Chapter 31
Agong, who had been walking towards the exit of the prison for a long time, and the Butterfly Scholar, who was on his back, listened to the gradually growing sound of water.
He was thirsty from the long forced march.
The sound of water that would quench his long thirst was more welcome than ever.
Agong, who had found a large puddle of water after piercing through the long darkness, hurried his steps to drink the water.
"Wait."
"What?"
Agong, who was approaching the puddle, stopped his steps at the Butterfly Scholar's warning.
Soon, the puddle in front of him rippled greatly, creating ripples on the surface of the water.
"Hide yourself."
"Why?"
"Hurry!"
Agong, at the Butterfly Scholar's urgent voice, obediently flattened his body on a pile of dirt nearby.
Soon, the center of the lake, which had been rippling, swayed, and something shot up above the surface of the water, creating a splash.
Swoosh!
"That... is that what I think it is?"
"Hmm..."
Plop!
The splash, which was reflected in the light of the water's surface and glittered, created a wave as if it were dancing.
A smooth body boasting a thickness as much as a person's torso, with glittering scales.
Something that disappeared back into the puddle, shaking its webbed tail. Agong rubbed his eyes and stared blankly at the puddle.
"My goodness... th-that was definitely a flood dragon, right?"
"A flood dragon, my ass... Do you think a flood dragon would be in a hellish place like this?"
"But..."
"Look around. Which flood dragon in the world enjoys eating meat?"
Agong, who had come to his senses at the Butterfly Scholar's sharp remark, looked around, and there, the bones of what looked like unknown beasts were scattered about.
Seeing that there were also what looked like human bones occasionally, it seemed that some people had reached this place.
Of course, their end was not good...
"It's clear that this was the last hurdle for the masters who had lost their martial arts."
Judging by the range of the exit and the puddle, it seemed that there was no way to escape the prison without passing through this place.
Whether the creature in the puddle was a flood dragon or a sea serpent, a situation had come where they had to face it.
"Can't we just run for it?"
"If we had done that from the beginning, it would be one thing, but that creature must have smelled our scent. Is it possible?"
"Hmm... just a moment."
Agong attached the bowstring of Tonglin, drew the bow, and shot an arrow towards the opposite side.
Swoosh! Thwack!
The arrow, which was shot towards the exit at a tremendous speed, seemed to have hit something in the air and fell, deeply embedded in the dirt.
As the startled Agong's mouth closed, the Butterfly Scholar, who had seen the scene, clicked his tongue briefly.
"Seeing that he shoots an arrow into the air and hits it, he's no ordinary creature."
At least, if the Butterfly Scholar's martial prowess had been normal, or if Agong's martial prowess had been a little higher, he might not have had to worry about this.
But unfortunately, the two of them were tied down.
"Master Tongtian must have intended to kill me. Otherwise, there's no way he would have dropped me here with a monster like that, right?"
Seeing Agong, who was panting with anger, the Butterfly Scholar fell into thought for a moment.
The Tongtian he knew was a great master, and although he was insidious, he was not a man who did foolish things.
If he had really thrown Agong into the prison, and had said to see him again, it meant that Agong had something that could overcome the current situation.
And if that was not Agong's martial arts. It was clear that there was something else that he did not know.
"You brat, when you fell into the prison, did you have anything else with you?"
"What I have?"
"Yes, take it all out."
Agong, at the Butterfly Scholar's words, searched his body, but there was nothing special that he had brought.
When he opened his basket, he saw the crumbs of a rice ball, which he couldn't tell if it was dirt or rice grains, but this was nothing special either.
"Ah!"
Agong took out the disgusting fish that was lying limply in a corner of the basket.
"Three-Eyed Ice Fish!"
The Butterfly Scholar, who was as knowledgeable as his martial arts were, identified the identity of the carp that had come out of Agong's basket in one go.
It was clear that the strange smell that had been coming from the basket when he had met Agong was the scent of this Three-Eyed Ice Fish.
"Is there any way with this?"
"That strange thing you're carrying, it's not a bow, but a fishing rod, right?"
"Tonglin?"
Agong untied the attached line and changed Tonglin back to the shape of a fishing rod.
"Do you fish a little?"
"I caught this too."
"Good. Then our lives depend on your fishing skills."
Agong, suddenly realizing what the Butterfly Scholar was trying to say, closed his mouth for a moment as if it were absurd.
The Butterfly Scholar was now telling him to catch the monster in the water, which he didn't know if it was a flood dragon or a large snake, by fishing.
"No way!"
"That's the only way. Since the creature is in the water, there's no answer, so we have no choice but to pull it out."
"Can't we just throw this and run away?"
"Do you still say that after seeing the creature shoot its flesh just now? If you were alone, I don't know, but I'm not confident that your lightness skill is great enough to avoid the creature with me and the hides hanging on you."
"And if we pull it out of the water, will there be an answer?"
"If my prediction is correct, the creature will not be able to breathe out of the water."
"What if your prediction is wrong?"
"We'll both die here. If you don't like it, you can go back and live your life eating raw dog monsters."
Seeing the Butterfly Scholar who was talking about death so calmly, Agong made a tearful face.
It was a problem with almost no choice. The Butterfly Scholar also knew this and was pushing him.
"If it's a sea serpent that stays here, it can't just pass by a Three-Eyed Ice Fish. If the creature takes the bait, you must use all your might."
