It was only after using the Astral Body that those things slowly faded away.
After floating in the river for more than twenty minutes, the river slowly leveled off. Ahead of Ye Chen was a rocky beach and he grabbed a stone by the riverbank to stop himself.
Squeak squeak. Little Tanuki whimpered in a low voice, its eyes filled with tears. It looked at Ye Chen in concern.
“Little Tanuki, I’m fine.” Ye Chen smiled and looked at the wounds on his body. The bleeding had already stopped. He spent quite a lot of Celestial Chi along the way but he did not suffer any serious injuries.
There was no more Celestial Chi in his body. Ye Chen sat cross-legged and started to recover his Celestial Chi. The Celestial Chi on his Flying Dagger continuously poured into his dantian. A few minutes later, he had recovered seventy to eighty percent of his Celestial Chi. Suddenly, his Astral Body sensed something and he opened his eyes, only to see a few figures flying toward him. It was Qiu Ying and the others!
That group of people was like ghosts haunting him!
“The boy is there!”
“Don’t let him get away!”
Qiu Ying’s eyes glinted coldly at the sight of Ye Chen sitting on a stone. An average person would be half dead after losing so much blood and floating along the river for so long. Furthermore, mystical beasts were running rampant here which would be attracted by the scent of blood. Despite that, this boy was still alive. He was tenacious.
The few figures flew over with Qiu Ying being the fastest. They were only tens of meters away from Ye Chen.
“Boy, let’s see where you plan on running to this time!” Qiu Ying scoffed coldly.
“You plan on capturing me with the numbers you have? Don’t even bother.” The corner of Ye Chen’s mouth curled. Although Qiu Ying was powerful, Ye Chen had many means of escape. Now that he had already recovered a large portion of his energy, he was not afraid of them at all. Seeing Qiu Ying leaping at him, he jumped in a different direction and plunged into the water with a splash.
Qiu Ying saw Ye Chen jumped into the water and stopped at the river bank. Qiu Ying could not see the bottom of the river and did not know what was underneath it. From time to time, he could feel a powerful and cold energy from within, making him somewhat apprehensive. Before he entered the Sunken Jade Tower, he had looked through some ancient books related to the Sunken Jade Tower and there was one section that left a particularly strong impression on him. One should never enter a body of water. Some of the Sunken Jade Tower’s most powerful evil spirits and demons loved to dwell underwater!
Ye Chen swam toward the center of the river and looked back. Qiu Ying and the others remained on the riverbank, not daring to enter. A disdainful smirk played on Ye Chen’s lips as he flipped them the bird. ‘Catch me if you can!’
“What does that gesture mean?”
Although they did not understand what Ye Chen’s gesture meant, Qiu Ying and the others could guess. Qiu Ying held a high position and had never suffered such contempt before.
“Go after him. The river is only a few dozen feet wide. I don’t believe he’ll have anywhere to run to!” Qiu Ying cursed. A few of his subordinates hesitated but they all jumped into the water and surrounded Ye Chen. Qiu Ying also threw himself into the river, going after Ye Chen.
“Brat, take this!” Qiu Ying raised his right palm and slapped it down. This time, as he was furious, his attack was extremely sharp.
Ye Chen knew that the difference in their strength was too large. Around him, the other six people had already swiftly surrounded him.
Ye Chen avoided the palm and took a deep breath before plunging to the bottom.
A loud bang sounded as Qiu Ying’s palm hit the surface of the water. The river shook and the impact caused a monstrous water column more than dozens of feet tall splash everywhere.
Ye Chen submerged to the depths of the river but could still feel the force of the palm through the water, causing him to snort as the Celestial Chi in his body surged. There seemed to be a black shadow rapidly flitting across the water, and Ye Chen hurriedly used his Astral Body to protect himself, activating his Nine Astra Skies.
After the Celestial Chi in Ye Chen’s body was greatly shaken, it became more difficult to breathe. Furthermore, he was underwater and was unable to lift his breath for a moment. If he resurfaced, he was bound to face Qiu Ying again.
Water surrounded Ye Chen everywhere. He used the Water God Technique and the Water-type Celestial Chi in his body fused with the Celestial Chi around. This reduced his suffocation and he was able to swim in the water like a fish. The Water God Technique had faintly improved.
Cultivating the Water God Technique underwater went much faster than usual. Ye Chen was overjoyed. He did not expect to realize such a discovery.
Qiu Ying did not go underwater after the attack. He used the strength of his palm to turn himself back to the riverbank. He looked into the river. After the wave had subsided, there had been no more movement in the water. He could not help but frown. That Ye Chen boy had gotten hit by his palm. Even if he was not injured, the Celestial Chi in his body would have been greatly affected and he should float up soon. Why was it that he was still able to stay in the water after so long?
“Where did the boy go?” Liu Xun looked around but the water was dark and he could not see anything. He was furious. There were so many people yet they still could not catch Ye Chen!
“Search around!” Liu Kan frowned. This Ye Chen boy was really odd.
“Dive underwater and find him!” Qiu Ying shouted after seeing the hesitation in Liu Kan and the others.
The faces of Liu Kan and Liu Xun were gloomy. Qiu Ying stood on the riverbank with completely dry clothes but he wanted them to dive to the bottom of the river! Although they were dissatisfied, they did not say anything about Qiu Ying’s abuse of authority.
Just as they were preparing to dive underwater, a guard suddenly screamed. His body seemed to be dragged by something and quickly sank to the depths. A few bubbles burst on the surface of the water.
“What was that?”
“Was it that boy’s doing?”
Several people immediately swam toward the spot where the guard had sunk.
Suddenly, another guard nearby also screamed and sank into the water. The waves scattered in ripples on the water.
The two guards were five to six meters apart from each other. Could Ye Chen had been at two places at once? Liu Kan, Liu Xun, and the others were doubtful. Something cold at the bottom of the water quickly grabbed their feet, dragging them down. The Celestial Chi in their bodies was slowly drained out, bit by bit.
That was not Ye Chen!
“There’s something in the water. Everyone, get out!” Liu Kan, Liu Xun, and the others paled considerably. They cried out lowly, Chi Construct bursting from their bodies. They kicked firmly and their bodies shot out of the water and a black shadow flashed past them before plunging into the water again.
They landed on the riverbank, their hearts still racing wildly. Two top Ninth Level combatants had inexplicably disappeared without a sound. They did not even see what that thing was. How would they not be afraid?
Mentor Qin struggled, splashing and writhing in the water as if he was being dragged by something. However, no matter how hard he struggled, he was gradually pulled into the water.
“Save me!” Mentor Qin screamed to the heavens.
Qiu Ying flew over and stretched out his right hand, yanking Mentor Qin out of the river and back to shore. Although Mentor Yin was rescued, he had already fallen unconscious and at death’s door. His lower body was gray and shriveled up, shocking others. He might not be able to be saved. They were in the Sunken Jade Tower and had no time to take care of Mentor Qin. They could only let fate run its course for him.
Six people went into the water. Two died, one was injured, and the remaining three escaped by luck. Seeing Mentor Qin’s appearance, the others felt their scalps become numb.