Chapter 617
In the Mud
Behind the Ziying warship, the man in the bamboo hat and Xiao Mu led the cultivators in pursuit. Seeing Jiang Xuan fleeing in a sorry state, many people laughed and mocked him, excited by his transformation from being powerful to being hunted down.
Xiao Mu coldly reminded them that their side had lost 419 men in the previous battle. If the warships had not suffered even greater losses, mocking them would be tantamount to humiliation.
They further pointed out that Jiang Xuan, with his Earthly Realm cultivation, had managed to withstand the pursuit of five ships until now, a feat unmatched in the entire empire. If he survived and sought revenge, everyone would be filled with anxiety. The man in the bamboo hat reassured everyone, saying that Jiang Xuan's chances of survival were almost nil, but they needed to witness his annihilation. The crowd returned to their vigilance. Time passed, the bombardment continued, and although Jiang Xuan was disheveled, his dark eyes remained resolute.
He caught the sound of rushing water in his mind's eye, and a turbulent river, dozens of feet wide, appeared ahead. He gritted his teeth and accelerated towards it. The burly man piloting the warship in the Sky Realm, seeing the river, grinned maliciously, believing that escape was impossible. The five warships unleashed their full firepower, beams of light covering the river's surface like a meteor shower. The man in the straw hat recalled Jiang Xuan's escape from underwater during the previous ambush at the lake, realizing that the river might be his only hope for survival, but it was too late—Jiang Xuan plunged into the river like lightning.
The cannon fire bombarded the river's surface, sending waves crashing against it. Jiang Xuan was forced to the riverbed by a terrifying force from behind, coughing up blood and collapsing in agony, his bones nearly broken. However, thanks to the aura of the Heavenly Water Sacred Pearl, he moved freely and easily at the bottom of the river. After catching his breath, Jiang Xuan gritted his teeth and rose, dragging his heavily injured body forward underwater. He eventually found an underground cave, retrieved the Awakening Insect Device, inserted it outside the cave, swallowed a healing pill, and then closed his eyes to meditate.
The water, hundreds of feet deep, was unaffected by the warships, and those who weren't at the Spirit Sea Realm couldn't stay there for long. Jiang Xuan could use this opportunity to heal his injuries. On the river, the five warships ceased their attack, realizing they couldn't stop the flow and destroy the river. Hundreds of cultivators gathered on the riverbank. The man in the bamboo hat stared intently at the river, his expression grim—the target had vanished, his fate unknown.
Some believe that Jiang Xuan has been killed, but the man in the bamboo hat ordered more than ten cultivators to go into the water to investigate because of old matters concerning the lake.
Xiao Mu questioned whether the person who went into the water was a match for him. The man in the straw hat judged that Jiang Xuan was seriously injured when he jumped into the river, and now was the best time to kill him. So he ordered everyone to set up a control along the riverbank. Five warships and the Wind Shadow Hawk were fully monitoring the river area. Once the target was found, he was to be killed without mercy to prevent him from escaping from the bottom of the river again.
The intense desire to survive, like the most blazing flame, burned through Jiang Xuan's will and also unleashed the potential deep within his body that he had not yet fully mastered. The newly generated Earth Qi within his body roared and circulated wildly at an unprecedented speed, and his blood and qi surged like boiling water, allowing him to increase his speed even further despite his severe injuries!
Behind them, five massive Purple Elite warships relentlessly pursued them like leeches. The menacing turrets on the ships constantly adjusted their angles, unleashing full firepower from their spirit-patterned cannons. Terrifying beams of light, powerful enough to blast away Spirit Sea Realm cultivators, slashed across the earth like the scythe of death.
Wherever Jiang Xuan passed, huge craters were blasted into the ground, hard rocks turned to dust, and dense forests instantly vaporized, leaving behind a scene of devastation, like the end of the world.
Jiang Xuan knew that although the Ziying warship was powerful, its combat methods were relatively simple and required a cultivator to operate it. Its reaction and flexibility were ultimately limited. This might be the only chance he could use to escape.
However, despite his extreme tension as he fled, he was unable to find a safe opportunity to escape the five grim reapers. He could only rely on his instincts and his extraordinary sense of danger to keep moving forward!
On the ground a short distance behind the Ziying warship, the man in the bamboo hat and Xiao Mu were leading the remaining hundreds of cultivators in hot pursuit. Seeing Jiang Xuan, who had been so arrogant and invincible like a god of war, now fleeing for his life amidst the gunfire in such a sorry state, many cultivators couldn't help but let out excited laughter and discussions.
"Hahaha! See that! How arrogant this kid was before? Now he's like a stray dog!"
"Let him be arrogant! In front of the Purple Ying Warship, even the greatest genius is nothing!"
