Overturning Rivers, Rolling and Crashing Down into the Sea

The fishmen fled in all directions. The fighting continued elsewhere, but the battle had briefly stopped in the small area around Luo Zhou.

The battle was over. Luo Zhou couldn't help panting heavily.

Though his constitution was formidable, the fierce battle had left him feeling utterly exhausted.

He looked around. The fighting still raged in the distance; only here had the combat temporarily ceased.

More than a dozen of the cultivators who had charged in alongside him had fallen.

The rest either sat slumped on the ground or tended to their wounds.

A group of people came running over—hundreds of ordinary mortals, all young and strong.

They carried stretchers and hauled away the fallen cultivators.

The dead were prepared for burial, while the living received immediate treatment.

Someone brought Luo Zhou water.

It was sweetened with honey and had a faint salty taste, replenishing his strength.

As soon as he felt hungry, someone brought him big meat buns.

Luo Zhou wolfed down three big meat buns in one go, stopping when he was only half full. Eating too much would hinder him in the next battle.

Many young mortals began collecting the sea beasts' corpses from the ground.

They stabbed any that were still alive, then hurriedly loaded the dead onto carts.

They were valuable seafood resources, which could be exchanged for Broken Spirit. The compensation for the fallen and the pay for those who fought both came from these resources.

Even if they were good for nothing else, they were still meat—useful if the city's supplies ran low during a prolonged siege.

The work was extremely dangerous. Some sea beasts weren't quite dead and suddenly thrashed in their death throes, instantly separating two burly mortals' heads from their bodies.

Someone finished off the beast with a stab, but the mortals who had died were still dead.

As Luo Zhou watched, Cheng Peng called out:

"Everyone, hurry and rest up. The sea beasts will be back with a second wave soon.

"Don't go helping out elsewhere. That wouldn't be helping—it'd just make things worse.

"Follow the city's orders. Captain Guo of the Sea Police Camp is a strategist. You can't go wrong by listening to him..."

He had killed the enemy's second-tier fishman without suffering a scratch.

Luo Zhou had been able to slaughter the enemy so effectively thanks in large part to Cheng Peng's killing of that second-tier fishman.

Under Cheng Peng's command, the cultivators still fit to fight quickly regrouped.

He came over to Luo Zhou and asked, "Young fella, what's your name again?"

"Luo Zhou!"

"You're impressive. You can really fight. We'll be counting on you to take point next time!"

Of the three Qi Refinement cultivators, Cheng Peng and Liu Jing were fine, but He Yongqi was injured. Though spiritual energy had already healed him, the marks of his wounds were still visible.

He couldn't be relied on. They needed Luo Zhou.

"Our squad lost seven people just now, and eleven more were incapacitated.

"The rest can all fight, but if they come again, we'll be under a lot more pressure with fewer people!"

Their squad had started with more than sixty people. Just like that, a third of them were gone...

And this was only the first wave of attacks on the first day!

Still, everyone left could fight, and reinforcements would arrive to fill the gaps.

Luo Zhou nodded. "I'll take point!"

"That's the spirit! When this is over, I'll put in a word for you and get you a great commendation!"

With that, Cheng Peng patted Luo Zhou on the shoulder and went to encourage the others.

Luo Zhou took the chance to check his spirit patterns.

In a daze, he seemed to slip into a dream.

Eternal Fire Sea.

Eighty-three Fate Points!

Purify!

Ten Fate Points turned into flames and burned fiercely.

They became a kind of spirit fire, spreading from the spirit patterns on Luo Zhou's back until they engulfed his entire body.

Luo Zhou silently felt his whole body evolve.

His flesh and bones, five senses and meridians, limbs and organs, spirit and soul—all gradually strengthened and improved as his essence poured into them.

Once one set was purified, the next ten Fate Points continued the process, followed by another ten...

In one go, all eight sets were purified!

At the same time, Luo Zhou felt his body grow unbearably hot. It was as if his veins carried not blood, but a surging torrent of searing, violent energy that flowed from his heart and swept through his whole body in an instant.

For a moment, everything around him seemed to freeze. Everything slowed down!

The successive bursts of speed he had gained from his senior brother Cui Jian's ability evolved under this baptism into the characteristic Super Speed.

When activated, this characteristic put his body into a state of super speed.

He was no longer limited to moving quickly. His agility increased in every way.

Compared to the ability Successive Bursts of Speed, the characteristic Super Speed lasted twice as long, while using only a quarter of the stamina.

Luo Zhou let out a long breath. His strength had increased considerably without him even realizing it.

That was the wonder of the spirit patterns. The big flowered back wasn't just for show!

Under the baptism of the Fate Points, his body evolved and his spirituality improved. This was called Body Tempering and Spirit Condensing!

In a daze, Luo Zhou silently sensed the changes within himself.

He gritted his teeth, feeling a little regretful. If he had accumulated a hundred Fate Points for Body Tempering and Spirit Condensing...

Maybe Successive Bursts of Speed would have evolved into a talent.

Talents were far superior to characteristics!

He would have become even stronger!

He had to keep accumulating. Once he got another hundred Fate Points, he'd undergo a great burning of Body Tempering and Spirit Condensing!

And not just Successive Bursts of Speed. He needed to upgrade his other abilities into talents, too.

Actually, the ability he most needed to upgrade was Rewarding Good and Punishing Evil.

