Chapter 611 - 337: Shattering Star Finger
’I hope the price is worth it...’
In a flash, the deceptively simple Shattering Star Finger struck the Black Flood Dragon.
Lü Zhong pushed his Celestial Net Secret Eye to its absolute limit. He saw a layer of starlight instantly cover the spot where the finger’s power had struck Jingming’s body. The Demon Power that had been flowing ceaselessly through that area stagnated as if frozen, then erupted outward as a gush of pure Demon Qi.
Without the protection of his Demon Power, the part of his demonic body struck by the Shattering Star Finger was reduced to mere flesh and blood.
The demonic body’s impregnable defense suddenly had an opening.
This was his chance!
The Thunder Skill he had been brewing in his right hand, Thunder Swamp, was originally meant to create distance for a retreat. Now, at Lü Zhong’s command, he unleashed it right on top of Jingming.
In an instant, countless bolts of lightning materialized from the Void.
Lü Zhong watched Jingming roar in shock and fury, engulfed in the Thunder Sea. A smile finally broke across his face. Although the Shattering Star Finger’s side effects were significant enough to injure even his own heavily tempered body, the Secret Skill’s effectiveness was not to be underestimated.
Soon, Jingming charged out of the Thunder Swamp’s range.
He didn’t look entirely miserable. Most of his body was protected by a layer of Subtle Shadow True Water, so he hadn’t suffered much damage despite being enveloped by the lightning.
Only a large area on his waist was completely carbonized and blackened.
RIIIP!
Jingming glanced down, and without the slightest hesitation, he tore away the charred flesh, not even letting out a grunt of pain. Where the flesh had been, his organs were visible through a thin membrane, but in the next instant, regenerating tissue covered the wound.
With the powerful physique of a Flood Dragon, such an injury was merely a minor wound.
Yet for Jingming, it was an immense provocation.
From birth until now, he had never been so seriously injured.
Jingming’s body trembled, new scales already covering the healed wound. He gripped his True Flood Dragon Sword and shot forward, becoming a black blur as he charged toward Lü Zhong.
CLANG! A dull clang of metal on metal.
The clash of the two swords sent out an invisible shockwave.
Lü Zhong remained unhurried. He used Shooting Star Escape to flash away, then spun and slashed out fiercely with his sword, colliding with the True Flood Dragon Sword once more. Sparks flew again.
They clashed for a hundred rounds straight.
During this time, besides swinging and thrusting his sword, he used all his remaining energy on the Healing Spring Skill, having already healed most of the injury to his left hand.
’It’s time!’
A murderous glint flashed in Lü Zhong’s eyes.
He formed a hand seal and began Casting. Then, when Jingming least expected it, he jabbed a finger at the Demon Cultivator’s lower abdomen. At the same time, a green shadow followed like a phantom, its sword piercing the Demon Cultivator’s vital point.
Amidst the gushing Demon Qi, the Green Cauldron Sword pierced straight through his abdomen.
"You!" Jingming’s face was horrified.
After a Demon Cultivator undergoes Transformation, their Dantian also becomes a vital point.
It wasn’t like with Low-Tier Immortal Cultivators, who would lose their entire cultivation if their Dantian was destroyed. Still, it was the focal point of all his Demon Power; getting stabbed there would instantly cause his strength to plummet.
Flee!
Jingming had never imagined a day would come when he would embrace such a shameful notion as a matter of course.
With a roar, he reverted to his original Black Flood Dragon form. Ignoring the incoming Mirror Light, he plunged headfirst into the Sea Abyss, just as Lü Zhong had predicted, hoping to escape this life-or-death crisis.
Seeing the greatly weakened Jingming trying to escape, Lü Zhong pursued him without hesitation.
He had worked too hard to inflict such a severe wound; how could he possibly miss this golden opportunity? As for Immortal Cultivators being poor at underwater combat, that was a relative truth. Right now, even in the water against the Black Flood Dragon in its true form, Lü Zhong still had the advantage.
The moment he entered the water, he activated his Water Control Divine Technique.
Almost immediately, the rapidly increasing water pressure weakened by more than half. At the same time, the resistance to moving through the water also lessened considerably.
A purplish-gold Spirit Flame ignited on the surface of his body, dissolving the encroaching baleful qi.
During the rapid descent, the surroundings quickly became dark.
However, using the faint glimmer of light, Lü Zhong could still see perfectly clearly. This allowed him to continuously command the Cyan Qilin Sword to attack Jingming, who was focused only on escape.
While commanding the Magical Treasure to attack, his mind was as clear as a mirror.
’This current advantage won’t last. Once the Black Flood Dragon dives below ten thousand zhang, I’ll be forced to stop the pursuit due to the immense water pressure, even with the help of the Water Control Divine Technique.’
