A sudden black shadow lunged at Ling Xiao, moving extremely fast. Its mouth was so large that if it bit down, Ling Xiao’s body would surely be torn in half.
However, Ling Xiao had already spotted the hidden man-eating crocodile. What it bit was not Ling Xiao but a sword he had picked up from the ground. The sword was still intact, a rare treasure, yet the crocodile’s bite crushed it to pieces.
“Die!” Ling Xiao’s hand unleashed a burst of sword qi, shooting directly into the crocodile’s body. The beast struggled briefly, blood pouring from its mouth, before it died completely.
“It can hide, has astonishing external defence, and its teeth are extremely sharp, comparable to an immortal-grade treasure in sharpness. But its insides are its weakness!” Ling Xiao tossed aside the broken sword fragments and sent a mental message to the others to stay alert.
“Senior Brother Ling, what exactly is this thing?” Leng Hao asked, trembling with fear.
“This is likely a man-eating crocodile bred by the True Demon Empire, originating from the deep sea. It’s massive and a ferocious predator!” Ling Xiao had always been studious. Whether at the Ling Clan, the Hidden Dragon Camp, or the Moonlight Sect, he had carefully studied their vast libraries and knew something about such strange creatures.
“It seems your earlier guess was right, Senior Brother Ling. The True Demon Empire might indeed be from the deep-sea clans!” Zhao Zhi said.
“Exactly! Everyone, come closer. Stay tight together so we can better cover our surroundings. The teeth of these deep-sea man-eating crocodiles are too sharp; ordinary rare treasures can’t withstand them. None of us have immortal-grade defensive treasures, so we must strike first.” Ling Xiao called out, “Fortunately, these crocodiles aren’t too high-level. That one was only a ninth-grade beast, not even a beast king. You should all be able to handle them.”
Before they had grouped up, that was one thing, but now that they were together, as the young master of the Moonlight Sect and the supreme leader of the Divine Sword Sect, Ling Xiao felt obliged to take action. In terms of perception and attack power, he was the strongest among them, so protecting his sect mates was only natural.
Following Ling Xiao’s instructions, everyone gathered closely, leaving no gaps between them, and moved forward at a slower pace. Occasionally, they saw the corpses of warriors or deep-sea man-eating crocodiles floating ahead. It seemed the warriors who entered earlier had suffered far greater losses.
They were relatively lucky, having entered late and encountering fewer crocodiles. Ling Xiao led the way, killing any crocodiles they met before they could strike, giving those behind him a strong sense of security and belonging. This was likely what a senior brother should do.
Meanwhile, some had passed through the dangerous crocodile zone and reached a safer area. The Sword King Sect and the Heaven King Sect had joined forces.
“Luo Tianyu, did you see that Ling Xiao?” Chen Meng asked.
“I saw him. That kid dared to provoke the Holy Son. If I meet him again, I’ll make sure he pays with his life,” Luo Tianyu sneered.
“When we came in, only Ling Xiao and the other Moonlight Sect members were left outside. If I’m not mistaken, they’ll likely come in together. Brother Luo, you can wait and take them all out at once!” Chen Meng said with a smile.
“Hmph, you’re quite bold, woman, trying to use me?” Luo Tianyu snorted coldly.
No warrior in the top hundred was a pushover. Ranked sixtieth, Luo Tianyu was far inferior to Jian Wuji, but in front of Chen Meng, he was still an untouchable powerhouse. Strong and not foolish, he saw through Chen Meng’s attempt to manipulate him, which annoyed him. “Do you believe I could wipe out your Sword King Sect right now?”
“Why get angry, Brother Luo? Ling Xiao is our common enemy. If you kill him, my senior brother will not treat you poorly. Besides a reward of one million mid-grade spirit stones, my senior brother will owe you a favour!” Chen Meng said with a smile.
She wasn’t afraid Luo Tianyu would refuse. His anger was merely a tactic to haggle for more benefits. And the offer she made was something he couldn’t resist. One million mid-grade spirit stones was a significant sum, but Jian Wuji’s favour was the real prize—a chance to have one of the Holy Dynasty’s Six Young Masters do something for you, a dream for many.
However, Chen Meng underestimated Luo Tianyu’s greed. He sneered, “Two million mid-grade spirit stones, and Jian Wuji owes me a favour. Otherwise, no deal!”
He didn’t dare kill the Sword King Sect’s people, as Jian Wuji’s strength was a clear threat. If this got out, he’d be doomed. But extorting some benefits was no issue.
“Fine! Two million it is!” Chen Meng gritted her teeth and nodded. Two million mid-grade spirit stones was the Sword King Sect’s entire annual harvest, and her heart bled at the thought. But if it meant killing Ling Xiao, even ten million would be worth it.
Ling Xiao had killed so many Sword King Sect disciples; he deserved to die. His survival this long was already a miracle, and she didn’t want him alive any longer. Nor did her master, Chen Nanxing, who would bankrupt himself to see Ling Xiao dead.
“Good, it’s a deal. But you’d better keep your word, or the Heaven King Sect will destroy your Sword King Sect!” Luo Tianyu gave a cold smile and looked back, sensing someone approaching.
…
Ling Xiao and the others pressed forward, slaying the remaining deep-sea man-eating crocodiles, and finally left the most dangerous area. Ahead, the seawater was gone, replaced by a magnificent scene.
“Thanks to Senior Brother Ling, or we wouldn’t have made it through all those dangers,” Zhao Zhi said, knowing full well that without Ling Xiao killing the crocodiles along the way, he wouldn’t have reached this point. The dead warriors in the water, all half-step Heavenly Venerates, proved it. He and Zhao Ci weren’t even at that level, nor were Dai Yuling and Leng Hao.
Just as they began to relax, a gust of wind rushed towards them, laced with several sharp feathers. They seemed harmless but were a true killing move, their number matching Ling Xiao’s group exactly—a targeted attack.
“Hmph!” Ling Xiao snorted, thrusting his Hell Dragon Sword forward. A massive black-gold sword qi collided with the gust of wind. With a deafening boom, the collision sent nearby corpses in the seawater flying, water splashing everywhere.
