Ye Jingyu was exceptionally fast, his physique possessing an agility that allowed him to move through the jungle with the effortless grace of a monkey, completely untraceable. No matter how swiftly the dark creature fled, escape from his pursuit was impossible.

Man and beast raced for several li, eventually arriving beneath a towering waterfall. The black creature didn't even glance back; with a powerful push of its hind legs, its entire body plunged directly into the cascade.

“Is this a lesser version of Flower-Fruit Mountain’s Water Curtain Cave?” Seeing the strange beast vanish completely into the waterfall, Ye Jingyu couldn't help but recall the Journey to the West from his past life—Sun Wukong’s cave was also a separate world hidden behind a fall.

As he spoke, his own body was already leaping, launching toward the waterfall.

But just as he reached the torrent, about to feel the impact of the rushing water, an immensely potent wave of energy erupted from within the waterfall, striking Ye Jingyu head-on. He was immediately blasted downward, falling directly into the frigid pool beneath the falls, sending up sprays of white foam...

“Foolish human, thinking you could capture me. Now see how you die! That Dragon-Serpent is one even I’m reluctant to provoke. Even if you manage to kill it, how could you possibly be a match for me afterward?” At this moment, a head emerged from the waterfall, utterly ignoring the crushing water pressure. It looked down at Ye Jingyu sinking into the cold pool and spoke human words. Clearly, the creature had sensed Ye Jingyu’s formidable aura and, knowing it might not win a direct fight, had intentionally lured him here, catching him completely off guard.

Ye Jingyu’s body plunged into the cold pool, instantly feeling an icy chill wash over him. However, it was merely a sensation; given the current strength of his physique, such cold could not harm him in the slightest...

To be tricked by a strange beast was, for Ye Jingyu, an immense humiliation. Yet, he felt no anger now, only a surge of excitement. It wasn't the excitement of finding a highly intelligent mount, but because that attack had clearly been the Dragon Clan divine ability, the Dragon Crest Battle Wave.

Furthermore, from that energy, he sensed an incredibly familiar aura... Ni Bo.

The one who had attacked him was Ni Bo? This creature had actually evolved to this degree? He had never expected to encounter it here.

Excitement bubbling within him, Ye Jingyu was about to rush up from the pool to find Ni Bo when two shafts of chilling malice struck him. He turned his head and saw that at the bottom of the pitch-black pool, two blinding lights had ignited. They were a pair of eyes—eyes as large as washbasins...

“Ao...” Even underwater, Ye Jingyu faintly heard a dragon’s roar. Immediately after, he saw the enormous orbs rush toward him, or rather, a gargantuan shape hurtling toward him...

Before the behemoth arrived, Ye Jingyu felt the entire body of water in the pool begin to churn. Immense hydrostatic pressure incessantly hammered against his form, seemingly intending to crush him completely.

This was a divine ability, a power to control water. For an ordinary person, even a Martial Saint, facing such coercion without guarding their body with True Essence would result in their physical form being pulverized.

But his current body was the Chaos Body. Never mind this level of water pressure, even pressures hundreds or thousands of times greater would pose no issue. The Chaos Body was inherently adapted to any environment.

Although he could withstand the pressure, the colossal monster was rapidly approaching. Despite the poor light underwater, Ye Jingyu did not activate his Heavenly Eye, relying solely on his naked sight to clearly discern the creature.

It was a head—a head the size of a locomotive. Three horns sprouted from its crown, each radiating a chilling light. Most terrifying were the two fangs protruding from its jaws, each nearly three chi long, sharper and harder than any ordinary longsword...

The head was now less than a hundred chi away. At its incredible speed, this was mere moments, especially for something so massive. To Ye Jingyu, he seemed like a delicious morsel delivered directly to the mouth, ready to be swallowed with a single snap.

It opened its cavernous maw—a true hell-mouth that could swallow an elephant whole.

An intense suction pulled from its mouth, like a black hole, continuously drawing the surrounding water inward, clearly intending to gulp Ye Jingyu down alive.

If one had been observing from the surface, they would have seen the once-calm cold pool now roiling with waves and forming a massive vortex. The strange beast that had revealed its head watched this, its face displaying a humanlike smile—was it smugness, deceit? Or something else...?

Feeling the intense suction, Ye Jingyu’s body was involuntarily drawn toward the maw. Gazing into that massive, gaping mouth, he imagined being swallowed and suffocating in the creature’s foul internal stench. He had no desire to emulate Sun Wukong and end up inside its belly; even killing it from within was not the preferred option.

Slowly, he raised his right hand, and threads of golden light began to emanate from it, releasing an extremely powerful aura...

“Ten Thousand Immortals Destruction...” a soft cry escaped Ye Jingyu’s lips, followed by the vision of a massive hand—a Golden Great Hand—forming and slamming fiercely toward the creature's head...

In an instant, the surrounding water churned violently, forcefully displaced by the golden hand...

Seemingly sensing the immense energy contained within the Golden Great Hand, the head that had been lunging for Ye Jingyu halted its momentum and instantly reversed course, fleeing.

However, its body was far too immense, and Ye Jingyu’s technique was astonishingly swift. Almost the moment he struck, he was upon the massive creature.

“Crack...” With a deafening sound, the scales on the great creature’s back shattered under Ye Jingyu’s palm strike, the colossal force even vibrating and shattering its bones.

“Ao! Ao! Ao!...” It let out a tremendous shriek of pain. The great Dragon-Serpent dared not linger. Its massive body convulsed once, and it fled at full speed toward the deepest part of the pool.

This seemingly humble human was far beyond anything it could handle... How many years had passed since it had been wounded like this again...?