Chapter 296: The Mantis Arrives

In truth, at this distance, Lin Zhangqing was confident that with a single wave of his hand and a Palm Thunder, he could finish off any rogue cultivator who hadn't activated a defensive shield.

However, he only thought this to himself; these rogue cultivators were primarily meant to be practice for his younger sister and his companions.

Five rogue cultivators, aged between twenty and thirty, descended from the flying boat. Their cultivation levels ranged from the fourth to the seventh layer of Qi Refining.

Seeing this, Lin Zhangqing felt quite relieved—they could fight! The disparity in cultivation between the two sides was not too extreme.

The oldest and highest-cultivated rogue cultivator spoke up, ordering: "Everyone, be very careful this time.

These little brats are all from a family clan; they shouldn't be simple, and they look quite sharp. Everyone, make sure not to capsize in the gutter here!"

One of the rogue cultivators at the sixth layer of Qi Refining said: "Don't worry, Boss! Those little brats all look like they're in their teens; they've probably just left their sect and come out to see the world.

I don't think they can be that formidable. What we really need to watch out for are the protective treasures their elders might have bestowed upon them."

The other rogue cultivators also felt that what he said made sense and nodded in agreement.

It seemed the first one to speak was indeed the leader of the rogue cultivators. As soon as his companions heard someone call him "Boss," they automatically locked onto him.

However, while there was no movement on the ground yet, the sky above was already bustling; First and Second were currently engaged with a Green-Feathered Eagle.

This Green-Feathered Eagle was likely a spirit beast raised by this group of rogue cultivators, and its role was probably similar to that of First and Second.

It was also at the late stage of the first rank, larger in size than both Golden Winged Birds, and its combat power appeared stronger as well, as it kept attacking Chuer.

Fortunately, with First helping from the side, the two-on-one battle in the sky was intense. Wind Blade charms flew everywhere, the sounds of bird cries and eagle screeches were incessant, and scattered golden and green feathers drifted down.

This Green-Feathered Eagle was quite clever, knowing to attack the weaker Second first. In a one-on-one fight, Second definitely wouldn't be able to win, but luckily First was there, and Lin Changqing wasn't worried about them.

Wait a moment, if they really couldn't win, didn't he still have the second-rank Purple Crystal Scorpion?

When the time came, he would have First and the others fly lower to lure that Green-Feathered Eagle over, and a single volley from the second-rank Purple Crystal Scorpion would settle it.

Meanwhile, on the ground, there was new progress. The five rogue cultivators, each with three layers of defensive shields, were creeping over while holding offensive and defensive Dharma artifacts and covering each other.

When Lin Zhangqing estimated the distance was about right, he shouted in a low voice, "Strike!" His companions all suddenly popped out.

They directly activated the spirit talismans in their hands, and fifteen Fireball charms headed straight for the rogue leader walking slightly in the front.

It scared him so much he shrieked, but the ten-zhang distance still gave him a tiny bit of reaction time.

He desperately activated a first-rank superior defensive Dharma artifact he had been clutching in his hand—a golden shield—which was raised to block in front of him.

However, it was all too rushed. He only barely managed to block the attacks of the first seven or eight fireballs before the shield artifact was blasted away. The remaining seven or eight fireballs slammed into his defensive shield all at once.

The three layers of defensive shields neutralized three fireballs, but the remaining ones exploded on the rogue leader, blowing him to pieces on the spot, with fire and flesh splattering everywhere.

At this moment, taking advantage of the cover provided by the fire and the noise, the companions immediately charged out and launched attacks at their chosen opponents.

Lin Changjie's opponent was a rogue cultivator at the fifth layer of Qi Refining. They were of the same cultivation level, but Lin Changjie took advantage of the surprise attack, first throwing three Fireball talismans at his opponent before controlling his flying sword to attack. Then, with a flip of his hand, he activated three more Fireball talismans; the attacks came in waves, sending his opponent scurrying everywhere.

Lin Changyuan and Lin Changhao chose a rogue cultivator at the fifth layer of Qi Refining as their opponent. Originally, the two of them at the fourth layer of Qi Refining had targeted a rogue cultivator at the sixth layer, but that rogue had been snatched away by Lin Changlian first.

In the end, only the weakest one, a rogue cultivator at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, was left for his younger sister, Lin Changling.

Of course, it was obvious that everyone was looking out for her; after all, it was her first time facing rogue cultivators directly, so they specifically left the weakest one for her.

