Their bodies were dark and robust, with heads resembling those of fish, yet they possessed limbs, hands, and long tails.
They looked somewhat like the fish monsters from animated cartoons in Shen Xiaoyan's previous life.
Thinking this, Shen Xiaoyan actually found it a bit amusing.
Even while trying to suppress a laugh, she focused on dealing with the monsters before her.
Fortunately, Yi Zhiye and Lu Taobao arrived in good time, and coupled with Zheng Xiang's sudden acceleration, they managed to break through the horde without much incident.
Watching the pursuing monsters, Lu Taobao wiped the sweat from his brow.
"What kind of creatures are these? They're relentlessly chasing us. It's a good thing they can't attack from a distance, or we'd be goners."
Hearing Lu Taobao's words, Zheng Wei felt an urge to sew his mouth shut.
Didn't this guy know that speaking ill of the absent often invites trouble?
Glancing back with a lingering sense of dread, Zheng Wei breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the monsters were still far behind, they hadn't launched any long-range attacks.
This meant that even with pursuers, they could still catch their breath.
After another half an hour of rapid travel, when they looked back again, there was no sign of anything behind them.
The fog on the sea had also completely dissipated.
Only then did Zheng Wei slow down.
Seeing everyone relax, Zheng Wei's expression turned solemn. "I just realized there must be a leader among these sea monsters."
Shen Xiaoyan nodded. "I felt the same way. Otherwise, these creatures wouldn't attack us so systematically."
"Perhaps that leader is waiting for us not too far ahead," Lu Taobao said with a faint smile.
As his words fell, he received a collective eye-roll from Shen Xiaoyan and the others.
Despite this, they continued to move forward.
However, after a short while, they indeed saw a monster floating in mid-air, staring at them blankly. This caused Lu Taobao to instinctively slap himself.
Serves you right for spouting nonsense.
Zheng Wei and the others silently mused that indeed, the saying "bad omens often come true" was an eternal truth.
It was fortunate that the leader appeared on its own, saving them the anxiety and fear of being surrounded again.
Zheng Wei stopped the boat, while Shen Xiaoyan put her fan back into her spatial dimension.
She had once thought these things were useless, but now she was grateful she hadn't discarded them.
Since they might be useful at some point, it was best to keep them, and perhaps they would be needed again in the future.
The fish floating in mid-air watched the actions of Shen Xiaoyan and the others intently, showing no reaction whatsoever.
Uncertain whether there were any ambushes nearby, Shen Xiaoyan and her companions remained still, resulting in a stalemate between the two sides.
Just then, Shen Xiaoyan's heart stirred.
Looking ahead, Luoluo's shadow suddenly appeared before her.
Luoluo had returned to its normal size, with two shiny black wings on its back flapping up and down continuously.
"Luoluo, why did you come out?"
Shen Xiaoyan was a little confused. Hadn't Luoluo been angry and retreated into the dimension?
Why was it out now?
Perhaps it had a change of heart, realizing they had encountered a monster, and wanted to help?
But that didn't seem right; unless it was a matter of life and death, Luoluo wasn't usually so altruistic.
Luoluo, however, had no time to consider Shen Xiaoyan's thoughts. Its eyes were solely focused on the monster before it.
"Master, you're truly unkind! How could you not inform me about such a great tonic?"
After observing the monster for a moment, Luoluo suddenly turned, flew to Shen Xiaoyan's side, and complained with dissatisfaction.
Shen Xiaoyan was bewildered. What great tonic?
Seeing Shen Xiaoyan's genuine confusion, Luoluo's anger subsided slightly.
"Didn't I tell you before? Fish, especially those that are oddly shaped and possess great power, are all tonics to me."
Shen Xiaoyan listened and thought back carefully, but still had no recollection.
Seeing Shen Xiaoyan shake her head, Luoluo also felt that perhaps it had never mentioned it before.
But it didn't matter. As long as it ate this monster now, it would become even more powerful.
Most importantly, it could fly faster.
This way, it wouldn't be left behind by Xiao Rongrong.
Thinking this, Luoluo's fighting spirit ignited fiercely.
Shen Xiaoyan sensed Luoluo's fighting spirit and felt comforted. It was good that she had raised it; it knew how to share her worries.
If Shen Xiaoyan knew what Luoluo was truly thinking, she probably wouldn't feel this way.
Before Shen Xiaoyan could say anything else, Luoluo turned and swiftly flew towards the monster.
The monster, meanwhile, remained steadily floating in mid-air. If Shen Xiaoyan and the others couldn't sense its life signs, they would have thought it was a corpse drifting there.
Just as Luoluo's claws were about to reach the monster, its shadow vanished from its original spot.
If an ordinary person were present, they would surely think it had disappeared.
However, Shen Xiaoyan and the others clearly saw that the monster's speed was incredibly fast. In an instant, it had moved to a different location.
With such speed, it was no wonder it hadn't dodged Luoluo's attack earlier.
At the same time, Shen Xiaoyan and the others felt a sense of relief. They considered their own speed to be quite fast, but compared to this monster, it was insignificant.
In such a situation, if they had rashly attacked, it wouldn't have mattered if the monster dodged. They were more concerned that the monster might have circled behind them and delivered a powerful blow.
In that case, even if they didn't die, they would likely be injured.
Looking at the current situation, Luoluo's speed, though not initially fast, eventually matched the monster's.
The cat and the fish constantly shifted positions in the air, leaving Shen Xiaoyan and the others dazzled, feeling as though they all possessed cloning abilities, leaving copies of themselves everywhere.
While marveling at the monster's combat power, Shen Xiaoyan also sighed at Luoluo's determination to eat fish.
It seemed that regardless of whether one was truly a cat, they had no resistance to fish.
"Should we go and help?" Yi Zhiye asked, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
Luoluo's persistence indicated that this strange fish was indeed a great tonic.
If so, wouldn't it taste exceptionally good?
With this thought, Yi Zhiye's hands itched even more, wanting to rush forward and help.
But before he could make a move, Luoluo seemed to have heard him and its attacks suddenly became more ferocious.
Both the speed and power of its claw swipes were significantly increased compared to before.
Even so, the strange fish still managed to cope with ease.