“It’s here!” Staring at the Four Ocean Gourd, Lin Jin was thrilled beyond words. The gourd had a bubbly appearance, and it gleamed brightly in his hands as if it was celebrating its reunification with its owner.
“This is Master’s magic treasure!” Tiger Taoist sighed as he looked at the Four Ocean Gourd, his eyes going out of focus as if reminiscing the past.
Since Lin Jin had the special incantation to control the magic treasure and since Daojun wasn’t around, it was only natural for the Four Ocean Gourd to treat Lin Jin as its owner. No one else could compare to him now.
Holding the Four Ocean Gourd in his hand, Lin Jin could sense the mystifying properties that this item possessed, and he thought it to be truly remarkable.
His thoughts were interrupted by furious roars from below.
“Who are you, thief? How dare you steal my treasure!”
Following the voice, Black Water Taoist rose to meet Lin Jin. He was shrouded in dark water that helped lift his body into the air at a rapid pace.
Tagging along behind him was another old Taoist, who stood on a flying snake fish. The look on his face was equally intimidating.
On the ground, a gigantic dryland crab appeared. Flames burned on its stone-line shell and its size seemed capable of carrying about a hundred men. However, only a single Taoist in red stood on its back. He was glaring furiously at Lin Jin and Tiger Taoist in the sky.
‘They must be the Three Water Taoists!’ Lin Jin thought as he studied their appearances.
Although Tiger Taoist rarely ventured out of Dark Wind Cave, they shared the continent with the Water God Cult, so they were considered ‘neighbors’. It came as no surprise that Tiger Taoist still knew a little bit about his neighbors, and even if he didn’t, many of the monsters in Dark Wind Cave had interacted with the Water God Cult so they knew quite a bit about their contemporaries.
From the monsters, Lin Jin learned that the Water God Cult’s three strongest experts were called the Three Water Taoists. They comprised of the cult’s first to third-generation leaders.
Everyone assumed that the first and second-generation cult leaders had passed away since they lived hundreds of years ago. No matter how profound their cultivation level was, they couldn’t possibly have lived this long.
There should be only the third generation leader, Red Water Taoist, overseeing the cult.
However, it seemed like all Three Water Taoists were still alive and kicking.
The Four Ocean Gourd had always been under the Water God Cult’s control.
As Lin Jin pondered, Black Water Taoist launched an immediate attack. The dark water around him surged, forming a huge claw that swiped at both Lin Jin and Tiger Taoist.
“Preposterous!” yelled the raging Tiger Taoist. He let out a roar and clawed back at them. Both clawed clashed, causing a loud boom and sending black water splashing in every direction. It seemed that both attacks were equally powerful.
Tiger Taoist’s expression faltered slightly and he retracted his hand. A piece of his flesh had been corroded by the dark water but this injury healed swiftly.
The dark water was so corrosive that the splashes burned holes into the cloud below Lin Jin’s feet. Fortunately, it wasn’t enough to break through Lin Jin’s Five Element Armor.
Black Water Taoist definitely recognized Tiger Taoist. A look of shock emerged on his aged face.
“It’s you. You’re the cave master of… Dark Wind Cave!” gasped Black Water Taoist. “You haven’t changed at all. As I expected, monsters are stronger than humans.”
Tiger Taoist studied Black Water Taoist. “Ah, you’re that little Taoist. It’s been almost five hundred years since then and you’re still alive?”
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Back when Black Water Taoist first came to Arid Continent to set up the Water God Cult, he intended to conquer the monsters of Dark Wind Cave. He had stormed their cave with confidence only to suffer a devastating defeat.
Back then, he was crushed by Tiger Taoist in three swift moves but his life was spared by Tiger Taoist. He was sent away after suffering humiliation. As Tiger Taoist was one of the Six Beast Taoists, he was still, in a sense, a Taoist. In other words, Black Water Taoist was saved by the fact that he was a fellow Taoist.
Black Water Taoist never mentioned this incident to anyone. From that day onward, the Water God Cult dared not trespass into Dark Wind Cave’s territory. Even after Black Water Taoist had improved his cultivation, he still steered clear of the cave.
“Our Water God Cult has never disturbed Dark Wind Cave, so why are you here to steal my treasure?” Black Water Taoist knew that Tiger Taoist wouldn’t be an easy foe. He could also tell that it was the young man who performed the spell that stole his precious gourd.
In addition, Black Water Taoist realized that the cave master was standing behind the young man, in a stance that indicated he was following the young man’s lead.
This young man’s ability to take away the gourd from this distance startled him too.
Regardless, he would never let go of this treasure.
His life was at stake after all.
Although Black Water Taoist was near the end of his life, if he had the gourd, he could still live for a few more years. If he could further improve his cultivation, he could probably live longer than that.
However, without the gourd, his time would run out soon. There was no room for discussion in regards to this.
He would fight whoever tried to snatch the gourd away from him.
As they spoke, Ghost Water Taoist arrived on his flying water snake. Hovering nearby, he glared at their enemy, evidently ready for a fight.
Just like his master, he too relied on the gourd to prolong his life so he couldn’t possibly let anyone take it away.
Lin Jin glanced at the two Taoists worn with age and shook his head. “This isn’t the treasure of the Water God Cult. Let me ask you, do you know what is the name of this treasure?”
Of course, they had no idea.
Lin Jin added, “This is a magic treasure, the Four Ocean Gourd, that Daojun had hidden here in Arid Continent’s Five Palm Mountain many years ago. Since I’ve gained Daojun’s inheritance, I am here to retrieve the magic treasure. Despite your lacking cultivation, both of you only managed to live this long because you obtained nourishment from this magic treasure’s water spirit energy. You’ve gained enough. The treasure must now return to its rightful owner, and if I were you, I’d be sensible and leave..”
Lin Jin kept his guard up as he spoke.
Simply put, if Black Water Taoist accepted his advice, Lin Jin would try to defuse the situation peacefully. However, if they were to insist on retrieving the Four Ocean Gourd, Lin Jin wouldn’t show them mercy.
After so many experiences, Lin Jin was a veteran at handling such encounters. If the opponent decides to fight, Lin Jin would make the first move to gain the upper hand.
Considering the fact that the Water God Cult had ruined Arid Continent for so many years, Lin Jin felt the urge to eradicate them.
“You’ve gone too far!” barked Black Water Taoist. He couldn’t possibly give up the fight. As a sly old fox, he knew a battle would ensue so he already instructed Ghost Water Taoist and Red Water Taoist in advance to seize the enemy.
In their opinion, the master of Dark Wind Cave was the toughest opponent to handle. While the young man was adept in spell-casting, his physical body shouldn’t be a challenge.
If the three of them attacked at once, they might be able to kill the young man off instantly.
Then, they would take the gourd back. If Dark Wind Cave’s master continued to pursue them, they would fight him too. If victory was impossible, they would just escape. After all, so long as the treasure was in their possession, it didn’t matter where they went.