Chapter 3538: Chapter 3538: Rescue

As Zen rushed into the Divine River, his huge body went against the currents and stirred up hundreds of waves.

Meanwhile, Eastern Emperor Taiyi struggled to pull Yasamin upwards.

Just as the two of them continued to fight their way up, he suddenly heard a loud noise above them!

Rumble!

The sudden loud noise would've struck fear in anyone's heart but Eastern Emperor Taiyi did not feel afraid when he saw it come from the creature that was with Fuxi. This huge creature must have come to help him!

Yasamin's leg was bitten and continued to bleed.

Those beasts hiding in the depths of the Divine River no doubt smelled it and circled the waters.

Round, black insects emerged from the muddy soil while a black Dragon Mastiff appeared in the distance.

The Dragon Mastiff was alone but its strength far surpassed that of those Giant Turbid Crocodiles that often hunted in groups.

On the left side of the river was a cave that suddenly opened to let out two palm-sized fish.

Though small, these two seemingly harmless fish were in fact Spirit Sharks that ate ordinary fierce beasts for supper.

When they appeared, the other beasts took it as a sign to retreat lest they make a mistake and provoke them.

Since Eastern Emperor Taiyi couldn't pull Yasamin up, he merely gestured and pointed at her leg which was still in the Giant Turbid Crocodile's mouth.

Yasamin knew what he meant. If she got dragged down into the depths. it would be her end.

With gritted teeth, Yasamin unsheathed a dark-cyan saber from her sleeve, a weapon she often used on the Other Shore.

It was a trusty saber that she often used to hack her opponents. She never thought there would come a day when she was forced to use it to hack her leg. With a determined look in her eyes, Yasamin swung her blade and cut off her own leg cleanly.

Eastern Emperor Taiyi was able to pull her up but those Giant Turbid Crocodiles weren't going to give up so easily.

Spurred by her attempt to escape, the Giant Turbid Crocodiles broke out of formation.

After swallowing up Yasamin's dismembered leg, they quickly rushed towards the two again. It was at that moment that Zen arrived.

Splash!

With his big, fan-like hands, he clasped both Eastern Emperor Taiyi and Yasamin on the shoulder and pulled them up with all his might.

The two were able to rise with his help but the same couldn't be said for Zen who now sank rapidly underneath the waters.

While he sank, Zen stretched his hands out to the Giant Turbid Crocodiles that awaited him.

These beasts had survived countless life and death struggles in the Divine River. Not only were they powerful, they could also sense danger far away.

Zen exuded a terrifying amount of pressure that the Giant Turbid Crocodiles knew to avoid instinctively.

The moment he appeared, all of them wanted to turn tail. Unfortunately, the Giant Turbid Crocodiles that were near Zen had already fallen into his hands, literally.

The man held the head of a Giant Turbid Crocodile and, with a gentle pinch, smashed it in his hold.

He did this four more times before the other Giant Turbid Crocodiles panicked and turned tail to go back to their home.

Zen had no intention of hunting these creatures so he simply let them go.

When he raised his head, he saw two, palm-sized fish in the distance.

They were like two, sharp arrows that suddenly darted towards Eastern Emperor Taiyi!

Zen's eyes immediately narrowed. “They're fast.”

Two fist-sized holes appeared on Eastern Emperor Taiyi's body as the two fish pierced through him. By the time he realized it, the two fish were already several hundred feet away. ŕ𝔞ΝỐ𝔟Εʂ

“Spirit Sharks!”

The Soul Interdicting Water posed great resistance and decreased all creatures' speed.

Those two little fish proved to be the exceptions. Eastern Emperor Taiyi had been hiding in the river for a long time and naturally recognized these dangerous predators.

He was no match for them and could only endure the pain as he tried to float to the surface with Yasamin. Blood gurgled on his wounds but it wasn't anything he deemed too serious.

Unfortunately, the Spirit Sharks were not done. After the initial strike, they turned around and darted back towards Eastern Emperor Taiyi!

Rumble! Rumble!

This time, even Yasamin was hit. There was no dodging or defending against these Spirit Sharks and their attacks. All they could do was take it.

As the Spirit Sharks prepared their third attack, Zen's body suddenly shook violently and generated numerous bubbles that covered him entirely. This attracted the Spirit Sharks' attention.

When he saw the two fish looking at him, Zen flashed them a gesture that could be interpreted as a clear provocation.

Powerful they might be, these Spirit Sharks weren't very intelligent. They had since been rulers of this place and did not even take members of the Misty River race that seriously.

So how in the world would they take Zen's provocation lightly?

With their former prey forgotten, the two Spirit Sharks turned their attention to Zen and immediately darted towards him.

Eastern Emperor Taiyi could only look on in shock. He never expected this huge creature to sacrifice himself just to get the Spirit Sharks off their backs! For a second, he hesitated and thought about going down to help the creature.

However, Yasamin already beat him to a decision as she grabbed hold of his arm and continued to float upwards.

They were too weak to fight and would only end up in that huge creature's way. It was best for them to escape with this window of opportunity they were given.

Splash! Splash!

Soon enough, the two of them broke through the surface and began to swim towards the shore where Fuxi and the Snake Goddess awaited them.

After Fuxi and the Snake Goddess helped them to the shore, their wounds were quickly tended to. Since they were still in the Flaming Maple Forest, the Snake Goddess did not dare to use any theurgy to heal their wounds.

“The guy...” Eastern Emperor Taiyi began. “The guy in the water is besieged by the Spirit Sharks! Which race is he from? Where did you find such a powerful helper? Do you think he'll be okay?”

“Which race?” Fuxi repeated. He and the Snake Goddess exchanged a look but it was King Ieuan who answered.

“That's Zen from the Oneness Sky Palace.”

Eastern Emperor Taiyi's eyes widened in shock.

“Zen?!” he cried out in disbelief as he stood up in a hurry. The wound that was recently bandaged burst open from his rash action.

He would've never expected that strange creature to be Zen.

His worries also intensified since he realized that the young man was now at the mercy of those Spirit Sharks.

The Snake Goddess pressed a hand on Eastern Emperor Taiyi's shoulder and pushed him to sit back down. “Don't you worry now. He'll be fine.”

Eastern Emperor Taiyi shook his head. “The Spirit Sharks! They'll...”

He wanted to tell them how formidable those two fish were, how scary their powers could be, and that they needed to get Zen out of there immediately. However, the calm look on their eyes stopped him. It was only then that he realized that the current Zen was now beyond his imagination.

Yasamin smiled beside him. “Has he grown in power after reaching the Eternal Realm?”

Splash!

Just as she finished asking her question, a figure suddenly broke through the surface.

Everyone turned around to find Zen holding two fish in his hands: the Spirit Sharks!

These formerly terrifying predators struggled above the water but could not escape Zen's hold.

“Eastern Emperor Taiyi!” Zen greeted. “Madam Yasamin!”

As he reached the shore, Zen respectfully bowed to both of them.

“You really are Zen,” Eastern Emperor Taiyi muttered in disbelief.

It was quite a sight to see those two Spirit Sharks that had previously wounded him flail around in Zen's hands as the young man looked at him with a visibly relaxed and unbothered face.