Chapter 158: Chapter 111: Astral Force

Chen Qing looked over and immediately noticed something was wrong.

These Exotic Beast corpses appeared to have been gnawed on and were decaying, but their very core, the Essence Blood containing their life source, seemed to have been completely extracted.

“Look over there!”

Lin Wei pointed to a massive reef closer to the center of the Water Eye’s vortex.

On the reef lay the remains of an even larger Exotic Beast, its carcass as big as a small hill.

Most of the carcass had been worn smooth by the current, but the remaining part of its carapace was as thick as a mountain and had the color of black jade.

Even long after its death, it still exuded a suffocating and heavy pressure.

“The Ink… the Ink Armor Turtle?!”

Song Ming’s voice trembled with disbelief. “This is one of the true overlords of the Qianchuan Marsh depths! It was said to have lived for several hundred years, and even Top-Grade Treasure Artifacts could barely pierce its shell! How… how did it die here? And get chewed up like this?”

He pointed at the torn bite marks on the turtle’s corpse. “These marks… looks like it was killed by something even bigger. A fight over territory?”

The Ink Armor Turtle! One of the most formidable Exotic Beasts in the depths of Qianchuan Marsh.

It had died silently in this outer Water Eye, its body mangled beyond recognition!

The shock of this scene was far greater than the danger they had faced with the Black Python.

Chen Qing’s heart sank.

Whatever lurked in the depths of this Water Eye, capable of felling such a beast and even draining its Essence Blood, was terrifying beyond imagination.

“The center of the Water Eye!”

Wu Yuanhua’s voice was tight as he pointed at the massive, slowly rotating vortex.

The center of the once pitch-black, deep Water Eye had, at some unknown point, taken on an eerie, dark-red hue.

The red, like blood, was seeping up in wisps from the bottom of the vortex, spreading and dyeing the entire whirlpool until it resembled a churning pool of blood.

“What… what in the world is this thing?”

Lin Wei’s brows were knitted tightly. The Profound Water Snake on her arm had long since coiled into a ball, warily watching the bloody vortex.

“The aura of the Infinite Demon Skill… It’s a blood sacrifice!”

Song Ming, the most experienced of them, had a look of utter horror in his eyes. “Someone is using this Water Eye… no, they’re using the Essence Blood of the Ink Armor Turtle and all these other Exotic Beasts to perform a blood sacrifice! This method of extracting Essence Blood… only the Infinite Demon Sect’s Devouring Essence Technique can do this!”

The moment he finished speaking, everything changed!

BOOM—!

The center of the bloody vortex suddenly roiled violently, like a boiling cauldron of blood!

A pillar of blood, thick as a column, shot toward the sky without warning, carrying with it a nauseating, foul stench!

Even more terrifying, from within that pillar of blood, a blast of dark-red Astral Force, condensed to its absolute limit, shot out like a venomous dragon emerging from its lair. It tore through the air, brazenly hurtling toward the Water-Splitting Shuttle moored at the vortex’s edge!

Astral Force!

This was a level of Power far beyond Embracing Pill Force!

“Run!!!”

Song Ming was scared out of his wits. He pushed his Li Huo True Qi to its absolute limit and frantically spun the helm.

The Water-Splitting Shuttle’s paddle wheels let out a piercing shriek as if they were about to break, and the hull shot backward abruptly.

Wu Yuanhua and Lin Wei also reacted with incredible speed. Their Gui Water True Qi and the Profound Water Snake’s cold aura erupted simultaneously, forming a protective layer behind the shuttle.

Chen Qing’s pupils constricted. He instantly brought the Cold Chiyi Spear before him as his Cyan Wood True Qi surged out, forming a tough barrier.

He could clearly feel the terrifying Power contained within that Astral Force. At this moment, the Water-Splitting Shuttle was like a small boat in a raging tempest, on the verge of capsizing at any second.

What startled him even more was that the aura felt extremely similar to what was described in the fragment of the Infinite Demonic Scripture.

’Using Essence Blood to fuse multiple familiar types of True Qi!?’

RUMBLE—!!!

The dark-red Astral Force slammed viciously into the hasty defenses the four had erected!

It was like a clap of Celestial Thunder!

The Wall of Departing Fire disintegrated in an instant, the Gui Water Sword Curtain melted away like ice, and the Profound Water Snake’s cold aura was directly vaporized!

Chen Qing’s Cyan Wood barrier trembled violently. The immense impact sent a tremor through his arms, his blood roiled in his chest, and a sweet taste rose in his throat, making him nearly spit out a mouthful of blood.

CRACK! BANG!

The sturdy stern of the Water-Splitting Shuttle bore the brunt of the attack. The hull, built from Iron Heart Wood, was struck by the aftershock of the Astral Force as if by a giant sledgehammer. It let out a deep, muffled boom as splinters flew everywhere.

The entire shuttle was tossed into the air like a leaf on a colossal wave, then slammed back down onto the water. A large volume of icy black water immediately flooded into the damaged cabin.

“The shuttle can’t take much more!”

Song Ming’s eyes were nearly splitting from rage and desperation as he struggled to stabilize the vessel.

“Go! Let’s go! Get out of here!”

Lin Wei shrieked. The terrifying aura emanating from the depths of the bloody Water Eye sent a chill down her spine.

There was no need for further discussion. How could the four of them dare to investigate any further? Survival was all that mattered!

Song Ming desperately poured his Li Huo True Qi into the sole remaining right paddle wheel. Belching thick black smoke, the Water-Splitting Shuttle dragged its battered hull and fled into the distance like an arrow loosed from a bow, cutting a pathetic figure.

Behind them, the massive, bloody vortex continued to spin slowly, emitting an unsettling red glow.

Chen Qing’s party had only just vanished around a bend, fleeing for their lives down the pitch-black waterway in their damaged Water-Splitting Shuttle.

SPLASH—!

At the edge of the bloody Water Eye, the murky water near the Ink Armor Turtle’s enormous carcass broke with a silent ripple.

A figure shrouded in a wide, black robe slowly emerged.

A dense, dark-red mist swirled around him, making him seem one with the churning, bloody water. His aura was obscure and unfathomable.

Only a pair of eyes, glinting with a cold, red light from beneath the shadow of his hood, impassively swept over the direction in which Chen Qing’s group had fled.

“Insects from the Wutai Sect…”

A cold voice spoke, tinged with the anger of being disturbed, yet it was forcibly suppressed. “They run fast, I’ll give them that.”

It was a fact that this place had been exposed, and masters from the Wutai Sect could arrive at any moment. But the “harvest” before him was at its most critical stage and could not be jeopardized!

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