novelraw Chapter 1635 - 1634 - Camper
Chapter 1635 - 1634 - Camper
Lind was vastly different compared to when he first arrived in the Divine Lands. He now understood that his Dao Art was highly destructive under the right conditions but a Journeyman Tier could still easily fend it off if prepared or with sufficient warning.
The Art of Defiance was highly effective but it was still not much more than applying his intent via his harmonic Qi. Thus, in the centuries he spent honing his professions as best he could, he had tested various applications.
His Dao Weapon was far more terrifying as he could tap into his Mysteries with it, but he would be severely depleted very quickly so it was only a trump card of last resort.
His Art, on the other hand, was far more versatile and had plenty of power if applied correctly.
Under his current constraints, he actually came back to a very tried and true method that plagued gamers of any first person shooter. Campers.
Reviled for good reason, Lind still knew his current weakness could only be compensated by both ambush and distance attacks.
Put the 2 together and charitably you get a sniper but really, it was camping. He was going to make a killing ground and draw his prey in to die by trap or by direct attack.
Any ghost of George ranting at him was dismissed with a grim smile but he became serious as the first major hurdle was where to set the killing ground.
He needed to do it unobserved which was a major problem. The methodical and implacable actions of the enemy made it hard to find a good place to start but the chaotic nature of the Ruined Islands made that direction useless.
There were some relatively barren islands nearby but the 3 artifacts had claimed the most useful ones as bases to work from.
It was honestly spooky how similar the enemy leader thought like him. She had chosen islands that were defensible but also could have been used against them if left unclaimed. She also set up detection traps on nearby islands in a large radius as well.
Still, he would just have to get inventive then. He had one last alternative but it would require a bit of luck.
Afterall, a whole continent had once been there and now it was gone, but that did not mean there was not something beneath the surface of the Void Ocean he could put to use!
It took the better part of a month as the net of the Broken Tower only continued to impress him. They knew their target had fled into the Ruined Islands but they did not assume their death.
They would isolate the entire area a Heaven Realm could even hope to slip away to and then close in.
Lind used his sharp eyes to see the Void Ocean waves for a time until he narrowed in on some oddities near the Broken Tower forces. He then waited to analyze the formations and some weavings before sneering.
They were impressive but their focus on their target made them ignore a possibility.
A Divine Realm.
Lind simply stepped off and let himself fall one night. The chaos of the Ruined Islands covered him for the most part but he kept his physical senses tuned for anyone looking at him but none even glanced as he fell into the Void Ocean.
The strain on his body shot upward but only for a moment as a surface quickly closed in. It was encrusted with a fascinating ecosystem but he noted very few things lived there. It was more like they used it as a relay point on their way to the depths or inwards to the inner Western Lament.
His arrival sent any beast scrambling as most of them were only Immortals. He realized weaker beasts needed to be closer to the shore or the deeper Void Ocean would consume them without any help from other beasts.
The forces inside were just too damn strong.
The reef was actually a nice place for many weaker beasts to call home or the young of the stronger to grow. Lind waited to see if anything came to bother him but nothing did.
His prey had not detected him at all.
He then got to work. He made sure not to disturb the surface level and engraved his Art snares across the entire subsurface. It was delicate work but not too powerful. The power would come later as his bait.
For the moment, he was simply weaving to prepare the ground.
His fingers and hair danced in a blur as his speed was insane. Unlike flying or swimming, he felt no strain as he used his powers.
It took him a full week to lay his foundation. The next part would be his last act before someone detected him. No matter how tunnel visioned they were, only a completely blind foe would miss what he was about to do.
He sighed as he began to touch traces connected to the entire network of trap bases. Emerald light flared like a sun before it threaded outward to light up the whole reef but it quickly vanished.
The surge had actually disrupted the Void Ocean flowing around him yet he had no time to study it as auras snapped onto his location. He allowed himself to merge with the background, something even easier in the Void Ocean.
