I, a cultivator, have ended up in the world of tomb raiding.

Startled by the sound, the swarm of bats between the rocks surged out like a black whirlwind, crashing wildly between the rocks and the water.

Their sheer number blotted out the sky.

Many bats were pushed into the water by their own kind or crashed into the stone walls, emitting a series of mournful cries.

The thieves who got up were instantly hit by the swarm of bats, and they were so startled that they flailed their arms wildly.

The movement caused the bamboo raft beneath them to rock.

Li Yue reacted extremely quickly, raising his foot and kicking in his direction.

The man lost his balance and fell into the pool.

At this moment, the sky above was completely obscured by the swarm of bats.

Everyone huddled together, covering their heads and looking helpless.

Seeing the endless stream of bats above his head, Li Yue raised an eyebrow, slapped the bamboo basket on his back, and shouted:

"Angry Sun!"

Inside the bamboo basket, the Angry-Eyed Rooster raised its head and flapped its wings, letting out a clear phoenix cry that pierced the darkness!

The phoenix's cry is full of yang energy, making it the nemesis of the night's yin energy. Bats are already afraid of the sun, and they are even more afraid of the fierce power of this spirit bird.

The bats scattered in terror and fled, not daring to approach the bamboo raft again, and soon disappeared without a trace.

A moment later, the surface of the pool returned to stillness.

Still in shock, the crowd raised their lanterns and shone them around.

Seeing that the swarm of bats had all gone, he slowly got up, hurriedly rowed the raft back, and pulled the brothers who had fallen into the water out of the water.

The man was a decent swimmer and did not sink. When he was pulled up, he vomited several mouthfuls of water from the pool, and his face was as pale as paper.

The water in the pool is icy cold; if I soak in it any longer, I'm afraid I'll lose my body temperature.

However, the impact of the bat earlier also resulted in a piece of skin being torn off his cheek.

The wound was so deep that bone was visible, and a large amount of blood mixed with cold water was flowing down, a truly shocking sight.

Seeing this, the brothers next to him immediately took out strips of cloth and hurriedly bandaged him to stop the bleeding.

Li Yue glanced at him; this young man was in his early thirties, and he was quite a man.

He was in so much pain from being grabbed that he was trembling all over, his jaw was chattering, but he could only groan softly.

I don't know what happened just now, but I suddenly lost my voice, which startled the swarm of bats here.

Partridge Whistle shone his lantern around to make sure no bats were hiding before sitting back down and looking at the wounded man, saying:

"These bats did not intend to harm people; they were probably startled and bumped around. Their claws and teeth are sharp, and a single graze can tear off a large chunk of flesh."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a chill of fear. If Li Yue hadn't reacted quickly and kicked the man into the water, he would probably be nothing but a skeleton by now.

The dozen or so members of the Unloading Ridge bandits all looked at Li Yue with gratitude in their eyes.

Li Yue looked at the man's wounds and said:

"We must not be careless. These yin bats have lived here for many years, and their claws and teeth may carry yin poison. We must treat the wounds properly, otherwise, if they become infected and fester, we will still be in danger of losing our lives."

The thieves felt a chill run down their spines, but they didn't panic excessively.

They live a life of constant danger, and injuries and poisoning are commonplace for them. They all carry some medicine with them, and if treated promptly, they can usually save their lives.

Upon hearing this, Hua Ling, who was well-versed in pharmacology, took out a bottle of ointment from her medicine bag and said, "This is an ointment for stopping bleeding and detoxifying. Please apply it carefully to the wound."

The drug was so potent that the man, who had already fainted, was jolted awake by the pain, groaning and his forehead instantly covered in cold sweat.

The young woman knelt down, placed her hand on his shoulder, and asked in a low voice, "How are you feeling? What just happened?"

The brothers of the Unloading Ridge Sect were experienced in the ways of the world and would never be so frightened as to lose their voice at ordinary strange occurrences.

There must have been another reason for his outburst just now.

As the team leader, she also had a responsibility to the other brothers.

So while instructing people to row the boat out quickly, he also asked the wounded about their condition.

