Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In Yan Liqiang’s previous life, he wasn’t a great swimmer, but he knew how to swim well enough like an average person. At the start of this life, he was also an average swimmer. What really shaped him into an excellent swimmer was the time he spent practicing spear shaking underwater during his time in Deer Villa at the Imperial Capital.
In order to perform spear shaking underwater without drowning, he first had to learn how to hold his breath. At first, Yan Liqiang wasn’t able to hold his breath for a long time. After staying underwater for a long time, he gradually learned to hold his breath and eventually for a longer period of time.
To perform spear shaking under a violent waterfall while being hit by the changing water current due to spear motions, he also learned how to hold his breath while maintaining his balance in water by perceiving the changes in the water current.
As a result, Yan Liqiang was pretty much practicing his swimming ability while he was shaking his spear underwater. Therefore, the day he perfected the true spear technique, his swimming ability had unknowingly improved to a terrifying extent. Putting aside the rest, Yan Liqiang could move freely underwater for more than an hour with just a single breath.
The moment he plunged into White Grass Lake, the people from Dark Wood Tribe were bound to fail in catching him underwater.
White Grass Lake seemed clear and green from afar. It was only when Yan Liqiang went about twenty meters into the lake did he realize that the waters were quite deep. The bottom of the lake was shaped like a bowl that was at least a meter deep. There were many colorful water plants in the lake. When the sunlight shone into the lake, the swaying water plants looked like colorful flags fluttering in the wind. They were certainly a gorgeous sight to behold.
Apart from water plants, there were quite a few rocks at the bottom of the lake. A lot of fish were also swimming freely in the lake.
With the Horned Python Bow on Yan Liqiang’s back, his free hands and legs allowed him to move easily underwater. It was alright for the Horned Python Bow to be in water due to the special material used for its frame and bowstring. It would be fine as long as it wasn’t soaked in water for more than a year. Thus, Yan Liqiang had nothing to worry about.
He gently paddled through the water. The strength and agility of his tough body allowed him the flexibility of a loach in water. In just a flash, he reached the lake bottom and swam more than two thousand meters, thus completely shaking off his pursuers.
Yan Liqiang didn’t even bother to look at his pursuers because he knew none of them could catch up with him even if they followed him into the water. All he had to do was continue swimming forward.
After an hour passed, only then did he resurface to take a deep breath.
He was currently at the depths of White Grass Lake, more than ten thousand meters away from the edge. There were strong ripples in the crystal clear water, but Yan Liqiang didn’t see anyone else on the lake’s surface. The Fiery-Eyed Golden Falcon was still hovering in the sky above, but the information from it indicated that the Dark Wood Tribe army had left and returned.
“Hahaha! As expected, this really worked! I’m looking forward to seeing how the story will continue to unfold for the Shatu Seven Tribes on the Gulang Plains…!” Yan Liqiang started laughing. He knew that he had succeeded this time. The Dark Wood Tribe would definitely pin the assassination of Wugusa on the Dark Razor Tribe and the Shatu Alliance, thus destroying any possibility of reconciliation between both parties.
The Dark Wood Tribe might also experience internal struggle as Wugusa’s sons would be fighting to succeed as the chief. Regardless of who became the next chief, if that person failed to avenge his father, he wouldn’t be able to establish his status in the tribe and thus wouldn’t be able to keep his position as the chief for long.
Whoever succeeded as the next Dark Wood Tribe’s chief was none of Yan Liqiang’s concern. He didn’t care if the Dark Wood Tribe ultimately fought the Dark Razor Tribe or got exterminated either. His objectives were achieved as long as he managed to keep the chaos burning on the Gulang Plains and keep the Shatu Seven Tribes busy for a period of time.
The sky wasn’t dark yet. The Dark Razor Tribe army and many experts that were supposed to attend the peace talk should be gathered around White Grass Lake by now. Not only that, but there were also many eyes in the sky. Although the Fiery-Eyed Golden Falcon was impressive, there was no way it could handle everything. If Yan Liqiang were to resurface now and get discovered by the experts or get surrounded by the army on the plains, things would be bad even if he was powerful. Therefore, it was best if he waited for a few more hours in water and only resurfaced at nightfall to make a quick escape from White Grass Lake. That way, the chance of him being discovered would be slimmer. Even if he was discovered, he would have a better chance of escaping and avoid being surrounded by the army. This was the evacuation plan that Yan Liqiang had decided on.
