Chapter 434: Risking Himself
There were only two practical ways to build a wooden platform that would allow him to stand steadily on the water.
The first was a dugout canoe shaped like an ingot.
The second was a raft made by binding logs together.
With almost no hesitation, Qi Han chose the latter.
A dugout canoe was far more difficult to make, while a raft was much simpler.
More importantly, although a canoe had greater displacement and buoyancy, during a fight with an Azure-Scaled Dragon Eel it would be very easy for the hull to be pierced by a jet of high-pressure water, causing it to leak and sink.
By comparison, a raft—being flat by nature—wouldn't be greatly affected even if one or two small holes were punched through it, as long as the overall structure wasn't seriously damaged. Its buoyancy would remain largely intact, making it much safer.
The only thing to watch out for was the rope binding the raft being severed, causing it to instantly fall apart into countless floating logs.
"Ru Yi, can you provide some kind of ship-related futuristic technology support?" Qi Han asked.
"No," Ru Yi replied, rolling her eyes. "During the mission, the system cannot provide any futuristic technologies that would help with the task."
"Then ropes shouldn't count as directly helping with the mission, right?" Qi Han pressed. "Give me a few ropes that won't be cut by the Azure-Scaled Dragon Eel."
A conflicted look appeared on Ru Yi's face. After a long moment, she reluctantly agreed. "Fine."
Even though she clearly knew what Qi Han wanted the ropes for, after hesitating for a bit, she decided to turn a blind eye.
Qi Han smiled faintly.
That solved the rope problem.
In his previous life, he had traveled often and was a die-hard fan of survival shows—he knew perfectly well how to bind a raft together.
As for how to chop wood… Was there anything more convenient than his Knife Martial Spirit?
With a new plan in mind, the restlessness in Qi Han's heart vanished completely. He stood up from the reef, dusted off his backside, hugged Pururu, and headed inland.
Next up—cutting trees and building a raft!
…
Splash!
A brand-new raft was tossed from the reef into the sea by Qi Han. After bobbing up and down a few times, it finally stabilized on the surface. At three to four meters long, the raft was utterly insignificant compared to the vast ocean—but it instantly gave Qi Han a sense of security.
Looking at the raft gently drifting on the water, Qi Han patted Pururu on the head. "Little guy, looks like we're going to have to go down there and give it a try."
"Meow~"
Facing the endless expanse of blue seawater, Pururu instinctively shrank back.
A cat's natural fear of water was on full display.
Gently tucking Pururu into his clothes so that only its head stuck out from his collar, Qi Han softly reassured it. Once the little fellow no longer showed signs of fear, Qi Han leaped down from the reef.
On the way down, he stepped on protruding rocks along the cliff face to shed his downward momentum. Then, bending his body slightly, he landed on the raft.
After the raft swayed a couple of times before stabilizing again, Qi Han finally let out a breath of relief, a satisfied look appearing on his face.
He stomped his feet a few times, his satisfaction growing even more.
In his previous life, he'd only known how to do this in theory—he'd never actually tried it.
Now, seeing that the first raft he'd ever made was this sturdy, Qi Han felt a genuine sense of accomplishment.
Next came the real task—luring out those greedy fellows.
A bucket of silver-thread fish appeared in Qi Han's hands. With practiced ease, he tossed one fish after another into the water. Then he stored the bucket back into the system space, light flashing in his hand as he gripped his cleaver, eyes fixed tensely on the movement beneath the sea.
Very soon, streaks of azure light churned beneath the surface. One Azure-Scaled Dragon Eel after another emerged from the seabed, lunging toward the silver-thread fish.
After two days of repeated encounters, these Azure-Scaled Dragon Eels had long since noticed Qi Han's presence. Now that he had even appeared directly on the sea surface, there was no way they would ignore him.
While some of the dragon eels fought over the silver-thread fish, many more charged straight toward Qi Han, spitting razor-sharp jets of water that shot toward him at terrifying speed.
Qi Han let out a low snort and stopped focusing solely on evasion as he had before. Among the four Spirit Rings encircling his Knife, the second and fourth Spirit Rings flared to life simultaneously. He swung his Knife in a single motion, countless Knife shadows linking together into one seamless curtain.
Each slash struck with pinpoint precision at the weakest point of an incoming water jet, shattering the high-pressure streams mid-flight and exploding them into countless droplets that scattered in all directions.
Like rain drumming against banana leaves, the splashing droplets fell back into the sea, sending ripples and splashes across the surface.
This was a special application formed by combining Qi Han's Second and Fourth Spirit Skills. Under the precise guidance of Spirit-Linked Slash, the Knife shadows were no longer limited to stacking power—they could also disperse and strike multiple targets simultaneously. Though the power of each individual slash was not particularly strong, it was more than sufficient against these Azure-Scaled Dragon Eels that were only at the hundred-year or thousand-year level.
Seizing the brief moment of recovery after the dragon eels finished firing their water jets, Qi Han twisted his body, dodging the few lingering streams that still shot toward him. He then swung his Knife horizontally toward the densest cluster of dragon eels beneath the sea.
At that instant, the pitch-black First Spirit Ring erupted with dazzling light.
A crescent-shaped Knife aura nearly thirty meters long cleaved straight into the water with unstoppable force. Its power remained restrained, failing to stir up massive waves—only faint ripples spread across the surface. Yet beneath the sea, more than a dozen Azure-Scaled Dragon Eels were silently cut in half by that single strike.
Blood surged outward in an instant, dyeing the surrounding waters crimson and conveniently concealing the shattered remains of the dragon eels.
Only the slowly forming yellow and purple Spirit Rings rising to the surface bore witness to what had just occurred.
The salty sea breeze now carried a faint metallic tang of blood. Qi Han's gaze turned icy as he looked toward the remaining Azure-Scaled Dragon Eels.
Witnessing their companions being effortlessly slaughtered, the group seemed stunned for a moment. The relentless barrage of water jets abruptly ceased, and several figures vanished swiftly, as if fleeing into the depths.
Qi Han's expression shifted slightly. He took a single step to the side—and in the very next moment, a razor-sharp water jet blasted upward from beneath the raft, piercing straight through it before continuing on toward the spot where Qi Han had just been standing.
Hmph. Just as I thought—you wouldn't give up that easily.
After dealing with Azure-Scaled Dragon Eels for several days, Qi Han had come to understand their temperament well. These creatures were genuinely cautious—cowardly, even—but at times, they could also be recklessly hot-blooded.
Like now.
After seeing their kin slain, there was no way they would simply flee in disgrace. Instead, they would become more cautious, plotting revenge.
Following the first jet, more streams erupted in quick succession from beneath the raft. At the same time, subtle vibrations spread through the seawater, and that peculiar sound unique to the Azure-Scaled Dragon Eels echoed once more.
They were relaying information.
Qi Han carefully dodged the attacks coming from beneath his feet while remaining alert to his surroundings.
Perfect timing!
He needed them to summon stronger individuals—preferably, a ten-thousand-year-level one.
As the dragon eels continued calling out, more and more Azure-Scaled Dragon Eels emerged into the area. Attacks from all directions began to overwhelm Qi Han, making it increasingly difficult for him to keep up.
Then, his eyes narrowed.
A single Azure-Scaled Dragon Eel slowly surfaced—its azure scales darker and deeper in hue, faintly tinged with ocean blue. Its body stretched over five meters in length, making it stand out starkly among the hundred-year and thousand-year dragon eels.
The moment it appeared, all other Azure-Scaled Dragon Eels abruptly halted their attacks and silently cleared a wide space around it.
A ten-thousand-year Azure-Scaled Dragon Eel had finally arrived.
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