Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 228: Underground River

“Can a carp Demon Beast truly grow to the Second Rank?” Wang Hao stared at the two-zhang-long carcass floating in the water, perplexed. Typically, cultivation clans raised these Spirit Fish as livestock, harvesting them at the First Rank. He had never heard of anyone wasting resources to raise a carp to this level.

“It is likely a remnant of the Gui Ran Sect’s old stock,” Wang Guang’an mused as he levitated the massive fish onto the bank. “Abandoned here for thousands of years, with no predators and ample Spiritual Qi… it is not strange for a few to break through.”

He noticed the fish’s swollen belly and raised an eyebrow. “Oh? It seems she was carrying roe.”

With a precise flick of spiritual energy, he slit the belly open. A cascade of egg-sized, translucent roe spilled out, glowing with vitality. “This beast must have been preparing to spawn. We startled her, which explains the aggression.”

Wang Hao grinned at the sight. “It looks like the Wang family has another breed of Spirit Fish to farm.”

“If we secure this cavern, we can raise them right here in the dark river,” Wang Guang’an agreed. “The water temperature here is frigid, unlike Ling Lake. These fish might not survive on the surface.”

Wang Hao glanced back at the deep, dark water. “Since this female was spawning, there must be a male nearby.”

Splash!

As if on cue, a disturbance rippled through the water downstream. A large shadow darted away into the darkness.

The two exchanged a glance. “Chase!”

Wang Guang’an conjured a Water Repelling Bubble around them, and they dove into the subterranean river.

The water was crystal clear and biting cold. Despite the twisting, jagged path of the riverbed, the fish couldn’t outrun a Golden Core cultivator. Within a quarter of an hour, they cornered it against a dead end.

Wang Hao struck first, his sword flashing through the water.

Cornered and desperate, the male carp opened its mouth and spat a white, frost-covered sphere at them—its Demon Core.

Wang Guang’an laughed. “I thought you were useless meat, but you actually formed a Core? You are worth my effort after all!”

The fish was only Second Rank Middle Grade. Against a Golden Core patriarch, its struggle was brief and futile.

After dispatching the beast and collecting the valuable materials—including the meat, which Wang Hao insisted on trying later—they turned their attention upstream.

“The Spiritual Qi is getting denser,” Wang Guang’an noted. “The source must connect to a Spirit Vein. We need to find it.”

They swam against the current. The underground river was treacherous, filled with jagged reefs and sudden drops, but to cultivators of their level, these were minor inconveniences. Wang Guang’an pulverized any obstruction with a wave of his hand.

As they ascended, the river narrowed, eventually becoming a shallow stream.

They emerged into a small cavern containing a deep pool. On the bank, a smooth, artificial platform had been carved out of the rock.

“Someone has been here,” Wang Hao said, examining the chisel marks. “Likely disciples of the Gui Ran Sect.”

The pool sat atop a First Rank High Grade Spirit Vein. It wasn’t the primary source of the cavern’s energy, but rather a byproduct formed over millennia of accumulation.

They looked upstream to see where the water originated.

The river vanished into a solid rock face. Water gushed out from a narrow fissure barely three feet wide.

“That’s strange,” Wang Hao muttered. “There are no tracks on the bank, yet the water is teeming with Qi. If there’s a beast inside, how does it get in and out of a crack that small?”

Wang Guang’an stared into the depths of the pool. His eyes narrowed. He reached out, and a suction force pulled a black object from the sediment.

It was a scale the size of a dinner plate.

“Snake scale,” Wang Guang’an identified it instantly. “And judging by the aura… Second Rank High Grade.”

“A snake demon,” Wang Hao nodded. “That explains the fissure. A snake could easily squeeze through there.”

Wang Guang’an inspected the rock face around the fissure. “This opening isn’t natural. Look here—the grain of the rock doesn’t match. Someone deliberately sealed this tunnel with a massive boulder ages ago.”

Wang Hao looked closely. Indeed, although thousands of years of erosion had smoothed the seam, the blockage was artificial. The Gui Ran Sect had sealed something in there.

“This is likely the core Spirit Vein of the entire underground complex,” Wang Guang’an said, excitement creeping into his voice. “If the sect sealed it, there must be a cave dwelling inside. Wenhao, you truly are the family’s lucky star. A Fated Chance, delivered to our doorstep!”

“Ancestor, don’t celebrate yet,” Wang Hao cautioned. “We don’t know what’s inside. It could just be a snake den. And snakes rarely live alone. If we stumble into a nest…”

Wang Guang’an sobered up. “You are right. A Second Rank High Grade beast that has cultivated for thousands of years in isolation… it will be stronger than its rank suggests. And fighting in a narrow tunnel puts us at a disadvantage.”

He pondered for a moment. “We lure it out.”

Wang Hao grinned and retrieved a bottle from his Storage Ring. He tossed two Beast-Rearing Pills to the Ancestor.

Wang Guang’an caught them. He summoned a small flame, gently toasting the pills to activate their medicinal fragrance. Then, with a wave of his hand, he used a wind technique to waft the potent scent deep into the fissure.

Minutes passed. The aroma of high-grade spiritual food saturated the air.

For a wild beast trapped in the dark, surviving on low-grade fish for centuries, this smell was irresistible. It bypassed logic and struck directly at primal hunger.

Wang Hao and Wang Guang’an stood on the bank, eyes locked on the fissure, weapons ready.

HISS.

A low, vibrating sound echoed from the rock. The water gushing from the crack surged violently.

A moment later, a massive, triangular black head squeezed through the opening. Its scales were as dark as ink, and its eyes burned with a maddened, crimson hunger.

It ignored the humans. It wanted only one thing: the source of that smell.