Chapter 394: The Carp Demon Guards the Well

"Temple Covenant."

Marcus summoned Pebble again, the familiar ripple of power settling around him as the familiar reappeared at his side. Without wasting another second, he moved forward with Pebble and his two Sea Demon Souls, gliding over the pond until they reached the very center, hovering directly above the square six-cornered pavilion rising from the water below.

From above, he could finally see through the pavilion’s roof. At its center stood an ancient six-sided well built from thick stone blocks darkened by age. A faint white mist drifted upward from within, slow and steady, like breath escaping from something alive.

’The Well of Earth.’

Marcus’s eyes sharpened instantly. There was no mistaking it.

Unfortunately, the distance still made details difficult to discern, and the area surrounding the well was packed tight with trident-wielding fish-head soldiers standing guard in dense formation. Their weapons glinted under the light, their bodies unmoving, disciplined. Security was heavy enough to make any direct approach dangerous.

He frowned slightly. That was strange.

Scanning the area again, Marcus noticed something missing. Everywhere he looked there were fish-head guards, yet there was no obvious guardian monster, no elite presence overseeing the well itself.

That absence bothered him more than if one had been standing openly in sight.

"Pebble, scout ahead."

Pebble immediately activated his layered buffs, energy gathering around his rocky frame. Riding atop Blackie, he advanced cautiously toward the Well of Earth while Marcus remained behind, watching closely. Just because a guardian was not visible did not mean it was absent. Marcus had learned that lesson too many times to grow careless now.

The water suddenly churned.

The moment Pebble crossed into roughly a hundred meters of the well, the surface beside the pavilion twisted into a violent whirlpool. Waves rose and spiraled upward, forming a towering column of water.

From within it emerged a massive humanoid figure.

It wore a flowing red cape that snapped sharply in the wind. Crimson scales covered its muscular body, shimmering like polished armor. Its head was unmistakably that of a red carp, long whiskers trailing beside its jaw. In each hand it gripped a massive blue war hammer that radiated crushing power.

A Carp Demon.

The resemblance struck Marcus immediately. It looked almost identical to the carp demon from Journey to the West movie, only far more imposing in person.

"Pebble, full speed!"

Now that the guardian had revealed itself, there was no reason to hold back. Pebble surged forward, accelerating directly toward the well.

Pebble shared Marcus’s attributes. If he could reach the Well of Earth, even briefly, Marcus might have a chance to secure the Earth’s Divine Water.

But the Carp Demon moved far faster than its bulky appearance suggested. Pebble had barely begun accelerating when the demon attacked.

BANG!

The two blue hammers slammed together with an explosive clash that shook the air itself. Energy surged outward as a skill activated.

"Thunder Shakes the Sky."

A bolt of brilliant blue lightning tore across the sky and struck Pebble head-on.

CRACK.

-14820.

Marcus was not surprised. Even with the Adamant Shield’s tremendous defensive boost, Pebble was instantly destroyed.

"Damn."

The attack range alone was terrifying. A hundred meters away, and the Carp Demon could still land a lethal magical strike without hesitation.

’Definitely a Mythic Beast.’

Marcus narrowed his eyes, quickly recalculating his chances. Even with Pebble’s resurrection granting three seconds of invincibility, the distance was simply too great. Reaching the well before that protection expired seemed impossible, and even touching the Earth’s Divine Water was another challenge entirely.

Still, when Pebble revived midair wrapped in the familiar golden invincibility glow, Marcus gave the command anyway.

"Go."

He wanted information. If he could not win now, he would at least learn everything about this enemy.

The Carp Demon stared upward, visibly enraged.

"You little pest... you can revive?"

Its voice rumbled across the water like thunder. The creature clearly considered Pebble insignificant, something it had already crushed once. Yet this tiny intruder dared return, shielded by an unfamiliar power and still reaching greedily toward the sacred well.

The demon opened its enormous mouth.

"Triple Wave Heaven!"

A concentrated jet of blue water erupted outward like a launched spear, streaking toward Pebble with explosive force.

BOOM.

The attack slammed into Pebble, but the Ring of Resurrection’s invincibility absorbed the damage completely. Not a single point of health was lost.

However, the impact carried tremendous force.

Pebble was blasted backward, thrown upward into the sky instead of advancing. Rather than closing the distance, he was pushed farther away from the well.

And the attack was not finished.

Before Pebble could stabilize himself, the same water jet curved through the air and struck again.

BOOM.

Another collision. Still invincible and still airborne. Pebble was launched even higher.

Marcus blinked in disbelief.

Just moments earlier, Pebble had been ninety meters away from the Carp Demon. Now he was farther than when he started, pushed beyond a hundred meters again.

The skill’s final wave arrived without pause.

BOOM.

The third impact landed at the exact moment Pebble’s invincibility expired. The blue water column tore straight through him, obliterating his body into fragments of fading light.

Marcus exhaled slowly. Now he truly understood. The strength of a Mythic Beast was not just raw power.

"It timed the invincibility perfectly..."

High-tier monsters were intelligent and calculating. Patient enough to wait for the precise moment a weakness appeared before delivering the killing blow.

Below him, the Carp Demon clanged its twin hammers together repeatedly, delighted as Pebble burst apart like fireworks against the sky. It danced across the surface of the water in obvious celebration before finally raising its head to stare directly at Marcus hovering far above.

Its eyes burned with open provocation.

’Come down here if you dare.’

Marcus snorted.

"Yeah. No thanks."

He raised a hand and gave the demon a very clear gesture of refusal before turning away. Leaving the furious Carp Demon roaring below, Marcus guided his Sea Demon Souls toward the distant Bodhi Grove instead.

Once above the grove, he summoned Pebble again.

"Scout."

Pebble descended carefully into the forested area. After several cautious passes, Marcus observed an important detail. The green stone giants scattered throughout the grove possessed no ranged attacks. They only reacted when Pebble approached within roughly twenty meters, lifting their heads and shouting angrily toward the sky. Their sword energy attacks could only reach him if he descended to around eight meters above them.

Even so, their damage was nothing to ignore. Every successful strike dealt more than four thousand damage to Pebble, comparable to the fish-head guards and the monsters inside the Stone Milk Sacred Cave.

Marcus felt a familiar tension tighten in his stomach.

If the Well of Earth had been guarded by a Mythic Beast, there was little chance the Bodhi Stone would be left unprotected.

Somewhere in this grove, another guardian was waiting.