Chapter 511 - 449: Taking on 3 Aboard the Spiritual Vessel

Chapter 511: Chapter 449: Taking on 3 Aboard the Spiritual Vessel

"Well? Can you see any flaws?"

Li Yuanzhi deliberately hunched his back and took a few steps in front of the others, asking in a raspy voice.

"Very good. Anyone who doesn’t know you well won’t be able to tell!"

Li Chengfu nodded in satisfaction. "The three of you shouldn’t go at the same time. Pretend you don’t know each other, lest you arouse his suspicions."

Li Yuanzhi, Li Yanlang, and Tao Shen answered in unison, "Yes!"

As the sun slanted westward, a sallow-faced man walked into the wooden house where Zhao Lin and Liang Song were staying.

He cupped his fist in his hand toward the two of them and asked, "Are you the two fellow Daoists who posted the notice about capturing demonic insects at the Nine Dragon Pool?"

"That’s right."

Zhao Lin and Liang Song rose and returned the salute, gesturing for the sallow-faced man to take a seat.

"May I ask for your name, fellow Daoist?"

Zhao Lin asked as he sat down.

"My surname is Mu."

Li Yuanzhi replied, suppressing the hatred in his heart.

"Fellow Daoist Mu, where are you from? What brings you here?"

"I’m from the Western Ox Continent. I came here on business with a clan elder and happen to have a few days to spare. I figured I’d wander the mountain forests for a bit and see the sights."

"I see. And what kinds of Magic are you skilled in, Fellow Daoist Mu?"

"I wouldn’t say I’m skilled. I have a basic understanding of Water and Earth Element Magic."

After a few questions, Zhao Lin was more or less certain this man was from the Li and Tao families of Three Mountains County.

To make his final confirmation, he said, "Our Spiritual Vessel is rented, so the fee is rather high. If you don’t mind, you can pay fifty Spirit Coins, and we can all go hunt demonic insects together tomorrow."

Of course, Li Yuanzhi didn’t care about such a small sum, but to make his act more convincing, he furrowed his brow. "Can you make it any cheaper? What if we don’t catch many demonic insects? I’ll end up losing money, won’t I?"

Zhao Lin spread his hands and flatly refused. "The rental fee for the Spiritual Vessel is high. There’s really nothing I can do."

Li Yuanzhi pretended to hesitate for a moment. "Alright, fine."

He took out fifty Spirit Coins and handed them to Zhao Lin.

Zhao Lin laughed. "We set out at dawn tomorrow. Let’s meet at the marketplace."

Li Yuanzhi was taken aback. "That early?"

’The earlier, the better. It’ll be easier to take your pathetic life,’ Zhao Lin thought. Aloud, he said, "The demonic insects are most active around daybreak. Once the sun is up, they’re much harder to catch."

Li Yuanzhi suspected nothing. "Then it’s settled."

With that, he turned and left the wooden house.

Zhao Lin looked at Liang Song and gave a slight nod.

A short while later, Li Yanlang and Tao Shen also came to the wooden house, one after the other, to answer the notice. They each paid fifty Spirit Coins and joined the demonic insect-hunting party.

With their party full, Zhao Lin and Liang Song went to the local administration to take down their notice. Then they went to the Earth Hall to borrow a Spiritual Vessel, mooring it in front of the marketplace.

"Brother Zhao, see if this might be useful."

Back at their residence, Liang Song pulled a strange, bronze-colored snake from his personal beast pouch. It was over seven feet long, with a head as pointed as an awl.

The moment it was out of the pouch, the strange snake coiled on the ground, its body pressing close to Liang Song, appearing quite attached to him.

"Is this your Spirit Beast?"

Zhao Lin was taken aback. Feeling the Earth Element aura radiating from the strange snake, he recalled a Demon Beast he’d heard about and blurted out, "A Sealed Valley Snake?"

Liang Song chuckled. "Brother Zhao is correct. My chosen Daoist art is beast mastery, so of course I have one of my own."

Zhao Lin said, "The Sealed Valley Snake is an Earth Spirit Beast. If I recall, its innate Magic includes Earth Escape and Stone Armor."

Liang Song stroked the Sealed Valley Snake’s pointed head, saying with a hint of pride, "This Sealed Valley Snake has already shed its skin three times, evolving three innate abilities: Earth Escape, Stone Armor, and Flying Teeth."

