Kuang Feifan watched Feng Tian make gestures continuously and couldn't help hesitating, a look of confusion crossing his face. Naturally, he couldn't open his mouth to ask underwater, so he merely stabilized his body in the water, pointed one finger at himself, then pointed below, staring wide-eyed at Feng Tian.

Indeed, Feng Tian nodded vigorously at him, then kicked off with his legs and swam toward the surface.

Kuang Feifan's heart clenched. Below him was a mass of water monkeys, their eyes glowing red in the oppressive darkness. If he dove down alone to meet them, he feared being rushed by those creatures, possibly ending up injured even if not killed.

But glancing at Feng Tian and the figure of Ji Ping held between Feng Tian's arms, he brought the crude air bladder he held up to his face. He gripped the opening, tore off the seal, sucked in two deep breaths, then closed his eyes, hardened his resolve, flipped over, and swam down. At that moment, the swarm of water monkeys was almost upon him, leading to a direct confrontation with Kuang Feifan.

Facing the leading few water monkeys at such close range, Kuang Feifan could finally see them clearly. Only then did he truly agree that naming these aquatic monsters "water monkeys" was incredibly apt. Their sizes varied; the largest were about the size of a five or six-year-old child, while the smallest were no bigger than newborn infants. They were covered entirely in black fur, and the hairs stood completely erect, like porcupines on high alert. Their faces did bear some resemblance to monkeys, except their eyes were a vivid, bloody red, with no discernible pupils inside.

But their eyes were not the most terrifying aspect now. From both corners of their mouths jutted long fangs, protruding past their lips. Coupled with the bulging muscles on their faces, making them look as if they were covered in wens, anyone seeing them would instinctively feel a chill of terror. Behind their lower bodies, long black tails swayed in the water, and at the very tip of the tail was a hand covered in barbs. Seeing this, Kuang Feifan immediately understood: the handprints on the statue in the small square by the lake shore were caused by these tails.

Now, countless water monkeys stood before him, heads tilted back, staring fixedly at Kuang Feifan with their blood-red eyes. This scene would be enough to shatter the courage of most people, and Kuang Feifan felt much the same; his brain seemed to have lost the capacity for thought. Only a sliver of remaining sense kept him from turning and fleeing instantly.

Kuang Feifan stared blankly ahead. All he could see was a blinding expanse of red. Even though he was currently in the icy lake water, facing so many terrifying monsters generated a deep fear that sent a bone-chilling cold outward from his core, causing him to shudder involuntarily.

But the situation was clearly irreversible now; the outcome seemed predetermined, leaving only a futile standoff, waiting for those dreadful monsters to charge. Yet, subconsciously, Kuang Feifan was unwilling to surrender without a fight. Acting almost without thought, he instinctively curved his hands into claws before him, ready to grab the first one that rushed him—even if he couldn't kill it, he wouldn't let it pass unscathed.

However, the unfolding situation was utterly unexpected. Just as Kuang Feifan extended his hands, he suddenly noticed that the prayer beads on his wrist had begun emitting a soft, pale yellow light. The yellow light visibly brightened and dimmed, slowly expanding its range, illuminating the surrounding water like a flickering lamp breathing in and out.

Kuang Feifan, moments before filled with terror, suddenly became aware that almost all the water monkeys directly in front of him had actually stopped their forward momentum. Their bodies were frozen in place, their pairs of crimson eyes seemingly fixed solely on the beads on his wrist.

This was something he never anticipated. Could this string of beads possess such immense power? Or perhaps, was it precisely the nemesis of the water monkeys?

He had no real answer, but because the dynamic had suddenly shifted to a tense confrontation, he was liberated from the mindset of imminent death he'd held just moments before. His brain resumed functioning, and he immediately realized he should seize this moment to try something bold.

As soon as the thought surfaced, Kuang Feifan instantly translated it into action. He moved his body, slowly stirring his legs, and swam a short distance forward. He felt that if the water monkeys were to retreat because of his advance, he could stall them for a time and then use the beads to escape the current danger.

However, reality seemed different from his expectation. When Kuang Feifan moved closer to the water monsters, the leading ones, which had stopped in place, did not fall back.

His heart sank. It seemed the beads he held could not completely suppress these creatures.

