Chapter 132 - 118: Silver Dragon Lake

Some time had passed since the incident. Long Yi had collected three massive Crystal Cores, and there were more than thirty smaller ones left.

But, did he really win?

By usual standards, Long Yi had found the enemy’s weakness and defeated them, so he should have won.

But the BOSS had transformed into a second form at the last moment! It was a member of the Demon Clan! Even after drinking the Dragon Blood Essence given by the Black Dragon, Long Yi was unable to win!

Long Yi had been counting on using his most potent tricks, but before he could even say half a sentence, they’d been forcefully stopped.

This was a wake-up call for Long Yi; his previous strategies weren’t as bulletproof as he thought!

Damn it!

"Get lost, all of you!"

Long Yi shook his head violently and cursed.

Ai Lin was startled and tears welled in her eyes.

"I’m sorry, Brother Long, I know I’m too weak..."

"No, no! Ai Lin, it’s not about you, really not about you!" Long Yi quickly tried to comfort Ai Lin with flailing arms.

"So it’s about me then, right? I know. I’m just a useless little maid, unable to help at all..." Little Zi also began to sob.

"No, no, no, it’s not about you either! Little Zi is so well-behaved, so adorable, how could it be about you?" Long Yi immediately tried to comfort Little Zi as well.

"Argh—" Bajie also waddled over with teary eyes.

"Scram!" Long Yi responded with two words, followed by a swift kick that sent the smirking Bajie flying.

Of course, Ai Lin and Little Zi both knew that Long Yi wasn’t talking about them. They were just trying to lift his spirits. After some commotion, three of them finally shared an unspoken laugh.

"Life doesn’t always go as we wish... We can’t always have it easy, setbacks lead to progress!" Long Yi sighed, deciding to move on. He didn’t even realize that what he had encountered was an opportunity, not a setback!

After that battle, Ai Lin found her integration with the Silver Light was smoother. Little Zi felt her body no longer emanated a deathly aura and seemed more of an elemental creature rather than an Undead. As for Bajie, he seemed to have simply gained an even more voracious appetite and sleeping habit.

Everyone had benefited in some way!

Such a setback, if somehow revealed, would certainly have everyone scrambling for it!

The only loss might’ve been that bottle of Dragon Blood Essence. But why did Yamir say that the Dragon Blood Essence wasn’t a good thing?

Dammit, this woman and her cryptic words! Just you wait. Once I reach the upper Plane, I’ll strip off your clothes and spank you till you’re red!

[]

The following three days of journey were relatively dull, with repetitive battles that lacked any notable incidents.

Here it is noteworthy to mention the monstrous creatures’ habit of clustering. They sought to enhance their power by stealing Crystal Cores from one another, being able to sense the energy radiated by the Cores from miles away.

Since Long Yi and his group had initially obtained many high-level cores, they were constantly under attack from monstrous creatures. Moreover, the number and level of these creatures were steadily increasing. Because these creatures had an inherent sense of judgement, lesser monsters would keep their distance from individuals with a large number of Crystal Cores. So, Long Yi had always controlled the number of cores he carried. More often than not, he’d hide them away since Ai Lin already carried two massive cores, which was bait enough to draw in powerful monsters.

This bait strategy brought considerable rewards to Long Yi while also greatly increasing Ai Lin’s combat strength. Ai Lin received the training she needed and also realized her shortcomings during the battles, which she subsequently worked to overcome.

What made Long Yi the most envious was that Ai Lin managed to level up again.

She’s truly a prodigy! What am I compared to her?

Long Yi thought to himself, full of self-pity.

Soon, the party arrived at Silver Dragon Lake.

The Silver Dragon Lake wasn’t very large. It was surrounded by hills and even had a small waterfall, which made it quite picturesque.

When Long Yi and his companions arrived, many groups of people had already begun to set up the tent, planning to stay for several days before moving on.

The Silver Dragon Lake was peaceful, and there was not a trace of a breeze. The surface was as calm as glass. Walking along the banks, footprints would ripple on the surface. There was a small island in the middle of the lake, connected to the shore by a stone bridge. At the time, quite a few people were already on the island, gathered around, looking at something.

Long Yi and his group also made their way to the island. Here they finally saw a group of Water Spirits dancing on the water’s surface near one side of the island.

Water Spirits were elemental creatures, usually embodying the form of beautiful girls. Their bodies were entirely made of water, with a core of pure elemental water at their center. As long as their cores remained intact, they would never die.

The Water Spirits were entirely transparent and naked. They nimbly hopped and twirled on the water, and a group of men on the island watched each move, howling eagerly.

Since the Water Spirits were essentially bodies of water, men, no matter how strong, couldn’t do anything about them. That, however, didn’t stop them from simply enjoying the sight.

Long Yi took a glance and found the dancing blobs of water interesting, but he still preferred a real woman.

Elsa, for instance, had an excellent combination of size and feel.

As Elsa’s official boyfriend, Long Yi reveled in the memories of past experiences. It was just too bad he never took the opportunity to go further back then. A real pity!

He suddenly felt that it was rather pointless for this crowd to be ogling the Water Spirits, beings that they could look at but not touch.

"Let’s go; there’s nothing interesting here."

Long Yi said.

Ai Lin had initially been pouting, obviously displeased with the flirtatious Water Spirits. Hearing Long Yi’s words, however, both girls immediately perked up.

Just as Long Yi was about to leave, he caught a glimpse of a Water Spirit pulling a long white cylinder from the lake bottom and placing it on the water’s surface. The Spirit began to dance enticingly around it.

From that one glance, Long Yi was unable to tear his eyes away.

The two girls, who were initially about to leave, looked back to see what had caught Long Yi’s attention. Ai Lin, flushing red, saw the gestures of the Water Spirit, as her gaze shifted between Long Yi and her own chest, she couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

Little Zi was about to offer some comforting words but after looking at herself, she too joined Ai Lin in her frustration.

However, Long Yi was oblivious to the girls’ reactions. His focus wasn’t on the Water Spirit at all.

It was on the white cylinder!

Am I still asleep or under someone’s illusion?

That is a frickin’ surface-to-air missile!