The blood-red skull signal flare was particularly eye-catching in the thick fog, like a death warrant. Almost the instant it exploded, the fog, which had been isolating their spiritual senses, seemed to be violently torn apart by an invisible giant hand, quickly retreating to both sides. The outlines of three huge ships, grotesque and monstrous like deep-sea behemoths, emerged from the fog, revealing themselves to everyone. These ships were painted black, covered in battle scars from sword and axe blows, and the prows were carved with shark heads with gaping mouths. What was most heart-stopping was the flag hanging from their main masts—a huge, blood-red skull sail that billowed in the wind! The eye sockets of the skull burned with ghostly green flames, emitting an ominous aura of death.
"It's… it's the Blood Shark Pirates!" The surviving guards, upon seeing the flag, their voices trembling with extreme fear, cried out in a sob.
The Blood Shark Pirates! One of the most notorious and powerful pirate groups in the East Sea, known for their ruthless methods. Ordinary merchant ships that encountered them almost never survived.
The three pirate ships formed a triangle, tightly surrounding the small "Canghai (Vast Sea) Ship" in the center, cutting off all avenues of escape. The atmosphere on the "Canghai (Vast Sea) Ship" instantly plummeted to freezing, the remaining guards ashen-faced, unable to muster the courage to resist. They were no match for such a formation.
At the bow of the lead, the largest and most ferocious pirate ship, a figure stood with his hands behind his back. This man was burly, wearing only simple black close-fitting clothing, revealing muscular arms knotted with explosive power. A hideous scar ran diagonally across his face, from his forehead to his chin, and his left eye was a hollow socket, just a black, empty pit. His right eye flickered with a fierce, wolf-like light. Just standing there, the overwhelming pressure unique to a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, like a mountain, pressed down upon them, mixed with a thick, almost impenetrable bloody aura, causing everyone on the "Canghai (Vast Sea) Ship" to catch their breaths. This man was the leader of the Blood Shark Pirates—the One-Eyed Shark!
"Zhang Tao, long time no see, I trust you're well," the One-Eyed Shark grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, his voice raspy and grating, like metal scraping. "Hand over the 'Dragon Scale Key' on your person, and those 'good things,' and I might consider giving you a whole corpse."
He actually called out Zhang Tao by name, as if he knew their purpose for the trip!
"Hahaha! Old dog Zhang, didn't expect this, did you!" The traitor guard, Liu San, jumped to the side of the ship, bowing and scraping to the One-Eyed Shark, then turned to Zhang Tao, his face filled with the smugness of a small man who had achieved his goals. "To tell you the truth, I'm the mole the Blood Shark Pirates planted in your Four Seas Merchant Guild! This mission's target is precisely the 'Dragon Scale Key' and those 'special goods' that you, old dog, are escorting!"
He glared at Zhang Tao with a venomous look, "Didn't you always look down on me? Just you wait, I'll chop you up and feed you to the fish!"
Zhang Tao's face was ashen, his chest heaving violently, pushed to the brink of rage. He stared fixedly at Liu San, then glanced at the One-Eyed Shark and the three pirate ships eyeing them hungrily, a chill running through his heart. With an inside man working with the enemy, this was clearly a pre-planned ambush; today, they had no chance of survival. A wave of despair and rage surged from the depths of his heart. If he must die, he would not let these scoundrels have their way!
"You want it? Then come and get it!" Zhang Tao roared, unleashing all of his true essence, a powerful aura far exceeding his usual strength erupting from him. He immediately activated a secret technique that squeezed his potential, his face flushed an unnatural red, his momentum climbing, clearly prepared to perish with his enemies.
But just as he prepared to fight to the death, his sharp, hawk-like eyes swept over Chen Changqing with a complex expression, carrying a hint of inquiry, a flicker of hope, and a touch of resolve.
Can't wait any longer! Chen Changqing's thoughts raced. The light of the Primal Calculation flashed wildly in his Sea of Consciousness, instantly simulating the current battle dozens of times. A head-on fight offered no chance of victory. The One-Eyed Shark's strength was unfathomable, the Blood Shark Pirates were numerous, and those eerie Shadow Demons were lurking, ready to pounce. Only by achieving the unexpected could they find a glimmer of hope!
