Slipping into the murky depths of Blackwater Lake, Luo Zhen finally found a secluded corner to catch his breath. The crushing weight of the water was a shield, a barrier that the Ghost-Headed Tiger and its human allies couldn't breach. He was safe, for now.
But he couldn't stay hidden forever. The tiger was a Heaven Profound beast, a realm of power he had yet to touch. To walk out of this lake freely, he'd need to match it. A smirk played on his serpentine features. Once he reached the Heaven Profound Realm, with his ability to dominate any opponent at his level, even the tiger and the humans combined would be trivial.
It was a long road ahead, considering he was just starting in the Earth Profound Realm.
Still, he thought, flicking his forked tongue, this lake is a treasure trove. Blackwater Lake was his destination all along; the tiger had just… accelerated his travel plans. He still had the pass, the key to the Silver Flood Dragon's seal. Every five years, the seal weakened, and those with a pass could enter to cultivate near the ancient beast, absorbing traces of its potent bloodline. There was plenty of time. With his accelerated growth, he'd be a whole new creature by the time the seal was ready.
"System," he projected, "unlock the map for Blackwater Lake."
The familiar, dispassionate voice echoed in his mind. Blackwater Lake is a vast territory. Unlocking the full map requires a payment of 1,000 experience points.
"Done." Luo Zhen didn't hesitate. He was flush with points.
Payment confirmed. Blackwater Lake map unlocked.
A thousand points vanished, and in an instant, the fog on his mental map receded. It revealed everything: the territories of powerful demon beasts, hidden pockets of spiritual herbs, and the jagged lines of underwater factions. But one icon drew his attention above all else: a gleaming white treasure chest, nestled in the deepest, most central point of the lake.
Finally! A thrill shot through him. The system had told him what these meant: immense treasure, or even the resting place of a fallen master. Only a creature of the Demon King level or higher would warrant such a mark.
"System, what's in the chest?"
The chest marks the remains of a Silver Flood Dragon that fell during its heavenly tribulation. Its corpse has been sealed by a coalition of the lake's beasts, and its demon core has shattered.
A Silver Flood Dragon, Luo Zhen mused, a hungry excitement building within him. With his Devour ability, he could absorb its entire bloodline in seconds. But he wasn't strong enough to challenge whatever guarded it. Not yet. First, he needed to get stronger.
His eyes scanned the newly revealed map, lighting up at the dozens of markers for wild, undiscovered herbs. His immediate plan was simple: hunt down every last one and convert them into raw power.
A thought struck him. Will my powers even work down here?
He began to experiment. A washbasin-sized fireball started to form in his throat, only to be snuffed out by the crushing pressure of the water before he could even unleash it. Common fire was useless. He tried again, this time spitting out the crimson, lotus-shaped flame of his second-tier Beast Fire. The Red Lotus Fire burned with an unholy intensity, completely unaffected by the water.
He tested his other skills. His poison darts were a no-go, but everything else worked perfectly. In fact, his water-based abilities felt even stronger here. He was more than prepared.
Following the map, he swam to a hidden crevice and found a tender, half-foot-long stalk of Water Sprout Grass. He devoured it in one gulp.
Consumed 400-year-old Water Sprout Grass. +220 Experience Points.
He moved on, finding a Darkwater Flower next.
Consumed 300-year-old Darkwater Flower. +180 Experience Points.
One after another, he tracked down the hidden herbs. Most were water or dark-aligned, thriving in the deep, but it made no difference to him. In his stomach, they all became pure, unadulterated experience.
Consumed low-grade Blackwater Vine. +550 Experience Points!
Consumed mid-grade Water Flame Branch. +1080 Experience Points!
The resources here were on another level. Back on land, finding even a single spirit herb was a matter of incredible luck. Here, they were just waiting to be picked. He was pulling another Blackwater Vine from a pile of rocks when a furious shout echoed through the water.
"Hold it! That's ours!"
