Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 368 Encounter with the Giant Octopus Again - Ambush on the Swordfish (4K)

"If nothing unexpected happens, the sea creatures will attack us again tomorrow."

Gangyuan Zhenjun suggested, "In my opinion, it would be better to let Fellow Daoist Xiao lie low in the formation for a few days."

"Wait until they disperse and become isolated from each other, then suddenly strike out to catch the other side off guard."

"When the time comes, if we rush out together, we will surely be able to severely damage that beast."

He came up with this plan because the sea creatures' attacks had become increasingly fierce recently, and the giant octopus always seemed to be the last to retreat.

There are many times when the other great demons have been gone for half an hour, but it is still attacking the mountain-protecting formation.

They would only reluctantly retreat after expending a significant amount of their true energy.

To be honest, this is a bit too arrogant.

If it weren't for the example of True Lord Lüshuang falling into a trap while traveling, the others would have already lost their temper.

However, before Xiao Chen arrived, they could only remain in their positions to buy themselves enough time to heal.

To prevent a third person from getting injured and causing the situation to worsen further.

However, their concessions only emboldened the sea creatures.

Especially that giant octopus, which sometimes fights until midnight and never retreats until it is wounded.

But no matter whether it injures its tentacles or arms, it always manages to come back strong and energetic the next day, continuing to put pressure on everyone.

Therefore, what Gangyuan Zhenjun meant was that they should continue to feign weakness to the enemy.

Once the giant octopus has separated from the other sea monsters again and is wounded and preparing to retreat, everyone will seize the opportunity to attack together.

I must say, his plan sounds pretty good.

They cleverly exploited the opponent's underestimation of them to create an opportunity for their side to outnumber the opponent.

"Fellow Daoist Gangyuan's idea is good, but it seems that this method is a bit too slow to take effect."

Yunwo Zhenjun, however, had a different opinion: "In my opinion, it would be better to have Fellow Daoist Xiao set up an ambush on the right side of the formation."

"The swordfish from the sea tribe has the weakest cultivation level, and it always likes to stay on the flank to harass the formation base."

"Once it rushes into the formation tomorrow, I will immediately activate the formation's power to block their mutual reinforcements."

"At that time, I will hold off that octopus, while Fellow Daoist Hanchuan and Fellow Daoist Liekong will restrain the other sea monsters."

"Fellow Daoist Gangyuan will join forces with Fellow Daoist Xiao to try to kill that swordfish as quickly as possible."

As the saying goes, it's better to cut off one finger than to injure all ten.

"Once we can deal with this swordfish, the other sea monsters will have something to hold back when they attack, and they won't dare to be as reckless as they are now."

The reason why True Lord Yunwo emphasized the last two sentences was because that giant octopus was really too troublesome.

Based on my experience over the past few days, that beast is not just thick-skinned, it's practically made of copper and iron.

A flying sword can only leave a mark when it strikes the body, and a spell can only make a sound when it hits the flesh.

Most of the time, the only way to injure someone is by using the power of a formation.

Therefore, True Lord Yunwo felt that even if everyone took advantage of the enemy's disengagement to launch a siege, they could at most injure them but not kill them.

In that case, with its extraordinary self-healing ability, the other party will be able to recover to normal in no time.

It's better to pick the weakest one first, like the swordfish.

Killing one enemy to intimidate them can actually make them more hesitant to attack, thus reducing the defensive pressure on your side.

In general, both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages.

The former can be seen as capturing the leader first, breaking through the enemy's strongest and most troublesome point first.

The latter approach involves avoiding the enemy's strengths and attacking their weaknesses, by first breaking through the enemy's weakest point, which is also the easiest point to gain victory.

Gangyuan Zhenjun hesitated upon hearing this.

So he simply turned to ask, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, what do you think would be a better course of action for us?"

Ok?
Yunwo Zhenjun keenly noticed this movement and was immediately startled.

It should be noted that True Lord Gangyuan is a well-established mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

The previous lavish praise of Xiao Chen could be considered mere polite talk.

However, it is quite intriguing that in such a matter involving the overall situation, one should proactively seek the other party's opinion.

It is important to understand that the following actions are, to a certain extent, related to the safety of Gangyuan Zhenjun himself.

This seemingly casual inquiry actually reveals a great deal of trust, and even a sense of following.

"These two plans seem pretty much the same."

Xiao Chen thought for a moment and said, "If I had to choose between the two, I would prefer Fellow Daoist Yunwo's idea."

