Free Web NovelChapter 253: Chapter 228: I’ve Come to Kill You
Croc the Third was born with keen senses.
Even though Chen Che was coiled up and motionless, the moment their eyes met, Croc the Third felt as if he were facing a deep-sea Fierce Beast...
’Luck?’
’Is this just my opponent having good luck?’
"Crocodile King!"
His heart pounding with fear, Croc the Third let out a sudden roar.
The Crocodile Flood Dragon beneath him seemed highly intelligent and understood the urgency of the situation. Its scales bristled instantly, and as its body twisted, a torrent of Demon Essence poured out.
BOOM!
A vast roar of water echoed as the undercurrents on the seabed surged, transforming in the blink of an eye into a hundred-zhang-tall water crocodile. Like a torpedo, it shot toward Chen Che and lunged at him with its massive maw wide open.
"Break!"
Chen Che slashed out with his sword, and the water crocodile was cleaved in two before him. The sword’s momentum didn’t falter, parting even the seawater in its path. It grazed the side of the Crocodile Flood Dragon, drawing a spray of blood.
At the same time, he waved his hand.
ROAR!
Seeing the water crocodile split apart, Croc the Third turned to flee, but a black chain shot out like a Flood Dragon.
In a mere instant, it had bound the Crocodile Flood Dragon tightly.
"Fifth Layer! This kid is at least at the Fifth Layer, maybe even the Sixth Layer!"
Croc the Third abandoned his Demon Beast and fled, his mind screaming in terror.
He couldn’t comprehend it. ’How could such a Major Cultivator be hiding silently in the water? Shouldn’t he be fighting on the surface, making a name for himself?’
"Die!"
With the lock successful, Chen Che struck again with his sword.
The seawater churned, and the undercurrents rapidly condensed into Water Swords. Each Water Sword was three chi long, crystal clear, and glinted with a cold light. As he raised his weapon, they coalesced into a Sword Dragon formed entirely of Water Swords.
"Me!?"
Croc the Third felt an unprecedented force wash over him, instantly shredding his Protective Gang Qi. Then, the Water Dragon completely engulfed him.
SHLICK!
Within the colorless Water Dragon’s body, a blooming mist of blood appeared. At the same time, several gleaming Storage Rings silently fell from the bloody water.
"My thanks to the Star-Picking Sect for their gift."
He reached out and caught the Storage Rings.
’Fighting to the death for the Primordial Sect is out of the question, but pulling a few punches is no problem.’
SPLASH!
Suddenly, Chen Che bent down, grabbed the struggling Crocodile Flood Dragon with his right hand, and pulled it back. He stepped on its head and hid behind a reef.
A Star-Picking Sect Cultivator dove into the water, not even bothering to use a Water Avoidance Technique. He swam rapidly toward the bottom, looking for a coral reef to hide in.
WHOOSH!
Two Primordial Sect Cultivators gave chase into the water. A quick glance revealed no one, but hearing the sound of rushing wind from behind, they had no choice but to leave the water to fight.
"Phew..."
The Star-Picking Sect Cultivator breathed a sigh of relief. He turned his head and saw a cultivator in green robes not far away, holding a Crocodile Flood Dragon and looking at him with a strange expression. Without a second thought, he swung his blade horizontally and shot into the distance, his reaction incredibly fast.
BANG!
The reef split in two. The attack having missed, Chen Che twisted his body, turned his blade, and slashed. The Pure Jun Sword seemed to ignore the water’s resistance as it swept through.
With a SHLICK, he cleaved the cultivator in half.
THUD!
The man didn’t even have time to scream before Chen Che stomped him into the seabed.
’More people are coming. From the Star-Picking Sect?’
The thought didn’t slow Chen Che’s movements.
He took the cultivator’s Storage Ring, along with the Weapon in his hand, tossed them into his own ring, and quickly hid within a cluster of coral.
He had barely moved.