The night stretched out before him as he chose that time to unleash his bait. He waited as sweeps began to get more intense until he finally heard something.
[Report!] The voice was transmitted generally but Lind really doubted they were that foolish. His instinct was affirmed as the most generic back and forth commenced.
He noticed some careful movement on the peripheral that might be dismissed as normal but the discipline he had observed contradicted that.
She was ordering them to try and catch him off guard but he simply waited. He had all the advantage now that he had baited them. They could not afford to ignore such a threat nor the chance their prey may be hiding away there.
Finally, attacks slammed down but the Void Ocean was not that easy to overcome. The Apprentice Tiers and below were useless. Their attacks did absolutely nothing.
Only the Journeyman Tiers showed any kind of penetration but he was stunned to see they weakened to the point it was just pretty colors lighting up the darkness between star clusters.
[FOOLS, COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER!] Her anger sounded genuine but Lind noticed their numbers had shrunk in the chaos. He saw shadows appear at the edge and metal weapons appeared. They swiftly struck out and their attacks were not dispersed but they were deflected.
Lind noted that but it would be future considerations for the moment.
His traps would not suffer from that effect. They were meant to directly slice.
It was about a dozen figures finally searching but as they found nothing, they were confused. The trace aura was impossible to detect but the surge was too large to ignore.
There was no sign of any beast nor any sign of a nest. It made no sense.
[Reporting: There is no sign of what caused the disturbance. Orders?] They transmitted openly but Lind sneered. It was too late.
The idiots did the one thing they should not have, they chose to land on the surface as they rested. Gravity still worked and resisting the current was straining. It was easier to stand on solid ground.
The very moment they did, emerald light flared as blades sliced them open. Of the dozen, only 9 were killed but that was enough as he noticed the ephemeral figure appearing on each one.
True Death!
Shock spread among the mercenaries yet they kept steady and did not panic. He applauded it but then the leader's face twisted.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Her voice actually caused a shockwave and finally broke the rigid control of each person around her. She glared down and a flaming lance appeared in her hands.
Lind felt his instincts scream at him but he dared not move as she launched it down. His traps were not only effective against living beings!
The Void Ocean dissipated it partially but its lethality was not reduced at all!
There was no boiling nor steam, it was more like the Void Ocean drew power away as it parted, reducing the power.
Lind saw its tip graze the edge and it vanished but an emerald blade sliced upward! He was unsure what was exactly going to happen but he had not expected the tear into the void itself!
Unlike before, there was no sensation of trapped people but the Void Ocean reacted oddly. It actually thickened and he felt a pull trying to drag everything in!
The survivors were not prepared at all and died screaming as they were sent into the void. The woman did not even flinch as she was actively scanning for him! He held on by pure luck yet his other traps began to flare up.
The reef lit up like a sun and even the cold woman seemed to blanch at the sheer danger they had walked into.
Lind sighed as his trap had failed but he still had the traditional camper thing to do. His body exploded with emerald light as he roared to the Heavens!
A funnel of the Art of Defiance sliced outward before expanding like a wave. They panicked and attacked the wave yet the woman's dark eyes went wide for a different reason.
"RUN YOU FOOLS!" Before anyone could react, tiny steaks shot outward as the wave was broken up like a firework. They were an ambush!
He sniped them! Almost 100 were struck in their dantian, head, and heart. It was not as quick as the blade form but he eventually saw a struggling faint figure appear around almost all of them.
The leader had acted quickly enough to get out of the spray range yet she now was not as composed. She then waved her hand and a new aura appeared. She had a Master Tier consumable artifact!
Lind had worried about it but he was already back in the clouds. Karu dropped him a line and he slipped away as a massive ghostly tower appeared before lightning flashed outward to shatter all his traps that survived.
He had cut the numbers in half but his ambushing was done. A battle would be the normal next step but they outclassed him in power. So he had only one choice left.
He had to make them face him in a place neither held advantage. They had to fight near the Ruined Islands.