Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 327 - Underwater Battle

When Liu Wuxie increased his speed, his movement created ripples, moving toward the surface.

Qian Zhou was diving, and his face changed when he sensed the ripples. This meant someone had entered the Azure Mountain Lake before him.

A powerful aquatic beast swam past Liu Wuxie from a distance, but it didn't approach him. He was still about a hundred meters from the lake bottom, which would take roughly ten breaths to reach.

The immense water pressure made Liu Wuxie feel uncomfortable. It felt as though he was being crushed from all directions.

Through Ghost Eye, Liu Wuxie could see the bottom of the lake. Many areas were excavated as Snow Lotus Roots were also food for aquatic beasts. Aside from human harvesting, part of the Snow Lotus Roots were eaten by the aquatic beasts.

"What's that?" Liu Wuxie's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of a radiant white light in a distant region. The light was ethereal, its brilliance captivating, and a cluster of Snow Lotus Roots surrounded it, adding to its allure.

Liu Wuxie accelerated his descent. Fifty meters from the lake's bottom, he finally caught a clear glimpse of the light source, which looked like a fist-sized essence.

"This is the Snow Lotus Essence?!" Liu Wuxie exclaimed. A Snow Lotus Root took a thousand years to produce a Snow Lotus Essence, which he had chanced upon.

The Snow Lotus Essence was about to mature, and Qian Zhou had somehow gotten the wind of it, rushing towards the Azure Mountain Lake as soon as he had heard the news.

"The birth of the Snow Lotus Essence will surely attract the attention of many aquatic beasts. The situation was urgent, and Liu Wuxie had to get the Snow Lotus Root quickly. As for the Snow Lotus Essence, it was best if he could obtain it." Liu Wuxie made a swift decision as he prioritized caution in his actions.

The Snow Lotus Essence's value was unmeasurable, but he had to ensure his safety before attempting to harvest it. According to his current speed, he would reach the fifth-level True Core Realm in two days at most. He could reach the sixth level if he could acquire the Snow Lotus Essence.

As Liu Wuxie had predicted, the Snow Lotus Essence's maturing attracted many aquatic beasts. If anyone dared to compete for the Snow Lotus Essence with them, it would be no different from snatching food from a tiger's mouth.

The aquatic beasts were powerful, each reaching the pinnacle of fifth-grade demonic beast. If they consumed the Snow Lotus Essence, they could reach the sixth grade, equivalent to the Heavenly Dipper Realm for human cultivators.

Liu Wuxie crossed the last fifty meters in the blink of an eye, carefully maneuvering toward the Snow Lotus Essence. He cautiously reached out to pick a Snow Lotus Root as thick as an infant's arm and stored it in his interspatial pouch.

He needed to ensure the completion of this mission before attempting to do anything else. He didn't stop there but dug out a few more Snow Lotus Roots before stopping. This was because the surrounding Snow Lotus Roots weren't mature yet.

Right then, an aquatic beast bared its jaws and lunged at Liu Wuxie with incredible speed.

"Not good!" Liu Wuxie swiftly spun around. But his movement speed underwater was much slower than on land.

He didn't dare to clash with the aquatic beast head-on. When he swung the Heretic Blade, his movement was slow, like a snail, due to the water resistance, rendering his strike ineffective.

He swam to the side and dodged the aquatic beast's attack. This naturally angered the aquatic beast, which swept its tail to create a giant whirlpool.

This aquatic beast was a matured Catfish Demon, notorious for being hard to deal with due to its slippery body. But that wasn't the bad news because the Catfish Demon wasn't alone.

Several other Catfish Beasts were swimming over from different areas, each about ten meters long. If they bared their jaws, they could easily swallow a human.

Other aquatic beasts were attacking from all directions, leaving Liu Wuxie with no path of retreat but to duck in the direction of the Snow Lotus Essence.

Right then, Qian Zhou successfully reached the lake's bottom. He could vaguely see underwater due to the faint lighting, but he wasn't in a hurry to make a move when he looked at Liu Wuxie.

The Snow Lotus Essence emitted a dazzling radiance that illuminated the lake's bottom.

A chill ran up Liu Wuxie's spine because thousands of aquatic beasts were approaching, attracted by the Snow Lotus Essence's fragrance.

Qian Zhou first scanned his surroundings before moving towards the Snow Lotus Essence. He knew it was crucial to strike first because they would all die when the aquatic beasts gathered over.

His actions infuriated the aquatic beasts as he had dared come underwater to steal their treasure.

Fifth-grade demonic beasts had high intelligence and were not inferior to humans. They couldn’t speak like humans, but they could think independently.

Torrential water swept towards Qian Zhou, and Liu Wuxie was also implicated.

Liu Wuxie escaped the aquatic beasts with great difficulty, hiding in one corner to wait for an opportunity. He hadn't expected to get implicated.

The violent water current formed into multiple whirlpools, and Liu Wuxie tumbled as he lost control underwater.

"Die!" Qian Zhou was strong. He drew his longsword and slashed down, splitting the water current apart and pushing the aquatic beasts back.

Ripples began to spread on the water's surface, causing the patrolling Azure Crimson Gate's disciples to stop in their tracks. Bai Lin and Tang Tian hid behind a large rock and observed the lake's surface.

As the underwater whirlpool grew bigger, it began affecting the lake's surface.

Powerful water currents exploded underwater, sending the nearby aquatic beasts, along with Liu Wuxie and Qian Zhou, flying away.

