Chapter 311 - 300: Weaklings, Scram
Although Su Yu and Qian Qinghong had agreed to the alliance, they hadn’t actually boarded the other party’s Treasure Ship. Instead, they now stood at the bow of a smaller one, a chubby young man with a wry smile on his face standing behind them.
Apparently, the two of them had commandeered the vessel.
"My fellow martial artists!"
Yan Gulin was the first to break the dead silence on the river, shouting:
"That Black Dragon Fish was startled just now and has already retreated into the deep, complex reef nest below. The creature is cunning by nature. If we don’t find a way to force it out of its lair first, no one will be able to capture it!"
"Dusk is falling. Once night descends, underwater visibility will become abysmal, and the difficulty of catching it will increase severalfold! To prevent any unforeseen complications and ensure this isn’t all for nothing, I propose we let my men from the Golden Sand Water Stronghold—our best divers—go in first to scout and force it out!"
"Let your Golden Sand Water Stronghold make the first move?"
The moment Village Chief Yan finished speaking, Leng Fei sneered. "Haha! Village Chief Yan, what a clever little scheme! This is already your territory. If you let your men go in the water first and they just happen to capture the Black Dragon Fish, wouldn’t I and everyone else here have come all this way for nothing?"
Yan Gulin’s expression turned cold as well. "Then let’s just keep waiting," he said flatly. "We’ll wait until night falls and visibility is shot. If the Black Dragon Fish really abandons its nest and escapes, then we can all go home empty-handed."
"What’s the point of all this goddamn bickering!"
"You want the Black Dragon Fish? Then just take it by force! Anyone who dares to compete with me, I’ll personally twist their head off and use it as a chamber pot!"
Xue Kuang stretched his body, his bones letting out a series of sharp CRACKS. The giant whale tattoo on his skin seemed to glow a faint blood-red.
"Bring me my weapon!"
Without looking back, Xue Kuang extended his right hand.
THUMP! THUMP!
Accompanied by heavy footsteps, two elite members of the Giant Whale Gang, panting for breath, struggled to move an absurdly large weapon to the bow.
It was the Eight Desolations Heavy Anchor—a weapon forged entirely from deep-sea iron, over ten feet long, its head shaped like a ferocious war halberd!
Xue Kuang casually gripped the thick shaft and, with a single hand, effortlessly lifted it from his two subordinates’ shoulders.
WHOOSH!
With a flick of his wrist, he swung the heavy anchor in a semicircle before him.
With no enhancement from his Qi and Blood, relying solely on terrifying, pure physical strength, the heavy blade let out a piercing sonic boom as it cut through the air!
The furious gale it generated blasted a deep trough into the river’s surface, yards away from the warship!
The onlookers’ faces paled in shock. ’Just how heavy is that thing!’
’That kind of terrifying force would instantly smash a person into a bloody pulp!’
"My fellow martial artists, if I may have a word."
Just as tensions reached their peak,
the woman in green robes on the Cyan Wood Treasure Ship, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
Her voice was as clear and crisp as a songbird’s. Though not loud, it rang distinctly in everyone’s ears, instantly drowning out the whistling wind and crashing waves.
"If we continue this stalemate, consumed by mutual suspicion, we will simply allow the Black Dragon Fish to escape. Instead, why don’t we all set aside our differences for the moment? We can send our best experts into the water together and cooperate to force the Black Dragon Fish from its nest."
The woman’s tone was level, yet it carried an air of unquestionable authority. "Once the prize fish appears, it is ownerless. At that point, everyone can compete on their own merits. Victory or defeat will be determined by your own skills. But before the Black Dragon Fish is caught, if anyone dares to play dirty underwater and break this truce... I, Xu Hesui, will personally strike them down with my sword!"
BOOM!
The moment she finished speaking, Xu Hesui unleashed her Qi and Blood without reservation.
A powerful Sword Stance instantly enveloped the river’s surface for dozens of feet in front of her!
Mid-stage Muscle Forging Realm!
And it was the signature Sword Stance of the Cyan Wood Sword Sect!
The onlookers were stunned, not daring to utter a single word of protest.
Su Yu frowned and turned to the Treasure Ship Master behind him. "What’s the deal with this Cyan Wood Sword Sect?"
The chubby man hastily explained, "Sir, you must not be from around Jian’an Prefecture. The Cyan Wood Sword Sect is a premier power here. They control dozens of prosperous cities within the prefecture, governing their own territory and standing on equal footing with the official authorities. The sect is filled with experts, most of whom are master swordsmen, and they’re considered the best of the best among their peers. Furthermore, the Cyan Wood Sword Sect has an excellent reputation; they are widely respected by all."
Su Yu nodded slightly. ’Since someone from the Cyan Wood Sword Sect has spoken,’ he thought, ’perhaps a consensus is possible.’
Sure enough, in the next moment, Yan Gulin chimed in, "Lady Xu is absolutely right. The Golden Sand Water Stronghold agrees."
Leng Fei, apparently aware of the Cyan Wood Sword Sect’s reputation, nodded in agreement.
But Xue Kuang just laughed. "Xu Hesui, I only agree with half of what you said! The Black Dragon Fish might be ownerless, but that doesn’t mean the trash here is qualified to compete for it. Let me clear out the riffraff first. Once only the strong are left, then we can talk about catching the Black Dragon Fish!"
"Die, you trash!"
True to his name, ’Kuang’ the Madman, Xue Kuang’s presence was utterly tyrannical. With a roar of Qi and Blood from within, he hurled the massive halberd.
Like a mad dragon bursting from the sea, the long halberd flew hundreds of feet across the water in an instant, hurtling toward the nearest small Treasure Ship.
BOOM!
The great halberd struck the Treasure Ship like a cannonball, blasting a huge hole in the deck. The entire vessel groaned under the strain, the immense force of the impact causing it to list halfway over.
The seven or eight Martial Artists on deck screamed in terror as they lost their footing, sliding down the tilted deck and tumbling into the river.
WHAM!
The hull slammed back down onto the water, throwing up a towering spray of white water dozens of feet high.
Xue Kuang’s tower-like frame followed right after, landing on the deck with a booming laugh.
He yanked the great halberd free and, with a casual sweep—SCHLICK!—he sliced the few Martial Artists who had just survived the fall in two before they could even react.
The sole survivor, a Martial Artist at Flesh Refining Realm Perfection, was nonetheless gravely wounded by the blow and sent flying overboard, landing in the water with a SPLASH.
Aboard the Cyan Wood Sword Sect’s Treasure Ship, Xu Hesui’s elegant brows furrowed, and she prepared to intervene.
But in the next instant, she saw both Yan Gulin and Leng Fei make their move, attacking the other Martial Artists around them.
Clearly, none of the major powers intended to let the weaker participants fish in troubled waters.
Su Yu’s brow furrowed. With a few quick steps, he and Qian Qinghong moved to distance themselves from the fray.
But unexpectedly, his retreat only drew the attention of the Giant Whale Gang. A woman in white on their Treasure Ship, with a Horse-cutting Saber slung across her back, let out a cold snort. She leaped from her vessel, bringing her massive blade down in a tyrannical arc. The air seemed to ripple with the faint roar of a vicious dragon as a powerful pressure enveloped Su Yu.
"Get lost, weakling!"