Chapter 329 : Now I Am the Hunter
Chapter 329: Now I Am the Hunter
Border of the Five Dragon Island Sea Region.
“Mooh!”
The third-rank great demon Green-Horned Ox seemed to have discovered something and could not help letting out a low roar.
However, the next moment, a group of sea beasts swam past beneath the water’s surface. Only then did the Green-Horned Ox lower its guard, just as it was about to raise its head.
Suddenly, the distant sea surface exploded apart. A giant turtle nearly twenty zhang in size appeared, roaring as it opened its bloody maw. A large number of sea beasts panicked, yet none could escape the abyss of that enormous mouth.
“A late third-rank demon beast!”
This giant turtle that had suddenly emerged from the seabed emitted a terrifying aura.
Lin Chang’an deliberately put on a shocked expression, while the five people on the distant barren island revealed smiles when they saw this scene.
This familiar tactic had worked for them time and time again.
Encountering a late third-rank demon beast in the Beast Sea Abyss—especially a turtle-type known for its defense—most cultivators’ first choice would be to flee.
“The fish is about to take the bait.”
If the other party fled toward the Five Dragon Island Sea Region, then the only direction would be toward their barren island.
However, just as the five of them were smiling with victory in their grasp, their expressions suddenly froze.
“Good beast. Today, Lin shall obtain another high-grade third-rank demon core.”
Lin Chang’an shouted coldly in the distance. With a raise of his hand, formation flags suddenly appeared one after another, plunging straight into the seawater.
“Mooh!”
The Green-Horned Ox roared as well, its body expanding to ten zhang in size. Its massive eyes burned with excitement.
“This is bad!”
“Not good!”
The five people on the distant barren island cried out in alarm. They had never expected this Lin fellow to not follow the usual script—he had actually chosen to hunt a late third-rank great demon.
Was that even reasonable?
“A formation!”
In that instant, the roaring of the late third-rank giant turtle in the distance had already vanished.
In its place, this sea region was suddenly shrouded by a bone-chilling dense mist.
The seawater surrounding the outer perimeter of the formation visibly froze into ice.
Third-rank Formation · Mystic Ice Formation
“My spirit pet!”
Among the five, the leading cultivator became both shocked and furious. He had never expected this person to be so bold.
“Not good. This person intends to use the formation to hunt your spirit pet. We must hurry and break the formation!”
The Red Fire Sect Couple appeared outwardly furious, yet inwardly they were overjoyed.
Regardless of whether the other party had discovered them or for some other reason, this third-rank spirit pet was now trapped. The opponent would certainly fight desperately.
“Good! Good! Good!”
The other three also looked extremely unpleasant, while the leader clenched his teeth in rage.
…
Lin Chang’an naturally knew nothing of the scheming among the five.
All he knew was that once his formation activated, the surrounding seawater froze solid, while the late third-rank giant turtle roared as it struggled out from the ice mountain.
The demon beasts of the sea had already lost their greatest advantage.
As a third-rank Formation Master, Lin Chang’an naturally knew that his methods were somewhat inferior against aquatic demon beasts.
Therefore, he had long prepared a set of the third-rank Mystic Ice Formation. He had not expected that today it would finally come into use.
“Now I am the hunter!”
Under the coverage of the formation, the surrounding area had completely turned into a world of ice mountains.
Lin Chang’an’s cold eyes flickered. Once the formation was activated, the initiative had fallen into his hands.
“Mooh!”
The Green-Horned Ox roared as a beam of light shot out from its mouth.
Although the late third-rank giant turtle had lost its environmental advantage, it still appeared ferocious. A vast water-blue protective barrier emerged around its body.
With strength equivalent to a late Golden Core cultivator, even if the Green-Horned Ox was a mutated spirit beast, it could not break its defense.
[Profound Soul Spike]
Lin Chang’an did not probe at all. He directly used his trump card.
A solid yet invisible Spiritual Sense Spike instantly shot forward.
The water-element spell barrier of the late third-rank great demon only produced a faint ripple under this light.
