Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

At that thought, he stomped forcefully on the reef beneath his feet and launched himself into the air.

The sky was as dark as ink, and all he could see were the vague outlines of towering reefs.

To guard against a sneak attack, Zhao Lin sent out ultrasonic waves in all directions, including beneath the water.

The sky suddenly lit up as another bolt of lightning streaked across it.

Zhao Lin was stunned to find that the two Earth Dark Sect cultivators on the opposite reef had vanished!

The ultrasonic waves returned in time, pinpointing two rapidly moving figures.

The tall, thin man and the stout cultivator were also rushing toward him.

Zhao Lin drew his Moon-Cutting Saber, waiting until they were within a hundred zhang to launch a preemptive strike.

His cultivation had reached the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, allowing his Divine Sense to reach seventy zhang. Since he was halfway through cultivating the Second Layer of the Nine Revolutions God Condensing Skill, his Divine Sense was extended by an additional fifty zhang.

His attack range was now no less than that of any other cultivator in the Qi Refining Realm.

On the other side, the two Earth Dark Sect cultivators also drew their eyebrow daggers in succession.

The distance between them closed rapidly. Just as Zhao Lin was about to strike, the tall, thin man suddenly flipped his palm over, a pale purple talisman appearing in his hand.

Zhao Lin used the flashes of lightning to get a clear look at the talisman in the man's hand, and his breath caught in his throat.

...

「Deep beneath the sea, Moon Deer Beach.」

Moon Deer Beach was located in the eastern part of Yongdeng Ansha. It was the largest pearl bed under the jurisdiction of the Earth Dark Sect, rich in Spirit Pearl resources, and produced nearly thirty percent of the sect's total Spirit Pearl supply.

Eleven Earth Dark Sect cultivators stood in a row on a black volcanic rock. Their cultivation was all at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, with two among them having even reached the Peak of Qi.

However, these men had not come here to gather Spirit Pearls. They stood in a respectful line, occasionally looking up and around as if they were waiting for someone.

Three figures appeared before the assembled cultivators without any warning.

In the center was a gray-robed elder of about fifty, who possessed a natural air of authority even without showing anger.

Standing beside the elder were a short middle-aged man and an alluringly beautiful woman.

If Zhao Lin were present, he would have surely recognized these three as the two men and one woman who had caught his attention.

"Greetings, Senior Matsuo."

"Greetings, Senior Ji Zhang."

"Greetings, Senior Chunying."

If one were to observe them with the Qi Observation Skill, the cultivation of the three newcomers also appeared to be in the Qi Refining Realm, yet every one of the Earth Dark Sect cultivators bowed deeply, their attitudes exceedingly humble.

The eleven cultivators present were well aware that the three had originally been at the Foundation Establishment Realm. They were just temporarily in a Transformation Stage, their cultivation degraded to the Qi Refining Realm for the time being. Calling them "Senior" was only right and proper.

The elder named Matsuo grunted in acknowledgement. His gaze swept over the crowd, and he frowned. "The numbers are wrong! Where are Heiqi, Oda, and Sen Cheng and Ping Yuan?"

"Didn't I make it clear that we're to gather here at the two appointed times every day?"

The cultivators glanced at one another and shook their heads. Only one dared to speak up, "I saw Sen Cheng and Ping Yuan this afternoon and even reminded them. They said they'd be back on time."

"Heiqi and Oda disappeared as soon as they entered the sea. We don't know where they went."

Matsuo's face was grim, and he remained silent. Seeing this, the rest of the cultivators became as quiet as winter cicadas, not daring to breathe a word.

"Why get so worked up, Matsuo? If they haven't come, I'm sure there's a reason."

Chunying said with a dazzling smile.

"What reason?"

Matsuo glanced sideways at her.

"For instance, they could be dead. Or they killed Zhao Lin and don't want to show up, afraid we'd try to take the credit. Or maybe..."

Chunying tilted her head in thought. "...they're fighting Zhao Lin right now and can't get away!"

"Hmph, they overestimate themselves! Do they really think those twenty thousand merit points are so easy to earn? If Zhao Lin was that easy to deal with, the Elder Council wouldn't have bothered summoning us back."

Matsuo said with a cold sneer.

"If any of you think you can kill Zhao Lin by yourselves, then by all means, go ahead. Just don't regret it when you end up dead!"

Ji Zhang, who had been silent the whole time, glanced at the crowd and spoke with pointed meaning.

"This is the plan: form teams of at least three and sweep the Chenghua Sect's pearl beds. If you encounter their cultivators, fight if you can win, but fall back and report immediately if you can't. If you find Zhao Lin, you must delay him at all costs!"

Matsuo said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Yes!"

The eleven cultivators replied in unison.

The meeting concluded, and the cultivators dispersed in groups of two and three.

"Ji Zhang, why don't we team up?"

