Chapter 54: Transformation into an Octopus

So, there was such a story behind the Ice Sword. As for why the Ice Sword had turned black, it must have something to do with the Corpse King. The old man offered a reasonable explanation: the corpse aura from the Corpse King had corroded the sword, and after the blade turned black, its power was greatly diminished.

“Is there a way to restore it?” I asked, gazing intently at the Ice Sword.

“There is a way, let me try.” The old man took the sword from my hand, extended two fingers, which emanated a thick mist, and as his fingers passed over the blade, the black vapor vanished without a trace.

I took the sword back and clasped my fists in gratitude. “Thank you, sir.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “No need to thank me yet—I still need your help.”

“You want me to eliminate the Water Spirit Beast. Of course, I’ll help with that. But I’d also like to ask you for a favor.” I gripped the sword in one hand, staring out at the river.

The old man smiled. “What do you need my help with, young friend? Tell me.”

“I wonder if you’ve ever heard that a Celestial Spirit is sealed at the bottom of this river?” The old man looked startled. “A Celestial Spirit?”

“Yes. Don’t you know?” That couldn’t be—I thought. This river octopus had dwelled here for years; how could he not know a Celestial Spirit was suppressed in these waters?

He chuckled. “Are you planning to absorb the Celestial’s power? Don’t be reckless, or your body might explode from the force.”

“That’s not it. I’m looking for it for someone else.”

“A Celestial, you say?”

I nodded. The old man stroked his beard and looked at me with a hint of meaning. “I didn’t realize you had such good connections. To tell the truth, the treasure I meant to give you is precisely that Celestial Spirit you mentioned.” His words jolted me awake. I’d thought it would be a great ordeal to find the Spirit in such a deep river, but now, hearing the octopus spirit say this, I was so excited I could barely contain myself. It would save me a lot of trouble.

“That’s wonderful, sir! Please, take me to defeat the Water Spirit Beast at once.”

I only wanted to rid the world of the Water Spirit, retrieve Murong Xue’s spirit, and leave this Misty Forest as soon as possible. The longer I lingered, the more likely some new misfortune would befall me.

“No rush,” the old man said. “The Water Spirit Beast only emerges at night. In the water, you’re no match for it.”

“It comes out at night?” I asked in confusion.

It turned out that on nights of the full moon, the Water Spirit Beast surfaced to worship and absorb the spiritual energy between heaven and earth. There was still some time before nightfall. With nothing else to do, I sat with the old man on a flat patch of ground, passing the time in conversation. I found him to be a kindly soul, not at all the violent monster Murong Xue had described.

The old man told me he too had once been human, a thousand years ago...

“Meng Shijie, row faster! If we don’t get back before dark, we’ll be in trouble!” shouted a young, bare-chested man.

There were three people on the boat. Meng Shijie was the old man’s former name, and he was accompanied by childhood friends. They had come to fish on this very river, which was known as the Black Dragon Pool. The origins of its name would be explained later.

It was a calm afternoon, but as dusk approached, the peaceful river suddenly turned turbulent. Giant waves crashed over the small boat one after another. Desperately, they rowed for the shore as the boat was nearly swallowed by the surging water. Just as they neared the bank, a massive wave struck, capsizing their vessel in an instant. Meng Shijie was tossed beneath the surface by the tremendous force, buffeted by the swirling currents, gulping down mouthfuls of water before losing consciousness.

When he awoke, he found himself lying at the bottom of the river. He tried to rub his sore, swollen eyes, but as he lifted his hand, he was startled by what he saw.

It was not a hand, but a soft, flexible tentacle. Looking over his body, Meng Shijie discovered he had become an octopus. Shocked and bewildered, he struggled to accept the transformation. For days he drifted in a daze beneath the water, and gradually came to terms with his monstrous new form.

By then, Meng Shijie hadn’t eaten in days and nights. Though he was now a monster, hunger still gnawed at him. He began searching the riverbed for food, but even a single small fish was hard to find. Then, to his horror, he spotted the corpses of his companions who had drowned with him. Driven mad by hunger, Meng Shijie devoured them. The putrid taste nearly made him retch, but at least it staved off starvation—for now.

For days, Meng Shijie wandered the riverbed, obsessed with discovering what had befallen his body. Then, one day, he encountered the Water Spirit Beast.

According to the Water Spirit, Meng Shijie had originally been swallowed by an octopus. Perhaps his desperate will to survive had allowed his soul to overpower and expel the octopus’s spirit, taking control of its body—thus explaining his transformation. Upon learning this, Meng Shijie’s only wish was to end his own life; it seemed better to die than to endure such an existence. But the Water Spirit’s words unsettled his resolve.

It wasn’t impossible to return to human form. With cultivation, he could regain his body. There was a legend of a gigantic black dragon dwelling in Black Dragon Pool, possessing profound spiritual power. If he could absorb its energy, he could easily restore his true form. But he had never seen the dragon, nor knew if the legend was true. Even if the dragon existed, neither he nor the Water Spirit stood a chance against it. So, Meng Shijie abandoned the idea.

There was another way: forced cultivation—a sinister path, since he no longer had a human body. To cultivate, he would have to kill. From that day forward, Meng Shijie resolved to become human again. Every boat that passed over Black Dragon Pool fell victim to his attacks, as he overturned them from below and absorbed the life essence of the humans aboard. Over the years, he killed countless people. One day, he found he could breathe air outside the water. Emboldened, he began to hunt creatures on land—first animals in the woods, then humans in the wilderness, until finally he even sneaked into villages to prey on people.

One night, Meng Shijie returned to Black Dragon Pool under the moonlight and happened upon the Water Spirit cultivating. The Water Spirit warned him: with too much stolen life force, he risked being consumed by it. Naively, Meng Shijie believed him, not realizing it was a trap—the Water Spirit intended to use Meng Shijie’s body to survive the heavenly tribulation. Trusting the Water Spirit, Meng Shijie allowed him to open his meridians to absorb more spiritual energy. But the Water Spirit siphoned away all the essence Meng Shijie had painstakingly gathered. Though a little remained, it was far from enough to restore his human form.

So close to reclaiming his true body, only to have the Water Spirit rob him of his strength—Meng Shijie was unwilling to accept such a fate, and vowed to take revenge. Realizing he could never defeat the Water Spirit alone, and that any further cultivation would only benefit his enemy, he gave up the path of slaughter. Still, whenever boats passed Black Dragon Pool, he would stir up the current and capsize them, waiting for a chance—for someone capable of defeating the Water Spirit. That was his only hope for vengeance.

He didn’t know if a human stronger than himself would ever help him, so the Celestial Spirit sealed in Black Dragon Pool became his last bargaining chip. Demons and monsters could not absorb a Celestial Spirit, or they would be destroyed; if it were possible, the Water Spirit would have done so long ago.

The old man finished with a sigh. “That is the whole story.” I realized then how pitiful his fate had been. I was determined to help him—not for any reward, but simply for justice’s sake. I had once been used by Mo Laosan, and I hated such manipulations with all my heart.

Night had fallen before I realized it. The old man said the time had come. Together, we quietly hid in the riverside reeds, waiting for the Water Spirit to appear.