"Earth Escape is self-explanatory—it can travel rapidly through soil and even rock. Stone Armor is equivalent to a cultivator’s personal protective Magic; ordinary magical treasures can’t harm it."

"It has two venomous fangs that it can launch from its mouth at critical moments, piercing a cultivator’s Spiritual Energy Shield. The fangs contain a potent toxin. Weaker cultivators who are poisoned often die before they even have time to circulate their energy and expel it."

The Sealed Valley Snake seemed to understand Liang Song’s words. It raised its head high, flicked its forked tongue, and let out a "HISS HISS HISS."

Seeing this, Zhao Lin laughed. "Then we’ll have to bring our serpentine brother along."

The next day, before the sky had even brightened, Zhao Lin and Liang Song arrived at the marketplace.

At this hour, the marketplace was nearly empty, save for a few dozen cultivators heading out early or returning late.

After a moment, Li Yuanzhi walked over and took the initiative to greet them. "Fellow Daoists."

Zhao Lin and Liang Song replied in kind, "Fellow Daoist Mu."

A moment later, Li Yanlang and Tao Shen arrived, one right after the other.

Liang Song conferred with Zhao Lin for a moment, then smiled. "Everyone’s here bright and early. Since the party’s all here, let’s set off now. What do you all say?"

Li Yuanzhi said, "I agree."

Li Yanlang and Tao Shen also nodded in agreement.

Liang Song, who was piloting, was the first to board the Spiritual Vessel, taking a seat before the control console.

"Please!"

Zhao Lin didn’t board the vessel, but simply smiled and gestured for them to go ahead.

Li Yuanzhi hesitated for a moment before walking to the side of the vessel and taking a seat.

Li Yanlang and Tao Shen sat across from him.

Zhao Lin boarded last, sitting down on the same side as Li Yuanzhi.

The four of them each took a corner. The Spiritual Vessel wasn’t large, so they were all less than ten feet from each other.

"Everyone sit tight! We’re off!"

Liang Song gave a sharp cry, took out a Token, and sent a command seal into the control console.

The Spiritual Vessel lifted into the air, flying toward the dense mountain forests in the distance.

The horizon was just beginning to show the pale light of dawn. A single ray of morning sun pierced the clouds and fell upon the Spiritual Vessel.

Zhao Lin sat ramrod straight, his eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought.

Li Yuanzhi, Li Yanlang, and Tao Shen exchanged a furtive glance. ’Our plan is to find an opportunity during the journey,’ they thought. ’The Spiritual Vessel just left the marketplace; it’s not time to make a move yet.’

Zhao Lin suddenly looked up. "Brother Liang, how long until we reach the Nine Dragon Pool?"

This was the secret signal he had arranged with Liang Song. Taking the cue, Liang Song answered loudly, "The Nine Dragon Pool is less than two hundred li from Yanmen County. It’ll take about a quarter of an hour to get there..."

As he spoke, he sent another command seal into the Spiritual Vessel’s controls.

The Spiritual Vessel shook violently, instantly spiraling out of control as the entire hull flipped over.

Caught completely by surprise, Li Yuanzhi and the others scrambled to grab hold of the deck boards, crying out, "What’s happening?!"

At that exact moment, Zhao Lin drew his Moon-Cutting Saber and swept it out in a horizontal arc!

A silver light flashed. Li Yuanzhi’s head soared into the air as a fountain of hot blood erupted from his neck.

It happened so fast that a flicker of consciousness remained in Li Yuanzhi’s mind. His eyes were wide with disbelief.

His head struck the Spiritual Vessel’s Protective Array and fell back to the deck, rolling across the planks.

Li Yanlang and Tao Shen were aghast, their faces draining of color. They couldn’t fathom why Zhao Lin had suddenly attacked. With no time to think, they roared in fury. One took out his magical treasure while the other began forming hand seals...

But the space inside the Spiritual Vessel was too cramped, and with the craft continually tumbling, Li Yanlang had only just drawn his magical treasure when Zhao Lin’s saber lopped off his head as well.

Tao Shen was sprayed full in the face with blood, and his courage utterly shattered. His hands trembled so violently that he failed twice to cast a spell he normally knew like the back of his hand.

Zhao Lin closed the distance and thrust his saber straight into Tao Shen’s heart.