"If my magical power had recovered, I would have captured you long ago and taken you back to guard my cave abode."
Nangong Wan snorted coldly, then pointed at her magical treasure. The Vermilion Bird Ring immediately shrank and vanished. When it reappeared, it had already slipped around the Ink Flood Dragon.
"Quick, attack the black clouds protecting its body!"
Although the other Covering Moon Sect disciples did not understand what was happening, they obeyed her command. More than a dozen red and blue beams shot out, battering the protective black clouds until they grew considerably thinner.
Lin He, who was watching from his hiding place nearby, was startled as well. This was his first time witnessing the power of a magical treasure.
Although the Covering Moon Sect disciples appeared to have the overwhelming advantage, Lin He knew the Ink Flood Dragon would not be so easy to deal with.
Sure enough, Nangong Wan seemed to sense its desperate struggles. She could feel that the Vermilion Bird Ring restraining it was about to give way.
"Hurry up and attack! I can't hold it for long!"
The young woman immediately issued her command. The Covering Moon Sect disciples attacked even more fiercely, and the protective black clouds finally failed to withstand them. Their attacks not only shattered the clouds but also left more than a dozen wounds on the Ink Flood Dragon.
The intense pain only provoked the beast's ferocity. Finally, as Nangong Wan let out a sigh, the Ink Flood Dragon shed its skin and escaped the Vermilion Bird Ring's restraint.
"It's over there!"
A sharp-eyed Covering Moon Sect disciple spotted the Ink Flood Dragon. It was now snow-white and without scales, and had actually advanced into a level two demon beast.
"The Ink Flood Dragon has evolved to the second tier! Everyone, get out!"
Seeing this, Nangong Wan knew they could not overpower it. She gave the order and swiftly recalled the Vermilion Bird Ring to cover their retreat, allowing all the Covering Moon Sect disciples to flee.
No one dared delay. They scrambled to escape, and once everyone else had withdrawn, Nangong Wan took out a middle-grade intermediate Golden Silk Talisman to restrain the Ink Flood Dragon temporarily, then prepared to leave.
Just then, a dazzling azure divine radiance appeared, sweeping through the passage like a tide. It sealed the passage, which stood several dozen feet high, without leaving even a single crack.
"The Small Five-Elements Sumeru Formation!"
Nangong Wan cried out in shock, her expression turning exceedingly grim. By then, the Ink Flood Dragon had already broken free of the Golden Silk Talisman, and its green eyes stared fixedly at her.
"You vile beast!"
Nangong Wan shouted coldly, left with no choice but to fight the Ink Flood Dragon to the bitter end. Just then, however, a thick water arrow suddenly shot out and struck the beast hard in the back. It roared repeatedly, clearly in considerable pain.
"An Azure Water Crocodile!"
Nangong Wan stared in surprise at the Azure Water Crocodile that had launched the water arrow.
Enraged, the Ink Flood Dragon turned and charged at the Azure Water Crocodile.
At that moment, a figure in yellow stepped out. It was Lin He.
"So you were the person I sensed earlier. Hmph, have you finally decided to come out?"
"A whole crowd of you suddenly showed up here. Naturally, I had to keep out of your way. Otherwise, how would I still be alive?"
At a loss for a retort, Nangong Wan snorted coldly. "The passage is sealed now. We can only get out by killing this Ink Flood Dragon. Unfortunately, I don't have any powerful talismans on hand."
"I do have a powerful talisman treasure, but I need time to prepare it."
"A talisman treasure? Good, I'll buy you as much time as I can. Hmm? It seems your Azure Water Crocodile won't last much longer."
Lin He hurriedly looked over. Sure enough, the Azure Water Crocodile was completely outmatched by the Ink Flood Dragon. Neither its physical strength nor its spells could compete. By now, it was covered in wounds and retreating steadily.
Lin He hastily urged it with his spiritual sense, and the Azure Water Crocodile immediately withdrew. How could the Ink Flood Dragon let it escape?
Just as it was about to give chase, a fiery-red ring suddenly appeared and slipped around its body.
The Azure Water Crocodile took up a position beside Lin He. Casually releasing the Yellow Gauze Umbrella, Lin He began activating the tremendously powerful Golden Light Brick.
It absorbed a third of his magical power in one go. Its golden radiance grew ever more dazzling, and an enormous golden brick began to form.
The Ink Flood Dragon, which was struggling against the Vermilion Bird Ring, seemed to sense the danger as well. With a furious roar, it unleashed an irresistible surge of strength. Nangong Wan cried out in alarm, and the Vermilion Bird Ring flew back to her side.
Freed from the Vermilion Bird Ring's restraint, the enraged Ink Flood Dragon immediately charged toward Lin He. The Azure Water Crocodile hurriedly blocked its path, only to be knocked flying with ease.
The next instant, the Ink Flood Dragon's enormous body, several dozen feet tall, slammed into the Yellow Gauze Umbrella, sending violent tremors through the yellow sphere of light.
Yet the Yellow Gauze Umbrella truly deserved its reputation as an exceptionally fine top-tier defensive magical artifact. Even under such tremendous force, it did not immediately collapse.
The Ink Flood Dragon seemed greatly surprised as well. Just then, a thick water arrow shot out and halted its assault. On the other side, Nangong Wan activated the Vermilion Bird Ring again, trapping the beast once more.
"Are you still not ready? This vile beast is getting stronger and stronger!"
Nangong Wan cried out anxiously. Just then, Lin He, who sat cross-legged below, finally let out a breath of relief. An enormous golden brick, as large as a house, had appeared above his head.
He guided the golden brick over the Ink Flood Dragon's head. Seemingly aware of the danger, the beast hastily spat out purple core liquid, which actually held back the Golden Light Brick.
Seeing this, Nangong Wan threw out a bead with a pained expression, forcing the Ink Flood Dragon to stop spitting core liquid. The Golden Light Brick seized the opportunity to plunge down.
Golden light scattered in every direction, and spiritual power surged violently. The Ink Flood Dragon's head was smashed apart, leaving it at death's door.
Nangong Wan finally relaxed at the sight. She collected the flood dragon soul, then put away the large golden chest.
"I'm taking this golden chest. You have no objections, do you?"
Naturally, Lin He said nothing. Nangong Wan seemed to feel she had gotten the better end of the bargain, so she added, "The materials from this Ink Flood Dragon can be used to refine top-tier magical artifacts. They should be quite useful to you. You can also take all the dozen or so spirit medicines here."
The Ink Flood Dragon's body was indeed incredibly tough. Even the top-tier flying sword Lin He had obtained from Feng Yue could only cut a small opening in it.
Fortunately, he had quite a few top-tier magical artifacts. He took out the pair of long dagger-axes he had obtained from Zhongwu and hacked away for a while before he could barely manage to process the Ink Flood Dragon's corpse.
Nangong Wan watched curiously from the side as he took out so many top-tier magical artifacts, then sighed. "This Ink Flood Dragon had only just advanced to the second tier, so it hadn't yet formed a Demon Core. Otherwise, even Core Formation Stage cultivators would scramble to get their hands on it."
"A Demon Core? Do you mean this?"
Lin He pulled a fist-sized red sphere from the Ink Flood Dragon's abdomen.
"That's impossible! It only just advanced to the second tier. It couldn't have a Demon Core. Besides, the Ink Flood Dragon has a water attribute, so its Demon Core should be
"blue. Let me take a closer look."
Nangong Wan took the red sphere. Suddenly, with a pop, it burst apart, and a cloud of pink mist completely enveloped them both.