Chapter 675: A Shocking Encounter with the Demon Crocodile

Before Hong Yu and the others lay a small river.

The water murmured, so clear they could easily see the fish swimming within.

It was these very fish that astonished Hong Yu.

These small, finger-sized white fish were no ordinary creatures. They had a resonant name: Moon-Devouring Cod!

These white fish were born with the ability to absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. On the night of a full moon, in particular, they would gather in schools at the shallowest part of the riverbed, poke their heads out, and tilt them toward the moon, absorbing the essence of the heavens and the earth, the splendor of the sun and moon.

It was as if they were a school of fish devouring the moon itself.

That, combined with their snow-white bodies…

…is how they earned the name Moon-Devouring Cod!

More importantly, every single Moon-Devouring Cod was comparable to a Fifth-grade Body Tempering Spirit Pill. They could expel impurities from the body, enhancing its purity and strength.

There were probably around three thousand Moon-Devouring Cod here.

That was equivalent to three thousand Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills. This was an absolute treasure trove!

“What a find!”

Hong Yu rubbed his palms together. “Ladies,” he said, “it’s been a long journey for all of us. Why don’t we rest for a bit and catch some fish to roast?”

The group of Cat Girl Warriors couldn’t help but cover their mouths and giggle, nodding in agreement.

These Cat Girl Warriors were quite deft. Not only did each possess formidable Martial Force, but they were also skilled in the culinary arts—as capable in the kitchen as they were on the battlefield.

Watching the Cat Girl Warriors roast the aromatic Moon-Devouring Cod, Hong Yu’s mouth began to water.

Everyone ate several of them.

Hong Yu’s appetite was even more exaggerated. He devoured a full one hundred fish before finally letting out a satisfied burp. This made all the Cat Girl Warriors stare at him with wide eyes, as if looking at a bottomless pit, which made Hong Yu feel a bit awkward.

Then, everyone sat down cross-legged to refine and absorb the essence of the Moon-Devouring Cod.

A pure power coursed through their bodies, circuit after circuit, expelling impurities with every cycle.

Hong Yu was the first to open his eyes.

His body was covered in a layer of black, mud-like substance. This was clearly the impurities from within his body—toxins accumulated from his daily diet, or perhaps residual substances from past injuries, cultivation, and Pill consumption.

‘I can’t believe my body still had so many impurities!’ Hong Yu instantly felt a sense of relief. Even the flow of his qi and blood felt much smoother.

He glanced at the Cat Girl Warriors, who all seemed to still be refining the Moon-Devouring Cod, and snuck over to the riverbank.

He leaped into the river and washed himself clean.

Just as he was about to leave the riverbed, he suddenly saw the schools of Moon-Devouring Cod still swimming in the distance. An idea struck him. He darted through the water like a fish himself, catching the Moon-Devouring Cod one by one and tossing them into the Celestial Essence Secret Realm.

He would dig a lake in the Celestial Essence Secret Realm to raise these Spirit Fish.

Only then did Hong Yu climb out of the river, satisfied. He changed his clothes and waited for a while. One by one, the Cat Girl Warriors awoke, but they all looked a bit embarrassed. Their bodies were sticky and covered in impurities, and Hong Yu was right there.

Hong Yu felt everyone’s gazes fixated on him and gave an awkward smile. “I’ll go scout ahead. You all can come over after you’ve washed up!”

Seeing Hong Yu leave, the Cat Girl Warriors eagerly stripped off their clothes.

Hearing the sounds of splashing and playful frolicking in the water behind him, Hong Yu felt a little restless and muttered, “See no evil, hear no evil!”

They say there are three things women are slow at: putting on makeup, getting undressed, and bathing!

Although the Cat Girl Warriors were beauties of the War Race, they were no exception to the slow pace of bathing. They kept Hong Yu waiting for a full hour before they finally, belatedly, arrived.

Looking at the refreshed Cat Girl Warriors with their rosy cheeks, Hong Yu gave a wry smile. “Ladies, I was about to grow roots waiting for you!”

“My lord, please forgive us!”

The Cat Girl Warriors said in fear and trepidation.

Hong Yu was taken aback, then chuckled. “I was just kidding. Don’t be so nervous!”

They continued on their way.

Another half an hour later, they finally left the vicinity of the Celestial Desolation Valley.

The sky was gloomy and overcast, as if a thunderstorm was about to break. Hong Yu thought for a moment and said, “The medicine garden is in the central region of the War Spirit Holy Land. At our fastest speed, it will take about fifteen days to get there. This War Spirit Holy Land holds many inheritances and fortuitous encounters. Each person has their own destiny. If we all travel together, we’ll likely miss out on a lot of good things!”

Hong Yu looked at the group of Cat Girl Warriors. “From now on, we will split into twenty groups of five and disperse. Our target is the garden in the central region. No matter what route you take, you must all gather at the Central Medicine Garden in fifteen days. Can you do that?”

“Your subordinates obey!”

The Cat Maidens also knew that their chances of stumbling upon a fortuitous encounter were much lower if they all stayed together, so they didn’t hesitate.

Hong Yu nodded. He then looked at the crowd, divided them into twenty groups, and gave each member a Spirit Communication Jade Order. “This is a Spirit Communication Jade Order. Refine it. If you encounter danger, crush it, and the others and I will rush to your location as quickly as possible!”

“We understand!”

The Cat Maidens scattered, each choosing a direction and departing.

Hong Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

He then picked a direction himself and sprinted off.

The War Spirit Holy Land was, after all, vast. For the next ten days, Hong Yu didn’t encounter any other experts. Instead, he came across quite a few Top-Grade Spirit Medicines and ore veins.

He even discovered an ancient site.

