Chapter 221: Fish Demon Skeleton – Smooth Talker

Mist Sea Cliff, southern shore.

A thick gray mist hung beneath the dark cliff. The black soil on either side was laced with blue crystal sand, casting a faint bluish glow. A massive skeleton lay sprawled across the southern shore. Even the smallest bones were several feet thick. After centuries of exposure, the parts closest to the surface were covered in a thick layer of green moss. The fish-shaped skull drooped halfway over the cliff’s edge, as if it might tumble off at any moment.

Beneath the fish bones, the ground was riddled with holes burrowed by countless tiny worms. It was a chilling sight. The red worms arched halfway out of the earth like tentacles emerging from underground, writhing in eerie, unnatural motions.

“Senior Brother, watch out!”

Near the Fish Demon Skeleton, four disciples in blue robes had no time to admire the view. They were under attack by a flock of deformed, three-winged, headless birds.

These birds had no heads, only long necks. Their feathers were as black as a raven’s, and their talons clutched human heads. The eyes on those heads rolled and locked onto the disciples’ position.

One of the birds dove, the human head in its claws grinning wide to reveal rows of sharp, jagged teeth, lunging straight at Xu Xianxing.

Xu Xianxing let out a shriek. “Ahhh!”

A gust of wind-imbued spiritual power whistled past his ear. Gongxi Rong punched the bird aside and shoved Xu Xianxing out of the way. “Junior Brother, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Xu Xianxing said, still shaken. “Looks like Lian Mu was right. This place really is cursed. We just got here and already ran into so many Demonic Creatures.”

Gongxi Rong frowned. “This isn’t normal. These Demonic Creatures shouldn’t be here.”

“What do you mean?” Xu Xianxing asked.

“They’re not from the Abyssal Circle. They’re more like something from the Flat Earth Circle,” Gongxi Rong replied. “But it doesn’t matter. Leave them to me. You three fall back under the Fish Demon Skeleton. They won’t dare approach that area.”

Hearing this, Xu Xianxing immediately led the other two disciples to take cover beneath the Fish Demon Skeleton. Sure enough, as soon as they entered the area covered by the bones, the three-winged, headless birds veered away and focused their attacks solely on Gongxi Rong.

Since Gongxi Rong had chosen to face them alone, he clearly had the confidence to drive them off. The three disciples couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Besides Xu Xianxing and Gongxi Rong, the team also included an alchemy cultivator and a sword cultivator. Both had joined the Returning Immortal Sect a year earlier than Xu Xianxing and were considered his senior brothers.

Xu Xianxing crouched beneath a rib bone. The ground beneath his feet was crawling with dense clusters of red worms. Though they didn’t attack, their grotesque appearance made his skin crawl and brought back some unpleasant memories.

“Why don’t those Demonic Creatures dare come near this place?” he asked, trying to suppress his revulsion.

The alchemy cultivator pointed toward Mist Sea Cliff. “Word is, this skeleton belonged to the Thousand-Eyed Fish Demon that once lived beneath the cliff. It used to rule this entire region until it was slain by our former Sect Master. But even in death, its lingering aura still affects nearby Demonic Creatures.”

“There are as many red worms beneath the bones as the Thousand-Eyed Fish Demon had eyes. These worms are said to be transformed from its eyes.”

Xu Xianxing imagined what the Thousand-Eyed Fish Demon must have looked like and instantly regretted eating so much before coming out today.

He glanced toward Gongxi Rong. Every time one of the three-winged birds was slain, it would split into more. They would pick up the human heads dropped by the fallen birds, which would then reattach to their talons. The eyes would begin to roll again, and the battle would start anew.

“This is insane. These things are a thousand times more terrifying than demonic beasts,” the sword cultivator muttered, goosebumps rising all over his arms. He had mentally prepared himself for all kinds of horrors, but the reality of facing Demonic Creatures was far worse than he had imagined.

Xu Xianxing said, “At this rate, we’ll never finish them off. Maybe we should retreat?”

The alchemy cultivator frowned. “You want to run? What about Senior Brother Gongxi?”

