Chapter 123: Treasure Armor |
Wind and snow howled. Ice-cold river water battered against the rocks.
Chen Qing silently slipped into the water without stirring up a single splash.
The Turtle Breath Hibernating Dragon Art at major achievement realm now displayed astonishing wonders.
Powerful internal breath flowed slowly through his organs. Not only could it support complete breath-holding for long periods, it could also resist the tremendous pressure brought by deep water, allowing him to move freely underwater as if on flat ground.
At the same time, the major achievement realm granted him extraordinary perception of subtle changes in water currents, clearly capturing the direction and force of the currents stirred by the vessel ahead.
The Guiyuan Aura Concealment Art completely erased his presence. The three distinct streams of true qi, Qingmu, Gengjin, and Guishui, didn't leak a single trace of aura.
He maintained an extremely far distance, relying only on water current perception and occasionally surfacing.
On the Liu family treasure ship, at the bow.
Liu Han leaned against the rail, gazing into the distance.
He needed to accumulate sufficient foundation to launch an assault toward True Aura.
At this moment, the steward walked forward, lowering his head, "Just now, this old servant was rash and nearly ruined the grand plan."
Liu Han waved his hand lightly, his tone steady, "In this encirclement of Nine Waves Island and the Zheng family, my Liu family gained the most. Right now, we should prioritize the big picture and completely control the Yunlin Merchant Guild to solidify our foundation. Conflicting with Five Terraces Sect at this time is truly not a wise move."
He changed the subject, a trace of brilliance flashing in his eyes, "Moreover, Father will soon personally visit Guishui Courtyard to propose marriage to Courtyard Master Chu, to take his chief disciple, Nie Shanshan, as my wife."
"Such a thorny flower." Liu Han's lips curved into a playful smile, "If I cannot personally pluck it and hold it in my palm to savor carefully, wouldn't that be a waste of heaven's gifts?"
Thinking of Nie Shanshan's remarkable talent and excellent appearance, Liu Han's heart couldn't help but stir slightly.
If this matter succeeded, that woman would surely become one of his great supports in the future.
When the Liu family and Five Terraces Sect joined forces, the Liu family's prestige would certainly grow even greater.
"As for that executive..."
Liu Han sneered, his tone dismissive, "He's just a hopping grasshopper. Settling accounts with him later is merely a matter of a few words."
The steward bowed, responding, "This old servant understands."
However, just as the steward's words fell.
A figure appeared like a ghost, silently materializing in the center of the treasure ship's deck, less than three zhang from Liu Han!
He wore Lihuo Courtyard's crimson training outfit. It was the disguised Zuo Feng.
"Who!?"
Liu Han spun around abruptly. His hand instantly pressed on the hilt of the sword at his waist as true qi erupted from his entire body!
The guards on the ship also awoke one after another, drawing swords and shouting sternly.
Zuo Feng said expressionlessly, "Five Terraces Sect disciple, here on inspection orders."
He took a step forward.
"Inspection?"
Liu Han's brow furrowed tightly, suspicions rising in his heart. The other party had appeared too strangely, and his aura was cold in a way unlike Lihuo Courtyard disciples.
"Why would you inspect my Liu family's vessel? Elder Shen just finished the inspection!"
"Under orders, to retrieve something."
Zuo Feng's voice carried no fluctuation, but his footsteps didn't stop.
Liu Han's pupils suddenly contracted, "Halt! Come any closer and don't blame Liu for being impolite!"
"Kekeke..."
What answered him was a spine-chilling strange laugh.
The muscles on Zuo Feng's face writhed grotesquely. That ordinary human skin mask instantly tore and peeled off, revealing an aged, sinister face!
"To take your life!"
Before the words finished falling, Zuo Feng's figure suddenly vanished, then appeared between the two nearest Liu family guards.
His withered hands shot out like ghost claws with lightning speed, fingertips wrapped in condensed blood-colored force as solid as substance.
