Chapter Thirty-One: The Fierce Battle with the Twin Redfish

Time ticked away, second by second, as the alluring scent wafting from the skull of the dead Earth Fish King grew ever stronger. After Liu Half-Immortal finished instructing Qingfeng on the necessary spells and matters concerning the shop, everyone fell silent, their movements cautious and measured, afraid that even the slightest noise might attract more Earth Fish.

Soon, a rhythmic thumping echoed from the depths of the tunnel, sounding much like the pounding of a foundation for a house. Everyone knew what it meant—what was destined to come had arrived.

Qingfeng took a deep breath, bracing himself for battle. Liu Half-Immortal retreated into the Vajra Array to direct the proceedings, Jidou tended to him, and Qin Xiaomo stood opposite Qingfeng, ready to assist at a moment's notice.

The thumping grew increasingly intense, until finally, a creature emerged from the tunnel. Looking closely at the skull beside its head, one could see a three-centimeter-wide sword wound radiating a purple glow.

Qingfeng was about to rush forward when he noticed that the Earth Fish Queen did not come for him. Instead, it slowly swam over to the side of the male Earth Fish King, incessantly nudging him with its head. The fragrance emanating from the male’s skull incited the Queen’s fury, and she began to wail mournfully.

No one present could claim to be unmoved. Jidou whispered, “Everyone knows humans and animals have feelings, but I never expected these Earth Fish to experience joy and sorrow as well.”

“These Earth Fish live more than seventy years. They’ve become spirits—a little intelligence is only natural,” Liu Half-Immortal remarked, watching the Queen.

After a bout of mournful howling, the Queen suddenly opened her maw and bit down on the King’s skull, spraying green mucus everywhere. She tore away half the head in a single bite and, after a few ferocious chomps, swallowed it whole.

Everyone was stunned. Qin Xiaomo suddenly asked, “What’s going on? Why is it eating its own kind?”

“Damn! I was so focused on explaining the array, I forgot to check the head. The Queen is after the King’s skull—it must contain a core. If she eats it, her power will increase dramatically,” Liu Half-Immortal’s brow furrowed sharply. He grabbed his jade talisman and began to mutter incantations. Jidou leaned in, unable to make sense of the words, assuming them to be prayers to gods and spirits.

“Master, we killed the male with its core. The Queen shouldn't be any harder,” Qingfeng said, though his confidence wavered.

The Queen writhed on the ground, roaring repeatedly. If she weren’t a creature of another realm, the neighbors would have fled in terror by now. Suddenly, the black-purple glow on her body intensified, suffusing her entire form with blue, even her eyes shining a deep blue.

“Master, what’s happening? Why is it changing color?” Qingfeng asked, anxious and confused.

“And it seems to handle the core with ease—must have done this before. The Earth Fish likely had its own core already. For one fish to have two cores is rare. If we don’t subdue her now, she may soon attain a half-immortal form. I must intervene myself,” Liu Half-Immortal said, forcing himself upright.

“Master, I can do it. Teach me what to do—I can handle it!”

“Step back. Guard the array. I know my limits.” Liu Half-Immortal replied. He took a porcelain jade vial from his bag, cradling it like a treasure, and carefully opened it, pouring out a crimson, translucent pellet the size of a pearl.

“Master Liu, what is that?” Jidou asked, concerned.

“This is the Blood Spirit Pill. Once consumed, you won’t bleed for ten minutes, your body will be as normal, and your power will double. But afterward, you’ll be so weak you couldn’t kill an ant. So once you take it, you must finish the fight quickly. Qingfeng, Miss Qin, remember—the skull is its weakness.” With that, Liu Half-Immortal tilted his head back and swallowed the pill. After a moment’s concentration, he opened his eyes, took up the peachwood sword, shouldered his cloth bag, and strode from the Vajra Array like a warrior marching to his death.

The Queen had already understood her own strength. Abruptly, she unleashed a piercing, high-frequency scream that shattered several streetlights nearby. If Liu Half-Immortal hadn’t deployed the array, the windows of the surrounding buildings might have shattered as well.

“Ah…” Qingfeng and Qin Xiaomo clapped their hands over their ears—the sound pierced straight through their bodies, ringing in their minds. Liu Half-Immortal quickly pulled out a blank talisman from his bag, bit his finger, and drew two Clear Sound sigils, affixing them to the pair. Instantly, the Queen’s shriek vanished, and the sensation of impending bodily collapse faded. Regaining their composure, Qingfeng seized the moment during her cries to leap up and strike with his sword.

The Queen, seeing this tactic fail, dodged and lashed out with her tail, sending Qingfeng sprawling. Though he was trained, he couldn’t withstand a blow from a creature weighing tons, coughing blood as he struggled to stand.

Liu Half-Immortal, distressed, jumped in with his peachwood sword, aiming for the Queen’s skull—the most fiercely guarded part now, as her power had grown. Sensing danger, she turned her head, evading his strike.

Qin Xiaomo hurried forward, leaping to slash at the Queen’s skull with the Xuanli Blade. The Queen, recognizing the blade, roared in fury, baring her steel teeth and snapping at Qin Xiaomo’s leg, intent on swallowing her whole. Sensing danger, Qin Xiaomo pressed her foot against the Queen’s teeth and rolled two meters away.

The Queen, infuriated by her missed attack, extended all six legs to launch another assault on Qin Xiaomo. Qin Xiaomo wondered—could the Earth Fish recognize the Xuanli Blade? Was this the same fish that had evaded the Purple Spirit Pearl in the game? If that pearl had been taken, where did the second come from? Before she could unravel the mystery, the Queen was upon her.

To distract the Queen, Liu Half-Immortal struck her back with his sword, slicing through a scale to reveal glowing blue skin beneath.

He thought, only the skull was purple, the blood was green, but now even the blood must have turned blue.

The Queen, wounded and in pain, raised her scales and began fanning them, producing a flickering sound.

None of the onlookers had seen this maneuver before or knew what it could do. Suddenly, the Queen curled her head to her belly, rolling herself into a ball like a pangolin, the scales on her back forming razor-sharp blades.

Everyone realized the danger. The Queen, now a towering ball, rolled forward with astonishing speed, cutting everything she passed into pieces with her sharp scales.

She rolled around the mouth of the tunnel. Qingfeng, while fleeing, slashed at her scales with the peachwood sword, but it left no mark—it was like tickling her. Qin Xiaomo, dodging as she went, used the Xuanli Blade to strike, carving a deep groove but inflicting no real harm. Breathing heavily, she called out, “Master Liu, we can’t pierce it! If this continues, even if it doesn’t kill us, we’ll die of exhaustion. Is there any other way?”

Liu Half-Immortal watched the Queen rolling back and forth, noting that the patch of glowing blue skin exposed by his earlier strike was the thinnest spot. “The blue skin beneath the scale I just sliced off is now her weakest point. Stab there! I’ll draw her attention, you two find an opening and strike—it’s our best chance.”