txolops Chapter 406 Crisis on the Island
Chapter 406 Crisis on the Island
Chapter 406 Crisis on the Island
"Whoosh!"
Without any hesitation, the short, stout man's massive body sank downwards, his body erupting with intense blue demonic light that enveloped his severed wrist to stop the bleeding. Then, like a meteorite falling into the sea, he crashed into the surging seawater below with an astonishing speed disproportionate to his enormous size, disappearing instantly and leaving behind only a huge whirlpool and churning blood.
"Hmm? They ran away already?" Luo Ming hovered his dark gold avatar in mid-air, his brows furrowed slightly, his divine sense like the finest net, quickly sweeping across the sea area within a radius of dozens of miles below.
Seawater can block divine sense, but he could still vaguely sense that the powerful demonic energy was rapidly fleeing towards the distant deep sea. Its aura was weak and chaotic, indicating that it was seriously injured, and there was no sign of an ambush or sneak attack.
"That's decisive. Knowing they were outmatched, they immediately fled without hesitation." Luo Ming snorted and shook his head with some regret.
This giant octopus demon cultivator is quite powerful. If it were on land or in the air, he was confident he could capture it. However, in the deep sea, the opponent was like a fish in water, with incredible speed and the ability to use the marine environment to unleash more bizarre supernatural abilities. Although he was not afraid, the risks and rewards of pursuing it were disproportionate, and he might even expose more of his trump cards.
Moreover, since the demonic beasts are currently attacking Silver Shark Island, there must be other transformed demonic cultivators nearby, so it's not advisable to fight them to the death here.
"It seems to be an old demon that has been in human form for many years. Its ability to judge the situation is not bad." Luo Ming stopped worrying. With a thought, the hundred-foot dark golden Dharma image behind him slowly dissipated and turned into pure blood and qi, returning to his body.
After this battle, he gained a clearer understanding of his current combat capabilities.
Without using trump cards such as the "Gold-Eating Insect" and the "Ten Thousand Souls Banner," relying solely on his physical body, which he had cultivated to the great perfection of the "Ten Thousand Spirits Blood Technique," and the "Ten Thousand Spirits Blood Body" dharma form, combined with the Yuan Magnetic Divine Power from the Xuan Turtle, he was able to directly repel or even severely injure a relatively strong transformed demon cultivator.
This level of strength is definitely top-tier among early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.
Without lingering, Luo Ming concealed all his aura, his figure transforming into a faint phantom, as if merging into the light between the sea and sky, silently stealthily heading towards Silver Shark Island, a hundred miles away. The battle just now had caused quite a stir, and although he was some distance from the main battlefield of Silver Shark Island, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't attract the attention of high-level beings from both sides; he needed to get to the island as soon as possible.
At this moment, Silver Shark Island, just as Luo Ming could see from afar, was engulfed in a fierce battle of attack and defense.
The outer perimeter of the island is protected by a thick protective array of light, resembling an inverted giant bowl that envelops the entire main island and some of its surrounding areas.
Beyond the light barrier lies a dense, diverse ocean of roaring, monstrous beasts! From the small, sharp-fanged "Arrowtooth Fish" to the massive, mountain-like "Shielded Turtle" covered in thick bony armor, from the "Corrosive Starfish" that can spray venom to corrode the light barrier, to the "Crimson Fire Owl" circling in the air, waiting for its chance to strike—
The ranks of the monsters range from level two to level six, and there are even occasionally monster leaders with auras reaching level seven and exceptionally large bodies. There are as many as a dozen of them, controlling low-ranking beast groups from a distance or launching fierce attacks themselves.
Countless magical beams, demonic breaths, and physical collisions bombarded the light screen of the island-protecting array like a violent storm, creating intense ripples and bursts of various spiritual lights.
Although the array's light barrier was sturdy, under such continuous attacks from all directions, its light visibly dimmed slightly, clearly indicating that it was under immense pressure.
