Nibbling Weird Fish

Deep in the mountains, Hou Qing, holding a map obtained from the Immortal Sect, led the group slowly. They climbed mountains, leaped cliffs, and cut through vines, but after half a day of walking, they still hadn't reached their destination. As the hottest time of midday approached, everyone was sweating profusely. Suddenly, not far ahead, a river flowed by, clear and tranquil, with cool water that refreshed the senses.

"Damn it, I need to wash my face first. I'm covered in sweat!" cursed Qian Tong as he squatted by the riverbank. Just then, Liu San, who had been at the back, rushed forward, grabbed Qian Tong by the collar, and stopped him.

Qian Tong, enraged, shouted, "Are you crazy?"

Liu San replied coldly, "You're the crazy one. Do you want to throw your life away?"

Qian Tong looked at the clear river water, seeing nothing unusual. He retorted, "Are you trying to scare me? There's nothing weird here!"

Liu San didn't say a word. With a glance, he walked to a tree about three meters away, plucked a strange snake that resembled the tree's patterns, and squeezed it firmly at its midsection. Despite the snake's struggles, it couldn't escape. Liu San then broke the snake in half and threw both pieces into the river.

As the snake writhed, blood seeped into the water. Suddenly, semi-transparent shrimp-like creatures emerged from the seemingly empty river, numbering in the thousands or even tens of thousands. They swarmed over the snake, biting ferociously. During this frenzy, whether they bit the snake or not, their bodies turned blood red, transforming into small red fish about half a finger long.

Due to this one snake, the entire river turned blood red, eerie and terrifying. The river, it turned out, hid an endless number of these small red fish, transparent under normal circumstances but revealing their color when hunting.

Seeing this scene, everyone broke out in a cold sweat, their mouths dry.

"Uh, Liu Third Brother, thank you..." Qian Tong stuttered, his face filled with lingering fear.

"These are fish tainted by demonic energy. Their cultivation is low, barely qualifying as demonic, but their numbers and ferocity make them dangerous. If I hadn't pulled you back just now, your arm would've turned into bones by now. In this Demonic Mist Mountain, there are many such threats. If you want to survive, listen to me and Senior Hou's instructions!" Liu San said expressionlessly, causing Qian Tong and Zhao Shu, at the Spirit Movement Double Realm, to nod hurriedly.

However, Zhang San, looking somewhat regretful, watched Qian Tong. It seemed he regretted someone saving him.

"You little bastard, what are you looking at? Do you want me to throw you into the river to feed the fish?" Qian Tong, feeling uncomfortable under Zhang San's gaze, kicked him and smirked, "Or maybe I should wash you off in the river?"

Hearing this, Zhang San looked terrified and instinctively leaned toward Zhao Shu.

"Enough nonsense, let's keep moving!" Hou Qing coldly commanded, leading the way as the others followed.

In fact, Zhang San felt a bit sorry. He had noticed the strange fish in the river when others hadn't. In this Demonic Mist Mountain, many strange creatures were formed by the residual demonic energy left by a powerful demon. Despite their low cultivation, they all had some demonic energy within them.

This demonic energy, to a certain extent, was similar to spiritual energy and could trigger the Yin-Yang Divine Mirror.

So, as Zhang San entered the mountain, his eyes were constantly scanning, and he could identify creatures and their habits. Just now, as they approached the riverbank, he noticed the strange fish. But before he could enjoy the spectacle, Liu San interrupted.

"It seems these people were prepared before coming here. If I want to escape, I better come up with a plan quickly!" Zhang San thought to himself, accelerating the operation of the Yin-Yang Divine Mirror to constantly identify the strange things in the mountain.

As they walked, they encountered several broken vines with signs of lightning strikes. Due to heavy rain in the mountains, the ground where the vines hung had turned into a muddy swamp, emitting a foul smell that filled the air. As they passed by the swamp, everyone became cautious, fearing something might emerge from it.

Honestly, after their journey through these strange mountain forests, the group had become quite paranoid.

Unexpectedly, when Zhang San reached the edge of a swamp, he suddenly yelled, pointing at the mountain and shouting, "Monster... monster python!"

Everyone was shocked and instinctively looked up at the mountain.

At that moment, Zhang San's eyes turned fierce. He stabbed Zhao Shu in the waist and abdomen, then grabbed him and jumped into the river.

"Plunk!" Everyone's face changed dramatically.

The two fell into the water, leaving Hou Qing and the others puzzled about what had just happened!

On the water's surface, ripples spread out. The semi-transparent, sharp-toothed fish lurking in the water immediately became excited, turning blood red and swarming towards the two who had just fallen in. In an instant, the entire river turned red. A chilling and heart-rending scream echoed, and a person leaped out of the water, roaring in agony.

It was Zhao Shu!