Pff! Pff!
Two heart-chilling sounds rang out almost simultaneously!
Zuo Feng's hands, like red-hot branding irons, penetrated the chest guards and tough leather armor without obstruction!
In the two guards' utterly shocked gazes, those blood claws precisely gripped their still-beating hearts!
Time seemed to freeze for an instant.
The next moment, the blood claws yanked out violently!
Two hearts still faintly twitching were gripped in Zuo Feng's blood-soaked hands, displayed before them.
Blood gushed out like fountains, staining the deck red.
"I..."
One guard looked down at his empty chest cavity. The light in his eyes rapidly dimmed as he crashed to the ground.
The other guard couldn't even make a sound, his eyes wide open as he fell straight down.
"Demon Sect!!"
The remaining guards' courage shattered, traces of terror rising in their eyes.
"Zuo Feng!? It's you!"
Liu Han instantly recognized this Demon Sect villain, tumultuous waves surging in his heart.
Wasn't he severely injured and fleeing? How could he have recovered so quickly!?
"Young master, run quickly!!"
The steward's eyes showed resolution. He drew his saber and charged at Zuo Feng regardless of everything, trying to buy Liu Han a chance at survival.
"Ant."
Zuo Feng's lips curved into a cruel arc. Without even looking at the charging steward, he casually waved.
A condensed blood-colored force lashed out like a whip at the steward!
Bang!
The steward's body, like a broken sack struck by a giant hammer, instantly tore into pieces, flesh and blood flying!
He didn't even manage to cry out once!
"Uncle Fu!!" Liu Han let out a grief-stricken, furious roar, his heart bleeding.
The steward was an old servant who had watched him grow up, utterly loyal!
In this flash of lightning and spark of flint, Zuo Feng's figure had already appeared before Liu Han. Blood claws carried the whistling sound of tearing air, directly taking Liu Han's throat!
His speed was so fast it far exceeded Liu Han's reaction!
Liu Han's spine turned cold as he pushed the true qi within his body to the extreme.
Just as the blood claw was about to touch Liu Han's skin.
Buzz!
A layer of light like rippling water suddenly brightened.
The light instantly condensed into densely packed, resilient scale armor phantoms, covering the vital points of his upper body.
A powerful yet supple force erupted!
Surging Waves Mysterious Flood Dragon Armor!
A treasure that the Liu family had passed down for generations, their clan-protecting precious treasure, a superior treasure weapon grade close-fitting inner armor.
Clang...!!!
A piercing sound of metal striking metal exploded!
Zuo Feng's blood claw viciously grabbed at the deep blue scale armor phantom, erupting with an intense sound.
Liu Han felt as if struck by lightning. His entire person flew backward like a kite with a broken string, blood wildly spurting from his mouth.
The long sword in his hand flew from his grip, falling far into the river!
If not for this Surging Waves Mysterious Flood Dragon Armor offsetting the vast majority of Zuo Feng's strike's power, Liu Han would already have been disemboweled, following in the steward's footsteps.
Even so, that terrifying concussive force made his five organs and six bowels feel displaced, his meridians in severe pain. He was instantly gravely injured.
"What a treasure!"
A trace of surprise flashed in Zuo Feng's eyes. He had clearly underestimated this treasure armor's defensive power but his movements didn't pause at all. His figure followed like a shadow, once again pouncing at Liu Han who had fallen by the ship's rail, blood claws directly taking his skull.
"Let's see how many times you can block!"
Zheng Hui had now also torn off Xiao Ruize's mask and leaped onto the Liu family treasure ship, revealing that venomous, twisted face. He stared fixedly at the gravely injured, blood-vomiting Liu Han, his eyes full of vengeful delight, "Liu Han! You have this day too! I want your Liu family to repay blood debt with blood!"
In the water far away, Chen Qing's heart shook.
