Chapter 403: Coco’s Deterrence

Suddenly, another cry sounded out. They all turned around to see a small boat shatter. A few students had been completely suppressed by a war spirit, and they were practically unable to retaliate in any way. 

Kuang Wang’s expression changed. “It’s as strong as a Realm Master! This war spirit was birthed from some previous Realm Master.”  

Lu Yin raised his hand towards the war spirit and then blasted out with an attack. “Spacerender Palm.”

His Spacerender Palm formed a bullet of compressed air that sped across the Ocean of Death’s surface before directly impacting against the war spirit. The spirit turned around at the last second and extended both hands to clash against the pressurized air bullet from the Spacerender Palm. However, at that same moment, its body collapsed, and it vanished from the Ocean of Death.

Lu Yin’s single Spacerender Palm had been enough to easily wipe out a Realm Master level student, which caused both Feng Shang and Kuang Wang to feel slightly fearful. How had this fellow become so strong? 

Lu Yin pulled his hand back. He didn’t really want to help anyone outside of his group, but once a war spirit appeared, it would continue attacking everyone nearby until either it was defeated or everyone else had been eliminated. Since Lu Yin would eventually need to act, he might as well act sooner rather than later. 

“Thank you, Chief Lu, for your help.”

“Thank you…”

…

Many students in the distance were grateful to Lu Yin.

Feng Shang looked at Lu Yin in amazement. “Brother Lu, your power has long since exceeded what the Astral Combat Academy’s students can endure. Thirty Stacks is rumored to match the record of one of the Ten Arbiters. It’s amazingly strong.”

“Pervert,” Kuang Wang mumbled.

Lu Yin smiled as he shook his head. “The records left behind by the Ten Arbiters are just mere legends, and no one knows the truth of the matter. So, Brother Feng, there’s no need to pay too much attention to this.”

Feng Shang sighed and looked into the depths of the Ocean of Death. “The Ten Arbiters are the benchmark for the younger generation as well as the standard for the universe. Everyone’s goal is to surpass the Ten Arbiters, but not one person has managed to do it. Thirty Stacks is the record left behind by one of the Ten Arbiters from back then.” At that moment, Feng Shang directed a serious face towards Lu Yin. “If Brother Lu can surpass that, then your accomplishments will definitely be recorded down in history.” 

“That might not be a good thing,” Lu Yin commented unenthusiastically.

Feng Shang continued to look at him seriously, but he didn’t speak any further. 

On the other side, Xia Luo looked at Lu Yin, but he did not speak either. However, a strange smile seemed to linger on his lips. 

Half a day passed, and Zora’s face had become deathly white. It was clear that she could not endure any further. Lu Yin said, “Coco, take over for Zora.” 

“Ok,” Coco acknowledged. Then, she hurriedly used her star energy to form a boat.

Zora apologized. “I’m sorry. I never thought that I wouldn’t be able to last for even two days.”

Lu Yin shook his head. “The deeper in we go, the faster the Ocean of Death will wear away at our star energy. There’s no need to blame yourself. Anyone else would have been the same.” 

Feng Shang nodded. “That’s right, those small boats behind us have already switched their pilots a few times. You’re pretty decent to have lasted for this long.” 

“About average,” Kuang Wang said carelessly. 

Coco frowned and stared at Kuang Wang. “Sister Zora is not just ‘average!’ She ranks among the top within the Astral Combat Academy.” 

Kuang Wang sneered. He had not been teasing Zora, as it was just his natural reaction. Unfortunately, his contemptuous attitude bothered Coco, who rarely lost her temper. She would become serious as long as it involved Zora, and in her eyes, Kuang Wang had looked down on Zora just now. This infuriated Coco, and her syringe appeared as she stared straight at Kuang Wang. 

Kuang Wang and Feng Shang were stunned. “What’s this thing?” 

Coco stared at Kuang Wang. “I want to give you a jab.”

“What a joke. I’m not even sick!” Kuang Wang shrieked. Even for him, it was terrifying to see such a huge syringe, even if Coco was far weaker than him. There was a strange chill hanging in the air.

Coco snorted. “You have bad breath.”