Perhaps due to the water current's influence, the Snow Lotus Essence drifted towards the center of the whirlpool.

Everyone instantly focused on the Snow Lotus Essence.

"Let's go for it!" With no hesitation, Liu Wuxie sprang into action. After all, how could he possibly miss out on a treasure like the Snow Lotus Essence? It was crucial for him to reach the sixth level of the True Core Realm.

Being cautious didn't mean Liu Wuxie would give up. After ensuring his safety, Liu Wuxie would do whatever it took to retrieve the Snow Lotus Essence.

The aquatic beasts were about thirty meters from him, while Qian Zhou was about twenty meters away. The Snow Lotus Essence was fifteen meters away from him, creating a relatively safe zone.

As Liu Wuxie approached the Snow Lotus Essence, intense murderous intent appeared on Qian Zhou's face. He made a threatening gesture toward Liu Wuxie, warning him from taking the Snow Lotus Essence.

Ignoring Qian Zhou's threat, Liu Wuxie increased his speed. He had been concealing his strength because he knew someone had come down. This was why he hadn't unleashed his full strength, opting instead to toy with the aquatic beasts.

A water stream appeared behind Liu Wuxie, closing in the distance of fifteen meters in two breaths. If he were on land, he would have crossed the distance in less time.

Liu Wuxie took the Snow Lotus Essence and put it into his interspatial pouch. Everything happened in the blink of an eye, and he was lucky that the three-way battle had pulled the Snow Lotus Essence into the whirlpool.

Coincidentally, Liu Wuxie was the first down and closest to the Snow Lotus Essence.

Hundreds of aquatic beasts roared furiously, causing the entire Azure Mountain Lake to tremble. The lakewater began to flow backward towards the lake's surface.

After obtaining the Snow Lotus Essence, Liu Wuxie chose to swim upwards immediately. This was because he couldn't utilize his full strength underwater. He discarded the meteorite in his hand and pulled out a bag that began inflating.

Liu Wuxie had bought many items while passing through a large city. When Bai Lin had inquired about these items, he had merely told him they were useless.

This was a water balloon filled with air that could help him rise to the surface quickly. He hugged the balloon and began rising to the surface like an arrow.

This naturally made Qian Zhou furious, but he couldn't speak underwater.

Liu Wuxie was fast, but the aquatic beasts weren't slow either. They gave up chasing after Qian Zhou and swung their tails, leaping underwater.

This naturally shocked Liu Wuxie, and he was fortunate to have prepared the water balloon in advance. Otherwise, the consequences would have been dire.

As the surrounding water pressure decreased, Liu Wuxie ascended like a meteorite and was only about a hundred meters away from the surface.

The aquatic beasts relentlessly pursued Liu Wuxie, baring their jaws and snapping at his legs. This was a spectacular scene, with hundreds of aquatic beasts chasing after one person. But it was a pity no one was there to witness it besides Qian Zhou.

When Liu Wuxie was close to the surface, a powerful suction force slowed down his ascent. The aquatic beasts were sucking water, creating a whirlpool that slowed Liu Wuxie down.

The aquatic beasts were highly intelligent, sucking water through their mouth and pumping it out through their gills to control Liu Wuxie's speed.

"Damn it!" Liu Wuxie muttered. There was no time to think because the aquatic beasts were swiftly closing in.

“Primordial Astral Fist!” With no other options, Liu Wuxie performed the Primordial Astral Fist that split the Azure Mountain Lake into two with a fissure in the middle.

With nothing left to control him, Liu Wuxie performed the Nine Heavenly Crane Dance to ascend swiftly. The people on the shore saw this, and Bai Lin's heart was lifted to his throat.

The aquatic beasts snapped their jaws in the air, a few inches away from Liu Wuxie's legs. This immediately made Liu Wuxie break out in a cold sweat because he was a few inches away from being eaten.

The aquatic beasts continued to rise, jumping out of the water through a water stream, not wanting to give up on chasing after Liu Wuxie.

It was a spectacular scene to have several giant aquatic beasts in mid-air.

Bai Lin and Tang Tian were shocked, and their mouths agape. The four from the Azure Crimson Gate were shocked to see an unfamiliar face instead of their senior brother, Qian Zhou.

Just as they were about to intercept Liu Wuxie, Bai Lin swiftly blocked the four Azure Crimson Gate's disciples.

As Liu Wuxie soared higher, the aquatic beasts were still pursuing him mid-air, snapping their jaws at Liu Wuxie's legs.

"Hmph, you all still want to chase after me outside the lake?" Liu Wuxie roared and performed a somersault before swinging the Heretic Blade down. The powerful blade aura he unleashed tore apart the air and shattered the incoming water streams.

The aquatic beasts immediately realized the danger and were taken aback by Liu Wuxie's power. But they were in mid-air without support. This meant they could only watch helplessly as the blade aura descended on them.

The aquatic beasts in mid-air were torn apart, and blood gushed out, dyeing the lake red. The other aquatic beasts floated on the lake's surface, not daring to leap into mid-air.

Qian Zhou was frustrated and could only crawl back to the shore from another corner of the Azure Mountain Lake.

Liu Wuxie continued to swing the Heretic Blade, killing five aquatic beasts and devouring their energies. This instantly pushed his cultivation up, which was stuck at the pinnacle fourth level of the True Core Realm.