Chapter Ninety-Four: The Children of the Xiang Family

A cry of agony rang out behind them. At the sound, Fish Young Mist turned to look. Ning Golden Spring had been bitten through the left shoulder by a fire lion, and his teammates were more than thirty feet away, too far to reach him in time. With a thought, the Azure Frost Sword shot out and severed half the beast’s head in a single stroke. A demon core, as large as a fist, appeared, and instead of fleeing he snatched it up at once, yet the fire lion did not disperse.

At that moment Fish Young Mist rushed in and kicked him flying. The sword whirled back, cut through the fire lion’s neck, and another demon core, the size of a walnut, appeared. She seized it in her palm, and only then did the fire lion vanish. Spinning around, she glared at Ning Golden Spring, who had just struggled back to his feet, and shouted, “You were told to move in teams of three. What were you doing running so far off on your own?”

“I was in danger, and they moved too slowly to save me. What right do you have to yell at me?” Ning Golden Spring roared back in indignation.

At the same time, Fish Jade led the children of the Fish clan through the Dreamwater Realm. The water was clear and hushed, and from time to time brightly colored fish would swim over, becoming their prey.

“This is going too smoothly. Maybe we can move up a rank.”

“Don’t let your guard down!”

After a brief exchange, a giant whirlpool appeared without warning ahead of them.

“Fall back to both sides!” Fish Jade suddenly felt a chill of foreboding and hurriedly gave the order. At the same time, he struck backward with a palm, pushing the person behind him aside, but his own body was drawn helplessly toward the whirlpool.

The instant Fish Jade at the front was swallowed by it, he saw at the bottom of the whirlpool a giant turtle covered in green fur, mountain-sized in appearance. Fish Jade thrust out his sword, its power rainbow-bright as it went straight for the turtle’s head just as it was about to retract into its shell. The instant before it struck, he sensed an abnormal surge of energy behind him and quickly dropped low. A bead-like sphere flashed past the top of his head and smashed into the turtle’s shell. It exploded, shaking heaven and earth, erasing the giant turtle completely, and tearing a crack open in the barrier of Dreamwater.

Fish Jade and the children of the Fish clan were blasted out of the Dreamwater Realm by the surge of water, crashing to the ground like dead fish. Before they could even count their numbers, they were surrounded by a group of people.

“So you still didn’t die from that? You really do have tremendous luck!”

At that brazen voice, Fish Jade did not need to look to know it was Xiang Cunze, the leader of the Xiang clan’s disciples from the capital prefecture. He sneered and said, “Xiang Cunze, for the son of a prince to become a lapdog of the Wu family, you’ve fallen lower than I thought. Whatever the Wu family gave you, I can double it.” While speaking nonsense to stall, he glanced around. Twenty people had emerged with Xiang Cunze, half of the Xiang clan’s combatants. He did not know whether there were more still lying in ambush.

Seeing the Fish clan’s miserable state, Xiang Cunze was in no hurry to close the net. With a smug smile, he said, “Fish Jade, spare me that. The Wu family doesn’t yet have the standing to order me around. You are doomed today.”

“So your master is Ten Thousand Peak, then. He really does see me as a thorn in his side, something he cannot wait to remove.” Fish Jade was seething. With a flick of his wrist, a streak of sword light flashed out, swift as a beam of flowing light, and shot toward Xiang Cunze.

Xiang Cunze raised a hand and formed a yellow earthen barrier. The sword light stabbed into it, and the barrier shattered like a soap bubble. A palm wind from the side sent Fish Jade flying, sparing him from the sword light piercing his brain. He crashed to the ground, and only then did the sword light burst into a ball of radiance.

As the light exploded, Fish Jade was already springing into the air. He roared, “Follow me and break out!” and charged southward, where the enemy numbers were thinnest. His longsword danced, splitting into five streams of sword qi, each carrying a different intent, whirling and cutting through the relentless attacks while still leaving him room to counterstrike.

