In the water, water attribute monster beasts had a tremendous advantage over cultivators.
Even water method cultivators were no exception.
Shen Xuan, however, was an exception.
[Water Control], [Critical Strike], [Iron Bones]!
With so many talents bolstering it, his [Water Condensation Edge Shaping Art] was ten times more powerful!
The Water Repelling Rhinoceros charged straight at him.
The Water-Splitting Emei Daggers in Shen Xuan's hands spun around.
The other two Azure Green Ice Divine Dragons at their tips roared and shot forward.
"Go!"
Time seemed to freeze.
The massive Water Repelling Rhinoceros stopped dead in its tracks.
A pair of Water-Splitting Emei Daggers had sunk deep into its throat.
The Ice Blades they unleashed pierced through the rhinoceros's throat, pulverizing its bones and meridians.
In the space of a single breath,
Shen Xuan had killed the Water Repelling Rhinoceros.
Divine light dissipated, and its demonic power faded.
The water that had been cleaved apart surged back in a furious rush.
Shen Xuan's fingers flew, hastily sealing the wound in the rhinoceros's throat.
This was the blood of a First-Order High-Grade Water Element Yao Beast, which he desperately needed!
He couldn't afford to waste a drop!
At the same time, Shen Xuan used [Water Control Technique].
He gently wrapped the Water Repelling Rhinoceros in water.
Then he used the current to float it upward.
In just a dozen or so breaths,
the rhinoceros's corpse surfaced on the Longze River.
"Get over here!"
Sensing his teammates with [Insight Technique], Shen Xuan poked his head out of the water and shouted to them.
When everyone rushed over and saw the Water Repelling Rhinoceros with its eyes shut and no sign of life, they were all delighted.
Wen Zijian hurriedly summoned the Flying Boat.
A towering wave suddenly surged up.
Shen Xuan had unleashed his power beneath the water, using the current to sweep the Water Repelling Rhinoceros into the Flying Boat.
The heavy load sent the Flying Boat sinking fast, and it nearly plunged into the Longze River.
Wen Zijian clenched his jaw and repeatedly formed hand seals, his face taut, finally managing to steady the boat.
Shen Xuan leaped out of the water and onto the Flying Boat, then opened his Storage Bag.
A huge crimson fountain erupted from the Water Repelling Rhinoceros's throat.
Fortunately, Shen Xuan had been ready. He cast a spell and collected the rhinoceros's blood in his Storage Bag.
"That was close. I almost wasted it!"
Shen Xuan finally let out a breath.
Killing the Water Repelling Rhinoceros at the bottom of the Longze River had been easy.
The hard part was making sure none of its vital blood and flesh went to waste.
He had just put away the Storage Bag filled with the rhinoceros's blood
when Shen Xuan's expression changed.
"Someone's coming!"
Flying Boats were approaching from both the left and right ahead.
"Old Yu, Old Wei, what brings you both here?"
Zhao Chunsheng went to the bow and greeted the two Monster Hunting Team leaders with a broad smile.
"Well, look at you, Rabbit Monster Hunter. Quite something, stealing our prey!"
Old Wei was clearly quick-tempered. The moment he arrived, he declared what had happened.
Zhao Chunsheng's face darkened.
"Fellow Daoist Wei, what do you mean by that? Are you planning to rob us in broad daylight?"
"Rob you? I..."
Old Wei hadn't finished speaking when a Monster Hunter behind him clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Fellow Daoist Zhao, well done! Let's be frank. We came for this Water Repelling Rhinoceros too, but you beat us to it," Old Yu said with a genial smile.
Before Zhao Chunsheng could answer,
another rush of wind sounded behind them.
"We were the ones who attacked first. They used underhanded tricks!"
Baldy Chen and his six companions arrived on a Flying Boat as well.
The three Flying Boats gradually closed in around Shen Xuan and the others.
"I knew that rain was strange! So there was an expert casting spells in secret!"
Baldy Chen's gaze swept over them one by one, finally settling on Shen Xuan.
They were all Monster Hunters making a living at Qinglong Bay Market. Everyone knew who had what kind of strength.
Clearly, Shen Xuan—the unfamiliar face—was the key to Zhao Chunsheng and the others killing the Water Repelling Rhinoceros.
Old Yu and his companions knew it too.
He cupped his hands toward Shen Xuan. "Fellow Daoist, I don't believe we've met. May I ask who you are?"
Shen Xuan looked toward Zhao Chunsheng.
This was the first time he had encountered a situation like this.
He certainly wasn't afraid.
