivator and his men were startled, fear rising in their hearts.

"Alright!"

They watched as Brother Zheng summoned a Flying Ship and led his martial brothers aboard.

The old cultivator and his men hastily pulled their boat to the bank, scrambled ashore, and hunkered down behind an earthen mound.

The old cultivator gritted his teeth. "Later, no matter what you hear, don’t make a reckless move."

"’We can’t get the others in trouble...’"

...

「Aboard the Flying Ship.」

Brother Zheng’s eyes were fixed on the wave-lapped shore, a smile spreading across his face.

"’A water-repelling Array.’"

He extended his right hand, pointing to a spot below.

"Brother Zhu, you’re up."

Thanks to the regenerative effects of Bai Mo’s Pills, the flesh of this right hand had finally grown back completely, though the tender traces of new skin were still visible.

Brother Zhu couldn’t see what lay beneath the marshy ground, but he took out a palm-sized Yin Soul Bow and carefully drew and fired an arrow.

The small arrow vanished into the water and mud.

Brother Zheng nodded in satisfaction.

"The lookout is dead."

He casually produced a black sphere the size of a human head.

Judging by its material, it seemed to be some kind of Ink Jade.

Bai Mo and Brother Zhu looked over. They couldn’t see through the sphere’s shell, but they both felt an instinctual sense of dread.

Brother Zheng patted the black sphere. "This is a Yin-Devouring Thunder Poison, given to me by the Foreign Affairs Hall when I left the sect."

"It was originally meant for defending cities against Demon Beast sieges. But now? Using it on these people is hardly a waste!"

"Brother Bai, whatever tricks you have up your sleeve, now’s the time to use them..."

Bai Mo nodded. He observed the direction of the current, found a suitable spot, and began to take out one Pill after another.

The Pills dissolved in the water, instantly dyeing the river a dark green. A few breaths later, the color returned to normal.

However, a faint, sweet fragrance remained, refusing to dissipate.

Brother Zheng and Brother Zhu were taken aback.

"Poison?"

It dawned on them.

’These Cultivators of the Alchemy Dao... when they turn their minds to malice, they’re truly something else...’

As the sweet aroma reached their nostrils, the men instinctively held their breath.

Brother Zheng reminded him, "Brother, the Tongzi Altar people are hiding below. They’ve set up a water-repelling Array, so the current can’t get in..."

The words had barely left his mouth when his expression changed.

Before his very eyes, the Array’s barrier, which had been holding back the river, was being rapidly corroded by the rushing water.

In just a few moments, it was already on the verge of collapse.

Bai Mo didn’t stop, continuing to take out Pills of various colors and dissolve them in the water, concocting the desired toxic effects.

"Don’t worry, Brother."

"I have my ways."

With that, he tossed antidotes to Brother Zheng and the others.

"Brothers, you were poisoned before you even smelled it."

"Don’t hold your breath; that will only make the poison take effect faster."

Brother Zheng and the others hastily swallowed the waxy-tasting antidotes.

"Brother, what incredible methods!"

Bai Mo quickly replied, "It’s just a minor trick."

"It can’t compare to a straightforward fight with real weapons."

As they were speaking, a muffled boom echoed from beneath the riverbed, and the soil on the bank caved in.

"Who’s there?!"

An angry roar erupted from below.

"Someone’s using poison! Help me..."

The Array shattered completely. A torrent of mud and water rushed down, completely swallowing the voice from below.

But just two breaths later, a brilliant aura erupted from beneath, pushing the earth up into a great mound.

Brother Zheng narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, so a capable one has shown up."

"See? This is the old monster from the Tongzi Altar I told you about, the one who possessed a new body to live again."

"A pity the original body was only at the Core Formation level, and he hasn’t fully recovered his strength..."

The others all turned to look at him.

If a person like that truly broke free, it was unlikely anyone present would be his match.

Brother Zheng’s expression remained unchanged as he casually tossed the black sphere down.

CRACK!

The black sphere landed squarely on the mound and shattered like glass.

BOOM!

It was like a sudden clap of thunder on a clear day. The boom was so loud that even the brilliant aura from underground trembled.

Countless black lightning bolts erupted from the sphere, instantly blanketing a hundred-zhang radius.

Though the black thunder boomed, it lacked any sense of righteous grandeur. Instead, it sank swiftly into the ground like a tide.

"Once the Yin-Devouring Thunder Poison descends, even a true Core Formation Cultivator would be in for a world of hurt."

"Let alone these guys..."

Muffled thunder, like strings of firecrackers, rumbled underground as the disciples of the Tongzi Altar began to fight back, trying to break through the Thunder Poison and return to the surface.

Bai Mo offered a reminder:

"Be careful not to harm the abducted Cultivators."

"Don’t worry," Brother Zheng nodded.

"This Thunder Poison is discerning. It won’t target anyone below the Foundation Establishment Realm."

Brother Zhu, who was standing nearby, clapped his hands.

"In that case, this will be easy! We’re sure to earn a great reward!"

He drew his Yin Soul Bow and, aiming at a Tongzi Altar disciple who had just struggled back to the surface, gently loosed an arrow.

The disciple was already heavily poisoned and unable to circulate his Spiritual Qi. He had relied solely on his physical strength to crawl through the mud and water to see the sky again.

Now, struck in the heart by the arrow, he couldn’t draw another breath and died on the spot.

This was only the beginning.

Following him, more than a dozen other Tongzi Altar disciples clawed their way to the surface.

When they saw Bai Mo and the others looking down on them from the Flying Ship, their hearts were instantly filled with despair.

"Where are the Foundation Establishment disciples of our Altar?"

THWUMP!

In response to the shout, a Cultivator covered in black slime appeared, shooting straight into the air. Before he reached a height of two zhang, he plummeted back to the ground.

When they looked again, the Tongzi Altar disciple was charred black from head to toe, no longer breathing.

The black slime was what the Thunder Poison had become.

The five disciples from Martial Peak drew their weapons, leaped from the ship, and landed on the ground below.

The muddy ground did nothing to impede their steps.

On the shore, late at night, an air of slaughter suddenly erupted.