Surviving in the Demonic Sect, one begins cultivation by retrieving corpses.

A group of corpse retrievers shakily entered the water.

Gu Zhao leaped into the turbulent lake dam.

Gong Yuzhou, Ni Shengyan and their group had already stopped on the first floor, quietly looking down at every move on the river.

Yang Yueqi couldn't help but ask, "Can these corpse retrievers really accomplish this task on their own?"

"There are water monsters at the bottom of the water, a Qi Refining Realm cultivator, a puppet... and layers of defenses."

"It would be presumptuous of us to send only this bunch of men into the water."

She naturally knew that if Sun Chan could produce a magical artifact like the Fish King Basket, Gong Yuzhou and Ni Shengyan couldn't possibly have done it without other means.

Gong Yuzhou watched Gu Zhao plunge into the Yinshui River. "Just wait and see."

Although Chen Mu knew this was a strategy Ni Shengyan had already finalized, looking at the scene before him, a tense standoff fraught with hidden danger, he was still terrified of this group of low-level corpse retrievers.

Isn't this tantamount to snatching food from a tiger's mouth?

He was not optimistic about this plan, feeling that the chances of success were slim.

Since it was Ni Shengyan who proposed it, he wouldn't object. As for the corpse retrievers, they were just lowly servants; if they died, they died!

The commotion on the large ship spread.

The other three parties on the river all noticed the group of corpse retrievers who had entered the water immediately.

Sun Chan stood at the bow of the boat, his face turning cold. "What is Gong Yuzhou up to now?"

"What's the point of sending corpse retrievers into the water?"

Sun Chan's eyes suddenly sharpened. "Something's not right. It's definitely not as simple as it seems. There must be some ulterior motive."

On another large ship of the Zhenhe Division.

It was a unique sight.

Standing there was a tall, beautiful woman with bare feet, her figure voluptuous and alluring, her lake-blue tight-fitting long dress accentuating her striking figure.

Her waist was so slender it could be encircled with one hand, but her figure suddenly expanded downwards, becoming round and full like the moon.

When they walk, they sway from side to side, jostling and pushing, making one's heart burn with irritation.

Her features were striking, her eyes sparkled with spring, and her gaze was full of alluring charm.

Watching the sounds of the body retrievers being sent into the water from the opposite bank, she murmured softly, her tone tinged with a hint of languid doubt:

"What exactly is this young Envoy Gong planning, sending corpse retrievers into the water?"

This woman was Chen Qian, another guard from the Zhenhe Division.

Chen Qian gracefully sat down on the soft animal skin cushion, casually raising her long, slender, and fair legs and placing them on the shoulders of a kneeling servant.

The servant had delicate features, a light layer of makeup on her face, and a flattering expression. She dared not let her eyes wander or peek at the spring scenery beneath her long skirt.

He only dared to bow his head respectfully, his fingertips gently rubbing Chen Qian's fair and round toes, which were as tender as scallions.

Chen Qian slowly withdrew her gaze, lowering her eyes to the handsome servant kneeling beside her. A soft, alluring smile curved her lips as she spoke in a languid, gentle voice:

"You coward, you're even more timid than a cat. You've served me for so long, yet you don't even have the courage to look me up."

"Raise your head."

The handsome servant looked nervous and dared not disobey.

Chen Qian smiled slightly and slowly moved her legs apart.

Upon seeing this, the servant felt uneasy and his blood was churning. He could only lower his eyes and dared not make any sudden movements.

"Did you see it clearly?"

The servant, his speech slurred and his body burning with heat, said, "Look...look clearly!"

Before he finished speaking, a chilling pale green aura suddenly shot out and pierced straight through the servant's vital point in the chest.

Blood spilled from the servant's mouth and nose, his body shuddered violently, and he lost all his life force.

Chen Qian smiled and said, "You're just a lowly servant, how dare you even look at me?"

She narrowed her eyes again, licked her lips, and said, "That young Gong Weishi is not bad."

