Chapter 1276: Three-Headed Hound

Upon this realization, everyone suddenly understood. For Queen Thalia, however, this was not good news. After all, the Pufferfish Clan had long been an allied force that maintained friendly relations with the Serpentfolk. Now, with this change befalling the Pufferfish Clan, her influence within the entire Tiger King lineage had diminished further.

“You probably don't know where the previous leader of the Pufferfish Clan is, do you?” The Koi nodded helplessly. “That's an internal matter for the Pufferfish Clan. After all, the Pufferfish Clan originally possessed an extremely strong reproductive ability and powerful racial capabilities. We fish species would easily bow down to them; who would dare provoke them? However, if you want to inquire about the Pufferfish Clan, go to the Misty Swamp ahead. Its leader might be able to answer your questions.”

Queen Thalia turned her head resignedly and looked at Xu Yang and the others. The so-called Misty Swamp was exactly as Thalia had initially described to Xu Yang's team. It was the territory of the Three-Headed Hellhound Clan, ranked second among the eight major races under the Tiger King. This clan, without a doubt, had a long-standing adversarial relationship with the Serpentfolk.

“Alright, your purpose has been served. Now it's time for you to fulfill your final obligation,” Xu Yang said slowly as he descended from mid-air back onto the white dragon's back, calmly observing the Koi in the nearby pot. It wasn't that Xu Yang was merciful, but rather that he acted with certain principles. Since the Koi had cooperated so well, it was only right to spare its life. As he finished speaking, Xu Yang gently glided a finger across the Koi's body. Although he had promised to spare its life, he would completely destroy its cultivation foundation.

With a painful cry from the Koi, the core of its cultivation and energy, solidified within its body, shattered. This immediately reverted the creature to its original form. The brilliant golden glow that once adorned its body vanished. Furthermore, its ability to expand its physical form disappeared. It would likely remain this size until its life force withered away.

“From now on, you no longer have the power to arbitrarily control the life and death of all fish in this lake. You will become an ordinary fish like the rest of them, spending the remainder of your life in this lake.” As he finished speaking, Xu Yang tossed it back into the depths of the lake.

Queen Thalia had indeed intended to meet the Pufferfish Clan along this route, but after hearing the Koi's explanation, she realized that the Pufferfish Clan could no longer be found in the surrounding waters. Instead of wasting more time there, it would be better to speed up their journey directly to the Misty Swamp area.

After informing Xu Yang of this idea, he offered his support. After successfully traversing the vast lake and landing, Xu Yang's team once again increased their pace, arriving at the outer reaches of the Misty Swamp in less than two days.

However, to the surprise of Xu Yang's entire team, shortly after entering the outer area of the Misty Swamp, they made a shocking discovery: scattered pufferfish skeletons were found there! It appeared these pufferfish remains had been in the outer region for decades or more, their flesh long since consumed by various creatures. Only their crystalline bones remained, attesting to their considerable strength in life and their likely prominent standing among the beast tribes, yet they had met such a tragic end.

“It's strange. The Pufferfish Clan is completely unsuited for living in a swampy area like this. Why are their skeletons here?” Queen Thalia voiced her confusion, and Xu Yang's team members gathered around the skeletons for a closer look. Unfortunately, too much time had passed since their demise. No further clues or traces could be found in the vicinity. Xu Yang's gaze sharpened. “It seems the only ones who can give us answers are the Three-Headed Hellhounds who rule this Misty Swamp.”

As they continued deeper into the Misty Swamp along this path, pufferfish skeletons like those found on the outskirts were visible everywhere. The more Queen Thalia saw, the more alarmed she became. Could the Pufferfish Clan have been imprisoned by the beast tribes within this Misty Swamp?

This thought flashed through her mind, but Queen Thalia couldn't even convince herself with such a guess. What she didn't expect was that the Pufferfish Clan's fate would be even more tragic than she had imagined!

The team pressed forward and soon sensed a scene of conflict between beast tribes not far ahead. Observing it up close, the sight utterly shocked every member of Xu Yang's team. A dozen or so pufferfish were currently besieged by three enormous swamp beasts. One of them was unmistakably a warrior of the Three-Headed Hellhound Clan, a leader of this Misty Swamp region! Accompanying it were a famished wolf and a leopard whose body was covered in intricate, patterned markings. These three behemoths showed no intention of immediately conquering their opponents. Instead, they seemed to be toying with the trapped pufferfish warriors, slowly brutalizing their bodies, in no hurry to devour them.

“Please, let us go! These pufferfish are mere newborns; they've already been branded with the Mark of Sand by the Hellhound Lords and won't live much longer. Please, don't brutalize them anymore. Whatever you want to do, do it to me!”

Among the dozen or so pufferfish, the only relatively sturdy adult pufferfish warrior was practically begging the three beasts before them. In response, the leading Three-Headed Hellhound, a so-called 'noble' of the Misty Swamp, unhesitatingly extended a powerful forepaw and firmly pinned the pufferfish leader to the ground.

“Since you're so eager for death, I'll crush you into pulp first, and then I'll slowly toy with your juniors. Hahaha!”

The Three-Headed Hellhound warrior gradually increased the pressure of its paw. Just as it burst into maniacal laughter, an immense force descended from the air, directly kicking off one of the Hellhound's heads, and blood immediately spurted from its neck. Naturally, with two heads remaining, having one head severed did not completely shatter its consciousness. However, such decapitation was the ultimate humiliation for the Three-Headed Hellhound Clan. Losing a head would ensure it could never hold its head high within the clan again. This feeling would be more painful than being killed outright. Enraged, the Three-Headed Hellhound warrior stood up again, glaring viciously at the figure of Xu Yang who had appeared seemingly out of thin air.