Luoshui Lake.
The moment Shi Xiaoyuan saw the White Dragon Fish, he waved his hand.
Everyone immediately untied the fish bladders from their waists and took a deep breath from them.
After inhaling, Shi Xiaoyuan's chest visibly expanded by several centimeters.
The others did the same.
Huang San'er, however, did not follow suit.
Earlier, Shi Xiaoyuan had agreed that Huang San'er only needed to guide them to the shipwreck at the bottom of the lake.
As for the rest, Huang San'er wouldn't be needed.
Shi Xiaoyuan was confident in dealing with a White Dragon Fish, even one that might have gained intelligence.
Moreover, he had several capable subordinates to assist him.
In just a few breaths, the others had also finished exchanging air.
Then, like Shi Xiaoyuan, they tossed aside their fish bladders.
Since they were about to engage in combat, having the air-filled bladders tied to their bodies would severely hinder their movements underwater.
With one breath exchange, these skilled swimmers could hold their breath for nearly half the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
In their eyes, this was enough time.
It would allow them to finish the upcoming battle and return to the surface with ease.
Even if they couldn't finish the fight, they could retreat and prepare before diving again.
After all, the shipwreck wasn't going anywhere.
At this moment, Shi Xiaoyuan glanced at his men and nodded in satisfaction.
He gestured again, and the men quickly untied several nets from their waists.
Two of them even unfolded a large fishing net, standing close together.
Then, they followed Shi Xiaoyuan, swimming toward the shipwreck below.
Seeing this, Huang San'er let out a sigh of relief as the group gradually disappeared from view.
He then retreated a few meters, stopping only when he could barely make out the outline of the shipwreck.
Just then, he seemed to sense something.
He instantly turned his head to the right.
His intuition told him there had been movement in that direction.
But his eyes saw only darkness, with no signs of activity.
"Strange, did I imagine it?" Huang San'er thought to himself.
He looked again, then shook his head slightly. "I must be too nervous."
Meanwhile...
"Such sharp senses. He could detect my presence from this distance."
Jiang Ning was somewhat surprised as he glanced in Huang San'er's direction.
Huang San'er's actions had not escaped his notice.
At the same time, inside the shipwreck's cabin.
If anyone were there, they would see a five-foot-seven-inch-long dragonfish with white scales swimming slowly.
Its eyes, looking out from the cabin, showed a human-like cruelty.
Anyone who saw that look would know this dragonfish had extraordinary intelligence.
The men approaching the cabin were nothing more than prey to it.
Prey it had deliberately lured in.
The dragonfish knew it was on the verge of evolution and needed high-quality blood to provide the energy for its transformation.
In the water, the only prey it could find were ordinary fish and shrimp.
While these could fill its stomach, they couldn't provide the energy needed for its evolution.
So, it set its sights on martial artists with abundant blood and energy.
To the dragon fish, a martial artist with strong blood and energy was equivalent to a thousand ordinary prey.
This was why it had deliberately let one man escape.
It knew that human greed would inevitably bring more people, unafraid of death.
And now, these men were perfect examples of such foolishness.
When Shi Xiaoyuan stepped into the cabin, his eyes lit up.
The cabin was filled with piles of iron ore.
This was clearly a cargo ship that had been carrying iron ore when it sank into Luoshui Lake after some accident.
It had remained undiscovered until now, or perhaps those who found it never made it out alive.
Seeing the mountains of iron ore, Shi Xiaoyuan was overjoyed.
With a glance, he estimated the value of the iron ore to be over ten thousand taels of silver.
Ten thousand taels was a huge fortune, even for the Green Snake Gang.
Although the gang-controlled much of Luoshui County's territory, earning money through various means like extortion, canal transport, and human trafficking, the gang had many members to support.
Joining a gang was a life-and-death gamble, all for the sake of living a better life and rising above one's station.
So, the gang couldn't afford to skimp on benefits for its members.
Moreover, 30% of the gang's income had to be handed over to the Cao family.
