At this very moment, outside the cave in the valley, a sudden gust of wind arose without any warning. Yu Ci only heard a "whoosh" sound, as the strong wind squeezed in from outside, instantly filling the entire cave.
Yu Ci didn't quite understand the mechanics of the Illusionary Barrier outside the cave. It seemed to possess some substance, able to block some external influences, making the Illusionary Appearance appear more real, but sometimes it could not. Like this gusty wind, the Illusionary Barrier couldn't mask it, letting the wind pour straight in.
During the brief moment when Yu Ci was slightly distracted, the coiled-up Fish-Dragon suddenly sprang into action. Its body shot upwards, but before its tail could leave its original position, it twisted its body and launched a downward attack. This feint was well-executed, especially the timing, which was nothing short of precise.
Yu Ci didn't move, as if he was bewildered by the Fish-Dragon. But when the Fish-Dragon broke through beside his foot, ready to accelerate at full speed, a wall suddenly rose in front of it. With a faint thud, the Fish-Dragon crashed into it. The strong impact caused the wall to bulge outward, but it was ultimately stopped by the robust barrier.
The robe imbued with Primordial Qi still withstood the test.
Yu Ci laughed heartily. In the vast world, if one wanted to capture a creature like the Fish-Dragon without speed, indeed, they would need powerful tools. But in certain special terrains, a spare Taoist robe was sufficient.
Apart from using the Foggy Sword Divine or Drawing Talismans, it was quite challenging for Yu Ci to precisely control the "Primordial Qi". But something as simple as channeling Qi through his robe was not a problem. Then he quickly reached out, grabbed the Fish-Dragon that was still struggling under his robe, and even through the fabric, he could feel its slippery scales and the strong force underneath.
Yu Ci would never let go, no matter what.
At this time, the wind pouring into the cave became even stronger. The dry grass that was once a nest for Ghost Beasts was blown away, whirling around inside the cave, making the air inside much fresher.
Then, the rock beneath his feet started to shake.
An earthquake?
Although most of his attention was on the Fish-Dragon, Yu Ci was still keeping an eye on the situation outside. It was just strange that even though the fierce wind was howling outside and the ground was shaking under his feet, the Divine-Illuminating map didn't show any abnormalities. Within a fifty-mile radius, apart from the Golden Elixir Haze, everything was clear. The dozens of miles of wind and clouds that had appeared at some point, with their ceaseless rolling, looked spectacular.
Only the wind direction was a bit chaotic...
During the gap when Yu Ci was observing the Divine-Illuminating map, the strong wind pouring into the cave subsided quite a bit. However, the wind outside didn't lessen at all. Instead, a north wind blew up, and the strong wind cut across the cave entrance, emitting a series of dull howls.
In the meantime, the shaking of the ground had stopped. Yu Ci wondered if there had been an earthquake just now, causing some changes in the weather of the Sky Rift Valley.
"Perhaps it was a false alarm?"
Yu Ci, holding tightly onto the struggling Fish-Dragon, felt somewhat unsure. He knew that the events in the Sky Rift Valley were often strange and not to be taken lightly. However, his mind was currently preoccupied with the Fish-Dragon. Despite his anxious thoughts, after some consideration, he decided to first deal with his current catch.
When he had come from the Still Heart Temple, he had asked Old Daoist Yu Zhou for advice on how to handle a captured Fish-Dragon. The Old Daoist had taught him a method. At that time, both of them were merely preparing for the worst, not expecting any actual gains. Yet, now, the method was needed.
Yu Ci took out a Stone Box from his Storage Ring, the same one he used to collect the Shrimp Whisker Grass. The box was no more than a foot long, a size that seemed rather small for the seven-foot-long Fish-Dragon.
Carefully, he pulled the Fish-Dragon out from under his clothes. The Fish-Dragon was still struggling, but that did not hinder Yu Ci from examining it closely.
In fact, within the Divine-Illuminating diagram, Yu Ci had already seen it very clearly. Now, it was more about feeling the weight of the Fish-Dragon rather than examining it.
Touching the Fish-Dragon's slippery scaled skin, Yu Ci remembered Old Daoist Yu Zhou's words. To assess a Fish-Dragon's quality, one should observe the transformation from flesh to scales, the breaking of scales and growth of horns, and the formation of dragon eyes. This divided the Fish-Dragon into three stages:
First, the complete transformation from plant-based to animal-based flesh, symbolized by a body covered in scales. Second, the transition from ordinary flesh to the legendary Heavenly Dragon Bloodline, a process that could take thousands or even tens of thousands of years. The symbol of this transition was the growth of horns on the head, indicating that the marrow had changed its nature and the essence and blood now contained the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon. The third stage was the complete achievement of the Body of the Heavenly Dragon. At that time, the essence and blood would fuse, the True Nature of the Heavenly Dragon would sprout, self-generating bright light, breaking through the fleshly hindrance, and transforming into divine light, illuminating the nine heavens and ten earths, reaching everywhere, hence called the Dragon Eye Formation.
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Now, it seemed that this Fish-Dragon had unclear facial features, but its scales were complete, and young horns were growing on its head. It had completed the transformation from flesh to life, and was in the midst of marrow and blood transformation. Its quality was rather extraordinary. If it hadn't grown in the Sky Rift Valley for many years, it must have encountered some extraordinary event during its growth process, leading to its early blood transformation and marrow generation.
Regardless, the value of this creature was inestimable!
