Chapter Fifty-Three: Breaking the Deadlock

At this moment, Chen Qi could not spare a thought for the world outside. The prompt from the Sprout Space proved it all the more:

[You are affected by the pseudo-divine power 'Earthquake Strike' from the Purple-Scaled Pangolin King: Speed -80%, temporarily subjected to 1.5 times gravity.]
[You are affected by the pseudo-divine power 'Earthquake Strike' from the Purple-Scaled Pangolin King and will undergo a check.]
[Current constitution greater than 15, less than 20: Every 5 seconds, you have a 60% chance of being stunned for 3 seconds and suffer 40 points of damage.]

The barrage of alerts laid bare Chen Qi's predicament.

He held his breath, fighting to keep lake water from flooding his windpipe, struggling desperately like a small fish bound to a stone.

His mind was blank, but his senses were sharpened to an unnatural degree.

The agony of every bone in his chest being crushed!
The suffocating heat of the lake water engulfing his mouth and nose!
The dizzying assault on his mind from a strange force!

Each sensation battered his consciousness, threatening to drag him into darkness, to sink him into eternal sleep.

His oxygen-starved brain sent a wave of fatigue to every cell, so overwhelming it momentarily dulled the pain.

But this was no blessing—if he closed his eyes for even a few seconds of rest, it would all be over, and so would he.

Suddenly, Chen Qi felt his heart give a violent jolt, his blood surging throughout his body. That surge of vitality triggered his nerves, snapping him back to a measure of clarity and icy awareness.

At this critical moment, his countless brushes with death and the body honed through rigorous training granted him a sliver of hope.

He did not know when the next wave of dizziness would strike, but he understood he had no time to hesitate. Tilting his body slightly, he began to lash his joints rapidly against the muddy lakebed.

He used the pain from each blow as a stimulant, making himself ever more alert, channeling his blood and striking faster, his movements beginning to blur.

After dozens of fierce elbow strikes, the recoil finally pushed his body sideways, letting him drift with the current.

Before he could rejoice, another wave of dizziness began to brew within his mind.

Seizing the last moment before the stun overtook him, Chen Qi summoned all his strength, kicked hard with his left foot, and managed to thrust his head above water, gulping in a breath.

He had barely taken in half that breath when the world spun again...

---

"Boom!"

The pangolin, burrowing beneath the earth, suddenly broke through the surface, leaping out of the water. Before it lay the stone platform filled with Phoenix Blood Draconite.

Without a moment's hesitation, it darted onto the platform, dropped to all fours, and bowed its head.

Its speed now far surpassed what anyone had seen before; the purple silhouette blurred, exploding into unprecedented velocity, no trace left of its former sluggishness.

From tunneling underground to leaping atop the platform, all these actions occurred in barely five or six breaths. Meanwhile, those nearby who were distracted still had their eyes fixed on Chen Qi's position, where dust and smoke billowed, the battle raging fiercely.

Knowing every second was fraught with peril, the pangolin had no time to admire the ruby-red liquid before it; instead, it lowered its head and gulped down a mouthful.

With that single gulp, the liquid level dropped by nearly a third. A torrent of Phoenix Blood Draconite poured into the pangolin, suffusing its body with a red glow, hinting at some evolutionary transformation in its constitution.

The pangolin's face was one of pure enjoyment—it had clearly reaped enormous benefits. Yet it coveted none of the remaining liquid; instead, it decisively retreated, burrowing back into the lakebed and vanishing from sight.

This was the last time anyone would see the pangolin here!

Only now did the other beasts begin to roar. The most furious was the robust centipede, which thrashed in the lake, its chest's demonic face charging up power once again, heedless of the cost, its rage boundless.

As the strongest beast in the area, it had always considered the Phoenix Blood Draconite its own, the key to further advancement. Losing a third of it was like having flesh torn from its bones, its organs vomiting blood!

"Splosh!"

Another splash—beside the stone platform, a massive red fish leapt out. Its body was fan-shaped, wrapped in a thick layer of fat.

No one knew when one of the three-headed fish monsters had slipped away, but seeing the pangolin seize such a treasure, it too was eager to take a risk.

The centipede, still searching for the pangolin, suddenly fixed its gaze on the fish. The deep black energy it had long been storing shot forth, aimed directly at the fish monster.

It clearly would not allow any further loss of the Phoenix Blood Draconite. In its anger, it no longer cared about prioritizing the humans.

Sensing an opportunity, the lead senior sister stepped back half a pace, fingers twisting as a jade-green glow targeted the fish monster.

Rather than suppressing the giant centipede, reducing the beasts' numbers took precedence—especially since the tall outer disciple could barely hold on.

The fish monster had just landed on the platform, excitement still bright in its eyes, when the black light pierced its chest. Its scales were as thin as paper, offering no resistance; fish blood stained the boiling water beside the stone platform.

Several beams of jade light followed, punching bloody holes in its bloated body.

Already gravely wounded, the fish monster suffered another heavy blow, its vitality slowly ebbing away. Its massive form collapsed onto the platform, head drooping just inches from the coveted Phoenix Blood Draconite.

In its final moments, the fish monster’s protruding, glassy eyes flashed with bewilderment. Its simple mind could not fathom how it had suffered two deadly attacks in an instant, each one fatal.

---

Sensing the death of their comrade and glancing at the weak corpses of their kin floating on the water, the two fish monsters still engaged with the inner disciples felt a wave of sorrow.

Their crimson eyes gradually grew calm. They exchanged a look, ignoring the humans, and finally made a decision.

In a sudden motion, they dove beneath the surface, disregarding the astonished faces across from them.

"Chase them—don’t let them ruin things at a critical moment!"

The handsome man with sword-like brows glanced at the round-faced woman, decisively speaking as he darted after the splashing water.

The round-faced woman hesitated briefly, lagged half a beat, then vanished in a cloud of mist, following behind.

Thus, two humans and two fish monsters waged a chase through the lake, splashing water everywhere. But their similar strength meant there was no immediate outcome.

The vast underground lake clearly held secrets. The two fish monsters suddenly accelerated, their speed in water astonishing as they reached a section of rocky wall.

Ignoring the humans behind them, the fish monsters slipped through a gap in the stone, not even looking back. Judging by their familiarity, this was surely their own domain.

The two inner disciples exchanged a glance but did not pursue further. From afar, they saw the tall outer disciple pale-faced, hands trembling uncontrollably, barely able to grip his Purple Mist Sword as he rushed for aid...

Meanwhile, Chen Qi, having left the center of the earthen-yellow rune, endured a second bout of dizziness in the scorching lake water, gradually regaining consciousness. Seeing the rune’s power waning, he was overjoyed and pushed himself outward.

One step, two steps, three steps—feeling his body lighten, with no fresh wave of dizziness following, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed into the water.

After taking several deep breaths, he turned his attention to the battlefield:

The giant centipede was still locked in fierce combat with the lead senior sister, but its black-red aura had faded, its presence no longer as overwhelming—it was now on the defensive, crying out as her finger beams struck home.

The smaller centipede was beset by three attackers, two men and a woman, their feet aligned in a trifold formation. Each strike drew blood, victory seemingly assured within dozens of moves.

Sun Ruohai supported the Ao-named disciple who had fallen into the lake, appearing to stimulate the medicine within him—it looked as though he might be saved.

Clearly, the outcome was decided; Chen Qi's side had victory in hand.

Glancing at the mission bar, Chen Qi suddenly understood what he ought to do next.