Chapter 1408: Water Surface Murderous Intent

Zu An was startled. This water was certainly odd; it was rising on its own!

He had no choice but to fly higher. Suddenly, he recalled the strange black birds he had encountered earlier while avoiding the giant octopus sea monster. He knew this couldn't go on; the constantly rising water was clearly forcing him upward, and there was undoubtedly great danger above.

At this point, he couldn't afford to worry about anything else. He immediately summoned his Wind-Fire Wheels and sped towards the riverbank, as the wheels were much faster than his own flight.

Unexpectedly, the river ahead suddenly surged with a massive wave, blocking his path.

If it were normal river water, Zu An could have simply rushed through even the biggest wave.

However, this Weak Water was too bizarre, and he wasn't sure what would happen if it hit him.

Would his body become as heavy as stone, making him unable to fly and causing him to sink straight to the bottom of the river, or something else entirely? He dared not risk it.

He quickly used Gale to teleport to the side, but the Weak Water seemed to be sentient. He had evaded the previous few waves, but this one was incredibly wide, stretching as far as the eye could see in any direction he tried to dodge.

For a moment, Zu An felt the same suffocating sensation he had experienced in his previous life watching the giant waves in *Interstellar*.

But he was no longer an ordinary person. Without hesitation, he shot skyward, hoping to use his speed advantage to temporarily outrun the massive wave and then soar over its crest.

Yet, for some unknown reason, this time the colossal wave ascended at a speed comparable to his own flight and dash. It rose almost exactly as high as he flew.

In that short time, the giant wave was already just a few feet away. He could already sense the smell of the water and its destructive power.

Gritting his teeth, he activated the Star Shattering Seal, increasing his combat power tenfold. Then, he brandished the Yin-Yang Twin Swords he had acquired from Chiwen, summoned the Snow Phoenix, and unleashed the Snowflake Divine Sword, spinning rapidly as he charged towards the colossal wave before him.

Empowered by the Star Shattering Seal and the Snow Phoenix, the might of his Snowflake Divine Sword was extraordinary. The Weak Water surrounding him instantly froze into ice.

Nevertheless, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. The immense force made veins bulge across his body, and tiny beads of blood seeped through his skin. The terrifying power of that monstrous wave was incredible; he was severely wounded almost instantly.

Meanwhile, the Yin-Yang Twin Swords, which were Heaven-tier weapons, let out mournful wails, their blades trembling as if they might shatter at any moment.

He desperately circulated the Primordial Chaos Sutra to heal his injuries while simultaneously channeling his vital energy to protect the swords, knowing that if they broke now, it would be over.

To his surprise, the Yin-Yang Twin Swords seemed to sense the power of the Fire Phoenix and Blue Duck within him. The Fire Phoenix's power surged into the Yang Sword in his left hand, and the Blue Duck's power flowed into the Yin Sword in his right hand. The Yang Sword glowed with a dazzling fiery red light, while the Yin Sword emitted a soft, pale blue luster. The two streams of light subtly merged, forming a Tai Chi symbol.

With this, the twin swords' power instantly increased dramatically. Zu An felt the pressure before him suddenly lighten, and he moved swiftly through the ice like a helical drill.

Soon after, he successfully passed through the massive wave. Looking back, the patch of ice he had frozen had long vanished within the colossal wave, which crashed onto the river surface behind it, kicking up a vast mist of water.

Fearing another such giant wave, Zu An dared not linger and ran desperately towards the riverbank.

Fortunately, after his recent dash, he was now very close to the bank and could clearly see the anxious expressions on the three women's faces.

Zu An waved to the three women, and just as he was about to greet them, he suddenly saw their expressions change drastically.

A sudden warning surged through him as well. He quickly used Gale to move several feet sideways, just as a huge, blood-red maw snapped shut exactly where he had been standing.

In that instant, he clearly saw what had attacked him: a monster with a dragon's head and a cat's body suddenly burst out of the Weak Water.

Seeing its gleaming, sharp teeth, Zu An thought that even with his body having undergone several tempering sessions with the Primordial Chaos Sutra, one bite would likely leave him severely wounded, if not kill him outright.