Just as he was at a loss, he suddenly noticed that the edges of the spreading yellow light were gradually touching the closest few water monkeys. Under the illumination of the yellow glow, he saw the bodies of those few creatures begin to change. Their previously black, furry bodies gradually started to fade in color. In an instant, he realized it wasn't just a color change; their bodies were becoming transparent as the yellow light drew nearer. Soon, their bodies vanished into the water like phantoms.

Kuang Feifan was stunned. At that very moment, he noticed that as the first few water monkeys disappeared ahead of him, the ones behind them seemed to show expressions of panic. After a few more bodies turned transparent and vanished upon the yellow light's touch, some began turning around and retreating backward.

As a large number of water monkeys successively turned and sank away, Kuang Feifan observed that among them, disappearances continued to occur, always in small clusters. Every time a group vanished, the space it vacated would always be filled by one creature that did not disappear.

Finally, he deduced that among the large group of water monkeys he had initially seen, there were likely only a few real ones; the reason they looked countless was purely because most were illusions created by some innate ability of the water monkeys.

He trusted that only one or two had started to flee first, but retreat was an easily contagious habit. Before long, not a single one remained before him.

He couldn't believe the situation, moments ago critically dangerous, had resolved itself so swiftly. He had to admit that his escape was overwhelmingly due to luck.

Kuang Feifan remained stunned for a long time until he realized that if he didn't surface soon, even if the water monkeys hadn't dragged him down, he would drown from running out of air.

As he swam toward the surface, he involuntarily turned his head almost every two strokes. Kuang Feifan feared a water monkey might suddenly emerge from behind with its small-handed tail to drag him back to the depths. Finally, after he broke the surface, no vengeful water monkeys reappeared.

When Kuang Feifan managed to paddle to the shore and drag himself onto the bank, he collapsed onto the ground, utterly drained of strength, his nerves still shattered. Having held his breath for so long, he could finally feel the presence of air, and all he could do was gasp huge lungfuls of it.

He had no idea how long he had been underwater; perhaps not very long, but caught in that predicament, he had long since lost all sense of time.

Now, having climbed out, Kuang Feifan’s dissatisfaction with Feng Tian surged intensely. Lying on the ground, he couldn't help but ponder: I risked my life facing the monkey horde to cover for you, nearly dying in the process. Now that I’m up, he’s not even here to meet me. Does he truly expect me to perish down there?

Though he felt on the verge of collapse, the urge to check on Feng Tian’s situation prevailed. He strained to lift his head and looked left and right, only then realizing that the wind had picked up.

The wind seemed to be growing stronger. He hadn't noticed it while lying on the ground gasping, but looking up now, he felt the strong force of the wind against his face. Behind him, the lake surface had begun to emit a terrifying sound as the wind whipped up waves.

There wasn't a soul in sight, which made Kuang Feifan’s already unsettled heart panic once more. Realizing it was dangerous to remain near the water's edge, he used all his remaining strength to push himself up, scrambling forward on hands and feet, practically rolling and crawling, trying to get as far from the lake as possible.

However, having already expended so much energy, and now struggling against the wind, he couldn't last long and simply sat down to regulate his breathing.

After finally recovering slightly, he suddenly heard a faint howling mixed within the sound of the wind near his ears. Kuang Feifan immediately held his breath and listened intently. It was indeed a cry, but he couldn't be certain it was human; it sounded as mournful as a stray dog's wail, yet the sound was saturated with such agony that the longer he listened, the more gruesome it became.

Kuang Feifan suppressed his breathing, trying to steady his mind, but the persistent sense of unease burrowed up from his core, compelling him to investigate.

He managed to stand up, moved his limbs, and strained to determine the direction of the sound, moving toward it.

If his ears hadn't deceived him, the sound seemed to be coming from a residential community across the small plaza, separated from him only by a major road.

By the time Kuang Feifan entered the community gates, he was entirely certain the sound originated from within. Visible immediately upon crossing the threshold was a small pavilion in a garden not far ahead, where the noise was loudest.

Although the dim streetlights within the community didn't allow for clear viewing, he could vaguely make out the scene inside the pavilion. Kuang Feifan was shocked to see a figure in the center of the pavilion viciously lashing another figure, who appeared to be suspended, with a whip. The agonizing howls he heard were clearly coming from the suspended person.

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