Volume One: Cloudy Immortal Palace Arc Chapter Eighteen: The Solar Shark

Chapter Eighteen: The Sun Shark

Boom!

The whirlpool at the bottom of the molten lake churned ceaselessly, searing magma splitting apart. Zhou Hao’s fist, wreathed in golden light, smashed forth like the hand of the sun, pounding against the razor-sharp fangs of the golden giant fish. The creature’s gaping maw was poised to engulf the humanoid figure before it.

With a crisp crack, the golden radiance of the fist illuminated the lakebed—his blow landed squarely on the fish’s tooth, shattering it as if it were a silver blade. The golden behemoth let out an enraged roar, its massive body thrashing and scattering the molten lake in all directions, sending wave after wave of blistering heat surging outward.

Having landed a solid hit, Zhou Hao’s blood surged with battle fervor. With a metallic ring, he drew his celestial sword and slashed at the giant fish. Infuriated by the loss of its tooth, the fish erupted with a terrifying aura, golden ripples radiating from its form in concentric circles. Zhou Hao gathered all his celestial power into his hands to barely withstand the onslaught; the golden waves slammed against his sword with resonant clangs, like mighty temple bells struck in fury.

“You puny celestial human, how dare you break my fang! I’ll chew you to bits!”

The golden fish’s eyes widened with wrath, scarlet pupils firing twin bolts of crimson lightning. With a sharp snap, the beams pierced Zhou Hao, who was desperately holding off the golden ripples.

“Ah!”

Twin holes appeared in Zhou Hao’s sides, blood staining his white robes. He cried out in pain, gritting his teeth as he pressed forward, his celestial sword cleaving through the golden waves by sheer force.

His body trembled and his steps faltered. The fish’s eye-beams, sharp beyond compare and inscribed with celestial runes, continued to wreak havoc within his body, leaving Zhou Hao weakened and unsteady.

The golden fish surged forward, sneering at Zhou Hao’s feeble state. With only one remaining fang—a weapon it intended to drive through Zhou Hao’s heart—it prepared to finish the fight.

Suddenly, Zhou Hao hurled his snow-white frost blade with lightning speed, the sword streaking toward the fish’s pupil like a silver arc. At the same moment, Zhou Hao spun around and fled, transforming himself into a serpent-tailed firefish, swimming desperately upwards.

The golden fish was taken aback and infuriated, but the sword’s speed matched its own; it was on the verge of being pierced through the eye. Yet this creature was formidable indeed: it opened its jaws wide, spewing forth waves of golden energy, shattering the sword into fragments.

With a sweep of its massive tail, the golden fish turned and charged after Zhou Hao. At that moment, it was like a divine dragon rising from the sea, churning up boundless waves of heat. The entire molten lake erupted in chaos, great whirlpools forming at the depths like the eyes of the ocean.

“This is bad.”

Zhou Hao, still in fish form, had not escaped the lake before being swept up by the massive whirlpool, spinning wildly. At that instant, a huge shadow loomed before his eyes.

“Damn it, what is this fish’s origin? How can it be so terrifying?” Zhou Hao muttered.

“It is called the Sun Shark, one of the overlords dwelling in the magma. I only surfaced before because I encountered this beast.”

At that moment, a voice sounded in Zhou Hao’s ear—a voice only he could hear.

It was a woman’s voice, or rather a young girl’s. Zhou Hao, caught in the vortex, was relieved that the golden fish had not found him yet. But he saw no other living creatures here—so whose voice was this?

“Who are you? Do we know each other?” Zhou Hao asked quietly, his face full of confusion, though he sensed the voice belonged to a friend rather than a foe.

“You ate part of my body and still don’t know who I am? Hmph! What a forgetful fellow!” the girl’s voice sounded again.

Zhou Hao grew even more puzzled—he truly had no idea who she was, let alone that he’d eaten part of her body. What could she mean?

“Idiot. Forget the Sun Shark—it’d be better if you died of stupidity,” the girl said, a hint of exasperation in her voice.

“I’ve found you, celestial human. You won’t escape today.” At last, the golden fish had spotted Zhou Hao.

Its body was sheathed in golden scales, dazzling as dragon scales, with seven or eight sharp spines along its back like a row of golden spears. Its form was that of a shark, but with a single fang resembling a silver blade. This golden fish was the overlord born of high-temperature magma: the Sun Shark.

Zhou Hao reverted to human form, struggling to fight the Sun Shark. He frantically circulated his celestial energy, an azure glow enveloping his form—the mark of the Azure Cloud Technique. Spreading his ten fingers, he conjured ten swords of azure light, sending them hurtling toward the Sun Shark. The beast merely opened its mouth and inhaled, swallowing all the swords of light in one gulp.

“Hmph, is that all your celestial power? It’s not even enough to pick my teeth! You’d best sacrifice yourself now.”

The Sun Shark lunged, its fang slicing toward Zhou Hao’s throat. Zhou Hao’s desperate attacks failed to harm it; it seemed certain he would end up in the belly of the beast.

“My life is over!” The azure light faded, and Zhou Hao, his body slack, floated on the molten lake. The Sun Shark’s rune-imbued eye-beams had ravaged him; his sides were sunken, his face deathly pale, his cultivation rapidly ebbing away. Without aid, he would soon become a crippled immortal.

Such immortals, their bodies wrecked and cultivation lost, would live on, but never again tread the celestial path—at best, they might limp through another thousand years of existence.

The Sun Shark’s razor fang thrust straight for Zhou Hao with a piercing howl. But just then, a crimson light enveloped Zhou Hao and whisked him away, vanishing as if into thin air. The molten lake erupted once again, the Sun Shark driven to madness.

