The Regressor of Mount Hua
Chapter 394. The Dark Heavens of the Murim (1)

Chapter 394. The Dark Heavens of the Murim (1)

The Reversing Flow Captain of the Eight Water Gang was an expert martial artist.

Even though this gang leader had killed the man he once called “elder brother” to take over his position, his skills as a warrior were nothing to scoff at.

Being a leader of a gang meant one had to be the symbol of strength. One’s life would be over if others started underestimating him.

All things considered, this gang leader, who had reached the Transcendent realm, could easily fend off an expert in the Harmony realm, at least when fighting in water.

Unfortunately for him, that only applied to opponents who hadn’t mastered water arts.

D-dammit all to hell! Are they really mermen or something?!

The gang leader watched one of his subordinates right next to him bleed from their eyes as a spear pierced right through him. The dying man’s form blocked his view, and without thinking twice, the gang leader ducked.

Kwa-ru-ruk!

A three-pronged spear flew from deeper in the water, making a direct line toward him. He panicked and reacted instantly.

Whoosh!

He swung his own spear. Average martial artists would have struggled to wield a weapon underwater because of the heavy pressure, but those who had mastered water arts barely noticed the difference.

Their speed or strength might not have matched what they could do on dry land, but it was still more than enough. However, the gang leader was facing one critical problem, his enemies were just as skilled in water arts as he was.

BOOM!

He somehow blocked the incoming strike, but the sheer force behind it left his arms trembling like a lone leaf caught in a storm.

Kuh-huuut!

The gang leader moaned in pain, holding it in.

Fwhoosh! Whoosh!

Another three-pronged spear came flying. This time, though, it wasn’t alone. He could see at least six... no, seven heading straight toward him.

The one saving grace was that he wasn’t their target.

His subordinates, faltering behind him, were skewered by the spears, flailing like fish caught on harpoons.

Wheeew!

The gang leader patted his chest in relief. But it was far too early to relax. He blinked once before freezing in shock.

Fwhooooosh!

Was that a fairy? No, she had to be a mermaid. He saw her swimming toward him, her waist-length hair flowing around her like a dragon’s tail.

If she hadn’t meant him harm, he might have been entranced by the mystical, enchanting sight. But this was no peaceful dream. This mermaid was a vengeful water spirit to him today.

Frwwooooosh!

The Dragon’s Tail, Chi Shuishui, spun gracefully in the water. Then, the South Sea Dragon Gate’s Water Dragon Tail Kick slammed into the gang leader.

BOOM!

“Ooorrrooph!”

Air bubbles escaped his mouth as he let out a cry.

He had let his guard down. The enemy’s attack landed squarely on his shoulder.

Chi Shuishui’s kick not only cracked his bones but also bent his spine, throwing his torso off balance.

Just where the hell did these bastards come from?!

The gang leader had seen these so-called mermen’s hair before entering the water. Whether it was the denizens of the Central Plains or foreigners beyond the Great Wall, none of them had azure-colored hair. But here were dozens of them. Since these “people” were real, the gang leader should have heard of the passing rumors of their existence at least once!

Worse still, he was left gobsmacked by how every single one of these mermen were top-tier experts in water arts.

The gang leader knew about the reinforcements coming from the island of Hainan, but he had never heard about people like these joining his enemies today.

Bloody hell!

The gang leader gritted his teeth and endured the pain. Any dislocated bones could be forced back into their original places, but that didn’t apply to cracked bones. He had no choice but to endure and squeeze out every ounce of strength to fight back.

I, Reversing Flow Captain, will not die here today!

He tightened his grip on the spear and prepared for a final, desperate counterattack. Holding his breath, he flexed his abs. Veins bulged beneath his skin across his shoulders and arms.

Then he thrust forward.

Phew-bubububut!

His spear thrust forward before retracting, then flew forward again. But he struck nothing each time, other than cutting through the water as if it was mere air.

With all of his qi contained in each thrust, the power and speed also increased accordingly.

Pah-baht!

Chi Shuishui didn’t bother to defend and instead dodged the incoming barrage of attacks. Side to side, up and down, she moved freely in all directions, completely unrestrained. She was truly a master of water arts and one of the top fighters in the South Sea Dragon Gate.

