The Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends, however, were dumbfounded.

They stood frozen in place, forgetting to flee.

Releasing their Anomalous Fire was their most reliable method for attacking and defeating enemies.

It had always been unfailingly successful.

They never expected it to fail against Gu Zheng.

In a battle of Anomalous Fire versus Anomalous Fire, the flames they released vanished as if they had never existed.

GLUG~

SWOOSH!

Bubbles rose as Gu Zheng swam toward the Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends, blade in hand.

The three Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends, jolted from their stupor, immediately turned and fled.

Gu Zheng retracted his Bosha Corpse Fire and followed behind them at an unhurried pace.

His Divine Wondrous power surged, and he activated his Water Demon Techniques.

The water’s resistance against him lessened once more.

The tangible water pressure compressed his Sword Gang, making it as taut and dense as Primordial Chaos.

WHOOSH~ WHOOSH!

Following the three Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends, he dove straight down, plunging more than four hundred meters to the lakebed.

His vision suddenly brightened.

A vibrant, colorful underwater world appeared before him.

All sorts of aquatic plants emitted different glows, their lights mingling to illuminate the lake floor.

Rows of trenches, hills, and forests were spread out in an orderly fashion.

The three Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends swam straight into an underwater grove and darted into a towering cave.

At the cave’s entrance stood guards wielding Bone Spike Long Spears. They weren’t shrimp-headed, however, but upright crocodiles, their scales glinting like armor.

Various fish swam slowly nearby, while the trenches bustled with all kinds of crabs, shrimp, and small fish.

The entire underwater world presented a scene brimming with vitality.

It was like an Underwater Dragon Palace...

Hmm?

’It couldn’t really be a Dragon Palace, could it?’

A Demon Dragon was impossible, but a Flood Dragon’s Dragon Palace would still be a threat.

At this thought, Gu Zheng’s mind stirred. He stopped at the boundary of the light, released the Divine Leech, and sent it a mental command, controlling the Exotic Insect to swim forward.

Although the Divine Leech couldn’t compare to the Mist Shadow Celestial Dragon or the Great Sun Golden Silkworm in speed, it was still so fast underwater that it was like an invisible shadow. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Coupled with its small size and its intermittent aura, the ranked aquatic Demon Fiends didn’t react at all as it zipped through the water.

Through the Divine Leech’s vision, Gu Zheng scanned the area, one section at a time.

After sweeping through more than half of the underwater world, it entered the cave of the Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends.

When it slipped through a corner of the entrance, the crocodile guards didn’t react in the slightest.

As the Divine Leech’s vision moved into the cave, Gu Zheng "saw" each of the luminous passages inside.

Then, Gu Zheng "saw" thousands of Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends in various caverns and tunnels, rapidly swimming about and gathering.

And in an enormous cavern, he "saw" a Flood Dragon lying motionless on the ground.

This Flood Dragon was a full seventy to eighty meters long, and most of the scales on its body had fallen off.

However, it had not a trace of a dragon’s might.

The Divine Leech was instinctively terrified and wanted to flee, but Gu Zheng exerted his mental control to force it to reluctantly approach the Flood Dragon.

Up close, a gaping hole had formed from a gruesome wound beneath the Flood Dragon’s neck, most of its flesh and blood gone.

As the Divine Leech observed, two Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends hurriedly swam over, holding a Bone Blade. They thrust it forcefully into the large hole under the Flood Dragon’s neck twice and carved off two chunks of meat.

’Carving its meat?’

’Carving its meat!’

Gu Zheng’s sharp brows rose, and his heart was put at ease.

He had thought this Flood Dragon was a great enemy, the backer of the Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends.

But seeing this scene, how could he not understand?

The Flood Dragon was already dead, its corpse treated as a premium medicine and the ultimate supplement by the Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends.

They came over from time to time to carve off a couple of pieces to eat and increase their power!

’And why are they increasing their power now?’

’It’s most likely because of me!’

Holding his breath, he controlled the Divine Leech to search the other areas.

He searched every last cavern and tunnel until he was certain this Shrimp-headed Demon Tribe had no third-rank members.

WHOOSH~

His Divine Wondrous power surged, and he activated his Water Demon Techniques.

Gu Zheng’s figure shot downward, rushing toward the Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends’ cave.

SHING!

Before he even got close, he unleashed a slash.

The blade’s light, condensed into a single line, cut through the water straight for the upright crocodile Demon Fiends guarding the cave entrance.

The latter had just noticed something was wrong when the line of light reached them.

CHK~! CHK~!

With two sharp sounds, the upright crocodile Demon Fiends’ heads were separated from their necks.

SWOOSH~

Gu Zheng swooped in.

Spirit Capturing!

[Demon Points +11]

[Demon Points +10]

...

Without a moment’s pause, Gu Zheng surged forward, his Water Demon Techniques clearing the path as he charged into the Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends’ cave.

The moment he entered, he swung the Celestial Frost Blade again.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

The linear Sword Gang swept out, splitting into more than a dozen beams mid-path and pouring down upon a group of Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends that had just swarmed out of the cave.

THWACK THWACK THWACK~

Before they could even scream, the group of Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends was diced into pieces. Severed limbs and mangled arms, mixed with blood, dispersed into the water.

SWOOSH~!

Gu Zheng shot past them.

Spirit Capturing!

[Demon Techniques +11]

[Demon Techniques +9]

...

After one wave of reaping, he didn’t stop, charging deeper inside.

FWOOSH! FWOOSH!

This time, while he was still on his way, more than a dozen purplish-red flames shot toward him.

The Heart-Burning Demon Flame!

SHING~

Gu Zheng brought out the Bosha Corpse Fire, guiding it with the special Bone Staff to coalesce into a single stream and meet the flames head-on.

HISS HISS~!

Amid clouds of white steam, the streams of Heart-Burning Demon Flame were extinguished one after another.

But the Bosha Corpse Fire didn’t vanish. While on the move, Gu Zheng split his concentration, using the special Bone Staff to control the fire as his Celestial Frost Blade relentlessly unleashed more lines of light.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

Inside the tunnel, the slicing Sword Gang was like the scythe of death, reaping swath after swath of Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends.

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK~!

The sickening sounds, accompanied by blood, severed limbs, and mangled arms, filled the tunnel.