Chapter 16: The Killing Blow!
In the center of the Star River, Linley and Bebe stood atop a floating millstone-like boulder.
"If we were nearby, it would be dangerous," Bebe said, quickly looking around.
"Hiding in the mountain rocks in the center of the Star River?" Linley couldn't help but glance at the distant surroundings, then laughed. "Bebe, don't let your imagination run wild. Fighting in the center of the Star River—I doubt any Sovereign would do that. If you're not careful and fall into a spatial rift or spatial turbulence, that would be disastrous."
"Oh, you're right." Bebe rubbed his nose and grinned.
"Alright, staying in the center of the Star River makes it easy for others to spot us. We'd better find a path and get to the opposite shore as quickly as possible," Linley said urgently.
"Yeah." Bebe immediately began observing the spatial rifts and turbulence ahead.
In the center of the Star River, if someone on the opposite shore was watching, they could easily spot Linley and Bebe.
"No, this path won't work." Linley shook his head, rejecting a route he had just identified. Sometimes a path seemed clear, but after extending it for a hundred miles, a spatial rift might completely block it, leaving no chance.
Linley and Bebe searched frantically.
"Boss, I found a path," Bebe said excitedly.
"Oh? Which one?" Linley couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
"Over here. Look, follow this line, then make a big turn there. The route ahead is clearer," Bebe said eagerly.
Linley's gaze quickly traced from where they were to the opposite shore. He confirmed that this path was passable.
"Let's go," Linley ordered immediately.
The longer they hesitated in the center of the Star River, the easier it was for people on the opposite shore to spot them. Generally, crossing the Star River was when one was most vulnerable to discovery and ambush.
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"
Two figures shot through the Star River like lightning, weaving, darting, and twisting—narrowly dodging one dangerous spot after another.
"People!" On the opposite shore of the Star River, a group of soldiers spotted Linley and Bebe speeding along.
"Just these two coming over?" The silver-haired, pointy-eared cold youth in the lead looked over and immediately ordered, "One of them must be a Sovereign, or maybe both. We'll pull back immediately. Meanwhile, Second Brother, go report to the Sovereign Lord immediately. Decide whether to let them go or attack."
"Got it."
A figure sped away.
Linley and Bebe had no idea that the shore they had chosen was right next to a military camp. Unfortunately, the camp was hidden behind a hill, so Linley and Bebe hadn't noticed it. Now, their attention was focused entirely on the dangerous path, and they didn't realize that someone in the distance was watching them.
"Brothers, fall back. Don't engage recklessly. There are only a few dozen of us; we can't stop them," the silver-haired, pointy-eared youth ordered. "Wait until the main force arrives, or the Sovereign Lord himself comes." They were just a patrol squad on the edge of the camp, about ten miles away.
They weren't fools. A few dozen men going head-to-head with Sovereign-level experts? That would be suicide. If they had hundreds or thousands of soldiers, they might have a chance.
"They're almost here." The soldiers watched closely, having already retreated into the grass near the hill beside the camp.
"The Sovereign Lord orders: kill them!" The command finally came down.
"Brothers, charge!" The silver-haired, pointy-eared youth shouted. By now, it wasn't just them; a large number of troops from the camp were also arriving.
"Rumble—"
The other soldiers from the camp, under orders, came over and joined the patrol squad in charging at the enemy. There were over a thousand soldiers in total.
"Swoosh!" "Swoosh!" Linley and Bebe landed on the opposite shore like thunderbolts.
"Boss, there are people. A lot of them!" Bebe exclaimed in shock. Linley also noticed now. In the distant grass, countless figures were darting toward them at high speed. About ten miles away, there were low tents, with more tents hidden behind the hill.
"Damn, this is an enemy camp. We need to get out of here fast!" Linley didn't hesitate. He and Bebe immediately tried to flee.
"Attack!" came the order. In terms of running speed, few of these soldiers could match Linley and Bebe. If they chased, the distance would only grow. So they decided to attack immediately.
With the command—
"Buzz—"
"Boom!"
A dazzling array of attacks, including invisible soul attacks, shot across several miles, aimed at Linley and Bebe.
Linley and Bebe fled even faster.
"Thud!" "Thud!"
The attacks rained down like a storm, covering Linley and Bebe. A few struck them.
Amid the explosions, Linley and Bebe sped away, quickly disappearing from the pursuers' sight.
"Sovereign Lord!" The thousand soldiers bowed to one man.
He had golden hair as dazzling as the sun, a face as fair as a woman's, and wore a golden robe. He glanced casually into the distance. "They got away?"
"We couldn't catch them," the officer who had given the attack order said quickly.
"Forget it. Crossing the Star River takes only a moment for a Sovereign. Running into them was already a coincidence. If I could kill one or two Sovereigns like that, I'd be incredibly lucky. Alright, let's head back!" The golden-haired Sovereign smiled faintly and ordered.
In a patch of overgrown grass, Linley and Bebe were hiding.
"What terrible luck," Bebe muttered, rubbing his nose. "Boss, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Four physical attacks and one soul attack. No big deal." Linley also felt unlucky. The Star River's shore stretched for millions of miles. He had picked a random spot to cross, and it turned out to be right next to an enemy camp.
Linley then smiled. "But at least we made it safely to the enemy's side."
"Yeah." Bebe's eyes lit up. "Boss, should we start looking for targets now?"
"Let's start lying in wait. I think it'll be much better here than on our side."
Linley and Bebe adopted the same ambush strategy on the enemy's side. They dug a shallow cave underground and settled in to cultivate. At the same time, they each controlled a Death God Puppet to move around nearby, luring any passing Sovereigns.
