Chapter 829: Ransacking
Chapter 829: Ransacking
Gu Changhuai stood at a distance and didn't hear Mo Hua's shout, but he saw the firework signal.
This firework signal was familiar to him.
"Mo Hua!"
Gu Changhuai's expression turned solemn.
"Mo Hua?" Xia Dianci was startled. She slashed a water bandit's neck with her icy short sword, turned her head to look at Gu Changhuai, and frowned. "I thought he was waiting on the boat for us."
Gu Changhuai remained silent.
That kid, Mo Hua, was as cunning as a fox. Whatever tricks he pulled, Gu Changhuai wouldn't be surprised.
And given his mischievous nature, if he actually stayed put on the boat and didn't cause any trouble, that would be the surprise.
Gu Changhuai pondered for a moment and said, "I'll go check it out..." After finishing his sentence, he employed his martial arts, and his figure cut through the wind as he rushed toward the direction of the firework signal.
"Gu..."
Xia Dianci didn't have time to finish her sentence as she saw that Gu Changhuai had already walked away. She shook her head and instructed a few of the direct descendants of the Xia family before using her martial arts to catch up.
Outside the stone fortress, Mo Hua stimulated the Flowing Water Steps, sprinting wildly with swift movements, leaving a faint trail of water as he weaved through a group of confused water bandits.
Behind him, Shui Yanluo went berserk, his eyes red as he chased after Mo Hua, gritting his teeth and shouting,
"You damn thief, don't run!"
Mo Hua ran even faster.
He had planned this; all he could do now was run for his life.
Initially, he wanted to use a small meteorite technique to assassinate Shui Yanluo and steal his jade box.
But the small meteorite technique had a long startup time, and Shui Yanluo was too vigilant, causing him to miss several opportunities.
There wasn't enough time, not even to set up an array or use his flying sword.
If he had been any slower, the jade box would have been stored in Shui Yanluo's possession.
Once the jade box was in Shui Yanluo's storage, it would be far more difficult to retrieve.
Fortunately, after some quick thinking, he took advantage of Shui Yanluo's haste and carelessness to snatch the jade box.
Now that he had the jade box, he definitely couldn't afford to fight Shui Yanluo to the death.
Although Mo Hua didn't know what the jade box was, judging from Shui Yanluo's reaction, it was probably extremely valuable.
With his life source stolen, Shui Yanluo was now in a frenzied state.
Mo Hua wasn't going to tempt fate.
Moreover, there was a group of water bandits surrounding them.
The best option, therefore, was to flee.
Besides, he wasn't without backup.
Mo Hua set off the fireworks, and after running for a while under Shui Yanluo's relentless pursuit, he looked up and saw Gu Changhuai, who was cutting through the wind, and immediately shouted joyfully,
"Uncle Gu, Shui Yanluo is here!"
Shui Yanluo!
Gu Changhuai's pupils constricted, and his eyes immediately sharpened. The cyan wind around his body transformed into feather blades as he charged toward Shui Yanluo, who was chasing Mo Hua.
At that moment, Xia Dianci, who was behind Gu Changhuai, heard Mo Hua shout "Shui Yanluo." Her killing intent emerged, and three icy sword auras condensed on her short sword, piercing through the air with a chilling glow and heading straight toward Shui Yanluo.
"Two Golden Cores!"
Shui Yanluo's eyes widened in shock.
The feather blades shone dazzlingly, and the ice swords were frosty, arriving in the blink of an eye.
Shui Yanluo had no choice but to give up on pursuing Mo Hua and focus all his attention on countering Gu Changhuai and Xia Dianci's deadly attacks.
Mo Hua seized the opportunity to catch his breath, quietly retreating to the side and taking a moment to store the jade box in his ring.
Now, Shui Yanluo wouldn't be able to lay his eyes on this treasure again.
On the other side, the furious Shui Yanluo had no time to spare for Mo Hua.
In terms of raw power, even with his cultivation restricted, Golden Core Realm expert Gu Changhuai could easily suppress him.
One Gu Changhuai was more than a match for him.
Now, there was also Xia Dianci.
The pressure on Shui Yanluo doubled, and after only a few exchanges, he had sustained five or six injuries. If this continued, he would probably be captured in a few dozen more moves.
Shui Yanluo's heart was filled with both shock and anger, and a bloody light appeared in his eyes as his killing intent intensified.