On the Longze River, he could hold his own against these Monster Hunters.
He could even stand against a Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator for a while.
He was fully confident he could escape safely.
But he might not be able to protect Zhao Chunsheng and the others.
"You don't recognize him?"
Zhao Chunsheng looked incredulous.
"Allow me to introduce him, fellow Daoists. This is Talisman Master Shen, Shen Xuan—the brother-in-law of Ding Yijin, a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Ding Family; a close friend of Qin Yuehan, Foundation Establishment Elder of the Qingyun Sect; and a friend of Lu Zhengying's for sixty years!"
"You wouldn't be thinking of stealing our prey here and then killing us all to silence us, would you?"
Zhao Chunsheng slowly looked at the cultivators aboard the three Flying Boats.
"Even if every one of us perished here, could you guarantee there wouldn't be a traitor among your own?"
As soon as he finished speaking,
Old Yu laughed.
"Don't joke, Fellow Daoist Zhao! We're all fellow Monster Hunters. Why would we stoop to the deeds of Robbing Cultivators?"
"Talisman Master Shen, I've heard so much about you. It's an honor to meet you today! When we get back to the Market, I'll host a banquet and pour you a drink to apologize!"
Old Wei stamped his foot. "Fellow Daoist Yu, we agreed on this! How can you—"
Old Yu's expression darkened, and he cut him off. "Agreed on what? Fellow Daoist Wei, Talisman Master Shen is right here. Don't go saying anything foolish!"
Someone sensible behind Old Wei whispered to him for a while.
His gut churned with anger, but he didn't dare lash out. He merely glared at Zhao Chunsheng.
"We'll let it go today for Talisman Master Shen's sake! We're leaving!"
But someone wasn't willing to let it go!
"Talisman Master Shen, you've only just joined a Monster Hunting Team. There are a lot of rules you don't know yet. I won't hold it against you!"
"Zhao Chunsheng, Wen Zijian, Shi Xiangdong—you're all seasoned Monster Hunters. What gives you the right to steal prey we'd already caught?" Baldy Chen shouted.
With Old Yu and Old Wei gone, he was left without support.
Qinglong Bay Market's rule was that no fighting was allowed inside the Market, but outside it, everyone was on their own.
Zhao Chunsheng had announced Shen Xuan's identity.
They truly had no way to deal with Shen Xuan.
Never mind the two Foundation Establishment Elders of the Qingyun Sect.
Even Ding Yijin, the future head of the Ding Family, was someone they couldn't afford to offend.
But when prey worth tens of thousands of spirit stones had been about to fall into his hands, only to be snatched away through a sneaky ambush, Baldy Chen couldn't swallow his anger.
"What a joke! Monster beasts are born of heaven and earth. We hunted it with our own skill. What does that have to do with you?"
"You saw it first, so it belongs to you? Where in the world is there such a sweet deal?"
Zhao Chunsheng wasn't intimidated in the least.
He had never been afraid of anyone when it came to trading barbs.
"You secretly cast spells and brought down a torrential rain! You helped the Water Repelling Rhinoceros break out of our encirclement!"
"What a joke! If the heavens want to rain, what's that got to do with us? If you want to rob us, just say so. We'll take you on!"
With Old Yu and Old Wei backing down, only Baldy Chen's group of seven remained—and three of them were injured. Zhao Chunsheng's tone hardened.
He knew Shen Xuan's strength.
It was on par with Qi Refining Perfection.
"Hold on! Fellow Daoist Chen, tell us exactly what happened. I, Yu, will serve as a witness."
Seeing a chance to turn things around, Baldy Chen briefly recounted what had happened.
"I see!"
Old Yu asked, "Fellow Daoist Chen, did you see which cultivator cast the spell?"
Baldy Chen glanced at Shen Xuan and hesitated. "No."
"Do you have any evidence that the cultivator who cast the spell was one of Fellow Daoist Zhao's people?"
"No!"
"But they were the only ones nearby. When we chased the Water Repelling Rhinoceros, they even deliberately blocked our way!"
"If it wasn't them, who else could it have been?"
Zhao Chunsheng sneered. "We came for the Water Repelling Rhinoceros. It's perfectly normal that we went hunting when we spotted it, isn't it?"
"From beginning to end, we never once attacked you!"
"We even kindly let you pass!"
"You decided you couldn't beat it and turned back. When we were returning to the Market, we happened to run into the Water Repelling Rhinoceros and got lucky!"
Old Yu shook his head.
"Enough. Let me say a few fair words."
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