The main reason is that he himself has a habit of picking on the weakest enemy first to quickly reduce their numbers when facing multiple enemies.

Yunwo Zhenjun's idea just happened to suit his habits.

Upon hearing this, True Monarch Gangyuan immediately nodded in agreement: "In that case, let's follow Fellow Daoist Yunwo's method."

Although Xiao Chen did not support his plan, that did not matter.

His experience on the western front told him that he should just follow Fellow Daoist Xiao's ideas.

True Lord Hanchuan went even further, saying, "Excellent!"

"With Fellow Daoist Xiao's help, I'm sure we'll be able to capture it easily tomorrow."

True Monarch Rift Sky nodded silently in agreement.

Upon seeing this, True Monarch Yunwo was immediately startled.

Something is wrong, very wrong.

This Fellow Daoist Xiao is someone who commands such trust from the Tiangang Sect; he must be no ordinary person.

His previous thoughts may have been somewhat too subjective.

Yunwo Zhenjun made up his mind to observe Xiao Chen carefully tomorrow.

He wanted to see for himself what made the other person so exceptional.

"By the way, I heard before I came that Fellow Daoist Lüshuang was injured in an accident. I wonder how he is doing now?"

Having finalized the action plan, Xiao Chen changed the subject and asked, "I know a little about rejuvenation techniques, which should be helpful in treating meridians."

This is still the same approach as before on the western front.

Before the actual confrontation, let's see if we can bring out more of our own fighting force.

Having one more ally means having one more enemy tied down, making it easier to defeat opponents one by one.

After all, the difficulty of one-on-one is far less than that of one against many.

"Indeed, Fellow Daoist Xiao's rejuvenation technique is superb. I was able to recover quickly thanks to Fellow Daoist Xiao's help."

True Monarch Hanchuan directly demonstrated: "Why don't we invite Fellow Daoist Lüshuang and Fellow Daoist Dielang to come out and give it a try?"

If we can help them recover their fighting strength, our chances of winning will undoubtedly be much higher.

"Ah, I thank you for your kindness on behalf of my senior and junior brothers."

Yunwo Zhenjun sighed, "Since things have come to this, I will not hide it from you. In fact, my senior brother and junior brother were not injured by the octopus, but by their own sword energy."

"The specific reasons concern the secret methods passed down in our sect, and cannot be explained in just a few words."

"In short, the only way to recover is to first disperse the surging sword energy within the body."

"Otherwise, no matter how skilled the doctor is, it will be of no use."

Yunwo Zhenjun told a small lie. It wasn't that he couldn't explain it clearly, but rather that the sect's secret techniques were of great importance and not convenient to talk about.

However, the last two sentences are true; the sword energy will remain in the cultivator's body after the outburst.

If those sword energies cannot be dispelled, even if top-tier healing elixirs are taken to temporarily suppress the injuries, the injuries will be caused by the sword energies again once the effects of the elixirs wear off.

At the same time, such exertion carries the risk of aggravating the injury. Unless forced by unavoidable circumstances, it would be safer to remain in seclusion and rest.

"Oh, I see."

Xiao Chen had no choice but to say, "It's such a pity. I hope both of you can recover soon."

This sounds like a side effect of using some kind of life-saving secret technique.

This is definitely not a problem that healing spells can solve.

But it doesn't matter, even without the participation of True Lord Treading Frost and True Lord Die Lang, there is still a chance to win.

After all, all three members of the Tiangang Sect had come, and with the addition of True Monarch Yunwo, their side could also muster five people.

Meanwhile, Chongzhen Temple also held back the three-headed sea monster on the other side.

Therefore, all they need to face are the five great sea monsters and the giant octopus.

If tomorrow's raid goes smoothly and the swordfish is quickly killed, then the numerical disadvantage between the two sides can be eliminated.

Xiao Chen was very confident about this.

With a mechanical grappling hook in hand, the opponent has no chance of escape.

After the discussion, everyone began to regulate their breathing and meditate to restore their vital energy.

Only Lord Liekong went out to continue the patrol that was not yet completed.

Silent all night.

Early the next morning, Xiao Chen arrived at the right wing of the formation ahead of time, concealing his presence.

As the surge of spiritual energy subsided, the sea creatures followed suit and rushed over.

The most eye-catching of them all is, of course, the giant octopus that is over three thousand feet long.

In fact, Xiao Chen had seen it once two years ago, before he had even formed his Nascent Soul.

The other party was still busy traveling at the time, but its huge body and superhuman strength still left a deep impression on him.

