My Misfortune Crushed Instances-Chapter 173: Fish Bombing Tactics

The Cold Pool was already brimming with Yin energy, and it became even more so after being occupied by Yin Sha. Even cold-attributed Forest Spirits couldn't withstand the aura here.

"Bro, the strategy guide said the main enemies here are a type of undead corpse, Water Forest Spirits that died here in the past. They're very cunning; if they sense something wrong, they'll dive underwater. It'll be troublesome without the right skills to counter them."

Hea Yang lay on a hill not far away, quietly watching the murky water below, and said in a low voice.

Li Rui knew he wasn't wrong. The main mechanism of this Secret Realm was a time limit, and many measures were in place to delay time, such as diving here and puzzle-solving in the Five-Colored Cave.

He asked, "Do you have a solution?"

"I'm a Berserker... no solution. Usually, magic-focused classes have the right tools, like freezing or water-splitting items."

Li Rui thought for a moment, "No rush, let's try to drive them in first. Follow me closely!"

After speaking, he shot out like a bolt of lightning, his body crackling with Golden Thunder, immediately activating the Shenxiao Thunderbolt Heart Scripture.

Hea Yang only caught a blur before Li Rui disappeared, and hurriedly dashed down the hill. By the time he arrived, Li Rui had scattered the undead Forest Spirits roaming by the lake.

Originally, the Water Plant Tribe from Peach Blossom Spring lived nearby, but under the influence of the Evil Qi, they were wiped out overnight, and the Evil Qi turned them into undead.

Previously, Li Rui was curious as to why the Evil Qi lingered so long; now it made sense. There must be another stone chamber-like construct nearby, using the Soul-Splitting Yin Evil Curse Talisman to bind the Evil Qi.

But before searching for a second clue, he had to clear these undead Forest Spirits.

Boom!

The Dragon Rider struck down enemies all around.

In this five-star Secret Realm, the most common enemies were elites, and there were no boss-level ones, so there was no need for the Divine Thunder attribute that Thunder Shocking Earth provided; the damage was already sufficient.

The range of the Dragon Rider was slightly smaller, but it consumed far less Spiritual Power. Li Rui hoisted a black umbrella as if it were a hoe, chasing the undead Forest Spirits all over.

Hea Yang tagged along for the mission, then stayed in a cool spot as instructed.

"This is too... too much of a contrast, isn't it?"

He couldn't find the right words.

Earlier in the Five-Colored Cave, they were being chased by a bunch of monsters, and here they were chasing a bunch of monsters themselves.

Completely opposite, the only similarity was the constant triggering of random events.

Normally, you'd think it was bad luck, but for Li Rui, it seemed like good luck because he was too strong.

"Awooo—"

The undead let out terrified howls. After about half of them were dead or wounded, the rest understood the danger and dove straight into the water.

Li Rui set the Vajra Umbrella against the ground, gazing at the lake's center, where a palm-sized islet held a pavilion with something swaying in the wind, seemingly similar to the setup in the stone chamber of the Five-Colored Cave.

"Bro, they dove down. What do we do? Do we camp here?"

Hea Yang checked the time and saw only four hours had passed, plenty of time.

However, Li Rui shook his head, "No, just to be safe, we need a quick clear."

Some side quests had already been tallied. He discovered that even if he cleared all the tasks and events in Peach Blossom Spring, it still wasn't enough experience. He was still short of reaching level 27.

Once the main quest was tallied, he'd be lucky to reach level 28, maybe not even that.

Given his current level, the last two levels might require several hundred thousand experience points with nowhere to find them.

Previously, it might have been tough, but the odd "find clues" task in his quest log seemed promising.

This method of directly shattering souls into Evil Qi, according to records, was Fengdu's handiwork.

Yet, Liangting Country, the Forest Spirit Holy Land, and the Golden Scale Marsh were all in the southeastern part of the Eastern Continent, 108,000 li from Fengdu. No connection had ever been heard of between there and here.

In Li Rui's mind, only one man was active in the southeast, had ties to Fengdu, and never harbored good intentions from start to finish.

Zuo Qiutian!

"Could it really be Brother Zuo? Answers at a call? Hopefully, he's not here, just a buried experience bag."

However, finding the experience bag—or rather, the remaining clues—would take extra time, so they'd have to act quickly.

"They've dived; how can we speed clear now? Should we head to Yellow Flower Gorge first and then come back?"

Li Rui pondered for a few seconds, struck by inspiration, and pulled a big treasure from his inventory.

Blood Mist Bomb.

Plop.

It turned into a deep-water bomb.

Within seconds, the entire pool turned red. The Blood Mist's toxicity was extreme, and the Cold Pool was long soaked in Evil Qi. Their fusion was seamless, like a perfect match.

Using poison to counter poison, the Extreme Yin aura was unbearable even to the undead, causing them to explode and perish.

Before long, they floated to the surface like salted fish.

"....."

Seeing the main quest update, Hea Yang was at a loss for words.

He didn't know what was thrown in earlier, but he knew the action was called "fish bombing."

Li Rui sprinted and leaped across several feet of water to the island pavilion, confirming the presence of a second Soul-Splitting Yin Evil Curse Talisman. After breaking it, he received a second item, and the clue-finding prompt updated to 2/4.

Returning to the shore, he dusted his hands, "Done, let's go."

Then he led the charge toward the nearby cliff.

Crash.

Pebbles by his feet fell, rolling down the rock wall, making one's knees weak.

"Bro, do we really have to jump down from here?"

Hea Yang was somewhat scared.

Li Rui nodded, "Jump along the protruding tree branches and rock layers. As long as you're quick, our physique should handle it. But if you're afraid of falling to your death, you can take the side path."

Hea Yang gritted his teeth, "If you jump, I jump."

Without a word, Li Rui leaped off, descending the cliff of Yellow Flower Gorge.

Listening to the wind in his ears, constantly shifting his footing, he felt puzzled.

I've got fall damage reduction, so even if I slip, I'm not afraid, but why is he so fearless?

All the way down, no accidents occurred. Li Rui landed steadily and smoothly picked up an Aloe Vera Spirit's shed skin.

Thud!

Just as Hea Yang finally made it down, he couldn't manage a proper landing, instead belly flopping onto the ground.

"Damn, are you okay?"

Li Rui was about to check on him when he saw the other raise his head, face covered in blood.

"Don't worry about me! Do the task!"

Li Rui felt a moment of déjà vu.

He remembered a Friday afternoon in school when he and Zheng Hao rushed out of the classroom, heading straight for an internet café three streets away.

Alongside them were at least dozens of boys from school, racing against time since being a minute late could mean no available seats.

Zheng Hao sprinted too hard, tripped, and fell, just like this, raising his head, face bloodied, and said:

"Don't worry about me! Secure a computer first!"

For some reason, Li Rui was moved.

Perhaps it was for the same dedication shared with a friend, or maybe for his lost youth.

So his expression changed.

"No way! I'll never leave you behind!"

With a grunt, he hoisted Hea Yang onto his shoulder.

"Let's go, I'll take you to slay seven rounds!"