mtl008 Chapter 233 Instantly Annihilating the Enemy, Clear Stream River
Chapter 233 Instantly Annihilating the Enemy, Clear Stream River
"Interesting. These people have been following us at a distance, but they haven't shown themselves. They're quite patient."
Lin Changsheng's eyes flickered, he chuckled softly, and continued flying away.
Not long after leaving the Li clan's territory in Dafang Township, several subtle auras followed behind them, their purpose quite clear.
If it were ordinary bandits or river pirates, they would probably have made their move along the way.
Besides these, there are those who have a grudge against you.
However, Lin Changsheng had only been here for a few years, and he mostly stayed in the courtyard quietly cultivating, never actively provoking others.
Speaking of enemies, the one who is most likely to be the eldest son of the Li family who rejected the Li family some time ago.
Another point is that my joining the Li family as an alchemist may have infringed upon the interests of Alchemist Ma.
……
One day later.
A certain location in the Yu Huai River basin.
Three or four figures swept across the water one after another, converging in mid-air.
"Strange, where did that kid go?"
"The last trace of our presence was left here. Could it be that they discovered us and hid beforehand?"
"Could it have been eaten by a wild monster in the water?"
Several cultivators, all at the Foundation Establishment stage, circled and searched the area with puzzled expressions.
"Are you fellow cultivators looking for me, Lin?"
Suddenly, a gentle voice rang out.
A handsome young man dressed in white emerged from the water below, smiling at the group.
Strangely, the other party held a paper talisman that emitted a pale blue halo, and a gentle water-attribute aura emanated from it.
It was able to perfectly blend its entire body into the water beneath it, without the slightest ripple or a trace of aura, making it impossible for anyone to detect.
"It's you!"
"Master Lin Dan!"
The sudden change startled them instantly.
One of them instinctively called out the name 'Master Lin Dan'.
But as soon as he said that, he realized what he had said and immediately shut his mouth and said nothing more.
"You know Lin? Very good."
Lin Changsheng chuckled, his hands swirling with magical power as he pointed towards the area beneath them.
A dozen or so magical runes, shrouded in a pale blue mist, rose up.
After the light shone brightly, they became interconnected, trapping the group inside like a water prison.
"This is... a near-third-tier rune array?!"
The moment they saw the rune array, these people were instantly alarmed.
There was only one middle-aged man in the late Foundation Establishment stage, whose reaction was extremely fast, and who was already on the periphery.
Seeing that the situation was not good, they immediately fled, thus avoiding being trapped in the talisman array.
"You are clearly not good at combat, so how do you master such profound talisman array techniques!"
The late-stage Foundation Establishment man, who had narrowly escaped death, was sweating profusely and shouted angrily, questioning the situation.
It was as if this would bolster his confidence and mask his inner fear.
The Lin Dan Master before him seemed to be beyond his previous understanding of him.
"Huh? You weren't trapped?"
Lin Changsheng's calm voice carried a hint of surprise.
However, he did not answer his question.
This middle-aged man in the late Foundation Establishment stage suddenly felt an incomparably vast divine power pouring into him!
That was a complete crushing on a life level.
He suddenly felt a sharp pain, almost to the point of fainting.
Such a powerful spiritual attack even surpasses that of 'Master Li' from the Li family of Dafang Township!
At that moment, he had only one thought in his mind.
"boom!"
The next moment, a powerful surge of blood energy slammed into his heart meridian.
The middle-aged man coughed up a large amount of blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs, his breath weakened rapidly, and he lost all signs of life.
Then his entire body floated lightly into the water below, and crimson blood gradually spread and diffused in the water.
With a casual wave of his hand, Lin Changsheng sent a bulging storage bag flying from the other person's waist.
The whole process took only a moment.
"Peak Second-Tier Body Refinement!"
"You...you actually possess such strength?"
"You've concealed your strength and infiltrated my Li family; what exactly is your intention?"
At this moment, the remaining cultivators trapped in the talisman array were in a panic, their faces filled with horror, and their words filled with terror.
"Oh? So you all admit to being members of the Li family?"
Lin Changsheng's face showed a mocking expression, and his eyes flashed with coldness.
Without hesitation, he channeled his magic power to activate the pre-arranged rune array.
One by one, powerful magical runes burst forth with a sharp aura.
"Master Lin, please have mercy! We are all from the Li family of Dafang Township, and we are willing to confess everything!"
From within the talisman array came pitiful cries of pleas for mercy.
In the surrounding waters, the rich aura of water further amplified the power of the water-attribute runes.
Even a fake cultivator would find it difficult to last even a moment.
Moreover, these Foundation Establishment cultivators at present.
"It would be excellent if you confessed voluntarily, but unfortunately, I have no interest in knowing."
Lin Changsheng remained expressionless, continuously channeling his magical power into the talisman array.
After a few breaths, the screams that had been echoing within the talisman array gradually subsided, and the people trapped inside died one after another.