Now, two years later, it seems to have grown even bigger, and is even fatter than before.

The originally dark blue aura flowing on the thick skin has inexplicably turned into a dark purple.

The number of crimson vertical pupils on its head increased from a dozen to twenty-one, with several eyeballs even bulging out completely, making it look even uglier and more eerie.

Think back to the beginning.

Xiao Chen also believed that 'this kind of thing should naturally be left to the Nascent Soul True Monarchs to handle'.

But now, it's his turn to face this behemoth.

Of course, this octopus will be his last target.

Before that, he would prioritize dealing with the five sea monsters that were closely following behind the other party.

Having gained the upper hand these past few days, the sea creatures were clearly becoming aggressive, making no attempt to conceal their presence.

Therefore, Xiao Chen quickly identified that, apart from the swordfish that had obviously just broken through to the next level.

There are also two grouper fish that are roughly equivalent to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, a red flower crab that is roughly equivalent to the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and a six-finned sailfish that is roughly equivalent to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Fun fact: Red flower crabs have sweet and delicious meat, and are very meaty, making them an excellent food.

If nothing unexpected happens, it should be the best-tasting one in this group.

"Hiss~, what the hell am I thinking?"

Xiao Chen shook his head and began to carefully distinguish the ingredients—no, the spiritual materials.

The first target is this swordfish, which is only three hundred feet long.

Its most valuable spiritual material is naturally its long and pointed upper jaw.

This one part alone accounts for one-third of its body length.

This thing is its most powerful weapon, so you need to be extra careful and it's best to avoid a head-on confrontation.

To be honest, this thing is definitely more suitable for crafting offensive magical artifacts.

However, Xiao Chen already had a custom-made spear, and he now needed more defensive spiritual materials.

As for defensive spiritual materials, the red flower crab is the one to choose.

Its carapace is light red overall and looks very sturdy, making it a natural choice as one of the main materials for defensive magical artifacts.

Meanwhile, there is a white area on its abdomen, and its carapace is significantly thinner than the surrounding area.

When making a move, you can start with the abdomen first, which will allow you to maintain the integrity of the rest of the body.

After we've dealt with the swordfish, we'll try to keep it too.

Just as Xiao Chen was pondering, the sea creatures launched another attack as usual.

First, a large group of Golden Core Sea Fish that had accompanied them cast spells from a distance outside the formation.

Immediately, all sorts of water-based spells rained down on the mountain-protecting formation.

The main purpose of this step is to use true essence to deplete the spirit stone reserves of the grand formation.

The long period of exhaustion lasted for an hour, until the true essence of those golden core sea fish was almost completely depleted.

They ended the fight first and swam away.

As cannon fodder, their mission is complete.

Then the giant octopus was the first to rush into the protective mountain formation.

Waving its tentacles, which were thousands of feet long, it frantically struck in all directions, trying to destroy the surrounding array base.

As it made its move, the entire interior of the great formation began to shake violently.

Although the protective mountain formation blocked most of the impact, it still caused a slight tremor.

There's no way around it; this is purely a strength advantage that comes with being physically large.

After all, when the mountain-protecting formation was built, its main design concept was to resist magical attacks. Who knew that one day it would be attacked by a giant sea beast?

Of course, its quality is undoubtedly excellent.

Although it appears to be shaky, it actually dissipates most of the force through shaking, so it has almost no significant impact.

The other sea monsters also entered the formation one by one, helping to share the pressure while creating chaos.

Everything was as usual.

The swordfish was the last to enter the formation, intentionally avoiding the four human True Lords who were ostensibly defending it.

Hiding alone on the right flank, he used his long jaws to poke wildly at the base of the formation below.

Despite the protection of the array's power, cracks quickly appeared on the surface of that array base.

This situation is actually quite troublesome, although it did not damage the core array base, which can be replaced afterwards.

However, this thing also requires fourth-tier spirit ore to refine, which becomes a significant burden over time.

"Hmph, they're putting in quite a bit of effort."

Xiao Chen watched quietly from the side, not in a hurry to make a move.

This was a strategy they had discussed in advance.

As the sea creatures deplete the formation, their demonic energy is also consumed.

Therefore, it is easier to succeed by waiting until the afternoon when they are exhausted rather than taking action right away.

Although Xiao Chen could directly kill him, why bother?

Firstly, there's no need to make things harder for yourself.

Secondly, he also wanted to expand his gains and keep the red flower crab as an extra one.

Therefore, they patiently lay in wait beside the formation base, waiting for the best opportunity to strike.

(End of this chapter)