But this Body Tempering and Spirit Condensing process was completely beyond his control.

Just then, someone shouted, "They're here! They're here!"

The new enemy had come back for another attack.

The defenders immediately prepared for battle. Those with battle formations maintained them, while those without fought on their own.

At the very front of the sea beasts charging into the grand formation were seven Sea Horse Knights.

Their lower bodies were those of seahorses, floating a foot above the ground; their upper bodies were human-shaped, clad in heavy armor and wielding lances!

Each carried several flags on their back, completely obscuring whatever was behind them.

Their armor, lances, and flags were all made of spirit gold, gleaming like silver.

This showed that they weren't mere cannon fodder like the fishmen, but genuine warriors of a great sea clan.

As the Sea Horse Knights appeared, the east city gate opened and three Spirit Boats surged out, heading straight this way.

The Sea Police Camp warriors of Green Ridge City sailed overland to provide support.

Sea Horse Knights were genuine Sea Race warriors, not opponents ordinary cultivators like Cheng Peng's group could handle. They needed to be met by properly trained troops.

But it would take time for the reinforcements to arrive.

The seven Sea Horse Knights raised their lances, formed ranks, and charged!

There were only seven of them, yet they seemed like an entire army thundering toward the defenders.

The reinforcements hadn't arrived, but the enemy had already begun its charge. Cheng Peng sighed and said:

"Everyone, make peace with your fate!

"If we retreat, we can't outrun the Sea Horse Knights. We'll die for sure. Our only choice is to fight!"

He was the first to charge forward, roaring:

"We cultivators—what joy is there in living, what fear is there in dying? Kill!"

Seeing this, Luo Zhou roared as well and charged after him!

Super Speed activated. His speed surged, and he overtook Cheng Peng.

He even felt the urge to use the Dragon-Slaying Thrust on his back.

While Luo Zhou hesitated, the Sea Horse Knights suddenly shifted formation and dodged him.

In an instant, the enemies hidden behind the Sea Horse Knights' flags came into view!

Twelve Naga Sirens!

Naga Sirens were half-human, half-serpent creatures that lived among deep-sea reefs. Most had a woman's upper body covered in snake scales, and a serpentine tail.

Every one of them held a bow, and they unleashed a storm of arrows at Luo Zhou!

The Sea Horse Knights' charge had been nothing but a diversion to hide them.

They were the real killing move, with only one purpose: to kill Luo Zhou!

The enemy Sea Race had experts like strategists as well—the Fishman Prophet, the Sea Beast Shaman, and others.

They had calculated the threat Luo Zhou posed!

A youth who could overturn rivers and seas, a mighty fighter, and that inexplicable sense of dread...

So they had laid their plans specifically to kill Luo Zhou!

They had deliberately avoided sending out second-tier sea beasts, afraid that Luo Zhou's danger sense would warn him and let him escape.

Then they had sent the Sea Horse Knights. Their fast charge could threaten Luo Zhou's companions and force him to act.

Finally, the twelve Naga archers would fire together, killing him in one strike.

Every detail was arranged perfectly. It was a flawless death trap!

The Naga archers unleashed a frenzied barrage. Nearly a hundred arrows shot toward him, filling the air all around Luo Zhou—front, back, left, right, above, and below.

The arrows were coated with the most potent sea poison. The slightest touch would kill him instantly.

Even a Qi Refinement cultivator's Condensing Qi into a Shield couldn't withstand such potent poison.

At this life-or-death moment, Luo Zhou's body moved!

It moved faster than his brain, acting on its own.

With Super Speed, he suddenly twisted, tripped over his own feet, and slammed into the ground!

Luo Zhou fell in an instant. His excessive speed sent him tumbling across the ground.

But the enemy had planned for this, too. His fall and roll were still within their attack range.

Yet Luo Zhou's tumble was like hitting a spring. He shot back up in an instant.

Completely ignoring space and time, he sprang a full five zhang into the air, evading every arrow.

In that moment, Luo Zhou understood!

This was the true essence of Overturning Rivers Step.

He had been practicing Overturning Rivers Step wrong all along. He shouldn't have been throwing punches while standing upright; he had to roll along the ground like this. The name itself had the word "overturning" in it. How could he overturn a river without rolling?

Only by rolling like this could he unleash the spatial mystery of the distance that had let him kill the Green Shrimp Monster with a single strike. It took effect throughout his whole body, overturning space, and let him spring five zhang into the air in an instant!

But the Naga leader had kept her arrow nocked without firing. Seeing this, she roared:

"Now!"

Her gigantic bow loosed a gigantic arrow!

It flew fast and true, bearing immense force as it shot toward Luo Zhou.

He was in midair, with nowhere to dodge.

Just then, his body moved on its own again, suddenly plunging downward with all its strength!

He dropped like a shooting star, accelerating through the empty air without anything to push against.

With a sudden shift, he dodged the giant arrow and crashed down among the Naga Sirens!

Why was it called Crashing Down into the Sea, instead of Tipping Over the Sea? Because the point was to crash down with all your force!

Combat was the best catalyst for growth!

The core of the Overturning Rivers movement technique was rolling; the core of the Crashing Down into the Sea movement technique was smashing down!

The Devil Lord Saint Body wasn't just a name!

When danger came, his body fought to survive on its own!

His body led his head!