The golden light tried to dart away, but was intercepted by the black streak. With even greater speed, it was forced to turn back.
Behind it, the black streak pursued relentlessly, its speed in no way inferior.
When the black light swept past Jing Qian's perception, he caught a faint flash of pale-blue spiritual radiance. It was a Seventh-Rank [Blue-Blood] Great Demon!
Its form soon revealed itself: a crocodile-dragon, covered in thick, jet-black scales.
Though only seven or eight meters long, its dragon head and crocodilian body radiated savagery and dread, making it terrifying to behold.
This crocodile-dragon's cultivation far surpassed the dragon carp by two entire realms. Once it locked onto its prey, the carp could do nothing but flee in desperation, gradually being driven into the beast's control.
But the crocodile-dragon did not suppress it outright. Instead, it used its overwhelming power and speed to herd the carp into a circular trap.
Every time the carp tried to break through, the crocodile-dragon would surge ahead like a bolt of black lightning, blocking its way.
From Jing Qian's perspective, it looked as though the golden light danced frantically through the waters, agile and quick, but no matter how it moved, the black light closed off every path.
With the Dragon Gate Grass Dumpling as the center, the golden light could only circle closer and closer. Outward paths were cut off, inward movements unopposed.
Soon, the carp's movements were reduced to a mere one-li radius around the dumpling.
At that moment, the crocodile-dragon's voice thundered across the sea, carried by spiritual force:
"Dragon Carp, since you could not resist the lure and have revealed yourself, abandon thoughts of escape!"
"Consume the Grass Dumpling in peace, and advance your rank."
"I swear to you if you succeed, I will only take ninety percent of your essence blood and spare your life!"
Its aura rolled through the waters, pressing down heavier and heavier on the carp.
Realizing it had no way out, the dragon carp resigned itself and dove toward the dumpling.
It began eating again. But unlike before, when it had eagerly gorged itself, now it moved sluggishly, as though dragged along by despair, reluctant, lifeless, like one condemned.
With the crocodile-dragon keeping watch, Jing Qian dared not leave the Void Realm.
He had already given up on claiming the carp and instead treated the scene before him as a grand spectacle.
A Seventh-Rank crocodile-dragon was a rare sight indeed. When would he ever get such a chance again?
The carp devoted itself wholly to devouring the dumpling, and its speed increased.
In less than half an hour, the entire Dragon Gate Grass Dumpling had been consumed.
Then, faint bands of blue-white spiritual radiance began to emanate from its body.
It was undergoing the sublimation of life itself, advancing from the White Fang Realm toward the Azure Wing Realm!
The Red-Scaled Dragon Carp was a unique spirit fish native to the seas of Hunzhou. Legend said they descended from a true dragon of Golden Root rank or higher, which perished here eons ago, leaving behind this strange bloodline.
Thus, even in their White Fang form, these carps carried a trace of Violet-Eyed Dragon blood, a true marvel of creation.
And it was precisely because of this single drop of dragon blood that the Red-Scaled Dragon Carp held such extraordinary value.
For ordinary cultivators, consuming its flesh extended lifespan and strengthened the body.
But for dragon-kind like the crocodile-dragon outside, its blood could also purify their lineage and deepen their foundations.
That made the carp a living elixir, worth far more than its cultivation rank suggested.
And such a rare, fragile treasure had not gone extinct only because of two traits it possessed.
The first was the innate dragon-blood art: The Art of Dragon Swimming.
This innate art allowed the dragon carp to move through water at terrifying speeds.
Anyone below the Seventh Rank wouldn't even be able to touch its tail.
Its second trait was the [Hidden Dragon] Life Pattern.
This Life Pattern concealed all traces of supernatural aura, making the carp indistinguishable from an ordinary sea fish.
As long as it did not break its disguise, even a Seventh-Rank powerhouse would find it impossible to pick one out from the endless masses of ocean fish.
With these two traits combined, true captures of the Red-Scaled Dragon Carp were vanishingly rare.
That rarity only pushed its value ever higher.
For centuries, countless anglers dreamed of reeling in just one dragon carp, one catch that would mean instant wealth, a leap in status overnight.
And the Dragon Gate Grass Dumpling was bait invented precisely for that purpose.
This dumpling was refined from an Eighth-Rank spiritual herb known as Dragon Saliva Grass, itself a treasure linked to true dragon bloodlines.
When a dragon carp consumed Dragon Saliva Grass, its life essence and bloodline purity were greatly strengthened. That made it irresistible bait, capable of forcing them to abandon their disguise the instant they sensed it. Its allure was stronger than catnip to a cat!
The bait's effect was flawless, but its flaw lay in cost.
The materials were prohibitively expensive, and refinement extremely difficult.
If a single dumpling only lured one carp, the loss was immense. Only if it captured two would the fisherman break even.
Which was why "free" dumplings were always the sweetest!
Over time, the rule of the Hunzhou Sea became clear: if you dared to throw a Dragon Gate Grass Dumpling without at least Seventh-Rank [Longevity] cultivation, you were courting death.
Because the dumpling did not just lure dragon carp, it also invariably attracted Seventh-Rank dragon-blooded demons.
If not for Jing Qian's Void Realm concealing his presence, he would have long since been swallowed whole by the crocodile-dragon.
And as the first to arrive, that crocodile-dragon claimed the dumpling as its own, declaring sovereignty with its aura.
Normally, a single carp, rare as it was, wouldn't be worth a direct clash between Seventh-Rank beings.
But the situation had changed.
This carp, already at the peak of the White Fang Realm, was undergoing the crucial step of advancement.
No dragon-blooded demon could resist the chance at a freshly advanced Eighth-Rank Golden Dragon Carp!
Once ascended, the trace of Golded Root Dragon Blood in its veins could raise a Seventh-Rank dragon-blood's lineage to an entirely new level.
That was why, unnoticed until now, a colossal, rosy-shelled giant turtle and a flawless, white-jade dragon lobster had also appeared outside the circle.
Two more Seventh-Rank [Blue-Blood] demons of dragon descent, silently watching, eyes fixed on the carp's breakthrough.
If it truly succeeded, then a battle between the seventh ranks was inevitable.
And Jing Qian could not help but feel thrilled with anticipation!
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