SHING!
A longsword left its sheath, its light instantly blooming forth, so dazzling it outshone the sun in the sky.
A powerful, imposing slash appeared, instantly cutting across the surface of the lake. It kicked up waves on both sides that surged more than ten meters high!
"What incredible Swordsmanship!"
The library's Hall Master couldn't help but exclaim in praise.
As expected of an Innate Realm master, Elder Li's talent in the Sword Dao was a rarity across the entire country!
The Hall Master's heart surged with excitement as he immediately followed up with an attack of his own.
The other Star Martial Artists who had rushed to provide support also quickly joined in, unleashing their own ultimate attacks.
The next moment, countless streams of light interwove and struck the Bloodthirsty Leech in unison. The resulting sonic boom shattered the glass of the buildings along the lakeshore.
SPLAT! SPLAT!
A massive barrage of attacks buried themselves in the Bloodthirsty Leech's flesh.
Due to its colossal size, the behemoth had no way to dodge and could only silently endure the onslaught!
In an instant, black blood splattered everywhere, a sight that made everyone's own blood pump with excitement.
Some passing citizens stopped in their tracks at the sight. Drawn by the noise, they stood behind the police cordon and began to whisper amongst themselves.
"What's going on!? Why is there a Star Beast in the Jianghai City District?"
"What a show of force from the Star Martial Police Bureau!"
"No wonder they haven't been letting anyone near the lake for the past few days. I even smelled a foul, fishy odor not long ago!"
The onlookers on the shore came and went. Some kept their distance, doing their best to avoid the aftershocks of the battle.
But there were also other bolder, more meddlesome types who actually chose to linger near the cordon, pulling out their phones and frantically filming the Li Shui Lake Shore.
CLICK! CLICK!
There were onlookers recording videos, citizens taking photos for the thrill, and even internet celebrities doing livestreams.
Soon, clip after clip was uploaded to the internet. As netizens reposted and shared them, the view counts spread like wildfire.
"Look at that old man. Isn't he the dean of the Martial Arts Academy?"
"That's right, it's Elder Li! The Hall Master and the Commander are there too! Are they trying to suppress that Star Beast?"
"Holy shit, all three of Jianghai City's Innate experts are there. Just how terrifying must this Star Beast be?!"
In an instant, a sense of panic began to spread across the internet.
More and more popular comments began to surface, expressing a wide variety of opinions.
Some worried about the outcome of the battle, some expressed their faith in Elder Li, and others voiced doubts about whether the Star Beast problem could be properly resolved.
After all, this was the first time in the history of the Jianghai City District that a Star Beast had been discovered in such a densely populated area.
But judging by the situation, it seemed the leech was the one being crushed.
The Human Race had the advantage!
......…
However, just as everyone was frantically pouring on the damage, thinking victory was assured, some of the Star Martial Artists suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Strange. We've hit it with so many attacks, so why hasn't this leech fallen yet?"
Down in Li Shui Lake, the Bloodthirsty Leech withstood every attack. But bizarrely, its dark surface would merely squirm a little before it returned to being completely unscathed.
It was as if it didn't care about these ferocious attacks at all!
"How is this possible?"
After unleashing his sword strike, Elder Li narrowed his eyes, also sensing that something was amiss.
The Sword Drawing Technique he had just unleashed, while not comparable to a true Emperor Level Martial Art, was the absolute limit of what someone at the Innate Realm could achieve.
And yet, after silently taking the hit, the leech had only trembled slightly and then made no other movements.
It was as if…
...he had thrown a heavy punch, only for it to land as softly as if it had struck cotton!
'Something isn't right… Is it at the bottom of the lake?'
Elder Li keenly sensed the strange aura. Sheathing his sword, he prepared for a second Sword Drawing Technique while simultaneously channeling a wisp of True Essence into his eyes, directing his gaze to probe the lakebed.
Instantly, the situation beneath the water became crystal clear.
Beneath the surface of the blood-fouled water, the Bloodthirsty Leech's main body wasn't actually floating freely.
Instead, it was formed from countless, densely-packed, tiny leeches linked together, forming a massive chain as they continuously devoured the Essence Blood of the schools of fish.
They spread out in all directions, gathering the blood in the lake before swimming rapidly back to the main body to replenish its losses.
"What a cunning beast!"
Elder Li came to a sudden realization, instantly understanding why his attacks were ineffective.
'There are countless fish in Li Shui Lake. By relying on these Clones to maintain its energy, the Bloodthirsty Leech is practically in an invincible position!'
And all this time, he and the other Star Martial Artists had just been attacking blindly, accomplishing nothing!
Elder Li glanced around, noticing that his side was now in a terrible situation.
As time wore on, the Star Martial Artists had already expended a great deal of their True Essence to maintain the intensity of their attacks.
Right now, some of the weaker Postnatal Realm Martial Artists were pale-faced, struggling just to maintain their offensive output.
If they kept forcing themselves like this, the moment their True Essence ran out would inevitably arrive.
'This is trouble. We've fallen into this beast's trap!'
Elder Li made a swift decision and shouted to the others across the distance, "Everyone, regulate your breathing! Stop forcing your attacks!"
He hoped this would reverse their dire situation.
But in the end, he was a step too late.
Within the vast web of attacks, several Star Martial Artists fell into the water as their True Essence was depleted, creating a gap in the encirclement Array!
"Not good!"
The Commander's expression changed drastically, and he scrambled to move forward and fill the gap.
But in the next instant.
HISS!
A horrifying shriek rang out!
The Bloodthirsty Leech seized the opportunity. Swiftly turning its bloated body and targeting the gap in the encirclement, it suddenly spewed a large amount of blackish-red fluid from its maw, a fluid that was mixed with countless tiny leeches.
"Watch out for the beast's blood poison!"
The Hall Master roared, raising a hand to form a barrier of True Essence.
But he was too slow!
The poisonous blood splattered through the gap. Leeches as thick as a little finger swarmed into the crowd, immediately burrowing under the skin of the Martial Artists the moment they made contact.
"AHHHH!!"
"My hand!"
The Martial Artists afflicted by the blood poison clutched their hands, trying to grab and crush the leeches.
But the leeches secreted a fluid from their bodies, their squirming forms slipping right through the Martial Artists' fingers to continue devouring their flesh.
The next moment, a network of blackish-purple veins instantly appeared on the surface of their skin, a bizarre and horrifying sight.
POP! POP!
After burrowing into their flesh, the leeches self-detonated, releasing all the poisonous blood they carried.
The afflicted Star Martial Artists plummeted from the sky, falling one after another into the lake with a series of splashes.
Immediately, the leeches lying in wait in the water moved in, swarming the fallen to devour their bodies.
Blood-curdling screams rang out.
In an instant, Li Shui Lake became a living Purgatory!
"This damnable… b-beast…"
The library's Hall Master gasped for breath, one of his arms already turned a blackish-purple. The blood poison had invaded his meridians.
It was only by forcibly suppressing the poison with his Innate Realm Cultivation that he managed to avoid falling into the water.
By now, however, the tide of battle had already turned.
In a single instant, the Bloodthirsty Leech had completely reversed the situation.
Online, the netizens who witnessed this scene were in an uproar, filled with utter despair.
"Even the Hall Master was hit! Can that blood poison not even be blocked by an Innate Realm expert?"
"It's over, it's all over! If even the three great experts are no match for this monster, what hope do we have?!"