Chapter 414: Chapter 382: Ambush

The waters of the Earth Dark Sect, Zhiniao Beach.

In the center of Pearl Beach was a massive, flat black stone of igneous rock, formed by an undersea volcanic eruption many years ago.

In the dead of night, a giant of a man with a mountain-like physique sat on the igneous rock, fiddling with a Spirit Pearl in his hand with great interest.

The Spirit Pearl was about the size of a duck egg, its surface covered in cloud-like patterns. It was filled with a faint blue halo. It was actually a first-grade Spirit Pearl, and its glow illuminated an area several dozen feet around.

"So you’re saying Cang Zhen, Furukawa Yu, Furukawa Hikari, and Changze were all killed by a single cultivator from the Chenghua Sect."

The giant stopped fiddling with the pearl. He looked up at Qingchi, his tone laced with sarcasm. "And you’re the only one who came back?"

"Yes. I ask for your help, Mr. Yamanaka!"

Qingchi’s voice was low, his head buried in his chest, making his expression unreadable.

"Help from me?"

Yamanaka grinned and turned to the two cultivators beside him.

"Those guys from the Zhenyue Spirit Dao Institute have always been so full of themselves. How could they not even handle one person from the Chenghua Sect?"

Standing beside Yamanaka were two other cultivators. One was thin with a Fu Manchu mustache, named Xiangwan. The other was sturdily built with a three-inch-long scar on his face, named Tongmu.

All three were from the Huangmu Spirit Dao Institute, which had never been on good terms with Qingchi’s Zhenyue Spirit Dao Institute.

Tongmu said coldly, "What a disgrace! Four dead out of five, and you, Qingchi, still have the face to live? Why not commit seppuku to atone for your failure?"

Xiangwan added sarcastically, "If you do decide to commit seppuku, Qingchi, I wouldn’t mind being your kaishakunin."

After they spoke, they glanced at each other and burst into loud laughter.

Qingchi’s face flushed then paled at their mockery, but he forced himself to hold back his anger.

He took a deep breath and said humbly, "My cultivation is lacking, and I have brought shame to my institute. I implore the three of you to help..."

In a patch of seaweed just off Zhiniao Beach, Zhao Lin smirked. ’Just as I thought,’ he mused. ’He went to get reinforcements.’

He had tracked them all the way here, using ultrasound to pick up the sounds from the seabed and overhearing the entire conversation between Qingchi, Yamanaka, and the others.

"Aren’t you supposedly invincible in underwater combat within the Qi Refining Realm? Why would you need help from us? We’d probably just get in your way."

Yamanaka responded noncommittally to Qingchi’s request.

"You jest, Mr. Yamanaka."

Qingchi lifted his head and said solemnly, "This person is extremely cunning, and his magic is formidable. His Ice Blade Skill is at the mastery level, his Rock Armor Skill is at the mastery level, and his Water Manipulation Skill... is also at the mastery level."

"Even in a direct confrontation, I am no match for him."

He didn’t mention that Zhao Lin was only at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer; revealing that would only bring him more shame.

Hearing this, Yamanaka, Xiangwan, and Tongmu quickly exchanged glances, their expressions growing serious.

Qingchi paused, then continued, "He looks to be no more than thirty, yet he has such mastery of magic. If we can kill a person like that, the External Affairs Office will surely offer a handsome reward."

Hearing Qingchi try to bait him with a reward from the External Affairs Office, Yamanaka sneered inwardly. He deliberately made things difficult. "You make him sound so powerful. I’m afraid we might not be up to the task!"

Qingchi pursed his lips. "I have long heard that the Huangmu Spirit Dao Institute excels at creating talismans. As the chief disciple, Mr. Yamanaka, you possess a Water Explosion Talisman that can shatter a mastery-level Rock Armor Skill!"

The Water Explosion Talisman is a Top Grade water-elemental spirit talisman. Its function is similar to an Elemental Explosion Talisman, possessing immense destructive power, and is specifically used to break through an enemy’s armor in underwater combat.