Letting a mere fledgling immortal escape, suffering a broken fang, and now losing its dignity as the overlord of the magma lake—these slights sent the Sun Shark into a frenzy. It spewed endless golden ripples, filling the subterranean world with fire and thunder.

Columns of molten magma spiraled upward, shaking this underground realm. The rock layers melted beneath the fiery torrent, and a blazing curtain of heat descended over the entire space. The Sun Shark had laid down a sealing array—it would find Zhou Hao, no matter what.

Upon the surface of the molten lake, a crimson lotus bloomed, radiant as the finest ruby, its seven petals unfurling and showering the air with a rain of red meteors—breathtakingly beautiful.

The Nine-Petal Flameheart Lotus!

Atop the lotus, a faint golden flame flickered, beside which lay a tiny figure—none other than Zhou Hao, pursued by the Sun Shark.

“Where am I? Is this hell?”

Zhou Hao shook his head as he awoke from unconsciousness, looking around and muttering to himself.

“You’re awake. Seems your injuries aren’t enough to kill you. You’re no ordinary celestial human.”

The girl’s voice sounded again—not just in Zhou Hao’s ear, but as if from all directions, making her even more mysterious. If she claimed he had eaten part of her, why would she save him?

“I’m alive? You saved me? Who are you? Could you show yourself?” Zhou Hao asked.

“It was better when you were unconscious. Now you’re just full of questions. Brains are a good thing; you should try having one,” the girl replied, her tone petulant.

“One: you’re alive. Two: I saved you. Three: I am the Nine-Petal Flameheart Lotus. Four: we’ve already met.”

As her words fell, a girl in a red dress appeared before Zhou Hao.

Her skin was white as mutton-fat jade, clad in a flowing crimson dress, her long fiery hair cascading down her back. Her features were exquisitely carved, as if by the hand of heaven itself: brows like emerald feathers, bright expressive eyes, pupils a deep crimson, a delicate nose, lips the color of fresh petals, her petite figure curvaceous and angelic.

“You… you… you’re beautiful…” Zhou Hao had meant to ask, “Are you the Nine-Petal Flameheart Lotus?” but upon seeing such breathtaking beauty, he could only marvel at having witnessed the loveliest thing in the world.

The red-haired girl giggled at Zhou Hao’s dazed praise, her laughter like the tinkling of silver bells, charming enough to enchant the soul.

She paused, then reached out a delicate finger and tapped Zhou Hao’s forehead, snapping him out of his stupor.

“Fool. Well? Never seen such a beautiful woman before?” she asked proudly.

“I really haven’t. But how did you grow up so lovely, so adorable? It’s as if heaven itself sculpted you. What do you eat to become like this?” Zhou Hao circled her, hand on his chin, as if trying to see through her mystery.

“What do I eat? That’s an amusing question. But let me remind you: the Sun Shark is about to find us. What will you do then?” she said with a playful smile.

“Right—the Sun Shark is truly formidable. I’m too weak to face it. What should I do?”

Her reminder snapped Zhou Hao back to the dangers around him—the Sun Shark could appear at any moment and devour him without a second thought.

“You saved me, so you must have a way. Tell me—how do I defeat the Sun Shark?” Zhou Hao looked at her hopefully.

“Oh dear, I already told you: the Sun Shark is an overlord born of magma, invincible in the depths of the earth. Unless your master intervenes, you’re as good as dead!” She shook her head.

“But I can’t always rely on my master. What sort of hellish training would that be? I have to subdue this mutant shark on my own.” Zhou Hao drew a deep breath. His body felt much better—though still wounded, the rune’s destructive power in his sides was gone, no doubt thanks to the red-haired girl—the Nine-Petal Flameheart Lotus—healing him.

“Where are you going? Don’t tell me you’re foolish enough to face the Sun Shark head-on?” she asked with wide eyes.

“What else can I do? How will I know if I don’t try? I never believed I’d lose—whether in the mortal realm or the celestial domain!” Zhou Hao’s words rang with conviction.

A streak of azure light shot forth as Zhou Hao summoned all his celestial power, raising himself to his peak state for a final reckoning with the Sun Shark. Though his cultivation amounted to only fifty years by the standards of an ordinary Yunmiao disciple—a meager sum—he had his reasons to fight.

“What a fool. But I need this fool to leave this place and see the outside world. I must help him,” the red-haired girl muttered helplessly.

Within the lake, the Sun Shark’s massive form prowled restlessly in search of Zhou Hao, but failed to notice the Nine-Petal Flameheart Lotus floating on the surface. The reason: the Sun Shark’s peculiar vision.

On the lakebed, it could see everything clearly; but on the surface, away from the magma, it could only perceive things in motion—stationary objects were wholly invisible to it.

“You brat, don’t think you can hide. I’ve sealed this entire space—you can’t escape! I’ll tear you limb from limb and offer your innards as tribute!” The Sun Shark’s roar shook the very air.

“Your grandpa Zhou is here—come break another tooth if you dare!” Zhou Hao crept up behind the Sun Shark and kicked one of its spines protruding above the lake surface.

“Why, you insolent celestial! Bringing up my broken tooth again? I’ll skin you alive!” Though the kick didn’t hurt, Zhou Hao’s words ignited all the Sun Shark’s boundless fury.

How could it endure such humiliation? The mighty Saber-Toothed Sun Shark, its sword tooth shattered by a mere human’s fist—this was an intolerable disgrace, demanding blood for retribution.

In a rage, the Sun Shark let out a thunderous roar, shattering rocks with golden ripples, sending waves and molten sprays cascading across the lake.

“Kill!”

Zhou Hao formed his fingers into a sword, conjuring blades of azure light. Knowing that the Sun Shark’s armored scales were impenetrable, he aimed all his strikes at its eyes.