As a result, even as the gang's leader, Shi Xiaoyuan wasn't as wealthy as outsiders might imagine.
He was always short on money.
The money represented martial resources.
With enough resources, he was confident he could quickly advance to the seventh grade of martial arts.
Ten thousand taels of silver was a windfall for him.
Just then...
Boom
The wooden planks shattered, and the water churned.
"It's here!"
The men remained calm as if they had expected this.
Out of the corner of his eye, Shi Xiaoyuan saw a flash of white and felt even more delighted.
Ordinary White Dragon Fish were only about three feet long.
But this one was nearly six feet, almost double the size of a normal White Dragon Fish.
In the animal kingdom, size often indicates extraordinary traits and strength.
For a spirit fish like the White Dragon Fish, the larger it was, the stronger it became, and the more beneficial it would be to humans.
So, Shi Xiaoyuan was naturally thrilled.
At that moment, two men swung their arms, and two fishing nets flew toward the White Dragon Fish.
The nets had iron balls attached to their corners.
Once the nets caught the fish, the iron balls would entangle, restricting its movements.
In the next moment, the White Dragon Fish flicked its tail, accurately striking the iron balls on the nets.
Boom
Boom
Boom
The iron balls flew off, crashing into the already decaying cabin walls and creating several large holes.
Then, the White Dragon Fish moved with incredible speed.
Its slender body allowed it to move through the water like a white streak of light, closing the distance to the men in an instant.
"Perfect timing!!"
Shi Xiaoyuan remained calm and swung his blade at the White Dragon Fish.
In the next moment, he felt as if his blade had cut through the air, narrowly missing the fish's body.
The White Dragon Fish dodged the strike.
With a flick of its tail, it made a sharp 90-degree turn.
The sudden change in direction allowed it to bypass Shi Xiaoyuan and head straight for the men behind him.
"What a cunning beast!!" Shi Xiaoyuan's eyes flashed with anger.
After redirecting the force of his strike, he turned around, only to see two of his men holding the corners of a fishing net.
Together, they had managed to trap the White Dragon Fish in the net.
But before Shi Xiaoyuan could rejoice...
He saw the White Dragon Fish, trapped in the net, open its mouth, revealing two rows of sharp, white teeth.
With a few bites, the once-tough fishing net was torn apart, and the fish slipped through the hole.
"Not good!" Shi Xiaoyuan's heart sank.
He sensed something was wrong.
In the next moment...
Thud
Thud
With a flick of its tail, two men were sent flying, blood spurting from their mouths.
Then...
Boom
Boom
Their bodies crashed into the decaying cabin walls, creating two more large holes.
Meanwhile, outside the shipwreck...
Jiang Ning floated like a ghost.
Through the holes in the cabin, he saw everything.
"This White Dragon Fish... what incredible strength!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.
The men who had entered the water with Shi Xiaoyuan were all genuine ninth-grade martial artists.
Yet, in front of the White Dragon Fish, they were almost powerless.
A single flick of the fish's tail, striking their chests, had caused internal injuries.
Such injuries would have been manageable on land, but here, deep underwater, they were deadly.
Even in perfect condition, it would take them at least two to three minutes to reach the surface.
Now, with internal injuries and blood spilling from their mouths, their lungs would quickly run out of air.
Could they survive?
At this moment, Shi Xiaoyuan swung his blade again.
But underwater, the resistance of the water slowed his strike significantly.
The blade only grazed the White Dragon Fish's scales.
Clang
In the dim cabin, sparks flew, accompanied by the sound of metal clashing.
Shi Xiaoyuan's expression changed again.
He realized things were not going as planned.
The White Dragon Fish's strength exceeded his expectations.
Although the blade hadn't struck squarely, it had hit the fish's scales.
But the scales felt like metal, producing a metallic clang and even sparking upon impact.
This level of defense surpassed even bronze skin.
At this point, even Shi Xiaoyuan, who had been so confident earlier, began to feel uneasy.