After the previous encounter with Shui Yanluo, Gu Changhuai had also gained some experience. When the killing intent emerged, he immediately sensed it and instructed Xia Dianci,
"Don't look into his eyes!"
Xia Dianci was slightly startled but followed Gu Changhuai's instruction, avoiding Shui Yanluo's gaze and focusing only on his vital spots.
All the sword techniques were aimed at Shui Yanluo's heart and weak spots.
Shui Yanluo was furious. He cursed in his heart,
"Damn it, how do these two Golden Cores know to guard against my eye technique?!"
"Which insider leaked my technique?!"
The last time he fought Gu Changhuai, the latter had covered his face and used an unfamiliar sword, indicating a connection to the "Water Prison Gate."
But the current Gu Changhuai was a Golden Core Judge of the Dao Court, using wind blade techniques with his feather fan, which was clearly his specialty. His strength was obviously a notch higher than their previous encounter.
Shui Yanluo didn't recognize him at first due to his changed appearance.
After a few more exchanges, Shui Yanluo's heart grew heavier.
"If this continues, I'll die! I must escape!"
"But if I escape, what about the jade box...?"
Shui Yanluo's heart ached as if it were being torn apart, and his eyes turned so red that they seemed to be dripping blood.
Then he gritted his teeth. "Forget the jade box! As long as I stay alive, there's still a chance to turn things around. I can always take back what's mine!"
Shui Yanluo made a quick decision and used the Water Shadow Steps to dodge Gu Changhuai's wind blades and barely avoided an ice sword. Then, he channeled his spiritual power.
His figure suddenly transformed into several watery shadows.
These watery shadows were like ghosts, rushing toward Gu Changhuai and Xia Dianci, hindering them momentarily.
By the time Gu Changhuai and Xia Dianci identified the real Shui Yanluo among the watery shadows, he had already escaped nearly thirty feet away.
Just then, a water prison descended from the sky, forming six watery spiritual locks that tightly bound Shui Yanluo.
The techniques of the Water Prison Gate were classified by "rank."
Three spiritual locks had little effect on Shui Yanluo.
But six spiritual locks definitely restrained him momentarily.
Although this moment was brief, it was still shorter than a breath.
Shui Yanluo's expression changed:
"Water Prison Technique!"
He turned his head and glanced at Mo Hua, who was hiding in the shadows, and said coldly, "It's you?!"
The remnant of the Water Prison Gate from the ferry, skilled in the Water Prison Technique?
No wonder he felt such a familiar aura from this thief...
And in that instant, he realized why this little thief had hidden himself away, scheming relentlessly, and was so determined to snatch the Hydrolock Restraining Box from his hands.
Because it was the supreme legacy of the Hydro-Imprisonment Sect.
But then, Water Yanluo grew suspicious again.
Something wasn't adding up...
This thief's hydro-imprisonment technique was more than twice as sophisticated as before.
Even if he were a true disciple of the Hydro-Imprisonment Sect, it was absolutely impossible for him to improve his technique to this level in a short period.
Who exactly was this little thief?
As he pondered, Gu Changhuai's wind blades struck again.
Water Yanluo didn't have time to think and could only retreat.
Mo Hua trapped him with the Hydro-Imprisonment technique once more.
But this time, Water Yanluo was prepared. He spread his watery energy all over his body so that as soon as he touched the hydro-prison, he would break free.
Mo Hua's technique could only create six spiritual locks, so its effectiveness was diminished.
Like this, Water Yanluo fought and fled, the wounds from the wind blades and ice swords on his body increasing.
Under the combined attacks of Gu Changhuai and Xia Dian, Water Yanluo was under immense pressure and found escape difficult.
Moreover, he knew that if things continued like this, he would lose his life on the island before he could even think of escape.
Gritting his teeth, Water Yanluo's body transformed into several ghostly water shadows.
There were more water shadows this time—seven or eight of them.
Gu Changhuai and Xia Dian released their divine consciousness, their eyes shining with divine light as they quickly identified Water Yanluo's real body among the water shadows.
Gu Changhuai's eyes shone with a sharp light, and with a wave of his feather fan, the Luan Yu Wind Blades rose up, intending to end Water Yanluo.
At that moment, the eyes of one of the water shadows turned crimson, as if soaked in blood.
Struggling and wailing souls swirled within those bloody eyes.
A deadly, evil energy spread out.
