Soon, whirlpools appeared, churning visibly in the current. Curious, Nash tied a rock to a rope and hurled it into one no wider than three feet. The pull was so violent that Nash stumbled forward, the rope snapping instantly.

  The four exchanged grim looks.

  They hadn’t even reached the most dangerous stretch of Weak Water, and already it was this terrifying.

  Lauren thought of asking Edmund, but he was still immersed in his own cultivation insights. She let it go.

  “Let’s keep moving,” she said firmly. “Even if we don’t reach the Weak Tree this time, we’ll at least have mapped the way. When we return stronger, we won’t be walking blind.”

  The others agreed, and they pressed on.

  The path narrowed, the river drawing so close that the spray drenched them with every surge. They summoned protective auras to ward off the chill, advancing single file, the taller ones hunched against the low ceiling.

  Suddenly Dante halted. “Wait.”

  The others froze. “What is it?”

  “There’s something ahead. Bigmouth fish—fighting something.”

  They craned their necks to see.

  In the shallows up ahead, a school of huge, wide-mouthed fish thrashed violently, tearing into a lizard-like creature with savage bites.

  The creature was grotesque—its body covered in swollen, pustule-like bumps, belly bloated and sagging, tail long and whip-thin. Its gaping maw stretched unnaturally wide.

  Ugly didn’t even begin to cover it.

  Nash wrinkled his nose. “What the hell is that supposed to be?”

  Dante shook his head. “No idea. Looks like some kind of lizard-type demon beast. Fourth stage, maybe.”

  “If those fish can’t take it down, we should surround it ourselves,” Nash muttered, eyes narrowing. “That hide looks like good material for armor.”

  And it was true. The bighead carp’s razor teeth shattered against the beast’s hide, fragments spraying into the air. Its skin was damn near impenetrable.

  The four of them stayed in the shadows, watching the carnage unfold. The fight was savage. The lizard whipped its massive body, sending carp flying into the cave walls with sickening thuds. Teeth clattered across the stone like hail.

  Blood poured into the river, turning the current crimson and rushing downstream in sheets.

  Thank the heavens they’d stayed clear of the water. Wading in that mess would have been enough to make anyone retch.

  But the carp didn’t relent. Even as their numbers were cut down in droves, they swarmed the beast, compelled by some instinct to keep attacking.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The lizard roared, snapping its jaws wide enough to swallow several at once. The carcasses piled up, some swept away by the current, others hurled ashore by the monster’s thrashing.

  The slaughter dragged on for half an hour. By the end, tens of thousands of fish lay dead. At last, the survivors abandoned the fight, vanishing into the depths.

  The lizard still stood. Battered, panting, but alive.

  Nash, who had earlier been itching to pick a fight, suddenly looked less eager. “Tch. Forget it. That thing’s hide would take a dozen fifth-rank Armor-Breaking Talismans to crack. Not worth it—the scraps wouldn’t even cover the cost.”

  “Then we circle around it,” Dante decided.

  That should have been the end of it. They had no interest in the beast, and after such a brutal fight, it shouldn’t have had interest in them either. A fourth-rank demon beast should have enough awareness to avoid provoking Core Formation cultivators.

  But the lizard didn’t see it that way.

  With a guttural hiss, it dragged itself toward them, maw gaping, hunger burning in its eyes.

  Dante, standing at the front, stiffened. He could have dodged, but Lauren and the others were directly behind him. If he moved, they wouldn’t react in time.

  So he gritted his teeth, drew his sword, and took the attack head-on.

  The others fell back, fanning out into combat positions.

  The lizard hesitated, seeing their formation, but its stance remained aggressive, eyes locked on them.

  Nash snarled, fists tightening. “The fuck’s its problem? Does it actually think it can beat us?”

  Lauren’s eyes narrowed as she remembered the earlier slaughter. “No. It’s not just lashing out. Judging from how it fought the carp… it’s guarding this place. It won’t let anything pass.”

  Nash spat to the side. “Then it’s got a death wish. A fourth-rank beast should know better.”

  Nash was the first to move, slamming a Stone Spirit Spell straight into the lizard. The beast crashed onto its back, thrashing and writhing to break free.

  They hadn’t wanted to kill it. But if it wouldn’t let them pass, what choice did they have?

  All four struck together, their attacks forcing it back but never piercing that monstrous hide. Their blows only made it more frenzied.

  The lizard’s fat, swollen body suddenly leapt with shocking agility, like some grotesque acrobat. Its tail whipped against the rock wall, sending boulders crashing down in a rain of stone.

  The four scrambled, deflecting or dodging the falling debris.

  Lauren’s hands blurred, four shimmering Gold Silk Talismans flashing into existence. They wrapped tight around the lizard’s legs, binding it in place.

  Dante and the others stared, stunned.

  Four fourth-rank talismans—at once? Without hesitation?

  Just how much spiritual energy did she have?

  “Hey!” Lauren snapped. “Don’t just stand there gawking—kill it!”

  Weapons clashed against hide in a storm of strikes. Sparks flew, but the armor-like scales held fast. Not even fifth-rank Armor-Breaking Talismans would have cracked it.

  “Westin, get your vines in there and back up Ms. Lauren! Nash—you’re bait. I’ll aim for its mouth.”

  Nash blinked. “Why the hell do I have to be bait?”

  “You want to switch? Fine. You stab it in the mouth.”

  Nash grimaced. “...You stab it in the mouth.”

  The plan went into motion. Westin’s vines twined with Lauren’s talismans, straining to hold the beast. Nash darted in, drawing its attention, and sure enough the creature lunged, jaws yawning wide to swallow him whole.

  At the last instant Dante’s golden sword streaked past, driving straight down its throat.

  A terrible clang rang out, not the sound of flesh pierced but of steel against steel.

  The lizard’s maw snapped shut. Dante staggered, unable to pull his blade free.

  “What the—its throat’s hard as armor too?”

  His grip slipped, nearly costing him the weapon, but with a sharp twist he managed to wrench it back. Two of the beast’s fangs clattered free, shattered by the strike.

  Its hide still hadn’t given way.

  Lauren’s talismans burned out under the strain, their golden threads snapping apart. Westin’s vines tore loose with a whip-crack.

  Without thinking, Lauren unleashed another four Gold Silk Talismans, binding the beast again.

  The others stared, dumbfounded. Her complexion remained steady, even flushed with health. Had she taken no restorative pills at all?

  “Ms. Lauren, are you—are you sure you’re okay?” Westin stammered, hurriedly pressing Spirit Restoring Pills toward her.

  Lauren shook her head. “Save them. My Gold Silk Talismans don’t consume spiritual energy.”

  The three froze.

  What? Talismans that cost nothing to cast?