The performance of this little girl, Lin Changling, left Lin Zhangqing quite speechless, making him feel both annoyed and amused—he didn't know whether to praise her or scold her. Facing her opponent, she first directly activated three Fireball talismans, using the explosion and light to confuse the opponent's vision, and then threw the Yin Thunder Bead their grandfather had given her at the opponent.

"Boom!" After a low rumble of thunder, the opponent immediately began to convulse violently and fell to the ground. Lin Zhangqing's divine sense swept over, confirming that the opponent had already died and fallen.

This was the reason Lin Zhangqing wanted to scold her: a trashy rogue cultivator at the fourth layer of Qi Refining had actually wasted a Yin Thunder Bead, making Lin Zhangqing's eyelids twitch.

However, since they were in the middle of a battle, Lin Zhangqing couldn't go and talk to her immediately, so he simply observed the rogue cultivator killed by the Yin Thunder Bead.

He saw that there were no obvious wounds on the surface of the body, just some scorched marks on the hair, and blood was beginning to flow from the seven orifices.

Seeing this, Lin Zhangqing understood a bit. The damage caused by this kind of Yin Thunder Bead was more targeted at the internal body, directly destroying the internal organs. No wonder it was called a Yin Thunder Bead; it was indeed sinister! Although he himself practiced the Kui Water Yin Thunder, he had never used it on anyone else, so until now, he hadn't known what the specific effects were like.

But he knew the effects of the Geng Metal Divine Thunder he practiced; whether it hit a spirit beast or a cultivator, the result was always the body being blown to pieces.

Lin Changling could be considered the first to achieve a result. From the death of the rogue leader to the fall of Lin Changling's opponent, it had been less than ten breaths of time.

Subsequently, Lin Zhangqing heard another eagle screech, very different—extremely loud, somewhat tragic, and somewhat unwilling. Then, that Green-Feathered Eagle clearly paused in the air.

First and Second seized the opportunity, using two Wind Blade techniques to leave two wounds over a foot long on its body and wings. It then plummeted from high altitude to the ground, and with a loud "thud," it died on the spot.

Lin Changqing knew that this wasn't because First and Second had defeated their opponent; it was likely that their opponent had suffered a backlash from the contract due to the death of its master.

This was what gave First and Second the opportunity. However, being so high in the sky, even if First and Second hadn't attacked it, it was highly likely it would have fallen and died anyway.

After Lin Changling "yin-ed" her opponent, she quickly followed up with a sword strike. She didn't have divine sense, so she didn't know her opponent had already died long ago.

After confirming her opponent was dead, she turned to help Lin Changlian, but she didn't rush over to help; instead, she leaned against Lin Zhangqing's side.

That's right, she leaned against her brother Lin Zhangqing. She felt that in the entire field, this might be the safest place.

Then, spotting an opportunity, she activated three Fireball talismans toward Lin Changlian's opponent, coordinating with Lin Changlian's three Fireball talismans to form a pincer attack, followed by a flying sword piercing attack.

Lin Changlian's opponent was now in a panic. The situation had suddenly taken a sharp turn for the worse; the boss had been ambushed and killed, and then the fifth brother had died too.

Now, under a pincer attack, the three layers of defensive shields on his body had long since broken, and he was only relying on a superior defensive shield to protect himself. Now, under the pincer attack from two sides, he couldn't block it either.

Distracted and overwhelmed, he was seized by Lin Changlian, who pierced his heart with a sword, and Lin Changling followed up with another strike.

Afterward, the two of them smiled at each other and, with great tacit understanding, each activated three Fireball talismans toward Lin Changjie's opponent.

It scared that rogue cultivator so much he shrieked, desperately wanting to break out, but he still couldn't outrun the pincer attack of three flying swords.

He was pierced through the heart by Lin Changlian's flying sword, followed by two more flying swords piercing his body, almost turning him into a sieve.

Finally, the only one left was the opponent of Lin Changyuan and Lin Changhao. Under their joint efforts, he couldn't stir up any trouble at all and was forced to dodge left and right.

Moreover, he couldn't run away. Seeing the other three surrounding him, he was scared to tears, collapsed, threw away his Dharma artifact, and knelt on the ground to beg for mercy.

Unfortunately, Lin Zhangqing remembered him best; he was the one who had followed them for two days, so how could he let him go?

After Lin Zhangqing shook his head, he ultimately died under the joint attack of the five, dying even more miserably than Lin Changjie's opponent.

Once all five rogue cultivators were killed, Lin Zhangqing nodded. Although there were still many problems, it was much better than their performance last time.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 297 =====