163: Chapter 163 Capturing the Earth Dragon Fish Alive

The biting cold wind raged, and snowflakes struck diagonally like bullets.

The originally quiet Water Marsh Forest had now turned into a living battlefield.

The tearing sounds of weapons and claws, and the roaring of flashing skills, played out like a symphony throughout the forest.

"Damn it, have these beast swarms lost their minds!"

Dressed in bright silver armor, Primo held a giant greatsword, cursing as he killed the attacking fierce beasts.

After receiving Willard's report, he, Raglan, and Malz had ordered all their knights and Soldiers to retreat.

Who would have thought that before they could even retreat a few miles, the beast swarms that had been lurking in the rear charged at them like madmen.

Crimson filled the eyes of all the fierce beasts, like life-claiming demons from hell.

Normally, when encountering so many knights and Soldiers, the beast swarms wouldn't initiate an attack as long as they weren't provoked.

After all, beasts are born with the ability to sense danger, whether they are magic beasts or wild animals.

Therefore, when facing troops led by transcendents, most fierce beasts would choose to avoid them, unless they were extremely confident in their strength to kill the transcendents and retreat safely.

But the behavior of these magic beasts and wild animals before them completely defied common sense, as if there were something behind Primo and the others attracting them.

Puchi!

As his longsword sliced through tough muscle and blood sprayed out, Raglan frowned and said, "What on earth is going on? These beast swarms feel like they're throwing their lives away; their attacks are becoming increasingly ferocious."

"Could it be that there are High-level Magic Beasts appearing behind them, just like with us?" Malz, standing nearby, wondered aloud.

"That... that should be unlikely, right?" Raglan found it hard to believe; if that were the case, they would be truly unlucky.

Nearby, the sound of flesh being sliced open rang out repeatedly.

"Impossible." Primo scanned the surroundings and said with certainty, "Given the size of the Water Marsh Forest, it's absolutely impossible for there to be two High-level Magic Beasts inside."

"Once they become High-level Magic Beasts, except for a few species, most will occupy a territory alone and won't allow other magic beasts to enter."

"Furthermore, there are no significant resources in the Water Marsh Forest. If you're saying it's for that Earth Dragon Fish, I absolutely don't believe two High-level Magic Beasts would be here fighting over it."

Raglan and Malz nodded in agreement simultaneously.

Just as Primo said, High-level Magic Beasts have a strong sense of territory and are generally unwilling to share it with others.

This was due to both their pride and the bloodline repulsion hidden within their bodies.

Rubbing his hair vigorously, Malz said in frustration, "Since there isn't a second High-level Magic Beast, why are these magic beasts charging so recklessly? Is there something behind us attracting them?"

"But isn't the only thing behind us that High-level Magic Beast in the lake? Usually, these beast swarms can't run away fast enough, so how could they approach voluntarily?"

Something attracting them!

Primo's eyes narrowed, his mind racing as he suddenly realized something.

"Oh no, we've been tricked! It's not a High-level Magic Beast in the lake, but the blood of one."

"These beast swarms are charging like mad because they're attracted by the aura emitted by that blood."

Raglan and Malz were instantly shocked, looking at Primo in disbelief.

Seeing this, Primo continued to explain, "According to the habits of High-level Magic Beasts, it's impossible for them to allow other magic beasts or wild animals to appear in parts of the area surrounding their habitat."

"And we've seen the Earth Dragon Fish; it exists inside the lake. It can't be a High-level Magic Beast, so if one really existed, how could the Earth Dragon Fish survive so comfortably?"

"Therefore, that High-level Magic Beast aura is definitely being emitted by High-level Magic Beast blood."

"I just don't know which faction pulled this off. We must return immediately, otherwise, the Earth Dragon Fish might be lost."

Hearing this, Raglan and Malz looked anxious. If it were truly as Primo said, they would have come for nothing, and the people who died earlier would have died in vain.

They would absolutely not allow such a loss-making, thankless situation to happen.

"Let's go, we're going back!"

"Quick, quick, quick!"

Hearing their urgent cries, Primo also issued orders to the surrounding knights and Soldiers, and the word spread quickly from person to person.

