395: Chapter 395 Bait

Ye Tian walked to the edge of the pool and reached his hand into the water.

Sure enough, a chill instantly washed over him, but what made his heart skip a beat most was a sliver of deathly stillness mixed within it. It was somewhat similar to the aura under that small jade tree from before, yet also different.

"This pool water isn't simple." Ye Tian withdrew his hand and circulated his True Yuan to dissipate the chill, musing, "Besides the token, there's probably something else down there."

"Senior Sister Shui, I'll go down to get it. You all stay on the shore on guard. If anything unusual happens, support me immediately."

"No!" Shui Qingdie immediately objected. "Junior Brother Ye, you've been fighting continuously and have consumed a huge amount of energy."

"This water element token is my Opportunity; I should be the one to get it myself. I Cultivate a water-attribute Cultivation Technique, so my adaptability to this cold pool is stronger than yours."

"Junior Sister Shui is right," Dongfang Xinghe also said. "Junior Brother Ye, you provide support on the shore. If there really is danger underwater, you'll be in better condition to handle any emergencies."

"Among the four of us, you are currently the strongest; you shouldn't take risks lightly."

Pei Tieshan also scratched his head. "Yeah, Junior Brother Ye, just wait up here and back Senior Sister Shui up. If there really is some water monster, you can still give us a hand."

Ye Tian looked at the serious expressions of the three and knew they were worried about him, and he also understood that what they said made sense.

Although he didn't fear the cold pool, his familiarity and adaptability to the underwater environment were indeed inferior to Shui Qingdie, who specialized in water-attribute cultivation.

"Alright." Ye Tian stopped insisting and nodded, handing Shui Qingdie a Sensing Spiritual Talisman he had made himself that contained Chaos lightning power. "Senior Sister Shui, be careful with everything."

"If anything goes wrong, activate this talisman immediately, and I'll go down to support you at once."

"Okay." Shui Qingdie took the Sensing Spiritual Talisman and tucked it away safely. She gave Ye Tian a bright and moving smile. "Wait for my good news."

She took a deep breath, and a layer of pale blue water light shimmered around her body, enveloping her. Then, she leaped and plunged into the cold pool.

Ye Tian, Dongfang Xinghe, and Pei Tieshan stood guard by the pool, their nerves taut. Their eyes remained fixed on the water surface as they waited anxiously.

Time passed bit by bit. The pool water remained calm, with only the sound of dripping water echoing.

The time it takes for one incense stick to burn passed.

The time it takes for two incense sticks to burn passed.

Before going into the water, Shui Qingdie had said that with her cultivation and swimming ability, she could stay down for at most two incense sticks' worth of time; whether she succeeded or not, she had to surface for air.

Ye Tian's brow gradually furrowed as he stared at the bottomless pool water, a hint of unease rising in his heart.

Just as the third incense stick was about to finish burning, Ye Tian prepared to force his way into the water.

Splash!

In the center of the calm pool, the water suddenly began to churn violently!

A pale blue light shield burst out of the water, and inside the shield was Shui Qingdie!

However, her face was currently as pale as paper, blood was seeping from the corners of her mouth, and the pale blue protective water light was fluctuating violently, flickering unsteadily. She had clearly suffered significant injuries.

Behind her, the pool water exploded, and a huge, hideous tail covered in greenish-black scales lashed out fiercely toward Shui Qingdie's back!

"Junior Sister Shui!" Dongfang Xinghe cried out in alarm and was about to rush forward, but Ye Tian held him back.

"Don't go over there!" Ye Tian barked, his sharp gaze locking onto the giant tail sweeping toward them.

The aura of this thing was even stronger than he had expected, having reached the Fourth Stage Peak of the Sea Transformation Realm. Moreover, being in the cold pool and bolstered by the cold Death Qi, its ferocious power was even greater.

Dongfang Xinghe and Pei Tieshan were not in good condition; rushing forward recklessly would not only fail to save her but might also make the situation even more chaotic.

With that thought, Ye Tian rushed toward a point where the giant tail's sweeping trajectory would meet the shore. He had calculated the distance and speed perfectly.

Shui Qingdie endured the intense pain in her internal organs and the chill, erupting with all her remaining True Yuan. The pale blue light outside her body flashed suddenly, forcing her to shift horizontally in mid-air while simultaneously striking out a Water Wave Palm Print to gain leverage.

"Bang!" The palm print hit the scales, only splashing water, but the counter-force finally allowed her to avoid a direct blow from the giant tail.

However, the force of the wind was still significant. It brushed past her back, causing her protective water light to flicker violently. She let out a muffled groan, blood trickling from her mouth as she fell toward the shore.