However, he had no time for reflection, because after its bite missed, the monster's other massive claw swept towards him.

The movement was so swift it gave him no time to react.

He had already sustained significant internal injuries breaking through the giant wave earlier, and his recent hurried dodge meant Zu An was currently between an old exertion fading and new strength not yet born.

He could only attempt to use Gale again, but unfortunately, Mo Xi's Heavenly Swirl Jade Platform's cooldown reset skill didn't activate this time. His Gale was currently in the interval between two uses.

This interval was normally very short, but at this moment, it was critically dangerous.

Gritting his teeth, he raised the black and white twin swords, preparing to take the hit head-on.

Just then, a white silk ribbon suddenly extended, wrapped around his waist, and a gentle force swiftly pulled him back, causing the monster's certain-to-hit claw to strike empty air.

When he regained his senses, Zu An was already on the bank. It turned out Yan Xuehen had pulled him back.

The monster roared a few times at them, then reluctantly sank back into the water.

The others finally breathed a sigh of relief and began checking Zu An over. "You weren't hurt by that monster, were you?"

"No," Zu An said, patting his chest to show he was perfectly fine. "Thank you for saving me, Sister Yan. By the way, where did you get such a long rope?"

Yan Xuehen's face flushed, and she turned her head away, not answering his question.

"To make the Ice Maiden willingly untie her sash, you must be the number one man in the world," Yun Jianyue said gloatingly.

Yan Xuehen, a mix of shame and anger, retorted, "Fiendess, are you ever going to stop?!" In truth, it wasn't the first time she had willingly untied her sash in front of Zu An, and Yun Jianyue's teasing had hit a raw nerve, making her feel both guilty and embarrassed.

Zu An was momentarily stunned. Noticing her suddenly loosened dress, he realized, *So her sash can become that long*.

Sensing their confusion, Yan Xuehen added, "This sash was specially crafted with runes for ease of use, giving it an extendable function. Other than that, it's no different from an ordinary sash and isn't considered a precious magical artifact."

It made sense. Who would casually pull off their sash to fight someone?

"Sister Yan, to show my gratitude, let me personally help you tie it," Zu An said with a smile, leaning closer.

"Get lost," Yan Xuehen replied, her face frosty. "This fellow is truly bold, openly teasing her in front of others, not caring if their relationship was exposed."

"Let me do it," Yu Yanluo said, giving Zu An a glare before leaning over to help Yan Xuehen fasten her sash. "Sister, your waist is so slender."

Yan Xuehen's face reddened slightly. "When it comes to slender waists, who can compare to you?"

The other woman was the Medusa Queen, a testament to the serpentine race's innate talent.

Soon, their attention returned to the monster they had just encountered. "That monster seems somewhat like a mythical Qilin, but with a dragon's head and a cat's body, and it looks quite ferocious."

"That must be the Yaoyu we're looking for; it closely matches Shun's description," Zu An said gravely. "I just didn't expect it to be hidden not in Shaojian Mountain, but within the Weak Water below."

"Not even a feather can float in the Weak Water. How did it manage to move so freely within it?" Yu Yanluo asked, completely baffled.

Zu An shared the same confusion. He had specifically used his Jade Cong to scan the water earlier and found not even a single fish, which led him to believe there would be no living creatures below. He never expected to be ambushed by one.

"From that brief encounter, its strength doesn't seem to match the Taotie we met earlier or that giant octopus sea monster. However, its concealment within the Weak Water makes it quite troublesome," Yan Xuehen said with a frown.

Of course, considering its strength "not high" was relative; the aura it had just exuded was still at the Grandmaster level. Any of them facing it alone would be in great danger, but if they worked together, it wasn't an overwhelmingly powerful or hopeless opponent.

"By the way, Little Anzi, how was your reconnaissance just now? Can we fly across this Weak Water?" Yun Jianyue asked.

Zu An paused, surprised by the question. "Huh? Didn't you see what just happened?"

"What scene?" The three women looked at him with puzzled expressions.