"Most likely brought by Fu Shanlie," Willow replied offhandedly. Her gaze swept across the dense woods on the opposite bank, catching the flicker of moving figures among the trees. "Hiding over there!"
She snatched up several long arrows, nocked them together to her bow, and loosed a high lobbing shot.
The river bandits had specially crafted arrowheads, but so did she.
Those arrows were aimed straight at the silhouettes in the woods along the bank. Though they might not strike anyone directly upon landing, blazing flames erupted wherever they fell!
These were explosive arrows; bursting on impact to injure foes, they scattered a mixture of sparks and oil that was guaranteed to ignite foliage on contact.
Flames flared through the woods, silhouettes scrambling amidst the fire.
Out on the river, the water python collapsed with a loud splash, dissolving into whitecaps and merging back into the torrential rapids.
Standing behind a boulder on the shore, Lu Xun manipulated spells to assault the bandits on the far bank while shouting over his shoulder, "Bring forth the Seven Fortunes Wheel!"
His guard had only just scrambled onto the riverbank. Hearing the order, he answered with an affirmative, brought a brocade box from inside his robes, opened it, and presented it forward with both hands.
Having a spare moment, Willow glanced sideways and saw, lying inside the box, a pitch-black... wheel?
The wheel was hollow in the center, its surface engraved with either runes or ornate patterns, elegant and imposing. She also heard Lu Xun clasp his hands together devoutly and murmur, "As though Lord Yu himself were present, aid me in this battle!"
Then he pointed toward the opposite bank.
With a low shing, the wheel in the box vanished.
Willow looked up and saw that the wheel had already flown across the river. Saw-like teeth had sprouted from its outer rim, vibrating and spinning into an instrument of lethal slaughter!
In the blink of an eye, it cut down four river bandits.
They either lost their heads or were ripped open through chest and gut, dying before they could even raise a hand in defense.
So fast!
A chill ran through Willow as she watched. The flying wheel could halt effortlessly midair, shift directions at will, and accelerate in pursuit. Such agility was like a cross between a hummingbird and a peregrine falcon.
How could any magic artifact of the mortal world possess such power?
She could even sense a certain casual nonchalance in the wheel's flight path.
The thing truly seemed alive, just like the immortal treasures of legend.
Even if it couldn't take a head from a thousand li away, doing so across dozens of yards was child's play.
This uncanny assault terrified the bandits across the water. Crying out in panic, they scrambled dozens of paces along the shore.
An unseen foe was the most terrifying. When this thing gave chase, they couldn't even catch a glimpse of its shadow.
Next thing they knew, the flying wheel darted toward Door Plank! The latter jumped in fright and instinctively raised his shield before him.
With a harsh rasp, the wheel tore into the shield. It didn't penetrate immediately, but splinters and shavings flew everywhere.
Did this thing not distinguish friend from foe?
Willow cried in alarm, "Mr. Lu, that's one of ours!"
Lu Xun was also dripping with cold sweat. He pointed toward the river. "Go kill the demons."
This command was exceedingly clear. The flying wheel pivoted and plunged into the river. All anyone could hear was a buzzing hum, and before long, plumes of blood surfaced throughout the water.
On shore, Door Plank hurriedly inspected his great shield. Seeing the deep grooves cut nearly all the way through, he was thoroughly shaken. Over all the years this massive shield had accompanied him through campaigns north and south, it had never suffered damage this severe.
Taking advantage of the flying wheel's rampage, the iron-armored bronze automaton fished out several more guards, but there was still no sign of He Lingchuan.
Before anyone could react, the flying wheel burst out of the water again, whooshing right back before Willow.
Though she prided herself on fearing neither heaven nor earth, facing this circular chainsaw that came and went like a phantom still sent a shiver down her spine.
Yet the flying wheel merely shook itself clean of water, then steadily settled back into the brocade box, lying obediently in place.
Frenzied as a mad hare, still as... whatever.
"That's it?" Willow shot down another enemy and turned back to ask Lu Xun.