Fortunately, the Water Marsh Forest wasn't large, and there weren't many magic beasts or wild animals inside. Even though the beast swarms' attacks were somewhat crazed due to the influence of the High-level Magic Beast blood,

the pressure to break away wasn't too great as long as they were a bit careful.

At the same time, other factions throughout the forest were experiencing similar situations, with the battles of many factions becoming somewhat deadlocked.

However, two factions were exceptions—

"Lord Cronin, something seems a bit off."

Knight Captain Sinir looked at the relaxed and easy-going young man before him and spoke respectfully.

"Sinir, you noticed it too?"

Cronin nodded slightly and said, "It seems it's indeed as we guessed before. That High-level Magic Beast aura likely wasn't emitted by a High-level Magic Beast itself, but by the scent of its blood."

"To be able to produce such precious High-level Magic Beast blood and even trick us... tsk tsk, I really want to meet this person."

Although Cronin's tone was calm, Sinir could still hear the displeasure in it.

This was the pride that came with being a noble descendant and a genius transcendent.

Of course, there was also a hint of admiration from Cronin for the person behind the scenes, as Cronin had always considered himself exceptionally clever.

Now that someone had appeared who could make even him 'lose his wits,' that competitive spirit of his surged up once again.

"Lord Cronin, I will immediately order the troops to clear a path as quickly as possible," Sinir said inquiringly.

Nodding gently, Cronin said in a firm tone, "Go. We absolutely cannot let anyone else have the Earth Dragon Fish."

Sinir nodded, then turned and walked away quickly.

"Interesting, truly interesting!"

On the other side, the Flame Tiger Tribe.

"Zakri, which pioneer lord do you think planned this?"

A team of over thirty people galloped toward the lake in the center of the forest.

Every single person was covered in thick blood, but their expressions remained completely unaffected.

Hearing the question from the burly man in the lead wearing a beast-hide coat, the only educated person and the team's strategist, Zakri,

thought for a moment and responded, "Commander Arlin, I don't believe it was done by those pioneer lords. It's possible some other faction has joined in."

"Another faction?" Arlin rubbed his smooth head, somewhat surprised.

"Yes." Zakri nodded and said, "From the situation since we arrived at the Water Marsh Forest, besides our Flame Tiger Tribe, there are eight other factions."

"Among them, the allied forces of the three lords and the Giant Elephant Tribe were the first to discover traces of the Earth Dragon Fish."

"Then there's us and the other six factions, and we've all scouted each other's backgrounds."

"It can be said that the entire area around the lake has been firmly surrounded by our factions."

"Before this happened, there was no sign of any other faction appearing in our sight."

"And those lords aren't fools; they certainly wouldn't wait until so many factions had gathered here before taking the action we just saw."

Arlin rubbed the back of his head, puzzled. "Then could it be that some lord only obtained that High-level Magic Beast blood you mentioned halfway through?"

"I considered that possibility before, but later I felt it wasn't the case," Zakri said with a certain tone.

"Because after the High-level Magic Beast aura came from before, those factions, like us, all retreated quickly."

"And under the surveillance of the warriors I left behind, none of those factions turned back, which shows it definitely wasn't their doing."

"However, it's still unclear whether the faction that snuck in is on the pioneer lords' side or our tribal side."

"But our reaction isn't slow, and we'll be able to get back soon. Besides, because the Earth Dragon Fish was startled earlier, it hid in the depths of the lake."

"So, it won't be that easy for that unknown faction to find it quickly. And as long as they aren't stupid, they must know that killing the Earth Dragon Fish definitely won't yield as much profit as capturing it alive."

"In this way, they will spend more time, which also gives us time to rush back."

"I see." Arlin nodded, only half-understanding.

In any case, before leaving the tribe, the Chief had already instructed him to follow Zakri's arrangements for anything he didn't understand, so he just needed to provide the muscle.

Educated people like Zakri were very scarce, not just in small tribes, but even in large tribes like the Flame Tiger Tribe.

Consequently, this made educated people easily respected and gave them a decent status in most tribal factions.

