Chapter 132: Fishing

"We've arrived!" Ye Wuya announced.

"I never imagined the scenery below would be even more magnificent than it looked from the top of the mountain."

Ye Wuya scanned his surroundings and found no guards; everything was dead silent. He knew his chance had come.

"One little fish swimming in the water, lonely and feeling blue.
Two little fish swimming in the water, shaking their tails and nodding too.
Three little fish swimming in the water, come be friends with Master Ya, it's true."

Ye Wuya couldn't help but hum a nursery rhyme he knew. Watching the little fish inside, his eyes began to gleam. He looked around, but his expression quickly turned to one of disappointment. He had already perused the "Compendium of Demonic Beasts" and the "Compendium of Spirit Beasts" in the Library Pavilion. The fish here were ordinary, offering no significant benefits to a cultivator.

The pool was incredibly deep, its bottom invisible to the naked eye, and its width was substantial—at least seven or eight hundred meters. It was more of a lake than a pond. Walking along the edge, he spotted a large patch of lotus roots about a hundred meters from the waterfall. The lotus blossoms were breathtakingly beautiful. While visually pleasing, Ye Wuya had no mood to appreciate them. Who could enjoy the scenery on an empty stomach? Even if the moon were round and bright, it wasn't edible! To Ye Wuya, only what could be eaten mattered.

After passing the lotus patch, Ye Wuya suddenly crouched down cautiously. He saw several red fish ahead! Even from over ten meters away, he could see that the fish were three meters long, covered in crimson scales, sporting golden whiskers, and possessing a small protrusion on their heads that looked like a horn beginning to grow.

"That's it, no mistake!" Ye Wuya’s heart surged with joy. This was the Red Dragon Fish, known for its superb flavor and tender, succulent meat. Even for a cultivator at the Golden Core stage, the energy it contained was worth raving about. He had thought he might have misread it earlier, but it was real.

"Hmm?" Ye Wuya narrowed his eyes, examining them more closely. "What is this? A fluctuation at the Form-Shaping stage?"

"Damn!"
"Damn it!"
"Damn it all to hell!"

Ye Wuya cursed three times in succession. A Red Dragon Fish at the Form-Shaping stage!

What was he to do? Trying to catch it by force was impossible; he knew the saying "like a fish in water." A Red Dragon Fish at the Form-Shaping stage was not to be underestimated! Moreover, he was here to steal the fish. If he couldn't kill it instantly, he would surely alert the members of the Azure Cloud Sect, making it difficult to hunt.

He crouched to the side with a bitter face, drool almost dripping from his mouth. He stared unblinkingly at the fish. Having reached the Form-Shaping stage, it must have already developed sentience, which added a layer of difficulty to his grand fishing operation. Still, with its cultivation base and delicious potential, there was no way he was letting it go.

His mind raced, calculating how to capture it. The fish was currently twenty or thirty meters away. The lake was so vast that he only had one chance. If he startled the fish and it swam toward the center or dove to the bottom, he would be helpless.

He was truly distressed. Would ordinary fishing methods even work? Even if they did, where would he find a fishing rod that large on such short notice? And even if he found one, was there any guarantee he could catch it? Casting a net was out of the question—where would he find a net?

He had only one chance! If he failed, the fish would surely become vigilant. Fishing wouldn't work, netting wouldn't work. What about electrocution? Where would he find electricity? He had a Palm Lightning Talisman, but would a first-grade talisman reach that far? Poisoning? If all the fish in the lake died by tomorrow, it would be impossible to cover his tracks. He only wanted to satisfy his hunger; did he really have to poison the entire lake for one fish? Besides, where would he get such potent poison?

With Jiang Xiaoxiao off somewhere on one of her wild errands, he lacked his powerful disciple, and his own safety wasn't guaranteed. He had told her he was going into seclusion for a few days, and now he had no idea where she was. But giving up now? He couldn't stomach it—literally! He was starving. Other than this Red Dragon Fish, he couldn't think of any way to fill his belly. He had no idea where Jiang Xiaoxiao usually sourced her ingredients.

*Gurgle, gurgle.*

His stomach let out an uncooperative growl. Suddenly, Ye Wuya realized he couldn't even keep himself fed. His body’s daily energy requirements were enormous, and he had neither rare treasures nor food. Beyond drooling over this fat Red Dragon Fish, he had no idea how to catch it.

What did Red Dragon Fish like to eat? According to the texts, they preferred meat. Watching a shadow flicker across the ground, Ye Wuya let out an "Hmm?"

He looked up quickly to see a crane flying overhead. "Got it!"

A flash of inspiration struck. As long as the fish came within ten meters, it wouldn't be able to escape! He was confident he could kill it in one blow, or at the very least, his Sword Domain was not just for show. Once the fish entered his domain, escaping was impossible.

Watching the crane that hadn't flown far yet, he reached behind his back and unsheathed his long blue sword. He muttered an incantation and whispered, "Go!"

The blue sword tore through the sky with extreme speed. A flash of cold light, and a spray of blood erupted from the crane's neck. The bird flapped twice in mid-air before plummeting. Ye Wuya formed a hand seal, guiding the sword to lower the carcass gently near the Red Dragon Fish.

*Drip.*

Fresh blood trickled from the crane, falling into the lake. It slowly diluted, becoming one with the water.

*Drip, drip.*

The blood droplets landed near the Red Dragon Fish. As if smelling something, the fish suddenly moved. Its crimson eyes seemed to gain a spark of intelligence—it appeared it had been sleeping and was now stirred by the scent of blood. The Red Dragon Fish circled twice, locked onto the direction, and began swimming toward the sword Ye Wuya was controlling.

It was working! Ye Wuya watched the fish approach and quickly formed seals, maneuvering the sword to move slowly toward his position.

Twenty-five meters! The Red Dragon Fish followed the scent toward Ye Wuya.

Twenty meters! The fish remained oblivious.

Fifteen meters! Ye Wuya controlled the sword to move slower, inching closer to the surface.

A faint light flickered across Ye Wuya’s body, and he smiled. The Red Dragon Fish finally sensed something was wrong. It breached the surface, only to see a figure in black robes smiling back at it with white teeth, staring straight at it!

The source of the blood—the crane—was now positioned right between the fish and Ye Wuya. Realizing the danger, the Red Dragon Fish attempted to flee.

Suddenly, a strange phenomenon erupted.