Whoosh—!
Under the dense moonlight,
The black light thrown by Ye Tian swept across the lake's surface.
Its specially treated shell,
even in this moonlit environment, reflected not the slightest gleam.
Apart from some negligible sparks,
it looked entirely like an ordinary, round stone.
With such an appearance,
even though the Moonlit Water Fairy possessed intelligence far surpassing other Spirit Beasts of its level,
it ultimately remained among the ranks of beasts.
Facing a slightly rounder stone, while still disguised as the Dark Armor Turtle,
it made no defensive movements.
Bi Bi Dong saw it clearly.
Ye Tian's Palm Thunder couldn't actually touch the Moonlit Water Fairy at all—this was likely the main reason it didn't take action.
But even so,
Bi Bi Dong had no doubt about the novelty of the Palm Thunder.
Probably even high-level Soul Masters, when facing this iron sphere, would mostly be unable to avoid hitting it head-on.
With the advantage of information disparity,
Ye Tian could completely achieve victory through surprise attacks.
In other words,
his Fire Tipped Spear and Palm Thunder might indeed be capable of killing a Soul Saint.
Under Bi Bi Dong's watchful gaze,
the pitch-black Palm Thunder swept past the ten-thousand-year Dark Armor Turtle's eyes.
At that very moment...
a blinding flash of fire erupted.
Boom—!
In an instant,
a thunderclap like lightning tearing through the heavens suddenly exploded.
A fiery red cloud bloomed to its extreme!
Covering the center of the lake, shrapnel filled with the smell of gunpowder rained down on the water's surface.
Dozens of iron fragments—
one side black, one side silver-white—glinted coldly under the moonlight.
They shot out in all directions,
flying over ten meters into the air and penetrating several meters underwater!
In the terrifying shockwave generated by the explosion, the seemingly solid ten-thousand-year Dark Armor Turtle rapidly distorted and instantly collapsed!
Transforming into faint moonlight that dissipated into nothingness.
Revealing, behind where the Dark Armor Turtle had been, the gold-and-silver lotus throne several meters away...
Thump, thump, thump!
Before the Moonlit Water Fairy could react,
the shooting iron fragments had already pierced through its green leaves and petals.
Several splashes of juice carrying Medicinal Aroma scattered across the lake surface.
"Gurgle—!"
Beneath the gold-and-silver lotus throne, tentacles stirred, causing water to surge up,
emitting a sound resembling weeping.
Facing this sudden attack,
the Moonlit Water Fairy didn't rage and rampage like other Spirit Beasts would.
Instead, it continued to adhere to its survival tactics—
having no intention to fight.
As the lotus throne rapidly sank, the petals simultaneously began to close.
Lotus leaves pressed against the outside of the petals...
The dozen or so tentacles underwater also stood upright one after another,
pressing against the outside of the lotus leaves.
While reinforcing its defense, it accelerated the closing of the petals.
At this moment, the stamens released moonlight, beginning to weave illusions again.
This sequence seemed to have been practiced countless times.
"Trying to run! That won't do..."
Ye Tian understood
that if the Moonlit Water Fairy's petals closed completely, it would form the most streamlined shape for diving, and its escape speed would undoubtedly be extremely fast.
Without needing any thought,
three pitch-black Palm Thunders appeared in Ye Tian's hands one after another, thrown in sequence toward the Moonlit Water Fairy's location.
Two of them headed straight for the nearly two-meter-wide lotus throne...
Smack—!
The Moonlit Water Fairy was now on guard, extending its tentacles that cracked through the air like whips, attempting to swat away the black sphere.
But how could Ye Tian let it succeed?
He had long since mastered the precise timing of the Palm Thunder's detonation.
Boom—!
Just as the Moonlit Water Fairy's tentacle was about to strike the black iron sphere, the Palm Thunder erupted violently.
With overwhelming force, it tore through the newly formed illusion, shattered the tentacle, and sent the Moonlit Water Fairy drifting backward across the lake's surface.
Shrapnel shot out in all directions.
After several dull thuds, more splashes of sap sprayed across the water, and even lotus petals broke loose, floating on the lake now tainted by the foul smoke of gunpowder.
Gurgle—!
The lake water surged, emitting a sound like weeping.
But the other two Palm Thunders showed no mercy—they arrived in quick succession.
Over a dozen tentacles lashed out together, trying to intercept the explosives. Yet, under the deafening roar, like World-Descending Divine Thunder, their only fate was to shatter inch by inch.
The Moonlit Water Lotus could no longer maintain its ethereal grace; it was now battered and broken.
Gurgle—!
The lake surged once more.
This time, however, it wasn't the sound of the lotus platform compressing the water—it was Ye Tian's third Palm Thunder, thrown directly beneath the lotus platform, right at the point where it met the lake's surface.
Boom—!