The nearby waters were stained red with blood.
Lin Changsheng waved and collected the storage bags from the group, then summoned his flying boat magic artifact and fled into the distance, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
……
After flying for dozens of kilometers, Lin Changsheng slowed down and maintained a steady speed.
Inside the flying boat, Lin Changsheng checked the storage bags of the group and confirmed their identities.
He was indeed a member of the Li family of Dafang Township, but he was not a direct descendant of the Li family; rather, he was a wandering cultivator from elsewhere who had come to seek refuge with them.
The contents of the storage bag also appeared quite meager.
Seven storage bags yielded less than 20,000 spirit stones.
Then there are some common second-tier magical artifacts, pills, materials, cultivation techniques, and so on.
"Dafang Township is not as prosperous as Qianhe Immortal City. This can be seen from the wealth of cultivators of the same level."
Lin Changsheng thought to himself.
……
"The Soul-Nourishing Wood I need must be at least at the third rank to be of any use!"
During the journey, Aoki Wangcho said in a somewhat sullen and pouty tone.
“Senior Qingmu, with my current cultivation level, I can only purchase Soul Nourishing Wood at the 'quasi-third rank' level at most. Anything higher would be inconsistent with my current cultivation level and status, and would easily bring disaster upon myself.”
Lin Changsheng shook his head and responded calmly.
Not long ago, the demon infant repeatedly requested to see the Green Wood Spirit Cauldron that Lin Changsheng had previously acquired, but was refused.
On the way, he threw a tantrum and insisted on buying a Soul-Nourishing Wood to nourish his demonic infant.
Lin Changsheng did not refuse.
The only disagreement arose regarding the grade of Soul-Nourishing Wood to be purchased.
Logically, given the level of the Azure Wood King Butterfly Demon Infant, it should at least reside within a fourth-tier Soul-Nourishing Wood to quickly restore its original essence.
However, any treasure that involves the fourth rank is extremely rare. Not to mention Lin Changsheng, who is merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, even a Golden Core cultivator would not be qualified to touch a fourth-rank treasure.
However, if the third-tier Soul-Nourishing Wood is used instead, the nourishing effect on the fourth-tier demon infant will be greatly reduced, and it can only be barely accepted.
However, in Lin Changsheng's view, besides refining some special magical artifacts, the most common function of Soul Nourishing Wood is to nourish the soul.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator who spares no expense to purchase third-tier Soul Nourishing Wood is likely to be suspected by those with ulterior motives that he possesses a third-tier or higher cultivator's soul, thus arousing their greed.
Therefore, purchasing 'quasi-third-tier' Soul Nourishing Wood is the limit that Lin Changsheng can currently control.
Later, during their journey, Lin Changsheng subtly inquired about the Azure Wood Spirit Cauldron, but the demon infant remained silent, sullen and unwilling to discuss it.
Since he subdued the Azure Wood Spirit Cauldron years ago, it has been residing in his dantian, slowly absorbing the power of the Everlasting Spring Technique. Now, he can only barely refine a small portion of it and achieve simple control over it, but he is far from being able to manipulate it at will.
However, since the demon infant refused to reveal anything, Lin Changsheng did not force him.
Anyway, the Azure Wood Spirit Cauldron is in his hands now and won't run away. As his cultivation improves in the future, he can slowly explore it.
……
half a month later.
With the help of the 'Celestial Star Chart' and the water map, Lin Changsheng arrived at the 'Clear Stream River', a waterway adjacent to the Yu Huai River.
Although the two bodies of water are adjacent, the 'Clear Stream River' is closer to the center of the entire Great Wilderness Lake and has more spiritual veins in its waters.
After entering the 'Clear Streams and Marshes' area, Lin Changsheng discovered a place with exceptionally rich spiritual energy amidst the vast waters after only half a day of travel.
"The spiritual energy emanating from this body of water is significantly more concentrated than in other places."
A bright light appeared in Lin Changsheng's eyes, filled with curiosity.
With such abundant spiritual energy, there must be at least one second-grade superior 'spiritual spring eye' beneath this body of water.
It is now almost identical to Changchun Peak, which Lin Changsheng built back then.
"Go, let's scout the way down there first."
Lin Changsheng untied a spirit beast pouch from his waist and gave it a gentle shake.
The plump carp leaped into the water with a splash and obediently dived down.
Lin Changqing controlled the flying boat artifact, which hovered quietly in mid-air, waiting for news from Hua Li.
During his years living with the Li family in Dafang Township, Lin Changsheng had heard many stories about the 'demon hunters'.
Most of them were groups of cultivators who used special methods to find the location of spiritual springs in the vast waters and record them.
These spiritual springs located in the water are difficult for human cultivators to use, and are almost all occupied by aquatic monsters.
Human cultivators then learned the coordinates of these spiritual springs and went to exterminate the demonic beasts.
