The first time Zhang Kui saw the Black Painting Boat was in Changyun City. At that time, the Clam Girl's corpse held a pearl, the ice trapped the long river, the boat was hidden in the mist, and Immortal Wu appeared in the sky.

The painting boat, a pleasure craft, was elegantly decorated, drifting on the green smoke and azure waves. The singing girls sang softly and danced gracefully, making it quite a feast for the eyes.

But this Black Painting Boat was shrouded in ominous mist, decaying and rotten, lurking at the bottom of the river, with decayed water plants and shells encrusted with mud, exuding an aura of misfortune at every corner.

Zhang Kui initially thought it was unique, but later realized that the Black Painting Boat was actually a force of the Jingjiang Water Mansion and was extremely incompatible with Immortal Wu.

Now, along the canal sections in Lai and Bo Provinces, such painting boats patrolled everywhere, locking the entire riverway impenetrably.

Now stepping aboard, it was necessary to see what was causing the disturbance.

At the bow, the Yaksha still held the Water-Splitting Fork, inspecting from side to side, while the mournful singing in the ship's building echoed continuously, completely unaware that a god of slaughter had arrived on board.

Zhang Kui wore a somber expression, glancing coldly around.

Originally, the painting boat was concealed by yin qi and black mist, but under the Tongyou Skill, everything instantly dispersed like thin mist.

Inside the ship's building, there were beds, square tables, and wooden cabinets, but all were rotten and dilapidated.

A grotesque worm, as thick as a barrel, with countless limbs like a centipede, firmly fixed the deck. Its upper body resembled a woman, with tattered clothes drifting along the water, its skin bluish-purple, full of sharp teeth, preening in front of a mirror.

It turned out to be a river insect that had cultivated into a demon.

Such things were common, usually nestled in the riverbed, feeding on small fish and shrimp. Although hideous in appearance, they rarely grew longer than half a meter and their stings weren't painful.

If the Black Painting Boat was teeming with such demons, it would be a sizable tribe. How did this little thing become so formidable after transforming into a demon?

Zhang Kui squinted slightly, waving his hand, enveloping the entire Painting Studio in a haze of misty brilliance.

Indistinctly, like fragments of shattered glass layering over each other.

Eclipse Skill (Level 1): Active Skill

Skill Description: Evade investigative skills.

This magic was not simple; it could block enemy divine senses, avoid round light skill and other investigative magic, as well as obscure light and shadow retrospection spells.

Upon arriving in Jiangzhou, the demon in the Divine Void Temple used a secret skill to pry, and later, he saw the Military Advisor in the General's Tomb using a star skill for image retrospection, Zhang Kui became vigilant.

In this world of a myriad of arcane skills, one must naturally be very cautious in their actions.

The Yakshas at the bow quickly noticed the bizarre scene before their eyes, initially thinking the muddied water had blurred their vision, and rubbed their eyes vigorously.

But in an instant, dense black mist had already engulfed the entire painting boat. When the Yakshas reopened their eyes, it was as if day had turned to night, with countless demonic shadows twisting, and a terrifying dark figure reaching to the heavens coldly staring at them.

Having stepped into the Divine Travel Realm, within the "Longevity" domain, Zhang Kui could already manifest the phenomena of Dharma Aspect Heaven and Earth. Although it was just an empty shell, it was enough to scare people.

"Venerate, spare us!"

The Yakshas were instantly scared to death, dropping their steel forks and squatting on the ground, trembling in fear.

Meanwhile, the River Insect Demoness inside the painting boat remained motionless, her eyes filled with terror, cautiously speaking:

"Which Venerate has descended? We serve under Peach Blossom Lady of the Jingjiang Water Mansion, please do not disrupt our harmony."

Peach Blossom Lady?

That probably was the name of the evil spirit...

Zhang Kui found it amusing, guessing that the little demon might think he was some kind of big shot from a Forbidden Land, which was perfect for gathering intelligence.

At this point, Zhang Kui's tone became stern:

"Why is the Jingjiang Water Mansion sealing the riverway?"

The Yakshas looked bewildered,

"Reporting to the Great King, we act on orders, but do not know the reasons."

Zhang Kui then turned to the River Insect Demoness.

Inside the Painting Studio, the demoness's bluish-purple face was indecisive, "Venerate, this is our Water Mansion's business…"

"How dare you!"

Zhang Kui shouted angrily, immediately scaring the demoness to the ground, cold sweat streaming down her face. "Venerate, spare us, Venerate, spare us! The lady only ordered us to seal the riverway, but didn't reveal the reason."

In the world of evil spirits, it was naked survival of the fittest, where a word could dictate life and death, hence these demons slaughtered human clans without feeling it was out of place.

The weak deserved victimization, while facing the strong, they must wag their tails and plead.

Zhang Kui said nothing, countless vines surged instantly, engulfing the entire Painting Studio, scattering chunks of flesh and splashes of blood, which were quickly absorbed by the vines.

As a plume of black smoke dispersed, Zhang Kui controlled the Nether Soil Stone Coffin to proceed, his eyes filled with even more intense killing intent.

What use was there in begging for mercy?

Before they died, those human villagers pleaded for mercy many times, only to meet their ends without exception, leaving their grievances among scattered bones.

This time, by having Helian Boxiong relocate the Lai State's people, Zhang Kui had a singular purpose: to kill.

To kill until the world turned upside down,

to kill until the rivers ran red with blood.

Of course, there was a particular art to how one killed.

