46. Defense

“Skinning and deboning require the utmost skill. One must possess a ruthless eye, able to analyze an enemy’s techniques, treasures, and even the structure of their body, then use the blade to strike at the most vulnerable point, causing them to collapse from within.”

Li Miao had some faint understanding of the philosophy behind these two saber techniques. His insight was shallow, and he had never actually practiced them. Yet, with his experience fighting across the galaxy and battling countless alien races, if he wanted to master these two moves, it would not be difficult.

But just as he had told the Butcher, to him, these two techniques would be nothing more than embellishments. Even if perfected, they would only solidify the foundation of his saber skills and would not greatly enhance his strength.

“Forget it. I already refused the Butcher—if I secretly practiced them now, wouldn’t that be the act of a petty man?”

Li Miao extinguished the thought of practicing the saber techniques from his mind.

The night was uneventful. He made his way toward his cabin, intending to continue his cultivation and push through the threshold of his current minor realm.

Just then, a faint sound mingled with the rushing water reached his ears.

“Crack... crack...”

The crisp sound was like someone gnawing on something hard, coming from far away.

At the same time, a faint smell of blood drifted aboard the ship.

Li Miao frowned. On this swift-flowing river, how could there be a scent of blood?

He listened closely and found the sound came from downstream. As the ship drifted forward, the “crack, crack” noises became clearer, even the night watchmen aboard began to notice.

The younger watchman, Zhou Cheng, remarked curiously, “We just had dinner, who’s eating crispy rice cakes so noisily? It’s making me hungry.”

The older watchman, Yuan Ping, waved a hand and said, “If you want some, go get a few pieces from the kitchen. There’s plenty left.”

“Forget it, my teeth haven’t been good lately. If I break one, who will I complain to?” Zhou Cheng shook his head, abandoning the idea.

Li Miao didn’t speak to the two of them.

He focused his gaze, looking downstream along the current, trying to find the source of the sound and the bloody smell in the pitch-black night.

At first, he could see nothing—beyond two or three fathoms from the lit ship, all was darkness.

But after a while, as the ship moved forward, he suddenly saw a white object in the middle of the wide river ahead.

Looking more closely, he realized the white thing looked like a naked human body.

Li Miao was startled.

He quickly circulated his primal energy to his eyes and looked again.

This time, he was utterly shocked.

With the aid of primal energy, his vision sharpened. He saw, some four or five hundred yards ahead, a human corpse floating in the river’s center.

The body was clamped by the claws of a huge dark-green crab, being bitten and eaten piece by piece.

The “crack, crack” sound was the giant crab gnawing on human bones.

“A monster,” Li Miao judged at once.

The crab’s carapace, visible above the water, was nearly three meters across. Its upraised claws were like enormous guillotine blades; the human body gripped in them was as helpless as a tiny insect.

Such size could only belong to a great demon, one comparable to a master of the Return-to-Origin realm.

“This is bad.”

The ship was sailing straight toward the crab demon. If they collided and angered it, everyone aboard would end up as food for the monster in Cangyun River.

Though Li Miao was confident in his strength, faced with a great demon—especially on the deep river—he had no certainty of victory.

He quickly said to the two night watchmen, “There’s a monster ahead in the river! Wake everyone and turn the ship aside, or we’ll all die!”

Zhou Cheng and Yuan Ping glanced at him, frowning in puzzlement. “Brother, it’s just past nightfall—are you talking in your sleep?”

“If you don’t believe me, look for yourselves,” Li Miao pointed ahead.

The ship was moving quickly; what had been four or five hundred yards was now less than three hundred.

But the night was pitch-black, and Zhou Cheng and Yuan Ping, being ordinary people, could see nothing that far.

They looked, then curled their lips, “There’s nothing there. Brother, if you’re sleepy, go get some rest inside. Don’t stand out here and catch a chill.”

Li Miao grew a bit annoyed.

Seeing the ship drawing ever closer, he had no time to argue. He drew both the Violet Jun Sword and the Coldsteel War Saber, sword in his left, saber in his right, channeling all his primal energy to prepare for battle.

Zhou Cheng and Yuan Ping were startled, thinking at first he meant to attack them.

But they soon saw that Li Miao was staring ahead, not making any threatening moves.

“Hey, Old Yuan, look—there’s something in the river!” Zhou Cheng suddenly spotted the massive green crab and the human remains, now little more than a long leg.

Yuan Ping followed his gaze, stunned at first, then cried out, “Bad news, it’s the River King! Turn the ship, quickly!”

With that, he rushed to find the helmsman.

Li Miao sighed inwardly.

Trying to change course now was too late. In fact, by the time he had shouted about the monster, it had already been too late.

Now, the ship was less than a hundred yards from the giant crab. The demon, having noticed the fast-approaching vessel, finished chewing the woman’s leg and turned.

“Heh heh heh, what luck—two meals in one night.”

The sinister voice echoed from all directions, a wave of dread washing over the ship.

Li Miao’s heart sank.

The fact that the crab could speak proved it was indeed a great demon.

Yuan Ping’s shout broke the night’s silence, and the demonic voice boomed like thunder in everyone’s hearts.

The ship’s owner, Liang Jun, along with the Luo brothers and others, rushed to the bow.

By now, the ship was less than a hundred yards from the River King.

“It’s the River King! The River King!” Liang Jun’s eyes widened in despair at the enormous crab floating on the river.

The River King’s name was dreaded by all boatmen; over the past twenty years, hundreds of merchants and laborers had died beneath its claws.

People had begged cultivators for help, but Cangyun River was vast and deep—no one knew where the River King lurked. The cultivators they hired either failed to find it or were themselves devoured.

Never had they thought they would encounter the River King themselves.

