107: Can we talk properly now?

Night fell, and the wind and snow gradually subsided. A cold moon broke free from the clouds, casting its silvery light onto the snow-blanketed earth. Under the moonlight, the rushing river resembled a giant black serpent, winding its way through the silent valley.

Li Muchen left the inn soundlessly, disturbing no one. He didn't use the main door, but instead drifted down like a green leaf from the second-floor window, landing softly on the thick snow without raising a speck of dust.

He followed the river upstream. His steps seemed leisurely, but in reality, he was faster than a galloping horse. The cold wind whipped at the hem of his robe but could not approach within three feet of him. His Divine Sense poured out like quicksilver, meticulously scanning every inch of the riverbank, every rock, capturing any trace of unusual aura in the air.

The river-stench in the incense ash, though faint, was extremely unique. It was characteristic of certain aquatic creatures that dwell in deep, cold pools, like Old Softshell Turtles or Giant Catfish, distinct from the ordinary fishy smell of common river creatures. Whoever possessed this item was certainly no ordinary fisherman or villager.

After traveling about seven or eight li, the river made a sharp bend here, forming a sheltered, backwater cove. The shore was strewn with jagged rocks, with shallower snow revealing the dark brown frozen soil and withered reed beds beneath.

Li Muchen's footsteps halted.

His gaze fell upon a jet-black, ox-shaped boulder half-submerged in the water deep within the cove. There, the snow bore signs of being deliberately cleared, forming a circular clearing roughly ten feet in diameter. In the center of the clearing remained a small amount of ash, along with some scattered, frozen food scraps and broken fruit shells.

More importantly, his keen senses captured it: in the air here, there still lingered an extremely faint, yet identical-in-origin trace of that peculiar scent—a mix of Shamanic Incense and strange spices—that matched the incense ash from the well bottom. Though greatly diluted by the scents of wind, snow, and river water, it could not escape his Divine Sense.

This was the place.

Li Muchen walked to the center of the clearing and bent down for a closer look. The ash was fresh, no more than three to five days old. The food scraps were not completely decomposed. Clearly, someone had been active here not long ago, likely those "people wearing strange robes."

He extended a finger, picked up a bit of the ash, and brought it close to his nose. Yes, it was from the same source. Only here, the yin-cold, fishy stench unique to aquatic creatures within the incense ash was more pronounced and vivid than in the well-bottom sample, as if the creature providing it was nearby.

Li Muchen stood up, his eyes turning towards the dark, moonlit center of the river. The water swirled here, forming a deep, bottomless vortex with a hidden undercurrent.

"Since you've lured me here, why not show yourselves?" he suddenly spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed clearly in the silent cove.

As soon as the words fell, the vortex in the river's center suddenly churned violently!

"Gurgle..."

A large mass of bubbles surged forth, followed by a thick, black shadow bursting out of the water, sending a shower of icy spray into the air!

Under the moonlight, it was shockingly a giant black catfish, as thick as a bucket and three to four zhang long! Its head was as large as a bushel basket, with two long barbels whipping like whips beside its mouth. Its entire body was covered in slimy scales. A pair of lantern-sized eyes glowed with a sinister green light, fixed intently on Li Muchen on the shore.

Even more startling was that embedded right in the center of the Giant Catfish's millstone-wide skull was a palm-sized, irregular Jade Pendant of a dark, bloody red hue! The pendant's surface was covered in natural patterns, now emitting a faint, ominous crimson glow that intertwined with the sinister green light in the catfish's eyes, creating an exceptionally eerie sight.

The Giant Catfish did not attack immediately. It merely floated at the center of the vortex, opening its large mouth filled with dense, sharp teeth, emitting a low, guttural "hulu hulu" sound. A wave of intense, foul stench—a mix of fishy and bloody odors—assailed the senses.

Simultaneously, from the shadows of the rocky pile behind Li Muchen came a rustling sound. Four figures, clad in grayish-brown hooded robes covered in twisted runic patterns, appeared like ghosts, forming a semicircle to block his retreat.

Their faces were hidden in the deep shadows of their wide hoods, their features indiscernible, only their pale lower jaws visible. They did not hold weapons, but each cradled a peculiarly shaped Bronze Lamp. Inside the lamps burned a sinister green flame, its flickering light making the runes on their robes seem to writhe.

They were exactly the people described by the innkeeper—the ones "wearing strange robes"! The strange scent emanating from the flames of their lamps was precisely that mix of Shamanic Incense and odd spices!

Ahead, a Demon Catfish blocked the river; behind, strange men blocked the path. The atmosphere in the cove instantly dropped to freezing point.

"Outsider Daoist..." A hoarse, dry voice, neither male nor female, came from the direction of one of the robed figures, as if its owner hadn't spoken in a long time, the words slurred together, "Do not meddle... in affairs that are not your concern..."

