Chapter 413 - 381: Rapid Assault
Chapter 413: Chapter 381: Rapid Assault
While Zhao Lin and Qingchi were locked in a magical duel, Tao Yan and Changze were also entangled in battle.
Although Changze had a slight edge in terms of raw power, Tao Yan fought like a turtle withdrawn into its shell, constantly defending with a Vajra Shield and only occasionally counter-attacking with his Vajra Ring.
Changze’s mastery of the Water Moon Slash had only reached the Minor Achievement level, so he couldn’t break through the Vajra Shield. For the moment, there was nothing he could do to Tao Yan.
Furthermore, Changze was certain that Qingchi would win, so he wasn’t using his full strength. He was just waiting for Qingchi to deal with Zhao Lin before helping to kill Tao Yan.
Zhao Lin realized Qingchi wanted to compete based on Mana reserves, so he simply changed his strategy, turning and making a beeline for Changze.
"Trying to run?"
Qingchi was startled for a moment, thinking Zhao Lin was trying to escape. He was about to give chase when he saw Zhao Lin’s true destination, and his heart sank.
Changze was the personal disciple of the head of the Spirit Dao Institute and had always been doted upon. There were even rumors that Changze was the product of an incestuous union between the institute head and his own sister.
Before this trip out to sea, the institute head had repeatedly instructed him to ensure Changze’s safety. He himself had beaten his chest and guaranteed it. If anything were to happen to Changze, he feared he wouldn’t make it out alive either.
"Changze, watch out!"
Qingchi shouted, flicking his hand to hurl a brow blade as he chased after Zhao Lin with all his might.
But Zhao Lin made an unexpected move: he suddenly spun around, swung his iron ruler to knock the brow blade away, and then leaped straight at Qingchi.
"What?"
Qingchi’s breath hitched. He hadn’t expected Zhao Lin to feint; his real target was still him all along.
As the distance between them closed to less than fifteen zhang, a cold sweat broke out on Qingchi’s brow. ’Zhao Lin is a Martial Cultivator, I absolutely cannot let him get close!’
He quickly cast a Dark Surge Skill, and dozens of dark undercurrents immediately gushed forth, forming a fan-shaped barrier that completely blocked Zhao Lin’s path.
Zhao Lin grinned. Instead of advancing, he retreated. The ring of water flowing around his body acted like a shuttle, parting the seawater as he charged swiftly toward Changze again.
"You dare..."
Qingchi was both shocked and furious. He leaped forward seven or eight zhang in pursuit, only to be blocked by the very Dark Surge Skill he had just cast.
By the time he dispelled the magic and resumed his pursuit using his water manipulation, he discovered that Zhao Lin’s Water Manipulation Skill had reached the Great Achievement level. He was a sliver faster than Qingchi himself, and a chill ran through his heart.
"Changze, run!"
Qingchi shouted in despair.
"Fellow Daoist Tao, trap him!"
Zhao Lin barked a cold order, forming a hand seal to condense an ice blade that shot straight toward Changze.
"On it!"
Tao Yan’s spirits soared, and he immediately cast a spell, sending his Vajra Ring flying.
Attacked from both front and back, Changze’s face turned pale with horror.
He hastily activated his Ripple Armor to protect himself, adding another layer of a Spiritual Energy Shield on top as he cried out, "Qingchi, save me!"
With two loud bangs, the Vajra Ring and the ice blade struck his Ripple Armor at almost the same time.
The Spiritual Power flared. Two holes were torn through the front and back of the Ripple Armor, leaving only the Spiritual Energy Shield.
Changze was scared out of his wits. Forgetting all about Qingchi, he activated his Fubo Skill and fled for his life.
Zhao Lin rejoiced internally. ’If Changze had continued to resist, he might have held out long enough for Qingchi to rescue him. But by running, he’s sealed his own fate.’
He immediately condensed another ice blade and slashed out viciously.
With a sharp CRACK, the ice blade shattered the Spiritual Energy Shield and pierced through Changze’s right side.
Changze’s whole body shuddered, and as if all strength had left him, his body went limp.
Zhao Lin swooped in, raking his Three Yin Claw from the top of Changze’s head all the way down to his tailbone. Fresh blood gushed out, dyeing a patch of the surrounding seawater red.
"Aaargh!"
Changze felt an agony akin to being flayed alive, and he trembled violently from the pain.
For some reason, in the moment before death, an image of the female cultivator from the Chenghua Sect he had tortured to death flashed through his mind. Then, he lost consciousness.
"Let’s go!"
Zhao Lin reached out, grabbed Tao Yan’s wrist, and activated his Water Manipulation Skill, swimming toward Kuimu Beach.