Kuang Wang was speechless.

Zora forced a smile onto her face. “Alright, Coco. Senior had no bad intentions, so put your innate gift away.”

Coco suppressed the words that she wanted to say and stared at Kuang Wang again. The syringe vanished.

Kuang Wang grudgingly said, “Brother Lu, your academy is rather special. It has people with all sorts of innate gifts.”

Feng Shang was similarly stunned. “Such a large syringe is more intimidating than any weapon.”

Every time Lu Yin saw the syringe, he felt the same fear. “That’s Coco’s innate gift. She was born in Windrift Hall, and she’s rather skilled in first aid. Do either of you wish to try it?”

“No thanks.”

“No thanks.”

The two of them answered instantly and simultaneously.

Coco was not as talented in battle as Zora, but her star energy was not that much inferior to Zora’s. Even so, she was only able to last for one day. Things became more difficult the further in they went. After Coco, it was Xia Luo’s turn.

Feng Shang and Kuang Wang estimated that Xia Luo would only last for a day at best, which was a rather generous evaluation. In their current location, Coco wouldn’t even be able to last for half a day. Lu Yin held more confidence in Xia Luo, as he had specially observed Xia Luo and noticed that his rune lines numbered no less than that of Kuang Wang and Feng Shang. This meant that, in terms of power, Xia Luo had the strength of an academy leader. He had been continuously improving all this time, and his rate of progress was impressive. He had possessed the strength of an Area Master during the Astral Combat Tournament, and he currently held the strength of a Realm Master. This was not a simple improvement. 

Of course, measuring one’s strength by the number of rune lines was not completely accurate. For example, at the Sky Platform, when Lu Yin activated his domain and battle force, his rune lines had increased. The amount of runes that composed a person was not fixed, and this went for Xia Luo, Feng Shang, and Kuang Wang. 

It could only be said that, without considering any battle techniques or innate gifts, the three had around the same level of strength. Once external strength was included in the equation, it was no longer clear who was weaker or stronger. 

Xia Luo steered the boat. Now, there were only three boats that were still following them. One was the group from Wu Da’s tabloid, and Lu Yin did not recognize the other two.

“They’re not bad if they’re able to keep up with us to this point.” Lu Yin glanced behind.

Feng Shang looked back as well. “One’s from the tabloid, and another’s from Shamrock Enterprises. The last is unknown.”

Kuang Wang glanced back. “It’s the spirit hunters.”

These words caught Lu Yin’s attention, as the spirit hunter teams had always existed in the trial zones. These groups were mostly formed from members of the great powers, but they did not bother with the training grounds. Instead, they focused on hunting down war spirits.

“What’s their goal?” Coco asked.

Kuang Wang replied, “To hunt down war spirits, but no one knows why. Before I came to the Astral Combat Academy, the Divine Grade Hall ancestor told me that if I couldn’t fight for the position of the academy leader, then I should form a spirit hunter team.”

“He didn’t tell you why you should hunt the war spirits?” Lu Yin asked.

Kuang Wang shook his head. “I’ve heard that it’s related to the trial zone’s inheritance, but despite so many years passing, I’ve never heard of anyone obtaining any inheritance from hunting war spirits. At most, the hunters will get to experience the battle techniques of former powerhouses. There are many inheritances in the trial zones, and one can encounter them just by roaming around. So logically, there should be no need to specially hunt the war spirits.”

“It should be related to the actual phenomenon. The formation of the war spirits involves the trial zone’s greatest inheritance. Everyone wants to obtain it, so investing effort towards it isn’t a waste,” Feng Shang said.

Lu Yin looked at the spirit hunter team. They did not know the reason behind their actions, but he did. They were definitely hunting the war spirits to better sense the Rune Technology that the trial zones were created with. They were trying to use this method to obtain the Rune Technology’s inheritance. However, their method was not very productive. Instead, it would be better to directly ascend the Sky Platform. Of course, even the student leaders weren’t capable of doing that, so there was no need to consider the spirit hunters. It was a rigid method, but it was also the only method. 

