Breaking Out of the Encirclement

Everyone gritted their teeth and desperately drove their skiffs, wanting only to go faster—faster still.

Before long, everyone's Spirit Eye Technique finally caught sight of the Azure Jade Ghost Carp in the western waters.

Those azure shapes streaked through the sea at terrifying speed, rushing toward them.

"We're finished. We're finished."

Everyone's faces instantly turned pale as paper, and they were about to activate their Lightbody Radiance Talismans to flee.

Just then.

Wang Mengde shouted:

"Don't panic. In a moment, I'll use my pinnacle-level Entwining Silk Technique to bind those fish. You use your attack talismans to strike them. We can definitely fight our way out of the encirclement."

At this point, Wang Mengde could no longer afford to hide his strength. He could not break through the encirclement alone; he needed everyone's help.

Everyone found it hard to believe.

Pinnacle level?

The cultivation realms for spells were, in order: beginner, minor accomplishment, major accomplishment, mastery, perfection, and pinnacle.

Generally speaking, cultivators at the early stages of Qi Refinement could mostly train spells to the beginner level. Only a very small number with decent comprehension could reach minor accomplishment.

At the middle stages of Qi Refinement, they could generally reach minor accomplishment or major accomplishment.

Only at the late stages of Qi Refinement could they generally attain major accomplishment, mastery, or perfection.

They had never heard of anyone reaching the pinnacle level in a spell while only at the third layer of Qi Refinement.

Before this, they had only dared to guess whether Wang Mengde had trained his spell to the perfection level.

They had never expected Wang Mengde to say that he had reached pinnacle level.

Wang Mengde declared in a booming voice, "Everyone, prepare your attack talismans."

With no time to think further, everyone hurriedly pulled out talismans from their robes—attack talismans such as Golden Arrow Talismans and Ice Spike Talismans.

Zhao Youming and several other cultivators, however, quietly took out Lightbody Radiance Talismans as well.

Wang Mengde declared in a booming voice, "Whoever dares activate a Lightbody Radiance Talisman and flee while we are fighting the Azure Jade Ghost Carp, I'll bind him at once and throw him to the fish."

Qin Xiangnan also barked:

"I'll be the first not to let him off."

Zhao Youming and the others' expressions immediately turned ugly.

Several other cultivators also spoke in booming voices. "Whoever dares stab us in the back, even if I have to risk my life, I'll drag him down with me."

Zhao Youming and the others' expressions immediately turned ugly.

They put away their escape talismans and obediently took out attack talismans.

One by one, everyone controlled their skiff spirit boats and gritted their teeth as they charged toward the Azure Jade Ghost Carp.

Both the Azure Jade Ghost Carp and the spirit boats were extremely fast.

In the blink of an eye, the two sides had closed in.

"Everyone, get ready."

Wang Mengde swiftly formed hand seals, spiritual power surging out wildly.

The pinnacle-level Entwining Silk Technique erupted in an instant.

It was as though invisible threads were shooting wildly from between his hands.

They pierced through the sea surface and accurately bound the ten Azure Jade Ghost Carp charging at the forefront.

The ten Azure Jade Ghost Carp abruptly stalled and struggled desperately.

But those threads were unbelievably tough; the more they struggled, the tighter they became.

"Attack."

Wang Mengde shouted.

Qin Xiangnan, Zhao Youming, Zhou Lie, and the others activated the attack talismans in their hands all at once.

Ice Spike Talismans, Golden Arrow Talismans...

More than a dozen attacks slammed viciously into the ten Azure Jade Ghost Carp.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Bloody mist exploded across the sea surface.

The ten Azure Jade Ghost Carp died on the spot.

A gap was forcibly torn open in the encirclement.

Everyone's spirits soared.

"Break through!"

With a wave of Wang Mengde's hand, the corpses of the ten Azure Jade Ghost Carp were dragged up by his Entwining Silk Technique and landed on his skiff.

He said in a low voice:

"Keep your attack talismans ready. If we stand united, we can definitely fight our way out—and make a fortune besides."

Everyone's eyes reddened. They wildly drove their spiritual power, the talismans in their hands lighting up again as they charged toward the gap.

The surrounding Azure Jade Ghost Carp swarmed over frantically.

Wang Mengde formed hand seals again.

