Chapter 152: Fierce Battle on the Sea

With the grand vessel destroyed, the cultivators possessing cultivation bases were barely able to help each other escape, salvaging some floating debris like wooden planks from the sea surface to secure a foothold.

However, the rapidly erupting battle plunged them once again into a desperate and perilous situation!

Violent gales and surging torrents intersected high above, instantly whipping up unheralded waves across the sea. The wild waves fiercely pounded the small boats, tossing numerous people who had been standing on wooden planks into the water.

Even unluckier individuals were caught in the crossfire of the stray attacks unleashed by both sides.

After all, one side featured a nine-star water mage, while the other comprised a group of eight-star experts giving it their all—anyone whose cultivation had not reached the eight-star level, whether warrior or mage, would either die or suffer severe injuries!

This level of combat was no longer something they could participate in. The fortunate seven-star wind and water mages who had narrowly escaped a calamity hurriedly fled the combat zone.

As time passed... a vast expanse of the ocean was automatically cleared.

Hundreds of lucky survivors, their hearts still pounding with lingering fear, stood upon wooden planks or floated on the water, watching the battle zone from afar.

At this moment, Budong's demonic transformation had entered its final stage!

A dense, dark aura churned coldly in the air, spreading rapidly! Within a short span of time, it erected a barrier that enveloped the area where the grand vessel had been destroyed.

The viscous, impenetrable demonic dark aura and its gloomy power nearly blotted out one side of the sky, subtly influencing the state of mind of everyone around.

Meanwhile, beside the dark region, magic and battle qi whistled incessantly!

Dozens of thick water-elemental dragons extended fiercely from the seabed into the air, their bodies reaching a length of a hundred meters and a thickness of over a dozen meters. They agilely guarded Langzi, easily blocking off spells and combat techniques with absolute solidity!

With every counterattack, the Fish Arrow Mercenary Group suffered at least one or two casualties—either losing their combat capability outright or perishing and plunging into the sea... In less half a minute, forty-odd eight-star experts had lost a third of their members.

Yet not a single person from the Fish Arrow Mercenary Group retreated!

Out on the boundless ocean, they had nowhere to run; they had to buy time for Budong to complete his demonic transformation. Only a demonized Budong would be able to withstand Langzi and secure a glimmer of survival for them all.

Everyone was waiting, waiting for the moment Budong's demonic transformation succeeded, waiting for the moment the true storm descended!

This included the hundreds of people stationed ten thousand meters away, standing proudly atop the water surface... Every one of them wore sleek, blue, form-fitting leather armor, riding six-star Tiger Sharks beneath their feet. Only the leading two men and one woman stood upon giant, snowy-white tiger sharks, exuding an extraordinary aura!

"Sigh, what is the boss doing? With the boss's strength, he should have finished off those small fry long ago so it'd be our turn to enter the fray..."

The burly middle-aged man on the left carried a giant axe the size of a person, muttering impatiently, "Even if he couldn't, he should at least give the order so the brothers can stretch their muscles."

"Don't be impatient..."

The man in the middle smiled.

He raised a hand to stroke his small mustache, full of confidence as he said, "The boss will be fine. He just wants to test the strength of that nine-star dark mage... It's only natural, after all these years, this is our first time ambushing the vessel of a nine-star expert... Besides, the surrounding waters are entirely under our control; not a single one of them will escape."

"Test it if he wants, but why let the nine-star dark mage complete his demonic transformation? That's way too dangerous... Sister-in-law! You're our strategist, tell me, isn't the boss getting a bit too arrogant this time?"

The middle-aged man turned to the woman on the right, who had remained silent all along.

The latter shot him a sidelong glance and replied indifferently, "The boss has his reasons for everything he does." With that, she instructed the men behind her:

"Get ready to move out! The moment that man finishes his demonic transformation is when the Fish Arrow group will lose their combat effectiveness. