C20 Ribbon Sawtail Fish

If my guess is correct, the ghost won't be scratching at the window during daylight hours today.

Sure enough, Xiao Hao waited a long time, but the ghost never showed.

It's likely to return at night.

Without enough Spirit Beads, our counterattack plan is nothing but a joke.

Taking advantage of the ghost's downtime, Xiao Hao set out for the next cluster of creatures.

He decided to bypass the Snail Darter group. These minor monsters posed no real threat, but with the mantis shrimp ineffective and the sea horse's Dark Corrosion too slow, they weren't worth the effort.

That left only the Ribbon sawtail fish group.

The boss-level Ribbon sawtail fish bore the head of a mature woman, while the lesser monsters had the heads of infants.

But unlike the boss Ribbon sawtail fish with its bewildering abilities, these infant heads were ghost babies.

Xiao Hao took cover behind a small undersea mound, eyeing the swarm of Ribbon sawtail fish ahead. Ghost baby heads floated eerily through the water, sending shivers down his spine.

Each ghost baby had a pair of crimson eyes, not separated into pupils and whites, but entirely blood-red.

With Voldemort-like nostrils and mouths that split to their ears, brimming with rows of sharp teeth, the sight nearly triggered Xiao Hao's trypophobia.

Many of our kin had fallen to the Ribbon sawtail fish in the past.

Even newbies at Level 0 with Guardians could easily perish.

Is the streamer overconfident in taking on so many Ribbon sawtail fish at once?

Back in the day, those with long-range abilities were kings. The streamer is playing with fire!

But it's a necessary risk. Only with a stockpile of Spirit Beads can we prevent the Shellfish House from being scratched up. The streamer is opting for the lesser of two evils...

The Ribbon sawtail fish are known for their water cannon ability, indicating that their habitat is quite complex.

They could ravage the terrain without warning.

Utilizing the intricate landscape, Xiao Hao concealed himself in a cave, dispatching the sea horse and mantis shrimp.

The comments on the stream were spot-on; Xiao Hao couldn't risk revealing the presence of a wild monster with long-range capabilities.

The moment he was exposed, it was a death sentence.

The seahorse maintained its Dark Domain, while the mantis shrimp instantly drew the ire of the horde of monsters upon its arrival.

The first Ribbon sawtail fish, serving as the vanguard, hadn't even approached the mantis shrimp before its skull cap was flipped.

Xiao Hao gleefully collected 30 Spirit Beads.

The level 2 wild monster was quite plump.

The ribbon sawtail fish launched a relentless assault, but without Xiao Hao as a weak point, the mantis shrimp's 360-degree blade swings ensured none of the fish could get close enough to bite the Emerald Armor—they all met their end.

Knowing they'd die if they got too close, the ribbon sawtail fish resorted to their long-range abilities.

A barrage of water cannons pummeled the mantis shrimp, which remained unmoved, as if merely enjoying a shower under the ferocious torrents.

Slowed by the water cannon's impact and already sluggish, the mantis shrimp's speed was further hampered, preventing it from catching even a single monster.

After a fruitless chase, the mantis shrimp gave up and turned around, presenting its rear to its adversaries.

The ghost babies' piercing laughter seemed to taunt the mantis shrimp.

The mantis shrimp's tail unfurled, blossoming like a peacock's magnificent display.

Xiao Hao was captivated by the spectacle, reluctant to even blink.

The emerald hue of the tail transitioned to black gold, with a sapphire blue outline defining the classic peacock tail shape, and the red diamond stripes shone with a tangible glow.

Then, with a sudden flourish, the peacock tail fanned out, unleashing a fearsome undercurrent throughout the sea!

The sky was filled with ribbon sawtail fish caught in the powerful surge, plummeting to the ocean floor like kites with severed strings. The impact was so intense that it embedded the fish into the seabed, smoothing the once uneven terrain into a plain.

Was this the display of the Peacock Mantis Shrimp's sea fan technique?

The power was outrageously off the charts!

The Stranglethorn Fish's single-target skill was nothing compared to this!

Those in different directions narrowly escaped the undercurrent's swipe. Their taunting laughter came to an abrupt halt, choking in their throats like a lodged fishbone.

Xiao Hao should have been thrilled with the mantis shrimp's ridiculously powerful AOE skill.

But Xiao Hao couldn't muster a smile either.

Because...

The skill had leveled the landscape, leaving Xiao Hao, who had been concealed in a small hillside cave, completely exposed.

He was surrounded by wild monsters, the sole human sticking out like a sore thumb.

In this complex terrain, all Xiao Hao needed was to stay hidden to effortlessly claim the Spirit Bead.