"The path of survival, also has thunderous means!" Chen Changqing's eyes narrowed, no longer hiding. He stepped forward, his hands forming a seal. The Sea Stabilizing Pearl within him quietly activated, and pure, vast Water-elemental energy surged forth, drawing upon the surrounding seawater!
"Overturning Water!" he called out in a low voice. The water around the Canghai (Vast Sea) Ship seemed to come alive, churning violently. Streams of water shot into the sky, and under his mental guidance, they quickly intertwined and swirled, forming a simple, yet profound, water current array, trapping the Canghai (Vast Sea) Ship, along with some of the lower-level pirates who were close by, and a few Shadow Demons that hadn't retreated completely.
Although this Overturning Water Illusion Array was hastily set up and its power was limited, its core was the fundamental power of the Sea Stabilizing Pearl. The water currents shifted unpredictably, subtly aligning with the principles of array formations. For a time, the trapped pirates felt their vision distort, losing their sense of direction, as if they were trapped in a vast underwater maze, and they cried out in alarm.
"A formation?!" One-Eyed Shark's eyes narrowed, fixing on the unassuming young man in green. This kid was actually a formation master? Judging by his skill, he wasn't ordinary!
"Senior Brother!" Lin Wanqing's spirits soared when Chen Changqing finally made his move. She hated despicable betrayals the most, and seeing Liu San still cackling arrogantly, she was already furious.
"Traitor, die!" With a sharp cry, Lin Wanqing's Green Frost Sword Vein erupted, and the Green Frost Sword emitted a clear, ringing sound. A dazzling, eye-catching blue sword-light shot into the sky, carrying an icy, piercing sword intent. Like a bolt of lightning, it sliced through the darkness, directly at the smug Liu San!
Liu San, basking in the joy of impending success, hadn't even bothered to pay attention to the seemingly delicate girl. He never expected her to suddenly unleash such a terrifying attack! The sword-light was too fast, the sword intent too strong. He only felt an icy chill wash over him, and he didn't even have time to think about dodging.
"Pfft!" The blue sword-light flashed past, and Liu San's screams abruptly stopped, replaced by a mournful wail that didn't sound human. He was sent flying like a broken kite, a deep, bone-deep sword wound across his chest, blood gushing out. A thin layer of frost formed around the wound, and strands of blue sword intent invaded his meridians like a persistent maggot, frantically destroying his life force.
"Ah—My dantian! My cultivation!" Liu San collapsed to the ground, his face ashen, his eyes filled with terror and despair. Lin Wanqing's sword had not only severely injured his body, but the domineering sword intent had also shattered his dantian and qi sea!
Chen Changqing's formation and Lin Wanqing's outburst instantly turned the tide on part of the deck. A flicker of real apprehension crossed One-Eyed Shark's single eye. These two unremarkable Qi Refining stage kids, one with a mysterious formation and the other with a stunning sword intent, were definitely not ordinary characters! This information was a bit off.
"Worthless!" One-Eyed Shark sneered, indifferent to Liu San's miserable state. With a step forward, a blood-red giant saber the size of a door appeared in his hand, the blade wreathed in blood qi, with countless wailing souls. Ignoring the lackeys trapped in the formation, he flashed forward, directly pouncing on Lin Wanqing. The blood-red giant saber, carrying the power to split mountains and crack stone, came down with a head-on chop! He had to eliminate this most threatening variable first!
Lin Wanqing felt a surge of exhilaration after severely injuring Liu San with her sword. However, facing the full-force attack of One-Eyed Shark, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, she felt an overwhelming pressure, her small face instantly paling. Just at this critical moment, Chen Changqing's figure appeared before Lin Wanqing like a ghost. He didn't directly take One-Eyed Shark's attack but instead activated the Sea Stabilizing Pearl once more. Streams of water, like靈蛇, appeared out of thin air, either coiling, striking, or deflecting, cleverly disrupting One-Eyed Shark's offensive and buying Lin Wanqing a moment to breathe.
