Chapter 193 - 222: Demons Wreak Havoc, Slaying the Crab Demon, the Bi River Swordsman, Fushui Demon Monarch
"Oh no! It’s the Water Demons from the Bi River!"
The old man in the straw raincoat had only just managed to let out a cry before he saw waves dozens of feet high, swirling with a profound Demon Qi.
They swept in from the distance, surging and churning.
Crashing down toward the bow!
Under the violent assault of the waves, the hull groaned and creaked, rocking precariously. It seemed as if it would shatter at any moment!
CRACK!
In an instant, the oil lamp at the bow shattered!
The boat’s only light was extinguished, plunging them into darkness.
Only the roars and snarls of Demon Fiends echoed in their ears, making their Heart Spirits tremble.
The people on the boat were horrified, dazed and stunned into place.
BOOM—
Su Bai stood at the bow, facing the turbulent waves head-on. With a flick of his finger, he shot out a blast of True Qi.
In that instant, a sonic boom echoed as a golden light flared into existence!
Amid the shriek of a grotesque demon, the massive, crashing wave was violently torn asunder by the golden light!
A black, monkey-like Water Demon lurking within the wave was pierced by the light, and its entire body abruptly exploded.
Its dark flesh and blood burst in all directions!
As the viscous black blood fell onto the river, it hissed, and plumes of black mist rose into the air.
Dozens of colorful fish floated up from the riverbed. The moment the blood touched their scales, they were instantly reduced to skeletons, which then dissolved like liquid and vanished completely.
More than a dozen dark figures still lurked beneath the river’s surface, circling the boat.
Moreover, Su Bai detected a Great Demon hiding deep in the riverbed!
"Get into the cabin."
Su Bai said, glancing at the viscous black blood.
"Yes... Sir, please be careful!"
The words snapped the scholar out of his daze. Trembling, he hurriedly pulled the stunned woman and child into the cabin.
He said, his voice trembling as he lifted the cabin’s curtain flap.
The old boatman, protecting a shivering black cat, also ducked into the cabin.
Inside, the old man in the straw raincoat saw the young child burying his face in his mother’s chest, arms wrapped tightly around her, sobbing quietly.
The woman, her hair streaked with gray, gently caressed the child’s face with her rough, chapped hands, whispering soft words of comfort.
Yet the terror in her own eyes was no less than her son’s.
The scholar, meanwhile, cowered with his shoulders hunched, clutching an old book to his chest, his face deathly pale.
The rocking of the boat mirrored the turbulent currents of his heart—a maelstrom of fear and uncertainty.
After all, he was just an ordinary scholar on his way to take his exams.
When had he ever witnessed a scene like this?
"E-Elder! Do you think... that gentleman... can he destroy those monsters?"
The scholar asked, his voice trembling, his right hand gripping a wooden handrail inside the cabin for dear life.
"I don’t know. Let’s just hope we make it through this."
The old man in the straw raincoat replied, his expression grave as he hugged the shivering black cat.
He was seventy years old and had been plying the Bi River for over forty years. He had seen Water Demons before, of course.
But it was rare to see so many gather to cause chaos at once.
His own aptitude was average and his Cultivation was weak. Decades of diligent practice had only brought him to the initial stage of the Tongxuan Realm; he was completely useless here.
Now, all he could do was huddle in the cabin and wait.
But to his surprise, after only eight or nine breaths, all the commotion outside ceased completely.
’What happened? Don’t tell me that gentleman has already killed all the Water Demons?’
The scholar asked, his expression blank.
"Let’s go out and see."
The old man, having weathered decades of storms, was much calmer.
He set down the black cat, bent down, and lifted the black curtain flap, narrowing his dry eyes.
He peered outside.
The acrid stench of blood hit him full in the face.
And in his line of sight...
Su Bai was still standing in the same spot, not having moved an inch.
His white robes, purer than snow, were bathed in the moonlight.
"We’re safe! That gentleman has slain all the Water Demons!"
The old man in the straw raincoat’s eyes crinkled with joy, his fear and anxiety vanishing.
He quickly waved the scholar over.
Overjoyed, the scholar scrambled to his feet. Together, they lifted the curtain and tiptoed outside.
Inside the cabin, the two had been oblivious to the full situation.
But when they stepped out and took in their surroundings...
They exchanged a look and saw the utter horror and shock reflected in each other’s eyes.
Under the hazy moonlight, chunks of black water demon flesh littered the river’s surface around the boat, emitting a nauseating stench.
