Chapter 71: The Unity of Law and Martial Arts

Within the Bay of Enchantment, cries and shouts of battle echoed in all directions; the Riverband Brigands had already engaged in fierce combat with the troops of the River Inspectorate. After several upheavals, the upper echelon of the Riverband Brigands was depleted; not a single first-class martial artist remained, and only a handful of second-rate fighters were left. In terms of sheer power, they were no match for the River Inspectorate, though the terrain of the Bay of Enchantment still afforded them some advantage.

Jiang Chen used the mist to divide the battlefield, forcing the Riverband Brigands to face only a portion of the enemy at a time and thus achieve the effect of overwhelming the few with the many. In this chaos, the most dazzling figure was naturally Mouse Tianjiao, followed closely by the unexpected rise of Wang Yuan.

Even with the nourishment of the Blood Spirit Pill, Wang Yuan had only barely stepped into the third-tier realm; he was hardly impressive. But now, clad in wolfskin, impervious to blades and arrows, and swift as the wind, he was able to defeat ordinary second-rate martial artists and rose to become the foremost under Mouse Tianjiao.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Jiang Chen and Lu Chenzhou had already exchanged blows several times, each probing the other, their contest evenly matched.

“You are not Iron Butcher. Who are you, really?”

Standing atop the crest of a wave, long spear in hand, Lu Chenzhou gazed at Jiang Chen, who had assumed the guise of the Iron Corpse. His square face was grim and murderous; after several tests, he was nearly certain that the man before him was not Iron Butcher, but rather an unfamiliar cultivator.

Jiang Chen remained silent.

Lu Chenzhou snorted coldly. “Let’s see how long you can keep your secrets.”

Riding the waves, Lu Chenzhou swept his spear, stirring up the water into countless droplets, which shot toward Jiang Chen like arrows from powerful bows—this was the Rain Arrow Technique.

Facing the barrage, Jiang Chen unleashed his true energy to its utmost; blood-colored lightning crackled, enveloping him and forming his first line of defense.

“The attack force of these rain arrows is not particularly strong, but they carry a subtle chill that interferes with a cultivator’s true energy. That is the most remarkable aspect of this spell.”

“No, perhaps it’s not merely the effect of the spell, but the enhancement of a magical artifact. A mediocre spell, paired with the right artifact, can produce a wondrous synergy—its power greater than the sum of its parts.”

The rain arrows fell incessantly, but Jiang Chen stood unmoved as a mountain, perceiving the subtlety within.

“Yet for me, such a spell has little effect, for my true energy is of the highest grade.”

With a thought, Jiang Chen activated his Unbound True Energy, and the subtle chill that had seeped into his body melted away like snow.

At that moment, sensing something, Jiang Chen locked onto a direction and hurled a ball of pitch-black corpse fire.

Boom—the corpse fire exploded, scattering the rain, and a figure emerged from within: Lu Chenzhou.

“Discovered?”

Drifting backward, Lu Chenzhou looked at Jiang Chen, surprise flickering in his eyes. Though his cultivation was not high—having opened twenty apertures and not yet reached minor mastery—he had never cared for books, preferring blade and spear, and was gifted in combat. The Rain Arrow Technique, Water Concealment Technique, along with the Cold Crocodile Armor and the Tide-chasing Spear, were all carefully crafted from his family’s legacy.

With this set of techniques, he had defeated many foes.

“Not so simple, it seems.”

With a thought, Lu Chenzhou’s figure once again merged into the rain and vanished, intent on further probing.

“Invisibility spells are indeed wondrous; a moment’s carelessness and one might well be ensnared.”

“The Corpse Daoist left behind a Spirit Eye Technique, but I have not yet mastered it. If I had, things would be even simpler. Now, with the battlefield already chaotic, let it be more so.”

Jiang Chen remained still, activating the Mist Banner. At that instant, the cold rain and drifting mist converged, shrouding the area in layers of obscurity.

Sensing the change, Lu Chenzhou did not halt his attack. Silently, he approached Jiang Chen, thrusting the Tide-chasing Spear. Yet again, a ball of corpse fire swept forth.

“To neutralize the chill of the Rain Arrow Technique and pierce my concealment—clearly not some rustic cultivator, but neither does he seem to be of the Gao family.”

Revealing himself once more, Lu Chenzhou confirmed his suspicions.

“It has been long since I met such a worthy opponent. If stealth and ambush are useless, then only force remains.”

After several exchanges, Lu Chenzhou’s fighting spirit was fully ignited.

“Torrent!”

River true energy roared, and Lu Chenzhou unleashed his spell at full force.

At that moment, nine torrents rose beneath his feet, swirling around him.

“Crocodile’s Deadly Twist!”

With battle fervor surging, Lu Chenzhou locked onto Jiang Chen’s presence and unleashed his most powerful spear strike.

In that instant, the Cold Crocodile Armor and Tide-chasing Spear—both lower-grade magical artifacts—flared with spiritual light. The nine torrents encircled him, amplifying his spear’s force, revealing the explosive power of water.

From afar, Lu Chenzhou was no longer visible; only a fierce crocodile, its body formed from torrents, manipulating the river’s currents. It rolled and surged, gathering momentum, intent on tearing Jiang Chen apart.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen’s expression beneath the mask finally changed. Lu Chenzhou’s spear posed a real threat.

“Fusion of martial arts and magic? In pure spell combat, this Lu family cultivator surpasses even the Corpse Daoist. Luckily, I was prepared; otherwise, I would have struggled to face such a strike.”

With a shift of thought, Jiang Chen no longer concealed his power. He extended his hand, grasping casually—for at this point, mere Iron Corpse strength and martial prowess were insufficient.

Sharp, urgent sounds filled the air as Jiang Chen’s five fingers closed; threads of true energy hidden in the mist now revealed themselves, weaving into a net that enveloped the crocodile form of Lu Chenzhou.

Earlier, Lu Chenzhou had dominated the field with the Rain Arrow Technique, and Jiang Chen had seemed passive, but he had not been idle. Using the cover of mist, he had secretly woven a net of true energy.

“Impressive, but you cannot hold me—because I am a crocodile, not a mere fish.”

With fighting spirit ablaze, Lu Chenzhou’s spear force did not waver as the net closed in.

Buzz—the crocodile struck the net, and powerful force erupted. After a brief standoff, the net was ripped open.

Jiang Chen remained calm.

His ten fingers moved, refining energy into threads. With formidable spiritual power, he mended and reinforced the net, entwining more threads around Lu Chenzhou at the very moment the net was torn, not to trap him completely, but to slow his assault.

Sensing this, Lu Chenzhou’s heart clouded. After his cultivation breakthrough, he had once fought a demon crocodile, suffering grievous wounds but ultimately slaying it. It was then he devised the Crocodile’s Deadly Twist.

His elder brother, Lu Chenshan, head of the family, once said that in direct combat, this move rivaled the killing techniques of those with minor mastery—enough to overpower many cultivators. Yet the technique depended on momentum; it was fierce but unsustainable, and any delay would sharply weaken the attack.

“Trouble!”

Lu Chenzhou struggled to break free from the true energy threads, but new ones always wound around him. He knew he had truly met his match this time.