The Redleaf Fish swarmed with terrifying ferocity, their razor-sharp teeth gnawing away at the dying Electromoray. The sickening crunch of flesh and scale made the hairs on Jian Dan's nape stand on end. Without hesitation, she formed a quick seal and traced a circle around herself—summoning a ring of fire. This wasn't ordinary flame; hidden within was the nearly invisible wisp of Verdant Flame.
Any fish that touched the flames ignited instantly. Seizing the moment, Jian Dan pushed off the last scrap of the eel's vanishing skull and leapt onto Jiang Lei's flying artifact, reuniting with Wei Qing and Wei Zi aboard the ship.
The six of them wasted no time fleeing the area—but the Redleaf Fish, now fixated on them, pursued relentlessly.
To avoid being overwhelmed, Chen Liang took the helm while the other five positioned themselves around the deck, bombarding the fish with fireballs, water arrows, and a barrage of spells. Yet the swarm refused to relent.
Seeing his comrades' paling faces, Chen Shan gritted his teeth and pulled out a first-grade talisman from his storage pouch. Channeling his spiritual energy, he hurled it into the heart of the pursuing swarm.
The "Blazing Sky Inferno" talisman hit the water like oil meeting flame, igniting the sea in a roaring conflagration. Forced to scatter and survive, the Redleaf Fish finally broke off their chase.
"Go!"
At his signal, Chen Liang pushed the vessel into a final burst of speed, skimming above the seafoam until they reached a small, isolated island less than a li across. Only then did the swarm fall behind.
They didn't venture far from the shore. Everyone sank cross-legged onto the sand, desperately drawing in spiritual energy to restore what they had lost.
Suddenly—thump, thump, thump!
A row of earthen spikes burst up from the ground beneath them. They scattered instinctively, barely regaining their balance before another volley—this time, water blades—sliced through the air toward them.
Chen Shan, having conserved the most energy, quickly formed hand seals and erected a protective barrier to shield the group—everyone, that is, except Jian Dan.
Despite the earlier numbness from the eel's shock, her tempered physique and Primordial Chaos Art had already restored her mobility. Sensing the ambush before it struck, she'd activated her Golden Bell Shield, emerging unscathed.
Playing the overlooked weakling, she quietly stowed her artifact and lingered at the group's rear.
"Chu Meng! What's the meaning of this? Attacking us from the shadows?"
"Hahaha! Look at you, Chen Shan—survived the fish only to deliver yourself to me!" Chu Meng, leader of the Tyrant Sky squad, smirked. "Hand over your storage pouches, or this won't end well."
It was a grudge match. Chu Meng's five-man team had tailed them, waiting to claim the spoils of their hunt.
Chu Meng's squad had only five members, but with Chu Meng himself at mid-Foundation Stage, he was clearly the strongest. One of his men, dressed in scholar's robes, tossed out a handful of talismans in a scattershot barrage—like flower petals caught in a storm—aimed squarely at Chen Shan's group.
Wei Qing and Wei Zi combined their powers into a shield, Jiang Lei backflipped away on sword energy, and Chen Shan dodged effortlessly—but Chen Liang, too slow, took the blast head-on. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he collapsed.
"A-Liang!" Chen Shan roared, lunging at Chu Meng with his sword.
Chaos erupted. A hammer-wielding brute from Chu Meng team stomped toward Chen Liang's prone form and—crunch—ended him without hesitation.
Jian Dan flinched despite the protection of her shield. The scene was gruesome beyond words. Even Brother Parrot, who was huddled against her chest, covered its eyes with a wing and whimpered:
"Xiao Zhuzi… the outside world is terrifying…"
It paused, peeking through the feathers.
"Oh no, oh no—Xiao Zhuzi, he's charging straight at you!"
The hammer-man charged, slamming into her shield with earth-shaking force—Boom! Boom! Boom!—but the golden barrier held firm.
Nearby, Chu Meng exploited Chen Shan's momentary grief, cutting him down with a brutal strike. Leaderless, the remaining survivors scrambled to flee—but the Tyrant Sky squad, ruthless and prepared, hunted them to the last.
Until only Jian Dan remained, encircled by five sneering victors.