The Entwining Silk Technique erupted once more.

Another ten Azure Jade Ghost Carp were bound fast.

Boom!

Another barrage of talismans bombarded them.

Another ten Azure Jade Ghost Carp were blasted to death.

The gap that had just begun to close was torn open once again.

"Charge!"

Everyone frantically drove their skiffs toward the gap.

But in that instant, more than a dozen water arrows shot toward them from every direction.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Azure Jade Ghost Carp closing in for the kill frantically spat out water arrows.

Dozens of water arrows crashed viciously into several skiffs at the edges of the formation.

Crack!

Boom!

Five skiff spirit boats were struck by the water arrows and shattered instantly.

The five cultivators leaped onto other people's skiffs the moment their own vessels broke apart.

But one second-layer Qi Refinement cultivator was a step too slow.

A water arrow struck him in the back.

He screamed, spraying blood wildly as he fell into the sea.

"Help! Save me!"

He struggled in the water, reaching out toward the others.

But no one looked at him.

Everyone was frantically driving their spiritual power and charging toward the gap.

Five or six Azure Jade Ghost Carp rushed toward the cultivator and pounced on him together.

A cloud of blood spread across the sea surface.

Without looking back, everyone burst out of the encirclement.

They fled madly westward.

Behind them, dozens of Azure Jade Ghost Carp gave chase.

They were incredibly fast, and the distance between them steadily shrank.

Wang Mengde glanced back, his heart turning cold.

He had already expended a full sixty percent of the spiritual power in his body.

Those two full-force uses of the Entwining Silk Technique had consumed far too much.

He did not dare use the Entwining Silk Technique at full strength again.

He suddenly shouted:

"A lot of Azure Jade Ghost Carp are catching up! Everyone, split up!"

As he spoke, he frantically drove his spiritual power, and his skiff shot forward.

His skiff was newly purchased, with plenty of power and astonishing speed.

But what made him frown slightly was that Qin Xiangnan, Zhao Youming, Zhou Lie, and another third-layer Qi Refinement cultivator were all following tightly behind him.

He increased his speed, wanting to shake them off.

Yet those four men's skiffs were not slow either.

Qin Xiangnan's skiff was also newly bought. It was no slower than his own and stayed close at his side.

Zhao Youming, Zhou Lie, and the other third-layer Qi Refinement cultivator also had excellent skiffs, and they actually kept up with him.

The five skiffs raced over the sea like five sharp arrows.

Seeing that they could not catch up to Wang Mengde, the others' expressions changed slightly. They turned in different directions and scattered to flee.

As they departed, their gazes could not help sweeping over the pile of Azure Jade Ghost Carp on Wang Mengde's boat.

A full twenty of them.

Azure Jade Ghost Carp were third-layer minor demons with tremendous value as food. Their flesh contained abundant spiritual power and was an excellent supplement for cultivation.

Their medicinal value was not low either. Their bones could be used in medicine, their scales could be refined into defensive artifacts, and their skins were superb materials for making talismans.

On Rosy Cloud Island, a single Azure Jade Ghost Carp could sell for more than two hundred spirit stones.

Twenty of them meant more than four thousand spirit stones.

More than four thousand spirit stones!

They had never seen so many spirit stones in their entire lives.

But right now, staying alive was what mattered most.

Some people directly activated Lightbody Radiance Talismans, abandoned their skiff spirit boats, and ran over the sea like streaks of light as they fled at top speed.

The school of Azure Jade Ghost Carp scattered, pursuing the fleeing cultivators.

More than ten of them chased after Wang Mengde's group of five.

Wang Mengde and the other four controlled their skiff spirit boats and fled at top speed.

But the more than ten Azure Jade Ghost Carp behind them drew closer and closer.

Three hundred meters.

Two hundred meters.

One hundred meters.

Wang Mengde suddenly turned around and declared in a booming voice:

"I'll restrain the foremost four Azure Jade Ghost Carp. The four of you activate your talismans and kill them."

Qin Xiangnan and the others agreed repeatedly.

Wang Mengde formed hand seals, and the Entwining Silk Technique shot out again.

It bound four Azure Jade Ghost Carp.

Qin Xiangnan and the others immediately activated their talismans and blasted them viciously.

The four Azure Jade Ghost Carp died on the spot.