The explosion echoed, crimson clouds churning up waves.
The once mirror-smooth lake surface collapsed under the Palm Thunder's blast, and the floating lotus platform was flung upward by the tremendous force, flipping several meters above the water.
Half of its form had already been torn away.
Click!
On the tree trunk, Ye Tian had, at some point, lain back down.
He pulled the bolt, loading a fresh round into the chamber.
Just as he was about to fire, Bi Bi Dong quickly warned, "Don't hit the flower's center!"
"Understood."
Ye Tian replied calmly.
Bang—!
A gunshot once again shattered the nighttime tranquility of Star Dou Great Forest.
A silver-white bullet, wreathed in flames, shot out like a meteor, tracing a straight, slender line through the space beneath the lotus platform.
Thump—!
The Moonlit Water Fairy's main root was cleanly severed by that fiery trajectory.
A flicker of surprise passed through Bi Bi Dong's eyes.
She had rarely seen Ye Tian use his Fire Tipped Spear, yet he could already shoot so swiftly and accurately.
It seemed Ye Tian had been wary of her all along—otherwise, why would he conceal even something as minor as his marksmanship practice?
"Haha… Perfect! A one-shot soul strike!"
Ye Tian laughed heartily, rising to his feet while holding his Fire Tipped Spear.
This was his first time using both the Fire Tipped Spear and Palm Thunder in a Soul Hunt, and the results far exceeded his expectations.
This weapon set was perfectly suited for dealing with Spirit Beasts.
Although Spirit Beasts possessed greater physical strength than human Soul Masters, their bodies were also much larger.
At the same distance, they were practically living targets!
Moreover, their intelligence was low—they might try to defend against the Fire Tipped Spear's bullets, but when faced with a manually thrown Palm Thunder, most would foolishly stand still…
Taking the full, devastating impact head-on.
Splash—!
The Moonlit Water Fairy tumbled through the air two and a half times before finally landing upside-down on the lake's surface, floating silently, devoid of life.
The silvery glow on its leaves and petals gradually faded…
A violet light seeped from the body of the Moonlit Water Lotus, then rose upward, transforming into a purple Thousand-Year Spirit Ring shimmering with silver radiance.
"Alright, prepare to absorb it now."
Bi Bi Dong set aside those thoughts and quickly instructed before raising her hand to shoot out a strand of viscous yet resilient spider silk.
She dragged the Moonlit Water Fairy along with its Spirit Ring toward the shore.
Whoosh—!
Under the dense moonlight, the dark projectile Ye Tian threw streaked across the sky above the lake…
Its shell had been specially treated. Even in this moon-drenched environment, it didn't reflect the slightest bit of light. Aside from a few insignificant sparks, it looked completely like an ordinary, round stone.
With such an appearance… even if a spirit beast like the Moonlit Water Fairy possessed intelligence far surpassing others of its level, it was still, in the end, just an animal. Faced with a slightly rounder stone, it remained in its Dark Armor Turtle guise, making no defensive moves whatsoever.
Bibi Dong saw it all clearly. Ye Tian's Palm Thunder couldn't actually touch the Moonlit Water Fairy in the slightest… this was likely the biggest reason it didn't act.
But even so, Bibi Dong had no doubt about the novelty of the Palm Thunder. She feared that even high-level Spirit Masters, when faced with this iron ball, would mostly be unable to avoid taking it head-on.
With the existence of an information gap… Ye Tian could absolutely achieve victory through surprise. In other words, his Fire Tip Spear and Palm Thunder might not necessarily be incapable of killing a Spirit Sage.
Under Bibi Dong's watchful gaze, the pitch-black Palm Thunder streaked past the Ten-Thousand-Year Dark Armor Turtle's eyes.
And in that instant… a blinding flash of fire erupted.
BOOM—!
In a flash, a thunderous roar, like lightning tearing through the sky, suddenly exploded. A fiery red cloud bloomed to its fullest, shrouding the center of the lake as shrapnel filled with the smoke of gunpowder rained down onto the water's surface.
Dozens of iron fragments, one side dark and the other silvery-white, glinted coldly under the moonlight as they shot out in all directions, flying dozens of meters into the air and piercing several meters into the water below!
In the terrifying shockwave generated by the explosion, the seemingly solid Ten-Thousand-Year Dark Armor Turtle rapidly distorted and instantly collapsed, dissipating into faint moonlight and vanishing without a trace.
It revealed the silver-and-gold lotus platform several meters behind the Dark Armor Turtle…
Pfft pfft pfft!
Before the Moonlit Water Fairy could even react, the incoming iron fragments had already pierced through its green leaves and flower petals. A few sprays of medicinal-scented juice splattered onto the lake's surface…
"Goo—!"
Beneath the silver-and-gold lotus platform, tentacles churned, stirring up splashes of water as it let out a sound like a sob.