At that moment, Ye Tian arrived. His left hand grasped and pulled at the Void Realm, his True Yuan supporting Shui Qingdie and slowing her fall. At the same time, he joined his fingers on his right hand and pointed from a distance at the tip of the giant tail!

Swoosh!

A gray light sank into it, and the scales instantly turned gray and withered. A small patch of the surrounding flesh shriveled and died.

The invasion of the Power of Annihilation brought intense pain and a continuous sense of destruction. The vicious creature beneath the pool let out a pained hiss.

Taking advantage of this gap, Ye Tian had already dashed forward to catch the falling Shui Qingdie, then retreated several zhang to a safe spot on the shore.

"Senior Sister Shui, are your injuries serious?" Ye Tian asked quickly after setting Shui Qingdie down, his eyes still locked onto the churning surface of the pool.

He could feel the cold Qi stagnating within Shui Qingdie's body and her Meridians were damaged, but her life was not in danger for the time being.

"Cough... I'm... I'm alright."

Shui Qingdie's face was deathly pale and her aura was weak, but her eyes were still clear. She quickly swallowed a Medicinal Pill and struggled to stand firm, looking toward the cold pool.

"At the bottom of the pool... the token guarded by the Black Snake is on the stone platform below..."

Ye Tian sensed the restless, rising ferocious aura beneath the pool and said in a heavy voice, "It's a mutated Cold Water Black Serpent, Fourth Stage Peak of the Sea Transformation Realm. Infused with cold Death Qi, it's even harder to deal with than others of the same rank."

"Fourth Stage Peak of the Sea Transformation Realm?!" Pei Tieshan gasped, looking at the deep pool water, his scalp tingling.

The difficulty of the battle with the Rock-Earth Behemoth just now was still fresh in his mind, and this Black Snake was even stronger and held all the geographical advantages.

Dongfang Xinghe's expression was incredibly solemn. "This cold pool environment is an excellent enhancement for it, but a massive debuff for us."

"Junior Sister Shui's Cultivation Technique is of the water element, yet she was still injured like this. If we go underwater to fight, we probably won't even be able to exert seventy percent of our strength. Forcing our way to the bottom of the pool would be fraught with danger."

For a moment, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

The token was right before their eyes, yet separated by a pool of cold water and a terrifying Black Snake.

Dongfang Xinghe's brow was tightly furrowed, his gaze moving between Shui Qingdie's pale face and the deep cold pool. Suddenly, he spoke, "Perhaps... there's a way we can try."

"What way?" Pei Tieshan asked hurriedly.

"This Black Snake resides in the cold pool to guard the token; it must be extremely sensitive to and desirous of water element Spiritual Qi, especially pure water element spiritual items."

Dongfang Xinghe analyzed, "Junior Sister Shui Cultivates a high-grade water element Cultivation Technique, and her True Yuan is pure."

"If we use Junior Sister Shui herself as a lure to simulate the illusion of a top-grade water element spiritual item maturing and emitting an enticing aura on the shore..."

"That Black Snake's intelligence isn't low, but being tainted by cold Death Qi, its inherent greed and brutality will be magnified."

"When it senses a more 'delicious' 'spiritual item' on the shore and sees that several of us have 'low cultivation,' it's very likely it won't be able to resist coming ashore..."

"Using Senior Sister Shui as bait?" Ye Tian's brow immediately furrowed, interrupting Dongfang Xinghe's words. "No! That's too dangerous!"

He looked at the weak Shui Qingdie and shook his head. "That Black Snake is at the Fourth Stage Peak of the Sea Transformation Realm, cunning and cruel, and snake-type Vicious Beasts are incredibly fast."

"Once it's lured ashore, its primary target will definitely be Senior Sister Shui, who is acting as the 'bait'."

"Vicious Beasts are not humans; once provoked, it's likely to fight to the death! Given Senior Sister Shui's current state, how can she resist? One slip-up and she'll be beyond redemption. This method is inappropriate; we need to think of another plan."

Shui Qingdie, however, was stunned.

She looked at Ye Tian's furrowed brow, and her heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something.

When she encountered danger while getting the token underwater earlier, he had rushed up to save her without hesitation. Now, he was again the first to object to putting her in danger.

His concern and protection were without a hint of hypocrisy or calculation.

This was completely different from the suitors she had seen in the past, who were either subtle or passionate but always carried some kind of ulterior motive.

For a moment, an emotion mixed with warmth, a touch of bitterness, and an inexplicable throbbing quietly spread through the lake of her heart.

Seeing him show a rare toughness for the sake of her safety, a hint of red couldn't help but rise on Shui Qingdie's pale cheeks.