Yu Ci proceeded to stuff the Fish-Dragon into the Stone Box, a task that took quite a bit of effort. Though the body of the Fish-Dragon was slender and flexible, capable of being folded multiple times, even tied into a knot without issue, the creature's struggle was not to be underestimated. In the end, Yu Ci gritted his teeth and hardened his heart, first increasing the force of his hands, then emulating Elder Yu Xuan of the Thousands Spirits Sect, casting a series of soul-soothing, mind-befuddling Talisman. Seizing the opportunity when the Fish-Dragon was dazed and confused from the tumult, he coiled it into a ball and stuffed it into the box.
He fastened the box securely and took out the specially prepared sealing clay that had been prepared beforehand. He meticulously smeared it into the crevices of the box, completely sealing it. According to the Old Daoist, once the Fish-Dragon enters such an environment, it would enter a state of suspended animation, which would facilitate transportation.
However, under no circumstances could the box be placed inside the Storage Ring. That space was absolutely unsuitable for living creatures. A single misstep could lead to unpredictable changes. The Old Daoist speculated that the previous incident of the Fish Dragon Grass suddenly mutating into a Fish-Dragon might have something to do with this.
He had been fortunate last time, turning a misfortune into a blessing, but there was no need to take such a risk this time.
Yu Ci spread his clothes on the ground, preparing to make a bundle to carry on his back. However, as he unfolded his clothes, it seemed as if something was hidden underneath. Judging by its position, this object should have been hidden in the grass nest, but the gale that swept through the cave scattered the pile of grass, revealing it.
He casually placed the Stone Box by his feet, reached under his clothes to feel around, then pulled it out: "What's this?"
When he first touched it, Yu Ci thought it was a whip. But now, it looked more like a long rope with hooks on both ends, oddly shaped, and its purpose was unclear.
The Hook Rope was about three feet long, its entire body a greyish-green color. It wasn't particularly pleasing to the eye, but it seemed to have been woven from very high-quality fine threads. The craftsmanship was even more exquisite than the "Spirit Trap Rope" he had seen earlier. The rope was sturdy and cool to the touch. After holding it for a while, the temperature of its surface didn't change.
The hooks on both ends of the Hook Rope were very conspicuous and the same color as the rope. They were curved like crescent moons, only a few fractions in diameter, quite delicate. The tips of the hooks gleamed coldly, indicating they were quite sharp.
Yu Ci didn't expect to find such a delicate object in the messy lair of the Ghost Beasts. Using this as a cushion must not have been very comfortable.
Actually, Yu Ci had noticed something strange.
Judging from the fate of Elder Xu's "Spirit Trap Rope", the Ghost Beasts clearly had an extreme hatred for rope-like objects. So why would there be one in their own nest? Moreover, it seemed to be in perfect condition, buried in the grass nest without a single stain.
Holding the Hook Rope in the middle and shaking it slightly, the two hooks collided, producing a pleasant sound. The sound was truly beautiful, like a delicate wind chime. The lingering sound floated in the air, refusing to disperse.
At the very moment when the sound echoed, Yu Ci distinctly felt a faint force attempting to penetrate the protective layer of the Heart-Tugging Horn, reaching out to touch his Divine Soul.
Was it the impact from the double hooks?
It seemed like a good thing. Yu Ci, under the faint light of the Divine-Illuminating Map, scrutinized it carefully, but couldn't discern anything significant. Recalling the ringing sound from the clash of the double hooks, he pondered a bit. The "Primordial Qi" was channeled into the rope, propelling the two curved hooks to collide again with a "ding" sound.
As the sound abruptly started, Yu Ci noticed something amiss. The sound wave was changing too rapidly, it was no longer within the realm of sound, but rather the collision of two mysterious energies. The "Primordial Qi" he had infused became the trigger for this change, yet he lacked a method to control it, only able to let it collide and even mutate.
This time, the protective barrier of the Heart-Tugging Horn was struck with a much more noticeable impact. The unpredictable changes in the impact made it difficult for the Heart-Tugging Horn to dissolve it as easily as before, causing a very apparent vibration.
At this moment, the Stone Box on the ground suddenly sprung open.
"Uh-oh," Yu Ci exclaimed, just as the Stone Box exploded with a bang. Debris flew everywhere, one piece heading straight for his eyes. Dodging it, he saw the seven-foot-long Fish-Dragon stretching and contracting in the void, powerfully propelling itself towards the cave's exit.
Caught off guard, at this moment Yu Ci could not care less about why the method taught by Old Daoist Yu Zhou was ineffective, or the impact caused by the collision of the double hooks. All he knew was that if the Fish-Dragon escaped into the vast outside world, he had no idea when he would be able to catch it!
The cave was only about ten feet deep. In the blink of an eye, the Fish-Dragon was about to leap out.
Yu Ci was already familiar with the Fish-Dragon's flight path and knew how to intercept it at this moment. Without thinking, he threw the object in his hand. As soon as he let go, he knew something was wrong. How could a rope and stone be the same?
As expected, after flying only about a foot, the two curved hooks of the Hook Rope collided with a "ding", lost momentum, and fell to the ground. The metal hooks clashed with the rocks, ringing continuously.
Each sound wave emitted an invisible impact, strong or weak, conflicting and merging with each other.
Yu Ci had no time to worry about this. When he threw the rope, he knew something was wrong. At this moment, he had already pounced. Although he was slower than the Fish-Dragon, he brandished his Pure Yang Talisman Sword. If he really couldn't catch up, he would have to risk damaging the treasure and intercept it with his sword.
However, at this moment, the Fish-Dragon changed again.
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A tool that has accompanied Brother Fishbone throughout his life. Desperately seeking clicks, favorites!
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I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e