Then, with a WHOOSH, the spiritual light of the runes morphed into sinister black flas that blazed upon the chain! Every crackling spark was a Talisman that assailed yin souls and baleful qi!
The black flas rose and flickered quietly at the bottom of the sea, completely unaffected by the water. These flas were rely the external manifestation of a Divine Soul Spell; their essence was not fire at all.
Fang Qingyuan had carefully considered his decision to use a Divine Soul Curse Technique to attack these Hippocampi. Hundreds of ters underwater, the power of the other four of the Five Elents Daoist Skills would be severely diminished upon being cast.
A Nine-Radiance-level Daoist Technique might only end up being slightly more powerful than a High-level Daoist Technique, which was nowhere near enough to handle this school of Hippocampi, each comparable to the Foundation Establishnt Stage.
As for Water Elent Daoist Skills, the Hippocampi possessed astonishingly high resistance. Over the past two years, Fang Qingyuan had seen this school fight its enemies more than once; High-level Water Daoist Skills barely seed to scratch them.
Given the circumstances, only a Soul Curse could deliver a clean, fatal blow. Otherwise, if he scared them off, this school of Hippocampi wouldn’t dare return to the area for at least a decade.
Once the chain took form, Fang Qingyuan held one end while the other extended endlessly, crossing several hundred ters in the blink of an eye to silently ensnare the school of Hippocampi.
The Hippo Leader finally sensed the danger. It let out a sharp cry of warning, and in an instant, the dozen or so other Hippocampi scattered in all directions.
The Hippo Leader, however, charged straight for Fang Qingyuan. As it surged forward, a thousand Ice Spikes coalesced from the surrounding seawater and shot toward him.
The Hippo Leader’s counter was sound, yet Fang Qingyuan had anticipated every move.
But the Black Fla Chain multiplied in an instant—one beca two, two beca four, and four beca thousands. In less than a breath, it had ford a colossal net of Black Fla Chains that enveloped a three-hundred-and-eighty-zhang radius.
This area corresponded exactly to the range of Fang Qingyuan’s True Knowledge Circle. Within this domain centered on him, the massive net of Black Fla Chains swept through everything.
Despite the rapid drain on his spiritual consciousness, Fang Qingyuan’s expression remained unchanged. His Soul Power was profound; even with the Black Fla Chain at full strength, he could maintain it for over a quarter of an hour.
He paid no mind to the Thousandfold Ice Spike technique unleashed by the Hippo Leader.
As the Ice Spikes closed in, a spectral form with the head of a turtle and the tail of a snake leaped out before Fang Qingyuan. In a flash, it transford into a colossal Ice White Jade Turtle, shielding him from the attack.
The Ice Spikes could pierce steel, yet they couldn’t penetrate the Ice White Jade Turtle’s carapace. They rely got stuck on its back, with not a single one managing to get near Fang Qingyuan.
The Water Spirit Xuanwu was even more effective here at the bottom of the sea.
Seeing its thousand-odd Ice Spikes blocked, the Hippo Leader knew Fang Qingyuan was not soone to be trifled with. It instantly altered its charge, veering off in another direction to make a swift escape.
But it was too late. The Black Fla Chain spread faster than its senses could even register.
The Hippo Leader suddenly felt its body grow heavy. Looking back, it saw that a Black Fla Chain had pierced through its torso, lodging itself firmly within.
The chain struck its body, yet not a single drop of blood was shed. As the Black Fla flared, innurable Soul Path Curses resounded in unison. The next mont, the Hippo Leader’s mind felt as if it had been struck by a Siege Hamr. It was instantly disoriented, unable to process anything, and its last glimpse was of its kinsfolk eting the sa fate.
....
Fang Qingyuan retracted the Black Fla Chain. All thirteen Hippocampi had been caught in one fell swoop, each one impaled by a chain.
Of the thirteen, only five were at the Foundation Establishnt level. The Hippo Leader was equivalent to the Mid-stage Foundation Establishnt, while the other four were only at the Early-stage.
The remaining Hippocampi were only in the Qi Refining Realm, and a few were still immature juveniles.
This school of Hippocampi wasn’t weak, but much like a herd of cattle on the savanna, their first instinct when encountering a predator was to flee; they lacked the courage to stand and fight.
That would only change once their intelligence reached a higher level and they developed a sense of teamwork.
The few Qi Refining juveniles had been knocked unconscious by the Black Fla Chain. Fang Qingyuan considered for a mont, then pulled the chains from their bodies and released them into the distance.
’I can’t just wipe them all out with a No-Return Net,’ he thought. ’These few Qi Refining juveniles are no use to anyway. I’ll just release them back into the sea and let them grow up.’
The Black Fla Chain had left a special imprint on the divine souls of the young Hippocampi, which ant he would be able to sense them if they ever ca too close in the future.
The released juveniles panicked and fled in the blink of an eye.
Without the protection of their elders, there was no telling how many of the young would survive. Still, Fang Qingyuan felt it would be worth it if even one managed to reach the Foundation Establishnt Stage. Maintaining biodiversity was, after all, a core value of the Beast Taming Sect.
After letting the young Hippocampi go, Fang Qingyuan surveyed his catch with a smile. With a flick of the chain, he drew the remaining Hippocampi into his Ten Thousand Beasts Qiankun Banner.
After confirming nothing had been missed, Fang Qingyuan and Yinbao broke the surface of the water and set a course for Iron Wind Island.
...
Along the way, Fang Qingyuan began to take stock of his spoils. The Hippocampi weren’t particularly large beasts, but each one was far more valuable than the Cyan Stone Bone Fish he had hunted before.
The Hippocampus Bone, the creature’s spine, was its most essential and valuable part. Once properly processed, it was considered a Tier-2 mid-grade Water Attribute Spiritual Material. A single one could fetch seventeen to eighteen Top-grade Spirit Stones on the market.
User Comments
0 comments from readers