Chapter 390: Sudden Incident

Chen Cheng understood the situation perfectly. Still, he hovered in the distance, not moving an inch.

With his Profound Breath Inspiration active, he could clearly tell that these corpses had long since been searched, with no Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures left behind.

As for mundane things like silver coins, people wouldn’t bring them underwater anyway, as it would just be an added burden.

‘Nothing…’

‘Nothing over here either.’

‘Nothing at all… The senior brother from the Python Pavilion definitely didn’t come alone. After killing his enemies, he’d naturally have helpers to clean up the battlefield…’

Everyone came back empty-handed.

Even Chai Liang himself failed to get any loot from the Immortal Bone Cultist’s body.

‘Let’s go, we’ll keep moving forward! We might still be able to help out! If we can kill a bandit leader or an Immortal Bone Sect chief, we can trade it for a good amount of Military Merit!’

Chai Liang took the lead, surging forward with the others close behind.

Chen Cheng, as usual, hung back at a leisurely pace, not seeking to achieve anything spectacular but simply to avoid mistakes.

The further they swam, the lower the underwater visibility became.

It wasn’t a lack of light; rather, silt and sand were being frantically churned up by something, blanketing the area and shrouding everything ahead in dim, murky chaos.

‘Stop! Don’t get any closer!’

Chai Liang stopped the group, his gaze locked dead ahead.

BOOM—!!

Suddenly, torrents of murky water erupted from the center of the battle, as if several flood dragons were thrashing about on the seabed. They instantly stirred up a monstrous cloud of silt, and a yellowish-brown current shot out from within the dim chaos.

The others looked at one another, their eyes filled with horror and confusion, completely oblivious to what was happening.

Chen Cheng’s vision was clearly stronger than theirs. Peering through the murk, he could faintly make out several dark figures flashing past one another.

Fists, kicks, Body Techniques… Though the outlines were blurry, Chen Cheng was certain a fierce battle was raging.

BOOM—!

Another muffled explosion suddenly erupted.

A figure shot backward out of the murky torrent, smashing into a reef not far from the group.

The massive reef shattered on impact.

Yet the person’s body only stiffened for a moment before they charged straight back in, moving so fast that even Chen Cheng’s eyes couldn’t follow.

‘The Divine Storage Realm! Those are elite senior brothers from the Python Pavilion! And there’s more than one of them!’

Chai Liang’s eyes went wide, his lips trembling.

‘What kind of enemy would require several elite senior brothers of the Divine Storage Realm to gang up on them…’

‘Senior Brother Chai, I… I think we should retreat…’

The disciple next to him was trembling all over.

‘A clash of this magnitude is way out of our league… If something goes wrong, an enemy that terrifying could kill us more easily than chickens…’

‘Anyone who wants to leave can go ahead.’

Chai Liang gritted his teeth.

‘I’m staying to watch a while longer. If I get a chance to help, this could be my ticket into the Python Pavilion.’

As soon as he said this, four people immediately chose to leave.

Immediately after, the force of another punch erupted from the depths, sending a massive pillar of water several meters high into the air.

Silt, rubble, and shredded seaweed churned together, turning the entire battleground into an increasingly chaotic, surging slurry.

Tremendous booms echoed one after another, each as muffled and deep as thunder, threatening to overturn the very riverbed.

In a daze, Chai Liang felt as if he wasn’t watching a fight between men, but a contest of strength between ancient, ferocious beasts on the river floor.

‘Senior Brother Chai…’

Chen Cheng came to Chai Liang’s side to say his farewells.

‘It’s too dangerous here. I dare not stay any longer, so I’ll be leaving first.’

‘Alright. Be careful on your way.’

Chai Liang nodded without looking at Chen Cheng, his gaze still locked firmly on the battle ahead.

Chen Cheng silently withdrew, but he didn’t actually leave.

After retreating about seventy or eighty meters, he surfaced for a full breath of air and consumed a vial of Fish Breath Powder given to him by Lü Qinyi to maximize his time underwater.

Then, he dove back underwater, found an excellent hiding spot, and settled in to wait.

The reason he stayed was that his Profound Breath Inspiration had locked onto over a dozen Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, all located within the chaotic battlefield ahead.

The Mental Gravity produced by one of them in particular was extremely strong.

Rushing into the battle to snatch them was out of the question.

Chen Cheng’s plan was to wait.

He would strike if an opportunity presented itself; if not, he would retreat. At worst, he would only waste a vial of Fish Breath Powder and a little time.

Compared to the potential loot, this small price was definitely worth it.

Time passed, little by little.

The intensity of the battle ahead was rapidly decreasing; a victor was likely about to be decided.

SWOOSH—! SWOOSH—!

Just then, two figures sped past above Chen Cheng.

It was Chai Liang and the disciple who had stayed with him.

Chen Cheng saw from a distance that their faces were filled with utter terror, as if they had just seen a ghost.

Close behind them, three more figures shot past. They were moving much faster than Chai Liang, and though they had started later, they instantly overtook him, passing right over his head.

Chen Cheng noticed that all three were severely injured.

The man in the lead was missing his entire right arm, severed at the shoulder.

The man on the left had a gash on his side so deep his organs were visible.

The man on the right had no visible wounds, but he continuously coughed up blood as he swam, leaving a startlingly bright red trail in the water.

More than half of the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures his Profound Breath Inspiration had detected were on these three men.

But back in the center of the recent battlefield, three Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures remained, all clustered in one spot.

The three sources of Mental Gravity had practically twisted into a single cord, like an invisible hand trying to yank Chen Cheng toward them.

The strongest source of Mental Gravity he had sensed earlier was among them.

‘Victorious, yet they didn’t leave? Is their opponent dead? Or are they just severely injured and staying behind to recover?’

Chen Cheng quickly weighed his options.

Without much hesitation, he acted almost immediately.

Following a hidden route he had planned on his way over, he slowly and stealthily crept closer.

It was a risky move, to be sure.

But more experts from the Sea Courtyard were sure to arrive, leaving him only a brief window of opportunity.

If he failed to seize it, all his prior calculations and the risks he’d taken would be for naught.

In the center of the battleground, the silt was gradually settling.

A figure in a dark red robe sat there cross-legged.

Chen Cheng continuously circulated his Endless Moon Breath. He was already very close, but his target remained completely unaware.

Chen Cheng could see clearly that blood was seeping from the man’s mouth, nose, and even the corners of his eyes.

He was indeed severely injured and trying to recover.

Even so, the man still emanated an invisible pressure as vast as an abyss and as heavy as a mountain.

A ruthless expert capable of fighting off three Divine Treasure Powerhouses at once. Truly formidable.

Just by sitting there, his oppressive aura alone was enough to deter any would-be opportunists and keep ordinary people from daring to approach.

But Chen Cheng was different. He had his Endless Moon Breath to conceal all signs of life.

He was now very, very close to the man.

He held the Profound Iron Long Spear in his hands. Its tip glowed faintly green, and something was wrapped around its butt.

He bent his arm, gathered his power, unleashed all his Traits, and initiated a Tai Chi Instant Burst!

The next instant.

The spear shot out like a dragon—Cloud-Piercing Sun!