“…I didn’t mean just the three of us. I meant we should retreat with Senior Brother Gongxi,” Xu Xianxing clarified. “There’s only four of us. We should find another team to join forces with.”

After being scolded by Lian Mu earlier, Xu Xianxing had given up on the idea of checking out the Fish Demon Skeleton. But fate had other plans. As soon as they entered, they were teleported right next to it.

“Who would we even find?” the alchemy cultivator asked. “We can’t break away right now. Forget leaving with Senior Brother Gongxi, we can’t even escape on our own.”

The sword cultivator gritted his teeth. “Damn it. We can’t just hide here like cowards. I’m going up to help him. You two go find reinforcements!”

Xu Xianxing’s mind raced. Suddenly, he had an idea. “Wait, I might have a way. It’s worth a try.”

He rolled up his sleeves and grabbed one of the red worms from the ground, yanking out the rest of its body from the soil. A handful of long, slimy worms squirmed in his grip.

The alchemy cultivator stared in shock. “Junior Brother Xu, what are you doing?!”

“If these worms are really the eyes of the Thousand-Eyed Fish Demon, they should be able to scare off those birds too,” Xu Xianxing said. With that, he charged out from under the Fish Demon Skeleton, worms in hand.

“Junior Brother Xu!”

The moment Xu Xianxing stepped beyond the skeleton’s protection, the three-winged birds immediately locked onto him. He stopped in his tracks and flung the worms at the lead bird.

The bird let out a piercing screech. Its body twisted into a mass of black mist and was devoured by the worms at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Seeing this, the other birds froze mid-air, too afraid to come any closer.

The two senior brothers under the skeleton were startled, but once they saw the tactic worked, they each grabbed a handful of worms from the ground and rushed out to join him.

“Senior Brother Gongxi, let’s fall back for now!”

Gongxi Rong had just crushed a bird with his bare hands. He turned around and said, “Leaving already? These are just fifth-rank Demonic Creatures. There may be a lot of them, but I’ve already figured out their weakness. Didn’t you want to see the Fish Demon Skeleton?”

“We’ve seen enough. Way more than enough,” Xu Xianxing said quickly. “Let’s go find another team. Four people just isn’t enough to move around safely.”

Gongxi Rong nodded. “Alright… but we can’t leave until we deal with these birds.”

Xu Xianxing handed him a bunch of worms. “Use these. They’ll drive them off.”

Gongxi Rong raised an eyebrow. “So that’s how you’ve been standing around unharmed. Clever of you to use them.”

These worms were remnants of the Thousand-Eyed Fish Demon, still carrying traces of its Demonic Qi. To preserve that Demonic Qi, they needed to consume other things.

Demonic Creatures were different from demonic beasts. Demonic beasts couldn’t consume one another, but Demonic Creatures, born from the Demon Nurturing River, grew stronger through devouring—whether it be humans, beasts, or even weaker members of their own kind.

“Which team are you planning to work with? Just so we’re clear, if it’s a cross-sect collaboration, I won’t accept the Clear Thought Sect,” Gongxi Rong said. “I have a grudge against a talisman cultivator from that sect.”

Xu Xianxing: “…”

Why did all the body cultivators from their sect seem to have issues with the talisman cultivators from Clear Thought Sect? It wasn’t just Wen Yun—now even Senior Brother Gongxi too.

“I don’t like the Clear Thought Sect either,” Xu Xianxing said. “Let’s go find Lian Mu’s team. She’s dependable.”

Gongxi Rong nodded. “Alright.”

The four of them retreated to the Fish Demon Skeleton. Xu Xianxing grabbed a handful of red worms and stuffed them into his spatial pouch. Disgusting as they were, they were currently the most convenient method for warding off demons.

The others followed his lead, stuffing their pouches full.

Gongxi Rong didn’t stop them. Once these worms were separated from the Thousand-Eyed Fish Demon, they lost the ability to recognize humans. Now, they only reacted to others carrying Demonic Qi.

After the four left the area, the three-winged headless birds let out piercing screeches. Then, they caught the scent of a new group of people.

The largest of the birds turned the human head beneath its claws toward the sky, locking onto a target.

In the next moment, an ice arrow shot through the air and struck the head, freezing it instantly.