This type of talisman is extremely difficult to create, with a success rate of less than one percent. As a result, it is priceless and rarely seen on the market.

Yamanaka’s eyes shifted. He neither confirmed nor denied it, saying only faintly, "Water Explosion Talismans... are very expensive."

Qingchi understood that to get them to act, he had to offer something substantial. "To be honest, Mr. Yamanaka, I have a Foundation Establishment Pill. I was planning to gather three of them to try and break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. I am now willing to offer it to you."

When Yamanaka heard the words "Foundation Establishment Pill," a flicker of interest appeared in his eyes and his eyebrows raised slightly. However, he quickly composed himself and said nothing, merely glancing at Xiangwan and Tongmu at his side.

Qingchi understood his meaning. "I will also offer six thousand merit points to be shared between Xiangwan and Tongmu."

The reward and punishment system of the Earth Dark Sect was identical to that of the Chenghua Sect, with the sole difference being that the Chenghua Sect’s merit points could not be transferred, whereas the Earth Dark Sect had no such restriction.

Upon hearing Qingchi’s offer, Xiangwan and Tongmu both gave a slight nod in unison.

Yamanaka, however, was still not satisfied. He placed a hand on his large belly, rubbing it twice. "It’s still not enough."

Qingchi knew Yamanaka was shamelessly raising the price, but he was powerless to refuse. If he couldn’t capture Zhao Lin, the enraged head of his institute would surely have him executed. He gritted his teeth. "Fine! I’ll add another three thousand merit points, to be divided among the three of you!"

A smile spread across Yamanaka’s face. "Talk is cheap. Swear an oath!"

Qingchi’s expression turned solemn. He placed his right hand over his chest and said slowly, "I swear that if I, Qingchi, go back on my word today, may I be cast into the Dark Prison, never to rise again for all eternity!"

"Good!"

Yamanaka clapped his hands and laughed heartily. "We’ll go with you to capture this man right now. However, we’re only responsible for fighting. Finding him is up to you."

Qingchi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded. "Of course."

Overhearing this, Zhao Lin thought to himself, ’These guys talk big, so their skills should be decent. And they have a Water Explosion Talisman... this could be a little troublesome.’

Following that, Yamanaka asked a few more questions, which Qingchi answered one by one, giving a general overview of Zhao Lin’s abilities.

Zhao Lin knew they would be setting out soon, so he strode to the edge of Pearl Beach.

He lay down on his back in a sandy hollow and buried his entire body, leaving only his ears and Adam’s apple exposed.

He had gotten the idea from the Clam Demons.

Because Divine Sense cannot penetrate sand, cultivators are unable to detect Clam Demons hidden on the seabed. Zhao Lin had devised this method to evade detection by Divine Sense.

As long as the Earth Dark Sect cultivators passed this spot, Zhao Lin could launch a surprise attack. No matter how powerful their mana was, once it came to close-quarters combat, he would have the upper hand.

Having done all this, Zhao Lin activated the Breath Concealment Skill, retracting all of his aura and pulling his Divine Sense back into his sea of consciousness, then quietly waited for them to arrive.

The Breath Concealment Skill was the only magic that produced no mana fluctuations, and it could not be used simultaneously with any other skill.

The reason was simple: concealing one’s aura and hiding one’s Divine Sense to avoid being detected by others also meant one could not detect others.

If another cultivator were to use the Breath Concealment Skill underwater, while they wouldn’t be discovered, their own six senses would also be blocked.

However, Zhao Lin possessed the ability of echolocation and could pinpoint targets accurately without using his Divine Sense.

Zhao Lin’s ambush spot was on the west side of Zhiniao Beach, the shortest route from there to Kuimu Beach.

Just as he predicted, it wasn’t long before Qingchi, Yamanaka, and the others appeared, using the Fubo Skill to swim slowly in his direction.

"Qingchi, that Chenghua Sect cultivator... is he a Martial Cultivator? What kind of weapon does he use?"

Xiangwan asked casually as they traveled.

"Yes, I’ve seen him display his martial arts more than once."

Qingchi nodded. "His weapon is an iron ruler. That’s what killed Furukawa Hikari."