Those ancestors from great powers had instructed their members to form spirit hunter teams, so did that mean that they also knew about the Rune Technology Civilization?

A day passed, but the shore of the Ocean of Death still could not be seen. Despite that, Xia Luo still looked fine, seemingly not at all affected by the ocean’s dissolving effects.

Feng Shang and Kuang Wang exchanged shocked looks, as they had been discussing who would replace Xia Luo next. But now, they had discovered that Xia Luo did not need anyone to replace him, which was quite strange. This person’s power definitely surpassed the other students’.

They had not paid much attention to Xia Luo, as it was very normal for a few students in the Astral Combat Tournament to be able to rival Area Masters. However, they now had to reevaluate their view of Xia Luo, as a normal Area Master was not capable of this. 

At this point, there were only two boats still following behind Lu Yin’s group. One was Shamrock Enterprises’, and the other was the spirit hunters’. Wu Da’s group was nowhere to be seen.

“It’s beginning,” Kuang Wang warned sternly.

They all looked at him.

“The illusions are about to start,” Kuang Wang warned. 

Coco was afraid, and she leaned up against Zora. 

Lu Yin’s eyes flashed, and he started silently reciting the Stonewall Scriptures. He had long since developed a habit of reciting the Stonewall Scriptures whenever he encountered an unpredictable situation, as this strange scripture often had mysterious effects. 

A wave passed through the void, causing Lu Yin and the rest to look behind them. The boat belonging to the spirit hunters gradually disappeared; a war spirit had appeared beside them. 

Their team was definitely not weak, as one of them was at least as strong as an Area Master. However, they still found it hard to defend against the war spirit since it had the strength of a Realm Master.

In this region of the Ocean of Death, it was quite common to encounter a powerful war spirit.

The boat carrying the team from Shamrock Enterprises was the closest to the war spirit, and Lu Yin and the others helplessly watched on as the war spirit attacked them. Tu Bo attacked the spirit first, but his attack passed right through the war spirit before fading into nothingness. 

“It’s an illusion!” Kuang Wang shouted in a deep voice.

They were all shocked and looked back again. The spirit hunters’ boat was unscathed, but the other students were looking at Lu Yin’s group with strange expressions. On the other side, Shamrock Enterprise’s boat showed no abnormalities either.

Lu Yin frowned. If that was an illusion, did that mean that the Stonewall Scriptures were useless as well?

“In that illusion just now, if Tu Bo had not attacked, what would have happened?” Xia Luo asked.

Kuang Wang’s eyes went sharp. “One of us would have died.”

Coco’s face turned deathly white.

Lu Yin’s brows rose. “A transferred attack?”  

Kuang Wang replied, “I don’t know. I’ve been to the Ocean of Death multiple times, and I’ve encountered such a situation before. The illusion seemed to attack Tu Bo, but it was actually attacking one of us. If a person is struck by the illusion, then the spiritual force of that person will be completely eradicated, and they will die.”

Zora hugged Coco, as girls were more inclined to be uncomfortable in such strange scenarios. Zora then unconsciously looked far across the Ocean of Death, as she wanted to see if the end was in sight. The moment she turned her head, a pair of bloodshot eyes appeared right next to her and intently stared back at her.

Fresh blood flowed down from the eyes and onto Zora’s hand. The blood was cold, and Zora’s entire body was frozen. Her pupils shrank to pinpricks, and she shrieked in terror. 

Lu Yin and the rest looked over, but they saw nothing.

Coco also jumped in fright, and she reflexively hugged Zora. “Sister Zora, what happened?”

Everyone else also looked at Zora.

Zora was still in a panic, and her pupils flickered as she panted raggedly. Her pale face was completely drained of blood. “I- I saw a pair of bloody eyes.”

Kuang Wang replied. “It was an illusion. Remember, you must defend yourself against any illusion’s attack. If you freeze, you’ll only find death awaiting you.”

Lu Yin frowned tightly. This was troublesome. Was there no way to sense the illusions before they appeared?

He suddenly thought of something. Star energy surged into both of his eyes as he looked at the Ocean of Death. Now, the ocean transformed into countless rune lines, and many were gradually converging behind Coco.

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