Li Muchen's expression remained calm. His gaze swept over the Demon Catfish in the river and the four men behind him: "The Yellow-Skin's request for ascension in the desolate village of Black Water Ridge, the incense ash altar at the bottom of the well—are these your handiwork?"

"Offerings... voluntary... contract... sacred..." The voice was devoid of fluctuation, as if stating some truth, "Those who defy... shall become blood sacrifice..."

"Voluntary?" Li Muchen sneered, "Bewitching with evil arts, coercing with demonic creatures—does that deserve to be called voluntary? Your deeds are nothing but using wicked sacrifices to nourish demons, harming living beings. How dare you falsely claim it as sacred?"

"What... do you know!" Another, shriller voice interjected, filled with fanatical emotion, "The Centennial Covenant approaches... the Old Ancestor will return to his seat... a New Order will descend... a few offerings... are their glory! Their ticket... to the new world!"

Centennial Covenant! The Old Ancestor's return!

A sharp glint flashed in Li Muchen's eyes. Sure enough, it was related to that ancient jade plaque and the legend of the five immortals!

"It seems you know quite a bit," he said slowly. "Since that's the case, then stay. Speak properly. What exactly is this 'Centennial Covenant'? And who is behind you, pulling the strings?"

"Arrogant!" The hoarse voice suddenly turned sharp, "Since you insist on seeking death... we shall oblige! Perfect... using your flesh, blood, and soul, cultivated in the Dao... to sacrifice to the Old Ancestor... will be even more effective!"

Before the words fully faded, the Giant Catfish in the river let out a raspy roar. Its massive body twisted, and its thick tail, carrying the force of a thousand jun and a bone-chilling cold current, swept fiercely towards Li Muchen on the shore!

At the same time, the four robed men simultaneously raised their hands, lifting their Bronze Lamps high! The sinister green flames within the lamps surged violently, transforming into four ferociously writhing fire snakes, thick as bowls, emitting strange hissing sounds as they lunged at Li Muchen from different angles!

The Demon Catfish's tail sweep could shatter rocks; the Netherworld Fire Snakes could corrode bone and consume soul!

Attacked from front and back, lethal intent arrived in an instant!

Li Muchen merely let out a soft sigh.

"Stubborn and unyielding."

He didn't even draw his sword.

He simply raised his right hand, index and middle fingers pressed together, and lightly pointed into the air towards the sweeping giant tail.

A gentle, peaceful, yet life-force-infused pale golden light blossomed from his fingertip.

The golden light was initially only the size of a bean, but the moment it left his finger, it transformed into a condensed, substantial pillar of light, vast and irresistible, silently meeting the tail carrying the force of ten thousand jun!

There was no earth-shattering collision.

Only a faint sizzling sound, like a hot knife cutting through butter.

The Giant Catfish's tail, powerful enough to crumble a rocky bank, upon contact with the pale golden light pillar, began to dissolve and vaporize at a visible rate—the slimy, tough scales along with the flesh, sinew, and bone beneath—as if ice and snow under a scorching sun!

"Aoooo—!!!"

The Giant Catfish let out a shrill, agonized scream of extreme pain. Its massive body thrashed wildly, churning the river surface into turbulent waves! The bloody Jade Pendant embedded in the center of its head flashed urgently, attempting to repair the injury. But the vast, purifying life force and dao rhyme contained within the pale golden light pillar, seemingly capable of cleansing all evil, firmly suppressed the pendant's bloody glow, making its repair speed far slower than the rate of dissolution!

Simultaneously, Li Muchen casually flicked his left sleeve backward.

A gentle yet vast, intangible force, immense as the sea, erupted, arriving later but striking first, meeting the four lunging sinister green fire snakes.

Upon contact with the force, the fire snakes seemed to crash into an intangible copper wall, unable to advance an inch! Immediately after, the force recoiled, like an invisible giant hand giving a light squeeze.

"Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!"

The four ferocious sinister green fire snakes vanished into thin air like bubbles without even a chance to struggle, leaving only a few scattered sparks.

The four robed men shuddered violently. The Bronze Lamps in their hands cracked simultaneously with a sharp sound, the sinister green flames instantly extinguishing. They all groaned in unison, staggering backward. From the corners of their mouths visible beneath their hoods, dark red blood seeped out, clearly severely injured.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

In the river, the Giant Catfish had sunk to the bottom in agony, leaving only bubbling, churning bloody water and its tail, now missing a small section with faint golden light still lingering around the wound, proving what had just happened was not an illusion.

On the shore, the four robed men, their auras withered, looked at the figure still standing with hands behind his back, his blue robe fluttering, with utter terror and disbelief, as if beholding something incomprehensible and irresistible.

The cold moonlight shone on Li Muchen's calm, unperturbed face.

He looked at the four robed men slumped on the ground, his voice still even but carrying an indisputable authority:

"Now, can we talk properly?"