Chapter 492: Chapter 430: Attack

The Earth Dark Sect was comprised of many family factions. The cultivators sent out to sea belonged to different families, and their relationships were far from harmonious—some were even outright hostile to one another.

As a result, they didn’t gather together, but were scattered in twos and threes throughout the central area of Qingyang Beach.

"What do you think happened to Senior Chunying and Senior Ji Zhang? They’ve just vanished."

Two cultivators from the Earth Dark Sect sat on a large rock, chatting idly. The one who spoke had a sallow complexion and a pair of thick, bushy eyebrows.

"Hard to say. They’re Foundation Establishment cultivators. They can do whatever they want without having to inform us Low Tier cultivators."

The other cultivator, a man with triangular eyes, snorted. His tone made his dissatisfaction with the matter clear.

"I bet they went to steal the kills!"

The sallow-faced cultivator said resentfully.

"Isn’t it obvious? A reward of twenty thousand. Who wouldn’t want a piece of that?"

The triangle-eyed man curled his lip and spat on the ground.

The two cultivators spoke without a hint of caution, completely unaware that from behind a nearby reef, a pair of cold eyes was watching them.

The sallow-faced cultivator sighed. "I knew we shouldn’t have come. This whole trip is a waste of time..."

He was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly felt a fluctuation of Mana, accompanied by the sound of rushing water.

At first, he thought someone was playing a prank and was about to shout a jesting curse. But the Mana fluctuation grew stronger, far too strong for an ordinary Magic. He whipped his head around in shock, just in time to see a massive fist of churning water hurtling toward him.

"Water Demon Fist!"

The triangle-eyed man also noticed the danger. Terrified, they both leaped aside, simultaneously casting Water Wave Shield to protect themselves.

BANG! The Water Demon Fist struck them hard, sending them flying. Their Water Wave Shields shattered and dissipated on impact.

Just then, a tall figure appeared, riding the water’s surface as he charged toward them.

Zhao Lin had watched them arrive by water, which confirmed there were no traps in the area. Only then had he felt confident enough to use his Magic.

Seeing his first strike land, Zhao Lin sent the Moon-Cutting Saber flying from his hand. It sliced across the sallow-faced cultivator’s neck, severing his head.

The triangle-eyed man was horrified. He immediately used the Fubo Skill to flee, shouting, "Enem—"

"Mind Stabilizing Skill!"

Zhao Lin pointed, and a ray of purple light shot from his fingertip, striking the triangle-eyed man in the back.

The triangle-eyed cultivator felt a BOOM in his sea of consciousness as his soul was violently shaken.

The Fubo Skill he was casting and the Water Moon Slash he was about to unleash were both interrupted. He was completely unable to cast any Magic.

Without the Fubo Skill to keep him above the water, seawater instantly flooded his mouth and nose. Choking, unable to scream, he began to cough violently.

Having used the Mind Stabilizing Skill, Zhao Lin was also unable to cast Magic for a moment. Relying on his formidable physique, he sprinted forward and threw a heavy punch.

His fist punched through the man’s left chest and exited through his right ribs.

The triangle-eyed man looked down at the fist in his chest, then his head lolled to the side and he died.

Zhao Lin listened intently for a moment. Hearing no commotion, he breathed a silent sigh of relief, picked up the Moon-Cutting Saber, and turned to find his next target.

...

At that same moment, Matsuo returned to the Sea Ridge where the Chenghua Sect cultivators were gathered.

He had originally intended to lure Zhao Lin into a chase, lead him into an underwater trap, and have it do the killing for him. Unfortunately, Zhao Lin hadn’t taken the bait, giving up the pursuit after only a short distance.

’This kid’s no simpleton.’

To this day, Matsuo still couldn’t figure out how Ji Zhang and Chunying had died. Because of that, he was deeply wary of Zhao Lin.

He was confident he could kill Zhao Lin in a direct confrontation, but if he could win with a scheme, he would never risk a life-or-death battle.

He had lived for nearly two hundred years and completed hundreds of missions, large and small. The only reason he was still alive was due to one thing: caution.

’Where did everyone go?’

When Matsuo arrived at the Sea Ridge, he scanned the area and was surprised to find the Chenghua Sect cultivators gone. He raised an eyebrow.

However, he quickly detected a fluctuation of Mana.

’You think a mere Illusion Array can fool me?’

Matsuo sneered inwardly and approached slowly. He stopped sixty zhang away from the Array, his saber transforming into a brilliant white light as he slashed through the air.

CLANG...

The saber was flung back, but the Array remained unshaken.

’Not an Illusion Array?’

Matsuo let out a soft "Hm?" and his eyes narrowed.

He had been gone for no more than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, yet they had already deployed an Array. And it wasn’t a low-level Illusion Array, either; this one had powerful defenses.

’An Array like this is rare. Could it be... the Small Tai Chi Array?’

Matsuo was worldly and knowledgeable, so he quickly guessed the Array’s name, a flicker of delight stirring in his heart.

The Small Tai Chi Array was a unique Array of the Chenghua Sect. They were exceptionally rare, and each one was a priceless treasure. In the Earth Dark Sect, an item like this could be considered a family heirloom, passed down for generations.

’If I can just wipe out this group of cultivators, the Small Tai Chi Array will be mine.’

After a moment of thought, Matsuo adopted the same method Ji Zhang had used to break an Array: he cast a Water Net Skill that completely enveloped the structure.

He then began to tighten the net, observing how the Array’s barrier reacted under the pressure, searching for its weak points.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Every time Matsuo found a weak point, he would hack at it with his saber...

The barrier was being broken layer by layer, and the Array shook violently, looking as if it could collapse at any moment.

The people inside the Array grew anxious. ’With all this commotion, why hasn’t Zhao Lin shown up yet?’ they thought. ’Could something have happened to him?’

"What are you panicking for? It’s better to rely on ourselves than on others! It doesn’t matter when Fellow Daoist Zhao gets back. There are more than ten of us. We wouldn’t be afraid even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator showed up, so why would we fear a single Peak Realm Cultivator? Ready your artifacts and gather around me!"

Hearing this, the others calmed down and gathered around Chao Duan.

Chao Duan was a Peak of Qi Refining cultivator and the oldest among them. Moreover, Zhao Lin had left instructions before he left, so everyone naturally fell into formation under his command.

Three Peak of Qi Refining cultivators stood in the center, with five Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivators flanking them on the left and right. The four Array Masters were positioned at the rear, under their protection.

Each person held their artifact, staring nervously outside the Array.

A moment later, a flash of white light tore through, and with a loud RUMBLE, the Small Tai Chi Array ceased to function.

Matsuo immediately directed his saber. It transformed into a bolt of lightning and streaked toward one of the Chenghua Sect cultivators.

"Block it! Whips in front! Sabers, swords, and axes behind!"

At Chao Duan’s command, the cultivators struck as one. More than a dozen artifacts formed a protective screen, intercepting the saber.

The hand seals for Matsuo’s Spell changed, and the saber attacked from a different direction, but the result was the same.

’This is going to be difficult!’

Matsuo frowned. He knew that if the dozen or so cultivators were fighting on their own, he could have picked them off one by one with ease. But with someone commanding them, he might not be able to land a single kill even if he fought all day.

With this in mind, he gathered Spiritual Power in his eyes and scanned the crowd, only to be shocked when he realized Zhao Lin was not among them.

’Where is he? Did he get lost?’

Just then, a recurve saber burst from the water, coming right for him!

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