A three-meter-tall, muscular man in a short-sleeved shirt and pants was walking quietly. He had a lion-like mane of yellow, messy hair, a snub nose, and a wide mouth. His golden eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for a target.
"Oh?"
The yellow-haired man's eyes lit up as he spotted a figure moving stealthily in the distance. He grinned widely. "Didn't expect to run into one. No badge aura—must be an enemy!" The yellow-haired man shot forward like a thunderbolt.
At that moment, the figure turned and caught sight of the yellow-haired man charging toward him.
"Swoosh!" Without hesitation, the figure fled.
"Trying to run? Too bad you're not faster than me!" The yellow-haired man's eyes gleamed.
In the underground cave, Linley and Bebe sat cross-legged, meditating.
"Boss, I've got a target. He's chasing the Death God Puppet I'm controlling," Bebe said, suddenly opening his eyes.
Linley opened his eyes in surprise. "Efficiency is high on the enemy's side. It's only the seventh day, and we've already found someone."
"Let's go."
Linley and Bebe didn't hesitate. They shot out of the ground. If the enemy discovered the target was a Death God Puppet, they'd know it was a trap, making an ambush much harder.
Linley and Bebe had been controlling the Death God Puppet nearby. Since it was close, they easily directed it to flee toward them.
In the grass.
Linley and Bebe lay in ambush, watching two figures—one chasing, one fleeing—in the distance. The Death God Puppet was a high-tier divine artifact-level puppet, so it was quite fast. Under normal circumstances, a Sovereign-level expert should be much faster.
"This yellow-haired guy isn't that fast," Linley judged at a glance.
"Boss, I don't sense any badge aura on him. He must be an enemy," Bebe said excitedly.
Linley's eyes lit up.
Heavens! After nearly half a year of lying in wait on their own side, they had found nothing. But here, on the seventh day, they had already spotted an enemy. Efficiency was indeed high.
"Bebe, get ready to attack together," Linley transmitted.
"Got it, Boss." Bebe was also getting excited.
Linley and Bebe watched as the yellow-haired man chased the Death God Puppet. Finally, he caught up. The yellow-haired man let out a low roar, his right fist shooting out. With that punch, the space around it churned like water.
"So strong." Linley and Bebe's expressions changed. The spatial stability of the Planar Battlefield was far greater than that of the Higher Planes.
The Death God Puppet countered with a punch of its own.
"Bang!"
The Death God Puppet's right arm shattered into pieces, and its entire body trembled violently before collapsing. This scene startled Linley and Bebe. Breaking a high-tier divine artifact weapon with a punch wasn't unheard of, but this yellow-haired man had shattered the arm and caused the entire puppet to collapse from the shockwaves. That level of attack was terrifying.
"Huh?" The yellow-haired man was stunned. There was no divine spark or badge on the ground.
"Damn!" The yellow-haired man looked up.
He saw a hundred-meter-tall phantom of a God-Eating Rat appear in the air, with a young boy staring coldly at him. "Buzz—" A strange wave spread out instantly. The yellow-haired man couldn't dodge in time and was hit. A peculiar energy surged into his mind.
Divine Ability—God Devouring!
"Boom!" A brownish-yellow halo spread out, directly pressing down on the yellow-haired man.
"Whoosh!" A cyan-golden blur shot forward at extreme speed.
According to Linley and Bebe's plan, whether Bebe's attack worked or not, Linley would simultaneously unleash his strongest sword strike. Those who could resist God Devouring might not be able to withstand Linley's sword.
"Roar!" The yellow-haired man roared in fury.
"He didn't die." Bebe cursed inwardly. The enemy was either a Paragon or had a soul-defense Sovereign artifact. Running into such a tough opponent right after arriving on the enemy's side was terrible luck.
"Chi—"
The invisible Shadowless Sword shot out—Void Space Rend!
Using the divine spark weapon, this was Linley's strongest strike. The sword tip aimed directly at the yellow-haired man's forehead.
"Bastard!" The yellow-haired man sensed the sharp energy and twisted his head to dodge.
"Pfft!"
The Shadowless Sword struck the yellow-haired man's right cheek. But instead of piercing deeply, it only managed to scratch the skin with a grating sound.
"What kind of defense is this?" Linley was stunned.
Aside from Bebe and Beirut, Linley had never seen anyone with such terrifying defense. Even the Azure Dragon Patriarch, Gislason, was far inferior. This was Linley's strongest strike, and the target was the man's cheek, not his fist. He had only managed to break the skin. It was absurd.
"Die!" The yellow-haired man roared, throwing a furious punch at Linley.
Linley frantically retreated.
The fist shot out, stopping half a meter from Linley's body. Just as Linley thought he had escaped, a golden light wave burst from the yellow-haired man's fist. As it shot forward, the space around it trembled.
Unavoidable!
"Bang!"
The golden light wave struck Linley's chest. With a "puff," it pierced straight through, leaving a fist-sized hole.
PS (not counting words): Just two chapters today. I pushed hard the first three days, so I'll take a little break. I'll update more tomorrow. Thank you all for your support! Also, some posts in the comment section are really over the line. I saw them and deleted them directly. For me, being first in monthly votes is an honor. If I can get it, great; if not, so be it. Actually, Third Young Master is the same—he doesn't care who's first or second. Everyone just tries their best! Win or lose, at least we tried!
The three days with 11 chapters were my way of keeping my promise.
"Coiling Dragon" went on sale on July 1st, and it's been nine months. In these nine months, except for January during the New Year, I've averaged two chapters a day every month. I'll keep that promise. As for monthly votes, if you support me and "Coiling Dragon," vote. If you look down on me or think I'm cunning, don't vote. I won't force you. Alright. I hope you'll go easy on me with your words. That's all.