Chapter 127 Sacrificial Spirit

I pointed to the dragon head and said, "You've been guarding this place for so many years. Have you ever seen the mechanism in operation? Have you ever found the central hub of the mechanism?"

"Of course, you can refute me and say that the dragon head mechanism requires people in the underground palace to operate it. However, I also have to ask you, if there really are people in the underground palace, would you dare to go in?"

Li Yulan unconsciously revealed a look of horror.

If there really were "people" in the underground palace, they would be comparable to ghosts and gods, even comparable to human gods. Even if we charged in, the end result would be burial in the underground palace.

Li Yulan said in a trembling voice, "How do you know if there are people in the underground palace?"

I looked up at Li Yulan: "I'm just guessing. No one knows what's really in the underground palace unless we go in. However, I'll ask you this: are you willing to give up if we don't go into the underground palace?"

"Unwilling!" Li Yulan's voice carried a sense of confusion: "But, can we get in?"

I said in a deep voice, "We can only wait until the dragon head opens its mouth itself. The dragon fish is dead, so we can only let the black fish return to the underground palace. You kill it, I'll bind its soul and offer a spirit sacrifice. Let the soul of the black fish knock on the door of the underground palace. There's no other way."

Li Yulan turned to look at the black fish in the water: "Is there no other way?"

"No!" I cut off Li Yulan's last hope: "You yourself are a soul body. Soul bodies can pass through walls and enter rooms. Haven't you ever tried to pass through the dragon head yourself?"

Li Yulan nodded slightly before lowering her voice and saying, "Although Xiao Hei doesn't have scales, its skin can defend against swords and spears. How can I kill it?"

I quietly beckoned to Old Liu, called him over, and lowered my voice to say, "We need to kill that black fish. Do you have a way?"

Old Liu was stunned for a moment before pulling out a black dagger from his pocket and saying fiercely, "I've soaked this dagger in poison for ten years. It seals the throat upon contact with blood. Take it and stab it into the fish's eye through the gap. It will definitely die when it sees blood."

I took the dagger and handed it to Li Yulan: "Do it!"

Li Yulan hid the dagger and quickly walked to the edge of the water by the steps: "Xiao Hei, come here... Xiao Hei..."

The black fish in the water seemed to sense Li Yulan's killing intent and kept hovering by the water's edge, refusing to approach her. Li Yulan called out softly, "Xiao Hei, come here. Mother will take a look at your injuries."

Whether it was because Li Yulan suppressed her killing intent, or because Xiao Hei forgot the danger because of that word "Mother," it slowly swam towards Li Yulan. Li Yulan, squatting by the water's edge, reached out and gently stroked the black fish's back, as if she was saying something to it. The black fish gradually relaxed its vigilance.

Old Liu said in a low voice, "Can that woman kill the black fish?"

"She definitely will!" I transmitted my voice: "As soon as she makes a move, I will guide the soul of the black fish. When the fish soul returns to its place, this place will become a battlefield. Once the great battle begins, I won't be able to take care of you. You and Zhao Zhuang have to be careful."

I inconspicuously glanced at Zhao Zhuang and the others: "When I make my move, try to stay away from me as much as possible, but remember not to go into the water. There is no way out underwater. You can't defeat the water ghosts."

Old Liu exclaimed, "Didn't you say that the nine Ghost Cauldrons are suppressing things underwater?"

I responded, "That was intentional. Eight cauldrons have indeed returned to their positions, but they haven't left this cave. There's no time to explain to you now, just be careful!"

As I was speaking, I saw Li Yulan quietly draw the poisoned dagger from behind. Her left hand slightly blocked the black fish's eye socket, and her right hand held the knife and stabbed fiercely into the black fish's eye.

The black fish's eye socket had already been scratched by Old Qu. Li Yulan's knife was aimed directly at the edge of the wound, and her attack was extremely fierce. The seven-inch dagger completely penetrated the black fish's eye amid the sound of the blade rubbing against the fish bone.

The moment the pungent blood spurted out of the wound, Li Yulan retreated. The black fish, in great pain, plunged into the water.

In the blink of an eye, the bloodstained river water surged up to the sky below the steps. The black fish, with a dagger in its eye socket, tumbled up and down in the water, charging aimlessly.

I used my hand to shield myself from the falling river water and shouted, "Old Liu, when will the poison take effect?"

"It already has." Old Liu, his face covered in water, retreated according to my instructions: "That beast won't last long. That woman is gone..."

Li Yulan, who had been standing by the water's edge, had disappeared. The river water below the steps was rising madly, as if deliberately giving the dying black fish a chance to reach us, constantly pushing the rampaging black fish up the steps.

I waved repeatedly, signaling Old Liu and the others to retreat, while I unfurled the Soul Chasing Chain on the shore. I gripped the chain tightly with both hands, locking onto the black fish thrashing in the water.

In just a few moments, the black fish erupted with its final madness, leaping several meters to crash into the rock wall. The rocks in the cave exploded with a loud crash, and large and small stones flew everywhere. The black fish's horn also broke into two pieces in the midst of the loud noise.

The hornless black fish crashed into the water like a rock the moment my Soul Chasing Chain moved.