Chapter 271 - 264: Elder Liu

Chapter 271: Chapter 264: Elder Liu

Therefore, the first step was to accurately spot a Demon Beast, determine if it was a Tier One Lower Grade Demon Beast, and ascertain whether it would lose most of its combat strength on land.

The second step was to safely lure the Demon Beast ashore, while ensuring it didn’t get too close to the coastline prematurely.

The third step was to lead the Demon Beast into a previously set trap without letting the beast discover it ahead of time.

The fourth step was to prevent the startled Demon Beast from returning to the sea and to deal with its ensuing frenzy.

The fifth step was to kill the Demon Beast while avoiding injury.

The sixth step was to determine if the Demon Beast was truly dead or just feigning death for a final, desperate attack.

Not a single mistake could be made in any step. If a single mistake was made, it wouldn’t just be one or two deaths—the entire team could be annihilated.

If the Hunting Team was wiped out, the village would no longer be able to pay its taxes. The villagers’ only options would be to either wait for death or disband and be absorbed by other villages.

But that was a fate that every member of the Hunting Team dreaded, the thought of what would happen to the children, the elderly, and the women of their village.

The elderly, unable to work and only consuming food, would most likely be driven out. Unable to join other villages, they could only wait to die.

As for the women, regardless of whether they were married or not, they would be carved up and divided amongst the other villages.

As for the children, while they wouldn’t be driven out, they would likely spend their entire lives doing the hardest labor and being bullied.

However, most villages that had survived this long had their own methods; otherwise, they never would have made it.

Liu Family Village was the same.

In the past, the village had found items worth Spirit Stones and even received rewards from the Immortal Family, obtaining one or two Immortal Treasures that could aid in hunting Demon Beasts.

Combined with Elder Liu’s nearly fifty years of hunting experience, his Hunting Team had caught two Demon Beasts in just five days. They had almost gathered enough to pay the Immortal Family’s tax, but they were still a little short.

Elder Liu looked at the sky. There was still some time left. If they hurried, they could still manage to hunt one more Demon Beast.

After all, clear weather like this was a rare opportunity. Today, the Greedy Wolf Star God might be in a good mood for a while longer, but if his mood soured tomorrow, they could be facing months of terrible weather. At that point, the Fishing Team wouldn’t be able to go out to sea, and if they couldn’t pay the tax, things would get serious.

"Hey! Lads, stop what you’re doing! Let’s kill one more, then we’ll pack it in and go home to our wives!"

Elder Liu’s resonant voice echoed in the seaside air, sparking a round of cheerful replies. The team members’ spirits were high, and laughter rose and fell.

However, when the hunt truly began, the atmosphere suddenly became solemn and tense. Only the rhythmic lapping of waves against the hull still spoke of the sea’s tranquility.

Suddenly, Elder Liu’s battle-hardened eyes keenly caught something. His gaze instantly focused, sharp as a hawk’s.

He had found one.

Not far away, a Sea Serpent quietly surfaced.

Its slender, four-meter-long body resembled an eel’s. Striking white markings dotted its dark brown skin as it snaked through the water.

HISS—!

’A Sea Serpent!’

Even a seasoned hunter like Elder Liu held a healthy dose of respect for creatures like Sea Serpents. They possessed powerful venom glands and fangs. Their speed in the water was astonishing, and they could kill men like them in an instant.

But at this moment, relying on his vast experience, Elder Liu judged that the Sea Serpent before them was likely in the Tier One Lower Grade stage and not yet fully mature, making its threat level relatively low.

Among the many Demon Beasts, the value of a Sea Serpent was immeasurable. Its skin, fangs, venom glands, and gall bladder—every part could be exchanged on the market for a handsome sum of Spirit Stones.

This opportunity was especially crucial with the three-month tax payment coming due and no clear path to affording the next quarter’s levy.

At this thought, Elder Liu silently weighed the options, his fingers tightening around his paddle, feeling the coldness of the wood grain.

Their successful hunts over the past few days had boosted his confidence, but the impending heavy tax was a huge stone pressing on his heart.