It contained an inheritance, but after trying for a while, Hong Yu failed to obtain it. He simply plundered all the Treasures from the ancient site and continued on his way.

Until the twelfth day.

Hong Yu happened to be passing by a massive lake. Its surface, spanning a full 20,000 kilometers, was majestic and stretched beyond the horizon.

Hong Yu sensed many powerful auras beneath the lake. It was clear that extremely strong creatures resided within.

However, his mind was currently preoccupied with the Central Medicine Garden. He wanted to obtain the Ten Thousand Year-old Polygonum multiflorum to refine the Nine Orifice Breaking God Pill and advance to the Primordial Spirit Realm, so he didn’t linger.

The powerful life forms under the lake evidently sensed Hong Yu’s strong aura, and so things remained peaceful.

It was only when he reached the center of the lake that Hong Yu suddenly stopped.

He gazed at the lake’s surface below, his brow furrowing. ‘What a dense killing intent. The surrounding Spiritual Qi is in turmoil. Experts were clearly fighting here just now! I wonder what level they were to generate such a powerful battle aura!’

The lake, which should have been as blue as jade, was now filled with the thick stench of blood. A large patch of it was stained crimson.

It was blood that had dyed the lake water red.

This patch of the lake was at least the size of a hundred football fields. What kind of colossal body could possibly have so much blood!

Hong Yu stared quietly ahead. A silver light flashed in his left eye as he peered into the distance. His Heart Spirit instantly spread out, and his gaze suddenly locked on two figures over a hundred miles away, rapidly crashing into each other.

Their collisions kicked up waves three to four hundred meters high.

‘Better not go over there. I don’t want to get into trouble!’

Hong Yu decided to leave in another direction.

But he had only gone about fifty or sixty kilometers when the two warring experts suddenly charged rapidly in his direction.

“Looks like I’m going to get dragged into this whether I like it or not!” Hong Yu gave a wry laugh.

His Illusory Spirit Celestial Eyes had already allowed him to identify the expert in the lead.

It was an acquaintance!

Ma Fengxing of the Celestial Horse Race.

He had also spotted Hong Yu and was running right for him. Behind him, an Ancient Demon Crocodile was roaring in fury as it gave chase.

A golden arrow was embedded in the Ancient Demon Crocodile’s back. Blood gushed from the wound like a river flowing in reverse. It was obvious the blood in the lake had come from this very creature.

“Beichen, help me!”

Ma Fengxing roared.

He had spotted the Ancient Demon Crocodile earlier and fired a powerful arrow from a great distance. However, he had only managed to injure it, not deal a fatal blow. Instead, he had provoked the Ancient Demon Crocodile into chasing him relentlessly.

Experts of the Celestial Horse Race were incredibly powerful at long-range attacks, but their close-combat abilities were considerably weaker.

Seeing the Ancient Demon Crocodile about to go berserk and kill him, Ma Fengxing grew extremely anxious. It was at this exact moment that he discovered Hong Yu, and naturally, he thought of dragging Hong Yu into the mess.

A sinister glint flickered in Ma Fengxing’s eyes. ‘This Beichen’s close-combat skills are quite strong. If I can get him to tie down the Ancient Demon Crocodile, I’ll have a chance to strike from the shadows and severely wound this damned beast again. That way, the Spirit Medicine it just swallowed will be mine!’

At this thought, Ma Fengxing sped up even more.

Hong Yu gave a wry smile. He was, after all, acquainted with Ma Fengxing, so he felt he had to intervene.

“Spear Technique: Piercing Void!”

Hong Yu swooped down.

The Godslaying Spear erupted with a golden radiance as he charged. The golden Spear Aura transformed into a Five-clawed Golden Dragon covered in resplendent golden Dragon Scales.

With a furious roar, it rushed toward the Ancient Demon Crocodile.

“ROAR!”

The Ancient Demon Crocodile bellowed in rage.

Its body, a full three hundred meters long, was immense. It soared through the air, dark clouds roiling beneath it with booming Thunder as Demonic Qi surged to the heavens.

“BOOM!”

The golden Spear Aura slammed violently into the Ancient Demon Crocodile, causing the massive beast to stagger and spurt blood from the impact.

Its eyes, like two red moons, stared death at Hong Yu.

Ma Fengxing ran to Hong Yu’s side. “Thank goodness I ran into you! Otherwise, this beast would have killed me for sure today!”

Hong Yu glanced at him and frowned. “Why did you provoke it for no reason?”

Although this Ancient Demon Crocodile’s combat power was only at the God King Level, its defense was exceptionally formidable.

Even an expert with one foot in the City Lord Level wouldn’t want to easily provoke such a thick-skinned Desolate Beast. Did Ma Fengxing have a screw loose?

Ma Fengxing’s eyes darted around, and he forced a bitter smile. “I was just passing by when this beast ambushed me. Thank goodness I ran into you, or I’d be in a terrible state right now!” Ma Fengxing said with a look of distress.

Hong Yu just said, “Oh,” but he felt a flicker of doubt and grew secretly vigilant.

A Desolate Beast on the level of an Ancient Demon Crocodile was by no means unintelligent. They wouldn’t provoke a powerful expert without reason. Yet Ma Fengxing claimed he was attacked while just passing by? Hong Yu found that hard to believe.

But the Ancient Demon Crocodile was already charging at them, leaving Hong Yu no time to overthink. He said, “Let’s attack together and kill it!”

“Alright!”

Ma Fengxing nodded decisively.

However…

As Hong Yu charged out to battle the Ancient Demon Crocodile, Ma Fengxing abruptly retreated. He fell back several dozen kilometers before stopping, a sinister smile on his face. ‘I’ll let you two fight it out first. It would be best if you both end up grievously injured. Otherwise, I’ll have to waste some of my Ancestral Essence Blood!’