"Let's see how long he can hold out! Once he's blasted to smithereens, let's see how arrogant he still is!"
Hearing the unbridled mockery around him, a shadow of gloom flashed in Xiao Mu's scarlet eyes. He coldly glanced at everyone, his voice as icy as ice.
"Laugh? What right do you have to laugh? Don't forget, just now, we lost four hundred and nineteen brothers! If it weren't for the power of the warships, our losses would have been even greater! To laugh at him is to insult our own fallen comrades!"
He paused, his tone becoming even more serious, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible fear.
"Moreover, look closely! He is only at the Earthly Strike Realm! Yet he managed to escape this far despite being pursued by five Purple Elite warships! Looking at the entire younger generation of the empire, have you ever heard of anyone else who could do that?"
If we cannot capture him completely today and allow him to escape... given his potential and the grudge we've incurred, who among us, including our families, could withstand his future revenge? At that time, you might all have to sleep with one eye open!
These words were like ice water poured over their heads, instantly extinguishing everyone's excited emotions. A chill rose from the bottom of their hearts, turning many people pale and making them unable to laugh anymore.
Seeing this, the man in the straw hat took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his unease, and said in a deep voice to reassure him.
"Xiao Mu is right, this kid must not be allowed to live! But everyone, there's no need to worry too much. With the five Ziying warships blocking his way, his chances of survival are extremely slim! But we need to see him completely killed with our own eyes before we can report back to our superiors! Everyone, stay alert and keep a close watch!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions became alert and focused again, their eyes fixed on the figure flashing amidst the gunfire.
Time ticked by amidst the suffocating chase and relentless bombing.
Jiang Xuan looked increasingly disheveled, his clothes almost torn to shreds, his body charred and covered in blood, but his dark eyes remained like cold stars in the night, shining with unwavering determination.
Just as he felt his internal energy being rapidly depleted and his injuries worsening, he keenly detected the sound of rushing water in his mind! He suddenly looked up and, through the smoke and dust kicked up by the cannon fire, vaguely saw a wide river stretching across the way. The river was dozens of feet wide, with a rapid current and surging waves!
hope!
A resolute light flashed in Jiang Xuan's eyes. He recklessly urged his remaining power, his speed soaring to the limit. Like a moth drawn to a flame, or a shooting star tearing through the night sky, he rushed headlong into the surging river!
High above, in the command room of one of the warships, a burly man with a ferocious face saw the great river below and Jiang Xuan rushing madly towards the riverbank through the spirit pattern light screen. A cruel grin appeared on his face.
"Trying to escape by using the water? Wishful thinking! Once in the water, he'll be an easy target! All warships, listen up! Open fire! Cover the river and blast him to pieces!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The cannons of the five Ziying warships blazed with blinding light once more, unleashing even denser and more violent beams of light like a meteor shower, raining down on the vast expanse of river in front of Jiang Xuan! Their aim was to evaporate the river and the surrounding water completely before he even entered the water!
The man in the straw hat on the ground was stunned when he saw the river. Then he suddenly remembered the intelligence report that Jiang Xuan had mysteriously escaped from underwater during the siege at a certain lake! His expression changed drastically, and he cried out in alarm.
"Oh no! He's trying to escape using water! Stop him!"
However, his warning came too late!
Just a moment before the pillars of light were about to cover the river, Jiang Xuan's figure, like a nimble fish or a resolute black lightning bolt, leaped into the turbulent, muddy river without hesitation and was instantly swallowed by the waves!
"BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!"
Countless destructive beams of light followed closely behind, bombarding the river surface and surrounding area at Jiang Xuan's entry point! Terrifying energy erupted, stirring up huge waves hundreds of feet high, as if the entire river had been blasted to its death! The scorching heat caused the river water to vaporize instantly, and white steam rose into the sky like mushroom clouds, enveloping a large area of the river!
Beneath the riverbed, the moment Jiang Xuan entered the water, he was violently suppressed into the depths by the terrifying shockwave coming from behind! He felt as if he had been hit by a mountain, his chest tightened, and he couldn't help but cough up another mouthful of blood, which quickly dissipated into the river water.
His bones ached as if they were falling apart, especially the wound on his back, which throbbed with excruciating pain, almost causing him to lose consciousness instantly. He collapsed heavily into the muddy riverbed. However, at that moment, a cool and mysterious aura naturally emanated from his body, enveloping him. It was the power he had obtained from the Heavenly Water Sacred Pearl! Under the protection of this aura, the heavy water pressure around him seemed to vanish, the icy river water became docile, and he moved as freely as if on land, breathing without any hindrance!
"Cough cough..."
Jiang Xuan endured the excruciating pain, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and dared not delay for even the slightest moment.