And Arlin was no exception, always maintaining respect for Zakri.

Similarly, Zakri had a very good impression of him, so he usually only offered suggestions at critical moments and didn't try to overstep his authority.

However, he was still quite surprised at being outmaneuvered this time, so besides competing for the Earth Dragon Fish, he also wanted to meet the culprit who had tricked him.

Actually, given the strength of the Flame Tiger Tribe, they could have easily taken the Earth Dragon Fish for themselves with overwhelming force.

But before they set out, a rival tribal faction had launched a harassment campaign against them.

To ensure the tribe's combat strength, they had only sent this small number of warriors.

But even with only these people, Zakri believed that with his intelligence, he could still seize the Earth Dragon Fish.

While the various factions were either caught in deadlocked battles or realizing they'd been tricked and were rushing back,

Lister and Red had already silently slipped into the lake. With the help of Dou Qi Energy, they could hold their breath for a long time.

But it had to be said, the winter lake water was as cold as the world at the peak of the Far North. Even though they were both Silver Knights, they couldn't help but feel the chill seeping in.

And the deeper they went into the lake, the more intense the cold became, causing both their bodies to grow somewhat stiff.

Knowing that problems would arise if this continued, Lister cast a Cold-Protection Spell from Wizardry on himself and Red.

In an instant, the encroaching chill was completely blocked from their bodies, unable to advance even a fraction.

Red wasn't surprised that Lister possessed such an ability, having always assumed it was magic he had learned.

Since Wizardry and magic had very little difference, most transcendents who weren't mages would find it difficult to distinguish between them without personally engaging in combat.

To this, Lister naturally wouldn't say much. It wasn't that he didn't trust Red, but because Wizardry was, after all, a forbidden art in the kingdom; the fewer people who knew, the better.

The dark bottom of the lake was like a bottomless abyss, welcoming every creature that came there.

As the two continued to dive deeper into the water, the pressure from the water grew stronger and stronger.

It was only because they were Silver Knights; if Bronze Knights were here instead, they would surely be significantly affected.

Accompanied by the sound of rushing water, the two dived down about two hundred meters when a rapidly moving figure suddenly caught their attention.

But because the bottom of the lake was too dark, the naked eye couldn't fully make out the creature's form.

Therefore, Lister immediately released a light-element Wizardry spell, which actually only served as ordinary illumination—the only light-element Wizardry spell he had learned.

However, its illumination effect at night was excellent. With a hum, the area within dozens of meters centered on Lister was instantly lit up brightly.

And the complete appearance of that figure also appeared before their eyes.

It was a four-legged crawling creature, its entire body covered in thick scales, its body swaying back and forth with its long tail as it swam very quickly.

Its overall appearance was like a combination of a lizard and a fish, with a hint of a Western dragon. Its body emitted a faint blue glow, making it very beautiful.

The Earth Dragon Fish!

With just one glance, the two recognized its identity, and their expressions couldn't help but turn joyful.

Exchanging a glance, the two then channeled their full Dou Qi Energy and charged toward the Earth Dragon Fish from the left and right.

Lister and Red were both well aware of the Earth Dragon Fish's value, so their goal was to capture it alive.

When the light appeared, the Earth Dragon Fish had already reacted, swishing its tail to flee quickly into the distant darkness.

But no matter how fast it was, it was still only a High-Rank Bronze level magic beast. Facing the full-force capture of two Silver Knights, it was ultimately like a turtle in a jar.

After swimming only a few dozen meters, the Earth Dragon Fish's path forward and backward was blocked by Lister and Red.

Without any hesitation, Lister directly released a Magic Binding Spell from Wizardry, and a large magic net instantly enveloped the Earth Dragon Fish.

After struggling hard for a while and failing to break free, the Earth Dragon Fish finally showed a look of despair and calmed down.

Just as Lister and the other were dragging the Earth Dragon Fish toward the surface,

the various factions traveling from the other side were getting closer and closer to the lake's location, but at that moment, a piece of news from an unknown source quickly reached their ears.

"Lord (Commander), purple soul fruit has been discovered!"