“Huh?”
Upon clearly seeing the ghostly face, Ye Qiu let out a surprised sound.
The face was about a foot tall, thin, like an infant’s. At first glance, it seemed somewhat human, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t human at all.
Its body was covered in long black fur, with hands and feet almost human-like. Its eyes glowed red, sharp and piercing, its nose protruded, and its mouth was large. Besides the two tiger fangs Ye Qiu had sliced off with sword qi, there were two more teeth in the upper jaw.
These teeth were sharp, long, pitch-black, like daggers, glinting coldly.
Xiao Zhan shone his torch on it, feeling his scalp tingle, and whispered, “Boss, is this thing human or ghost?”
“It’s a ghost,” Ye Qiu said.
Xiao Zhan was shaken and quickly hid behind Ye Qiu, asking nervously, “Boss, really a ghost?”
Ye Qiu clarified, “To be precise, it’s a water ghost.”
Water ghost?
Xiao Zhan was stunned, “So there really are ghosts in this world? I thought it was just superstition.”
Ye Qiu explained, “This water ghost has another name, water monkey.”
“Ah, this is a water monkey?” Xiao Zhan was astonished.
Clearly, he’d heard stories about water monkeys.
Legends say water monkeys are adept in water, mainly feeding on fish and shrimp, with a wicked nature, often causing people to drown.
Not long ago, a news report mentioned an incident.
One summer, several students went swimming in a river after school. Five drowned, and two narrowly escaped.
During the investigation, the two survivors said that shortly after entering the water, they felt something grab their feet, pulling them down hard.
They struggled desperately, broke free, and reached the shore, only to find red marks on their ankles.
Frightened, they didn’t go back in, but the other students who stayed in the water all drowned.
Coincidentally, the drowned students also had red marks on their ankles, like an infant’s handprint.
Authorities investigated for a long time and concluded the students were entangled in dense water weeds, leading to their deaths.
This explanation didn’t convince the public.
Thus, the legend of the water monkey resurfaced in public attention.
“Boss, if this is really a water monkey, why didn’t I notice it approaching me?” Xiao Zhan found it hard to believe.
Though his skills weren’t on par with Ye Qiu or Longbrow True Man, he was still an expert. He should’ve sensed something when the water monkey got close.
But by the time he reacted, the culprit that left a black handprint on his ankle was already gone.
Ye Qiu said, “This isn’t an ordinary water monkey. Didn’t you see? It can spew poisonous mist, and if I’m not mistaken, it’s incredibly fast.”
“It seems the culprit behind the deaths of the Dragon Gate disciples is likely this beast.”
“This thing is ferocious and can’t be spared.”
With that, Ye Qiu walked toward the water monkey.
The water monkey stared at Ye Qiu with icy eyes, baring its teeth.
“Swish!”
When Ye Qiu was three metres away, he flicked a sword qi.
The water monkey reacted swiftly, leaping away with a “whoosh” as it sensed danger.
It jumped ten metres.
Not only was the distance impressive, but its feet landed without a sound.
Silent landing.
It dodged Ye Qiu’s sword qi effortlessly.
“As expected, it’s very fast,” Ye Qiu noted.
The sword qi he’d just unleashed, though a test, was enough to severely injure a God List-level expert.
Yet the water monkey dodged it with ease.
This showed how fast it was.
Speed was just one aspect. After dodging, the water monkey leapt at Ye Qiu.
As it lunged, its speed surged tenfold, without making any sound.
Ye Qiu now understood why Longbrow True Man hadn’t sensed it before it appeared right in front of him.
This water monkey was extremely eerie.
Like a bolt of lightning, it appeared before Ye Qiu, spewing yellow poisonous mist from its mouth.
At the same time, a sinister grin spread across its ghostly face.
Boom!
Seizing the moment, Ye Qiu landed a swift punch on the water monkey’s head.
Splat!
Its brains splattered.
The water monkey couldn’t fathom, even in death, why Ye Qiu was immune to its poisonous mist.
It didn’t know Ye Qiu was impervious to all poisons. This mist, even stronger toxins, couldn’t harm him.
After smashing the water monkey’s head, Ye Qiu returned to Longbrow True Man and administered several needles.
Soon, Longbrow True Man stood up.
Though the poison was cleansed, his anger lingered.
“Damn it, a mere beast dared to scare me. It deserved to die,” Longbrow True Man cursed, stomping the water monkey’s corpse to bits.
“Enough, stop wasting time. Let’s go!” Ye Qiu said, turning to leave.
The three left the cave, took out water-repelling talismans, and returned to the riverbed.
“Old man, help me retrieve the bodies.”
Together, they recovered all the Dragon Gate disciples’ corpses from the sunken ship.
Everything was set.
Just as they were about to leave, the weather changed abruptly.
The clear sky turned overcast, with thunderclouds rolling above, an oppressive aura blanketing the area.
The heavenly tribulation had arrived!
Ye Qiu felt a headache coming on. Each time he cultivated a new strand of innate true qi, he had to face a tribulation. After consuming the Nine-Leaf Golden Lotus, he gained two more strands, meaning he’d face two tribulations.
Moments later, a thunderous roar echoed.
From the heavens, a bolt of lightning struck toward the ship.
Fearing the tribulation would harm Xiao Zhan and Longbrow True Man, Ye Qiu darted out, his toes skimming the river’s surface. In a few flashes, he reached a cliff a hundred metres away to face the tribulation.
Soon, he was engulfed by lightning.
In moments, he was battered, golden blood splattering everywhere, a gruesome sight.
Watching from the ship’s bow, Longbrow True Man showed no concern for Ye Qiu, instead muttering, “Heaven, let the lightning strike harder. Best if it kills the little brat.”
Xiao Zhan, furious, snapped, “Senior, you dare curse Boss? Careful you don’t get struck by lightning too.”
“Relax, I’m blessed with great fortune. Heaven wouldn’t strike me…”
Boom!
At that moment, a massive bolt of lightning surged from the sky, heading straight for Longbrow True Man.
