Chapter Eighty: The Golden Carp

However, clearly there were no other living creatures in the pool! Feng Ke’er was perplexed.

At that moment, she heard an unusual sound coming from the bottom of the pool. What was happening? She hastily ran to the top of the waterfall, leaning over to investigate.

The water surged violently, swirling the green pool into dozens of massive whirlpools. On the shore, the once leisurely green-furred turtles sprawled across stones, now seemed as though facing their doom, retreating panic-stricken into their shells, not daring to move.

It appeared there was a more terrifying monster lurking in the pool!

How had she not noticed before? Was it a matter of perspective? Feng Ke’er dared not take things lightly and looked around carefully.

Across the river stood a huge banyan tree, its thick branches stretching out several meters over the waterfall. From there, one could see the cold pool without any blind spots. She leaped onto the trunk, hiding herself amidst the dense leaves, parted them, and peered down—indeed, she discovered something new.

At the base of the waterfall lay a massive grayish-white rock. From her previous vantage point, the spray from the waterfall falling into the pool had perfectly obscured this rock. Now, from her new position, she could see clearly: beneath the rock surfaced a dozen creatures resembling Yangtze alligators. Their bodies ranged from over a meter to more than three meters long; aside from the dark golden edges on their backs, their scales were a greenish-blue, blending perfectly with the color of the pool. Their camouflage was so flawless that Feng Ke’er had not previously noticed these dangerous beings hidden beneath the gray rock.

At this moment, they were jostling beneath the waterfall, mouths agape, greedily devouring the dark red bloody foam cascading down—remnants from the earlier self-destruction of the giant beast, some of which had splashed into the river, mixed with blood, and flowed downstream into the cold pool.

Feng Ke’er found it odd: clearly there were so many green-furred turtles on the shore, so why didn’t these creatures hunt for themselves?

But upon closer inspection, she quickly found the answer: these pitiable monsters, though armored with tough shells, had rather unimpressive interiors. They possessed only delicate, shy little teeth!

Feng Ke’er pressed her forehead, speechless. Who had invented such creatures? They were given such formidable bodies, yet equipped with sparse, tiny white teeth barely bigger than Thai jasmine rice. No wonder her titanium-alloy eyes, combining microscope and telescope, had almost failed to notice them.

Tell me, could a toothless alligator ever look imposing?

No wonder these cold-blooded creatures scrambled for a pool of leftover foam. It was simply because they lacked strong jaws.

A new question arose: the green-furred turtles were clearly afraid of these toothless pseudo-alligators, indicating that the pseudo-alligators did not usually survive by eating blackfish. So, how did these weak-jawed creatures normally hunt green-furred turtles?

Before she understood this, Feng Ke’er dared not provoke the pseudo-alligators.

The bloody truth was that all demon beasts were not to be trifled with; not only did each possess deadly skills, but also pride. Driven to extremes, they could self-destruct, just like the previous giant beast.

What happened next made Feng Ke’er grateful she hadn’t underestimated them.

After devouring the bloody foam, the pseudo-alligators seemed invigorated, rolling over in the pool, flashing their snowy white bellies.

The once tranquil green waters were now thoroughly stirred up.

That wasn’t all. With a splash, they whipped their long tails against the surface, sending waves dozens of meters high.

The blackfish, large and small, were jolted out of the water like bungee jumpers, tossed high into the air.

For food, birds will risk their lives. Now, with the scent of blackfish lingering in the air, the green-furred turtles by the pool could no longer remain calm. Hesitantly, they poked their heads out of their shells, flicking forked tongues like snakes to probe the situation—what else could they do, their beady green eyes were mere decorations.

Meanwhile, the pseudo-alligators in the pool, with their prominent, bright eyes, were far more alert. They ceased their antics and floated quietly on the surface, poised and ready.

Only the youngest turtle nearest the shore, lacking experience, extended its tongue the furthest. Once it deemed the coast clear, its long tongue lunged eagerly at the airborne blackfish—Feng Ke’er saw clearly: as the blackfish fell back into the water, most were stunned, floating belly-up like dead fish. To the green-furred turtles, they appeared dead. It seemed the turtles only ate live prey. With their food “dying” en masse, the turtles grew anxious.

Suddenly, the nearest pseudo-alligator raised its tail with a splash.

A line of blood shot forth.

The pseudo-alligator worked swiftly and precisely, using the tip of its tail to sever the young turtle’s long tongue at its root. The poor turtle’s tail and legs hadn’t even had time to retract, much less self-destruct.

After killing the young turtle, the pseudo-alligator raised its tail again, pounding the shell like a broad blade. In just a few strikes, it reduced the turtle to pulp, then swept it all into the cold pool. Nearby pseudo-alligators gathered, feasting ravenously on the scattered meat.

Next, two adult turtles fell victim in succession—first smashed into pulp, then swept into the pool for the nearest pseudo-alligators to share.

But the pseudo-alligators were not greedy; after consuming three turtles, they lazily retreated beneath the gray rock. It seemed they disliked sunlight and had no love for sunbathing.