Faced with the sudden attack, the Moonlit Water Fairy did not fly into a rage or go berserk like other spirit beasts. Instead, it continued to adhere to its philosophy of survival… it had no intention of fighting.
As the lotus platform rapidly sank, its petals began to close in unison. The lotus leaves pressed against the outside of the petals, and the dozens of tentacles underwater also rose up, clinging to the outside of the leaves. While reinforcing its defense, they also accelerated the closing of the petals. At the same time, the pistil began to spray out moonlight, once again starting to weave an illusion. This entire sequence was like it had been rehearsed countless times.
"Still trying to run! Not a chance…"
Ye Tian understood that if he let the Moonlit Water Fairy's petals close completely, it would transform into a cone shape, perfect for diving. Its escape speed would undoubtedly be incredibly fast.
Without a moment's thought, three pitch-black Palm Thunders appeared in Ye Tian's hand, and he threw them one by one toward the Moonlit Water Fairy's position.
Two of them shot toward the nearly two-meter-wide lotus platform…
CRACK—!
Now on guard, the Moonlit Water Fairy extended a tentacle, whipping it through the air with a crack, intending to swat the black ball away.
But how could Ye Tian let it succeed? He had long since figured out the Palm Thunder's detonation time…
BOOM—!
Just as the Moonlit Water Fairy's tentacle was about to make contact with the black iron ball, the Palm Thunder violently exploded. With unstoppable force, it tore apart the new illusion and blew the tentacle to pieces, even causing the Moonlit Water Fairy to drift backward on the lake's surface.
Shrapnel flew. After a few muffled thuds, a few more sprays of juice splattered onto the lake, and even some lotus petals broke off, floating on the water, stained by the filthy gunpowder smoke.
"Goo—!"
The lake water surged as the creature cried out.
The other two Palm Thunders showed no mercy, arriving one after the other. Dozens of tentacles struck out in unison, trying to intercept the Palm Thunders, but amidst the roar that was like World-Descending Divine Thunder, their only fate was to be shattered inch by inch.
The Moonlit Water Fairy could no longer maintain its ethereal posture and was now tattered and torn.
Goo—!
The lake water surged once more. But this time, it wasn't the sound of the lotus platform displacing water, but the third Palm Thunder Ye Tian had thrown… it landed directly beneath the lotus platform, right where it met the water's surface.
BOOM—!
The explosion rang out, and a red cloud rolled up the waves. The lake surface, as smooth as a mirror, caved in under the Palm Thunder's blast.
And the lotus platform floating on the water was directly flipped into the air by the powerful impact, tumbling several meters above the lake, already missing half of its body.
"Click-clack!"
On the tree branch, Ye Tian had, at some point, lain prone again. He pulled the bolt, chambering a round.
Seeing that Ye Tian was about to fire, Bibi Dong quickly reminded him, "Don't shoot the pistil!"
"Understood," Ye Tian replied calmly.
BANG—!
A gunshot once again shattered the tranquility of the Star Dou Great Forest's night. A silvery-white bullet was wreathed in flames. Like a meteor, it drew a long, straight line, piercing through the underside of the lotus platform.
Pfft—!
The Moonlit Water Fairy's main rhizome was severed by that red line.
A strange light flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes. She had never seen Ye Tian practice with his long spear, yet he could already shoot so fast and so accurately. It seemed Ye Tian had been wary of her from the very beginning. Otherwise, he wouldn't have hidden even something as minor as practicing his marksmanship from her!
"Haha… Excellent, a soul-piercing shot!"
Ye Tian laughed heartily, standing up with the Fire Tip Spear in his hands. This was his first time using the Fire Tip Spear and Palm Thunder in a spirit hunt, and the effect was far more powerful than he had imagined. This set of weapons was very suitable for dealing with spirit beasts.
Although the physical strength of spirit beasts was greater than that of human Spirit Masters, their bodies were correspondingly much larger. At the same distance, a spirit beast was practically a living target! Moreover, their intelligence was low. They might actively defend against the Fire Tip Spear's bullets, but when faced with a hand-thrown Palm Thunder, the vast majority would probably just stand there foolishly and take the full brunt of it.
Plop—!
The Moonlit Water Fairy tumbled two and a half times in the air before finally landing upside down on the lake's surface, floating quietly. It was already devoid of life. The silver glow on its lotus leaves and petals gradually faded.
A streak of purple light seeped from the Moonlit Water Fairy's body, then rose into the air, transforming into a purple, thousand-year spirit ring tinged with a silver sheen!
"Alright, get ready to absorb it immediately…"
Bibi Dong pushed aside her thoughts, gave a quick instruction, and raised her hand, shooting out a strand of sticky and tough spider silk. She began to drag the Moonlit Water Fairy, along with its spirit ring, toward the shore.
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