Chapter 491 - 429: Elusive (Part 2)

Chapter 491: Chapter 429: Elusive (Part 2)

Zhao Lin didn’t dare to pursue any further. For one, Golden Ox Beach was the Earth Dark Sect’s territory. Without an Array Master at his side, running into one of their traps would mean certain death with no hope of a burial.

On the other hand, he worried it was a ploy to lure the tiger from its mountain. If Matsuo were to double back and attack, losing any more cultivators would be a disaster.

He walked back to camp with a grim expression, his eyes sweeping over the group. "What is all this?" he asked with a frown.

It turned out everyone was worried Matsuo might come back, so they had all enveloped themselves in two or three layers of protective shields.

While this approach was certainly safer, it consumed an immense amount of Spiritual Power and was unsustainable. It was clear that everyone was truly terrified.

Du Zhen’s old face flushed, and he was the first to drop his protective shields. "Zhao Lin, did you catch him?" he asked.

"No."

Zhao Lin shook his head. "That old scoundrel’s Water Manipulation Skill is too fast. I couldn’t keep up."

"Shouldn’t we just retreat?"

"He’s right. That old scoundrel comes and goes like a ghost. It’s too dangerous to stay here!"

"Exactly! So what if we can’t complete the mission? At worst, we’ll get fewer rewards. If we stay here, we’ll lose our lives..."

The cultivators chattered all at once. Seeing how dire the situation was, some started to advocate for retreat.

Though Du Zhen and Chang Jianqiu said nothing, they didn’t refute the others, either. They were clearly swayed.

Only Chao Duan remained silent. His sole mission was to protect the four Array Masters and obey Zhao Lin’s commands; he paid no mind to anything else.

Zhao Lin shook his head, slowly but firmly. "If we defend this position, we have the traps to rely on. The Earth Dark Sect won’t dare launch a frontal assault. But..."

"If we try to retreat, it will be impossible for a group this large to cover each other. You’ve all seen that old scoundrel’s Body Technique. If he picks us off one by one along the way, who here can stop him?"

The group knew Zhao Lin was speaking the truth and immediately fell silent.

Seeing his words had an effect, Zhao Lin continued, "There are thirteen of us. We’re not weaker than they are. We just need to take care of their Metamorphosis Realm cultivator..."

Before he could finish his sentence, someone cut in. "Kill the Metamorphosis Realm cultivator? Easy for you to say! How do we do that?"

"Besides, we have four Array Masters, meaning only nine of us can actually fight. How many people does the Earth Dark Sect have?"

Zhao Lin glanced at the cultivator and said calmly, "The Earth Dark Sect isn’t a monolith. It’s not like they’ll all charge forward to fight to the death on a single command."

"Plus, we have traps at our back. They don’t know the exact locations, so why would they dare to rashly press an attack?"

Having temporarily silenced the voices of dissent, Zhao Lin continued, "Instead of worrying about this and that, we should prepare ourselves."

"That old scoundrel is skilled at concealing his aura. Let’s get rid of all these obstructions first."

As he spoke, the Moon-Cutting Saber flew from his hand. CRASH! It shattered an oddly shaped reef before slicing through a large patch of seaweed.

Du Zhen and Chang Jianqiu exchanged a look, walked to Zhao Lin’s side, and sent out their own artifacts to strike the reefs.

Realizing Zhao Lin’s intention, the others also stepped forward and began to help.

In just a short time, they had cleared out a wide-open space.

"Since a battle is unavoidable, we might as well recover some Spiritual Power first."

Zhao Lin strode confidently to the center of the clearing, sat down cross-legged, and spoke with perfect composure.

This sight put the others somewhat at ease, and they followed his example, sitting down to meditate.

Though Zhao Lin appeared relaxed on the surface, his mind was racing.

’Even though we only exchanged a few blows, I can tell how strong Matsuo is. He’s definitely more powerful than Ji Zhang or Chunying.’

’That’s one thing, but he also excels at sneak attacks. If I show even the slightest weakness, he has the ability to kill me in a single blow.’

’It’s brought our group to a complete standstill, leaving us with no choice but to stay put.’

