Li Qian and Fatty An had already returned to the hotel.
They quickly packed their things, ready to check out and leave.
However, just then, the hotel manager gave them some bad news.
The scenic area had been temporarily sealed off. No one was allowed in or out.
The two had no choice but to return to their room.
Curious, they went straight up to the hotel's rooftop Celestial Terrace.
And just as they stepped onto the Celestial Terrace and looked toward the Hundred Feet Waterfall, a scene of thunder and flashing lightning filled their vision.
Although they were quite far away, both Li Qian and Fatty An could feel the terrifying power contained within that thunder and lightning.
"Good thing we chose the best of the Thirty-Six Stratagems—running away." Fatty An patted his chest, a look of relief on his face. "Otherwise, if we'd gotten caught in that, we'd be lucky to escape with our lives."
"Bro, what do you say we find another waterfall somewhere else? Would that work?"
Fatty An gulped. Li Qian's earlier suggestion that they might have to come back had already left him traumatized.
This scenic area was clearly not normal.
Why would a normal scenic area have Cultists?
Why would such a fierce battle break out in a normal scenic area?
"Qianzi, I have a feeling this Yunwu Mountain Scenic Area isn't as simple as it looks on the surface."
Fatty An continued trying to persuade him. "The situation here is probably much more complicated than we think!"
Li Qian nodded in agreement.
Although the Hundred Feet Waterfall was a relatively suitable place for the Koi Carp's evolution, finding another suitable location within the entire Dongxia Federation—or even just within Jiangnan Province—shouldn't be too difficult.
"Yeah, let's find a different place."
Agreeing, Li Qian suddenly thought of something and added, "If all else fails, you could just have your grandpa build an artificial waterfall with a high enough drop near our Lingshui City."
Li Qian had just thought of it on the spot and said it casually.
He hadn't expected, however, that Fatty An would actually start considering it seriously after hearing him.
A moment later, he nodded thoughtfully. "That... might actually be a good idea..."
Hearing this, the corner of Li Qian's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
'So rich it's obscene!'
The two stood there on the hotel's Celestial Terrace, watching the battle in the direction of the Hundred Feet Waterfall. Soon, the fight reached the point where the Dark Night Demon Crow appeared and unleashed its signature Skill—the Dark Night Realm.
Seeing the inky blackness that nearly enveloped the entire mountaintop, both Li Qian and Fatty An looked as if they had seen a ghost.
If the two of them had been the ones facing a Skill so terrifyingly powerful and with such a wide area of effect, the outcome would have been obvious.
Their eyes were wide, their pupils filled with shock.
Just as they thought the battle at the Hundred Feet Waterfall was about to end with the descent of the Dark Night Realm, the situation changed again.
Hundreds, even thousands, of wooden vines shot out from an unknown direction, gathering together to form a Wooden Dragon that pierced the heavens.
The Dark Night Realm Skill, which had looked so terrifying and awesome, was pierced through with ease.
The Wooden Dragon tore a huge hole right through it.
In the end, the battle concluded with the Dark Night Realm shattering and dissipating, and the Wooden Dragon reverting to vines before retracting.
Of course, the fight might not have been over. It might have just scaled down in size and intensity, and from so far away, Li Qian and Fatty An could no longer see it.
With no more spectacle to watch and no way to leave the scenic area, the two had no choice but to return to their room to rest.
And just like that, time flew by, and the next morning arrived.
Neither of them slept very well that night.
The night before, first Qizai had successfully evolved, then they were attacked by Cultists, and after that, another incident occurred—powerful experts clashing near the Hundred Feet Waterfall.
So much had happened in a single night. Even Li Qian, who considered himself mentally tough, had tossed and turned.
Even Fatty An, who usually fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, had a rare bout of insomnia.
His reasons were more or less the same as Li Qian's.
Besides reflecting on the previous night's events, he was also filled with anticipation and excitement.
He was already fantasizing about puppet-mastering his Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon, having it soar through the sky and tunnel through the earth, slaying any god or buddha who dared stand in his way.
So, when they got up in the morning, neither Li Qian nor Fatty An were in high spirits; both had huge dark circles under their eyes.
They grabbed a quick breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
While eating, the two paid extra attention to their surroundings.
Unsurprisingly, many of the other tourists in the restaurant were discussing what happened last night.
With all the commotion last night, it was impossible for them to have been completely unaware.
"Did you hear? A powerful wild Pet Beast appeared in the scenic area last night and caused a ton of damage, but the people from the Public Security Bureau rushed over and took care of it."
"Don't be ridiculous. I heard it wasn't a wild Pet Beast at all, but Beast Masters fighting."
"You're the one being ridiculous! The hotel manager told me this morning—it was a wild Pet Beast!"
"Just you wait, the Public Security Bureau will release a statement soon."
"..."
In the restaurant, the tourists mentioned that the Public Security Bureau would soon release a statement. Li Qian and Fatty An overheard but didn't pay it much mind.
However, what they didn't expect was that the news did indeed come very quickly.
They had just returned to their room when a news notification popped up on their phones.
"Qianzi, look! The official story really is that a wild Pet Beast went on a rampage!" Fatty An said with some disdain, pointing to the news on his phone.
That kind of excuse might fool other people, but as eyewitnesses to the event, they certainly didn't believe it.
But they also understood why the Public Security Bureau would issue such a denial.
It was best to keep the general public from knowing about matters involving Cultists to avoid causing unnecessary panic.
DING DONG DING DONG...
Both of them scoffed at the official story, though they understood the reasoning. They were just about to make a call to ask when they could leave the scenic area when the doorbell suddenly rang.
Li Qian instinctively looked through the peephole. It was a young man who, based on his clothes, wasn't a hotel employee or manager.
After a moment's thought, Li Qian opened the door anyway. This was a hotel, after all; it should be safe.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Liu Changfeng, and I'm from the Yunlan City Public Security Bureau." The young man introduced himself with a smile as soon as he entered.
From this, it was clear he meant no harm.
Although Liu Changfeng was one of the main participants in last night's battle, Li Qian had already taken the opportunity to slip away by the time he appeared.
Therefore, he had never met Liu Changfeng and didn't recognize him.
"Director Liu, what can I do for you?" Li Qian asked, his expression calm.
Ever since his fight with the Cultists last night, he knew it was only a matter of time before the Public Security Bureau came knocking.