"Is that so? How does he compare to Mr. Yamanaka?"

Xiangwan asked with great interest, "My Huangmu Style also emphasizes martial arts. For the first three years of our training, we practice close-quarters combat with the meidao."

"Well..."

Qingchi hesitated for a moment before answering, "He strikes very fast, so I didn’t get a clear look. But he’s incredibly strong. He shattered Furukawa Hikari’s Ripple Armor with a single blow."

"Really?"

Xiangwan was skeptical and wanted to ask more.

Yamanaka waved a large hand. "Who cares how strong his martial arts are? We have no need to fight him on his own terms."

As they spoke, the group reached the edge of Pearl Beach. Qingchi was in the lead, with Yamanaka’s trio about thirty feet behind him.

’One... two... three!’

Zhao Lin counted silently in his mind. On the count of three, he formed a spell with his hands and unleashed a Thunder Blade Skill.

A white light suddenly shot up from the seabed.

Qingchi immediately sensed the mana fluctuation. He looked down to see a solid white ball of light flying toward him.

Blue light swirled around the ball, like a spirit serpent in motion.

’Thunder Blade Skill!’

The hair on Qingchi’s entire body stood on end. He roared without thinking, "Ambush! Get back!" With that, he activated his Fubo Skill and swam forward with great speed.

Yamanaka, Xiangwan, and Tongmu also sensed something was wrong, but their forward momentum made it too late to retreat. They could only dodge to the sides.

BOOM!

The "Thunder Pearl" exploded, and the violent shockwave sent the four Earth Dark Sect cultivators tumbling.

The Thunder Blade Skill was not an omnipotent magic. It was powerful, but it lacked speed and precision.

Zhao Lin wasn’t aiming at any single person; his goal was to injure all four of them, then use his martial arts to pick them off one by one.

All four Earth Dark Sect cultivators suffered internal injuries of varying degrees.

A sweet taste rose in Qingchi’s throat, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. His entire body felt numb, and his internal organs churned as if in a storm.

The spiritual power in his meridians was like scattered sand, momentarily impossible to gather.

At that moment, Zhao Lin burst out of the sand pit, swiftly manipulating the water to rise.

Qingchi’s Divine Sense swept over the area, and he recognized the ambusher as Zhao Lin. He immediately shouted, "It’s him! Surround him and kill him!"

Yamanaka and the others also came to their senses. They were stunned to hear this, not expecting the enemy to have come to them.

Seeing Zhao Lin close in, Tongmu and Xiangwan didn’t hesitate. They simultaneously drew their meidao and leaped forward to strike at him.

They knew very well that at such close range, magic was useless.

Magic and artifacts were like arrows; they needed space to accelerate and build power.

The two of them were doing this to buy time for Yamanaka. If they could just hold him off for a moment, they could turn the tables.

Yamanaka shot backward and drew a short naginata from under his arm.

The naginata was agile and fast, superior to the meidao in close combat.

Zhao Lin knew both sides were racing against time. He swung his iron ruler with great force to meet their attack. With a CLANG! CLANG!, both meidao were knocked from their hands.

Tongmu and Xiangwan were aghast, shocked by Zhao Lin’s astonishing strength. They couldn’t even block a single move, and fear sprouted in their hearts.

The momentum of Zhao Lin’s iron ruler unabated, it arced through the air and struck Tongmu heavily on the head.

Tongmu fell without a sound. Seeing this, Xiangwan dodged and retreated rapidly.

Zhao Lin used water manipulation to pursue him, then thrust his iron ruler forward.

Just then, Yamanaka and Qingchi simultaneously threw their naginatas, attacking Zhao Lin from the front and back.

Xiangwan felt a wave of relief. If Zhao Lin dared to press the killing blow, he might take Xiangwan’s life, but he himself would suffer a devastating injury in return.

He didn’t believe Zhao Lin would dare to trade a life for a life.

Unfortunately for him, reality did not meet his expectations. Zhao Lin’s hand never paused. The iron ruler shot forward, plunging deep into his body.

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