Because after each clearing, as long as the eye of the spiritual spring at the bottom is not broken, new monsters will occupy the spiritual spring again before long. As long as they are killed regularly, it will be like a renewable resource that can be replenished indefinitely.
Therefore, these well-known 'wild springs' can be considered fixed resource points, occupied by various forces.
Of course, there are also some fortunate cultivators who discover hidden spiritual springs in the vast marshes and use them as private resource points, secretly clearing them out every now and then.
However, wherever there are people, there will be conflict.
Although some major sects and families had long ago planned the ownership of the 'wild spiritual springs' and sent people to patrol the waters day and night.
However, there are always some river bandits and rogue cultivators who secretly hunt down spirit spring monsters belonging to other factions.
Countless conflicts erupted in various waterways over this.
They waited quietly for about half an hour.
Lin Changsheng, who was on the flying boat artifact, suddenly opened his eyes and looked down at the water below as if he had sensed something.
Beneath the calm water's surface, two streams of demonic energy, one strong and one weak, were rapidly approaching the surface.
At the end of Lin Changsheng's divine sense probe, two fish-shaped demonic beasts appeared.
Ahead, a plump carp was frantically twisting its body to escape towards the surface of the water.
Closely following behind was a slender, black, strange fish.
The black fish was nearly two zhang long, with a row of sharp serrated teeth in its mouth. Its demonic power was almost at the peak of the second tier, far surpassing that of the flower carp that had just entered the second tier.
"Wow!"
In an instant, the carp leaped out of the water, conveying its urgent plea for help to Lin Changsheng above.
Immediately following, the ferocious black fish also leaped out of the water and lunged at the flower carp!
Above, Lin Changsheng, who had been preparing to unleash his golden curved sword magic weapon, slashed down and landed heavily on the head of the black fish monster!
"Ding!"
A crisp sound, like metal clashing, rang out.
The black fish monster, in pain, fell back into the water.
"What a hard bone!"
Lin Changsheng looked surprised and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
The black fish monster that fell into the water was extremely angry.
Beneath the water's surface, a pair of dark eyes coldly gazed at the carp above and the human who had ambushed it.
A powerful demonic force then erupted.
The calm water surface immediately became turbulent, and in the blink of an eye, the waters within a radius of a hundred feet seemed to surge with towering waves!
The Flower Carp, which used to reign supreme in the waters near the Li clan's territory, now dared not enter the waters below, intimidated by the aura of the second-tier peak Black Fish Demon Beast.
It condensed a lot of water around itself and floated around its master's flying boat.
"Where did your usual arrogance go?"
Lin Changsheng smiled, then untied the other two spirit beast pouches and released the Snow Demon Wolf and the Xunfeng Crow.
The addition of two powerful demonic forces immediately gave Hua Li a sense of security.
The Wind Crow flapped its wings and unleashed a wind-attribute spell, creating a hurricane mixed with sharp wind blades that swept across the water.
The moment the Snow Wolf fell into the water, it emitted a large amount of frigid aura.
In an instant, the area within dozens of feet was frozen solid, radiating a chilling aura.
The black fish monster below couldn't dodge in time, and its slender body was instantly frozen inside.
Immediately following, a hurricane three or four meters high swept in.
Wherever the hurricane went, the ice shattered and was shredded into pieces, and the black fish monster was also sucked in and swept up.
It must be said that the Snow Demon Wolf and the Wind Crow, who often play together, cooperate very well in battle.
Before long, the once menacing black fish demon beast was badly injured by the demon beasts under Lin Changsheng's command, with a small part of its tail broken off.
"It's a pity that the Crimson Centipede is not suitable for fighting in water, otherwise it would be a great help."
Lin Changsheng felt a little regretful.
After years of careful nurturing, his several demonic beasts have gradually grown up.
In particular, the Crimson Centipede, after having its potential stimulated by the Blood Spirit Pool, is now qualified to challenge for the third tier.
Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the water conditions, it is difficult to play a significant role.
Even so, Lin Changsheng still plans to find a suitable place for the Crimson Centipede in the next few years to prepare a breakthrough spiritual item and break through to the third-tier Great Demon realm.
Lin Changsheng originally expected the Crimson Centipede to be 'near-third rank' based on its aptitude.
But now that there's an opportunity to advance to the third tier, I'd like to give it a try if possible.
If this demonic insect, which was the first to follow him, successfully advances to the third-tier great demon, it will also bring considerable benefits to him, its master.
Suddenly, Lin Changsheng sensed something again and looked in a certain direction.
Several auras seemed to be heading towards this place.
"go!"
Lin Changsheng decisively put away the demonic beast and instead sat on the back of the Xunfeng Crow and flew away.
Before long, several Foundation Establishment cultivators appeared at this place.
A quick scan with their divine senses revealed the faint residual demonic energy around them, as well as the bits of flesh and scales floating in the water below.
"Who dares to lay a finger on my clan's resources!"