The three unexpected guests, including Sakai, didn’t hesitate to attack Rocky. He shouted in anger and shot out several fierce attacks with both hands.
Sakai easily dodged Rocky’s attacks without slowing down. This made Rocky realize that his opponent was just as strong as he was.
“Fireball Technique!” Sakai charged towards Rocky while forming a hand seal with both hands.
A fierce flame burst out of Sakai’s mouth, similar to the fire breath used by circus performers after drinking alcohol. However, instead of dispersing like a circus trick, the flames condensed into a ball and shot towards Rocky.
“This is… Ninjutsu!” exclaimed Rocky in shock. He had thought that the intruders were Martial Cultivators but never expected them to be Orientia Ninjas.
Rocky couldn’t withstand the fireball head-on and had to use his inner strength to push himself back while trying to disperse it with his palms.
“Boom!” The sound of impact echoed through the air as he successfully dispersed the fireball using his inner strength. However, this also caused him some injury due to its recoil force which sent him sliding backward for several meters before stopping himself from falling over completely.
Rocky, stabilizing himself, had singed and disheveled hair, and a small trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.
Clearly, the recoil force from dispersing the fireball had inflicted harm upon him.
Witnessing this scene, the disciples of the Seven Stars Sword Sect behind Rocky couldn’t help but exclaim in unison, “Mr. Bernard!”
Rocky forcefully steadied his inner energy, then turned to the elite disciples of the Seven Stars Sword Sect and coldly said, “I’m fine. They are Orientian Ninjas deploying the Seven Star Sword Formation!”
Rocky’s expression became solemn. As an intermediate-level Martial Cultivator, he could distinctly sense that the Ninja attacking him wasn’t the most formidable. The woman with short hair and the oldest appearance was the most dangerous.
The eighteen elite disciples of the Seven Stars Sword Sect responded in unison, immediately dispersing and forming a specific formation, enclosing Maniwa and the others within.
The eighteen elite disciples pointed their swords at the three, the blades gleaming with chilling light under the influence of their internal energy.
“Seven Star Flying Sword!” Rocky shouted.
“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…”
The swords of the eighteen elite disciples simultaneously flew out of their hands and, from different cunning angles, attacked Maniwa and the others.
“Ninjutsu, Water Spirit Defense!” Yuriko intervened. With a swift change of hand seals, a semi-circular water membrane, resembling a lid, appeared.
All eighteen flying swords plunged into the water membrane but couldn’t penetrate through.
“Rebound Technique!” Cold light flashed in Yuriko’s eyes as she changed her hand seals again.
The eighteen long swords immediately reversed their flight path, moving faster than before. Most of the disciples of the Seven Stars Sword Sect couldn’t dodge in time and were struck in the chest or abdomen by the sword handles.
“Spurt!”
The impacted disciples were sent flying by tremendous force, simultaneously spewing blood and crashing heavily to the ground.
“Yuriko, finish them off quickly,” Maniwa said.
Yuriko nodded, her hands swiftly changing seals. “Ninjutsu, Water Imprisonment!”
Nineteen water shields, resembling bronze bells, appeared out of thin air, enveloping Rocky and the eighteen elite disciples.
Rocky’s face turned pale with shock as he slapped the water shield with his palm. However, his internal energy seemed to vanish without a trace, and the water shield remained intact.
Under Yuriko’s control, the water shield began to contract, generating immense pressure inside. As the shield shrank, the pressure increased gradually.
Soon, Rocky lost the ability to resist.
Not only that, with the rising pressure, his originally clear consciousness began to blur.
The eighteen elite disciples, due to their lower cultivation compared to Rocky, had already fainted before him.
Rocky managed to endure for just a minute before collapsing, unconscious.
Yuriko, releasing her hand seals, made the water shield dissipate, revealing the nineteen figures lying helter-skelter on the ground.
Wanting to avoid creating a mortal enemy with Leo, Yuriko chose not to kill Rocky and the others.
Yuriko looked at Maniwa and said, “Maniwa, it’s done. Let’s go down.”
Maniwa nodded and took the lead on the glass walkway.
Descending to the Spirit Crocodile Cliff, a pine forest appeared in front of the three.
Without much thought, they entered the pine forest, intending to cross it.
However, after walking for more than ten minutes, they still couldn’t get out of the pine forest.
Sakai pointed to a pine tree trunk where she had marked before, her expression unpleasant. “Maniwa, Yuriko, look at that pine tree. We’ve gone in a circle and ended up back where we started.”
Maniwa naturally noticed this too and said angrily, “It’s infuriating. Looking down from the top of the cliff, this pine forest doesn’t seem that big. How could we get lost in it?”
Yuriko’s gaze shifted, noticing the misty fog in the pine forest. She spoke with a deep voice, “I think this pine forest might be under the influence of a maze. If we can’t find the right direction or break the maze, we may not be able to get out.”
“A maze?” Maniwa raised an eyebrow. Obviously, this term sounded unfamiliar to her.
Yuriko explained, “A maze is the same as a trapping formation in Ninjutsu. If we can’t find a way to break it or find the correct path, we might end up going in circles no matter which direction we take, ultimately stuck in the same place.”
“Yuriko, do you have a way to break this maze?” Maniwa asked.
Yuriko shook her head, “It will take time. I need to find the eye of this maze.”
Sakai, with a turn of her eyes, suggested, “Maniwa, Yuriko, why don’t we set fire to this pine forest? The maze will break on its own!”
Maniwa contemplated for a moment, then shook her head, “This method is not feasible. Once the pine forest is on fire, the flames will be too conspicuous. It will not only attract attention from Atraria, but we’ll also be in the middle of a fire, risking harm to ourselves.”
Yuriko also disagreed with Sakai’s proposal. Just as she was about to lead the others in finding the eye of the maze, a sudden, abrupt cold shout rang out.
“How dare you three intrude into the forbidden grounds of my Seven Stars Sword Sect!”
The voice startled Maniwa and the others. Following the direction of the voice, not far ahead in the mist, a tall pine tree trunk revealed a figure.
“Leo!” Maniwa recognized Leo’s voice.
Leo jumped down from the pine tree and approached Maniwa’s group. He first glanced at Maniwa and then focused his gaze on Yuriko. This Orientian woman gave him a sense of danger.
Yuriko’s eyes also fixed on Leo, her pupils contracting slightly. She whispered to Maniwa beside her, “Maniwa, this person arrived at the right time. Let’s capture him and force him to reveal the essence of Yin-Yang Spellcraft.”