Chapter 193: Escape By Logging Off?

Chapter 193: Escape By Logging Off?

“What level are these Man-eating Sharks, exactly?”

Ye Rong watched the worried pair finally admit they were only criticizing after the fact, yet still failing to provide the monsters’ level or attack methods. He simply couldn’t help asking the question.

“Level 50 Elite Monsters! And that group has over ten of them! We can’t handle them!”

“Oh God, Kung Fu Panda! Level 50 Elite Monsters!” Ye Rong cursed quietly. Naturally, sea monsters weren’t all useless giant fish that fell easily like the ones earlier.

Elite Tier and Rare Grade monsters appeared far more frequently at sea than inland — easily several times more.

So, time at sea was either smooth sailing… or a complete team wipe. Sometimes even boat destruction and death.

A single Level 50 Elite Monster? Ye Rong could handle one himself, even with it being in water — the Man-eating Shark’s favored environment. But a group of over ten? Trying to fight them meant being torn to pieces as their dinner. There was no other outcome.

“Can’t the five of us work together for even a fighting chance?”

He found it hard to believe. The Long-Legged Lady alone should be able to withstand attacks from at least three or four sharks. If he used his full strength, he’d still have a shot at killing one within ten minutes. If the other three could just hang on against the remaining sharks until he was free, victory wasn’t impossible.

“Don’t joke around! Against so many sharks? Do you think we’re all top ten super experts on the Heavenly Ranking?” Taotaole threw him a dirty look. Here was another reason to dislike Yijian Kurong — arrogant, prideful, and reckless with teammates’ lives.

“Dream Butterfly, I think we should all log off. Re-group and log back in together after half an hour. Let these sharks pass us by.”

The sharks were still hundreds of meters away. The five hadn’t been forced into active combat status yet, so logging off freely was still an option.

Hiding offline for thirty minutes was a solution. Cowardly? Perhaps. But it was a valid tactic when one just wasn’t strong enough.

Log off for thirty minutes? Such a brilliant plan. Might as well take two or three days to get to Liren Island for fun! Ye Rong was just about to object when he heard the Long-Legged Lady speak.

“Fine. It must be this way. Everyone, remember the time: thirty minutes. Anyone late will cause trouble. The Black Awning Boat can’t stay put too long, or it might draw more sea beasts like these Man-eating Sharks.”

The Long-Legged Lady gave him an apologetic smile. Even if Taotaole wasn’t her close friend, even if she was just a normal mission partner… refusing this request was impossible.

After all, Taotaole held the quest rights. She was the key person on this mission.

The Long-Legged Lady knew Ye Rong wasn’t the type to boast without substance. His power obviously exceeded what his level and gear suggested. If he made such a request, it meant he felt confident. Plus, he was judging Taotaole, Ji Wuhuang, and the others based on a certain baseline — his baseline.

“Yijian, you must understand,” she thought silently, “not everyone can challenge opponents beyond their level and win despite worse gear like you. Plus, the Dao Spells you practice are extraordinary.”

Having teamed with Yijian Kurong for a while now, the Long-Legged Lady could clearly see this. His strength didn’t just come from some Flying Sword, a Magic Treasure, or a specific Dao Scroll he’d learned. It couldn’t be so simply defined.

Their little group? Filled with people who’d had some luck and found chances over time. Technique? Not the absolute best, but at least skilled veterans. Yet none of them qualified as true Heavenly Ranking experts.

Liu Tiya was a special case. But figures like Taotaole or Ji Wuhuang? The very fact neither joined the Shushan Sword Alliance, nor held important office in a major Faction, told the story of their true strength.

Naturally, with their skills, joining the Shushan Sword Alliance would be possible. Welcomed, even. But achieving high status? Impossible. That’s likely why they just never joined a major Faction, forming their little group instead.

Ye Rong habitually judged strength based on her level. He assumed her friends wouldn’t be far off.

He hadn’t considered her Heaven-defying Fortune Affinity. How, shortly after joining the game, she was accepted as a direct disciple by Yan Yingmu of the Miaozhen Temple. Few others across the entire Far Shore could match such luck.

Overlooking this key detail was why he made this mistake. Why he thought they could fight sharks head-on.

The five flew out over the sea using Sword Flight. Ji Wuhuang reached down with a simple grabbing motion, storing the Black Awning Boat away. Reconfirming their meet-up in thirty minutes, each logged off. Their figures vanished one by one.

