57: Tortoise

He did not act immediately, but suppressed the urge to strike and ordered: "Continue surveillance, find out their activity patterns, habitats, and possible warning measures. Without my command, you must not alert the enemy."

Over the next few days, Gao De paused most of his Cultivate and devoted his main energy to the surveillance and analysis of this group of Turtle Demon.

He personally sensed them from a distance several times, confirming the authenticity of that Turtle Demon with the Baxia Bloodline, as well as the approximate strength of the other two Second Tier Turtle Demon (one Middle Stage, one Early Stage), while the remaining five were all rank one.

At the same time, he also carefully surveyed the environment of that Algae Forest and the surrounding waters.

The Algae Forest was dense and the terrain complex, making it ideal for hiding and escaping.

The habitat chosen by the Turtle Demon was a semi-enclosed Underwater Grotto with a narrow entrance, easy to defend and hard to attack, and some extremely hidden Water Current Sensing Restriction were set up around it.

With the intelligence gathering complete, Gao De began to formulate a plan.

The goal was to completely annihilate the Turtle Demon, prioritizing the capture or killing of the three Second Tier Turtle Demon, especially the individual with the Baxia Bloodline.

The location of the operation was chosen near the Underwater Grotto, aiming to resolve the battle inside the Turtle Demon lair as much as possible to prevent them from escaping into the complex Algae Forest area.

The overall strategy was based on a sneak attack, combined with entrapment methods, pursuing a quick resolution.

He carefully deduced every step:

First, he would personally lead all elite Demon Soldiers, including the Green Shell Shrimp Soldier, using the Breath Concealment talent and Mirage Phantom technique to approach covertly, bypass all warning Restriction, and quietly complete the encirclement of the grotto.

Then, before officially launching the attack, he would dispatch Demon Soldiers proficient in water Formations to set up a simplified version of the "Mysterious Water Entanglement Formation" at key nodes around the grotto to block the Turtle Demon's retreat.

After entering the battle phase, he would personally face that Second Tier Late-stage Turtle Demon with the Baxia Bloodline, striving to quickly kill or subdue it.

The Green Shell Shrimp Soldier would lead some Demon Soldiers to besiege the other two Second Tier Turtle Demon, while the remaining forces would be responsible for clearing out the rank one Turtle Demon and preventing outside interference.

After succeeding, they would immediately clean up the battlefield, erase all battle traces and auras, and quickly evacuate the scene.

In terms of personnel and material allocation, Gao De himself would participate as the main force, with a Green Shell Shrimp Soldier as one of the main attackers at the Second Tier Early Stage, and eight rank one Peak Demon Soldiers responsible for the Formation, auxiliary attacks, and blockade tasks.

Turtle Three Thousand would stay behind at the Water Mansion to maintain the basic operation of the Formations.

All participating Demon Soldiers checked their equipment and carried spare Spirit Stone to maintain the Formations.

Gao De also adjusted his state to its Peak, ensuring that Subtle Ripple Thunder Light and Dragon Might Domain could be activated at any time.

To ensure the success of the operation, Gao De spent another day repeatedly simulating the entire process in his mind, drafting response plans for unexpected situations such as the Turtle Demon self-destructing, attracting other enemies, or Formation failure.

Everything was ready, and the timing was ripe—according to observations, the Turtle Demon group's vigilance would drop slightly at midnight, which was the best time to strike.

The moon was dark and the wind was high, and the water was still.

Gao De opened his cold vertical pupils, his killing intent fully restrained within.

"Set off."

...The moonlight was dappled, and beneath the deep water, killing intent suddenly surged!

Gao De and his subordinate Demon Soldiers appeared like ghosts, the Dragon Might Domain instantly unfolding; gravity in the ten-zhang radius of water increased sharply, and the current stagnated!

The Demon Soldiers were well-trained. According to the plan, the Green Shell Shrimp Soldier led four Demon Soldiers to charge straight at the other two Second Tier Turtle Demon, while the rest formed a battle Formation, with water blades and ice spikes raining down on the five panicked rank one Turtle Demon, aiming to clear the fodder as quickly as possible.

Gao De himself turned into a bolt of black lightning, his claws wrapped in deep blue Subtle Ripple Thunder Light, striking directly at the Turtle Demon leader with the Baxia Bloodline!

The claw wind was fierce; before it even reached the body, the Power of Thunder contained within made the surrounding water sizzle.