The wounded soldier was barely breathing; his lips were white from the pain of his wounds, and he spoke haltingly:

"When I was lying down... I suddenly felt something tugging at my feet... It was chilly, and it was a very small hand..."

His eyes still held fear; he was clearly startled.

These words shocked everyone on the ship.

The group was still floating on the icy water. If something were to grab them from underwater, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Several lanterns immediately shone their light onto the bottom of the raft.

The lamps were old-fashioned kerosene lamps made of sheet metal, which were very weak and could only illuminate a range of 2 to 3 meters around them.

The warm yellow light couldn't penetrate the darkness, shimmering in the murky pool water, almost blinding people.

But no matter how many times I looked at the water, all I could see was a deep, dark expanse beneath the surface; I couldn't see anything at all.

Another brother from the Unloading Ridge faction raised a question:

"Are you confused by bats? The water's empty; there's nothing there!"

"It's not an illusion!" The wounded man struggled anxiously, his voice trembling.

"It was a tiny hand gripping my ankle! There must be a water ghost underwater!"

He was still in shock and his words were incoherent, making everyone else feel uneasy.

The atmosphere, which had just eased, instantly became tense again.

Seeing everyone's unease, Li Yue shook his head and said, "It can't be a water ghost."

He said softly, "If it were a water ghost, its strength would be far greater than this. With a single movement, it would capsize the raft along with you, not just pull you gently."

His tone was calm, his eyes steady, without the slightest hint of panic.

Seeing his unwavering confidence, the unease in everyone's hearts inexplicably dissipated, and their nerves relaxed slightly.

Just then, someone suddenly pointed to the bottom of the pool and exclaimed, "What...what is that thing!"

Everyone immediately looked down.

At the bottom of the icy water, there were clusters of translucent, gelatinous substances, densely packed together.

Like countless tiny eyeballs strung together, or like clumps of sticky bubbles, they swayed slowly in the dark water, looking indescribably eerie.

"Is this an eyeball?"

"Wow, these are corpse eye bubbles! I never thought they actually existed!"

A member of the Unloading Ridge bandits, his hair a mess like a bird's nest, stared in astonishment at what was underwater.

"What is a corpse eye bubble?" Red Girl asked, puzzled.

The man with the bird's nest-shaped hair said, "It's a kind of evil thing that the older generation talks about. It's an evil spirit that slowly condenses from the accumulated corpse energy and yin energy in the water over the years, after absorbing too many eyeballs of people who died violently."

From afar, it looks like a bunch of rotten grapes; up close, it's all just a bunch of dead human eyes strung together—it's disgusting.

It is also said that "corpse eye bubbles often appear in deep water, underground rivers, underground rivers of ancient tombs, the bottom of sunken ships, and mass graves."

It is formed from the eyeballs of drowned ghosts and those who died unjustly.

However, this thing generally doesn't attack on its own, but it will stare at people.

If someone is stared at for too long, they will feel dizzy, lose their senses, and then fall into the water, turning into new corpse-eye bubbles.

The man with the bird's nest hairstyle spoke with such conviction that the more he talked, the more frightening it became.

The place was already dark and gloomy, and after hearing what sounded like a ghost story, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

Several of them unconsciously touched their eyes.

The brothers from the Unloading Ridge gang on another bamboo raft nearby stared for a long time before finally speaking up:

"Don't scare yourselves. Aren't these just frog eggs that you often see on the ridges of rice paddies?"

Most of the thieves came from poor backgrounds and were used to roaming the mountains and fields. Upon hearing this and taking a closer look, they seemed more and more like the thieves.

Just now, I was disturbed by the atmosphere and led astray by the "water ghost" theory, and started thinking in a strange and supernatural direction.

The guy with the bird's nest hairstyle got punched twice by the people next to him, who said that he didn't know the occasion when telling stories. Was this the time to tell ghost stories?

It's purely a tactic to demoralize the troops.

Everyone shook their heads, unable to help but chuckle awkwardly, and the atmosphere eased slightly.

But before the laughter could finish, the other person suddenly stammered and shouted, his voice trembling:

"Something's grabbing my foot! Something's really there!"

Everyone's expression changed instantly, and they all looked down at his feet.