Chapter 228: A Timely Rescue

Backing away, she was about to leave the range of the water line’s perception.

The enemy’s movement trajectory rapidly materialized under Ling Xiaoyou’s perception. Her figure arrived in an instant, closing in on the enemy. Just then, Ling Xiaoyou released the bowstring, and the arrow streaked across the air.

It seemed the enemy had noticed that Ling Xiaoyou was tracking him through some kind of sensing method.

The arrow pierced into the enemy’s body, and Ling Xiaoyou activated the spell hidden within the arrow. With a soft “thud,” she knew the arrow had lodged itself into the enemy’s flesh.

Immediately after, a muffled explosion rang out from where Ling Xiaoyou was looking—the Water Explosion she had triggered was taking effect. Though she couldn’t see the enemy’s exact state right now, nor sense him through Spiritual Sense, the Water Explosion erupting inside his body continuously fed her the enemy’s true location.

“Now, I’ve found you!”

Ling Xiaoyou drew the bowstring again, tracking the enemy’s position. Seeing him continually retreat, she realized he was simply trying to create distance, avoiding further contact with the water lines.

“Hmph, what use is that!?”

The arrow materialized and was loosed in the same instant, striking the enemy square in the body and making him stumble a step.

Then, the enemy froze in place, seemingly puzzled—why could Ling Xiaoyou still detect his position even though he’d left the water line’s range?

But before he could think it through, the next arrow came flying toward him.

The enemy’s body hesitated for a moment, as if sensing something, then quickly snapped back to normal. He turned and sliced the arrow Ling Xiaoyou had fired clean in half with his sword.

Though those movements were subtle, Ling Xiaoyou—now able to clearly perceive the enemy’s actions—understood that he had figured out the reason she could locate him.

As the water slid off his longsword, Ling Xiaoyou could distinctly sense the enemy’s Spirit Power.

“Looks like this enemy isn’t one of those mindless devils. That’s a problem.”

Ling Xiaoyou clicked her tongue internally.

‘Dealing with a smart enemy like this wastes so much time, and time is exactly what I’m short on right now.’

She had to end this quickly!

The thought barely crossed her mind before Ling Xiaoyou unleashed her spell without hesitation.

As the air in the corridor grew damp, she pointed at the enemy’s position. Water immediately converged at his feet, attempting to trap him in place.

But the enemy was clearly on guard for this. The moment the water began to gather, he kicked off the ground, leaping upward and clinging to the ceiling.

Then, with some unknown spell, he stood upright on the ceiling as if it were solid ground, charging straight at Ling Xiaoyou across it!

“Are you some kind of Spider-Man?!”

‘I might use tentacles, but I’m not Doctor Octopus either!’

Ling Xiaoyou perceived all this and mentally ranted at lightning speed, but her spellcasting never stopped.

The water that had been forming a vortex was redirected, transforming into several spears that thrust toward the enemy!

But the enemy seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He stepped rapidly across the ceiling, dodging each spear in succession.

Seeing this, Ling Xiaoyou clenched her small hand. The spears the enemy had dodged exploded instantly, powerful shockwaves carrying scattered water droplets. Those bullet-like droplets now converged on the enemy all at once.

Feeling the attack from behind, the enemy tried to replicate his previous evasion—but the droplets, propelled by the fierce air currents, were several times faster than the spears.

And his attempt to repeat his earlier move resulted in him being struck by over a dozen water bullets.

A suppressed groan of pain escaped the enemy.

“Ugh…”

Over a dozen bullet-like droplets had pierced his body, yet his pace never stopped, and the distance between him and Ling Xiaoyou shrank with every step.

Sensing this, Ling Xiaoyou furrowed her brow slightly. She hadn’t expected this enemy to have such willpower.

But she had no interest in praising his tenacity right now. She needed to finish this battle as quickly as possible.

Ling Xiaoyou snapped her fingers.

The next moment, surging water burst forth from both the ceiling and the floor, engulfing the enemy within it.

The water—whose properties Ling Xiaoyou had deliberately altered into something akin to gel—made it nearly impossible for the enemy to move. Even as he struggled desperately, it was futile.

The gel-like water wrapped around the enemy, solidifying into the shape of a transparent block.

Then, Ling Xiaoyou activated her next spell.

As the pressure within the water block intensified, the enemy’s body was gradually squeezed, blood seeping out and mixing into the water, dyeing the block crimson.

“That should be enough to end it, right?”

Ling Xiaoyou muttered to herself while continuously increasing the pressure, aiming to kill the enemy quickly.

But then, she suddenly sensed the enemy inside the water block moving as if in slow-motion video, painstakingly bringing a flesh-like Alchemy Pill to his mouth.

Sensing the ominous aura emanating from that “pill,” Ling Xiaoyou’s face hardened. Spirit Power surged, and the pressure inside the water block multiplied severalfold.

Yet to her shock, even so, the enemy’s movements didn’t slow in the slightest—if anything, they seemed to speed up.

In the end, Ling Xiaoyou couldn’t stop the enemy from swallowing the “pill.”

“This is bad!”

That was Ling Xiaoyou’s first thought upon witnessing the enemy consume the “pill.”

And the outcome didn’t defy her expectations.

The next moment, she felt the water she had planted inside the enemy for tracking purposes being forcibly expelled by some kind of force.

Then, the water block was shattered with a single punch.

The gel-like water slid off the enemy’s body, but it couldn’t affect him in the slightest.

“Dammit, the enemy’s on his second stage!”

The thought barely surfaced in Ling Xiaoyou’s mind when she moved to retreat and create distance.

But just as she was about to act, she felt a gust of wind howl before her—something was coming at her like lightning.

Without hesitation, Ling Xiaoyou dissolved her body into water, evading the strike.

But the enemy seemed to have read her intent. The longsword in his other hand stabbed viciously into the water on the ground.

Normally, a purely physical attack like that wouldn’t harm Ling Xiaoyou.

But this sword carried an energy that felt like a mix of Spirit Power and Mana, and the moment it pierced the water, Ling Xiaoyou felt as though her entire body had been stabbed.

A ringing buzz flooded her mind. Her consciousness scattered for an instant, and her water form was forced to a halt under the strike.

Seeing this, the enemy showed no mercy. He cast his spell, and crimson flames erupted, intent on burning Ling Xiaoyou to ashes.

But before the spell could land, a lightning-like Sword Qi came slashing toward the enemy.