33: Whether the great river is in chaos or not, the Black Tortoise decides!
On the main ship, the atmosphere was leisurely and carefree.
Inside the cabin, women danced gracefully to the melodious sound of the zither.
"Hall Master!"
An Elder walked quickly to the front of the ship's tower, his expression urgent.
Behind the curtain, the figure inside did not rise; only a calm yet authoritative voice drifted out.
"What is there to panic about?"
"A mere Third Tier Fierce Beast has caused you to lose your composure?"
The voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone on the deck, instantly suppressing all the commotion.
"Third Elder, take two Deacon Ships over there, deal with that beast, and rescue the Disciples."
"Yes, Hall Master!"
The white-haired and white-bearded Third Elder took the order and immediately leaped down. His toes lightly tapped the water's surface several times as his body shot forward like an arrow toward a Deacon Ship.
Soon, three Deacon Ships turned around and sped toward the area where Lu Yunfei had fallen into the water.
Seeing the Hall Master speak and the Elder take action, the Disciples on the ships felt much more at ease.
In their view, with an Elder of the Meridian Opening Realm taking action, resolving a Third Tier Fierce Beast was only a matter of time.
Calm returned to the main ship, and the melodious zither music didn't even stop.
Lord Zhou held his teacup and gently blew on it.
"Your Hall's Disciples are in danger, yet Hall Master Lin remains quite composed."
The voice behind the curtain held a hint of a smile.
"I've made a fool of myself in front of Lord Zhou."
"If we couldn't even handle such a small scene, then there would be no need to hold this Autumn River Night Hunt."
Everything was under control.
In a corner, Li Qing, who was feigning sleep against the gunwale, opened one eye slightly.
He joined in the conversation with the attendants on the ship.
Most of the attendants were sighing with relief that they didn't have to be with their masters.
Otherwise, they would be the first to die!
A sliver of consciousness was transferred to his Clone.
Beneath the river, a four-meter-wide Turtle was at the bottom, watching motionlessly.
Seeing the three Deacon Ships approaching rapidly, with the Aura of the Meridian Opening Realm Elder on board completely unshielded, he sneered inwardly.
Is that it?
How could this little bit of commotion be enough?
Gao Qiang was still standing steadily on the main ship, which was heavily guarded.
Not to mention the City Lord's confidant, Lord Zhou, and the Hall Master.
Even the strength of the Guards on the ship was impressive.
Approaching rashly would be too risky.
What he wanted wasn't a small flame that could be easily extinguished.
What he wanted was a raging fire that would sweep across the entire river surface, leaving everyone too busy to look after themselves!
Only in chaos would he have the chance to strike.
"Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters of the inner sect, I'm sorry."
Li Qing muttered to himself.
"If you want to blame someone, blame Lu Yunfei for provoking me, and blame Gao Qiang for refusing to let me go."
In the next instant, a cold and heartless mental command was instantly transmitted through the Black Armored Turtle Clone to the minds of the generals lying in ambush around them.
"Move!"
"Remember, only destroy the boats, do not harm the people!"
"I want this river surface to have not a single small boat that can float steadily!"
"Roar!"
Somewhere at the bottom of the river.
The strongest Catfish Head and Spined Armored Fish charged out of their caves first. Their massive bodies churned the water, turning into two dark shadows that lunged straight for the nearest Hunting Boat.
From the direction of the rocky beach, the Giant Rock Shrimps also moved.
They were natural warship killers; their massive bodies and hard shells were born for ramming.
Further away, the Black-Backed Saberfish Xiao Hei, the Iron-Shelled Turtle Turtle Three, the Blood Iron Pincer Crab Crab Number Two... all the Vicious Beasts subdued by Li Qing launched a surprise attack on the Hunting Boats scattered across the river from different directions at the same time!
"Boom!"
While the Disciples on a Hunting Boat were still craning their necks to watch the rescue in the distance, a loud bang suddenly came from the bottom of the boat.
The entire boat seemed to be hit by a giant hammer and instantly bounced upward.
With a snapping sound, it broke into two pieces from the middle.
"Ah!!"
"Help!"
The three Disciples on the boat screamed as they fell into the water.
Not far away, next to another Hunting Boat, the water surface suddenly exploded.
A giant crab covered in a blood-colored shell burst out of the water. Its two massive iron pincers were like two siege shears.
With a crunch, it crushed the gunwale to pieces.
"It's a Second Tier Vicious Beast! The Blood Iron Pincer Crab!"