He gritted his teeth and stood up, determined the direction, and then, dragging his heavily injured body, with the protection of the Heavenly Water Sacred Pearl, he trudged forward step by step in the dim riverbed.
After walking for an unknown distance, he was fortunate enough to discover a narrow cave leading underground, hidden by aquatic plants, on the rock wall on one side of the riverbed.
Without hesitation, he crawled inside. After confirming that it was temporarily safe, he immediately took out the [Awakening of Insects Instrument] from his storage ring and carefully inserted it at the entrance of the cave, setting up a simple warning rune.
After doing all this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and slid down against the cold rock wall.
He quickly took out several healing pills and swallowed them. Then he closed his eyes and began to fully circulate his internal energy, guiding the medicinal power and the power of the earth to repair the severe injuries in his body.
The riverbed, hundreds of feet deep, temporarily shielded the area from threats from the sky. No matter how fierce the cannon fire of the Ziying warships was, it could hardly affect the depths below.
Unless a Spirit Sea Realm expert personally goes into the water to search, ordinary cultivators would find it difficult to stay here for long.
This place became a glimmer of hope he found in his desperate situation, a precious place to catch his breath and heal his wounds.
On the great river, after several rounds of frenzied bombardment, the five Ziying warships finally slowly ceased their attack.
They hovered low in the air, their cold hulls facing the still churning river below. The crew realized that, faced with such a wide and turbulent river, trying to cut off the flow with artillery fire or force the target out was virtually impossible.
On the riverbank, the man in the straw hat, Xiao Mu, and the cultivators who arrived later, numbering in the hundreds or thousands, completely surrounded this section of the river.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the murky river surface, the atmosphere oppressive and heavy.
The man in the straw hat had a face so dark it could drip water; his target... had vanished again! Right under their noses, he had jumped into the river, his fate unknown!
"Boss, with that kind of heavy artillery fire, that kid must have been blasted to smithereens by now, right?"
A cultivator nearby spoke tentatively, but his tone was uncertain.
"Scum?"
The man in the straw hat snorted coldly, his eyes sharp as knives.
"Don't forget, he disappeared in the same way at the lake last time! I need to see him alive or dead! Otherwise, I won't be able to eat or sleep in peace!"
He suddenly waved his hand and gave a stern order.
"Immediately organize a team to search the riverbed! Find him no matter what!"
Xiao Mu frowned and reminded him.
"Boss, go underwater? Our men are much less effective underwater, and if he's really not dead, the people who go underwater might..."
The man in the straw hat interrupted him, his tone resolute.
"He was severely injured when he jumped into the river, taking the aftershocks of the explosion! Now is his weakest moment, and the best time to kill him! We must not give him a chance to recover!"
His gaze swept over the crowd, his voice carrying an undeniable resolve.
"Everyone, listen up! Immediately deploy along the riverbank, forming an impenetrable barrier within ten miles upstream and downstream! Five Purple Ying warships will take to the air for surveillance, cooperating with the Wind Shadow Hawks to provide comprehensive monitoring of this river area! If any anomalies are detected, or the target shows its face, kill it without mercy! We cannot allow it to slip away from under our noses again!"
The cave at the bottom of the river was deathly silent, with only the soft sound of water gently flowing over the rocks.
Jiang Xuan was closing his eyes, focusing all his energy on healing, channeling the medicinal power to repair the severe injuries within his body. Suddenly, the [Awakening of Insects Instrument] he had inserted at the entrance of the cave emitted an extremely subtle yet clearly penetrating vibration that entered his sea of consciousness!
Something's approaching! And there are quite a few of them!
Jiang Xuan suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of cold light in them, and all the healing process stopped instantly.
Without any hesitation, he gripped the Flowing Light Battle Blade beside him with his right hand, feeling its cold, hard touch, while his left hand silently grabbed a loaded crossbow.
Like the most patient cheetah, he moved silently to the shadows at the entrance of the cave, concealing his aura to the extreme, while his powerful will spread outwards like invisible tentacles.
In his mental perception, dozens of life forms carrying obvious hostility and killing intent were fanning out towards this riverbed area.
They moved cautiously, but underwater, it was clear that their movements were severely hampered.
The water pressure at the bottom of this river, hundreds of feet deep, is terrifying. If an ordinary person were to come down, they would be instantly crushed, bleeding from all seven orifices and having their bones broken.
Even cultivators at the Spirit罡 Realm must constantly circulate their Spirit罡 to resist the water pressure, making it difficult to remain in the water for long. Moreover, under the resistance and pressure of the water flow, they are lucky to be able to exert 60-70% of their strength. Only those at the Spirit海 Realm, who have a preliminary connection with heaven and earth, can move relatively freely in this deep-water environment. (End of Chapter)