Yan Liqiang floated on the water for a while to take in a few breaths. Just when he was about to submerge into the water and stay there for another hour, he noticed many fish jumping on the lake’s surface in the distance.
The jumping fish were a type of palm-sized small silver flying fish in the lake with huge pectoral and ventral fins. After jumping out of the water surface, they could fly for another seven or eight meters with the help of their pectoral and ventral fins before falling back into the water.
The jumping little fish glittered under the sunlight. Rainbow appeared above the countless splashes they made when they fell back into the water. The little fish came flying up one after another before falling back into the water, putting on a beautiful show of silvery and iridescent glittering lights.
Yan Liqiang immediately stopped to admire the wondrous scene above the lake and didn’t return into the water. He mumbled to himself, “I didn’t expect to see such spectacular scenery here at White Grass Lake…”
After watching for two seconds, Yan Liqiang frowned because he realized that the big groups of flying fish seemed to be flying in his direction. The little fish in a straight line within about a hundred meters from him flew up and toward him…
“Something’s not right…!” Yan Liqiang’s expression changed immediately. The flying fish weren’t jumping to put on a show. They were moving on instinct and jumped out of the water surface because they realized something dangerous was approaching.
Thinking up to this point, Yan Liqiang immediately straightened his body and slammed his palms heavily on the water surface, making splash column of more than ten meters tall. The opposite force instantly launched Yan Liqiang about seven or eight meters high into the air.
From above, Yan Liqiang finally saw a gigantic black shadow about twenty meters long underwater in the distance, beneath the lake surface where the flying fish were flying out of. It was charging toward Yan Liqiang at high speed like an arrow, leaving behind a trail of startled flying fish.
Goddamn, what the hell is that?!
The black shadow was moving too fast underwater. If they were on land, Yan Liqiang could definitely outrun it. However, they were underwater. Even if Yan Liqiang was the White Stripe in the Waves [1], there was no way he could match the speed of that black shadow.
Since Yan Liqiang had no wings, his body free-fell into the water with a plop after he leaped out of the water surface to get a good look at that black shadow.
In just the blink of an eye, the black shadow was only a hundred meters away from Yan Liqiang and he was able to finally identify the black shadow.
It was a leech, nearly twenty meters long and two meters wide. It was a black leech that was huge beyond imagination. Yan Liqiang could even clearly see the deep stripes on its body, and its mouth that resembled a huge suction pad.
The gigantic leech moved back and forth in the water as it charged menacingly toward Yan Liqiang.
At this very moment, Yan Liqiang’s brain was numb. Even without looking in the mirror, he knew his face was definitely pale.
Just how many years did this leech grow from the size of a finger to this?! Without a doubt, it was definitely a rare water beast that had been dwelling in White Grass Lake. Despite being in this world for many years, Yan Liqiang had never heard about leeches growing into such a terrifying size.
Yan Liqiang had thought of everything for this operation and ambush — the time, location, method, arrow for ambush and escape route. The only thing he didn’t expect was to encounter such a monster in the lake.
The bone-chilling way the leech was speeding toward Yan Liqiang didn’t seem like it was here to say hello to him.
There wasn’t much time for Yan Liqiang to think because the leech had rushed in front of Yan Liqiang along with the surging waters.
Yan Liqiang didn’t even hesitate. By the time the leech was in front of him, he once again slammed his palms on the water surface and propelled himself into midair. While he was in the air, he quickly retrieved the Horned Python Bow on his back, nocked the last black runed arrow he had with him, and fully drew his bow.
Waves surged as the gigantic leech rushed out of the water. Its terrifying, twenty-meter-long body swept toward Yan Liqiang.
Yan Liqiang released the black runed arrow. It went into the leech from its suction pad-like mouth, then exited from the other end of its body before penetrating the water.
The leech’s gigantic body trembled for a bit before it fell into the water.
Yan Liqiang, who fired an arrow in midair, also fell into the water.
As soon as he fell into the water, Yan Liqiang felt an overwhelming force coming toward him. The leech’s tail swept toward him like a mountain of flesh. There was no escaping…!
With a thud, the hundred-picul Horned Python Bow was forcibly knocked out of his grasp as Yan Liqiang was sent tumbling over twenty meters in the water by that tremendous water force…