’Otherwise, I’ll probably be crushed flat by the pressure first.’
’Compared to that, the baleful qi in the Sea Abyss is nothing to be afraid of.’
At this thought, Lü Zhong urged his Magical Treasure on more urgently. He unleashed his Magical Power unsparingly like a torrent, immediately slashing the Black Flood Dragon until it shrieked repeatedly, its blood dyeing the seawater red.
Despite being in such a miserable state, Jingming still didn’t look back.
He knew it, too.
’At this moment, my only chance of survival is to dive below ten thousand zhang into the Sea Abyss.’
Born and raised in these depths, the Black Flood Dragon naturally possessed an ability to mitigate the immense pressure that other creatures could not hope to match. The terrifying water pressure that Lü Zhong couldn’t withstand was no problem at all for him, even while heavily injured.
It was a race against time.
One man and one flood dragon were both giving it their all.
Seven thousand zhang!
Eight thousand zhang!
Nine thousand zhang!
Having dived to such a depth, the terror of the water pressure was self-evident. Even with the help of the Divine Technique attached to the Water Flood Dragon Banner, it was now extremely difficult for Lü Zhong to even strike with his sword, and the Magical Power consumption was more than ten times what it was before.
But he was still persisting.
After all, the Black Flood Dragon below was on its last legs.
Nine thousand five hundred zhang!
At this point, the protective barrier created by the Water Control Divine Technique was like a bubble in the wind, liable to shatter at any moment. Once this barrier disappeared, all the water pressure that the Divine Technique had been nullifying would crash down on Lü Zhong without reservation. The consequences were unimaginable.
’One last strike!’
Lü Zhong’s eyes flashed, and he brought out the Human-Faced Flood Dragon Banner.
’If Jingming can withstand this, I’ll consider his fate not yet sealed.’
He poured his Magical Power into the Magical Treasure unsparingly. A line of purplish-gold fire shot out, illuminating the eternally dark Sea Abyss and scaring away the mountain-sized Sea Beasts that had been attracted by the blood. It pierced through more than a hundred zhang of seawater in an instant, slamming into the Black Flood Dragon as a pillar of purplish-gold flame.
"In the end, I came out on top..." Lü Zhong chuckled.
The Human-Faced Flood Dragon Banner’s Fire-Eating Divine Technique became the last straw that broke Jingming’s back.
He didn’t spare a glance for the massive dark silhouettes in the distance. Those Sea Abyss Beasts, some three to five hundred zhang long, had been nothing more than the Black Flood Dragon’s meals.
He collected the massive Flood Dragon corpse.
Relying on his extraordinary physique, Lü Zhong ascended at high speed.
Soon, he surfaced.
He gazed at the blazing sun in the sky, feeling the comforting warmth of its rays on his skin. He couldn’t help but recall the pitch-black depths of the Sea Abyss, the bone-chilling water, and the bizarre, indescribable Sea Abyss Beasts.
Lü Zhong couldn’t help but smile.
"It feels good to see the light of day again!"
Afterward, he used Rainbow Transformation to ascend high into the sky and set off on his return journey.
...
The journey here took the better part of half a month, but the return took less than seven days.
By the time Lü Zhong could clearly see Tide Cave ahead, the sky had already darkened. The sea’s surface, shimmering under the night sky, was a beautiful sight.
But his mind wasn’t on the scenery in the slightest.
Returning to the cave residence, Yu Feng’Er was not there.
According to a servant girl’s report, seven days ago, she had acted on a sudden whim, left behind a Jade Scroll, and then entered the Life and Death Pass to attempt her breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.
"Life and Death Pass..." Lü Zhong repeated the phrase.
Life and Death Pass, just as the name implied.
Once one chose to enter this seclusion, life and death were no longer in one’s own hands.
It was truly a matter of success or death.
He turned and went to the bedroom they shared.
Lü Zhong found the Jade Scroll Yu Feng’Er had left.
Its words were concise, yet filled with genuine emotion.
"Silly woman, why couldn’t you wait a little longer!" On his way back, he had already decided that after refining the sixth Flood Dragon Spirit Banner, he would take Yu Feng’Er to travel the Cultivation Realm.
They would wait until they had gathered enough resources and her state of mind had been sufficiently honed.
It wouldn’t have been too late for her to attempt Nascent Soul Formation then.
At least the probability of success would be much higher than it was now. Even if it only increased her chances of Nascent Soul Formation by five or ten percent, that was still better than nothing, wasn’t it?
Since what was done was done, Lü Zhong had no choice but to accept reality.
He began to act as a Dharma Protector for Yu Feng’Er.