Demon, come and cultivate for me.

Back at Baihutang, Wu Yong stared in disbelief at Zhou Chu and the others, who were completely unharmed.

Over the years, he knew of at least four or five groups of people who went to Huangquan Ridge to search for the Netherworld Blade.

Most of these people never returned, and the few who managed to escape all went insane.

Wu Yong hadn't had high hopes for Zhou Chu and his group to begin with.

The result was unexpected.

He picked up the Netherworld Blade, examined it carefully, and after confirming that it was correct, said:

"Without further ado, let's go and slay the black fish demon."

Without hesitation, the group set off immediately.

On the way to the ferry crossing on the Yangtze River, Wu Yong shook off his dejected state.

He rode on his horse, head held high, face radiant, full of energy, looking like a traveler returning home in glory after years of wandering.

He told the group about his youth, about the days when he and his fellow disciples roamed the land with swords.

They were all prodigies of their respective sects, possessing extremely high cultivation levels at a young age.

In order to uphold their sect's will to slay demons and help those in distress, the group left the mountain together and roamed across the Chu Kingdom.

Wherever it went, demons and monsters were terrified.

Gradually, the group gained great fame in the State of Chu.

Because the weapons they used were all precious swords, they were known as the Five Swordsmen of Chu.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiangzi immediately exclaimed in surprise:

"So you are one of the Five Swordsmen of Chu! My apologies for not recognizing you sooner!"

As a native of Chu, Chen Xiangzi had often heard stories of the Five Swordsmen of Chu slaying demons and monsters since he was a child.

The glorious deeds of the Five Musketeers greatly touched his young mind, and he thus aspired to become like them from a young age.

Slaying demons and monsters, helping the needy and rescuing the distressed, earning the respect of all people—the thought alone filled him with immense excitement.

As Chen Xiangzi grew older, he gradually heard less and less about the Five Swordsmen.

I never expected to meet a real person here.

But the man in front of me, though said to be in his fifties, actually looked to be in his sixties or seventies, with white hair and beard, a somewhat hunched figure, and a limp.

This image is completely different from the imposing figure Chen Xiangzi had imagined.

Wu Yong waved his hand politely and said:

"No matter what happened back then, I'm old now. Seeing you all, I realize what it means to have the old waves pushing the new waves forward."

Then, Wu Yong continued to recount what happened back then.

That year, a black fish came to the Yangtze River and caused harm to countless people.

It occupied hundreds of miles of waterways, preventing merchant ships from passing and depriving fishermen of their livelihoods.

Seeing that the situation was getting serious, the government sent many warriors to kill them.

As it turned out, this black fish demon was so powerful that no martial artist could defeat it.

These poor warriors all ended up in the belly of the black fish demon, becoming its appetizer.

Later, the Five Swordsmen of Chu heard about this and took the initiative to deal with Black Fish.

At that time, the Five Swordsmen were already at the peak of their cultivation, while the Black Fish Demon was at most at the fourth level.

There are at least four or five powerful demons from the fourth realm who died at the hands of the Five Swordsmen.

With this experience, the five of them working together have at least a 60-70% chance of defeating the Black Fish Demon.

Unexpectedly, of the five people who went into the water to fight it, only Wu Yong survived.

He originally intended to perish together with his fellow disciples and the Black Fish Demon.

As a result, his two senior brothers, seeing that things were going badly, risked their lives to push him ashore.

Before his death, his senior brother instructed him to live on, find a way to kill the black fish demon, and avenge them.

From then on, Wu Yong was consumed by revenge and could not concentrate on cultivating and improving his cultivation level.

Over the years, whenever he closed his eyes, all he saw were scenes of his fellow disciples fighting to the death against the Black Fish Demon, which had almost become Wu Yong's nightmare.

He thought of a way to kill the black fish, but he was already crippled with one leg missing. Going up Huangquan Ridge to get the Netherworld Blade was much more difficult for him than killing the black fish.

Fortunately, just when he was about to lose hope, Zhou Chu and his group arrived.

Their appearance brought renewed hope to Wu Yong.

The journey from Baihutang to Dajiang Ferry takes only a little over half an hour.

For the past half hour, Wu Yong's mouth has barely stopped.

He recounted all the glorious events of his life.

In these accounts, he mostly mentioned his senior and junior fellow students, but rarely mentioned himself.

Reaching the riverbank, Wu Yong dismounted and gazed at the ceaselessly flowing river, a smile playing on his lips.

Wu Yong reached into his pocket and pulled out a palm-sized compass.

He carefully wiped the surface clean with his sleeve, examined it closely, and finally handed it to Zhou Chu:

"If it weren't for you, I might never have been able to take revenge in my lifetime. Here, take this as a token of my gratitude."

Zhou Chu solemnly extended both hands to receive the compass and bowed deeply to Wu Yong.

Wu Yong said, "This compass can read its owner's mind. In the future, when you are unsure of what to do, you can let it guide you."

Zhou Chu didn't immediately understand what Wu Yong meant, but he knew that the compass must be a magical artifact.

Wu Yong tossed aside the two crutches under his armpits, took the Netherworld Blade from behind his back, and gripped it tightly in his hand.

He concluded by saying, "After I go down, I will float back up in no time."

If, after I float up, the river surface is filled with white waves, then you can cross the river with peace of mind.

If black waves appear on the river, it means I have not succeeded, and you will have to find another way.

Having said that, he roared towards the river:

"My fellow disciples, I, Wu Yong, am coming to reunite with you all!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Wu Yong plunged headfirst into the river.

Zhou Chu took a deep breath and shouted loudly towards the river:

"Farewell, senior!"

Xu Yuan and Chen Xiangzi also joined Zhou Chu in saying, "May you have a safe journey."

The man with the taciturn expression turned away, gazing at the sky, lost in thought.

Boom!

A thunderclap suddenly echoed in the clear sky.

Then, dark clouds from all directions rolled in and gathered over the river, and the sky suddenly darkened.

A fierce wind howled across the ground, as if it had ripped the earth off its surface, creating a chaotic scene of flying sand and stones.

Looking at the river again, black and white waves surged alternately.

Various kinds of fish in the river leaped up, and many large fish even jumped directly onto the shore, thrashing about on the ground.

Zhou Chu paid no attention to the fish and shrimp; he was only concerned with the underwater conditions.

But as darkness fell, it became impossible to see anything in the river.

A flash of lightning and a clap of thunder followed, and then a torrential downpour began.

Zhou Chu and his companions were instantly soaked to the bone.

Even so, none of them left; they all kept their eyes glued to the river.

Huge waves surged, and the entire river surface resembled boiling water.

Fish, shrimp, finless porpoises, and even turtles began leaping out of the water.

Streaks of lightning pierced straight into the river, instantly killing countless fish, which floated belly-up on the surface.

The heavy rain continued, and the strong winds persisted.

But the waves on the river are getting smaller and smaller.

A foul, fishy smell wafted from the river towards them on the strong wind.

Zhou Chu noticed something unusual on the river not far away; the water there had turned a very dark color.

That's...blood!

So much blood!