“Log off? With the boat gone… I can hunt monsters out here! Always grinding away near the Tuo River waters… this deep sea? My very first time!”

Ye Rong logged right back in mere moments later. What were over a dozen sharks? If he couldn’t beat them, he’d simply avoid them.

He glanced at the lurking sharks nearby. Equipping his Water-repelling Pearl, he slipped silently into the water.

Sea beasts, unless their cultivation surpassed a certain rank and they grew shapeshifting power, couldn’t fly. So, by being careful enough to stay alive, he should manage.

Only after truly entering the ocean could Ye Rong feel the difference between inland rivers and the vast sea. It wasn’t just fresh water becoming salty.

The Tuo River was a major river in the Sichuan Region. Diving a few hundred meters usually hit bottom there. But here? He’d sunk nearly two kilometers into the deep ocean, and the seabed was nowhere in sight. His True Qi consumption multiplied rapidly as crushing pressure squeezed down.

Even more shocking: deep-sea monsters loomed huge. House-sized giant fish seemed common!

Even a giant turtle nearly as large as the famous Tuojiang Divine Turtle passed him moments ago — an ‘East Sea Turtle’. Its sheer presence filled nearby waters with terrifying pressure not inferior to its river relative one bit.

Luckily, these deep-sea beasts seemed unusually peaceful. Nothing like the savage, attack-first Man-eating Sharks. That East Sea Turtle, for instance, just paddled lazily nearby. Its peaceful, slow movements stirred currents enough to gently push him meters away.

Scanning around revealed one alarming fact: every deep-sea monster showed nothing but question marks for its level. Not a single one fell even near his visible detection range. Thankfully, none showed any sign of attacking.

Otherwise… Ye Rong wouldn’t have dared descend further. He’d have turned back much earlier and rushed skyward toward escape.

“Deep-sea monsters truly are unfathomable,” he reflected. “No wonder they said the Overseas World would be grander and far deadlier than the lands. But for now… this was just too much strength. Fighting here? Utterly impossible.”

The feeblest beast here likely surpassed his challenge capabilities.

While back in the Tuojiang River Basin, an Elite Monster over level 100 ruled its territory as a major boss… here in the deep ocean? It’d be mere fodder. Utterly insignificant!

Ye Rong circled his immediate surroundings. His plan — kill a few monsters to gauge the area’s difficulty — was dead in the water. All he gained was a wider view of marvels. Resigned, he prepared to leave.

Eventually ascending back to around hundreds of meters below the surface, thankfully, the nearby monsters’ levels became manageable once more.

His swords were ready to go after holding back for so long! Ye Rong pulled a swordfish over and turned it into debris with just three or four strikes. Left behind? A tiny fish bone dagger. He spun instantly toward another nearby sea beast.

Roaming through enemy groups, he hunted targets relentlessly. Pure pleasure engulfed him despite the battle outcomes. Almost every drop was cheap junk gear — Tier 2 or Tier 3 Fishbone Flying Swords. Their monster levels wasted on such trash drops.

To his further disappointment, none of these Flying Swords could form attack formations or matched sets.

Being an Appraiser meant constant access to his Liuchen Divine Illumination Technique. Gear dropped? Instantly knew its stats.

Sadly, his Liuchen Divine Illumination Technique ranked low presently. Identification range and frequency were painfully restricted. Its utility fell far below potential. Yet Ye Rong knew: once leveled sufficiently, this would become an invaluable exploration tool.

Ding!

Kill-spree excitement peaked: he attacked two to three monsters at once! Yet his Chongxu Sword Qi blast met resistance. No flesh tearing impact — instead came a clear metallic sound! Something blocked it!

Using his Chongxu Sword Qi regularly bred familiarity. Generated from his Chongxu True Scripture, it wasn’t like standard weapon-like sword energies which followed the overwhelming ‘nothing withstands me’ approach. It possessed strange unpredictability — ghost-like shifts, making it terrifyingly hard to defend against. Ignoring defenses remained an option.

Stopped? By a sea monster? That intrigued him greatly.

Lost in the pure joy of battle after his first deep-sea kill streak, he hadn’t clearly registered his target this time. Seeing a shadow slowly descending from above, reflex and instinct merged into an immediate strike.

Just what did I hit?