The bloody water sizzled where it met the river.
It was a gruesome sight in the dark of night.
But what truly stunned them was the creature lying not far in front of Su Bai: a colossal, terrifying giant crab, nearly ninety feet tall!
The giant crab was crimson red. Its two great pincers were shattered into tiny fragments, and its body was covered in cracks like shattered porcelain, with black blood gushing from the wounds.
A distinct, terrifying Palm Seal had punched clean through the Crab Demon’s torso, its force continuing for an unknown distance beyond.
Clearly, this Crab Demon was dead.
"Wh-What is that?"
The scholar was stunned for a long moment before he could finally stammer out the question.
His worldview was simply too limited.
A terrifying giant crab nearly ninety feet tall!
What Level of Water Demon was this?
It was completely beyond his comprehension.
"I don’t know..."
The old man in the straw raincoat muttered, equally stunned.
He’d been a boatman his entire life and had never seen such a terrifying Water Demon!
He even suspected...
’Did this gentleman actually jump to the bottom of the river, drag this thousand-year-old Crab Demon up himself, and then kill it?’
’But the whole fight, from start to finish, took only eight or nine breaths!’
’How strong must he be?’
’It’s unimaginable!’
And the old man in the straw raincoat had guessed correctly. Su Bai had indeed dragged the Crab Demon up himself.
It was a Great Demon hidden at the bottom of the Bi River.
At that moment, on the Purification Tripod, information about the Crab Demon was displayed for him to see.
[Criminal: Bi River Crab Demon]
[Sin Level: Seven-Star]
[Strength: Level 8 (Comparable to Divine Platform)]
[Status: Deceased]
’Level 8 Crab Demon, and its Sin Value has reached Seven-Star!’
’The number of living beings it’s hunted over the years must be staggering.’
Looking at the Crab Demon’s information, Su Bai’s brows furrowed slightly.
"Extract."
Shaking his head, Su Bai chose to proceed.
A Water Demon comparable to the Divine Platform Realm only brought Su Bai two million Experience Points. Better than nothing, he supposed.
As for Divine Techniques, it was just a minor Water Control technique, ranked at the Fifth Grade.
"Old man, the Water Demons are gone. Let’s keep moving."
Coming back to his senses, Su Bai turned and said to the old man.
"Y-Yes, right away!"
The old man in the straw raincoat shivered, then quickly picked up his bamboo pole and began to row with all his might.
After the terror, his eyes were filled with nothing but elation and excitement!
’To meet such a powerful Martial Dao expert... I, Old Wang, must have accumulated good fortune for several lifetimes!’
With this thought in mind, the old man rowed with even more vigor.
’Without this senior, we would have all been reporting to the Underworld tonight.’
The scholar, meanwhile, glanced at Su Bai with an abashed expression.
He lowered his head in shame.
’Earlier, I was actually thinking of inviting this master to discuss the Martial Dao.’
’Thinking about it now, I wish I could find a crack in the boat to crawl into and hide!’
’How utterly mortifying.’
......
In the hazy night, a bright moon hung high.
The boat slowly pulled away, heading into the distance.
Under the bright moonlight...
The boat’s silhouette grew smaller and smaller until it vanished completely.
「About an hour later」
The group was nearing their destination, Ling County.
They were only a few miles away.
Although Ling County was a remote county in a corner of the Cangzhou Territory, it was still vast, comparable in size to a major city within the Great Xia Dynasty.
At the Ling County docks, lanterns burned brightly. It was bustling with people, and shouts echoed from all directions.
One after another, huge ships, hung with hundreds of bright lanterns, sailed in and out of the docks.
Next to these behemoths, the small boat carrying Su Bai and his companions looked like a tiny brown insect struggling on the water.
The small boat sailed into the docks. Su Bai and the others disembarked and had just stepped ashore.
Suddenly, a massive disturbance erupted in the distance!
In an instant, waves exploded, and Sword Qi crisscrossed!
They all turned to look.
On the wide expanse of the river, a Swordsman in a green robe hovered in midair. Wielding a Three-Foot-Long Sword, he faced a terrifying Great Demon that resembled a Flood Dragon.
They were locked in a fierce battle!
The green-robed Swordsman unleashed a strike, and the slash of his sword illuminated the river as if it were day.
Then, a furious roar echoed through the night.
"Fushui Demon Monarch!"
"You broke your seal and dared to destroy a county of my Da Yu!"
"Today, you shall die!"