Chapter 471: Chapter 416: Sword-toothed Pompano 2

Zhao Lin arranged for Chao Duan to lead a team to the Pearl Shoals behind them to gather Spirit Pearls. That area had the most traps, which would ensure the safety of the four Array Masters.

Du Zhen, meanwhile, took another team to patrol the area around Shen Shui Beach.

Before they set out, Zhao Lin had used three Divine Seal Skills, allowing him to clearly perceive the locations of Chao Duan, Du Zhen, and Xu Zhongyong. He could even see their routes of travel with perfect clarity.

The sensation was profound, almost mystical, like an invisible thread transmitting their locations to him from afar.

As for his second reason, Zhao Lin believed he didn’t need to seek them out; the Earth Dark Sect cultivators would come to him.

Putting himself in their shoes, he figured that since the Earth Dark Sect wanted his head, they must have posted a very high bounty.

He didn’t know the exact reward, but no matter how large, it couldn’t possibly be enough for eighteen people to share.

Therefore, the Earth Dark Sect cultivators would surely split into smaller groups to search for him, giving him the chance to pick them off one by one...

Just then, a sudden palpitation seized his heart. The hair on his body stood on end—he felt like he was being watched!

Zhao Lin snapped his head up and saw a silver Water Mirror materializing directly above him.

The Water Mirror continuously spewed plumes of white mist that swirled around its edges as a tendril of Divine Sense extended from within...

’A Mirror Tracing Talisman!’

A chill ran down Zhao Lin’s spine, a truly hair-raising sensation.

’Who is spying on me?’

’Where are they?’

’And how did they get a trace of my aura?’

Zhao Lin didn’t know much about this talisman, but he understood its general purpose. A series of questions flooded his mind.

With no time to think, he raised a hand and launched an ice blade at the silver Water Mirror.

With a CRACK, the ice blade sliced clean through, and the mirror’s surface shattered into countless pieces.

But in the blink of an eye, the fragments coalesced and reformed into a single, whole mirror.

He struck it three times in succession, but the result was always the same.

Zhao Lin’s heart sank. He turned to flee.

But after dashing a dozen zhang, a new thought occurred to him: ’I don’t even know who they are, how many of them there are, or how strong they are. What am I running for?’

’Didn’t I want to ambush the Earth Dark Sect cultivators?’

At this thought, Zhao Lin slowed his pace. His larynx vibrated at a high frequency, sending ultrasonic waves rippling outward.

He wasn’t far from Shen Shui Beach. If there were too many enemies, he could slip into the Pearl Shoals and rendezvous with Du Zhen, Chang Jianqiu, and the others.

After a dozen breaths, Zhao Lin detected two figures rapidly approaching from the distance.

’Only two?’

He focused the ultrasound into a directional beam, aiming it precisely at them.

Although he couldn’t see their faces, the returning echoes allowed him to quickly sketch out their body shapes and facial features in his mind.

’They aren’t the six cultivators at the Peak of Qi Refining.’

Zhao Lin’s mind was put at ease.

"I feel Mana fluctuations."

"Me too. It must be him!"

The arrivals were none other than Heiqi and Oda. They had switched from the Water Storage Skill to the Fubo Skill and were now closing in at full speed, as if terrified Zhao Lin might escape.

"Are you two looking for me?"

Zhao Lin asked coolly, his hand resting on the hilt of his saber.

He normally disliked exchanging pleasantries in battle, but his opponents this time were mysterious and formidable. If he could glean some information from them, it would be a great advantage.

"Such arrogance. You’re at death’s door and you don’t even know it."

Heiqi said, but didn’t attack immediately. Instead, he shot Oda a meaningful glance.

Although Zhao Lin was within their attack range, he wasn’t close enough.

Heiqi was worried that if Zhao Lin sensed something was wrong, he would turn and flee into the Pearl Shoals. Their prize would get away.

Only by trapping Zhao Lin with the Sword-toothed Pompano could they guarantee a flawless capture.

Oda understood. He began to casually drift closer to Zhao Lin from the other side.

"Don’t you people have three cultivators at the Peak of Qi Refining? How come they didn’t show up? Did they only send you two small-fry?"

Zhao Lin deliberately stated the wrong number, wanting to see how they would react.

"What arrogance!"

Heiqi’s expression darkened as he drew the saber from his waist. "Hmph! If those three were here, you’d be even more screwed!"

Then, he raised his voice. "But in our hands, we can at least give you a quick death."

Zhao Lin raised an eyebrow. ’Just as I thought,’ he mused, ’something is off.’

At that moment, Oda suddenly grabbed a yellow-skinned pouch at his waist and gave it a hard tug!