On the edge of the island, inside the light barrier, countless human cultivators, relying on the protection of the formation, used various methods to fight back fiercely.
Low-level cultivators mostly operate in groups, manipulating standardized array flags, talismans, and other one-time or group attack magic weapons to launch a comprehensive attack on the nearest beast horde outside the light barrier. They do not aim to kill high-level beasts, but only to slow down the frequency of the beast tide's impact and deplete its manpower.
The shouts of battle, the explosions of magic, and the dying roars of monsters mingled together, creating a deafening cacophony.
In a section of the defense zone southeast of Silver Shark Island.
A young girl in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, dressed in a pale yellow dress, with a slightly thin figure and a sickly complexion, was gritting her teeth and exerting all her strength to activate the four small crimson triangular flags floating above her head.
The small flags fluttered and spewed out raging flames, forming a scorching sea of fire within a radius of several feet around her. This fire forced back and burned the level two and three sea beasts that tried to infiltrate through the weak points of the light barrier or spew acid and poisonous stings while sticking to the light barrier.
The flames were quite hot, but they also consumed a lot of magical energy, and fine beads of sweat appeared on the girl's forehead.
Above her head was a "fire crow" that was entirely black except for its crimson eyes and had a wingspan of about three feet.
It hovered nimbly, occasionally swooping down to spew out fist-sized, yet remarkably concentrated, crimson fireballs, precisely striking the sea beasts attempting to attack the girl from the air or the side, thus relieving pressure on her. The fire crow's attacks were quite effective; often, a single fireball could severely injure or even kill a level-two sea beast.
Not far from the girl, a late-stage Foundation Establishment female cultivator, dressed in a light blue dress, with a graceful figure and charming appearance, was manipulating a top-grade flying sword magic weapon of excellent quality.
The flying sword transformed into a streak of blue light, and under her exquisite divine control, it moved like a butterfly flitting among the onrushing beasts, slashing and striking. Each strike could severely injure or take the life of a level-two sea beast, making it highly efficient.
However, her brows were furrowed, and her beautiful eyes occasionally glanced worriedly towards the outer edge of the defense zone, where the light screen fluctuated most violently. There, one could vaguely see the escape lights of several Core Formation cultivators, who were fiercely fighting with several powerful Level 7 demonic beasts.
"Ruyin, be careful! There are more and more of these sea monsters, and their attacks are becoming increasingly ferocious!" Wen Siyue swung her sword and cut down a "Spiked Sea Serpent" that pounced at her. She turned to the girl in the yellow dress and warned her urgently, her tone filled with concern and worry.
"Although the backlash from the extreme Yang energy within you has been temporarily suppressed by your master's wife's methods, and your injuries have mostly healed, you must not overuse your magical power and exhaust your source. Otherwise, if that wisp of Yang energy goes out of control and rebounds again, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ruyin forced a strong smile onto her pale face, her voice soft yet clear: "Don't worry, Sister Siyue, 'Little Black' and I can handle it. It's just—"
She looked up at the seemingly endless tide of beasts outside the light screen, and at the terrifying fluctuations emanating from the high-level battle groups in the distance, a trace of unconcealed worry flashing in her eyes.
"This time, the demon race is coming on strong, not only in numbers far exceeding those of the past, but it seems that a new, powerful race has also joined the siege. Father and Master's wife are under immense pressure. I don't know if we can hold out this time."
Yuan Yao wore a plain white dress, which was now stained with dark blue blood and dust from demonic beasts, but this did not diminish her aloof and stunning beauty.
She moved nimbly along the edge of the battlefield, wielding a three-foot-long flying sword with a strange, dark gray hue, a slender blade, and a silent motion that seemed to blend into the surrounding light and shadow.
This sword is the top-tier water-attribute flying sword magic weapon that Luo Ming gave to me back then.
Originally, it should have been a deep blue like autumn water, but after Yuan Yao cultivated the "Nether Phoenix Technique," she used her pure Yin-attribute magic power to activate it, and the sword body turned into this strange gray color.
