Chapter 814: Combat

"Uncle Gu!"

Mo Hua looked solemn, glanced at Gu Changhuai, a flash of coldness in his eyes, and lowered his voice:

"It might be Water Yama. If you can't capture him, kill him…"

Gu Changhuai's gaze trembled slightly, and he nodded.

Gu An and Gu Quan also placed their hands on their sword hilts, spiritual energy secretly circulating, blade power poised to erupt.

The man outside the carriage fell silent, yet the atmosphere grew even more stifling.

Just before they moved, Mo Hua suddenly remembered something and said:

"Cover your faces."

Gu Changhuai blinked in surprise.

He was the Dao Ting Si's Diansi; he acted according to Dao law, and when capturing or killing, he always did so openly, rarely needing to mask his identity.

"If we can't capture him, don't reveal our identities…" Mo Hua whispered.

He was a junior disciple of the Grand Void Gate; though he had captured or killed many criminal cultivators, he didn't want to draw the attention of a ruthless criminal like Water Yama.

Besides, Uncle Gu's identity couldn't be revealed yet.

Hua Ruyu seemed to be in league with Water Yama.

Uncle Gu was Hua Ruyu's matchmaker prospect.

If Water Yama saw Gu Changhuai's face and learned his identity as Dao Ting Si's Diansi, he would surely be alerted.

Hua Ruyu would realize her identity and whereabouts had been exposed—that Uncle Gu's matchmaking was merely a cover.

And right now, there was no solid evidence of her crimes.

Once she became wary and covered her tracks, it would become extremely difficult to investigate her later.

Of course, there was another important reason.

Mo Hua sighed inwardly.

Uncle Gu had helped him greatly; he was already marked by the Evil God.

If he didn't lie low further, who knew how many would want to kill him.

Gu Changhuai nodded, and all inside the carriage pulled out black cloth and covered their faces.

Mo Hua had just covered his face when he heard Gu Changhuai cry, "Watch out!"—then sudden killing intent struck.

A deep blue water whip, like a venomous snake, split open the carriage roof and slashed toward him.

Mo Hua's heart tightened; he instantly sidestepped.

Gu Changhuai stepped in front of Mo Hua, drew a long sword, and summoned several sword qi to neutralize the remaining force of the water whip.

Wind and water spiritual forces intertwined, power surging—the entire carriage exploded apart.

Mo Hua and the others had no choice but to abandon the carriage.

When the spiritual fluctuations faded,

Mo Hua, hiding behind Gu Changhuai, opened his eyes and saw barren surroundings, wild grasses growing thickly, damp soil beneath his feet, a swift river nearby, and a dilapidated ferry landing.

At the landing sat a small boat.

The boat was moored to shore.

Standing by the shore was a man.

The man looked young, with pale skin, handsome features, but his gaze was obsessive, tinged with cold malice.

In his right hand, he coiled a chain whip.

It had nine links, forged from iron chains—seeming both a weapon of attack and a tool for trapping enemies.

But to Mo Hua, it looked more like an instrument of torture.

Memories of fishermen from the Yu family water fortress bound in chains, kneeling and dying in agony, rose in his mind; his heart grew heavy.

Nine times out of ten, this man was the "Water Yama" who had replaced Huo Fotuo as the leader of the Evil God's lackeys.

Yet Mo Hua was still surprised.

Water Yama's appearance was nothing like he'd imagined.

From outward appearance alone, he looked merely like a pale-faced youth who lived by the water, fished daily, and spent all his time soaked in it—his skin as white as a giant white fish.

Had he not radiated a chilling, blood-soaked aura at this moment, Mo Hua would never have linked him to "Water Yama."

Water Yama's gaze swept over Mo Hua and the others, lingering especially on Gu Changhuai; his eyebrows lifted slightly, and a flicker of wariness passed through his eyes.

But all of them were masked and dressed in civilian clothes; Water Yama could not yet determine their identities.

After a moment, he spoke slowly:

"Who are you? How did you end up in this carriage?"

Gu Changhuai's gaze turned stern; he said nothing.

There was no point in speaking to such monsters.

Seeing Gu Changhuai's silence, Water Yama grew impatient, his killing intent deepening.

As it seemed another attack was imminent, Mo Hua stepped out from behind Gu Changhuai, feigning a coarse voice:

"That's the question we should be asking you…"

"Who are you? Why did you attack us without cause—and destroy our carriage?"

Mo Hua turned the accusation around.

Water Yama sneered, "Your carriage? That carriage clearly belonged to Miao'er…"

Miao'er?

Mo Hua's expression shifted slightly.

He had heard another new name.

