Cultivation by Trial and Error
Chapter 733: 726: Annihilation

Chapter 733: Chapter 726: Annihilation

Although he could hear Chen Hai’s voice, Zong Sheng tried everything but still couldn’t pinpoint Chen Hai’s location.

“Only a coward hides and skulks about,” he shouted. “Come out and face your death!”

Zong Sheng roared, and although the surrounding environment was dark as ink, his heightened senses allowed him to take in every inch of the area.

Unfortunately, even though he could clearly see the insects crawling between the rocks, he still couldn’t find a trace of Chen Hai.

Having no other choice, he clenched his teeth and swung his Short Sword.

Sword Light was dense and pervasive, almost omnipresent.

Centered on him, the mine’s entire area—front, back, left, and right—was completely enveloped in the endless Sword Light.

In that instant, the brilliant Sword Light illuminated the whole mine as bright as day.

The wider the range of attack, the weaker the intensity of his Sword Light after it had spread out.

Utilizing such a wide-ranging attack was a last resort for Zong Sheng.

Countless Sword Light slashed in all directions, and he didn’t expect to cause Chen Hai serious damage. In his view, if the attack could force Chen Hai out of the shadows, it would already be a decent outcome.

“Oh, are you angry and out of tricks now?”

“Wanting me to come out and face death? I’ve been by your side all along, but you’re too weak to detect my presence.”

“Seeing you so flustered and exasperated, I must say, a lot of my frustration seems to have faded.”

“I’m usually too kind-hearted,” he continued, “but since you’re so eager to meet me, I’ll satisfy your request…”

Amidst a strange, mocking laugh, Chen Hai, who had been invisible all along, finally appeared a few steps to the left of Zong Sheng.

First, it was his fist as big as a pot that appeared, and then his ordinary face followed.

His face always bore a faint smile, and the moment his fist appeared, it smashed straight towards Zong Sheng’s head.

Truth be told, while Chen Hai’s Concealing Breath Technique was mystical, the moment he attacked, the secret technique could no longer hide his movements.

At this moment, even though he stated he appeared to fulfill Zong Sheng’s demand, they were just empty niceties.

The reality was, as his fist hammered down on Zong Sheng, his figure couldn’t have remained hidden even if he wanted to.

“Well met, Giant Blade Slash!”

Zong Sheng, who had been swinging wildly without a target and holding back his frustration, was not only unfazed when he saw Chen Hai’s fist coming at him but rather delighted.

The Sword Light he had previously sent out in all directions still had much of its strength left, not yet entirely dissipated.

Facing the oncoming fist of Chen Hai, he performed a sword jue, drawing and guiding the endless Sword Light in the void.

They converged behind Chen Hai in the mine in an instant, forming into a giant blade that, with unparalleled might, cleaved straight towards Chen Hai.

As for Zong Sheng himself, he had somehow managed to make a several feet deep indentation in the mine wall he had been leaning against.

Before Chen Hai’s fist truly hit his head, Zong Sheng ducked down, his entire body tucked into the indentation behind him.

This recess in the rock wall, which Zong Sheng had made during his random Sword Light swings, proved he was incredibly meticulous and experienced in combat.

Perhaps he had anticipated that Chen Hai, merged with the darkness, would certainly approach and launch a surprise attack.

After Zong Sheng retreated into the recess below the rock wall, for Chen Hai’s fist to truly land on him would require a change in tactics.

But the giant blade formed by countless Sword Lights was unlikely to grant him the time to adjust his move.

To avoid the giant blade, it seemed Chen Hai’s only option was to stop his attack on Zong Sheng.

If this particular scheme had succeeded, without a doubt, Zong Sheng would have surely turned the tables, shifting from defense to offense.

He had always had immense confidence in his own strength.

As long as Chen Hai exposed his whereabouts, being a Heavenly Immortal just like himself, Zong Sheng did not believe he would be much weaker.

His scheme was indeed formidable, but alas, for every skill there is a counter skill, and the devil always has a trick up his sleeve.

Speaking of origins, labeling Chen Hai a demon would also seem to just barely make sense.

Seeing Zong Sheng retreat into a crevice in the rock face, his fist hitting empty air, and the giant sword at his back bringing with it a terrifying momentum as it slashed towards his nape, Chen Hai did not even turn his head.

From within his body, numerous tentacles, tips fitted with fierce maws, shot out.

“Pfft… pfft… pfft…”

Zong Sheng, hidden within the crevice, had limited space to move. It was clear without thinking that there was no way to avoid the dense mass of dreadful tentacles.

In his panic, all he could do was hastily summon a copper shield to protect his head and the vital areas of his upper body.

As for Devouring Touch, he was utterly unaware; otherwise, he would have clearly understood that this method of defense was futile.

The small copper shield, though temporarily preventing the Devouring Touch from piercing his head and heart, could not stop the continuous dull thuds against other parts of his body—he had no idea how many tentacles had penetrated his flesh.

The giant blade slashing towards Chen Hai’s back had not yet truly landed when it crumbled apart, dissipating into nothingness.

The small copper shield that Zong Sheng had held up could no longer be grasped; with a clang, it fell to the ground.

The delightful sensation that the Devouring Touch brought as it pierced into his body seemed to plunge Zong Sheng into a state of extreme ecstasy.

His face flushed with a red hue, his whole body completely uncontrollable, twitching nonstop as if in a fit of epilepsy.

“Spare… spare my life…”

Logically speaking, at this time, the look he should have given Chen Hai was one filled with hatred.

However now, his eyes were hazily drunken, and as he pleaded for mercy, the ardent gaze he cast at Chen Hai made Chen Hai’s skin crawl with goosebumps.

At the flicker of a thought, the power of Devouring Touch surged.

Zong Sheng’s body withered at a visible rate, and in just a few breaths, he had vanished without a trace, leaving only a torn vestment robe riddled with holes on the cold ground of the mine.

“Devouring Touch, such a divine skill, is indeed formidable. Its only flaw is that when used, it’s rather unsightly to the eye!”

Bringing all the tentacles back into his body, Chen Hai sighed lightly, remarking with a sense of reflection.

From the tattered vestment robe on the ground, he retrieved a Storage Bag and carelessly stowed it in his bosom.

“The great battle outside should still be ongoing at this time.”

“They fight their battles, which really have no great benefit to me.”

“The fact that Zong Sheng, a Heavenly Immortal from the Demon Palace, pursued me and that many people witnessed it, and that I evaded him by hiding in this mine, is a perfectly legitimate excuse.”

“Even after the battle is over, if someone deliberately tries to make things difficult, I can justify myself.”

“Forget it, I won’t go out just yet. I’ll find a place in the mine and lay low for a while, to assimilate the benefits gained from this battle!”

Tilting his head, Chen Hai pondered for a moment and muttered to himself.

For someone like him, who felt no sense of belonging to the Heavenly Mansion and had the opportunity to slack off, he naturally had no interest in risking his life for others.

In the central area of the camp, chaos reigned with combat everywhere. Being in such a situation and merely watching without participating was rather conspicuous, and so, with no alternative, Chen Hai had blended into the crowd to play an inconspicuous role.

Now that he had found a suitable excuse, he naturally harbored other thoughts.

Taking long strides, he flew towards the depths of the mine and disappeared.