The bag tore open, and dozens of dark green Fish Demons shot out from inside.

These Fish Demons were about a foot long, their bodies as straight as javelins. They had scissor-like fins on their backs and silver spots scattered across their bellies.

Their heads were ovoid, and each one gaped its large mouth, revealing a maw full of sharp teeth.

’Sword-toothed Pompano!’

Zhao Lin was startled. Sword-toothed Pompano were Tier One, mid-grade Demon Beasts renowned for their ferocity. A single one was no threat to a cultivator, but a swarm was another matter entirely.

Though vicious, Sword-toothed Pompano had low Spiritual Sense and were difficult to rear. Only cultivators who specialized in beast taming could domesticate them.

"Go!"

Oda bellowed. He pointed a finger, and a ray of red light shot from its tip.

As if spurred on by a stimulus, the Sword-toothed Pompano lunged viciously toward Zhao Lin.

At the same time, Heiqi swung his arm forward, sending his saber flying. A green light parted the seawater as the blade slashed rapidly toward Zhao Lin.

Facing a pincer attack, Zhao Lin didn’t dare hesitate. He drew his Moon-Cutting Saber with one hand while forming two consecutive Spells with the other.

One Spell reinforced his Water Manipulation Skill’s defenses to block the incoming Sword-toothed Pompano.

The other Spell was the Ice Blade Skill.

The Moon-Cutting Saber chimed softly, flying from its sheath with a SHING! It became a streak of white light, slashing down viciously at Heiqi’s saber with incomparable force.

The two flashes of light, one green and one white, collided with the clang of metal on metal, sending sparks flying in all directions.

The Moon-Cutting Saber was a full two times heavier than Heiqi’s blade. Upon impact, the saber’s body remained completely steady, sending the other blade flying.

Heiqi felt a violent jolt to his Divine Sense, and for a moment, he lost his connection to his saber.

The Moon-Cutting Saber had revealed its immense power in its first real combat exchange. Zhao Lin was overjoyed. He cast another Spell, and the saber continued its flight toward Heiqi.

"What?"

Heiqi’s face went pale with shock. He never imagined that his Water Moon Slash, which he had painstakingly practiced for years, wouldn’t even last a single exchange. Terrified, he hastily pulled a small silver shield from his storage pouch and roared, "Water Shield Skill!"

The small silver shield instantly expanded to several times its size. Its surface, now covered in water-aspected Spiritual Qi, shimmered with layers of green light and completely shielded his body.

The Moon-Cutting Saber struck the silver shield with a dull thud, sending Heiqi flying back three or four zhang, man and shield together.

’Such immense power!’

Amid his astonishment, Heiqi felt a secret sense of relief. If he hadn’t seen the recording from the Fish Eye Talisman and known how formidable Zhao Lin’s Ice Blade Skill was, he wouldn’t have prepared a defensive artifact. Without it, he feared that slash would have cleaved him in two.

He glanced over and saw that the Sword-toothed Pompano had surrounded Zhao Lin, which finally put his mind at ease.

Once those ferocious Fish Demons closed in on him, no matter how strong Zhao Lin was, he wouldn’t be able to spare any extra Mana. He would be completely at their mercy.

Oda also breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t faced Zhao Lin directly, but he suspected he wouldn’t have been able to block that attack either.

THUD, THUD, THUD...

The Sword-toothed Pompano swarmed in, viciously slamming against the barrier formed by the swirling currents of his Water Manipulation Skill. Some even opened their maws to gnaw at it with their sharp teeth.

Zhao Lin felt a tremor in his Divine Sense, and the Magic quickly showed signs of becoming unstable.

This school of Sword-toothed Pompano had a thin blue line along their flanks, meaning they were all fully grown adults, placing them in the ranks of mid-grade Demon Beasts!

Their combined assault was equivalent to dozens of Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivators casting Magic all at once!

Although Zhao Lin’s Water Manipulation Skill had reached the level of perfection, allowing him to hold on for the moment, the Mana consumption would be enormous over time.

"Now you see how it is, kid!"

Heiqi roared with laughter, swimming over slowly while holding up his silver shield.

As he spoke, he made a gesture, and the saber that had fallen to the seafloor flew back into his hand.

He looked down and saw a half-inch notch on the blade’s edge. A pang of regret shot through him. His gaze turned vicious as he yelled, "Oda, my friend, we need to step it up! Let’s kill this kid fast!"

"Otherwise, if the others get here, they’ll take a cut of our reward!"

With that, he flipped his palm over. A dart-shaped artifact appeared in it, and with a flick of his wrist, he shot it straight at Zhao Lin.

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