Asura Emperor Venerable

Chapter 123: Chapter 123 Battle in the Lake

Shi Hao strode forward. This time, he neither found any Spiritual Medicine nor encountered any conflicts. By the morning of the next day, he had finally reached the lake.

He was not the first; there were already quite a few people there.

Figures like Liu Shixuan, Chang Tianyu, Ma Youfu, and others were present. Shi Hao had to admit that in terms of raw strength, he was still no match for these veteran geniuses.

After all, they were either at the third or fourth stage of Soul Nurturing; the gap was just too great.

Looking at the Breaking the Extreme realm for example, how vast is the gap from a Primary Level martial disciple to a high-level Martial Sect? This applies to the Soul Nurturing realm as well.

Being able to defeat an opponent at the Peak of the first step with cultivation at the Primary Level is already considered genius, and only an exceptional genius like Liu Shixuan could fight across a minor realm and challenge those beyond his level.

But even among geniuses, there are different degrees.

It was said that at the Primary Level of first-step Soul Nurturing, Liu Shixuan was capable of defeating opponents in the middle phase of the second step. However, other exceptional geniuses like Chang Tianyu and Ma Youfu, at the same realm level, could only defeat those at the Primary Level of the second step.

As for whether Liu Shixuan had any strength hidden, that remained unknown.

If it came to a direct confrontation now, Shi Hao would definitely not be able to defeat the likes of Liu Shixuan, but in a no-holds-barred, life-or-death battle, Shi Hao felt he still had a fighting chance.

He withdrew his gaze and looked towards the lake.

The color of the lake was peculiar, dark as ink, and even half a foot below the surface was unclear.

No wonder nobody reacted. Diving in like this, one wouldn’t know how to find that passageway.

So, everyone was waiting.

Without sect elders present, the Four Great Geniuses like Liu Shixuan all showed their most natural selves.

It was clearly visible that Liu Shixuan was haughty, with only Han Xuan by his side, while Chang Tianyu was domineering, constantly scanning around with his eyes as if always looking for someone to fight.

Ma Youfu exuded an overwhelming chill, even the people from his own sect tried to stay away from him, as if fearing he might suddenly harbor a killing intent.

Only Zong Hehua was most pleasant, surrounded by people from his sect, with all eyes on him filled with adoration.

But if you asked Shi Hao, he would say that Zong Hehua was the most dangerous.

Occasionally, Zong Hehua would reveal a sinister look. Although it was fleeting, Shi Hao caught it.

He made a firm judgment in his heart, this man was a hypocrite.

A hypocrite is much more harmful than a true scoundrel.

However, that was none of his business.

Shi Hao sat cross-legged to the side, his eyes on his nose, his nose on his heart, as still as an old monk in meditation.

If he could get his hands on more Blue Leaf Cleansing Fruits or similar treasures, his power would soon surge to the Peak of Breaking the Extreme, qualifying him for the impact of Soul Nurturing.

He was quite hopeful.

Among the crowd, Tang Yu was also observing Shi Hao.

He was acting on orders to capture Shi Hao and force out the secrets he carried. Naturally, Tang Yu also knew that Shi Hao might possess an astonishing Secret Treasure.

He only stepped into Soul Nurturing at the age of twenty-five and was now thirty-six years old. Despite being older than Liu Shixuan, he was still only at the third stage of Soul Nurturing.

He refused to admit that it was because his talent was inferior, but rather because Liu Shixuan had received personal guidance from the Sect Master and had more Cultivation Resources inclined towards him.

Therefore, he was also full of hope for this mission. If he could capture Shi Hao, perhaps he would become stronger than Liu Shixuan in the future.

After waiting for a day, the lake water suddenly changed. A whirlpool appeared in the center of the lake, which spun faster and faster until the lake bottom was revealed, clearly visible as paved with green stone bricks, with a passageway in the center.

Correspondingly, the color of the lake water was no longer so deep, and visibility was greatly improved.

No one dared jump directly into the center of the whirlpool.

Because the lake was too deep, jumping directly in would mean smashing oneself to death.

“Go!”

The crowd all jumped into the lake, diving down rapidly.

At this moment, it was as if the Eight Immortals were crossing the sea, each displaying their divine skills.

Shi Hao also leaped into the lake. After diving a few fathoms, he felt the formidable water pressure assail, but for his incredible physique, this was merely a trifle and failed to pose any threat whatsoever.

He sensed the elements in the environment, finding it filled with Water Element, while other elements were pitifully scarce.

Thus, in this place, those with the Water Attribute would have a significant advantage, both in stealth and in combat.

Huh!

The current was strong, and with nothing to leverage in the water, Shi Hao was immediately swept away by the flow.

This made it very difficult. On one hand, the water pressure was astounding, and on the other hand, he had to fight against the swirling currents. Thus, diving to the bottom or swimming towards the center of the lake became an immensely challenging task.

In the water, each person was involuntarily pushed by the rapid flow in a counterclockwise rotation, meanwhile getting closer to a whirlpool. If caught in the edge, one would be forcibly ejected and thrown onto the lakebed.

In that case, one wouldn’t die but would be crippled.

Everyone was figuring out ways to counter the raging torrents, some went with the flow, while others went against it, causing varying speeds in their movements amidst the rushing waters.

Shi Hao held his breath. As his cultivation increased, his ability to hold his breath had improved significantly. A stick of incense’s time was no problem, but that was under non-combative conditions.

Once he entered combat, the intense expenditure would drastically reduce the duration he could hold his breath.

He chose to go with the flow, simply striving to dive deeper while fighting against the force pulling him into the vortex.

However, there were many variations in the lake’s currents, which made Shi Hao’s speed fluctuate between fast and slow.

Whoosh, a dark shadow swiftly collided from behind.

Soon, the person’s face became clear, a grim, ferocious smile as if a hunter had spotted its prey.

In his hand was a sword, emitting a cold and fierce light as it stabbed swiftly towards Shi Hao.

With the current aiding it, the strike’s power was even greater.

Shi Hao was taken aback, “Unprovoked, why do you seek to kill me?”

But when he saw the excited expression on the assailant’s face, he knew this was a bloodthirsty madman.

He turned around, allowing the rapid current to propel him, facing the man behind him.

Sensing this, Ma Youlin didn’t feel the slightest embarrassment at being discovered; instead, his sinister grin became even more chilling as he forcefully stepped on the water to accelerate towards Shi Hao.

Closer, closer, and closer!

Whoosh, the long sword slashed over, surprisingly wrapped in a layer of ice.

He possessed the Ice Attribute, engaging in battle here undoubtedly boosted his strength somewhat.

Shi Hao sneered coldly, retaliating with a punch.

The Dark Force was released in the water, manifesting as a fist as big as a human head, hurling towards Ma Youlin.

This greatly startled Ma Youlin, who hadn’t expected Shi Hao to be capable of launching such an attack.

Not knowing that this was an external release of power, he instinctively dodged before trying to block with his hand.

Bang!

Combat in the water significantly reduced agility; Ma Youlin couldn’t completely avoid the punch, but he managed to position his palms in time to block it.

He instantly showed a pained expression, as he had not anticipated Shi Hao’s move and, caught off-guard, couldn’t gather enough strength, suffering a disadvantage.

Interesting!

He pointed his sword at Shi Hao, his eyes gradually reddening.