’Do it.’

After a fierce internal struggle, Elder Liu gritted his teeth and decisively issued the command.

He lightly raised his wrist, making several pre-arranged hand signals with steady and concise movements.

The team members behind Elder Liu understood the unspoken command and immediately began their preparations.

The team members quickly and carefully took out a piece of specially treated dried fish from the special packs they carried.

This piece of dried fish emitted waves of an enticing aroma, and the special Spiritual Qi attached to it was an irresistible temptation to Demon Beasts in the sea.

They hooked the dried fish onto the end of a fishing rod. Each step was precise and skilled; they didn’t dare to be careless in the slightest.

While still hundreds of meters from the four-meter-long Sea Serpent, a team member decisively cast the baited line forward with all his might.

The hook, carrying the dried fish, shot through the air like a bolt of lightning, heading straight for the Sea Serpent.

"Go!"

The moment the hook touched the water, Elder Liu barked a low, decisive command.

At his word, every crew member moved, silently digging their paddles into the water. With all their strength, they propelled the fishing boat toward the shore at maximum speed.

The fishing boat wasn’t far from the shore, and it didn’t take them long to land.

At this moment, the Sea Serpent seemed to sense a powerful lure coming from the shore.

Its nostrils, located at the top of its head, twitched slightly. It had clearly caught a unique and irresistible scent.

The Sea Serpent, which had been floating lazily in the sea, instantly became alert. Its massive body tensed like a drawn bow, ready to strike.

In an instant, the Sea Serpent broke through the surface of the sea like a bolt of lightning, lunging violently toward the source of the scent and sending up a spectacular splash.

Elder Liu watched all of this calmly. Despite seeing the Sea Serpent’s movements, he showed not the slightest sign of panic.

Their steps light and swift, he and his team moved in perfect coordination toward the pre-set trap, just as planned.

Before long, they arrived next to the trap. A team member took the dried fish off the hook and placed it inside.

Then, everyone immediately retreated, not stopping until they were a hundred meters away. Only then did they relax slightly, holding their breath and fixing their gazes on the trap.

They watched as the Sea Serpent leaped from the shimmering green waves at a jaw-dropping speed, gliding toward the trap.

The trap Elder Liu and his team had designed, though simple, was quite effective. It was constructed from several thick, intersecting bamboo poles.

It cleverly used the momentum of the Sea Serpent’s lunging body, creating a small space that looked open but secretly held a trap.

Woven between the bamboo poles was a powerful fishing net, forming a barrier of Invisibility. With the slightest misstep, the Sea Serpent would become tightly entangled in the net, unable to escape.

The bottom was lined with a thick layer of slick mud, which was sprinkled with a special adhesive substance, making it impossible for the Sea Serpent to escape quickly once it entered.

Just as they had predicted, the Sea Serpent was drawn in by the scent of the dried fish and charged, completely unsuspecting, into this seemingly placid and unremarkable trap.

Just as it dipped its head and swallowed the dried fish, it was instantly and tightly wrapped by the hidden fishing net. At the same time, as the startled Sea Serpent thrashed about, the slick substance from below was spread all over its body.

In fact, the ingenuity of this hunt went far beyond that.

The dried fish that the Sea Serpent had swallowed actually contained a large amount of paralyzing toxins.

Although compared to the Sea Serpent’s own potent venom, toxins used by mortals had a limited effect on Demon Beasts, it was still enough to cause some interference and weaken the Sea Serpent.

Now, all they needed to do was wait!

Wait for the toxins to take effect inside the Sea Serpent’s body; wait for it to gradually experience dehydration, temperature imbalance, and difficulty breathing—the series of survival crises common to marine creatures out of water.

The trapped Sea Serpent finally realized its danger. It thrashed panickedly inside the trap, twisting and writhing in an attempt to escape.

But the slick layer beneath it was like an invisible shackle, holding it firmly within the trap.

The Sea Serpent struggled in anger and helplessness. Every lunge was followed by a powerless slide back, as if it were imprisoned in a cage from which there was no escape.