Shui Yanluo also spoke out of turn; after uttering those two words, he immediately fell silent, his gaze even colder.

"This is my carriage. You stole my carriage, and now you dare demand an explanation from me?"

"On what grounds do you claim this is your carriage? Did you carve your name on it? Call out to it—see if it answers you."

Mo Hua argued recklessly.

Shui Yanluo could not outwit Mo Hua; his eyes blazed with intensified killing intent as he sneered, "You sharp-tongued brat, I'll peel your skin off."

Mo Hua stepped closer to Gu Changhuai, relying on his authority.

"Dare you come over here."

Shui Yanluo's expression remained indifferent, unmoved by Mo Hua's provocation; instead, his eyes grew thoughtful.

Mo Hua and the others had their faces covered, suppressed their qi, and had not moved—yet he could not yet discern their origins.

And these people, arriving at this ferry with a carriage, were already highly suspicious.

Had their plan been exposed?

Or had something gone wrong on Miao'er's side?

Moreover, the carriage was sealed with layered arrays—without the mechanism's key, it could not be opened.

Ordinary cultivators could not possibly know of this carriage—or this ferry.

Much less could they have ridden this carriage to this very ferry.

"Who exactly are these people, and what is their purpose?"

Shui Yanluo's gaze turned icy as he pondered—but in that moment, a sudden premonition surged in his heart.

This was a divine omen from the Divine Lord.

He looked down at his feet and saw faint yellow array patterns crawling upward, like venomous snakes born from the earth, writhing endlessly.

"An array?!"

Shui Yanluo's expression changed instantly; he shifted his body, attempting to escape the array's range.

At the very instant he lowered his head, Mo Hua knew his secret array had been discovered, and shouted:

"Catch him!"

Simultaneously, he activated the Earth Prison Array.

But Shui Yanluo was too alert—Mo Hua's chatter had failed to fully distract him, so the array was still incomplete when detected.

Now, hastily activated, the array's power was far from optimal.

A flash of light surged from the ground; earthen barriers rose, forming a cage, aiming to use earth to subdue water and imprison Shui Yanluo.

Yet Shui Yanluo flickered—half his body had already escaped the array's range.

The remaining earthen barriers trapped one of his legs, but he shattered them with a surge of potent water qi.

Having broken free of the Earth Prison Array, Shui Yanluo had barely steadied himself when Gu An and Gu Quan lunged at him together.

Two blades flashed like twin crescent moons, converging toward Shui Yanluo's neck.

Gu An and Gu Quan unleashed their full strength as late Foundation Establishment cultivators, leaving no room for mercy.

"Linked Blade Technique?"

Shui Yanluo's gaze darkened, yet he remained calm.

His potent water qi surged, and with a single lash of his chain-whip, he created countless whip shadows that nullified Gu An and Gu Quan's blade strikes.

Gu An and Gu Quan's attack was neutralized.

Shui Yanluo whipped back again; his whip coiled with venomous water qi, striking toward Gu An.

Gu An blocked it with his blade, but the whip's force hurled him back several zhang; at the same time, the whip's tip grazed his shoulder.

A chilling, poisonous qi instantly seeped into his shoulder, agony like Shen Shouxing.

Gu An's face turned pale as he gasped:

"Water Punishment Whip!"

Shui Yanluo sneered, "You've got some eyes, after all."

Then he raised his whip like a venomous serpent, ready to strike decisively and eliminate Gu An first.

Gu An, poisoned by the water, writhed in unbearable pain—he wanted to dodge, but could not.

Gu Quan rushed to save him, but was too slow.

Just then, a wind-element sword-light pierced the air, streaking straight for Shui Yanluo's head.

Wind-element sword-light is famed for its speed.

This blade-light was not only swift, but its sword qi was razor-sharp, piercing and menacing.

Shui Yanluo "tch"ed in annoyance, and reluctantly abandoned Gu An, channeling all his strength into his whip technique to block the wind-element sword qi head-on.

The wind-element sword qi shredded his whip shadows—but inflicted little real damage on Shui Yanluo.

Yet Shui Yanluo dared not underestimate it.

Indeed, in the next instant, a clear shadow flashed before him—Gu Changhuai had closed the distance, sword in hand, slashing down with full force.

Shui Yanluo's expression turned solemn; he swung his chain-whip and blocked the sword strike with brute force.

For a moment, their power was evenly matched; then, with a sudden jolt, they separated.

After steadying himself, Shui Yanluo stared at Gu Changhuai with solemn eyes and spoke coldly: "Jin Dan?"

Gu Changhuai did not answer.

Perhaps he wished to remain silent to conceal his identity.

Or perhaps he deemed such a murderous beast unworthy of words.