Her movements were fluid and sharp, like her lower half really had become that of a fish.

After several minutes of attack-and-dodging, Chi Shuishui suddenly swam away from the gang leader and widened the distance between them.

Hah! Now you understand!

The gang leader smirked triumphantly.

Kuh-huhuhuh! Looks like my mighty skills have finally scared you!

Now that the relentless pressure had eased, he let himself relax just a bit.

Oho, would you look at that? That girl is quite a beauty, isn’t she?

Once his mind was at ease, distracting thoughts quickly filled his head.

Because of those stupid bastards of the White Horse Gang, we had to be on guard constantly, and I couldn’t embrace women for a long time, so this is great! A mermaid, eh? I’m already getting curious about how she’d feel under me!

His face twisted with lust. His lips twisted into a crooked smirk. A river bandit was still a bandit, a criminal who belonged to the Black Hand. Unsurprisingly, criminals like that loved to force themselves on innocent women, steal what didn’t belong to them, and kill anyone they felt like. The gang leader was no different in that regard.

Well, then! It’s time to make you pay for giving me so much troub—Eh?

The gang leader’s lewd thoughts were cut off. His surroundings had gone darker. Confused, he looked up, thinking maybe one of the ships had drifted above him.

Split!

“?! Kkeuru-ahruk?!”

The gang leader screamed when he looked up, however. His complexion grew pale instantly, while air bubbles exploded out of his mouth. He tried to swing his spear, but it was already too late.

Because the Imoogi, which had closed the distance without the bandit leader realizing it, had clamped its jaws shut around him!

KWA-JI-JIK!

Its enormous fangs tore him clean in half at the waist. His weapon was flung from his hands and vanished into the river’s current.

That was the end of him.

One of the Eight Water Gang’s surviving leaders, gone in an instant. He didn’t even get the chance to struggle.

Even though it was in a river and not the ocean, the guardian of the Water Spiritual Fruit, the Imoogi, could fully unleash its frightening power without needing to adjust to its new surroundings.

Every time it moved its gigantic body, one that seemed torn straight from legend, the Yangtze’s currents and flow changed. The Imoogi was, quite literally, a living natural disaster.

Ku-gugugugu!

The Imoogi circled around in the deeper parts of the river before twisting its body around to head toward the surface. Chi Shuishi got a free ride by climbing on the creature’s body.

“Puu-haa!”

KA-BOOOOOM!

Chi Shuishui’s gasp for air was instantly drowned out by the Imoogi’s thunderous emergence from the water that was loud enough to shake the heavens.

Because it surged up so quickly, the waves it created were just as massive. Pillars of water exploded from the surface, crashing against the sides of the bandit ships again and again.

Kreeeeeek!

“Uwaaahk?!”

“Our ships! They are sinking!”

Chaos erupted across the river’s surface. Violent winds lashed down as the water churned like a mad beast. One of the ships was already overturned, its belly exposed. The injured and exhausted bandits climbed desperately onto the wreck. Those who couldn’t reach it were either dragged under by whirlpools or finished off by the South Sea Dragon Gate warriors waiting below.

Anyone who witnessed this scene would immediately understand why gods of the sea and storms were always depicted as dragons. The Imoogi only needed to move a little to create ship-swallowing waves. And any ships that collided with its rising body were obliterated and capsized without resistance.

This entire ordeal was a nightmare itself.

“You... You useless bastards! What the hell are you all doing?!” Hong Xialang roared like an angry tigress while glaring at the pirates. “That’s merely a damn snake! A snake that failed to become a dragon!”

She dashed across the deck at full speed and launched herself into the air with a powerful kick from the bow.

“Haaaah-aaph!”

There was a reason she was the Stockade Boss of the Sixteen Stockades of the Red Forest. Her spirited roar cut through the pelting rain and strong winds to rock the surroundings. A faint crimson glow shimmered from her blade as if to prove she wasn’t bluffing.

CLAAAANG!

“W-what the hell?!”

Hong Xialang’s expression twisted in frustration. She charged forward with everything she had, leapt into the air, and added the full momentum of her fall into what was likely her most powerful strike. However—

Even though the Imoogi was massive... she hadn’t left so much as a scratch?

“Keuk!”

