Chapter 144: Level Six or Level Eight
Where did this towering white foam wave come from? And where had the Ever-Changing Trace vanished to?
No one had time to ponder these questions; their priority was to withstand the assault. Fire-Red Hermit raised both hands skyward, his body enveloped in a flowing crimson robe embroidered with a flickering flame emblem on the back. Then, he pointed his sword at the “fire-stick,” which swiftly returned and hovered before him. Under his command, the staff spun like a windmill, blocking the massive frothy waves, yet the sheer force still pushed Fire-Red Hermit back three zhang.
Thunderclap’s eyes flickered with azure light as he fixed his gaze toward the northeast corner. Yet, no sign of the Ever-Changing Trace appeared—only a cluster of pale red coral. The other three could barely discern even that; all they saw was a vague blur of red. But from that spot, white bubbles relentlessly surged forth, as if inexhaustible.
Suddenly, Qingxue’s eyes brightened, as if recalling something, and she transmitted a message to the three: “The Ever-Changing Trace is a master of transformations. Legend says that once fully cultivated, it can multiply into thousands of forms, each exquisitely lifelike. Perhaps the object in the northeast corner is just one of its illusions. Everyone, do not hold back in trying to eliminate it.”
Fire-Red Hermit and the Bald Monk hesitated briefly, then unleashed their treasures in attack. Only Thunderclap’s eyes shifted thoughtfully, lost in contemplation. The monk wielded a trident-edged blade, while Fire-Red Hermit still gripped his fire-stick. In their previous encounter, Fire-Red Hermit had suffered a slight disadvantage, which bruised his pride. Among the wandering cultivators overseas, his name inspired reverence and fear alike. This time, he resolved to give his all—the strength of his perfected Nascent Soul stage was formidable indeed.
“Skyward Strike!”
The blazing red staff expanded infinitely, standing upright like a pillar between heaven and earth. When it reached nearly a hundred zhang, it radiated overwhelming pressure, forcing even Qingxue and Thunderclap to retreat ten zhang to avoid its edge. Fire-Red Hermit twisted his hand seal, thrusting the colossal staff straight into the sea, embedding it precisely beside the coral cluster. Then, he spun it wildly, tearing a vast hole in the ocean water. At that moment, the monk’s trident-edged blade arrived, flashing a dazzling two-zhang-long gleam as it struck the coral cluster fiercely.
With a low roar, the coral shifted, circling and swimming away in expanding rings, revealing a body nearly a hundred zhang long. It had disguised itself as coral, and now its color reverted to white. A gaping maw more than a zhang wide split open its head, emitting a fierce suction force. The monk lost control as his blade was sucked in. The overwhelming pull forced him to flee, but it was too late—the white Ever-Changing Trace lunged, swallowing most of the monk’s body, leaving only his bald head visible as he cried out from within, “Master, save meI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.