The silence beneath the water was gone.
Hundreds of water ghosts surged toward Lu Chen and the others from every direction like a black tide.
They were astonishingly fast underwater, leaving streaks of murky water in their wake, their sharp claws glinting coldly.
"Defend! Form a circle!"
Zhao Gang couldn't shout underwater, so he could only wave frantically, signaling his men to close ranks.
But the water ghosts were too fast.
Before anyone could react, several of the ones in front had already reached them.
"Pfft!"
One skilled fighter from the Red Fish Gang had just raised his fish spear when a water ghost tackled him from the side.
The water ghost was immensely strong. Its claws tore through his leather armor with ease, and it sank its teeth into his throat.
Blood gushed out at once, staining the river red.
"Kill!"
Lu Chen moved.
He wasn't as nimble underwater as he was on land, but he had strength.
Terrifying strength.
He kicked off the silt with both feet and shot forward like a cannonball, crashing straight into the middle of the water ghosts.
Using his momentum, he swept the Hundred Refinements Steel Saber in his hand across them.
There was nothing fancy about the strike—only pure strength and speed.
Though the water's resistance had drained away some of its force, what remained was still enough to split mountains and shatter rocks.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Three water ghosts were cut in half.
Filthy blood and entrails burst through the water.
Lu Chen didn't stop. He clenched his left hand into a fist, a quivering force gathering around it.
He smashed his fist into the head of a water ghost sneaking up on him.
Its skull caved in instantly. Its eyeballs were shaken loose, and its body flew away like a torn sack.
"Roar—!"
The surrounding water ghosts were enraged. More than a dozen abandoned their other targets and lunged madly at Lu Chen.
They seized his arms, thighs, and back, opening their fanged jaws and biting down hard.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A string of grating, teeth-on-edge sounds rang out.
The fangs that could crunch through bone sank into Lu Chen as if they were biting an iron plate.
They left behind only a few white marks, without even scraping his skin.
Instead, several water ghosts bit so hard that their teeth snapped.
Lu Chen gave a feral grin.
This was the terror of Iron Cloth Shirt at Great Completion!
Underwater, he was an impregnable fortress!
"Get lost!"
His muscles shuddered, and the Force Dissipation trait erupted.
A powerful backlash surged outward.
The water ghosts clinging to him were jolted as if struck by lightning, shrieking as they were flung away.
Seizing the opening, Lu Chen swung his saber, unleashing another burst of blood and carnage.
Before long, a ring of water ghost corpses surrounded him.
Zhao Gang and the others stared, dumbfounded.
The few of them could barely hold their own against two or three water ghosts, yet Lu Chen had been surrounded by more than a dozen and come away without a scratch?
Was he even human?
Just as everyone thought the situation was about to stabilize—
A boom!
Silt churned in front of the palace gates.
A massive figure emerged from the darkness.
It was a gigantic water ghost, twice the size of an ordinary person.
Thick black scales covered its body. Its muscles bulged like knotted roots, and it towered like a small mountain.
A single horn jutted from its forehead, and it gripped a huge Bone Fork in its hand.
A terrifying pressure swept over the entire area.
The Water Ghost King!
At the sight of it, the ordinary water ghosts nearby retreated in fear, clearing a path.
The Water Ghost King fixed its blood-red eyes on Lu Chen.
It could sense that this human had the strongest vital energy and posed the greatest threat.
"Uuu—!"
The Water Ghost King let out a low growl and kicked off with both legs.
The rocks beneath its feet shattered.
Its enormous body moved like lightning underwater, crossing dozens of feet in an instant and appearing in front of Lu Chen.
The Bone Fork in its hand carried the force of a landslide as it thrust straight down at Lu Chen!
Too fast!
Lu Chen's pupils contracted.
The Water Ghost King's speed and strength had definitely reached the Meridian Connecting Realm!
And underwater, it was on its home turf, making it twice as powerful!
There was no way to dodge.
Lu Chen could only take the blow head-on.
He gripped his saber with both hands and held it above his head. His vital energy surged to its limit, and his skin turned the deep color of black iron.
CLANG!!!
A deafening crash exploded underwater.
The shock wave spread in every direction, hurling away the silt and corpses.
Lu Chen felt an unstoppable force travel through the blade.
His palm split open, and blood spilled out.
Like a nail struck by a sledgehammer, he was driven into the riverbed's silt, his body buried halfway down.
So strong!
Lu Chen was shocked.
The Water Ghost King was even stronger than Li Qingyi of the Red Fish Gang!
If his Force Dissipation trait hadn't absorbed thirty percent of the force, that single blow might have shattered his organs.
Before he could catch his breath, the Water Ghost King attacked again.
The Bone Fork stabbed at him in a storm of blows, each one carrying murderous force.
Lu Chen was plunged into a desperate struggle.
He struggled to wrench his legs from the mire, parrying and dodging in a sorry state.
But underwater, his movements were always a fraction too slow.
The Bone Fork scraped across his shoulder.
At last, his supposedly unbreakable Iron Cloth Shirt was broken through.
Scales flew, and a deep gash appeared across his shoulder. Blood instantly stained the water red.
The excruciating pain stirred Lu Chen's savage temper.
"Want to kill me? It won't be that easy!"
Lu Chen went all out.
He stopped taking blows passively. Abandoning defense, he chose to trade injury for injury.
When the Water Ghost King's Bone Fork stabbed toward him again, he didn't dodge. He turned slightly, letting it pierce his left side.
Got you!
The instant he clamped the Bone Fork between his muscles,
Lu Chen rushed in and swung the Hundred Refinements Steel Saber in his right hand at the Water Ghost King's neck with all his might!
Sparks flew everywhere.
The saber struck the Water Ghost King's scales, but it cut in only half an inch before hitting its hard bones.
What tough hide!
The Water Ghost King roared in pain and kicked Lu Chen in the chest.
Lu Chen flew backward.
He tumbled underwater a dozen times before crashing hard into the palace's Stone Gate.
A muffled thud.
Lu Chen felt as if his internal organs had shifted out of place. He spat out a mouthful of blood.
But just then—
The enormous Stone Gate behind him had taken such a tremendous impact that it began to creak.
A pitch-black crack slowly opened between the two doors.
Whoosh—!
A presence a hundred times colder than the river seeped through the gap.
The water froze instantly.
Even the Water Ghost King, which had been about to rush over and finish him off, stopped abruptly at the sight of this presence. Its eyes filled with terror.
It seemed to fear whatever lay behind the gate.
Leaning against the gate, Lu Chen felt the bone-deep chill, and a thought struck him.
This presence...
Yin Fiend Qi!
And incredibly pure Yin Fiend Qi!
Wasn't this exactly the catalyst he needed to cultivate Profound Nether Hand?
From the brink of despair, he had found a way out!
Lu Chen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at the Water Ghost King, which didn't dare approach. He grinned, his smile a little wild.
"So... you're afraid of this too."
He reversed his grip on the saber and slowly stood up, using the rebound from the Stone Gate.
Now that the gate had opened, it was time to change the tide of battle.
Before you continue