When activated, the sword energy is chilling and its trajectory is unpredictable, like a deadly ghost, making it impossible for the low- to mid-level demonic beasts with low intelligence to defend against. They often only realize what's happening when the sword energy is about to hit them, but it's too late to avoid it.
Although she had only re-condensed her Golden Core and advanced to the early stage of Core Formation for ten years, thanks to the exquisite "Nether Phoenix Technique" and her own talent, coupled with the solid foundation laid by the pills and guidance left by Luo Ming, her true combat strength far surpassed that of her peers.
In her hand, the dark gray flying sword sometimes transformed into a gray streak, weaving through the beast horde and precisely striking the vital points of level four and five demonic beasts; at other times, it split into several illusory sword shadows, covering an area and carrying out small-scale cleanup. Its attacks were fierce and efficient, even faintly comparable to some mid-stage Core Formation cultivators.
Not far away, Jiang Rufeng was also fighting hard to kill the demonic beasts. While fighting, he kept an eye on Yuan Yao's situation.
Seeing that her swordsmanship had become increasingly exquisite and fierce, and its power was even stronger than when she last emerged from seclusion, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "Since the mistress switched to cultivating martial arts, her talent and comprehension have become increasingly astonishing. Every time she goes into seclusion to cultivate, her strength always improves. She truly deserves to be the one who accompanies the master."
What reassured him even more was the ever-present, perched-on-Yuan Yao's shoulder, a black beast with only its four claws gleaming with gold.
This beast may appear small, but it is actually incredibly fierce, and its senses are terrifyingly sharp. Whenever a high-level demonic beast attempts to conceal itself and suddenly launch a sneak attack on Yuan Yao, the Wind Fox Beast can always detect it first and pounce out like a black lightning bolt.
Its claws and teeth are so sharp and its speed so fast that it can often tear a high-level demonic beast that attacks it to pieces in just a few breaths, turning it into a pile of minced meat. With it by her side, Yuan Yao's safety is greatly guaranteed.
However, the worry between Jiang Rufeng's brows did not lessen. His gaze swept over the seemingly endless and increasingly diverse beast tide outside the light screen, especially lingering on the huge shadow that was faintly visible beneath the distant sea, with an aura at the peak of level seven and eight thick tentacles. His heart was heavy.
"This beast tide is far larger and stronger than ever before. The number of demonic beasts has nearly doubled, and many races that have never appeared in this sea area before have also appeared. In particular, that giant octopus at the peak of level seven—it is exceptionally cunning, hiding behind the beast horde, waiting for its chance to strike."
Jiang Rufeng recalled that not long ago, he tried to get close to the beast by using a concealment technique, hoping to strike first and severely injure it. However, he did not expect that the beast's senses were equally sharp, and he was almost led into the beast horde's encirclement. He only managed to escape back in a sorry state by using a life-saving escape technique that consumed his life essence.
The giant octopus seemed quite wary of the wind fox beast beside Yuan Yao, and became even more cautious afterward, hiding in the back and driving a large number of low- to mid-level demonic beasts forward to wear them down, while it waited for the best opportunity like a venomous snake.
"Hmph, I've long heard that the Giant Octopus Clan is cunning and suspicious by nature, skilled in concealment and ambush. Today I've experienced it firsthand." Jiang Rufeng sneered inwardly, but dared not be careless in the slightest. He knew that this peak level seven Giant Octopus was definitely the biggest threat to this defensive zone.
Just then—
"Thump!! Thump!! Thump!!!"
Three muffled, heavy, and strange drumbeats, seemingly striking directly at the soul and heart, came without warning from the deep sea, where the demonic energy was most concentrated, behind the army of demonic beasts!
The drumbeats, with their unique rhythm and penetrating power, instantly drowned out the shouts and explosions on the battlefield, clearly reaching the ears of every human cultivator!
"Not good!" Yuan Yao, Jiang Rufeng, and all the experienced Core Formation cultivators nearby all changed their expressions upon hearing this!