Shui Yanluo frowned, then sneered, "A Jin Dan, hiding behind a mask? Afraid of shame?"

This is a second-grade prefecture.

And he was already at the peak of Foundation Establishment.

Under the Heavenly Dao's suppression, the cultivation a Jin Dan cultivator could wield was roughly equal to his own.

He couldn't kill a Jin Dan, but the Jin Dan couldn't necessarily get the better of him either.

So Water Yama was not afraid, only silently pondering in his heart.

"Jin Dan cultivator, wind elemental root, swordsman…"

In his understanding, there seemed to be no such person.

Moreover, although this man had already reached Jin Dan, it was clear his swordplay was clumsy, not that of a particularly skilled swordsman.

Was his strength truly this weak, or…

Was he using inferior sword techniques to conceal his true Dao lineage, to avoid exposing his identity?

"I must find a way to uncover the origins of these people, lest Young Master's affair be exposed and ruin the grand plan…"

Water Yama murmured silently to himself.

Then his eyes flashed with cold light, and he struck suddenly—his long whip coiled like a serpent, the tip like a serpent's tongue, lashing straight toward Gu Quan.

Gu Quan was on guard, but unfortunately his strength was clearly inferior, and his reaction was just a fraction too slow; by the time he saw Water Yama move, it was already too late.

Caught off guard, he could only raise his blade sideways to block.

But he didn't fully block it—the whip's tip still swept across his arm, and instantly he felt the taste of water poison entering his body.

Water Yama sought to press his advantage.

Gu Changhuai's long sword came again, the tip aimed straight at the back of his skull.

Water Yama had no choice but to abandon Gu Quan, turn around, and continue fighting Gu Changhuai, unable to suppress a flicker of anger in his heart.

Gu Changhuai was even angrier.

If this were a third-grade state boundary, he could unleash his Jin Dan cultivation—then capturing or killing Water Yama would be as easy as flipping his palm.

But this was only a second-grade territory; he was forced to suppress his cultivation, unable to use his full abilities.

Without Jin Dan power, he was merely at the peak of Foundation Establishment.

Perhaps slightly stronger than an ordinary peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, but not by much.

Moreover, to conceal his identity and avoid being recognized, he had not used his core spiritual artifact or the Gu family's techniques.

Thus, being forced to rescue others under Water Yama's assault, he was inevitably struggling to cope.

And from the few exchanges just now, Water Yama's cultivation was deep, his Dao methods venomous, and not to be underestimated.

To truly subdue him would require considerable Zhou Zhe.

Gu Changhuai swung his long sword, his figure moving like the wind as he charged at Water Yama.

Water Yama's eyes flashed—he channeled water elemental energy, his whip coated in water poison, engaging Gu Changhuai in combat.

Gu An and Gu Quan, caught off guard, had been poisoned by the water toxin; they could not rashly join the fight, and could only stand by as support, preventing Water Yama from escaping.

Mo Hua watched from the sidelines.

He wasn't unwilling to act—his minor techniques would do little good and might even hinder the others.

And the situation was still unclear.

The trump cards he held in his hand—if they couldn't deliver a decisive blow—were better left unused for now.

After all, once his trump cards were exposed and the enemy became wary, it would be harder to strike from the shadows.

As for this Water Yama…

Mo Hua observed from the side, watching his battle for a while, and roughly estimated in his mind:

First, he was inferior to Huo Fotuo.

Mainly because he lacked Huo Fotuo's overwhelming pressure.

His cultivation was clearly weaker as well.

His Dao method leaned toward venomousness; he used a nine-joint chained whip as his spiritual artifact, and his whip technique—according to Young Master An's earlier words—was called "Water Punishment Whip."

The rank of this technique was currently unknown.

But in power, it was clearly inferior to Huo Fotuo's Meteor Fire Forbidden Art, though in venomousness, it surpassed it.

Gu An and Gu Quan were both late Foundation Establishment cultivators; because they were caught off guard, they were struck by Water Yama's Water Punishment Whip and fell into disadvantage, nearly meeting a fatal end.

In cultivation combat, it's not fear of strength—it's fear of venom.

Strength can be guarded against; venom cannot be guarded against enough.

But Mo Hua did not think Water Yama had become the head of the Evil God's underlings and replaced the dead Huo Fotuo solely because of his venomousness.

Whether Water Yama had other hidden techniques was hard to judge…

Mo Hua thus focused intently on the clash between Water Yama and Gu Changhuai—first, to observe firsthand and learn from their combat experience;

second, to search for traces in Water Yama's techniques, to see if he had other terrifying trump cards.

Knowing yourself and knowing your enemy ensures victory in every battle—that was the hunter's creed.