Chunying walked up to Ji Zhang, lowering her head and pursing her lips slightly.

"Team up for what?"

Ji Zhang frowned, his tone chilly.

"To find Zhao Lin, of course! I've got my eye on a certain Spirit Cave, and the Ministry of Health is asking twenty thousand merit points for it. Why don't we kill Zhao Lin, use the merit points to buy that Spirit Cave, and cultivate in it together?"

Chunying said in a gentle, persuasive voice.

"Forget it. I'm carrying old injuries and I'm still in my Transformation Stage. I don't want to use any Magic. I only came on this trip because of the pressure from the Elder Council."

Ji Zhang's mouth twitched, and he answered, his voice a bit strained.

"Did you come all the way back from the Zhong Mountain Realm just for a wasted trip? And what if I get bullied?"

Chunying arched an eyebrow, her gaze becoming even more sultry.

"If someone is capable of bullying you, I wouldn't be much help anyway. You'd better find someone else, Chunying!"

Ji Zhang's heart skipped a beat, and he almost blurted out his agreement. Unwilling to stay a second longer, he turned and left in a hurry.

...

In the torrential rain, three figures sprinted across the surface of the sea, hurtling toward a single point!

The tall, thin man suddenly brandished a talisman. Zhao Lin's eyes narrowed, the hair all over his body standing on end.

He was all too familiar with this kind of talisman; he had just used one himself half a month ago.

A Stabilizing Talisman!

'The two Earth Dark Sect cultivators planned for one to use the Stabilizing Talisman to stop me from casting Magic, while the other takes the opportunity to deliver the killing blow.'

Zhao Lin saw through their plan, and a chill went down his spine.

'They've really thought this through!'

Just then, the stout cultivator raised his hand, and his eyebrow dagger flew through the air toward Zhao Lin.

The tall, thin man smiled coldly, revealing a set of deathly white teeth as he crushed the Stabilizing Talisman in his fist.

He then pointed a finger, and a ray of purple light shot from its tip.

A Divine Sense-type Cultivation Technique, once it locked onto a target, was nearly impossible to evade.

Zhao Lin knew he couldn't dodge, and he had no intention of trying. At the same instant the tall, thin man activated the talisman, Zhao Lin's own hands formed a spell seal as he let out a low shout, "Mind Stabilizing Skill!"

A beam of purple light shot from his fingertip, striking the stout cultivator squarely.

The two Earth Dark Sect cultivators felt a BOOM go off in their Seas of Consciousness. Their spiritual senses were thrown into turmoil, leaving them utterly stunned.

As it stood now, the tall, thin man was suffering from the spell's backlash and his Divine Sense was frozen. The stout cultivator had been hit by Zhao Lin's Mind Stabilizing Skill, and his Divine Sense was frozen as well.

Zhao Lin, having both cast and been targeted by the skill, naturally suffered the same fate.

The tall, thin man had fully expected his companion to cut down Zhao Lin, but was horrified to discover that his partner had also been hit by a Mind Stabilizing Skill.

None of the three could cast any Magic!

The stout cultivator's eyebrow dagger was halfway to its target when it suddenly lost the guidance of his Divine Sense. Like a kite with a snapped string, it tumbled downward and plunged into the sea.

The moment he unleashed the Mind Stabilizing Skill, Zhao Lin activated his Cloud Flipping and Rain Covering Skill. His body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, charging toward the two Earth Dark Sect cultivators.

He swung his arm and hurled the Moon-Cutting Saber with all his might!

'There's only half a breath of time. I have to use it to finish one of them off. At the very least, I need to separate them. Otherwise, I'll be caught between them in a grueling battle.'

"Not good, dodge!"

The tall, thin man remembered that Zhao Lin was a Martial Cultivator and knew he couldn't be matched in a direct confrontation. He yelled out and hastily dodged behind a reef.

The stout cultivator, startled, reacted a beat too slow. Seeing the gleaming Moon-Cutting Saber slicing through the air toward him, he made a snap decision and leaped into the water.

'As long as I can last through this half-breath of time, the advantage will still be on our side.'

The Moon-Cutting Saber slammed into the reef with a loud BANG, sending stone fragments of all sizes flying in every direction.

The half-breath passed in a flash, and all three of them recovered their Divine Sense at the same time.

The tall, thin man immediately emerged from behind the reef, his hands rapidly forming a spell seal.

Just as he was about to unleash his Magic, Zhao Lin acted first, slapping his palm on the surface of the sea and roaring, "Collapse Mountain, Rend Earth!"

As his voice fell, a tremendous shockwave of qi swept across the sea's surface.

Waves surged into the sky. The reefs trembled violently, then collapsed with a thunderous roar, breaking apart as if they were toppling mountains of gold and pillars of jade.

The tall, thin man's Magic was violently interrupted. He could only watch as Zhao Lin, Moon-Cutting Saber in hand, dove into the sea like an arrow.