Chapter 30: The Treacherous River

Tang Chun Xi finally reached the riverbank. Sweat trickled down her forehead, and her breathing was slightly unsteady. Half of her energy had been consumed, even with the Cycle of Elements converting energy from other sources into fire spiritual energy. The chase had been intense.

As soon as she arrived, she deactivated the [Phoenix Wings]. Her presence seemed to startle some animals drinking nearby, and they scattered in fear. She then turned her attention to the river.

The current appeared calm on the surface, but Tang Chun Xi knew there was much more beneath that false serenity. This river, located near the Clear Waters Mountain Range, was well known among the locals and hunters. It was treacherous, and if one wasn't careful, they would pay with their life.

It was hundreds of meters wide—broad enough that the boars chasing her wouldn't be able to cross easily. And, from what she knew, deep enough to swallow any careless creature.

— "Now I just need to cross safely."

Tang Chun Xi took a deep breath.

She recalled one of her father's gifts.

With a quick thought, she delved her consciousness into her spatial ring and found a spiritual boat—a wooden object that, outside the river, barely reached half her height.

She held it firmly and threw it onto the water.

The moment it touched the surface, the boat instantly expanded, growing to a suitable size for the journey.

Tang Chun Xi boarded with a light leap and placed a few spiritual stones into the boat's propulsion array. As soon as the energy was absorbed, the boat began moving, gliding smoothly over the water toward the opposite shore.

Her gaze remained sharp.

If something were to attack her, now was the perfect moment.

But nothing happened.

The river remained calm. Only the sound of the current, the wildlife in the surrounding forest, and the distant noises of her pursuers filled the air. Some aquatic creatures were visible within the river.

And, minutes later, Tang Chun Xi reached the opposite bank.

Only when she jumped off the boat, feeling solid ground beneath her feet, did she hear the loud snapping of branches from the other side.

Her pursuers had finally reached the riverbank.

She turned and, for the first time, saw them clearly.

A group of ten Cloud-Furred Boars.

They were large and muscular, their red eyes burning with rage. Their sharp tusks gleamed under the setting sun.

However, their speed had worked against them.

The leading boars couldn't stop in time. One by one, they plunged directly into the river.

The impact was loud, startling the fish that fled in fear.

Water splashed in all directions as the animals momentarily sank. But as soon as they resurfaced, their survival instincts kicked in.

They thrashed desperately, swimming against the current, trying to return to the shore they had come from. The fury in their eyes was gone, replaced by raw fear—they seemed to realize, only now, that they had made a fatal mistake.

Tang Chun Xi observed closely.

And then, it happened.

One of the boars, the one farthest from the group, was suddenly dragged underwater. Blood surfaced moments later.

— "There they are..."

The remaining boars panicked.

They thrashed harder. Swam faster. Anything to escape the water.

And, one by one, they managed to return to the shore.

They shook their drenched bodies, panting heavily, and roared in fury at the area where their companion had disappeared. But they seemed to know there was nothing they could do.

Then, their attention turned back to Tang Chun Xi, their roars filled with rage.

— "They fear what's in the river… but they haven't forgotten their grudge against me. Do I look like an easy fruit to them?" — she thought.

Tang Chun Xi simply watched them, her gaze cold and slightly annoyed.

She had chosen this river by chance… but upon noticing its depth, she realized she had just gotten lucky.

She recalled the conversations her father had about a treacherous creature that lived in this river—one that was considered a delicacy in the city.

And she thought about the predators lurking in the river's deepest parts.

Dark Rock Piranhas.

They were patient, cunning, silent hunters.

They remained at the riverbed, waiting.

They didn't attack just anything. They didn't chase random movements.

They waited.

If they sensed the fresh flesh of a non-marine creature in the water, they would remain still… until the prey was too far from the shore.

And when they finally struck, it was already too late.

The prey would be dragged to the depths and devoured within seconds.

Tang Chun Xi knew this and would never make the mistake of swimming across or risking falling into the river by other means.

But the boars…

Even if they instinctively knew it was dangerous, their fury clouded their judgment, making them reckless.

And now, the river was no longer a barrier.

It was a death trap.

Tang Chun Xi exhaled in relief.

Her original plan had simply been to use the river to buy time—enough to clean herself and change clothes, erasing any blood traces the boars had been using to track her.

But the river had turned out to be her greatest ally.

She cast one last glance at the drenched boars on the other side.

They stared back at her with fierce but hesitant eyes.

They wouldn't cross the river.