Now he realized the mantis shrimp could be such a double-edged sword!

The Ribbon sawtail fish possessed a long-range water cannon skill that the mantis shrimp couldn't shield him from!

All eyes, glowing crimson, turned towards Xiao Hao.

The mantis shrimp might be untouchable, but was Xiao Hao fair game?

Of course, you pick on the softest target.

A torrential water pillar bore down on Xiao Hao, who hastily dissolved into a shadow to flee.

The sea fan's reach was limited to one direction, but Ribbon sawtail fish were everywhere.

Xiao Hao directed the mantis shrimp to fan towards the thickest swarm of fish, while the sea horses, now assassins, lashed out with their bony tails, picking off Ribbon sawtail fish one by one.

The sea horses had grown stronger; a single basic attack could now take down the lesser creatures.

The Dark Domain grew with each layer added, the sea horses multitasking, using skills and materializing to take out Ribbon sawtail fish.

The Ribbon sawtail fish's Water Cannon posed a massive threat to Xiao Hao.

Water cannon – it was water, but it hit like a cannonball!

One hit could be Xiao Hao's ticket to meet his maker!

Xiao Hao had no choice but to vanish into the shadows of the Dark Domain, not daring to don his Emerald Armor.

The armor's stamina drain scaled with the damage taken.

With so many Stranglethorn Fish and relentless water columns, if Xiao Hao risked exposure, his stamina would be sapped dry in mere seconds.

Xiao Hao was bound to continuously use his Shadow Vanishing skill without pause. A single interruption could mean a one-way trip to the afterlife.

Should he let the Ribbon Sawtail Fish scatter unchecked, even pushing his abilities to their limits wouldn't be enough to eliminate them all within ten minutes.

While concealed within the Dark Domain, Xiao Hao quickly realized that the surrounding wild monsters hadn't detected the ongoing erosion of his life force. The level disparity made the sea horses' stealth skills particularly effective.

With the Dark Erosion amplified sevenfold, even the level 8 sea horses could ensure that the Ribbon Sawtail Fish within the Dark Domain would perish in under a minute.

The challenge, however, was keeping them confined to the domain instead of allowing them to scatter. Observing the crystal diamond peacock tail of the mantis shrimp sparked an idea in Xiao Hao.

He instructed the mantis shrimp to use its sea fan peacock tail to create currents in several directions, deliberately leaving the path to the Dark Domain unobstructed. Xiao Hao then directed the sea horses to cease their solitary hunting, effectively turning the area into a "safe zone."

It didn't take long for the cunning Ribbon Sawtail Fish to seek refuge in the "safe zone." The sea fan peacock tail's formidable power swiftly claimed the lives of many. Yet, those that had burrowed into the seabed managed to wriggle free. Despite the high casualty rate among the wild monsters, the yield of Spirit Beads was disappointingly low.

The sea fan peacock tail proved lethal to level 0 wild monsters, but not to those of levels 1 and 2. The cushioning effect of the deep-sea water spared these smaller creatures from instant death.

At this juncture, the sea horses' wide-ranging AoE skills became crucial. In no time, the Ribbon Sawtail Fish that had initially sought sanctuary in the Dark Domain began to show signs of rapid aging. Forehead wrinkles and age spots emerged, and their skin slackened.

The fish's once blood-red eyes darkened and withered. Their feeble cries echoed as they plummeted to the ocean floor, unable to rise again.

As one Ribbon Sawtail Fish after another succumbed, the survivors watched in confusion, unaware of the fate that had befallen their kin.

In other areas, the AoE abilities of mantis shrimp are clearly visible, allowing them to avoid being embedded into the ground with a powerful slap. So, who would willingly subject themselves to such punishment?

Their limited intelligence reassured them that this location was safer than others.

The tactic of boiling a frog in gradually heated water is difficult for even humans, who consider themselves superior animals, to escape—much less these wild monsters with their simple minds.

The wild monsters' habitat teemed with their kind, and they were not inclined to retreat.

It's akin to a place where people have settled for years; unless faced with significant upheaval, most are reluctant to leave.

Their extensive experience has taught them that life here is safe.

To leave is to embrace the unknown and risk.

All creatures naturally seek comfort and stability.

Xiao Hao exploited this, crafting an illusion of safety in this area while signaling danger elsewhere. With the slow-boil approach, he successfully wiped out the entire Ribbon Sawtail Fish group!

As the Dark Domain dissipated, a bubble emerged at the heart of a luminous black shadow deep underwater.

Despite the depths, the bubble didn't float to the surface but instead descended slowly with the shadow.

The Exploring Bubble flared to life, the bubble solidified, and Xiao Hao materialized.