The two Primordial Sect Cultivators who had been giving chase screamed as they fell into the water. A dozen or so Star-Picking Sect Major Cultivators dove in after them, and a flurry of blade lights instantly dismembered them. One of the attackers was even a Great Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer!
’...This is too brutal. Unless the Golden Core True Masters stop, the people below won’t either. I can’t let my guard down!’
As the group left, Chen Che’s Divine Sense swept over the area.
He discovered that the Black Tortoise Calm Sea had been split into two major battlefields:
one for the sect ancestors and Golden Core True Masters, and one for the Foundation Establishment Major Cultivators.
The Golden Core True Masters’ battlefield was a thousand zhang high in the sky. Every clash rang out like a great bell. Looking up, they appeared as streaks of light and fire, and the area was so chaotic that not even Divine Sense could approach.
’Where is Thousand Eyes True Master? His strength is nothing to scoff at. He’s actually holding off two Golden Core cultivators by himself?’
Chen Che’s gaze shifted, and a cunning idea began to form in his mind.
’The matter of the Divine Statue runs too deep. If it’s exposed, I’m dead ten times over. I can’t beat him in a fair fight, but if I could ambush him from behind and kill him, I’d be free of this problem for good.’
’Unfortunately, the Golden Core True Masters’ battlefield is too far away. A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like me can’t even get close. Even if I succeeded, I wouldn’t be able to escape...’
With that thought, his gaze shifted again.
In comparison, the battle between the Foundation Establishment Major Cultivators was slightly less epic, with skirmishes spread across the sea’s surface, the seabed, and the surrounding islands...
However, the battle was not one-sided. Both factions were giving as good as they got.
The two major powers, with nearly ten thousand Major Cultivators fighting, were like a swarm of Flood Dragons Overturning River and Sea, churning the waters into a maelstrom of blood.
’Where are Hu Haiqing and Zhou Jing?’
’Can’t catch the big fish, so I’ll start with the small fry!’
...
...
"Retreat!"
The sea’s surface had become an Asura Killing Field, and even the water beneath their feet was dyed crimson. Hu Haiqing’s greatsword moved with unstoppable momentum, cleaving a Star-Picking Sect Cultivator in two from shoulder to hip before he rapidly retreated.
SWOOSH!
The twelve Major Cultivators forming an Array behind him withdrew in perfect sync, like mirror images.
"Have you found him?"
Sword in hand and breathing heavily, Hu Haiqing turned to a kinsman.
"No, the moment the battle started, that kid vanished without a trace!" the kinsman replied.
"Keep searching..."
Hu Haiqing’s face was flushed. The battle was so intense that he couldn’t even spare the effort to maintain his Protective True Essence. His entire body was soaked with seawater, and his boiling Qi and Blood made the water around him sizzle and evaporate.
He took out a Yellow Gourd and took a huge swig, rapidly replenishing his depleted True Essence.
"You must find him. The very survival of the Hu Family depends on this day. If we can kill him, everything can be turned around. But if he makes it back alive, it’s all over for us!"
Killing Star-Picking Sect Cultivators was merely a way to earn merit. If he caught the eye of the Primordial Sect’s upper echelon, it would increase his chances of survival, but that was just self-preservation.
’But how long can that merit last?’
’Even my own brother-in-law has already bowed his head to Chen Che. Who else is there to help me?’
’Getting rid of him is the only way to solve this problem once and for all.’
"Yes, sir!"
As he spoke, the Major Cultivator dove back into the sea.
BOOM!
Almost simultaneously, several more Star-Picking Sect Cultivators charged at them.
"Form the Array!"
Hu Haiqing ordered in a low voice.
In an instant, the storm of battle intensified.
...
...
WHOOSH~
Fierce winds churned the terrifying waves.
Meng Changtu sat atop his Black Tiger, weaving through the battlefield like a cavalryman.
"Have you found Che’er?"
His gaze shifted.
"No..." Meng Changyuan shouted, "Everyone was scattered by that huge wave earlier! I only saw Layman Shuilian and Rong Zhongxuan."
"Keep looking!"
