# 1399
Chapter 1399
As this warmth flowed into his body, Lin Qiye finally exhaled in relief.
It was finally dead.
He didn't know what kind of monster this black crocodile was. Its body was impossibly hard—Cao Yuan in his maddened state couldn't cut through it, and even forbidden spells couldn't kill it. If it weren't for the Ame-no-Murakumo that could cut through anything, killing it would have taken much more effort.
An Qingyu pulled his hand out of the ground and, expressionless, used a surgical knife to cleanly sever the fractured finger bone. A clump of flesh writhed at the wound and quickly regrew a new finger.
Just minutes ago he had been missing half his body from being gnawed on, but now he had essentially returned to normal. He hurried to Lin Qiye's side and curiously examined the black crocodile's corpse, his eyes flickering with an excited light they hadn't shown in a long time:
"Can I have the corpse?"
"Sure." Lin Qiye nodded.
An Qingyu immediately stepped forward, took the Ame-no-Murakumo from Lin Qiye's hand, and dismembered the black crocodile with swift, efficient movements. He froze it with cold ice for preservation and stored it in the nearby jungle.
Just as Lin Qiye was about to say something more, several black shadows swept across the sky, diving straight into the depths of the Island!
Though he didn't know exactly where the Great Xia National Fortune was on this Island, the black crocodiles' movements were clearly heading toward it. Since Li Kengqiang and Tang Yusheng weren't nearby, they absolutely had to stop the enemy.
"They can't just charge through like this."
Lin Qiye was about to grab the Ame-no-Murakumo and charge out again, but before he could take a step, a flash of white lightning erupted from the deep mountains!
The lightning swept across the sky, instantly binding three black crocodiles and slamming them ruthlessly into a nearby peak with a deafening roar.
It wasn't until then that Lin Qiye and the others saw clearly—it wasn't white lightning at all, but a white whip.
A slender figure in a white hoodie lightly descended between the three black crocodiles. With a flick of her long whip, thunderous light crackled and danced around her.
Her gaze swept over the three black crocodiles and landed on Lin Qiye and the others nearby. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly,
"Well done, little ones. If it weren't for your spectacular performances over these past few days wearing down their patience, they wouldn't have lost their composure like this... Let me introduce myself. My name is Wang Qing, Fourth Commander-in-Chief of the Great Xia Night Watch."
ROAR—!!
The three black crocodiles that Wang Qing had swept down quickly got back up and surrounded her. Pairs of eerie green eyes flickered in the darkness.
Lin Qiye and the others exchanged glances and were about to rush forward to help Wang Qing, when a thunderous crack split the sky. A whip struck like lightning, directly slapping one black crocodile away. Dense white thunder light intertwined into a vortex, trapping the three black crocodiles within.
Wang Qing's voice drifted out from within: "Don't worry, I can handle these few Makara. Your mission is complete—leave the rest to us... Go deeper into the island. There's nowhere safer than there."
The sharp whip shadows danced amid the thunder and lightning as Wang Qing's voice was drowned out by the crackling sounds.
Standing in the devastated deep forest, the gaze of the Night Watch squad fell simultaneously on Lin Qiye at the center. After a moment of silence, he nodded:
"Do as Commander Wang Qing says."
Lin Qiye and the others could handle black crocodiles, but one was already their limit. There were nearly twenty black crocodiles on this island now—far beyond their capabilities. If they stubbornly stayed behind, they would only become a burden to the Commanders.
Successive explosions and black crocodile roars echoed from across the Island. Lin Qiye and the others immediately moved out, advancing straight toward the island's interior.
...
BOOM—!
The dark long staff slammed down, low rumbling echoes reverberating through the heavens. One black crocodile's shell cracked with dense web-like patterns, deeply embedded into the earth.
Nie Jinshan, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, calmly pulled the staff from the black crocodile's head and turned to look behind him.
From the churning waves, four more black crocodiles slowly crawled out, their emerald-green eyeballs fixed on Nie Jinshan, flickering like will-o'-wisps in the darkness.
Nie Jinshan vigorously thrust his staff into the ground. An invisible wave of air rolled outward, his posture as sturdy as a pine tree standing tall on the shore, like a war god guarding the Heavenly Gate.
The black crocodiles' roars sounded in succession. Their massive, hard bodies charged menacingly toward Nie Jinshan at the island's front. The latter violently ripped the black staff free, his figure lightning-fast as he charged head-on into the crocodile group. The whistling wind roared as staff shadows directly smashed the lead black crocodile into the earth!..
One black crocodile was struck down, but several more rushed out immediately. Their tentacle-like long tails swept through the air, instantly binding Nie Jinshan's wrists.
Several crimson巨嘴 opened and closed, their fangs sharp enough to crush the world's hardest rock desperately biting toward Nie Jinshan's body!
Nie Jinshan let out a low roar. The staff in his palm traced a shadow, one strike smashing directly into the lower jaw of the nearest巨嘴, directly flipping that black crocodile's entire body into the air. The gust it raised tore away the tentacle wrapped around his wrist. His figure left afterimages in the air as he dodged the bites of the other three black crocodiles.
Nie Jinshan stabilized himself within the encirclement of four black crocodiles, his sharp gaze sweeping his surroundings.
Just as these black crocodiles prepared to charge again, churning waves rose behind him. A white-robed figure gripping a Sky-Piercer Halberd stepped on the crest of a wave, his imposing aura released completely.
"Nie前辈, I'll assist you." Tang Yusheng leapt down from the waves.
Nie Jinshan frowned and said calmly: "No need. One person is enough."
Tang Yusheng, who had been preparing to charge forward with his halberd, froze at these words. "But... Nie前辈, that's four Divine Beasts! I can help you..."
"No need." Nie Jinshan repeated. "Go help Kengqiang or Wang Qing. I can handle this here."
Tang Yusheng: ...
While these Makara's strength wasn't considered top-tier, they were still Divine Beasts at the god-realm level. An ordinary Human Apex facing two simultaneously would be a near-death struggle, yet Nie Jinshan was now facing four Makara's encirclement alone and stubbornly refused any help.
Having guarded the Great Xia National Fortune alongside Nie Jinshan for so many years, Tang Yusheng knew exactly how stubborn this First Commander was. He索性 stopped persuading and simply sighed:
"Then please be careful,前辈!"
"Wait." Just as Tang Yusheng was about to leave, Nie Jinshan seemed to think of something and spoke seriously,
"Yusheng, the big fish has already come ashore... Given your abilities, you'd better not show yourself. Guard the surrounding sea waters and prevent any fish that slip through from escaping."
The big fish has already come ashore?
Hearing this, Tang Yusheng's eyes narrowed slightly. He nodded and said:
"I understand."
As the words fell, Tang Yusheng's figure flickered and dove back into the churning seawater, vanishing from sight.
...
...
The headache is a bit better, but without any reserves I can only force out two chapters. If it gets better tomorrow, I'll try to get back to three updates. Please understand~