"Ugh..."
Agong, reluctantly threading the Three-Eyed Ice Fish onto the fishing line of Tonglin, had tens of thousands of thoughts in a short time.
The reason Agong had taken up fishing as a hobby and had come to enjoy it was by no means for a situation like this.
"Hurry!"
Feeling as if he were being pushed from behind, Agong threw the Three-Eyed Ice Fish on Tonglin towards the puddle with all his might.
Plop!
As the Three-Eyed Ice Fish entered the calmed puddle, a wave soon arose on the surface of the water, and a rough wave began to sway.
Swoosh!
"Ugh!"
Agong, feeling the presence of something chilling through the fishing rod, displayed the Nine Gates True Scripture with all his might.
Judging by the size of the creature that was making a splash, it seemed that if he was not careful, Agong would be pulled into the puddle along with Tonglin.
Ping!
In an instant, Tonglin bent greatly, and the Heavenly Silkworm Silk attached to Tonglin became taut.
Agong, instinctively feeling that the monster in the water had taken the bait, immediately poured the energy of his dantian towards the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of his foot without reservation.
Thump!
The Nine Palaces Divine Steps, as befitting a supreme lightness skill, also had the technique of the Thousand-Pound Drop, which made the body heavy.
Agong, who had taken a firm stand like a tree rooted in the ground with the Ten-Thousand-Pound Drop of the Nine Palaces Divine Steps, put strength into his painfully aching hand and began to operate Tonglin with the Heavenly Demon Hand without thinking.
Ping! Ping!
Tonglin, as if it were strange that it did not break, bent here and there and swayed in Agong's hand as if it were dancing, and in tandem, the wave of the puddle created a splash and swirled.
"If I get pushed here, it's the end!"
The Butterfly Scholar, who could not help in this fight, had no choice but to cheer for Agong at the top of his lungs.
He, who had barely gotten out of the rock, had no intention of becoming food for a snake in a place like this or going back.
"Ugh..."
Maintaining the Thousand-Pound Drop and operating the Heavenly Demon Hand was another difficult task for Agong.
Agong, without even knowing that his gums were bleeding, gritted his teeth and was having a tug-of-war with the Heavenly Demon Hand to pull the creature out of the water.
Although the Nine Gates True Scripture was a marvelous cultivation method, there was a clear limit for Agong, whose training was shallow.
As his internal energy ran out, Agong's strength also gradually drained away, and Agong, in his haste, began to use the strange breathing method he had learned from the Butterfly Scholar, as if his life depended on it.
"Aack!"
As he displayed his internal energy with the Nine Gates True Scripture and used the Butterfly Scholar's training method, he felt a pain in his chest as if it were being pierced by a needle.
Blood was flowing from Agong's nose. Although his face was covered in blood, Agong was gradually pulling the fishing rod towards himself.
Swoosh!
The huge body that was revealed above the surface of the water swayed and gradually revealed itself.
The huge snake with scales and gills seemed to be almost two zhang long.
As it came out of the water, the creature wriggled its gills and could not exert its full strength.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Agong, as the huge snake was completely pulled out, tail and all, finally seemed to have exhausted his strength and plopped down on the spot.
When he came to his senses, the floor was covered in the blood he had shed, and his whole body was numb and painful as if it had been cut by a knife.
"Ugh..."
Agong, as his eyes met the unrealistically large snake in front of him, found the situation he was in absurd.
It felt like a dream that he had been sweeping and helping Master Gongsun at the tavern just a while ago.
"Well done!"
The Butterfly Scholar was happier than anyone else at Agong's success.
Although it was precarious, since Agong had finally done it, not only Agong but also the Butterfly Scholar had been saved.
'To owe my life twice in one day to a young junior like this...'
How could he have thought that such a thing would happen in his past, when he was traveling the world?
The Butterfly Scholar, while feeling a renewed sense of impermanence, approached the exhausted and collapsed Agong.
"Your condition is not good, so finish circulating your energy for now. Although that creature is unfortunately not a spiritual creature, if you eat it well, you will be able to recover your energy quickly."
"Ugh."
Agong retched at the Butterfly Scholar's words, who was unhesitatingly talking about eating a live snake.
Although he was unbearably hungry, he would rather eat the dirt-covered rice crumbs than eat that monster alive.
"Very well done."
Seeing Agong who had entered into energy circulation, the Butterfly Scholar showed a satisfied smile.
Although Agong didn't know, it was clear that Agong's clumsy martial arts had made a step forward due to the incident in the prison.
In a way, this also meant that Tongtian had given Agong a trial that he could handle.
Of course, if he had been wrong, the price would have been Agong's life...
"Finally, outside..."
Even if he left the prison right away, unlike Agong, the Butterfly Scholar's situation was pitiful to no end.
If he returned to the Sea Isle Sect, his life would be in danger, and he did not have the strength to endure alone in the Hermit's Valley.
In the end, the only thing left for him was to settle things with Old Ancestor Hongjun and leave this place.
'Is there a price I can pay in this state?'
Of course, it was too early to worry about that now.
Perhaps because he was in this situation, he might be able to leave the Hermit's Valley with a light heart.
The Butterfly Scholar, before Agong finished his energy circulation, made sure to cut off the sea serpent's breath with his long fingernails.
Perhaps Agong's appetite would be stimulated if he saw the well-prepared raw fish.
(End of Chapter)