Chapter 1394: 急中生智

He had just encountered Taotie, one of the legendary Four Fiends, which filled the entire mountain with resentment and possessed power comparable to a Demon Emperor. Now, he was facing another monstrous sea creature at the Sky-Reaching Soul realm. The gap between Sky-Reaching Soul and Earth Immortal wasn't vast, and with its home advantage here, even if Taotie were to confront it, it would likely not fare well.

Zu An mused that his luck was truly unparalleled, simultaneously suspecting that something was amiss with this Unknown Land. While previous Unknown Lands were dangerous, they never harbored so many terrifyingly powerful beings. He now felt as if a novice player had accidentally stumbled into a max-level dungeon.

Just then, the tentacles of the colossal octopus-like sea monster swept towards them. Yun Jianyue snorted, summoning her New Moon Wheel and slashing at the nearest tentacle. Thanks to the spiritual spring at the mountain peak, she had recovered 70% of her combat power, significantly boosting her confidence. However, to her astonishment, the monster's tentacle merely twitched, sending her New Moon Wheel flying. It was an artifact of heavenly rank, not a divine artifact, but it could easily cut through metal and jade. Yet, it couldn't sever the colossal octopus's flesh and blood?

"Watch out!" Zu An quickly warned as many more tentacles coiled towards her. Though he had seen "tentacle-themed" works in his previous life, seeing his close female companion entangled by tentacles was a completely different feeling. However, Yun Jianyue reacted swiftly. Tapping her toes, she flipped backward like a mermaid, evading the encircling tentacles. Before she could catch her breath, even more tentacles surrounded her. She recalled her New Moon Wheel to her side. Her long hair, reaching her hips, fanned out, her expression grim, eyes filled with murderous intent. The area around her turned blood-red, indicating she had activated her domain without holding anything back. She successfully repelled the tentacles from all directions, but disengaging proved difficult.

On the other side, the temperature plummeted, and a patch of the clear blue seawater turned white, clearly freezing. Yan Xuehen, wielding her Flying Snow Sword, adeptly parried each of the surrounding tentacles' fierce attacks with nimble, elegant sword movements. Zu An noticed that with every strike of her sword on the tentacles, a layer of white frost appeared on their surface, though they didn't truly freeze. One must understand how potent Yan Xuehen's Snowflake Divine Sword was; when unleashed with her domain, even human cultivators, including Grandmasters, would likely turn into ice sculptures. Yet, this colossal octopus's tentacles merely got a layer of frost.

In comparison, Yu Yanluo's situation was far more perilous. Her cultivation was not as strong as the other two women, and she was quickly ensnared by a tentacle. Her movements momentarily halted, making her unable to dodge, and more tentacles simultaneously wrapped tightly around her. Zu An was greatly alarmed and was about to rush to her aid when he saw Yu Yanluo's figure suddenly appear several feet away. The tentacles that had ensnared her loosened. It turned out they had only wrapped around a painted scroll, which was now completely shredded.

Zu An quickly used Great Wind to reach Yu Yanluo's side. Her face was pale, and she looked at the colossal octopus's tentacles with lingering fear. "After seeing the Paper Bride's methods last time, I also learned to create a few substitutes." She was skilled in painting, and paintings are on paper, so her abilities shared many similarities with the Paper Bride's, making it easy for her to apply what she learned.

Zu An had no time to praise her, as many more tentacles coiled towards both of them. He immediately took out his Dagger of Poison, thinking he would soon teach the colossal octopus a painful lesson. The Dagger of Poison, a weapon that almost embodies a natural law, would kill the colossal octopus if it could inflict a wound, even if it was a terrifying being at the Sky-Reaching Soul realm. If it were another Sky-Reaching Soul cultivator, he might not be able to hit them, but this octopus was too large, and it was arrogantly swinging its massive tentacles towards him. If he couldn't even land this hit, he'd be utterly useless. Worried its defense was too high, Zu An immediately used the Star-Shattering Mystic Seal, instantly boosting his attack power tenfold, and thrust it directly into an oncoming tentacle.

*Thud!*

Zu An's heart leaped with joy; he had hit it! But his expression instantly changed, because the sensation was wrong—it was too slippery. As he thrust, the dagger seemed to glance off at an angle. The colossal octopus seemed startled, and all its tentacles instantly retracted. A thunderous roar erupted. Clearly, being almost killed by an "ant" had completely enraged it.

Rage from the North Sea Kraken: 999999999...

Zu An was startled. So this creature was called the North Sea Kraken?