With such strong defenses and the advantage of being in its natural habitat, the White Dragon Fish was far from an easy target.
At the same time, as Shi Xiaoyuan's blade struck, the White Dragon Fish, feeling the pain, increased its speed.
It darted toward another man, flicking its tail again.
The tail struck like an iron whip.
Boom
The blow landed squarely on the man's arm.
Even with his arm blocking the strike, the man was sent flying, his face pale as he struggled to endure.
"Retreat"
Shi Xiaoyuan's voice echoed through the water, clearly reaching the men's ears.
At this command, the remaining three men immediately turned to leave.
But the White Dragon Fish was faster.
In the water, it moved like a white dragon, instantly reaching one man's back.
It opened its mouth and bit down.
Chomp
Its serrated teeth sank deep into the man's neck, tearing through flesh.
"Beast!!" Shi Xiaoyuan's eyes bulged with rage.
These men were the backbone of the Green Snake Gang, all ninth-grade martial artists.
If they all died here, the gang would suffer a devastating blow.
As the gang's leader, Shi Xiaoyuan would be left with nothing.
At this moment, Shi Xiaoyuan no longer held back. He pushed off the cabin floor, trying to catch up to the White Dragon Fish and protect his men.
He no longer thought about capturing the fish.
It was clear that the White Dragon Fish was far stronger than he had anticipated.
Moreover, its speed in the water was unmatched.
Without the fishing nets to restrain it, he couldn't even keep up with the fish, let alone capture it.
So, even though he was reluctant, Shi Xiaoyuan knew he had to cut his losses.
He would take the remaining men back to the surface and make a new plan.
But in the next moment, Shi Xiaoyuan stopped.
He realized he had overestimated himself.
By letting the men go first, the White Dragon Fish had caught up to them.
He couldn't save them in time.
Under the White Dragon Fish's relentless attacks, the men fell one by one, their blood spreading through the water.
In the blink of an eye, only Shi Xiaoyuan remained in the shipwreck.
Outside the shipwreck...
Jiang Ning watched all of this.
"What a powerful White Dragon Fish!" he thought, slightly surprised.
In just moments, five ninth-grade martial artists had been killed.
This White Dragon Fish was far stronger than its kind.
According to records, while White dragonfish were one of the dominant species in the water, an experienced fisherman with the right equipment could capture one.
But this White Dragon Fish's strength was beyond what ordinary people could handle.
Ninth-grade martial artists were killed in an instant.
Such strength would be difficult to match even for an ordinary eighth-grade Divine Strength realm expert on land.
At the same time, Jiang Ning felt a surge of excitement.
The stronger the White Dragon Fish, the more valuable it would be as a spirit fish.
Meanwhile, inside the shipwreck...
Shi Xiaoyuan stared intently at the White Dragon Fish.
The fish, however, looked back with a playful glint in its eyes.
"It is highly intelligent!" Shi Xiaoyuan thought.
"In that case, I have no choice but to go all out!"
At this point, he could only try to kill this extraordinary White Dragon Fish.
Only then could he salvage some value from this disaster.
Only then would the sacrifices of his men not be in vain.
Now, he was even more convinced that the White Dragon Fish's strength meant there must be a rare natural treasure nearby.
Without such a treasure, an ordinary White Dragon Fish could never have grown so strong.
Its scales were as hard as iron, and its strength could unleash tens of thousands of jin of force.
If not for such terrifying strength, how could the Green Snake Gang's pillars have fallen so quickly?
So, if he could kill this White Dragon Fish, he would not only gain a highly beneficial spirit fish but also potentially find a natural treasure.
Moreover, the warehouse of iron ore would also be his.
"In that case, I can't hold back anymore!" Shi Xiaoyuan made up his mind.
In the next moment, as his thoughts solidified...
Crack
His bones began to creak, and his muscles twisted and bulged grotesquely.
His body grew rapidly, reaching over seven feet in height, transforming into a monstrous figure covered in tumors, completely unrecognizable as Shi Xiaoyuan.
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 410+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader