The Rich Cultivator
Chapter 178 - 177. Battle at the Depth of Labyrinth

Chapter 178: 177. Battle at the Depth of Labyrinth

Water began swirling ominously around Tyler and Lily, forming shimmering tendrils that snaked toward them with increasing speed. Lily, ever quick on her feet, snapped her whip at the ground with a fierce crack. The force sent her soaring into the air, allowing her to nimbly dodge the incoming attack.

As she sailed through the air, she glanced down and saw Lutz chanting incantations with his staff pointed directly at Tyler. The water around him morphed and swirled, forming a perfect sphere, trapping him inside.

Water Prison.

Tyler, now fully submerged in the sphere of water, struggled against the pressure and lack of air. His limbs flailed as he tried to swim, but the magic was too strong, holding him fast.

Meanwhile, Lily remained unfazed. Her eyes locked on her true target—Captain Silver Eye. With Tyler held captive, this was her chance. She cracked her whip once again, this time laced with lightning, and lunged forward. The whip struck Silver Eye’s body with a sharp, electrifying crack, causing his form to ripple with energy.

Silver Eye’s previously abnormal, buffed state seemed to weaken, the lightning spell draining some of his unnatural power. His muscles, once swollen with magic, visibly deflated, and he staggered back a step, disoriented. Noticing the change, Lily smirked and launched a barrage of relentless attacks. The crackling whip was a blur in her left hand, while in her right, she drew a short sword. The blade gleamed as she began a flurry of dual-handed strikes, combining the finesse of her swordsmanship with the raw power of her whip.

"You’re not so tough now, are you?" Lily taunted, her voice dripping with confidence.

Silver Eye grunted as he parried her strikes, but his defense was faltering. The relentless combination of lightning-infused whip strikes and swift sword slashes was too much for him to keep up with. His footing slipped, and he was forced to retreat.

On the other side of the battlefield, Lutz stepped closer to the water sphere, his eyes fixed on Tyler inside. He watched carefully, waiting for any sign of Tyler losing consciousness. His grip on the staff tightened as he mentally prepared to reinforce the spell if necessary.

But just as Lutz assumed victory, something shifted within the water prison. Tyler’s struggles ceased, and for a moment, the surface of the sphere became eerily calm. Then, in a flash of movement, Tyler slipped through the water like a serpent, breaking free from the sphere’s confines in one swift motion. His body, now shimmering with scales, glowed faintly in the dim light.

Lutz’s eyes widened in disbelief. "What...?"

Before he could react, Tyler was already in front of him. With a powerful punch aimed directly at Lutz’s chest, Tyler’s scaled fist hurtled through the air.

"How can a Kun Peng gets hurt of water?" Tyler mumbled.

But just as the punch was about to connect, a translucent, shimmering shield of water formed in front of Lutz, absorbing the full force of the blow.

"What in the world...?" Tyler muttered, his eyes narrowing at the water barrier. The impact sent ripples through the shield, but it held firm.

Lily landed gracefully beside him after executing a flawless backflip, a playful smirk on her face despite the intensity of the battle. "Shield Spell. These mages are so annoying," she said with a hint of frustration as she cracked her neck and readied her weapons for another assault.

Tyler frowned, his eyes still locked on Lutz. "Whatever Onion Cube is that, can’t you give it to him? Might make things easier."

Lily sighed dramatically, shaking her head. "It’s Orion Cube, not ’Onion Cube.’ And no, I can’t. Isadora stole it from me."

Tyler’s lips curled into a teasing grin, his sharp features softening for a moment despite the tension in the air. "Wow, our great detective got fooled. How could you let that happen?"

Lily shot him a glare, though there was a hint of amusement behind it. "Don’t push your luck, or I’ll let Silver Eye finish you off."

Tyler laughed, but the moment of levity didn’t last long. Silver Eye, though weakened, was regaining his composure, and Lutz, too, was readying another spell. The tension thickened as both sides prepared for the next clash.

"I’ll deal with Lutz," Tyler said, his voice taking on a more serious tone as he adjusted his stance. "You focus on Silver Eye. "

Lily gave a quick nod. "Got it. I’ll keep him occupied. Don’t drown on me, Captain."