’Matsuo, on the other hand, can come and go as he pleases—he could even go find a place to take a nap—while we can’t afford to relax for a single second.’

’This is no long-term solution. There’s a saying: one can be a thief for a thousand days, but one can’t guard against a thief for a thousand days. If we keep our nerves stretched this taut, they’re bound to snap sooner or later.’

’What can I do?’

’I need to think about this from his perspective. If I were Matsuo, what would I do?’

’I’d have the upper hand right now, but it wouldn’t be the right time for a decisive battle.’

’A cornered beast will still fight back. Even if I won, it would be a pyrrhic victory.’

’My best move would be to kill a few more with sneak attacks until the Earth Dark Sect has an overwhelming advantage, then press forward all at once...’

Zhao Lin weighed everything again and again until he understood the situation perfectly.

But after wracking his brain, he still couldn’t think of a way to break the stalemate.

’Are we just supposed to be trapped here until the mission ends in two days?’

Staring into the deep, dark seabed, Zhao Lin suddenly had a thought. ’The Earth Dark Sect sent eighteen cultivators to sea. Six are dead, which means twelve are left. So where are the other Earth Dark Sect cultivators?’

’If I can find those people, I can give them a taste of their own medicine.’

’It’s a good idea, but it presents two new problems: Where are the Earth Dark Sect cultivators? And if I leave, what happens if Matsuo comes back?’

’That old scoundrel might not be able to defeat over a dozen cultivators at once, but with his incredible speed and lethal saber techniques, he could definitely pick them off one by one.’

He opened his storage pouch to take a look, and suddenly, inspiration struck!

"Everyone, I’m going to patrol the perimeter and see if that old scoundrel is nearby."

Zhao Lin said, standing up.

"Ah! What if the old scoundrel comes back?"

"Besides you, Zhao Lin, none of us can stop his vicious saber."

A few cultivators said worriedly.

Zhao Lin walked up to them and took out the Array Plate and flags for the Small Tai Chi Array. "I confiscated this Array set from the Metamorphosis Realm cultivator I killed earlier," he said with a small smile. "It will keep you all safe."

He normally couldn’t have revealed the Small Tai Chi Array, but having killed two Metamorphosis Realm cultivators gave him a convenient excuse.

Sun Jue glanced at the Array Plate and exclaimed, "The Small Tai Chi Array?"

"That’s right."

Zhao Lin nodded. "The Small Tai Chi Array is quick to set up and its defense is quite formidable. For that old scoundrel to break through the Array, it would take him at least half an hour."

He paused, his tone turning serious. "After I leave, you will follow Elder Chao’s commands in all matters!"

"Then please go quickly and return soon, Zhao Lin."

Given Zhao Lin’s brave performance earlier, no one worried that he was trying to desert them. Besides, even if he did want to run, there was no need to use a valuable item like the Small Tai Chi Array as a cover.

Sun Jue took the Array Plate, gave Zhao Lin a nod, and cast out the four array flags.

He then channeled an activation incantation into the Array Plate, activating the Small Tai Chi Array.

There was a flash of white light, and the entire group vanished from sight.

Zhao Lin gave the now-invisible group a salute, then cast his Water Manipulation Skill. He exited Golden Ox Beach the way he came and quickly circled the Pearl Shoals.

Outside the Pearl Shoals, there was only Matsuo’s aura. This confirmed that the other Earth Dark Sect cultivators were not inside Golden Ox Beach.

Based on the aura he’d tracked, Matsuo had entered Golden Ox Beach from the west side.

’Qingyang Beach!’

Zhao Lin recalled the Sea Map. The name of the beach adjacent to the Pearl Shoals surfaced in his mind, and he quickly swam toward it.

Upon entering Qingyang Beach, Zhao Lin canceled his Water Manipulation Skill to avoid triggering any underwater traps. Pushing against the immense water pressure, he began to walk step-by-step deeper into the beach.

Before long, he heard the sound of conversation.

The voices were intermittent, but he could tell at least five people were speaking.

’Good,’ Zhao Lin thought. ’Just as I expected.’

With a flicker of thought, Zhao Lin suppressed his aura completely and began to slowly creep closer.