Deities: Rulers of Nature

The bottom of Mirror Lake is not as dark as the snake people imagined.

When Qinglv and Chihong led the four leaders, Jinyan, Jinsha, Chifeng, and Chishui, along with forty temple guards, to the depths of Mirror Lake, their vision was not only unaffected, but even brighter than before.

It is the light of the moonstone.

Countless water-moon stones of varying sizes were scattered across the lakebed, like stars fallen into the water.

Unlike the lakebed area near the edge, the closer to the center, the more Moonstones there are, and the brighter they emit.

Since the invention of fire and light, the Xishan tribe has stopped using moonstones much, and many newborn snake people have never even seen a moonstone.

Bai Qian stared at it intently. As a White Scale Snake-Man who was later incorporated into the Xishan Tribe, he had never seen the Water Moon Stone before, but for some reason felt that it was a perfect match for Hua Luo.

The reason Qinglu and his team ventured deep into Mirror Lake this time was to eliminate the threats within. Their ultimate goal was to start from Mirror Lake, follow the long river, and clear the lake all the way to the mouth of the South China Sea.

The snake-man moves faster in the water than on land. Qinglu has tried it and found that it only takes a day and a night to travel from Mirror Lake to the South China Sea by long river.

Even if ordinary snake people are not as fast as green ones, they shouldn't be much later. This is much faster and less strenuous than traveling by land.

They had already cleaned up the outer area of ​​Mirror Lake in the previous few days, leaving only the central area.

This process is also a trial for the temple guards. As the elite of the snake people, they enjoy the best resources but also face greater challenges.

"Everyone, pay attention and don't get distracted, something's about to come out." The green voice carried through the lake to the snake-man's ears, sounding more somber than usual.

The light from the moonstone attracts many fish, which in turn attract predators.

Qinglv swam not far above all the snake people, its tail swaying to maintain its balance. Its Eye of Truth was already activated, its gaze sweeping over the gray silt, schools of fish, and aquatic plants, finally settling on a bronze-colored figure constantly moving out of the silt.

Soon, the snake people also discovered the anomaly at the bottom of the lake, where silt was churning and the water flow carrying mud and sand obscured their vision.

Even so, they could still vaguely see a dark shadow appear.

As the silt settled, the shape of the shadowy figure finally came into view of the snake-man.

It was a strange fish nearly twenty meters long. Its body resembled a snake, but it was fish-like, covered with dark, rough black scales. Its head accounted for almost one-fifth of its body, and its large mouth could easily swallow an adult snake-man.

Through its open mouth, you can see a dense array of sharp teeth, each as long as a forearm, all barbed inwards.

It's easy to imagine that getting bitten would be extremely unpleasant.

[Swallowing Fish]

[Rank: Bronze]

[Skills: Water Whirlpool, High-Pressure Water Column]

[Information: The dominant creature in Mirror Lake was originally just a small fish at the bottom of the lake, surviving by devouring the scraps of other fish. By chance, it consumed a piece of the flesh and blood essence of a bronze-tier wild beast...]

Without a roar, the strange fish launched its attack the moment it appeared.

Its slender body suddenly contracted, and then it shot out so fast that the temple guards could only see the water trails left by the strange fish.

But in Jin Yan and Jin Sha's perception, the strange fish's movement was so obvious.

"Third squad, spread out," Jin Yan promptly reminded them.

"Red Wind, Red Water, take this opportunity to attack from both sides and test its defenses," Jin Sha said, pointing out the directions.

As the strange fish rushed past the snake-man and paused a short distance away, Chifeng and Chishui, who had been prepared, rushed out from both sides.

Their snake tails drew arcs in the water, and their stone spears precisely pierced the junction of the fish's head and body.

The strange fish managed to twist its body in time to avoid a fatal blow. The two men's stone spears only managed to scrape off a few scales, but the strange fish used the force of its twisting body to lash its tail at the two men.

Chifeng and Chishui could only try their best to dodge, but they were still affected. The strange fish's tail fin left several bloody marks on the two of them, with streaks of blood seeping out.

At this moment, the temple guards rushed over, their weapons attacking the strange fish from all angles.

However, the scales on other parts of the strange fish's body were much stronger than those at the joints, and many attacks failed to penetrate its defenses. Even when a few attacks managed to cut into the stone knife, they didn't go very deep before getting stuck.

The strange fish let out a roar, its body shot out again, turned around a short distance away and its gills bulged abnormally, and then a compressed jet of water shot out from the strange fish's mouth.

The water column was thin, yet it left a clearly visible trail in the water.

"Get out of the way!"

Although the snake people tried their best to dodge, one warrior was still unable to dodge in time and was directly cut in half at the waist by the water jet, dying on the spot.

At this moment, the emerald green blood-blade claws struck the strange fish, leaving several bloody marks on its body. The crimson burning blood snake venom and putrefying saliva snake venom had also been injected into the strange fish's body in large quantities.

The strange fish cried out in pain, then opened its mouth wide again, unleashing a terrifying suction force that even formed a vortex in front of it. Water plants, mud, sand, stones—everything was drawn into the vortex and rushed towards the fish's gaping maw.

The snake-men moved uncontrollably toward the strange fish. Those who reacted quickly plunged their stone spears and knives into the mud and crevices, and pulled their companions back. However, two snake-men were sucked into the mouth of the strange fish.

With a snap of their jaws, the two snake-men were torn apart by their sharp teeth without any chance to resist. Dark red blood and fragments seeped from between their teeth, staining the lake water red.

"Beast!" Bloodshot eyes appeared on its crimson head, and the sharp claws on its hands shot out again, frantically attacking the monster fish's weak points.

Bai Qian's pupils suddenly turned colorful, and the strange fish he was staring at also had a splash of color in its pupils. Then the strange fish froze in the water. Although the time was very short, Qinglu seized the opportunity and, after unleashing his burst of energy, left wounds on the strange fish.

The other red-striped snake people injected snake venom into the wound, and the large amount of paralyzing snake venom made the strange fish, which had just broken free from Bai Qian's control, move stiffly.

"Chieftain, use your Bloodblade Claws to attack the area about four meters behind its head; that's where its heart is." Jin Yan had already clearly seen the strange fish's body structure through his X-ray vision and immediately sent a warning to Qing Lü.

Without the slightest hesitation, Qinglu locked onto the location indicated by Jin Yan with his Eye of Truth. The blood energy gathered at his fingertips instantly solidified, and he unleashed a series of blood-blade claws.

"Now! Young clan leader, attack the connection between the monster fish's head and body." Jinsha's voice entered Chihong's ears, carrying a certainty that he himself did not realize.

The crimson snake swung its tail rapidly, attacking the location Jinsha had indicated. After tearing open the fish scales, it injected various snake venoms in turn.

The strange fish, already suffering from a heart injury, was now further aggravated by the spread of the toxins. After struggling violently several times, its massive body finally succumbed to the attack of the snake people.

"Take the carcass of this strange fish and let's go back," Qinglu ordered in a deep voice.