A silver kite carrying four people flew in from the distance. The artifact refiner leading the group raised her hand slightly, and the three-ringed disc in front of her began to spin. Spiritual power burst forth, and in the blink of an eye, all the three-winged headless birds were reduced to ash.

“As expected of Senior Sister Nangong. Cleared out that trash with ease. If it were me, clumsy as I am, I’d probably spark a fire just trying to draw my bow.”

Nangong Li smiled faintly. “When it comes to sweet talk, you’re far ahead of Junior Brother Ying.”

Qian Songshi twirled the Ice-Blue Longbow in his hand and laughed. “Flattery like this is hardly worth mentioning compared to the noble and upright Senior Brother Ying.”

Gu Qingyu, standing nearby, rolled her eyes. “…”

Qian Songshi stood up and rotated his wrist. “I’ll go explore this area on my own. No need for Senior Sister or either of you to trouble yourselves.”

Nangong Li gave him a sidelong glance. “Weren’t you planning to follow them to find the Second Seat of the Returning Immortal Sect? Then hurry up and catch up. I’ve already used a lot of spiritual power along the way to shield you. That Xu Xianxing is sharp—he nearly spotted us several times.”

Qian Songshi replied, “Since we’re already passing by the Fish Demon Skeleton, of course I had to stop and take a look. I heard that after the Thousand-Eyed Fish Demon died, new Demonic Creatures took over Mist Sea Cliff. I figured I’d come see what they look like.”

Nangong Li’s expression remained calm. “Let me remind you, Mist Sea Cliff is a special zone. The Demonic Creatures hidden below are of unknown rank. If you charge in recklessly and something happens, I might not be able to help you.”

Qian Songshi said, “Why the sudden cold tone, Senior Sister? If Senior Brother Ying were here instead of me, I doubt you’d be saying this.”

Nangong Li replied, “Junior Brother Ying doesn’t go looking for trouble like you do. I’m only worried about you. You’re one of the Chief Disciples representing the Azure Profound Sect now, yet you still act so impulsively. You didn’t mention anything about visiting the Fish Demon Skeleton before we came. This was clearly a spur-of-the-moment decision.”

“Well, since we’re already here, it’d be a shame not to take a look. Thanks for your concern, Senior Sister. I’ll be sure to keep myself safe so you can continue enjoying the sight of my stunningly handsome face.” Qian Songshi winked, then jumped down without hesitation.

Nangong Li shook her head helplessly but still activated her Spirit Artifact to shield the area, using her spiritual pressure to drive away any nearby Demonic Creatures.

Gu Qingyu finally couldn’t hold back. “…Is he crazy? Ever since he lost to Ting Zhou a few years ago and went off traveling, he’s come back with a screw loose.”

Nangong Li said, “Even though I always wanted to bring Junior Brother Ying along, Qian is kind of adorable too.”

Gu Qingyu: “…”

At the edge of Mist Sea Cliff.

Qian Songshi walked up to the Fish Demon Skeleton, crouched down, and pulled out a worm, sensing the lingering Demonic Qi within.

As expected, it had been a powerful Demonic Creature. Even in death, its Demonic Qi had endured for years.

What kind of Demonic Creature had taken its place to claim Mist Sea Cliff?

Qian Songshi approached the edge of the cliff. Below was a sea of gray fog, the bottom completely obscured.

He paused to observe. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a glimmer of water near the cliff’s edge.

Without hesitation, he fired an arrow at it. The upper half froze instantly, while the lower half recoiled like a tentacle, slithering back into the fog.

His black boots squelched in the soft, rotting earth as he walked over to the frozen water glimmer. Picking up the chunk of ice, he examined it for a moment, then let out a scoff.

He’d thought something formidable might be hiding in the mist, but it turned out to be a bunch of low-grade, mindless Demonic Creatures. They weren’t even as threatening as those headless birds.

Demonic Creatures survived by devouring one another. If low-grade creatures appeared in an area, it meant the whole region was filled with similarly weak beings. Their ranks were too close to overpower each other.

Qian Songshi looked disappointed. He casually tossed the ice crystal aside, then lifted his head. “Senior Sister, we can go now.”