Why didn't it kill a few more? The wheel had barely tasted blood!
Normally she wouldn't be so blunt with an honored guest of Panlong City, but in the heat of battle, she had no leisure to mind her tone.
Lu Xun gave a wry smile. "This treasure isn't mine, and it basically doesn't listen to me."
A loud splash echoed from the river, and he hurriedly changed the subject. "Commander He is surfacing!"
***
Human senses were mostly useless underwater. Surrounded by churning bubbles and chaotic noise, He Lingchuan couldn't see or hear clearly as he did in surface combat.
Worse, he was clinging to a giant shark driven mad with pain, which was thrashing wildly all over the riverbed.
The giant shark gave another whip of its tail, instinctively turning back.
He Lingchuan twisted the spear upward. Spurred by the agony, the shark surged toward the surface.
In the Panlong World, he lacked the turtle pearl and could not breathe underwater for long.
If the grand commander of Yuheng City ended up suffocating to death, it would be a colossal joke.
From his front left, a surge of current rushed in, materializing into a figure as it neared.
A person—it was actually a human form.
The instant he appeared, he was less than two feet from He Lingchuan. And with He Lingchuan hurtling toward him, they rushed headlong into each other.
Sword-like brows, bright piercing eyes—handsome yet cold and detached.
At a mere two feet, He Lingchuan couldn't swing the Fusheng Saber. The man spread his fingers into talons, striking directly for his throat!
The motion resembled a tiger pouncing with unsheathed claws. Sharp talons over an inch long had even extended from his fingertips—curved, with wicked barbs.
Another strike completely unhindered by water resistance! He Lingchuan was certain that the one stalking him from behind earlier was this very bastard!
He gripped the spear and twisted it hard to the side. Writhing in pain, the giant shark instantly veered off course.
The distance between He Lingchuan and his foe was forcibly widened. Though only for a fleeting instant, it was enough for He Lingchuan to deliver a diagonal slash!
This strike began subtly, appearing entirely unremarkable at first, yet the killing intent imbued within it stirred the surrounding water to cling to the blade. By the time it swept before the enemy, it had become a deluge of raging waves!
While the opponent was in his element like a fish in water, He Lingchuan was also thoroughly versed in the principles of Wave Slash. When traveling by sea, he had deliberately dived into heavy swells to spar with the elements. His mastery over currents was like Cook Ding carving the ox—he understood intimately how to move with the flow.
The water was his backing and his strength, not his hindrance.
In the span of a lightning flash, the two had already exchanged three blows, each growing more alarmed as the clash progressed.
The enemy was shocked that, despite He Lingchuan's movements being visibly far slower than his own, the youth somehow managed to parry and defend at every hairbreadth crisis. That saber moved through the water like an awakened flood dragon, capable of dealing damage without even needing to land directly on his body.
His comprehension of "force" far surpassed his years.
He Lingchuan, too, clearly saw the man's features. Those sharp lines, that facial structure, and that ferocious glare in his eyes were all too familiar!
He looked as though cast from the exact same mold as Fu Shanyue.
No, that was backwards—it was Fu Shanyue who took after him.
His countenance was far more mature than Fu Shanyue's, his ferocious aura far more intimidating, and his grasp of battlefield opportunities far sharper. Had He Lingchuan encountered him before wreaking havoc in the Heavenly Palace, he wouldn't have stood a chance of victory.
Without a doubt, this was Fu Shanyue's father—the future Demon King of Chiyan, Fu Shanlie!
Father and son were equally unscrupulous, both fond of sneak attacks.
Right before He Lingchuan's eyes, Fu Shanlie dissolved into flowing water and vanished, only to emerge from another direction an instant later.
Water evasion!
And an exceptionally profound water evasion technique at that!
In the span of just three breaths, every defense He Lingchuan mounted was perilously close to disaster; at one point, Fu Shanlie nearly gouged his eyes out. Had he not deeply grasped the essence of Wave Slash, his forehead would already sport five gaping, bloody holes.