"Not good!"
Gu Changhuai's heart skipped a beat.
Blood Evil Eye Technique! He actually mixed an eye technique within the water shadow steps!
This Water Yanluo is truly cunning!
In order to identify the real water shadow, one must concentrate on these illusions. But in doing so, it gives him the opportunity to use his eye technique.
Gu Changhuai quickly averted his eyes, avoiding the bloody gaze.
But in his haste, his peripheral vision still caught a glimpse of the bloody color, and he was affected by the eye technique.
The evil energy invaded his mind, causing Gu Changhuai's divine consciousness to haze momentarily.
In less than a moment, he regained his senses, but when he looked again, Water Yanluo had already escaped several feet.
Mo Hua, on the other hand, was unaffected by the eye technique, but it didn't make much of a difference.
He threw out a Hydro-Imprisonment technique, and although it hit its mark, it didn't change much as he still couldn't capture the elusive Water Yanluo.
Gu Changhuai turned and shook Xia Dian's shoulder, frowning.
"Hey, wake up..."
This was the first time Xia Dian had fallen prey to such a technique, and it seemed she wasn't accustomed to these bloody and evil arts, hence her prolonged cloudy divine consciousness.
It took several shakes before she finally came to her senses.
Xia Dian's eyes sharpened as she regained consciousness, and without a word, she exchanged a glance with Gu Changhuai before they resumed their pursuit of Water Yanluo.
Mo Hua followed suit.
But after a few steps, Mo Hua stopped.
He propped his chin in thought for a moment before asking himself, "Why am I chasing him?"
The Hydro-Imprisonment technique was useless.
The small meteorites and sword flight techniques were useful, but the timing was difficult to grasp, and with two Golden Core cultivators, Gu Changhuai and Xia Dian, they didn't need his assistance.
If Gu Changhuai and Xia Dian managed to capture Water Yanluo, then so be it.
If they couldn't, it seemed his help wouldn't make much difference anyway.
Moreover, outside the island lay the Yan Shui River.
On land, he could still "turn the ground into an array".
But in the water, he couldn't set up a temporary array.
And although his water attributes were decent, compared to a vicious water bandit like Water Yanluo, he was outclassed.
What if Water Yanluo had reinforcements waiting in the river?
No matter how he calculated it, chasing Water Yanluo seemed risky and unbeneficial.
Since that was the case, there was no need to follow along for the ride.
Mo Hua raised his head and looked around, taking in the entire small island.
On the contrary...
Now that Water Yanluo had fled...
There was no one left on the island who could truly threaten him.
Doesn't that mean I can do as I please? Can I turn this island upside down without anyone stopping me?
Mo Hua's heart stirred with anticipation.
If he didn't take this opportunity to search the island, once everything was settled, the items would be confiscated by the Daoting Court, and he wouldn't be able to search even if he wanted to.
Mo Hua nodded, his eyes shining with excitement as he began his "plunder" of the island.
The encirclement and suppression had entered its final stage.
The water bandits were either dead or had fled, and those who had escaped would likely be caught in Mo Hua's array traps or devoured by the water demons attracted by the bait.
There was probably a secret escape route on the island, but only Water Yanluo knew of it.
Mo Hua didn't bother with it.
At least for now, the water bandits on the small island posed no threat.
Mo Hua could relax and do as he pleased.
Based on the island's terrain, the layout of the arrays, and his rich "plundering" experience, he began to search through the rooms like a locust, leaving no corner untouched.
He found all the secret rooms and passages, opening every box and canister.
Even in the underground rooms, he counted the skulls left by the dead, just in case.
This group of water bandits led by Water Yanluo had killed countless people and amassed countless treasures. The amount of cultivation resources accumulated on the island was substantial.
And to hide these treasures, they had built numerous secret rooms and warehouses.
Some of the water bandits had hidden agendas and left behind many secret compartments.
But none of this escaped Mo Hua's eyes.
With his divine consciousness and sharp senses, he searched through everything, leaving no stone unturned.
Among the items he found were a large number of spirit stones, pills, spiritual tools, and some strange and evil artifacts.
However, Mo Hua did not take any of these items.
The members of the Daoting Court had risked their lives to exterminate these water bandits.
Now that Gu Changhuai and Xia Dian were chasing Water Yanluo, he couldn't just take advantage and steal these treasures.
(End of Chapter)
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