Hong Xialang slipped, but before falling off the creature, she jammed her blade between the scales to secure herself. She couldn’t even pierce the creature’s flesh. The best she could was to cling to the scales and not much else.

“But, how?!”

How could any creature be this tough? Her blade’s qi had scattered the moment it made contact. It hadn’t even reached beneath the scales.

“This is an Imoogi,” said Chi Shuishui while standing tall on the Imoogi’s body. Hong Xialang’s head snapped in her direction. “If this was merely a snake, we at the South Sea Dragon Gate wouldn’t have experienced such a difficult, prolonged fight.”

Chi Shuishui bent her knees lightly.

“I’m coming!”

Taaa-aaaht!

She flew forward like an arrow and closed the distance to Hong Xialang.

“Haah-aaahph!”

She spun in midair. Once, twice, three times, each rotation gathered more force in her legs.

Whoooosh!

She struck from the side with a kick that didn’t even seem human anymore. Her leg was like a dragon’s tail. The Water Dragon Tail Kick slammed into Hong Xialang’s side.

“Fuu-huuuph!”

Hong Xialang twisted her body, bracing her sword at her side and anchoring it with her shoulder. When the human leg collided against the cold metal, the blade actually wavered as if it was dancing. Even the internal energy within the weapon rippled uncontrollably.

BOOM!

Each pulse of energy led to miniature explosions. The shockwaves shook the air around them and made Hong Xialang’s ears ring.

“You damn b*tch!”

Hong Xialang roared while focusing strength on her shoulders. Monster-like strength surged from her muscles, and she successfully shoved Chi Shuishui away.

“Ah?!”

Chi Shuishui’s eyes widened. Her body spun out like a projectile. Her view flipped upside down, but she hadn’t lost control completely.

She angled her palm downward and pulled her legs in tight. Using the Imoogi’s back, she launched herself into a somersault and landed gracefully. The slippery scales caused her to slide back further than expected, but it wasn’t a problem, or so she thought.

Hong Xialang cried out, “I knew you’d do that!”

The storm winds had been blocking Chi Shuishui’s view, and because she was somersaulting in the air, she had failed to notice the situation in front of her.

Hong Xialang broke through the pelting rain and rapidly approached Chi Shuishui with a cruel smile on her face. She raised her sword and slashed downward, aiming for Chi Shuishui’s exposed head.

Oh, no!

Chi Shuishui breath hitched. But then—

Clang!

Her eyes widened again. Through the rain, she saw something knock the sword away. It was an arrow.

“What the hell was that?!”

Hong Xialang was stunned.

How can an arrow be that powerful?!

Where it came from was one thing, but what made her shudder with dread was the inconceivable power contained in that arrow. Just as she racked her brain to figure out what had happened, a name quickly came to mind.

“The... Domination God Monarch!”

Hong Xialang’s stunned gaze hurriedly shifted over to the distance beyond the Present Darkness’ head, and that was when she saw the Domination God Monarch standing on a hill and wielding an impressive bow.

“How, how did he?! From that far aw—Heuk?!”

Hong Xialang was about to say something, only to realize her mistake.

Whoooosh!

Something tingled down her spine, a dreadful warning. It made her skin crawl. She couldn't think, and her eyes trembled.

Slowly, she turned.

A kick, moving with such force it pushed back the very rain and wind, closed in on her gut.

KA-BOOOOOM!

Her body folded. Blood shot from her mouth. Her eyes went wide, her pupils shrinking to dots. Several thunderclaps went off inside her head.

With a loud “Keo-hurk!” Hong Xialang reflexively sucked a deep breath. Then her body launched like a falling star, crashing into a ship in the distance.

KA-BOOM!

The bow shattered as she struck it. Her limbs whipped around like a broken puppet.

BOOM! Slam!

Her body tumbled across the deck, bones breaking with each impact. Ribs pierced her organs, her spine cracked in multiple places, and other bones shredded her muscles.

The figure of the leader of the Red Forest bounced and tumbled around on the deck like a skipping stone before crashing into the mainsail with a sickening crunch.

“Fuu-woo...”

Chi Shuishui stood calmly on the Imoogi and rotated her ankle.

“Getting distracted is no good, you know?”