At Ease

Will they win?

Night.

Heavy rain came pouring down from the sky.

Inside the village,

Han Qinhu led the team on patrol around the area. Behind him followed his son, Han Dayong, clad like an iron can, silent and wordless.

His gaze rested on the wind and rain sweeping down from the heavens, and on the black, oppressive sky.

His heart was full of worry.

Han Qinhu could not help but worry.

Based on what his grandson Shen Changchuan had deduced during the last attempted ambush, that Crocodile Demon was at least at the Qi Gathering Fifth Level.

And Shen Changchuan was only at the Qi Gathering Third Level.

The previous ambush had not inflicted much damage on it.

This time,

though they would be fighting on land,

could they win?

Han Qinhu

did not know either.

He could only do everything within his power as well as he could.

After leading the team on a patrol through all of Great Bay Village and finding nothing unusual,

Han Qinhu felt slightly reassured. He let out a faint breath, thinking that tonight would remain peaceful after all.

However,

at that very moment,

a figure raced through the rainy night like a bat, speeding low through the air toward them.

Han Qinhu's heart tightened.

Sure enough—

"Master Han, it's here! That monster has appeared!"

The newcomer panted as he spoke in a low voice.

He was one of the people Han Qinhu had stationed on high ground to keep watch over the riverbank.

Han Qinhu's expression darkened.

"Quick, notify Changchuan! Everyone else, prepare according to the plan!"

At Han Qinhu's command,

the people hidden throughout the area immediately began moving according to the plan they had prepared beforehand.

Each group swiftly took up its assigned position according to the rehearsed plan.

They prepared to begin the ambush.

However,

before they could finish preparing,

the Crocodile Demon arrived first!

That beast was too fast. From the moment the lookout spotted it to the moment it climbed to the outskirts of Great Bay Village, only a dozen or twenty breaths had passed!

Bang!!!

A water arrow as thick as a bucket suddenly appeared. Like a cannonball, it tore through the air with terrifying force and shot toward a rear wall where village Martial Artists lay hidden!

The entire wall instantly exploded. The powerful impact flung the two figures behind it several yards away. They crashed heavily to the ground, barely breathing.

A bolt of lightning exploded in the sky.

Under its blinding radiance,

the enormous, pitch-black creature in the darkness could be seen, a faintly humanlike sneer seemingly gleaming in its eyes.

"Damn it! It came too quickly! Be careful of its demonic arts!"

"All trap teams, activate!"

"Patrol team, charge with me! We must hold it back until the Immortal Master arrives!"

Han Qinhu roared.

Then he took the lead, raising his heavy shield and charging toward the Crocodile Demon.

At the same time,

upon receiving Han Qinhu's orders, those hidden nearby and gripping the trap triggers pulled them one after another!

For a moment,

great nets sprang into the sky, while massive boulders and rolling logs thundered toward the Crocodile Demon.

However,

the Crocodile Demon did not care about these traps in the slightest. With a casual slash of its claws, the tough nets, strong enough to cover a Martial Artist, were effortlessly torn apart.

Boulders weighing several tons crashed down, but the Crocodile Demon did not even dodge. When they struck its head, it was as though they had hit steel, shattering into pieces like tofu.

With a casual swing of its tail, the rolling logs were smashed to bits!

The carefully prepared traps, each of which would have caused tremendous trouble for any Martial Artist, were all torn apart and crushed before the Crocodile Demon like withered branches swept away by the wind!

Between mortals and Immortal Masters,

there was an unbridgeable chasm, and at this moment, the Crocodile Demon displayed it almost to the fullest!

Roar!!!

The Crocodile Demon opened its hideous jaws and let out a furious roar.

A terrifying demonic aura surged forth,

making every mortal present feel as though they were suffocating beneath immense pressure!

Many could not stop themselves from backing away.

"Damn it! Attack together!"

At the sight of this,

Han Qinhu's scalp went numb.

He could no longer worry about anything else.

He called to the patrolmen behind him, raised his enormous, heavy iron shield, and charged forward with gritted teeth.

However,

before they could reach it and engage in battle—

Boom!!!

Another thick water arrow blasted through the air. Its force was fierce and tyrannical, punching through the air as an overwhelming force came crashing down like mountains and seas!

Han Qinhu, facing that strike head-on, nearly felt his breathing seize up!

At the critical moment,

Han Dayong roared from behind. The thousand-pound iron shield in his hand whipped up a fierce gust as he swung it across in front of Han Qinhu, stacking it with Han Qinhu's shield for defense!

Bang!

The water arrow slammed into the iron shields. An unimaginable impact exploded, and the two layers of heavy iron shields, each weighing over a thousand pounds, instantly shattered into pieces!

The terrifying force even crushed the armor on both men.

They were flung away, coughing up great mouthfuls of blood.

Seeing this, the other patrolmen showed even greater horror and fear on their faces. For a moment, they did not dare step forward.

Even though they had been prepared,

mortal Martial Artists were nearly useless before a true Demon Beast!

The Crocodile Demon swept through the field,

and almost no one could stand against it!

The people around them stared at that massive, black figure, their hearts filled with terror.

This was a demon creature!

A demon creature ordinary people could not deal with!

"Fall back! Take the wounded away for treatment!"

Just as everyone's hearts sank into despair,

a commanding voice spread through the rainy night sky.