When the giant turtle sensed danger, its enormous pupils contracted sharply, reflecting the image of an invisible spike.
“Roar!”
Instinctively, it circulated its mana. The turtle shell erupted with terrifying mana fluctuations as its defense was pushed to the absolute limit.
This invisible Spiritual Sense attack created some ripples when encountering mana defenses, but beneath the turtle shell it moved as though through empty space.
The roar it released was filled with shock and anger in its first half. By the second half, the beast’s roar had already transformed from rage into a scream of agony.
This sudden change caused the water-element defensive barrier before it to lose control and collapse directly.
“Mooh!”
The Green-Horned Ox roared fiercely as the light beam slammed straight into the giant turtle’s body.
“A late third-rank great demon delivered to my doorstep—Lin will gladly accept it.”
The sharpness of the Spiritual Sense attack was evident.
Seeing this, Lin Chang’an sneered. With a wave of his hand, nine Sword Gleams carrying terrifying sharpness shot forward.
At the same time, under the operation of the formation, massive ice pillars rose one after another, flipping the giant turtle over.
At this moment, the late third-rank giant turtle had none of its earlier majesty left. After suffering heavy damage to its Spiritual Sense, it howled miserably in pain.
Its spirit weakened, and its mana aura became completely chaotic.
At the same time, the cry of a phoenix echoed through the air. The Phoenix Cry Bird had already transformed into a streak of golden light and struck.
With a single bite, scorching blood instantly spurted from the turtle’s skull.
“Mooh!”
The Green-Horned Ox charged forward with great momentum, its four hooves galloping across the ice. Its sharp horns rammed forward directly.
“Roar!”
After all, it was a late third-rank great demon. Although its offensive power was not particularly strong, its defensive ability was extremely formidable.
Facing the crisis of life and death, the giant turtle’s bloodshot eyes roared madly. Terrifying mana leaked out, forming a powerful defensive barrier.
Its body shrank completely into its shell, forming a powerful defense.
“What strong defense!”
At this moment, even Lin Chang’an felt the difficulty. Turtle-type demon beasts truly deserved their reputation for defense.
Despite this series of surprise attacks—
along with the cooperation of the formation, the Phoenix Cry Bird, and the Green-Horned Ox—
if it had been any other late third-rank great demon, it likely would have already perished.
[Profound Soul Spike]
Lin Chang’an used the divine ability again. In an instant, bloodshot veins appeared in his eyes.
Although Spiritual Sense divine abilities were powerful, their consumption of Spiritual Sense was also immense.
“Roar!”
The giant turtle within the shell let out another scream of agony. Its Soul Spirit was struck again and severely wounded, causing it to completely lose its sanity.
Soul Spirit attacks were impossible to guard against. The turtle shell’s solid defense seemed transparent in this moment.
Driven by the fear of death, the late third-rank giant turtle frantically crawled out of its shell. Ignoring the injuries to its body, it crashed directly toward the edge of the formation.
Instinct told it that as long as it broke through the formation and escaped into the sea, it could survive.
…
While Lin Chang’an was doing everything he could to hunt this giant turtle, the five people on the barren island had already flown over to the front of the formation.
“My spirit pet!”
As a spirit pet nurtured with essence blood, the faint change in its life aura caused the leading man to become both shocked and furious.
“Break the formation!”
However, just as the five of them joined forces to break the formation, flashes of light suddenly appeared across the surrounding sea surface.
There was actually another hidden formation.
Third-rank · Five Elements Maze Grand Formation
In an instant, under the misty sea fog, all five of them were trapped inside the formation.
The Red Fire Sect Couple exclaimed in shock:
“There’s actually another formation. This person deliberately lured us here.”
Layered formations like this required extremely high attainments from a Formation Master. If handled poorly, the two formations could interfere with each other.
All of this reversal had occurred within the span of a single cup of tea.
From the five people’s initial ambush, to Lin Chang’an using the hunting of a demon beast as bait to set up formations and lure them into the trap.