“Fish Jade, I never expected you to advance again. I really did underestimate you. Still, surrender. Otherwise, even if you escape, you’ll be leaving your people behind.” Xiang Cunze laughed with complete confidence.

Aside from the seven people at his back, everyone else who had not died had been captured by the Xiang clan’s disciples. Seeing this, Fish Jade nearly spat out a mouthful of black blood. “Release them! Otherwise, even if I have to perish together with you, I’ll kill you.” He barked sharply.

Xiang Cunze’s expression stiffened. Then he shouted with feigned ferocity, “Fish Jade, you really aren’t afraid of death!”

“Xiang Cunze, don’t let Ten Thousand Peak use you as a disposable weapon. The Ten Thousand Peak family’s roots are not within the Heavenly Dynasty. If he breaks his word afterward, what can you do to him? The Fish clan’s foundations are in the Heavenly Dynasty. Cooperation between us is more beneficial to you. Think it through before you decide.” Fish Jade said, forcing down his rage.

Moved, Xiang Cunze fell silent in thought. Seizing that instant, Fish Jade suddenly darted forward. In midair, his sword flung out ten thousand blinding rays. The Xiang clan’s formation instantly fell into disorder. Agile as a bird, he twisted in the air and dove down, seizing Xiang Cunze as he landed lightly on the ground.

“Let me go!” Xiang Cunze screamed madly, but he did not dare move his neck recklessly, afraid the sword pressed against his throat would slit it open.

“Tell them to release my Fish clan people,” Fish Jade said coldly.

“You release me first.” The sword at his neck pressed in slightly. The sharp blade cut into flesh, and bright red blood seeped out. The shadow of death made Xiang Cunze cry out at once, “Don’t kill me! Hurry, release them!”

The captured Fish clan disciples were finally freed, but they were all near the end of their strength. Supporting one another, they came to Fish Jade’s side, every face filled with despair. Fish Jade could only say, “Sit down first and regulate your breathing.”

The only woman among the Xiang clan disciples, Xiang Bingfeng, stamped her foot and shouted, “Fish Jade, we’ve already let them go. Why are you still not releasing my elder brother? If you harm the son of a prince, the Emperor will exterminate your entire Fish clan!”

With a laugh, Fish Jade’s eyes filled with savage, bloodthirsty ferocity. Licking his lips, he said softly, “Xiang Bingfeng, then should I kill one now to make it worth my while, and kill two to come out ahead?”

A chill ran involuntarily through her, and Xiang Bingfeng took a step back before suddenly understanding. “You’re stalling for time! Hmph, you’re waiting for that bitch Fish Young Mist to come rescue you, aren’t you? Dream on. Ning Golden Spring and the others will kill her, and she’ll die before you do!”

“They even bought off the Ning family!” Fish Jade ground his teeth until they seemed ready to shatter, but the smile on his face only brightened. “So it seems Ten Thousand Peak bribed the Xiang clan’s disciples to meddle, but in truth you Xiang clan are the ones using him. The Ning family has produced one Ning White Hero, and their rise is unstoppable. You feared the Fish clan might rise with the tide as well, so you rushed to weaken us. Afterward, the true culprit will be Ten Thousand Peak, and it will have nothing to do with the Xiang clan.”

“The real culprit is the Wu family, and the descendants of the Ling family from the Sword Controlling Sect. Our Xiang clan has no wish to provoke them,” Xiang Bingfeng said, now calm again, smiling as she boasted. “Ten Thousand Peak and the younger brother of Wu Shunhong came to my elder brother to discuss matters. I told my brother to go along with the plan and agreed to it, then sent them to find Ning Golden Spring as well. With both sides working, there was no need to fear that after wiping out your Fish clan people, that bitch Fish Young Mist would use the Ning family to stir up trouble. Fish Jade, feeling desperate yet?”

Fish Jade asked, completely off the subject, “You once had a grudge with my ninth sister?”

Xiang Bingfeng gave a cold snort and did not deny it.