43: Battle

Gao De snapped his vertical pupils open, light radiating from them!

"Finally here!"

The Zhu Family was indeed unwilling to sit and wait for death!

They chose the riskiest path, but also the only one that could potentially turn the tide—taking advantage of the moment when the Lin Family Old Ancestor might be acting as a Protector for a Foundation Establishment Disciple and unable to pull away, they came out in full force, bringing two Pig Dragons to launch a decapitation strike! Their goal was to destroy the Lin Family's hope for Foundation Establishment and even heavily injure the Lin Family Old Ancestor!

"An opportunity!" Gao De stood up, his body surging with Demonic Power.

"Pass the order! All Demon Soldiers, follow Plan A and set out immediately!"

"Turtle Three Thousand, you stay behind to guard the Water Mansion, maintain the Formation, closely monitor the battle situation, and report back at any time!"

"Yes! My Lord!" Turtle Three Thousand and the Green Shell Shrimp Soldier, who had already been promoted to the second rank, accepted the order simultaneously.

Gao De's figure flickered as he rushed out of the quiet room. Dozens of Demon Soldiers, including the newly promoted second-rank Green Shell Shrimp Soldier, were already waiting in the assembly area outside the Water Mansion. They were positioned according to the "Swift Water Formation" they practiced daily, their Demonic Qi merging into one. Though silent, they exuded a chilling aura of slaughter.

Gao De wasted no words, fully activating his [Breath Concealment] talent to perfectly conceal his own aura along with the ten Demon Soldiers, like ghosts blending into the night and the water current.

With a flick of his long tail, he took the lead and stealthily headed toward the waters between Lin Family Fort and the Zhu Family Water Stockade.

He did not go directly to the Lin Family Fort battlefield; that was the center of the storm and too dangerous.

His target was the periphery of the battlefield, the path where the two Pig Dragons might flee if injured!

Like a most astute hunter, he rushed ahead to the pre-set ambush location—a narrow waterway with dense water grass and complex undercurrents situated between the two families' territories.

This was the only way to the rear of the Zhu Family Water Stockade and an ideal place for interception and hunting.

Lying in wait, Gao De cautiously spread his Divine Sense outward, while simultaneously monitoring the tianji mirror for any scattered news about the battle at Lin Family Fort that might appear on the local forum.

At this time, the faint roar of Spells and the angry growls of Yao Beasts came from the direction of Lin Family Fort, breaking the silence of the night.

The battle had begun!

Gao De's cold vertical pupils stared intently at the entrance of the waterway, Demonic Power building in his claws, and the unicorn horn on his head flashing with faint electricity.

He was waiting, waiting for the injured 'prey' to walk into the trap... Lurking in the designated waters, Gao De did not wait for the Pig Dragons he expected to flee in injury. Instead, through his Divine Sense perception and the scattered news on the tianji mirror, he pieced together a completely different scene of the battlefield.

The Lin Family had actually set up a death trap to lure the enemy in!

It turned out that the Lin Family's Core Disciple had already quietly succeeded in Foundation Establishment several days ago!

The Lin Family Old Ancestor had kept it secret, intentionally creating the illusion of still being in seclusion for the breakthrough, while in fact, he had reached a deeper agreement with the Green Wave Sect in secret.

When the Zhu Family Old Ancestor brought the clan's elites and drove the two frenzied Pig Dragons, thinking they could catch the Lin Family off guard, what awaited them was a joint ambush by the Lin Family Old Ancestor, the newly promoted Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and several Green Wave Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivators, including Wang Jue!

A pre-arranged Trapping and Killing Formation was instantly activated, firmly trapping the main force of the Zhu Family along with the two Pig Dragons!

Meanwhile, another group composed of Lin Family Cultivators and Green Wave Sect Disciples ruthlessly charged toward the undefended Zhu Family Old Mansion, intending to uproot it entirely!

"What deep calculation!" Gao De felt a chill in his heart.

The Lin Family was determined to completely annihilate the Zhu Family this time, and even the Green Wave Sect had placed a heavy bet.

The appearance of Wang Jue made Gao De even more secretly wary; this person was ruthless and had no small ambitions.

At the center of the battlefield, the sounds of roars, growls, and Spells were earth-shaking.

The two Pig Dragons charged back and forth within the Formation, struggling frantically. The Zhu Family Old Ancestor also seemed like a madman, but facing prepared strong enemies and the suppression of the Formation, they were clearly at an absolute disadvantage. Defeat and death were only a matter of time.

"The plan has changed..." Gao De instantly realized that the hope of picking up the scraps of those two adult Pig Dragons at the edge of the battlefield was now extremely slim.

The Lin Family would never let the meat already in their mouths fly away.

However, just when he thought he would return empty-handed this time, Turtle Three Thousand sent an urgent message through the Water Mansion's communication Formation:

"My Lord! I just received a secret report. The Zhu Family doesn't seem to be entirely unprepared! Before launching the surprise attack, they had already secretly dispersed several core descendants and part of their resources!"

"Among them, the Zhu Family Old Ancestor's most valued direct grandson is fleeing toward the northwest through a secret underwater passage, accompanied by a loyal servant and a recently laid egg of the clan's guardian Spirit Beast! It seems they want to enter the edge of the Yunmeng Great Marsh for refuge!"

"I believe they intend to seek protection from the several third-rank descendants left behind by Demon King Fushui!"

"A Spirit Beast egg?!"

Gao De's vertical pupils instantly lit up!

Tracking and killing a small, fleeing group with a clear destination was much safer than snatching food from the jaws of a tiger on a chaotic battlefield where Golden Core level figures might intervene!

He might not be able to snatch the adult Pig Dragons, but this newborn giant salamander spirit egg, which contained the most refined dragon blood Bloodline of its parents, might even be of higher value!

Because it was purer and easier to absorb and refine, and... the difficulty of obtaining it was clearly much lower!

If it could be hatched and raised, it would be equivalent to having a dragon blood war beast with great potential; if directly devoured and absorbed... the original dragon blood essence contained within might even be more effective than devouring those two adult Pig Dragons!

Moreover, the target was the fleeing Zhu Family remnants, not the Lin Family's main force, so the risk and resistance of taking action were undoubtedly much smaller!

"Truly, when one reaches the end of the road, a new path opens up!" Gao De made a prompt decision and immediately abandoned the original ambush point.

"Change of objective!" Gao De issued a new command to his subordinate Demon Soldiers through his Divine Sense. "Abandon the original ambush point, turn toward the northern waterway at full speed, and intercept the fleeing Zhu Family group! The primary goal is to seize the giant salamander spirit egg!"

He no longer paid attention to the battle at Lin Family Fort in the distance. His figure was like lightning as he led the ten Demon Soldiers, blending silently into the dark northern waterway like sharks scenting blood.

His Divine Sense was like the finest radar, fully scanning the waters ahead, not missing any abnormal water flow fluctuations or faint auras.

"I must intercept them before they rendezvous with the remaining forces of Demon King Fushui!" Gao De's eyes gleamed with a look of determination.

He was determined to get this spirit egg! It would be the key resource to help him break through his current Bottleneck!

Thoughts whirled through Gao De's mind.

He not only wanted that egg, but perhaps he could also pry some secrets about the Zhu Family and even the legacy of Demon King Fushui from this Zhu Family direct grandson?

After all, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. The Zhu Family had been entrenched here for many years, so they should have some trump card information.

New prey had appeared, and the hunter had set out once again.

The final beneficiary of this conflict in Dongting Lake might not be the Lin Family, who laughed last.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind! And Gao De was about to be that oriole hiding until the final moment to strike!