After the initial panic of the attack, a flash of ruthlessness and determination suddenly crossed the Turtle Demon leader's eyes!

It clearly knew the allure of its Bloodline and had long ago made survival its top priority!

"Buzz—!"

With a dull, strange sound, a dark green Tortoise Shell Shield, the size of a millstone, ancient in color, and covered in natural profound patterns, suddenly emerged from its back, emitting a heavy Third Tier Spiritual Pressure, blocking Gao De's necessary path!

This was shockingly a life-saving item it had inherited from Demon King Fushui!

Although it couldn't fully unleash its power due to its insufficient cultivation, the nature of a Third Tier defensive Magical Artifact made its defensive power far exceed the usual Second Tier level!

Boom!!!

Gao De's thunder-wrapped claws struck the Tortoise Shell Shield hard, erupting in blinding light and a loud roar!

The shield vibrated violently, the runes on its surface flashed wildly, but it stubbornly withstood this long-prepared strike!

The powerful counter-shock made Gao De's claw tips go numb, and his offensive stalled. Although the Turtle Demon leader was shaken, its blood and Qi churning as it retreated several steps, it was not heavily injured!

"A Third Tier defensive Magical Artifact!" Gao De's heart sank. This old turtle grandson really had a trick up his sleeve! No wonder he dared to lurk in Dongting Lake.

Meanwhile, on the other side, although the Green Shell Shrimp Soldier and others suppressed the other two Second Tier Turtle Demon with their numerical and Formation advantages, those two Turtle Demon also activated their respective powerful defensive talents or Magical Artifact, making it difficult to take them down quickly. The battle fell into a brief stalemate.

Hiding behind the Tortoise Shell Shield, a flash of relief and malice crossed the Turtle Demon leader's small eyes. It opened its mouth, seemingly wanting to roar something, perhaps calling for its companions to hold on, or trying to attract other attention.

A cold light flashed in Gao De's eyes; he must not let it drag on!

Although this place was remote, the commotion of the battle was not small; any delay would surely lead to complications!

"I wanted to save this bit of my foundation, but it seems I can't!"

Without hesitation, with a thought of his Divine Sense, a Talisman emitting dense fire spiritual energy and with dark red spiritual light on the Talisman paper appeared in his claw—the Third Tier Low Grade Talisman [Earth Fire Lava Talisman]!

This was one of the life-saving trump cards he had spent many Spirit Stone to secretly exchange for through Turtle Three Thousand in the Black Market of the Market Town, specifically designed to break through various solid defenses!

He frantically poured the Demonic Power within his body into the Talisman!

Buzz!

The Talisman instantly burned, turning into a ball of dazzling, scorching red light! The surrounding water temperature rose sharply, and a large number of bubbles gurgled out!

With a swing of his claw, that ball of red light, like a meteorite trailing a burning tail of fire, ignored the resistance of the water and shot towards that dark green Tortoise Shell Shield with incredible speed!

Sensing the terrifying aura of destruction contained in that Talisman, the Turtle Demon leader's eyes finally showed a look of horror! It desperately poured its Demonic Power into the shield, trying to resist!

However, how could its Demonic Power easily withstand the power of a Third Tier Talisman, especially one with an attribute specifically for breaking defenses?

Rumble—!!!

A deafening explosion sounded at the bottom of the water!

Dark red firelight and a violent shockwave instantly swallowed the Tortoise Shell Shield!

That indestructible shield let out a groan of being overwhelmed, the runes on its surface snapped inch by inch, the spiritual light dimmed rapidly, and finally, with a "crack," it was actually blown to pieces!

The Turtle Demon leader hiding behind it was struck as if by a heavy blow, suddenly spitting out a mouthful of blood, its aura instantly withering, its eyes filled with unbelievable despair!

The defense was broken!

How could Gao De miss this excellent opportunity? His figure followed like a shadow, pouncing again, this time his Dragon claws aimed straight for the unprotected turtle head!

On the other side, seeing their master's great display of power, the Green Shell Shrimp Soldier and others were greatly encouraged, and their attacks became even more ferocious.

Seeing that their leader's life-saving shield had been shattered, the other two Second Tier Turtle Demon were terrified and lost their cool, soon becoming covered in wounds under the siege, showing signs of defeat.

The scales of battle, with Gao De's decisive use of the precious Talisman, tilted instantly!

Cold killing intent completely enveloped these last Bloodline survivors of Demon King Fushui.