Relying on water current perception and occasional glimpses, he took in that bloody, terrifying scene that unfolded in the blink of an eye on the deck.
The terrifying strength and ruthless methods Zuo Feng displayed startled him.
"This old demon's... injuries have actually healed!?"
Chen Qing pondered secretly, "This demonic technique recovers so quickly? Or is it because of those Demon Sect's special pills?"
Seeing Zuo Feng easily kill guards in seconds, tear apart the steward, and then with one strike gravely wound Liu Han who wore superior treasure armor, Chen Qing deeply recognized the terror of True Aura.
Just as Zuo Feng's blood claw was about to pierce through the skull of the gravely injured, fallen Liu Han, death's shadow completely enveloped Liu Han!
Intense unwillingness erupted in Liu Han's eyes. He fiercely bit through his tongue tip. Stimulated by severe pain, the remaining Shocking Waves true qi in his body blasted forward regardless of everything.
At the same time, borrowing the rebounding force from Zuo Feng's blood claw striking the treasure armor, he used every ounce of strength in his body, rolling backward regardless of everything!
Splash!
Liu Han's body directly flipped over the ship's rail, plummeting into the ice-cold, surging river water below!
"Trying to escape!?"
Zuo Feng's blood claw missed. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes as he immediately rushed to the ship's rail.
He saw Liu Han's figure in the turbid river water instantly swallowed by a suddenly surging whirlpool.
Vanishing without a trace!
"Damn it!"
Zuo Feng roared angrily, circulating blood evil True Aura and jumping into the water to search.
Trying to find a corpse in this river water was not at all a simple matter.
Because of Nine Waves Island's chaos, who knew how many corpses were in the surrounding area.
Zheng Hui also rushed to the ship's rail, anxiously looking down, "Protector Zuo! He... he jumped into the river! We can't let him escape!"
Zuo Feng's expression was dark as water, but he could no longer capture any trace of Liu Han's aura.
That enormous whirlpool was like a greedy giant mouth, swallowing all traces.
"Damned undercurrent!"
Zuo Feng said with a dark expression, "He's gravely injured, and my blood evil force has invaded his organs. Even with treasure armor protecting him, he can't survive long in this freezing river water! Lucky him!"
Though he said this, having failed to personally kill Liu Han and seize the precious treasure on him, Zuo Feng's heart still brimmed with unwillingness.
That was a superior treasure weapon grade inner armor, far more precious than ordinary superior treasure weapons.
This armor had an extraordinary origin. According to legend, it was forged using the reverse scale of a five-hundred-year mysterious water python from the depths of Qianchuan Marsh as the main material, supplemented with countless rare ores, crafted by a reclusive master weapon forger.
Its defensive power was astonishingly formidable. Not only was it impervious to blades and spears, resistant to water and fire, it could also deflect thirty percent of true qi impacts, practically a second life.
Its value far exceeded that of ordinary superior treasure weapons.
"Protector, this place isn't suitable for staying long! The True Aura experts from the four major sects could patrol here at any moment!"
Zheng Hui looked at the distant flames shooting skyward and the faintly audible shouts of battle, anxiously reminding.
Zuo Feng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the regret in his heart.
Zheng Hui was right. The urgent priority was safely withdrawing.
Last time he could escape, a large part was because other experts provided support. This time was different.
"Let's go!"
Zuo Feng decisively ordered.
His gaze swept over the corpses and wealth on the deck. He said to Zheng Hui, "Clean it up. This ship is ours now! It's perfect as cover!"
The two moved quickly, throwing the corpses into the river and simply cleaning up the blood traces.
Zuo Feng personally controlled the Liu family treasure ship's rudder mechanism while Zheng Hui vigilantly observed the surroundings.
The treasure ship turned direction, no longer paying attention to the whirlpool that had swallowed Liu Han. At full speed, riding the wind, snow, and night, it raced toward the vast waters, quickly disappearing into the darkness.