"Elder Zhang! This guy's left leg has an old injury, it's his weakness!" Simultaneously, Chen Changqing's clear voice, transmitted through a secret technique, clearly reached Zhang Tao's ears, who was currently entangled with several pirate leaders. This was what he observed through the Karma Eye, the most obvious karmic thread related to injury on Liu San's body.
Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Zhang Tao's eyes. He had already resolved to die. Now, with Chen Changqing's guidance, he hesitated not at all. He endured a knife from a pirate leader behind him, and with the force of the impact, he spun his body, disregarding his own injuries. He gathered all his cultivation in his right palm and slammed it fiercely towards Liu San's dantian, who was struggling to get up!
"Bang!" A muffled sound.
"Ah—!" Liu San let out another heart-wrenching scream, his entire body collapsing as if his bones had been removed. His dantian was completely destroyed, and he became a cripple.
"You dare!" One-Eyed Shark was enraged when he saw his inside man crippled, and his blood blade attack became even more violent. However, although Chen Changqing's array was crude, it greatly restricted the Shadow Demons and other pirates' movements, preventing them from effectively surrounding them. Lin Wanqing's swordplay was agile and swift, and with Chen Changqing's water currents supporting her, the two of them cooperated seamlessly, managing to barely withstand One-Eyed Shark's several fierce attacks.
One-Eyed Shark became more and more alarmed the more he fought. The tenacity of these two juniors far exceeded his expectations. With the inside man crippled, if they delayed further, and if they attracted the Four Seas Merchant Guild or other powerful forces, it could lead to unexpected changes.
"Hmph! You brat, little girl, consider yourselves lucky!" One-Eyed Shark's eyes flickered with a fierce light. After weighing the pros and cons, he ultimately dared not linger in the battle. He forced Chen Changqing and Lin Wanqing back with a single sword strike, leaving behind a harsh word: "This matter isn't over! Seven Star Island, we'll meet again!"
After saying that, he decisively ordered, "Retreat!" The three Blood Shark Pirate ships immediately turned their bows and, under the leadership of One-Eyed Shark, swiftly sailed away like the receding tide. Some of the pirates trapped in the array were rescued by One-Eyed Shark, while the remaining ones were killed by the furious Zhang Tao and several guards.
As the Blood Shark Pirates retreated, the Shadow Demons that had been wandering in the array seemed to lose their targets and direction, transforming into wisps of black smoke that vanished into the shadows.
A sudden life-and-death crisis was finally temporarily resolved.
"Pfft!" Zhang Tao could no longer hold on, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood. His face instantly turned as pale as gold paper, and his body swayed precariously. He had already reached the end of his strength after forcibly using a secret technique and taking several heavy blows.
"Steward Zhang!" Chen Changqing and Lin Wanqing rushed forward to support him.
Zhang Tao gasped for breath and shakily took out a key from his arms. It was about the size of a palm, shimmering with strange light, and seemed to be carved from some kind of dragon scale. Without saying a word, he stuffed it into Chen Changqing's hand.
"Cough... This... This is the 'Dragon Scale Key', it's of great importance..." he said intermittently, his eyes filled with anxiety and unwillingness. "There are... radical factions within the Merchant Guild... who want to use it... to open the 'Pandora's Box' on Seven Star Island... It will cause a great disaster..."
"Help me... you must... stop them..." After saying these words, Zhang Tao could no longer hold on, his head tilted, and he completely passed out.
Chen Changqing held the cold "Dragon Scale Key" in his hand, immediately sensing a strange energy fluctuation. He instinctively activated his [Karma Eye] to peer into it.
Buzz!
In an instant, countless distorted, frenzied, and chaotic image fragments flooded his mind like a tidal wave! In those images, there were agonizingly roaring, mutated creatures, hideously contorted, neither-human-nor-beast monsters, researchers in white coats with fanatical eyes, and grim, ice-cold underwater laboratories… Every image was filled with an ominous aura of destruction!
What exactly was this key going to unlock?! Chen Changqing's heart was greatly shaken. This journey to the East Sea was far more complex and dangerous than he had anticipated. And Seven Star Island had already become the next vortex's center.
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