"Run!"
In an instant, cries of alarm and screams rang out in unison.
The Disciples who were just watching the excitement now experienced true terror.
They all fell into the Great River.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of Vicious Beasts emerged.
The old Inner Sect Disciples could still respond calmly.
They were all Martial Artists of the Condensing Essence Realm.
But the newly joined Disciples suffered.
First, their strength was only at the Late Stage or Peak of the Body Tempering Realm.
Second, it was their first time encountering such an emergency in battle.
They were terrified.
For a time, the sounds of explosions, breaking wood, and cries for help echoed across the river.
The order from just a moment ago collapsed instantly.
The Third Elder, who was rushing to the rescue, was also stunned.
He turned his head and saw that in the direction he had come from, over a dozen Hunting Boats had been attacked at the same time.
Disciples fell into the water one after another, their screams joining together.
"What's going on!"
"How can there be so many Vicious Beasts!"
The Third Elder's eyes nearly burst from their sockets.
This was completely unexpected. The martial arts hall had been conducting the Autumn River Night Hunt for over twenty years.
This was the first time they had encountered such a situation.
Moreover, this stretch of the river had been carefully selected.
There shouldn't be so many Vicious Beasts!
At a glance, there were no fewer than four Second Tier Vicious Beasts.
There was even a third-tier overlord-level Vicious Beast!
For a moment, cold sweat broke out on his forehead!
Inner Sect Disciples were the foundation of the martial arts hall. If they all died, the hall's reputation and strength would inevitably suffer!
Now, he could only hurry to lead the Deacons to fish people out!
...In the icy river water, Chen Meng choked on several mouthfuls of water, her lungs burning with pain.
She gripped a wooden plank tightly, her body shaking uncontrollably.
Lu Yunfei was not far from her, equally disheveled.
His white clothes were already soaked through by the river water, clinging tightly to his body.
His hair was messy, and there was no trace of his previous elegance on his face, only terror and paleness.
"Senior Brother, Senior Brother Lu," Chen Meng's voice carried a sob.
"Don't be afraid, Junior Sister. The Deacons, the Deacons will come to save us!"
Lu Yunfei offered words of comfort, but his body was desperately moving away from the Four-Clawed Black Python swimming nearby.
Just then, not far from them, another Hunting Boat was overturned, and several familiar figures screamed as they fell into the water.
The entire Great River had turned into a living Hell.
In Chen Meng's mind, Lu Yunfei's previous confident words involuntarily resurfaced.
"I will surely keep you safe."
"Senior Brother is mighty!"
Is this the safety you spoke of?
But Chen Meng didn't think too much about it; Lu Yunfei couldn't be blamed for this situation either.
On the main ship.
Everyone stood up.
The melodious zither music had stopped at some point.
Lord Zhou stood at the bow, watching the boats on the distant river surface sink one after another, listening to the unending screams, his expression changing drastically.
"Hall Master Lin, what... what is going on?"
"This doesn't look like an ordinary Vicious Beast riot!"
Gao Qiang, behind him, knit his brows into a knot.
His gaze swept back and forth across the chaotic river surface, unease rising in his heart.
Something was wrong.
Something was very wrong!
He had clearly arranged for people to conduct a detailed investigation of this area.
Why did so many Vicious Beasts appear?
The timing of their appearance was too coincidental, and the method of attack was too organized.
The Vicious Beasts had a clear goal: to create maximum chaos.
In the past, Vicious Beasts couldn't wait to swallow Martial Artists.
Refining the flesh and blood of Martial Artists to increase their strength.
"Lord Zhou, I've startled you. I will resolve this immediately!"
Behind the curtain, Hall Master Lin took a step forward.
A majestic Aura, as heavy as a mountain, burst out from the main ship.
"Pass down my order: all Deacons and Elders, go all out to rescue the Disciples!"
"In addition, go and investigate! Find out exactly what is controlling all of this from behind the scenes!"
Tonight's Autumn River Night Hunt had spiraled out of control.
Now he was afraid this was a conspiracy targeting the City Lord's confidant, Lord Zhou.
This was no longer a trial for the Disciples.
It was a conspiracy against his Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall!
If something happened to Lord Zhou, there would be big trouble.
Then all the relationships he had maintained for over twenty years would go down the drain!
In the corner, Li Qing felt the Hall Master's majestic Aura and felt a slight chill in his heart.
As expected of a powerhouse at the Peak of the Meridian Unblocking Realm!
The good show has only just begun!