Meng Changtu flicked his Black Blade, knocking back a Major Cultivator.
He had just seen two Hu Family cultivators darting through the sea as if searching for something. ’In a chaotic battle like this, what could the Hu Family be so concerned about? Whether it’s what I think or not, I have to be on guard.’
Meng Changyuan also knew the situation was urgent.
He slapped the Yin Snake he was riding, and it quickly dove into the water.
...
With one end of the Black Dragon Lock Chain binding Croc the Third’s Crocodile Flood Dragon, Chen Che stood on the beast’s back, speeding through the water.
Some were fleeing, others were killing.
Although this Crocodile Flood Dragon wasn’t particularly strong, it was a Water-attribute Great Demon, and it moved with incredible speed in the water. ’Little Chick is a raptor-type Great Demon, after all; it’s not suited for naval combat. Perhaps it will be able to ignore this environment once it reaches the Golden Core or Nascent Soul Realm.’
"Found him!"
Suddenly, Chen Che’s eyes shot up.
He saw Hu Haiqing holding his ground on the water’s surface, having formed a Sword Array with twelve other Major Cultivators.
For a time, no one could break their Grand Array. The seawater beneath their feet was already dyed crimson.
"Have you found him yet?"
Hu Haiqing cut down a Major Cultivator who got too close. Blood splashed onto his face, but he didn’t even blink. Seeing his kinsman shake his head, his expression darkened.
"Useless... Hmm?"
The angry rebuke died in his throat, replaced by stunned surprise.
He saw a Crocodile Flood Dragon suddenly whip its massive tail. With terrifying force, it shot out of the water like a true Flood Dragon. As it breached the surface, it twisted violently in mid-air and lunged at him like a Fierce Beast unleashed from its cage!
’You don’t know what death is...’
Slightly startled, Hu Haiqing sneered inwardly.
He recognized the Demon Beast’s origin; its master was merely a Tribulation Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer.
He swung his greatsword horizontally to meet it head-on.
SHLICK!
The Crocodile Flood Dragon was a full seven zhang long, and its emergence from the water was breathtakingly ferocious.
It brought with it a colossal wave that seemed to block out the sky!
But in the end, Hu Haiqing’s sword met it head-on, cleaving it in two right from the skull and splitting it all the way down to its tail...
Tch!
A slight smile had just begun to form on his lips, but in the next instant, it froze. Amidst the showering rain of blood and viscera, a flashing sword light, wrapped in a fierce wind, shot toward him.
That sword strike was like a single drop of falling rain, yet it carried the crushing momentum of a ten-thousand-jun weight, arriving before him in an instant.
CLANG!
It was as if a clap of thunder had struck the sea.
"Aargh!"
Hu Haiqing felt as if he had been struck by a meteorite. An unimaginable force instantly poured into him. The water beneath his feet exploded, sending a monstrous, hundred-foot-tall wave into the air.
Unable to withstand the force, his entire body was slammed directly into the seabed.
"What happened?"
"Such a huge commotion... Could a Great Cultivator have made a move?"
Hearing the sound, everyone looked over in horror.
But when they turned to look, all they saw in that patch of sea was the falling spray. Not a single figure remained, only the bisected corpse of the Crocodile Flood Dragon.
"Oh no..."
The expressions of the Hu Family cultivators changed drastically.
’The Family Head has been taken by Chen Che!’
BOOM!
A coral reef shattered, and muddy sediment churned in the water.
The surrounding seabed even caved in. The mud was swept up by the massive wave, forming a black torrent that surged in all directions.
"Get off!"
Hu Haiqing roared in fury, his long hair whipping about like wild pythons. His True Essence erupted, sending the raging currents scattering. He glared at Chen Che, who had leaped up and was now rapidly retreating. Hu Haiqing’s face was ashen, a cold light glinting in his eyes.
"You have some nerve! I was still looking for you, and you dared to deliver yourself to my doorstep!"
Chen Che gripped his sword, looked up, and said calmly:
"I’ve come to kill you."