What the hell! He Lingchuan cursed inwardly. As darlings of the Earth Mother, it was hardly surprising that ba could travel through the earth; but why on earth did Fu Shanlie also master water evasion?
Was this a special innate talent of his, or the work of some magic artifact he wore?
Regardless, He Lingchuan had to surface as soon as possible. Underwater was definitely not his domain. Besides, intense combat consumed breath rapidly, and it was time to come up for air.
For a creature of the giant shark's size, the river was relatively shallow; it took only a couple of thrusts to reach the surface.
Yet Fu Shanlie saw right through his scheme and instantly shifted his focus to wresting away the spear. As long as he kept this kid trapped underwater, panic would set in over time, and defeat was inevitable.
The two wrestled for the spear beneath the surface, dragging the giant shark in twists and turns until it grew dazed and disoriented.
The torrent swept the two combatants and the shark rapidly downstream, carrying them far from the broken bridge and far from He Lingchuan's escort.
The situation grew increasingly dire for He Lingchuan. It was no longer just a matter of needing a breath of air; he understood that he had to get out of the water quickly, or he was doomed to lose. If he were even thrown from the shark's back, he couldn't outswim Fu Shanlie.
How long had this bastard waited for such an opportunity to ambush the grand commander of Yuheng City in the water?
Yet Fu Shanlie's water evasion was simply too formidable. At every hint of danger, he dissolved into water and slipped away, nimbler than a fish—essentially wielding an invisibility art. Meanwhile, He Lingchuan was fully submerged, exposed to peril at every fraction of an instant, unable to unleash most of his divine abilities and techniques.
Worse still, as the fallen Yuheng City guards were hauled out one by one by the iron-armored bronze automaton, the remaining water demons lost their targets and swiftly converged, swarming after He Lingchuan!
This was a desperate fight to the death in dire straits, and he was on the losing end.
He couldn't drag this out any longer. If he wanted to seize back the initiative and catch Fu Shanlie, unless...
A ruthless glint entered He Lingchuan's eyes; he had made his resolve.
Better to go down fighting than to die without having tried.
Just then, a giant river eel darted forward, snapping straight for He Lingchuan's face. Its body was thicker than a rice bowl, patterned with handsome black-and-mottled markings, stretching well over six feet long.
Normally, He Lingchuan's mouth would water at the sight of such a magnificent specimen—steamed river eel had always been a favorite of his. But this thing had a maw full of needle-sharp teeth and was lunging right at his nose. Having no desire to lose his nose, He Lingchuan had no choice but to whip his saber back and cleave it in two first.
He was already locked in a full-scale battle with Fu Shanlie; this split-second distraction instantly exposed a flaw on his right side.
Opportunities vanished in the blink of an eye. Without a second thought, Fu Shanlie transformed into a stream of clear water and surged forward.
Just as He Lingchuan cut down the giant eel, Fu Shanlie's left hand thrust straight toward his right lung!
At the final instant, He Lingchuan jerked violently to the left. Fu Shanlie's strike missed the lung, slicing directly into his right shoulder socket instead!
One had to know that He Lingchuan wore light armor on the outside and a layer of spider-silk soft armor beneath. Though the armor had been forged in Panlong City, the spider silk was produced by Zhu Erniang, its quality beyond reproach.
Not to mention his protective astral qi and the defense of the Gale Army's origin power, which heavily countered demons' innate supernatural abilities.
And on top of that, he had two protective talismans bought from Yunling Island. Chubby Bai's prices were as dark as his heart, but the goods he sold to regular customers were truly top-notch.
Five layers of protection inside and out, yet none could withstand Fu Shanlie's all-out strike!
He Lingchuan felt a searing pain in his right shoulder as Fu Shanlie tackled him right off the shark's back, the two of them tumbling through the water together.
Having gained the upper hand, Fu Shanlie refused to relent. His right hand twisted deep within his prey's flesh, locking firmly onto He Lingchuan's shoulder as he swung behind him with startling agility. Straightening the fingers of his left hand into a blade, he drove them viciously toward the back of He Lingchuan's heart!
Chapter 877