It seemed that tonight, everyone aboard was doomed.

“Chitter-chitter...” The River King waved its claws in the water, speaking in a chilling voice, “Fresh out of seclusion and already so much food—Heaven favors me. Come, my delicacies, I will savor every inch of your flesh.”

Only thirty yards remained.

Blue light glimmered at the River King’s mouthparts as it spat a jet of water, aiming to tear the ship apart and cast everyone into the river.

At that moment, Li Miao’s eyes narrowed. With a flick of his left hand, the mid-grade spirit sword Violet Jun pointed forward.

With a thunderclap, a bolt of purple lightning struck from the invisible clouds above, scattering the water jet.

Liang Jun and the others were revitalized.

“Oh! I forgot Brother Li is a cultivator! With him here, we’ll be safe!” Liang Jun exclaimed.

Everyone’s spirits lifted, their brows relaxing. Zhou Cheng and Yuan Ping looked embarrassed, watching Li Miao stand sword and saber in hand, realizing how foolish their earlier disbelief had been.

Li Miao, however, was far from optimistic. He frowned and said quickly, “I’m not confident I can win. Tonight, we may all die here.”

“Uh...” Everyone’s faces fell once more.

Before they could reply, the River King roared, “So there’s a little Condensation cultivator aboard. Good! Your flesh will taste far better than these mortals!”

With a splash, the demon’s massive claw struck the water, sending blue light radiating out and instantly freezing the river’s surface for dozens of yards.

The ship, drifting with the current, crashed directly into the frozen span.

The sudden stop made the entire vessel creak and groan, as if it might shatter at any moment.

The violent inertia sent everyone on deck tumbling forward onto the planks.

Li Miao steadied himself, primal energy surging. The tip of the Violet Jun Sword shot a bolt of lightning as thick as an arm straight at the River King.

From seven or eight yards away, his saber energy could not reach the enemy; only the lightning power of the Violet Jun Sword could be used.

The River King dismissed him, not even bothering to dodge. With another sweep of its claw, a thicker layer of ice spread, freezing the ship’s stern as well.

The next moment, purple lightning struck with a resounding crack.

“Ah!” The River King howled in pain, enraged that this little cultivator could actually injure it. “You dare harm me?!”

Li Miao ignored it, slashing out two more arcs of lightning, calling to the others, “Try to break the ice—I’ll hold him off as long as I can!”

The battered crew scrambled to their feet to search for oars.

The demon spat two water jets to scatter the lightning, bellowing, “Die, all of you!” Its massive body heaved as its green carapace split, forming a serrated shield nearly three meters across, which spun toward the ship.

This was the River King’s life-bound treasure, refined from half its own shell. Whether attacking or defending, it was formidable; spinning, its serrated edge could shred even black iron with ease.

Li Miao knew he could not let the shell strike the ship, or all would be lost. Without hesitation, he leapt from the ship, saber in hand, and struck the shield’s edge with all his might.

The impact of their powers clashed in midair, producing a deafening, grating sound.

Though Li Miao was powerful, he was a full major realm below the demon; the ferocious force sent his blood surging wildly, and he tumbled uncontrollably onto the frozen river.

The ice, a foot thick, cracked beneath him. His throat tasted of blood, and he spat out a mouthful of hot red.

“So strong—worthy of a great demon.”

Just one clash had left him lightly wounded. Such was the disparity in cultivation.

The River King was surprised that Li Miao survived its life-bound treasure, both crab eyes narrowing as it shrieked, “Impressive! That sword and saber of yours look valuable—I’ll take them!”

With that, it leapt from the water onto the ice, scuttling sideways at speed.

With the ship behind him, Li Miao had no choice but to face the demon head-on, silently activating his Astral River Physique.

The wind howled as a massive claw crashed down. Li Miao parried with his saber, barely blocking the blow.

But the ice beneath them couldn’t withstand such force; it shattered into countless pieces.

Li Miao fell into the river, hastily summoning his primal energy to skim over the water to another ice floe, slashing out more lightning as he went.

The River King, intent on a quick kill, sent its serrated shell spinning again, deadly winds howling. Simultaneously, it spat out demon energy, forming a vast ice-blue net that swept toward Li Miao.

The net radiated a biting cold, its aura sinister—a formidable demon art. If caught, escape would be all but impossible.

Li Miao had no wish to become the monster’s meal. Seeing the serrated shell and net closing in, he glanced at the ship and steeled himself: “This demon is too strong—I can barely protect myself. The rest of you, fate is in your own hands.”

He shifted his saber defensively, abandoning the thought of counterattacking. As the shell smashed into his saber, all his primal energy was focused in his arms, while his stance relaxed.

The crushing force sent him flying in a wide arc, landing dozens of yards away with a splash into the river.

“Li, young hero!” the crew cried in dismay.

The blue net missed, falling empty.

The River King, realizing Li Miao had feigned an opening to escape, sneered, “You think you can run?” With a thrust of eight legs, it dove after him.

The river was icy cold.

Li Miao, submerged, felt as if a heavy hammer had struck his chest, his breathing labored.

But he dared not slacken. Seizing the moment, he quickly deactivated his Astral River Physique, stored his sword and saber in his microcosmic ring, and suppressed his aura, drawing all primal energy inward.

In a direct fight, he could not win—nor could he easily flee, for the river was the demon’s domain, and he could not fly; his speed was greatly limited.

His only hope was to conceal his presence and sneak away.

Gene primal energy, forged from the universe’s most fundamental forces, could be rendered utterly undetectable when withdrawn—blending into the cosmos itself. Unless seen with the naked eye or scanned by a cultivator of the Profound Realm or higher, it was almost impossible to sense.