“Stop hiding things. Today we’ve run into a tough opponent.”
Although the five were both shocked and furious—and the Red Fire Sect Couple had even begun considering retreat since their identities had not yet been exposed—they were already trapped inside the formation.
Breaking the formation was now the priority.
“My wife!”
The couple had shared affection for several hundred years. With a single glance, they understood each other’s intentions.
“Husband, it was my greed that caused this mistake. While our identities are not yet exposed, let us quickly break the formation and leave.”
“Good!”
Cultivators who had lived for several centuries instinctively chose the option most advantageous to themselves when facing a difficult and unfavorable situation.
…
While the five trapped in the formation were each harboring their own thoughts, the giant turtle trapped within the Mystic Ice Formation let out a mournful cry.
After two consecutive Profound Soul Spikes, even a giant turtle with such tenacious vitality had its Soul Spirit trembling. It was already at the end of its strength.
Great Sword Technique
Amid the shattered ice mountains, Lin Chang’an shouted coldly. Before him, the Sun-Piercing Divine Sword burst forth with dazzling light as a massive Sword Gleam gathered.
His Natal Magic Treasure transformed into a giant sword over ten zhang long, carrying terrifying might as it slashed toward the turtle’s head where it had retracted into the shell.
The Green-Horned Ox and Phoenix Cry Bird cooperated seamlessly.
The Green-Horned Ox roared as the beam from its mouth struck directly against the defensive spiritual light before the giant turtle.
The defensive barrier began to petrify, spreading gradually.
At that moment, the Phoenix Cry Bird spread its wings and turned into a streak of golden light. Its sharp beak instantly pierced through the mana barrier weakened by petrification.
The moment the barrier shattered, Lin Chang’an’s Natal Magic Treasure—transformed into a giant sword—drove straight in without resistance.
Entering through the head and exiting from the tail, it bypassed the turtle shell and completely pierced through the body.
“Roar!”
The giant turtle let out a sorrowful howl as scorching blood rained down upon the ice like a violent storm.
Finally, its body trembled as the enormous eyes lost their light.
“The life aura has disappeared.”
Standing in the sky, Lin Chang’an looked solemnly at the late third-rank great demon he had just hunted below. A smile appeared on his face.
This battle had also verified his strength.
As the light of the giant sword gradually faded, the turtle’s pierced head weakly flopped out from the shell.
“Master!”
The Phoenix Cry Bird spread its wings and immediately pecked out the demon core with its sharp beak.
One man, one bird, and one ox—each performed their role clearly. In the time of a single cup of tea, the late third-rank great demon had already been dismembered.
“Recover your mana. The hunt has only just begun.”
The blood remaining on the ice still emitted heat. Lin Chang’an’s expression was calm as his gaze shifted toward the five people outside the formation.
“Mooh!”
The Green-Horned Ox let out a low sound, white breath escaping its nostrils. It was clear that hunting this late third-rank great demon had not been a small expenditure.
The reason the hunt had succeeded so quickly was not only because the formation trapped the giant turtle, but also because Lin Chang’an had used his trump card from the very beginning, leaving the opponent no chance to catch its breath.
“My Self-Healing Body recovers mana quickly, but the recovery of Spiritual Sense is clearly weaker.”
Lin Chang’an panted slightly as he took out two pills for restoring mana from his storage pouch and gave one each to the Phoenix Cry Bird and the Green-Horned Ox.
As for himself, he swallowed a third-rank pill for condensing the mind, which helped restore Spiritual Sense.
This was also the first time since reaching the Golden Core Realm that he had taken pills in battle to recover consumption.
At the same time, he used Xuantian mana to assist the two beasts in restoring their mana.
“Only after cultivating the Xuantian Spirit Body will the recovery of Spiritual Sense synchronize with that of the body.”
Lin Chang’an’s expression was solemn. Although he believed the Self-Healing Body was not particularly strong at restoring Spiritual Sense, after the two consecutive Soul Spirit attacks earlier—
the bloodshot veins in his eyes were already visibly fading.