Firstly, he was weak and barely able to deal with a frail Mahayana Realm, and the situation in the Jingjiang Water Mansion was unclear, possibly hiding more Great Demons.

Secondly, the action needed to be secretive. If discovered by these Evil Spirits, he could easily slip away, but the revenge would likely fall upon those mortals.

So the first thing was to uncover the Jingjiang Water Mansion's secrets and then formulate a detailed plan.

Thinking of this, Zhang Kui quickened his pace.

The Jingjiang Water Mansion is located at the border between Lai State and Hebo Province, hidden deep within the mountains, untouched by humanity, shrouded in mist all along.

The closer to Hebo Province, the more Evil Spirits appeared in the canal waterways. Ominous black Painting Studios roamed everywhere, giant crabs the size of houses crawled at the riverbed, stirring up rolling sand.

Moreover, countless Water Ghosts roamed in groups of three or five among the reefs and aquatic plants. The river surface was already shrouded in mist, with Demonic Light and Ghost Fire flickering.

For thousands of years, the Jingjiang Water Mansion was infamous; the Little Demons acted recklessly, or whipped up waves, or stirred demonic winds, making the entire riverway seem like the Demon Realm had descended.

Zhang Kui paid no heed and headed straight to his destination.

Along the way, he saw many Celestial Tribulation Realm demons, like the River Insect Demoness in the Black Painting Boat. Her abdomen spawned countless threads, penetrating the boat's decaying planks, refining it like a Magical Treasure.

Now Zhang Kui could no longer earn skill points by slaying Grain Avoidance Realm Evil Spirits; these Celestial Tribulation Realm Evil Spirits were his primary targets.

But there was no rush now as he discovered something peculiar.

It seemed the Black Painting Boat lineage was the main force in this action, yet none of the octopus-headed demons under Immortal Wu were in sight.

Something must have happened inside the Jingjiang Water Mansion.

About an hour later, the canal suddenly forked, one wide channel leading straight to the Bozhou Plain, while the other, flanked by jagged rocks and steep cliffs, was shrouded in mist, marking the wild river flowing from the mountain where the Jingjiang Water Mansion was located.

Following the stream, the scenery grew increasingly perilous.

Zhang Kui was somewhat astonished to find that the location of the Jingjiang Water Mansion was a deep ravine, nestled between towering mountains.

From the outside, it didn't seem big, but inside, it was surprisingly deep.

Narrow at the top and wide below, several hundred meters down, it connected to a vast underground lake, dark and eerie, its only light coming from schools of fluorescent fish, shining like stars in the dark water depths.

With his Tongyou Skill, Zhang Kui naturally saw it clearly.

At the center of the lake was a gigantic Stone Hall, suffused with colorful light like an altar, rendering everything inside invisible.

Surrounding the Stone Hall were eerie structures of varying sizes, arranged in a lotus shape outward.

The three nearest were:

A 200-meter-high black stone boat, resembling a Painting Boat but more complex, its rear surrounded by wrecks of all kinds, with countless centipede-like River Insect Demonesses swarming within.

A similarly tall shell, with gigantic tentacles extending in and out. Behind it were various shells, clearly Immortal Wu's domain.

The last one was relatively plain, a jumble of piled-up reefs with buildings, temples, and many grotesque Divine Statues. Behind it lay contiguous reefs, inhabited by varied Water Demons in a chaotic mix.

Zhang Kui took one look and made a judgment.

It seemed the Jingjiang Water Mansion was divided into three factions: the Painting Boat, Immortal Wu, and other Water Demon Evil Spirits.

But what was inside that central Stone Hall?

He wanted to get closer, but although the Jingjiang Water Mansion's defenses weren't as formidable as the General's Tomb, they were nothing to scoff at.

Around the underground lakebottom, countless black linear monster worms hid in the soil, capable of using the Earth Travel Skill, burrowing back and forth.

As soon as he approached the stone coffin, he would be discovered.

At this moment, the shell suddenly trembled, and a gigantic phantom vision emerged, with rolling black fog and hundred-meter-thick tentacles twisting continuously, its eyes ablaze with blood-red flames.

"Peach Blossom Lady, how much longer will you cause trouble? If you disrupt the Great King's plan, can you bear the consequences?"

From the Black Painting Boat stone ship, a phantom also rose, revealing a woman in black gauze, with a graceful figure, bluish skin, and delicate features, but a row of black insect eyes on her forehead, extremely disturbing.

The Peach Blossom Lady's face darkened, her eyes filled with venom, "Immortal Wu, you deserve to die!"

With that, a terrifying aura instantly enveloped the entire Water Mansion, seemingly accompanied by piercing screams of women, swiftly suppressing Immortal Wu's phantom.

Immortal Wu, however, was unfazed, chuckling lightly,

"Can't control your man, taking it out on us? Were it not for my brother and the Great King's journey to the Underworld, would you dare act so wantonly!"

"Peach Blossom Lady, calm down..."

Another grand figure rose from the reef fortress, a two-headed Yaksha in bronze armor, with a dignified expression.

"Immortal Wu is also concerned about the plan; let's not damage our harmony, lest the Great King returns and blames us."

The Peach Blossom Lady gave them a cold look, said nothing, and her phantom gradually faded away.

Deep underground, Zhang Kui watched with alarm.

The strength of the Jingjiang Water Mansion was not to be underestimated; there was even a Great King, fortunately already in the Underworld.

What was their plan?

So, the Peach Blossom Lady was looking for a man; what kind of man was worth such a commotion?

Nevertheless, the internal struggles among the Jingjiang Water Mansion's leaders gave him an idea for a plan...

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