It seemed to carry an invisible magic, driving away the fear in the air and calming the minds of everyone around them.

The Immortal Master had arrived!

The mortal Martial Artists who had been drowning in despair felt as though they had seen a light of hope.

The stifling, fearful atmosphere, stretched taut to its limit, seemed to dissipate at that instant.

"Fall back. Stay farther away, so you don't get caught in it and hurt."

Shen Changchuan ordered.

At the same time, he glanced at his Maternal Grandfather Han Qinhu and his eldest uncle Han Dayong.

Fortunately,

though they had suffered many injuries, they were still alive.

"We obey the Immortal Master's command!"

The people around them cupped their hands in salute and retreated, taking all the wounded away as well.

At this time,

the wind and rain grew even fiercer.

The Crocodile Demon seemed to recognize the aura of Shen Changchuan, who had injured it not long ago. A crimson glint appeared in its pupils, and one could vaguely sense the fury churning in its eyes.

An enemy.

Revenge!

It opened its enormous jaws wide. Demonic aura gathered, and a ball of water formed in its mouth.

The next instant—

Boom!!!

A water arrow as thick as a bucket shot forth, swift as a gale and fast as rushing thunder. In the blink of an eye, it crossed more than a dozen yards of open air and crashed down at Shen Changchuan's head!

The force contained within was so great that even steel standing before it would be smashed apart!

However,

Shen Changchuan pushed off with his foot, and his figure shifted several yards away as lightly as a ghost.

Almost at that very instant,

blue waterlight shattered the air where Shen Changchuan had been standing,

but Shen Changchuan himself was already gone.

The strike missed.

The water arrow slammed into the houses behind him.

Rumble!!!

That water arrow swept through everything in its path. Wooden houses were ripped open down the middle, while shattered splinters burst into the sky and shot in every direction like bullets!

The terrifying force within the water arrow even pierced through four or five houses in succession before finally dissipating completely!

Such power

was truly terrifying beyond measure!

But unfortunately,

no matter how strong an Innate Spell attack was, if it failed to hit, it meant nothing.

"Your attack power is strong, but your spell has too much windup, and it's too slow!"

Not far away,

whether or not the Crocodile Demon could understand him, Shen Changchuan spoke leisurely.

Even before breaking through to the Qi Gathering Fourth Level, he had told Han Qinhu that if the Crocodile Demon dared come ashore, he was fully confident he could force it back.

What he relied on

was the Light Body Technique, which had reached 100% mastery.

This spell

greatly enhanced Shen Changchuan's speed and agility.

It gave him the ability to evade the enemy's killing moves and circle around while wearing it down.

By nature, it placed him in an invincible position!

And now,

his advantage was even greater!

The Spirit Eye Technique, which had likewise reached 100% mastery, greatly enhanced Shen Changchuan's eyesight through the traits it granted. By observing the gathering of demonic aura, he could easily predict the trajectory of the Crocodile Demon's Innate Spell attacks!

With the Spirit Eye Technique, which could predict attacks, working together with the Light Body Technique, which greatly increased agility,

if the Crocodile Demon had no other methods, then the outcome could already be foreseen.

Boom! Boom! Boom!!!

The Crocodile Demon clearly had not sensed the change in the situation.

Furious, it unleashed three more water arrows, blasting them in succession toward Shen Changchuan's position.

The immense force seemed determined to tear this two-legged beast apart!

But unfortunately, they still achieved nothing!

With the perfected Spirit Eye Technique and Light Body Technique working in tandem, Shen Changchuan moved with effortless ease, dodging all three attacks in succession.

At the same time,

Shen Changchuan seized the moment of weakness after the Crocodile Demon unleashed its Innate Spell, when its demonic aura was briefly exhausted.

He counterattacked!

Wind Blade Technique · Triple!

With a lift of his hand, Shen Changchuan unleashed three wind blades.

Three azure wind blades slashed out in succession, cutting through the air with the faint sound of cloth being sliced apart as they flashed across the sky.

The distance of over ten zhang vanished in an instant, and the razor-sharp magic attacks struck the Crocodile Demon like indestructible blades!

Hiss!

Blood sprayed.

The sharp wind blades cut through the Crocodile Demon's skin, tougher than refined steel!

The Crocodile Demon let out a pained roar.

Boom! Boom! Boom!!!

Several water arrows swept over once more!

Shen Changchuan's figure flickered several times, turning into a chain of afterimages as he repeatedly dodged the enemy's counterattack.

At the same time,

the Crocodile Demon's wounds split open from forcibly using its Innate Spell again, and even more blood flowed out.

It looked rather miserable.

Yet there was not the slightest hint of delight on Shen Changchuan's face. Instead, his brows furrowed slightly.

"Its defense is actually this strong?!"

Shen Changchuan's expression shifted slightly in surprise.

An ordinary Wind Blade Technique could already cut through steel with ease.

A Perfect Level Wind Blade Technique was even more powerful.

Even though, due to being cast instantly, its power was only two-thirds of what it would be when unleashed at full strength,

those had been three instant-cast Wind Blade Techniques layered one after another!

Yet the result was only a wound of neither shallow nor deep carved into its body!

"This is a bit troublesome!"

Shen Changchuan felt that things had become thorny.

His attack power was insufficient.

There was a chance it might escape back!