Clearly, compared with ordinary cultivators, his recovery ability in Spiritual Sense was still monstrous.
“One late Golden Core, two mid Golden Core, and two early Golden Core.”
While recovering, Lin Chang’an continued sensing the strength of the five trapped inside the formation.
“Kill!”
In the next moment, Lin Chang’an did not hesitate at all. A cold light flashed in his eyes.
With a raise of his hand, the formation flags of the Mystic Ice Formation gradually dimmed.
Layered formations were extremely difficult. Even he could only ensure they did not interfere with each other.
He could not yet achieve the legendary state where layered formations generated Yin-Yang mutual growth and assisted each other.
…
Inside the Five Elements Maze Formation.
The moment the third-rank giant turtle died, the leading late Golden Core burly man’s expression changed drastically, fear appearing in his eyes.
“My spirit pet!”
He originally wanted to erupt in fury, but forcibly suppressed his anger.
He knew better than anyone the abilities of the spirit pet he had raised for so many years.
The late third-rank giant turtle might be somewhat lacking in attack power, but in terms of defense—even he had no confidence in breaking it.
Yet in such a short time—barely the span of a cup of tea—the life aura of his spirit pet had disappeared.
“We’ve kicked an iron plate. We must escape quickly!”
At this moment he had no intention of fighting to the death. Even if he did, he first had to break out of the formation before acting further.
The five of them were each harboring their own schemes.
However, the strongest aspect of the Five Elements Maze Formation was not attack—it was trapping.
This was a type of illusion trapping formation.
Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—the Five Elements continuously shifted within the mist. Suddenly several Sword Gleams appeared.
“Everyone be careful!”
With a loud shout, the late Golden Core burly man roared as a surging golden shield appeared before his body.
Three golden Sword Gleams appeared before him, colliding with the powerful defense and producing violent sparks.
“Who exactly is this person!?”
After sensing the terrifying attack power of the three Sword Gleams, the late Golden Core burly man retreated rapidly while countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
“This attack power is definitely not that of an ordinary mid Golden Core sword cultivator!”
At this moment he could not help cursing the two from the Red Fire Sect in his heart.
Had they not said it was merely an ordinary mid Golden Core rogue cultivator?
Since when could an ordinary mid Golden Core rogue sword cultivator unleash such terrifying attack power?
“Big Brother, this person intends to use Sword Gleams to separate us and defeat us one by one—”
However, the nine Sword Gleams that suddenly appeared earlier had struck from different directions, directly forcing the five of them apart.
The next moment, under the formation’s mist, the five were completely separated.
One cultivator had just cried out in alarm when a deep ox bellow suddenly sounded behind him.
“Puchi!”
Blood splattered everywhere. The cultivator’s face was filled with disbelief.
His mana shield had been shattered in a single strike. When he raised his arm, it was already petrified.
“So that’s how it is… a mutated demon beast.”
His eyes grew unfocused. He had never expected to encounter a mutated spirit beast—something rarely seen even once in a century within the cultivation world.
At that moment, from the wound in his abdomen where he had been pierced, a large hand formed of mana extended out and pulled out the Golden Core he had spent over a hundred years condensing.
“Then my death… is not unjust.”
His weak voice echoed as he slowly sank into darkness.
“One.”
Lin Chang’an’s voice echoed through the dense mist, his expression extremely cold.
“Fellow Daoist, my wife and I are cultivators of the Red Fire Sect. Are you truly going to go this far?”
“Our movements have already been reported to our ancestor. If something happens to us today, you will face endless pursuit—”
The sounds of Golden Core cultivators battling echoed within the formation.
From outside the formation, the barrier of the great formation flickered brightly and dimly.
On the sea surface, Lin Chang’an’s strongest formation—the Blood Fiend Scarlet Sun Grand Formation—could not be deployed.
Relying solely on this set of formations to trap five Golden Core cultivators was indeed somewhat difficult.
Congratulations to our motherland’s prosperity. Today’s military parade was exhilarating to watch.