At the ice-cold, piercing river bottom, Chen Qing still crouched like a boulder.
He had clearly seen Liu Han fall into the river and get swallowed by the whirlpool, and also heard the movements of the treasure ship departing.
"Is Liu Han... dead?" Chen Qing's thoughts raced.
Gravely injured, blood evil force invading his body, plus this freezing, rushing river water, the chance of survival was minimal.
He cautiously surfaced to breathe. The Turtle Breath at major achievement meant he didn't need to surface frequently.
Wind and snow continued. On the river surface, only a faint bloody smell remained, rapidly dissipating.
After confirming Zuo Feng and Zheng Hui had gone far away, Chen Qing urged the Turtle Breath Hibernating Dragon Art, transforming himself into a fish in the river. Against the current, he swam toward the whirlpool area that had swallowed Liu Han.
The keen perception granted by the Spirit-Guiding Fishing Formula, combined with the perfect concealment of the Guiyuan Aura Concealment Art, allowed him to clearly capture even the most subtle disturbances in the water current.
Though the whirlpool's power had weakened, the residual chaotic water flow traces were like guiding markers.
Following the unique rhythm of water currents blocked by rocks, diverted, and swirling back, combined with observation of the nearby reef distribution, he quickly locked onto the direction Liu Han was most likely swept toward.
A hidden shoal formed by several enormous, interlocking jagged rocks.
Chen Qing approached that rocky area, his body pressed tightly against the rough rock wall, slowly surfacing.
Wind and snow battered the rocks with mournful sounds. The surroundings were deathly still, only the splashing sound of waves hitting the shore.
Half a joss stick passed. In the crevices between rocks, aside from some floating debris and ice fragments, there was nothing.
"Could he really not have died completely and drifted away with the current? Or was he dragged off by a river beast?"
Doubts intensified in Chen Qing's heart, "With the Surging Waves Mysterious Flood Dragon Armor protecting him, plus Liu Han's own late-stage embracing elixir strength foundation, if he had a breath remaining, being washed onto some shoal isn't impossible. Could he truly be a heaven's chosen son with unexhausted fortune?"
He patiently expanded the search range.
Time passed bit by bit. The night grew deeper, the cold more intense.
Just as Chen Qing was almost about to give up and prepare to return to the waterway.
From deep within a narrow crevice formed by two enormous rocks came an extremely faint trace of life aura!
Chen Qing silently swam over.
Pushing aside several clumps of water plants swaying with the waves, he saw at the bottom of the crevice a figure curled up, most of his body submerged in ice-cold water. It was Liu Han!
His face was pale as gold paper, his lips purplish-black, his eyes tightly closed, his breath as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.
The Surging Waves Mysterious Flood Dragon Armor on his chest protected his heart meridian vital points, but Zuo Feng's blood evil force had clearly already invaded his four limbs and hundred bones, continuously eroding his life force.
If not for this superior treasure armor, he would have died long ago.
Without the slightest hesitation, cold light flashed in Chen Qing's eyes. His palm silently pressed one inch above Liu Han's heart.
Through that resilient treasure armor scales, Qingmu true qi like a sharp awl penetrated through gaps in the armor, piercing into Liu Han's heart meridian.
"Pff!"
An almost inaudible muffled sound rang out underwater.
Liu Han's body violently shook. The last trace of faint breath completely ceased.
Chen Qing swiftly stripped off that inner armor with flowing light contained within, deep blue in color. It felt slightly heavy in his hands, incredibly resilient, the scales as densely packed as if alive.
He dragged Liu Han's corpse out of the crevice, letting it sink into the deeper, darker river current. It was quickly swallowed by darkness, leaving no trace.
After completing all this, Chen Qing silently dove back to the waterway he was guarding, just as when he came.
Returning to the treasure ship cabin, his taut heartstrings finally relaxed slightly.
He sat cross-legged, taking out that Surging Waves Mysterious Flood Dragon Armor to examine carefully.
