83: Counterattack and the loss of intent: The tragedy of the Sword Sect

The starship did not flee immediately; Lin Yang stood at the bow, his gaze like lightning as he swept over the battlefield from just moments ago.

Although the Domain Prototype of Chaos had not fully expanded, its unique sensory ability had already quietly spread like invisible tentacles, capturing every trace of energy fluctuation and information remaining in the space.

"The energy residues in the direction Ling Feihong fled are chaotic; he didn't escape in a straight line, but rather seemed to be fleeing in panic," Su Qingyue analyzed the data on the light screen carefully, judging calmly.

Chu Yunxi frowned and said, "The Sword Sect's ambush this time was clearly premeditated. The Seven-Kill Sword Formation is not something ordinary Disciples can set up; there must be an Elder-level figure behind it, guiding them or even bestowing the formation map and Magic Treasure. For them to intercept us accurately here, our travel route is likely..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was self-evident. Someone on the inside had leaked their itinerary, and it was highly likely to have come from the upper echelons of the Star Moon Sect, inextricably linked to the Grand Elder.

Lin Yang snorted coldly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "Clowns will eventually jump out on their own. This trial is the perfect opportunity to draw them out one by one and deal with them all at once!" His words carried powerful confidence and a trace of biting killing intent.

Having devoured the Origin of six elite Sword Sect Disciples and a portion of Ling Feihong's, the Chaos Gang Qi within his body was now even more vigorous and surging; the Realm he had just achieved a Breakthrough in was completely stabilized, and had even faintly improved further.

Those devoured Sword Intents, although impure, were refined under the chaos star core, shedding the dross and selecting the essential, transforming into a deeper understanding of the Dao of the Sword for him.

At this moment, even without using the manifestation of his Protective Aura, a single finger or sword from him was enough to unleash an incomparably sharp Sword Intent attack.

"The storage rings of these people." Bai Wanqing handed the few rings she had obtained from clearing the battlefield to Lin Yang.

The Sword Sect Disciples were quite wealthy, especially the one dropped by Ling Feihong when he fled in a hurry; inside, there were not only a large number of Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills, but also several Jade Slips recording Sword Sect secret techniques, and a token engraved with the two characters "Xuantian," emitting a faint spatial fluctuation.

Lin Yang took the token, probed it with his Divine Sense, and raised an eyebrow: "A positioning teleportation talisman? It's a pity it's one-way and has limited range; it must have been bestowed upon them by a Sword Sect Elder for life-saving or communication purposes."

He casually put the token away; it might be useful later. The remaining resources were distributed to The Four Women, as they also needed to improve their strength.

"Senior Brother, what's next..." Chu Yuning looked at Lin Yang. After the battle just now, she was completely convinced by Lin Yang, even harboring a trace of admiration.

Lin Yang cast his gaze toward the star map; that water-blue light point—the "Azure Water Realm"—was already in sight.

"The plan remains unchanged; we proceed to the Azure Water Realm," Lin Yang said in a deep voice. "The Sword Sect's ambush failed, and Ling Feihong fled with serious injuries. If the enemy has any other tricks up their sleeve, they will only act faster. We must race against time to improve our strength. I am determined to obtain the Water-type Origin of the Azure Water Realm!"

He had a premonition that the trip to the Azure Water Realm would definitely not be smooth. The people from the Misty Immortal Palace were likely already waiting there with a net cast!

The starship accelerated again, turning into a streak of light, rushing toward the increasingly large water-blue world ahead.

When passing through the world boundary membrane, unlike the scorching violence of entering the Blazing Fire Realm, a wave of moist, cool, yet boundless, vast, and oppressive water vapor rushed toward them.

What came into view was a world almost completely covered by azure seawater. The sky was a pale blue, with velvet-like white clouds drifting by. Looking out, there was an endless ocean, with occasional islands of various sizes, like emeralds decorating blue satin.

The air was filled with dense Water-type Qi; every breath felt refreshing and invigorating, and the circulation of the True Essence in their bodies seemed to flow a bit more smoothly.

"What dense Water-type energy!" Bai Wanqing exclaimed; her Ice True Essence was quite compatible with the environment here.

"Detected an extremely strong Water-type Origin reaction, located... directly below, in the deep sea!" Su Qingyue quickly locked onto the target.

The starship slowly lowered its altitude, flying close to the sea surface. The seawater was crystal clear, and from time to time, one could see various strange-looking water-type creatures emitting a faint blue light swimming by; they cast curious gazes at the starship, an uninvited guest, but did not immediately show hostility.

The creatures of this world seemed to be a bit gentler than those of the Blazing Fire Realm.

However, Lin Yang's brow furrowed slightly. The chaos star core sent a faint warning, not from the deep sea below, but from... the surrounding space.

It was too quiet, and also too... smooth.

Just as the starship was about to hover over the target sea area, a sudden change occurred!

Hum—!

On the surrounding sea surface, countless complex runes suddenly lit up without warning! These runes connected instantly, forming a massive blue light barrier, like a giant inverted bowl, completely sealing off the entire sea area along with the starship inside!

At the same time, the sea below churned violently, and six water spouts shot up into the sky; atop each water spout stood a Cultivator dressed in the attire of the Misty Immortal Palace!

The leader was a middle-aged beauty with a cold expression, the powerful aura emanating from her body clearly reaching the Minor Accomplishment of Spirit Sea Realm! She held a blue treasure mirror in her hand, and under the illumination of the mirror's light, the power of the entire formation increased sharply!

"Misty Immortal Palace, 'Azure Sea Misty Formation'!" Su Qingyue exclaimed, her expression instantly becoming extremely grave. "This formation borrows the power of the endless seawater to trap, wear down, and create illusions all in one; it is extremely troublesome! The leader is Elder Mu of the Misty Immortal Palace's inner sect, a powerhouse at the Minor Accomplishment of Spirit Sea Realm!"

That Elder Mu locked her cold gaze onto the starship, her voice coming through the formation, carrying a trace of arrogance and killing intent: "Lin Yang! I've been waiting a long time! Today, this Azure Water Realm shall be your burial ground! Hand over the star core and the starship, and perhaps I will leave your corpse intact!"

The death trap had finally been revealed!

Lin Yang's eyes turned completely cold. They had indeed come, and the lineup was even stronger than the Sword Sect's!

He took a deep breath, and the Chaos Gang Qi within his body began to accelerate its circulation.

"Prepare for battle. This time, it's a tough fight."

The starship shone brightly, its secondary cannons raised, aiming at the surrounding water spouts and the light barrier in the sky.

The great battle was on the verge of breaking out!