With their mischief abated, the pool gradually calmed. The blackfish that had been stunned began to revive, wobbling about the surface—there were still plenty of fine scraps left from the pseudo-alligators’ feast. Normally, the green-furred turtles would catch fish, but now, thanks to the pseudo-alligators, the blackfish could finally enjoy some turtle meat themselves.

The pseudo-alligators ignored the blackfish, treating them as if they were air.

Receiving the signal of food, the green-furred turtles emerged from their shells, shaking their green fur and obliviously fishing.

The pseudo-alligators didn’t even bat an eyelid, continuing their sunbath.

Having witnessed the power of their tails, Feng Ke’er worried they might have other deadly tricks and still hesitated to make a move.

Night fell. The demon crystal still eluded her. She had no choice but to post a warding talisman outside her new cave dwelling—a mid-grade talisman shaped like a wind chime, effective for twelve hours. If any spiritual energy fluctuated outside, it would chime like a bell.

That night, she was twice awakened by its sound. The reason: her new neighbors, the pseudo-alligators, had a habit of prowling at night—once in the first half, once in the second half. Their hunting triggered the talisman’s response.

The next day, Feng Ke’er observed several more times and reached some conclusions: first, the green-furred turtles bathed in the cold pool for about three hours every noon, otherwise they mostly stayed near the shore, catching blackfish; second, the pseudo-alligators fed four times every twenty-four hours, almost every six hours, very regularly; third, not every hunt was successful, failure was common. Thus, the pseudo-alligators practiced frequent, small meals. The scene she’d witnessed earlier, where three turtles were killed in one hunt and the group feasted, was mere luck. If they caught nothing, the pseudo-alligators could only vent their frustration by slapping the rocks with their tails. After eating, the pseudo-alligators relaxed, and their alertness was at its lowest.

Logically, this was the best time to hunt pseudo-alligators. However, the green-furred turtles posed a nuisance. They were simply too gluttonous. Her ice spikes, still dozens of meters above the pool, were intercepted halfway by their long tongues, swallowed as appetizers. She tried several angles, all to no avail. Later, she switched to stones, and several turtles nearly choked. Most annoying, after much struggle, they spat out the stones, but quickly went back to snapping at any unknown objects.

What gluttons! Feng Ke’er was speechless.

How could she bypass these troublesome creatures?

After two more days and nights and nearly eight rounds of observation, Feng Ke’er decided to strike while the pseudo-alligators were feeding. Although that was when they were most vigilant, during those times the green-furred turtles were in a panic, only a few reckless ones tried to snatch food, while most watched cautiously, too timid to act.

She acted without hesitation. On the tenth observation of the pseudo-alligators feeding, Feng Ke’er tied one end of a long rope around her waist, the other end fastened securely to the top of the banyan tree. She gripped her Azure Sword, leapt from the waterfall, and plunged into the water curtain stirred up by the pseudo-alligators—she dared not use magic for such a challenging hunt. She had tried using a powerful palm technique, hoping to stun one or two, but the pseudo-alligators reacted fiercely, raising their tails in unison to counterattack. Their tough hides and incredible strength sent her palm strike rebounding back with double force. Feng Ke’er was nearly flung away, barely steadying herself with two mid-air somersaults. She was badly injured—spitting blood, her hand torn, her arm fractured, her vital energy thrown into chaos. She took a healing pill, recited a calming spell, and rested for half a day before recovering. She also tried freezing magic, but the pseudo-alligators loved the cold; the colder it got, the livelier they became. Sweating profusely, she gave up on magic altogether.

This time, her goal wasn’t to kill a pseudo-alligator, just to collect a bit of its blood. With blood, her compendium would reveal their vital weakness!

Yet, even without any spiritual energy fluctuation, as Feng Ke’er neared the pool, the pseudo-alligators sensed her approach. Except for the one feeding, the others whipped their tails like lashes toward her.

One tail struck fastest, aiming for her face.

Feng Ke’er shouted “Withdraw,” simultaneously forming a sword seal with her right hand. The Azure Sword angled sharply, thrusting directly at the tail.

“Puff”—her hand numbed, but she succeeded!

At that moment, a flash of purple-black light whisked Feng Ke’er back to the top of the waterfall.

Several gusts whipped past her feet.

So close!

Back at the waterfall’s summit, Feng Ke’er took out her Phoenix Jade Pendant, carefully wiped the sword tip. Bright red blood seeped into the sand shell.

“Ding”—a clear female voice sounded:

“Species: Water-type Money Carp;
Rank: Second Tier;
Vital Weakness: Eyes.”

Just as she’d guessed. Generally, with creatures this tough, their weak spots were the eyes, throat, or other places with thin armor.

Suddenly, her vision blurred, and she found herself pulled once more into the dense mist.

Ah, the Master of Heaven summons her! (To be continued)

&^^%#Compendium of Heaven, Chapter 80—Money Carp update complete!