Chapter 330 - 55: Accepting the Quest

Chapter 330: Chapter 55: Accepting the Quest

The only thing to worry about was probably that Demon Power Array.

But he wasn’t the least bit afraid of Arrays.

The Ten Thousand Tribulations Blade Monarch’s Eye of Calamity and Fate could see through the operational veins and nodes of all things, so to him, any Array was riddled with flaws.

"Let’s go."

After committing all the information to memory, Chen Ye put away the Jade Scroll and headed for the door.

Li Qingyan hurried to keep up, trailing behind him step for step like the most loyal of shadows.

One walking in front of the other, the two of them soon arrived at the docks.

A black speedboat was moored quietly by the shore. Its hull wasn’t large, but its design was exceptionally intricate. Carved upon it were several Runes for acceleration and concealing one’s aura, marking it as a fine transport-type Magical Artifact.

The Sinful People at the docks had already begun their day’s labor. When they saw Chen Ye and Li Qingyan emerge, and especially as they watched the pair walk toward the speedboat, expressions of shock and uncertainty appeared on their faces.

"Isn’t that Steward Chen? Is he going out to sea with Immortal Master Li?"

"Steward Chen is incredible. He’s only been a Steward for a few days, and he’s already sharing a boat with an Immortal Master."

The murmurs of the Sinful People were quiet, but with his current level of hearing, Chen Ye could still make out every word.

He paid them no mind and walked straight onto the boat.

Li Qingyan followed right after, expertly activating the Array on the boat.

With a soft hum, the speedboat’s hull trembled slightly before it transformed into a black streak of light, silently departing from the docks and speeding toward the reef area on the western side of Black Water Lake.

The boat moved at an incredible speed. The water on both sides of the hull split into two white wakes as the surrounding scenery flew backward.

Li Qingyan piloted the boat, but her expression was somewhat dazed.

’There was a time when I, too, commanded my own Magical Artifact like this, soaring through the Sect’s territory with high spirits, basking in the awestruck gazes of countless Outer Disciples and mortals. Back then, my future seemed boundless.’

’But now I’ve become a servant, forced to humiliatingly obey the orders of one of the Sinful People, not even daring to resist. In the past, this would have been simply unimaginable.’

Yet, after the past few days, Li Qingyan was surprised to find she was gradually coming to accept this feeling. She had even developed a deep-seated fear of Chen Ye.

Just like now, gazing at the back of Chen Ye standing tall at the bow, Li Qingyan felt as if she were staring into a swirling mist, completely unable to see through him.

The speedboat traveled across the lake’s surface for about half an hour before its speed gradually decreased.

"Master, the reef area marked in the mission is just ahead."

Chen Ye looked up and saw a vast expanse of black reefs appear on the water’s surface ahead, scattered like stars in a night sky.

The larger reefs were like small mountains, while the smaller ones were the size of a house. Bizarrely shaped and jaggedly arranged, they fragmented this stretch of water.

The lake water lapped against the reefs, making a SPLASHING sound.

A thick, putrid stench filled the air, mingled with a faint, almost imperceptible trace of Demon Qi.

This was the Water Scale Demons’ lair.

"Master, should... should we stop here?" Li Qingyan asked, her voice strained. She had brought the speedboat to a halt several miles from the reef area.

"Closer."

"Yes!" Li Qingyan didn’t dare to disobey and continued to pilot the boat forward.

Finally, the speedboat entered the edge of the reef area.

Just then!

SPLASSSSH—!

The calm surface of the lake suddenly exploded as black shadows shot out from the water like arrows loosed from a bow. They kicked up huge sprays of water as they lunged violently toward the speedboat!

"They’re here!" Li Qingyan shrieked, her face as white as a sheet.

The black shadows were revealed to be humanoid monsters over two meters tall, their bodies completely covered in black scales. They had the appearance of vicious, fish-like creatures.

They had thick, powerful limbs tipped with Sharp Claws like razors. Their cavernous mouths were filled with dense rows of fangs, and their scarlet eyes burned with bloodlust and madness.

These were the Water Scale Demons!

And they had appeared in a massive swarm; a quick glance revealed at least a hundred of them.

Their speed was incredible. They moved across the water’s surface as if it were solid ground. In the blink of an eye, they had swarmed the speedboat, bringing with them a putrid stench that was almost suffocating.

Li Qingyan instinctively moved to activate the boat’s Defense Array.

At that exact moment, however, Chen Ye stepped forward, leaped directly off the boat, and landed steadily on a huge, nearby reef.

Then, Chen Ye reached behind his back and drew a long blade.

It was an ordinary long blade forged from Mortal Iron, with no special properties whatsoever. It was something Chen Ye had simply grabbed from the warehouse at the docks before boarding.

And yet, when held in Chen Ye’s hand, this very blade erupted with a terrifying aura. He then faced the onrushing swarm of Water Scale Demons and slashed.

VMMMM—!

Amid the blade’s hum, a flash of light too fast for the naked eye to follow flickered and vanished.

The next moment, the dozen or so Water Scale Demons at the front of the charge suddenly froze. Then, their bodies were neatly split in two, from head to tail.

The cuts were as smooth as glass.

Dark green blood and viscera spilled across the lake’s surface with a great SPLASH, and the thick stench of blood instantly overwhelmed the putrid smell from before.

One slash.

A single slash.

A dozen Water Scale Demons, each equivalent to the Qi Cultivation Early Stage, were annihilated in an instant.

They didn’t even have time to utter a single scream.

It was as if the entire world had fallen silent in that instant.

But Chen Ye didn’t hesitate for a moment, swinging his blade at the Water Scale Demons once more.