Chapter 41: A Celestial Being Descends to the Mortal Realm!

Duan Lingxiao reached the address provided by Li Dongming at top speed. Upon arrival, he found it to be exactly as described: a place enclosed by mountain ranges. However, beneath the peaks lay a vast, crystal-clear lake, its waters an expanse of brilliant blue. A black van was parked on the shore.

"Nobody here!" Duan Lingxiao opened the van doors, his expression darkening as he saw the interior was empty. Based on the tracks left at the scene, he deduced that the group had taken a boat to the small island in the middle of the lake.

"Sir, what should we do now? They must have taken a boat to the island. We don't have any vessels here, and it would take too long to summon one," Zhao Heihu reported, his brow furrowed. The lake before them was like an insurmountable barrier.

"Wait here. I'm going over to rescue her," Duan Lingxiao said, his face expressionless.

"Huh?" Zhao Heihu was stunned, unable to comprehend what Duan Lingxiao meant. There were no boats; did he expect to cross it on his own? What kind of insane joke was that?

But in the next moment, Zhao Heihu witnessed a scene that would be etched into his memory forever.

"Holy shit... am I hallucinating?!"

"Sir... is he a god descended from the heavens?!"

Zhao Heihu stared in slack-jawed disbelief, his eyes nearly popping from their sockets. After speaking, Duan Lingxiao took a single step forward and glided onto the surface of the lake. Instead of sinking, he remained suspended above the water. With another push of his foot, he surged forward like a jet ski, moving with such astonishing speed that he cut through the waves and vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.

"This is... walking on the waves?!" Zhao Heihu was no ordinary man; he was a martial artist himself and knew that some practitioners possessed immense internal energy and master-level light-body skills. However, this lake was vast, and yet Duan Lingxiao could tread upon its surface. This meant his internal energy had reached an unfathomable level!

Damn, he’s not human! Zhao Heihu was so shocked that he fell to his knees, bowing in the direction where Duan Lingxiao had disappeared. Incredible! Zhao Heihu was now completely and utterly in awe of Duan Lingxiao. "Sir... he is far beyond the reach of ordinary mortals!"

Breaking through the waves, Duan Lingxiao arrived in an instant. He leaped from the water and landed on the island at the center of the lake.

***

On the island, dozens of heavily armed mercenaries were gathered around Xiao Mengxue, leering at her with obscene expressions.

"Who would have thought? People always said the Xiao family had an ugly heiress, but looking at her now, she’s not ugly at all. She’s stunningly beautiful. Truly heart-wrenching," a bearded brute remarked, eyeing Xiao Mengxue’s delicate, pitiable appearance with a salivating, lecherous grin.

"Li Kui, you really are a man whose brain is controlled by his lower half. We have a heavy burden on our shoulders; we cannot afford a single moment of carelessness. Whoever messes this up won't keep their head!" scolded a middle-aged man who appeared to be the leader.

"Boss, don't worry. I know how to distinguish between what's important and what's not. The entire Blood Shark mercenary squad is here—a rare event in a decade. That little brat named Ling is as good as dead," Li Kui laughed.

The Blood Shark squad was a mercenary organization that had originally operated on the southwestern border before returning to the Dragon Kingdom to reorganize as a bounty-hunting unit. They were a well-known mercenary group in the Southeast Province.

"Exactly. Our boss is a powerful soldier proficient in both martial arts and firearms. You were even a captain in an international mercenary organization. With you in command, this is a guaranteed victory," said a man with a swarthy face.

"Don't get careless. Intelligence suggests that this kid surnamed Ling is only in his twenties, but he is highly skilled. We must not let our guard down," the leader, Boss Liu, said with a sinister glint in his eyes. "We chose the island in the middle of the lake specifically to use the terrain to our advantage. There are no boats here. Even if they find our tracks and manage to secure a boat, it will take them at least three to four hours. By then, we'll have our traps set, waiting to catch them like turtles in a jar."

If this job was completed successfully, they would net at least fifty million in pure profit—enough to sustain them for a long time. The men nodded, though they acted indifferent, they all understood the gravity of the mission. Success was the only option. After all, their opponent was a suspected Heaven-realm expert.

"By the way, what about the men on watch? Stay alert; don't slack off." No sooner had Boss Liu finished speaking than a series of startled cries erupted from outside.

"What's going on? Go check it out!"

The group rushed out of the house and onto the island.

"What are you shouting about? Acting so jumpy—what kind of decorum is that?" Boss Liu barked, frowning.

"Boss, look! What is that?!" a mercenary on watch pointed at the lake, shouting in shock.

Boss Liu and the others looked, their eyes nearly bulging from their sockets. A figure was racing across the lake like an arrow released from a bow, surrounded by white churning waves. The speed was terrifying; in the blink of an eye, the figure was within clear sight.

"Damn it, it's that kid Ling! He’s actually walking on the waves—he didn't take a boat!"

"How is that even possible?" Boss Liu stammered, his face pale with shock. The others were left speechless, unable to believe their eyes. Everyone was stunned, completely bewildered.

"Quick, quick, quick!!! Prepare everything! All weapons, engage! Fight him!" Boss Liu roared. "Get ready! As soon as he's in range, open fire! Don't let him land on the island!"

"Yes!" The dozens of mercenaries snapped out of their stupor, raising their weapons and aiming at the direction of Duan Lingxiao’s approach. Everyone was on high alert, facing a formidable enemy.

"Bang!"

At that moment, Duan Lingxiao leaped into the air and landed firmly on the island.

"Fire!" Boss Liu commanded.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!!"

Bullets rained down like meteors, a dense hail of gunfire tearing toward Duan Lingxiao.

"Hum!"

As the bullets touched Duan Lingxiao’s body, they seemed to strike an impenetrable resistance, unable to advance even an inch.

Boom!

Duan Lingxiao’s body pulsed with energy, and the bullets suddenly changed direction, flying back along their original paths! This scene left the mercenaries frozen in place. They could not believe their eyes, forced to watch as death closed in on them.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Over twenty mercenaries were instantly killed by their own gunfire.

"Retreat! Fall back into the house!" Boss Liu yelled.

The remaining men scrambled into the house. Duan Lingxiao followed closely behind, kicking the door open.

"Don't come any closer! One more step and I'll kill her!" Boss Liu gripped Xiao Mengxue’s throat, his voice cold and menacing.