With that, they sprang into action again.

Just as Tyler prepared to continue his assault, Lutz’s voice echoed through the air as he chanted again. The water surrounding them began to swirl ominously, reforming into the same spell Tyler had already escaped from—Water Prison. Confusion crossed Tyler’s face. He was sure the same spell wouldn’t work on him twice. But something was different this time.

As Tyler tried to move, attempting the same maneuver he used before to slip out of the sphere, he noticed something unsettling. The water prison was reacting to his movements, adapting and moving with him. Every twitch, every shift, the sphere anticipated and closed in tighter, leaving him truly trapped this time.

"Damn," Tyler muttered to himself, frustration bubbling inside him. This wasn’t going to be as easy as the first escape.

Meanwhile, across the battlefield, Lily’s whip cracked through the air once more, latching around Captain Silver Eye’s neck. With a fierce yank, she pulled him toward her, closing the distance between them in an instant. Her sword gleamed in her other hand as she prepared to strike, aiming directly for his chest.

But in that split second, Silver Eye’s eyes flashed an eerie, unnatural light.

"Oh no..." Lily’s instincts screamed danger. Panic shot through her, and she shifted her grip just in time, redirecting the sword away from its intended target. As her blade connected with Silver Eye, it was engulfed in silver flames—flames that gave off no heat but began to eat away at her sword as if it were made of paper. The blade melted in her hand, crumbling away into nothing.

Captain Silver Eye, though wounded, wiped the blood from his mouth as if it were nothing more than a minor inconvenience. His movements were slow, deliberate, and despite the chaos, his breathing had calmed.

Lily took a step back, narrowing her eyes at him. Something had changed.

"You’re losing strength, Captain," she taunted, keeping her voice steady despite the fact her sword had just been destroyed. "Listen to me, the Onion Cube—"

"It’s Orion Cube!" Tyler’s muffled voice echoed faintly from inside the water prison.

Lily shot a glance in Tyler’s direction, only half-rolling her eyes before turning back to Silver Eye. "Whatever. That cube you’re after? It’s in the hands of the Manhunter now. She betrayed me. You’re wasting your time."

Silver Eye’s brows furrowed, but his silence indicated he was listening.

"And besides," Lily continued with a smirk, "if you keep fighting, you’re only putting yourself at a disadvantage. I can see how much you’ve strained yourself chasing after me. How long can you keep this up?"

Silver Eye wiped more blood from his lips but said nothing.

Lily took the opportunity to press further. "My captain? He’s just toying with that mage. Once he’s done with your boy over there, you won’t have a chance."

Satisfied with her speech, she turned confidently toward Tyler, expecting to see him triumphant.

Instead, she was greeted with the sight of her captain trapped inside a large sphere of water, running helplessly in mid-air like a hamster in a wheel. He was trying to break free, but every movement caused the water to shift and imprison him further.

Lily’s confident expression faltered, her mouth falling open in disbelief. "You’ve got to be kidding me..."

Silver Eye let out a low chuckle behind her, though it was laced with weariness.

"You can’t escape..." Lutz’s voice was soft but resolute, as he tightened his grip on his staff, focusing all his energy on maintaining the Water Prison. His face was pale, beads of sweat forming on his brow, but he kept his stance firm.

"Yo! Captain! Enough playing around!" Lily’s voice suddenly cut through the air, loud and commanding.

The water sphere surrounding Tyler came to an abrupt stop.

Tyler, who had been struggling inside like a caged animal, immediately paused, his sharp eyes locking on Lily.

In that moment, something changed. The water, which had previously been fluid and shifting, began to solidify. A cold mist formed around the sphere as the water froze, turning into ice in a matter of seconds. Lutz’s eyes widened in panic as he lost control of the spell. His connection to the water prison had been severed, and now, the icy structure was beyond his control.

Cracks formed in the ice, and with a sudden explosive force, the entire sphere shattered, sending shards of ice flying in every direction like deadly glass.

Tyler landed on the ground, brushing ice from his shoulders with a calm, almost bored expression.