As the tentacles retracted, Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue finally broke free and rejoined him. With unspoken understanding, they turned and fled. They knew very well that even combined, they would be no match for this Sky-Reaching Soul sea monster. It was fortunate that their cultivation levels were high enough to hold their breath underwater for so long, but in a high-intensity battle, they certainly couldn't last much longer. Moreover, underwater, both the speed of their attacks and the consumption of vital energy were several times more difficult than on land.

"What, you didn't hit it?" Yun Jianyue urgently asked while they were fleeing. Having cooperated to kill the Scaled Deathworm last time, they naturally knew how potent Zu An's Dagger of Poison was.

Zu An lifted the dagger and showed it to the women, looking at the layer of pinkish mucus on it. He said with a strange expression, "This guy has a thick layer of mucus on its tentacles. It not only provides extremely strong defense but also made my attack slide off, causing that thrust to miss its mark." After all, the Dagger of Poison had limited length, so it hadn't pierced the kraken's main body. With this lesson learned, the kraken would certainly not give him a second chance.

"Oh no, the sea monster is catching up! It's much faster than us, we can't escape," Yu Yanluo said, looking back. She saw the colossal octopus waving countless tentacles, surrounding them like a net, and her face turned incredibly pale. Women naturally harbored extreme aversion and revulsion towards tentacle-like creatures. The thought of being caught by such a thing caused even Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen, who had faced death calmly, to feel their hearts tremble intensely.

Zu An also knew it wouldn't be long before they were caught. Yu Yanluo's face showed a hint of determination. At that moment, Yan Xuehen stopped her, saying, "Don't try it. The disparity in our cultivation is too great. Even if you push it to the extreme, you won't be able to petrify it. You'll only exhaust yourself to death on the spot." Having personally experienced the highest level of the Medusa's Eye, she naturally had the right to speak on the matter. At this moment, her hair began to float, gradually emitting a faint white glow. On the other side, Yun Jianyue also took out her Ever-Shining Palace Lantern, her expression indifferent.

Zu An quickly grabbed her hand. "Don't be reckless, both of you. I have a plan." During their last visit to the Brightmoon City secret realm, Zu An had personally witnessed Chu Chuyan use a forbidden art to destroy the Kun-eater, which was then utterly beyond their ability to contend with, almost dying in the process. This forbidden art was clearly taught by Yan Xuehen, and her current state was almost identical to Chu Chuyan's back then. Although he didn't know Yun Jianyue's exact situation, he presumed it was a similar method. Both of them had not fully recovered from their injuries. Forcibly activating such forbidden arts against such a powerful enemy could result in their immediate demise, leaving no time for rescue afterward.

"Are you planning to use that 'Key-Come' move again? That would also mean certain death for you," Yan Xuehen frowned. "This sea monster is at the Sky-Reaching Soul realm and has already cultivated a Yin Spirit. This entire sea area is under its control. Even if you use 'Key-Come' to move dozens of miles away, you won't escape its perception." If he were to use 'Key-Come' directly against this sea monster, given the immense disparity in power, the sea monster would most likely not die, but he would.

"No..." Zu An had no time to explain. He immediately retrieved the previously collected corpse of the Scaled Deathworm from his Glazed Orb and threw it towards the colossal octopus behind them, then pulled the three women rapidly down to the seabed.

***

Some people die, but they don't completely die...

He gulped in fresh air, his chest heaving. Confusion, bewilderment, and various emotions flooded his mind. Where was this?

Then, Shi Yu subconsciously surveyed his surroundings, growing even more bewildered. A single dorm room? Even if he had been successfully rescued, he should be in a hospital room now. And his body... how could it be completely unharmed? Puzzled, Shi Yu's gaze quickly swept across the room, finally settling on a mirror at the head of the bed. The mirror reflected his current appearance: around seventeen or eighteen years old, and quite handsome. His former self was a distinguished, handsome young man in his twenties who had been working for some time. But now, this appearance looked like that of a high school student... This change left Shi Yu stunned for a long time. Please don't tell him the surgery was successful... His body and face had changed. This wasn't a matter of surgery; it was a divine art. He had actually become a completely different person!

Could it be... that he had transmigrated?

Besides the mirror at the bedside, which was clearly placed in a spot with bad feng shui, Shi Yu also found three books nearby. Shi Yu picked them up, and the titles instantly silenced him.

*Beginner Breeder's Essential Beast Rearing Manual**Postpartum Care for Pet Beasts**Guide to Appreciating Beast-Eared Girls of Different Races*

Shi Yu: ???

The first two book titles seemed normal enough, but what was up with the last one?

"Ahem."

Shi Yu's gaze sharpened, and he reached out, but his arm quickly stiffened. Just as he was about to open the third book to see what it was, a sharp pain shot through his brain, and a flood of memories surged forth: Icefield City, Pet Beast Breeding Base, Intern Pet Beast Breeder.

Beast Tamer?