Star Martial Era: The Way of Star Light Cultivation
Chapter 358 - 165 Dawn (20,000 words combined for subscription)_4

Chapter 358: Chapter 165 Dawn (20,000 words combined for subscription)_4

The moment Xu Jin entered the water, silent ripples immediately wrapped around him. Just as he was about to counterattack, Ji Hongli’s voice reached Xu Jin’s ears, "Senior Brother Xu, it’s me. Don’t resist, I’ll take you down."

Before long, the water wave had carried Xu Jin straight down into the depths of the pool.

It seemed they had sunk about thirty meters deep when a cave appeared on the wall of the pool.

"Senior Brother Xu, I’m trapped in a hopeless situation. Why did you even come?"

Inside the watery hollow, although Ji Hongli sounded sorrowful, her eyes were filled with surprise.

No matter what, Ji Hongli was just a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl. No matter how resigned she was to life and death, no matter how strong, how could she not be afraid!

"Originally, you had a great chance of making it back alive, but now you’re trapped here too, you..."

Ji Hongli was speaking when she suddenly noticed Xu Jin’s face turn beet red, and he began to struggle. She instantly realized something was amiss.

She rushed forward, intending to expand the body of water which protected her and allowed her to breathe freely underwater. But her strength was limited, and the space she could currently maintain was just enough for her needs alone.

Watching as Xu Jin’s movements became frantic.

All of a sudden, Ji Hongli threw her arms forward and embraced Xu Jin from behind. In an instant, her body of water enveloped both Xu Jin and herself.

And in that moment, Xu Jin was able to breathe again.

"My goodness, I almost suffocated!"

Xu Jin gasped for air.

The intense water pressure and the feeling of drowning were terrifying.

Even with his cultivation level, he couldn’t last long underwater.

No wonder Tian Lie and Zi Yang didn’t dare dive in.

Of course, the main reason was that the pool was very deep.

They were only halfway down at a depth of over thirty meters.

At a depth of fifty or sixty meters, it’s no wonder that Ji Hongli, who practiced Water Series Star Skills, had managed to slip inside, leaving them without a way to deal with her.

It was only because there was no underwater passage. If there had been, Ji Hongli would have already escaped to safety.

"How are you feeling? Are you injured?" Xu Jin asked.

"I was badly injured when I was pursued by Zi Yang and Tian Lie, but I’ve mostly recovered after using two Low-Level Star Healing Emblems," said Ji Hongli.

"Senior Brother Xu, by the way, how did you manage to dive down without being detected? Can you leave without being noticed as well? If you can, then you should escape quickly, to avoid us both dying here. The State Preceptor would be heartbroken!" As she spoke these words, the young girl holding Xu Jin from behind was trembling slightly.

In her eyes, there was fear, hopelessness, but also hope.

At this moment, Ji Hongli’s emotions were incredibly complex.

She both hoped that Xu Jin could leave,

And hoped that Xu Jin would stay.

"It got dark outside, I have a Star Pattern that conceals my presence, so I dived in. I probably won’t be noticed if I leave," said Ji Hongli, both shocked and afraid. "Then, Senior Brother Xu, you should leave quickly. If the water level drops too much, it will become difficult to escape from those Fourth Tier experts watching above!"

"No rush, I’ll leave in a bit."

Hearing these words, Ji Hongli’s expression became extremely complicated once more.

A person like a rescuer had arrived, but was still going to leave, which made Ji Hongli feel particularly upset.

"However, before I leave, we need to come up with a plan to rescue you!" Xu Jin said.

Having been in utter despair, Ji Hongli instinctively held Xu Jin even tighter upon hearing these words, but she said, "Senior Brother Xu, this is a desperate situation. Forget about rescuing me. If you have a method of concealment, you should leave as soon as you can. Unfortunately, my Star Pattern slots are already full, otherwise I could learn that Star Pattern from you. Who knows, I might have a chance to escape!" said Ji Hongli.

"Yes!"

Although she said this, Xu Jin knew very well that not only was the Guicang Star Pattern not something that could be taught, even if it were, it would be useless.

Because Xu Jin’s Invisibility Star Skill came as a set, learning a single Star Pattern wouldn’t be very useful.

Xu Jin brought Ji Hongli up to speed on the situation outside, including the enemies’ strengths and the surrounding terrain, and then began to actively discuss with Ji Hongli strategies for their escape.

During the discussions, Ji Hongli was very proactive.

At seventeen or eighteen years old, in the prime of her youth, who would willingly accept death?

Throughout this process, Ji Hongli kept holding on to Xu Jin tightly.

Gradually, Xu Jin could feel Ji Hongli’s body heat, her firm chest, quite large.

And especially her long legs, which for the sake of staying within the water radius, were now coiled around Xu Jin’s waist from behind, exceptionally agile, giving Xu Jin an unusual sense of feeling.

But such thoughts were fleeting.

The main focus was still on devising a strategy for escape.

What Xu Jin didn’t know was that Ji Hongli, who held him, had cheeks redder than her red dress, her breath growing hotter, and Xu Jin’s scent, which she inhaled, becoming increasingly pleasant.

In all of eighteen years, she had never been so intimately close to a man.

Not even her father.

Let alone on her own initiative.

But the stirrings of raw emotion were suppressed after half a two-hour period passed with ever-diminishing conversation.

None of the methods they could think of seemed to offer a chance of escape!

With each strategy discussed, should Xu Jin expose himself, it meant certain death!

However, these were just typical deductions.

But Xu Jin had his own ideas.

If they were truly out of options, he would have to use the Dawn Emblem.

He wondered whether the nourished Dawn Emblem could kill Zi Yang, who was at the Seventh Layer of the Fourth Tier Star Condensation.