A ragtag group of demon beasts swam into view, led by a ridiculously large lobster. Luo Zhen barely glanced at them. They were all weak, stuck in the fledgling Demon Qi Realm. Pathetic. He ignored them and swallowed the vine.
"You—! How dare you steal our spirit herb!" the lobster roared, waving its massive pincers menacingly.
Luo Zhen tasted the last of the vine. "Yours?" he asked, his voice dripping with amusement. "My map says this is wild. Finders keepers."
"If I say it's ours, it's ours!" the lobster postured. "This entire hundred-li stretch of water is our turf! That means every herb that grows here belongs to us!"
Luo Zhen couldn't help but laugh.
"What's so funny?!" the lobster demanded.
"I'm honestly curious. Where do you get the nerve?" Luo Zhen said, his voice turning cold. "I'm an Earth Profound master. You're a low-level grunt. Did you miss the memo?"
He wasn't hiding his aura. The oppressive weight of his power filled the water around them. Yet, the lobster seemed oblivious, puffing out its chest and charging forward. A flurry of useless clanging sounds echoed as its pincers glanced harmlessly off his impenetrable scales.
Luo Zhen snorted. Pathetic.
A casual press of his coiled body was all it took. The lobster was crushed instantly.
"He killed Brother Lobster!" the other demons shrieked.
"Killing him is one thing," Luo Zhen mused with a dark chuckle, spitting a gout of Red Lotus Fire. "But waste not, want not."
In seconds, the lobster was cooked to a perfect, vibrant red. He cracked the shell and took a bite. The meat was surprisingly tender and delicious.
"No! He's eating him!" the minions cried in horror. "Let's get out of here! We have to tell Boss Six-Eyed Flying Fish!" They scattered into the gloom.
Luo Zhen finished his meal just as a much larger, more organized school of fish demons swarmed toward him. Leading the charge was a creature the size of a small boat. Its shape was bizarre, but its most unnerving feature was its eyes—six of them, three on each side, staring out into the darkness.
Even Luo Zhen, who had seen his share of strange things, was taken aback.
"So, you're the Six-Eyed Flying Fish?" he asked, a strange sense of déjà vu washing over him.
"That's right! You've heard of me?" the fish boasted.
Luo Zhen's mind, for some reason, jumped to a completely unrelated place. He looked the fish dead in its many eyes and asked, "So, are you and Liang Jingru related?"
"Liang who?" the Six-Eyed Flying Fish asked, its six eyes blinking in confusion. "What's that?"
"She's a person. A human woman," Luo Zhen explained.
"Hah! I am the mighty Six-Eyed Flying Fish! Why would I associate with some lowly human!" it snapped, insulted.
Luo Zhen just smiled. The more he stared, the more absurd the creature seemed. The line from that old pop song echoed in his head, and he had to stifle a laugh. It really does take courage to face a six-eyed flying fish.
"Enough games!" the fish roared. "You trespassed on my territory and murdered my subordinate!"
"And he cooked him and ate him, boss!" one of the smaller fish chimed in.
The Six-Eyed Flying Fish's six eyes widened in shock and rage. It spotted the discarded lobster shell behind Luo Zhen. "You—! You monster! Die!"
It opened its mouth and fired a volley of sharp water arrows. They zipped through the current and pinged harmlessly off Luo Zhen's scales. He didn't even feel a tickle.
"You're too weak," Luo Zhen said, his tone flat and bored. "I'm two entire realms above you. You can't scratch me. Just give up."
"So what if you're Earth Profound?" the fish shot back defiantly. "My dad is Earth Profound, too!"
"Your dad?"
"That's right! He runs this whole five-hundred-li stretch of the lake!" the fish boasted, puffing out its chest. "He's a mid-stage Earth Profound master! Scared now, huh?"
It all clicked. That explained the unearned arrogance. These bottom-feeders had a powerful backer.
"Fine," Luo Zhen sighed. "On your father's account, I'll let this slide. Get out of my sight." He started to turn away.