A hunter killing demonic beasts must first understand the beast.

And when facing a powerful enemy, the first step is to discern his strength and techniques—knowing yourself and knowing your enemy—not charging blindly.

This was the proper cultivation of a qualified hunter.

Otherwise, no matter how many lives you had, they wouldn't be enough to waste.

Mo Hua watched from the side, trying to see through Water Yama.

On the other side, Gu Changhuai still fought Water Yama in a stalemate.

Gu Changhuai held the advantage, but it was not decisive.

Water Yama was on the defensive, but showed no sign of imminent defeat.

The battle had stalled, yet Water Yama's heart was growing uneasy—he felt as if a pair of deep, piercing eyes watched him from the shadows, seeing through every one of his moves.

His gaze swept over Mo Hua and the other three.

He hadn't noticed where those deep, fathomless eyes were…

One Jin Dan, two late-Foundation-Establishment cultivators he'd already defeated, and one mid-Foundation-Establishment little runt.

None of these four seemed to be the owner of those eyes.

Added to that, the carriage that no one should have known about had suddenly "betrayed its master," bringing this group of cultivators of unknown identity to this rarely visited ferry crossing.

And, on the ground, an array that had been laid down at some unknown time…

A strange feeling welled up in Water Yama Luo.

"This is not a good sign…"

"I can't hold back anymore. I need to find a way to break this deadlock. If this drags on any longer, something unexpected might happen…"

Water Yama Luo's heart tightened.

He intensified his assault, channeling more spiritual power into his whip. The water poison had already turned deep blue, as if he no longer wished to drag things out and wanted a swift finish.

Gu Changhuai's gaze was cold, his sword strokes steady, leaving no opening.

His swordsmanship might not be considered Gao Chao, but it was more than enough to keep Water Yama Luo pinned down.

They exchanged dozens more moves like this.

Water Yama Luo suddenly abandoned Gu Changhuai and turned to flee toward the river.

"He wants to escape!"

Gu Changhuai and the others felt a chill in their hearts.

Gu An, who had long been on guard, immediately rushed forward, gritted his teeth, and with a resolute expression, blocked Water Yama Luo's path.

But the next instant, no one knew what happened—Gu An's gaze suddenly glazed over, his whole body seeming to be frozen in place, utterly motionless.

What—?

Mo Hua was Sun Yi Leng, then his expression changed, and he cried out in alarm:

"Be careful!"

But in just a moment, Gu Quan, who had rushed forward to support Gu An, also had his pupils glaze over, as if suddenly eroded by something, losing his mind.

Gu Changhuai realized something, with a solemn expression.

He focused his attention, his gaze sharp, summoning every ounce of his spirit, on guard against Water Yama Luo.

But to Mo Hua's disbelief, the next instant, Gu Changhuai—a Jin Dan cultivator—also lost focus.

His gaze unfocused, he stood rigid on the spot.

A chill rose from the depths of Mo Hua's heart.

"What the hell is this Water Yama Luo…"

What on earth did he do?

This series of changes happened in the blink of an eye.

Watching Gu Changhuai and the other two all with glazed eyes, momentarily lost in a daze, while Water Yama Luo had already raised his whip, seemingly about to strike a vicious blow.

Mo Hua's heart lurched. Having no time to think, he immediately pressed two fingers together to condense a Fireball Technique, preparing to launch it at Water Yama Luo to buy some time.

But by the time his Fireball Technique had finished condensing, Water Yama Luo's figure was already gone from sight.

At the same moment, a chilling cold rose from behind him.

Mo Hua made a snap decision, activating Flowing Water Step, his body moving like flowing water, darting forward several steps.

And the instant he left, a vicious whip struck the empty ground.

A soft "Eh?" sounded.

Water Yama Luo revealed himself, looking at Mo Hua with a strange expression.

"A water-attribute movement technique?"

Water Yama Luo said in a low voice.

Moreover, not an ordinary water-attribute movement technique…

This movement technique was very exquisite.

And this little brat had clearly poured a great deal of effort into it, so he wielded this movement technique with remarkable mastery and ease.

An ordinary cultivator—even one at the peak of Foundation Establishment—could not have dodged this whip of his.

What movement technique was it, exactly?

Water Yama Luo's gaze went cold, then his body flickered—like the shadow of a demon lurking underwater, dangerous and unfathomable—and after several flashes, he was close to Mo Hua again.

A water-whip lashed down once more.

But at the critical instant, Mo Hua dodged it again.

At the same time, Mo Hua was equally astonished.

What movement technique was this Water Yama Luo using, exactly?

It looked just like a water-ghost's shadow—elusive and bewildering, impossible to guard against…

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