Chapter 235 - 229: Unexpected, New and Old Grudges

Chapter 235: Chapter 229: Unexpected, New and Old Grudges

The [Great Medicine] Talent, acquired from the Toad Palace’s Toad Demon, was without a doubt the most peculiar and unique Talent Ability Fu Juemin had obtained to date.

This Talent offered him almost no personal benefit—though, of course, it was possible he had yet to fully uncover its latent potential.

The effect of [Great Medicine] was bizarre. Upon activating the Talent, Fu Juemin would emit a unique aura that only Demon Fiends could sense. For certain Demons, this aura held an irresistible, fatal attraction, compelling them to approach at any cost.

Just like... the legendary "fragrance of the Great Medicine"!

[Great Medicine] could be released in two ways. The first was the "incense-burning method," which lured in all Demons and fiends within a certain radius indiscriminately, without a specific target.

The second was the "bait-casting method," which directionally focused and condensed the ability of [Great Medicine] into an invisible "line," specifically attracting a Demon from a particular location, just like fishing.

The latter method had a higher success rate and was more precise and stealthy than the former.

The Toad Demon from before had likely used the second method, specifically to lure that Demon Fish onto its hook.

Fu Juemin’s control over [Great Medicine] was naturally far inferior to that of the original Toad Demon. He couldn’t lure a Fish Demon to willingly approach from half a city away. However, the location of the Old Turtle Spirit in Du Mountain Reservoir had long been confirmed. Standing by the reservoir’s edge now, he was essentially "precision baiting," artificially boosting his chances of success.

[Great Medicine] had been active for some time. The ability also had a slight effect on ordinary creatures; the hibernating schools of fish at the bottom of the reservoir had all been stirred, and they now swarmed to the surface. Myriad heads thrashed about, a scene reminiscent of the countless fish paying homage in the Su River.

The men from Ghost Camp were already lying in ambush nearby. Gu Shouyu was with them, clutching a camera and staring wide-eyed at the water’s surface, ready to capture precious, firsthand images at a moment’s notice.

Fu Juemin was only making an attempt with this "turtle fishing" expedition; he didn’t expect to take down the Old Turtle in one go.

However, on the off chance he got lucky and succeeded on the first try, all necessary preparations had been made. Xu Hengjiang and the others were ready to blow up the reservoir at a moment’s notice.

Time ticked by. The reservoir’s water line was low in the winter, leaving a drop of seven or eight meters from the water’s surface to the giant rock where Fu Juemin stood.

Fu Juemin’s expression was calm, but his [Yao Ling] was fully active, his invisible Perception blanketing the entire body of water like a silken net.

Within his Perception, beneath the roiling surface, a massive shadow, like a moving reef, was being drawn by the invisible, fragrant bait. It was slowly rising from the murky depths.

Fifty meters... thirty meters... ten meters...

Closer, and closer still.

When the Old Turtle Spirit was less than five meters from the surface, Fu Juemin, standing on the giant rock, took a deep breath.

"CRACK, CRACK, CRACK—"

Accompanied by a series of dense, unnerving cracks of bone, Fu Juemin’s body seemed to grow in the wind, shooting upward. Vast swathes of blazing, orange-red patterns, like molten lava, surfaced from beneath his skin, spreading and weaving themselves into ancient, demonic totems...

Three Souls in One Body, the [Demon Body] state!

After achieving Great Success in the Five Beasts Skill, Fu Juemin’s control over his own power reached the "Micro Realm" of the Martial Dao. His ability to balance and regulate the three Talents—[Copper Hide], [Soft Bone], and [Meat Mountain]—had also risen to a new level.

This refined control fed back into his [Demon Body], causing its form to undergo a subtle evolution. It was no longer the purely burly, rugged shape it once was, but now trended toward a well-proportioned, slender form that combined explosive power with streamlined aesthetics.

Were it not for his impossibly dense muscles and bones and the demonic light patterns, his current form was even closer to that of a "human" than it was in his "Dual Soul Unity" state.

"CLANG!"

Having entered his [Demon Body] state, Fu Juemin casually gripped the heavy, dark, die-cast rebar long spear at his side, which was as massive as a great python. With the spear tip pointed at the ground, his gaze was like ice as he looked down upon the water, awaiting the final moment.

Ever since the battle where he killed the Toad Demon, he had found this "Big Gun," forged using heavy machinery from the Western World, to be quite handy. It was perfect for use in his [Demon Body] state, so he had privately commissioned several more.

"SPLASH!—"

In the center of the waters where the fish had been churning, a dark, swirling vortex suddenly appeared, collapsing violently downward without warning!

A terrifying suction erupted from the vortex’s core. Like the gaping maw of a colossal beast, or a giant flushing toilet, it devoured countless fish and a massive volume of lake water in a single gulp!

Beneath the surface, the dense shadow rapidly expanded. It was about to burst out of the water—

But in that very instant!

"BOOM—!!!"

Above the surface, an even larger splash erupted in mid-air without any warning!

Fu Juemin’s pupils contracted. A flash of surprise and alarm shot through his eyes.