"You'll let me go?" the fish sneered, its confidence surging. "I'm not letting you go!" It launched another pathetic volley of water arrows.
That was it. The attack was meaningless, but the sheer, unadulterated stupidity was infuriating.
"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Luo Zhen snarled.
A single, contemptuous flick of his tail was all it took. The Six-Eyed Flying Fish exploded into a fine red mist, its six eyes tumbling slowly into the abyss.
"He killed the boss!" a minion screamed. "You killed the Great Lord's only child! You're dead! You're so dead! The Great Lord will hunt you to the ends of the lake!"
"Get lost," Luo Zhen roared, his voice booming through the water, "before I kill every last one of you!"
They fled in terror, shouting threats about bringing back the "Great Lord."
"Good," Luo Zhen hissed, his anger still simmering. "I'll be waiting." The system's map confirmed it: there was nothing within a thousand li that could truly threaten him, not even a mid-stage master.
Soon, the water churned as a massive horde approached. It was a motley crew of fish, turtles, and giant loaches, but leading them was a creature that dwarfed them all—a cyan-colored fish the size of a small hill. It, too, had six eyes.
"WHO KILLED MY SON?!" its voice thundered.
"It was him, Great Lord! That black snake!" the minions cried, pointing.
The giant Six-Eyed Flying Fish saw the bloody remnants of its child and bellowed with rage. The full might of a mid-stage Earth Profound master erupted, sending shockwaves through the lake. "DIE!"
A storm of five-meter-long water lances shot from its mouth, each one radiating lethal power. Luo Zhen didn't underestimate this attack. He instantly threw up his Waterlight Shield.
The lances hammered against the blue barrier in a deafening barrage, but it held firm, shimmering without a single crack.
"Now it's my turn," Luo Zhen said coolly.
He opened his mouth and released a single, beautiful, deadly lotus of red fire. The flame danced through the water, seemingly alive, and shot toward the giant fish. The creature hesitated for a fraction of a second, baffled by the fire that burned underwater.
That was all the time the Red Lotus Fire needed. It latched onto the fish's head.
An unearthly scream of pure agony tore through the water. Before the horrified eyes of its army, the Great Lord's head began to melt, dissolving into nothingness. Within seconds, all that was left was a massive, headless corpse drifting lifelessly in the current.
Slain Giant Six-Eyed Flying Fish. +1800 Experience Points.
Luo Zhen calmly reabsorbed his flame. That single attack had used a third of his Beast Fire reserves, but the result was undeniable. Without it, this fight would have been much messier.
The army of minions was frozen in stunned silence. The absolute, effortless destruction of their mighty leader was too much to process.
"The Great Lord… he's… gone?" one finally stammered.
"Oh, Great Lord, what a tragic death!" a turtle demon began to wail. "Your head is gone! We can't even make chopped chili fish head now!"
"Or fish head soup!" another cried. "Or braised fish head!"
Luo Zhen felt a strange pang of hunger listening to them.
"What are you all staring at?" he snapped, unnerved by the dozens of terrified eyes fixed on him. "Keep it up and you're next."
That broke the spell. A small fish demon immediately dropped to the lakebed. "All hail the Snake Lord!"
In an instant, the entire army followed suit.
"Snake Lord, long may you reign!"
"Hail the new master of Blackwater Lake!"
Luo Zhen was bewildered. "What is this?"
"Snake Lord, sir!" a fish explained, its voice dripping with sycophancy. "You killed the old boss, so… you're the new boss. We're just… adjusting."
The new boss? The idea hadn't even crossed his mind, but the little fish had a point. A territory meant resources. Power. Control.
A slow, predatory smile spread across his face.
He led his new, trembling army to the Six-Eyed Flying Fish's lair—a crude but impressive structure of stone built into the side of an underwater mountain. The demons inside surrendered without a fight. Luo Zhen coiled his massive body in the center of the main hall, feeling the strange comfort of having a domain to call his own.
"Go," he commanded, his voice echoing with newfound authority. "Bring me everything he had stored away."