When the servant died, someone came and dragged him away, throwing him into the icy, dark river.

A handsome servant who was serving behind her quickly stepped forward, knelt down, and excitedly and carefully picked up Chen Qian's feet, gently rubbing them.

He had long coveted this position, but it had been occupied by someone else before.

Chen Qian lowered her head and murmured, "I already have a Foundation Establishment treasure; there's no need for me to compete with you for it."

"I wonder... let's see whose methods are superior."

Gu Zhao swam into the water and immediately began to circulate the "Corpse Water Azure Wave Scripture".

The true qi within the body circulates and surges on its own, condensing into a layer of air film around the body to insulate against the icy, bone-chilling river water.

His eyes shimmered with a jade-like brilliance, and his underwater vision suddenly expanded, clearly revealing the undercurrents within a ten-foot radius.

The surrounding waters surged and churned.

Further into the dark depths of the water, bursts of spiritual energy continued to erupt, mixed with the roars of beasts and the muffled sounds of cultivators battling.

Without needing to examine it closely, it's clear that the water beast and the Qi-refining cultivator are already engaged in a fierce battle.

If a water beast dwells at the bottom of the water and refuses to come ashore, it is extremely difficult to subdue.

Moreover, in a three-way power struggle, neither side wants to be outmaneuvered by the other, and they will likely hinder each other.

Gu Zhao ignored him and followed the waterway Yuan Shao indicated, diving downwards.

To make it easier to move forward on water, he simply held the dagger horizontally in his mouth, freeing his hands to stabilize his body.

At this moment, all nine corpse retrievers were sneaking towards the same waterway.

Gu Qi did not activate the Minghua Water Escape Talisman on his body to reveal his speed, but instead followed the crowd and dived forward together.

He had a premonition that things would not go smoothly.

A quarter of an hour passed.

The deeper you go into the river, the colder and more bone-chilling the surrounding water becomes.

The black coffin that Yuan Shao and the others mentioned never materialized.

The fellow body retrievers gradually grew anxious and uneasy.

The river surface was turbulent, and deep within, water monsters and cultivators were locked in fierce combat. The violent spiritual energy created layers of whirlpools, and the light of magic flickered in the dark water, exuding a dangerous aura.

The group searched back and forth for a long time, but still could not find any trace of the black coffin.

Every extra moment spent underwater increases the risk of death.

Amidst the dark, rippling water, a strange, bluish-black shadow darted swiftly.

"A water monkey?!"

The body retriever trembled and his voice dropped, startling everyone present.

They didn't encounter a ferocious water lion, but they did encounter a water monkey. If they ran into it, their only fate would be death.

Jiang Xiubao's face grew increasingly pale and tense. After several careful searches, he still found nothing.

Finally, one of the body retrievers could no longer bear the fear and pressure underwater. He no longer cared about the task of retrieving the black coffin. In a moment of mental collapse, he immediately turned around and tried to rush upstream.

Gu Zhao gazed calmly ahead.

The corpse retriever had just swum a few feet when, by sheer coincidence, a dark, malevolent light swept across him.

It was the Water Hound's innate supernatural power that, though not intentionally targeted, unfortunately struck by chance.

The corpse retriever was cut in two, and blood instantly spread out.

One person has already died.

The remaining body retrievers became increasingly panicked.

Gu Zhao's eyes remained calm as he pondered in his heart.

A black coffin? There's another black coffin?

The location of the black coffin was pointed out by Yuan Shao and the others themselves, which seemed suspicious.

Gu Zhao swam forward again, his eyes sparkling with jade-like luster, and his vision broadened once more.

"Hmm...this is..."

He actually spotted something at the bottom of the deep river.

A pitch-black, cold coffin.

Chained to the riverbed, its shape and appearance were exactly the same as the black coffin he had seen before, exuding a deep, eerie, and sinister aura.

This time!

A water monkey quietly emerged from beside a corpse retriever, placing a paw on his shoulder and revealing a face resembling that of an old ape.

"Ah... Help!"