The inner armor was entirely woven from an unknown deep blue metallic thread and some kind of exotic beast tendon. Dense scales covered it. It felt cool to the touch but not piercing, instead having a warm, moist sensation.
The scales appeared soft but were actually extraordinarily resilient. Chen Qing applied thirty percent force to flick it with his finger. It actually produced a metal-striking sound, leaving only an extremely shallow white mark.
Inside the armor, light like flowing water faintly streamed.
"What a treasure!"
Great joy filled Chen Qing's heart, brilliant light flashing in his eyes, "If not for this superior treasure weapon inner armor, how could Liu Han have snatched back this brief moment of life from that old demon Zuo Feng? With this armor protecting my body, in the future when facing late-stage embracing elixir strength or even True Aura experts, I'll have an additional trump card for preserving my life!"
He took out this treasure armor that originally belonged to Liu Han, covered it with a layer of specially made cloth, then wore it close to his body.
Unless someone could strip him naked for a close body search, they would never discover this precious treasure.
"Why did that old demon Zuo Feng appear on Nine Waves Island? What was his purpose in this journey?"
Chen Qing pondered secretly, muttering to himself, "In the future when encountering this Demon Sect, I'd better be more careful."
The Demon Sect could be so heavily encircled by the four major sects yet still remain at large. Their strength was certainly extraordinary.
The next morning, the wind and snow abated slightly. Between heaven and earth lay a vast expanse dressed in silver.
Chen Qing simply ate some dry rations, then at the bow facing the bitter cold wind, holding the Cold Flood Dragon Spear, began practicing the Mountain Suppressing Prison Spear.
His spear momentum was condensed and heavy. Each move and stance carried the power of collapsing mountains. The perfection realm spear technique was restrained yet unreleased, subtly harmonizing with this frozen world's solemn killing atmosphere.
Just as he was about to conclude a complete set of spear techniques, in the distance on the main waterway, a large tower ship flying Xuanjia Gate's banner broke through thin ice, slowly approaching.
The ship's body was thick and solid, emanating a steady aura.
On the bow deck stood several people.
The leading elder was tall and burly with gray-white hair and beard. Especially eye-catching was the long spear in his hand!
The spear shaft was jet black, neither metal nor wood. The spear tip gleamed with dark cold light, the spear tassel blood-red.
Though the elder didn't deliberately emanate momentum, just standing there, he was like a sea-stabilizing needle, deep and mountain-like. A heavy, mountain-like magnificent aura naturally flowed out.
The newcomer was precisely Xuanjia Gate Elder Du Lingchuan.
Behind him stood several youths also wearing Xuanjia training outfits, each with steady auras. Clearly all were Xuanjia Gate elite disciples.
The leading youth was about twenty-five or twenty-six, with an upright face and calm eyes. His aura had already reached mid-stage embracing elixir strength.
The tower ship slowly approached the branching channel of the waterway Chen Qing was guarding.
That spear-wielding elder's gaze fell on Chen Qing standing at the bow with his spear retracted.
He had seen Chen Qing practicing the spear's opening stance and that artistic conception from afar just now, and his heart had jumped!
"The Mountain Suppressing Prison Spear's style? Could it be a new closed-door disciple that old bastard Peng Zhen took in?"
Du Lingchuan's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He and Five Terraces Sect's Kunti Courtyard Master Peng Zhen were recognized spear experts in Yunlin Prefecture. The two had comparable cultivation, but their spear technique styles were vastly different.
Peng Zhen emphasized momentum, emphasizing immovability like a mountain, but when moved, earth split and heaven collapsed. Du Lingchuan emphasized breaking, pursuing invincibility, one spear splitting peaks and piercing clouds.
When the two were young, they competed in duels, later debated spear principles, and now compared their disciples' achievements. Everywhere they were needle point against wheat awn, neither willing to yield. They were famous "old rivals."
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