After expending so much energy, he didn’t have much Mana left; he lacked the strength to kill Qingchi now.
More importantly, Zhao Lin worried that Qingchi would attack Tao Yan to get revenge on him, so he chose to make a strategic retreat for now.
"I’ll kill you!"
Qingchi reached Changze’s side and found him already dead. He roared in fury and pursued Zhao Lin relentlessly.
With Tao Yan in tow, Zhao Lin’s speed was a bit slower. ’If this keeps up,’ he thought, ’we’ll be caught before we even reach Pearl Beach.’
"Use the Water Mist Talisman to buy us some time."
Zhao Lin said quickly.
"Okay!"
Tao Yan responded, quickly taking out a grayish-white talisman. He tapped it lightly, releasing a cloud of gray mist that shielded their Divine Sense and Mana fluctuations.
Zhao Lin also made a move. With a flick of his fingertip, he shot out a ball of white light, then continued swimming toward Pearl Beach with Tao Yan.
Tao Yan was curious. He didn’t understand why Zhao Lin would cast a Lighting Skill, but having witnessed Zhao Lin’s methods, he was convinced there had to be a reason.
The mist, of course, couldn’t stop Qingchi. He casually cast a Fog Dispersal Skill to dispel it, but upon seeing the ball of white light, he cautiously slowed his pursuit.
’This kid is cunning. He might have set up some kind of ambush...’
Qingchi grew suspicious and hesitated to advance. But after observing for a moment, he quickly realized something was wrong. ’Why are the Mana fluctuations so weak?’
The ball of light contained no Five Elements Spiritual Qi; it was clearly nothing more than an ordinary Lighting Skill.
’I’ve been tricked again!’
Qingchi’s face twitched as he swore an oath to tear Zhao Lin into a million pieces.
But when he followed the Mana fluctuations from the Water Manipulation Skill to the edge of Pearl Beach, he hesitated for a long time, ultimately not daring to venture inside.
The gruesome state of Furukawa Yu’s corpse was still vivid in his mind; he didn’t want to suffer the same fate.
Exploring Pearl Beach required at least two people working together: one to cast spells and scout the path ahead, and another to provide support from the side.
’This kid’s magic is powerful, and he’s hiding in the shadows. It’ll be too difficult for me to kill him alone. My only option is to go back and get help from Shannei and the others.’
After some consideration, Qingchi turned and swam back toward the waters controlled by the Earth Dark Sect.
Zhao Lin led Tao Yan into Pearl Beach. Seeing that Qingchi didn’t follow, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Most of his Spiritual Power had been consumed in the battle, so he took out a Spirit Pearl and sat in meditation to recover it.
Tao Yan didn’t disturb him, standing guard nearby to act as his Guardian.
Four hours later, Zhao Lin slowly opened his eyes, looking completely refreshed. He cupped his hands in salute to Tao Yan. "Thank you for standing guard, Fellow Daoist Tao."
"Don’t mention it, Brother Zhao."
Tao Yan waved his hands dismissively, then said with excitement, "You’re incredible, Brother Zhao! You killed four Earth Dark Sect cultivators in a row!"
"A pity one got away," Zhao Lin said calmly.
"That one’s Mana is formidable, so he’s not easy to deal with. Besides, he’s probably already back in the Earth Dark Sect’s territory by now."
Tao Yan said tactfully.
"No. It doesn’t sit right with me to leave even one alive."
Zhao Lin shook his head and rose to his feet. "If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. I’m going to go finish him off now."
While he had been meditating, Zhao Lin had reviewed the entire battle and thought of a way to ambush and kill the last Earth Dark Sect cultivator. He figured it was worth a shot.
He had an echolocation ability with a detection range that far surpassed other Qi Refining Realm cultivators, so he didn’t need to worry about being ambushed or surrounded.
"Huh?"
Tao Yan was startled. "Brother Zhao, you’re going into the Earth Dark Sect’s waters? Isn’t that too risky?"
Zhao Lin retorted, "What, they’re allowed to come here, but we’re not allowed to go there?"
"Well..."
Tao Yan hesitated for a moment, then, as if steeling his resolve, said, "Since you’re going, Brother Zhao, I’ll go with you!"
Zhao Lin gave a calm smile. "There’s no need. I’ll go alone. If it’s convenient, Fellow Daoist Tao, could you help me collect the items from the corpses? We can use them to claim merit points when the mission is over."
Tao Yan knew he wouldn’t be much help even if he went along, so he could only nod in agreement. "I wish you swift success, Brother Zhao."
"I’ll take those good words."
Zhao Lin broke into a smile, cupped his hands in farewell, and used his water manipulation to leave Pearl Beach, swimming off in the direction of the Earth Dark Sect’s sea territory.