Hearing Elder Jiang say he was going to use his hidden trump card made Lao Mo and I excited.
Even a little thrilled.
"Elder Jiang, hurry up. This ghost's strength is immense; it's a struggle for both of us to hold on."
I spoke again.
Although I couldn't see the situation at the riverbed, one thing was certain:
This malevolent ghost was struggling underwater.
And, at this moment, it lacked the ability to break the ghost-locking hook.
To break free from the hook, it could only drag us into the water.
Now, it wasn't just a battle of techniques, but also of strength.
Elder Jiang's hand seals were incredibly fast.
He then said to us:
"Hold on, I only need a minute."
As he spoke, he began chanting.
Chanting for a minute likely meant a powerful formation or spell.
Lao Mo and I didn't hesitate.
We continued to hold the iron chain tightly.
But the malevolent ghost below kept pulling with all its might.
Not far away, the water surface was intermittently bubbling.
Along with it came muffled roars:
"It hurts, it hurts so much.
Damn it, damn it.
I will make you suffer a miserable death, a miserable death..."
Those piercing sounds echoed relentlessly across the river.
But no matter how fiercely it threatened, we refused to let go.
I even retorted,
"Stop with the nonsense, we don't know who will live or die yet!"
After saying that, I applied more force.
Trying to pull the iron chain back a bit.
The iron chain groaned under the strain, but it wouldn't budge.
At that moment, the malevolent ghost in the river suddenly let out a low growl:
"Aow!"
The sound was rough and heavy.
As this sound echoed,
A strong, chilling wind suddenly swept across the river, whipping up the waves.
The "whoosh" of the river water incessantly crashed against our boat.
Our boat, already damaged, was taking on water.
Combined with the crashing waves, the boat rocked violently.
More water poured into the vessel.
Our boat's waterline sank lower and lower.
If this continued, it would sink in at most two minutes.
Lao Mo and I strained with all our might, not daring to loosen our grip.
Sweat poured down our faces, and our hands felt numb.
Never had a minute felt so long.
Finally, the minute was up.
Elder Jiang, standing in the center of the boat, clasped his hands together.
He suddenly let out a low roar:
"Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Chen, Lie, Zai, Qian, four-phase water ox formation, activate."
His voice was ancient and hoarse.
As Elder Jiang finished his cry,
A blast of spiritual energy erupted with a "buzz" from around him.
The spiritual energy transformed into ripples of vapor, spreading outwards.
The surrounding black mist was instantly scattered.
Our visibility also became much clearer.
In addition,
We could see that in the four corners of the backwater bay,
Gushing river water suddenly erupted.
The water poured out with a "whoosh," forming fountains over a meter high.
It seemed as though something was about to emerge from the river.
It was too dark to see far, even with our Heavenly Eyes.
But shortly after those gushing waters appeared,
We heard the sound of cattle horns:
"Ang..."
The sound was prolonged and carried far,
Seemingly from the riverbed.
The entire river surface began to churn with waves.
And the malevolent ghost in the river, as if sensing something, struggled even more violently.
Lao Mo and I almost lost our grip.
Faintly, we could still hear the malevolent ghost screaming:
"Let me go, let me go..."
This vengeful spirit was afraid, terrified.
It began to drag us, attempting to flee back into the bay.
We were also getting closer to the river surface where the fountains were erupting.
Finally, we could clearly see the situation within the fountains.
In the center of the fountains, a faintly visible stone ox emerged.
The stone ox was covered in black light, with runes carved onto its body.
This stone ox, wasn't this just a common water-镇 (zhen) stone ox?
Just as Lao Mo and I were focusing on the water-镇 stone ox within the fountains,
Elder Jiang, in the center of the boat, let out another low roar:
"Heavenly spirit, earthly spirit, four-phase water ox, destroy divine path, break!"
With this explosive shout,
Elder Jiang spread his hands apart, forming a "666" gesture, a common online slang.
However, there was a slight difference; this was likely a special dual-hand mudra.
Immediately after, he pointed towards the four stone oxen.
In an instant, the stone oxen in the river, radiating black light, their eyes suddenly glowed red.
As if activated.
A "moo" of a bull's cry echoed across the river.
The next second.
About five meters in front of our boat,
Without any warning, there was a "bang" explosion.
The power was immense, creating a five-meter wide water bubble on the surface.
A water column splashed over ten meters high.
The "whoosh" of the water falling resembled rain.
Following this explosion, a scream of a malevolent ghost came from the riverbed.
"Ah!"
The sound was painful and piercing.
The other end of the ghost-locking hook suddenly snapped.
Lao Mo and I stumbled and fell inside the boat.
I quickly got up and pulled the ghost-locking hook up.
I discovered that the ghost-locking hook had broken.
Only a length of chain was pulled back.
This surprised me.
After all, the ghost-locking hook was inscribed with runes; ordinary ghosts couldn't break it.
Simultaneously, the water-镇 stone oxen in the four corners of the bay, after this cry,
Slowly receded back into the riverbed.
The surroundings seemed to return to tranquility.
Elder Jiang was panting, looking at the river surface.
I raised my eyebrows and asked,
"Elder Jiang, is that malevolent ghost dead?"
Lao Mo's eyes were also wide.
Because neither of us could be certain.
Elder Jiang squinted, his brow furrowed.
Looking at the river surface, he also shook his head slightly and replied hoarsely,
"Although the river surface is calm, the black water has not dissipated, so it is difficult for this old man to be sure!"