Through the curtain of water droplets raining down, he caught a glimpse of a humanoid shadow—soaking wet and shrouded in a grim vapor—letting out a piercing shriek as it lunged at him from mid-air!

The several Great Demon Soul Seeds within him vibrated in unison, and a familiar yet alien sensation instantly flooded his mind.

’It’s that thing?!’

Fu Juemin had no time to think. With a single movement, the giant rock beneath his feet shattered as he launched himself into the air, long spear in hand, to meet the attack!

"BOOM!"

Two inhuman figures collided violently above the reservoir!

A visible, translucent, spherical shockwave erupted, sweeping in all directions and instantly atomizing the airborne water droplets into a fine mist!

Before the terrifying sound had even faded, the water below parted quietly. A massive head, covered in moss, barnacles, and aquatic weeds, emerged without a sound, looking as if an underwater reef had come to life.

Its massive maw opened, and a high-pressure Water Arrow—condensed to its absolute limit, its white color bone-chilling—shot out. It tore through the air with a piercing shriek and precisely struck the figure in the sky, who was momentarily stunned from the prior collision!

"BANG!—"

With a dull thud, Fu Juemin’s body was sent hurtling back like a meteorite, crashing onto the giant rock at the reservoir’s edge. He staggered back three steps—THUD, THUD, THUD—each footfall gouging a deep, web-cracked crater into the hard stone.

When he finally steadied himself, his face was grim.

He took a slow breath. A faint "CRACKLE" came from his chest as a slightly dented section of his sternum snapped back into place. The wound from the Water Arrow’s impact—where his skin had been torn open and the glowing patterns had dimmed—was rapidly closing under the influence of his vigorous Qi Blood and Vitality. The orange-red patterns began to flow and glow once more.

He paid the minor wound no mind. Instead, his gaze was like a blade, fixed intently on the surface of the water nearby.

There, on the surface of the reservoir, a giant turtle floated silently. It was as large as a floating island, its carapace the blue-black of Profound iron.

And on the Old Turtle Spirit’s back, as broad as a small courtyard, stood another demonic figure!

Humanoid, ape-like.

Vicious fangs curled out past its lips. Its face and body were covered in thick black fur, over which grew a second coat of long, silky, water-slick hair, like a white, downy cloak.

What little skin was exposed had a strange, pale pink hue.

It stood perfectly still, yet it radiated an aura of savagery, cunning, and a terrifying, overwhelming resentment that was far more soul-shaking than that of the Old Turtle Spirit beneath it.

Even though the Demon’s appearance had changed drastically, Fu Juemin recognized it in a single glance—it was the very same water monkey that had pursued him all the way from the Luan River to Shenghai!

No.

To call it a water monkey now was no longer fitting. This was clearly a more mature, more dangerous... Water Ape!

"There... there are two of them?!"

Gu Shouyu’s hushed cry, a mixture of shock and unconcealed ecstasy, drifted from the distance, immediately followed by the frantic CLICK-CLICK-CLICK of his camera shutter.

The blinding flash of the camera bulb seemed to displease the Water Ape. It narrowed its eyes, which were crimson as blood and burned with endless venom and hatred.

From the very beginning, its gaze was locked onto Fu Juemin, the malice within so palpable it threatened to freeze the very air.

Fu Juemin stared at the two Demons before him—the water monkey and the Old Turtle Spirit, who now seemed to be in a subordinate relationship. He never could have imagined that this tenacious water monkey would mature so quickly. It also seemed to have somehow secretly "subdued" the Old Turtle Spirit of Du Mountain Reservoir.

He had no idea what kind of strange new technique it had learned to hide its aura so perfectly, allowing it to sneak up on him without being detected.

It had even launched a surprise attack, coordinating with the Old Turtle Spirit in a pincer move from above and below, all to ensure his death.

He had come here to "fish," but he’d nearly been caught as the "fish" himself!

"Good. Good. Good."

Fu Juemin’s eyes darkened. His fingers slowly tightened their grip. The solid, die-cast steel shaft of the spear groaned in his palm, emitting a faint creak as clear indentations from his fingers formed on its surface.

He tilted his head, a cold, wicked smile spreading across his demonic yet handsome face. He spoke slowly, "No time like the present. Today... we settle all our scores, both new and old!"

As he spoke, a demonic "Black Flower" suddenly blossomed on his chest.

Snake Form, Lizard Form, Toad Form...

Five Poison Five Phases, all unleashed!

"BOOM!"

A thick, black energy, like a living miasma, erupted from his every pore. In the next instant, it collapsed violently inward, condensing into a terrifying "Demon Qi" that swirled around his body—a corona of distorted, pitch-black flame that seemed to burn with intense heat!

The terrifying aura erupted like a volcano, compressing the air to form an expanding, dark, and turbid Force Field that instantly pulverized the circle of rubble at his feet!

A smirk tugged at the corner of Fu Juemin’s mouth. In the next instant...

With a deafening CRACK, the giant rock beneath him completely disintegrated. His figure blurred into an afterimage that tore through the air, carrying a savage, all-destroying killing intent as he shot toward the White-haired Ape on the great turtle’s back!

.....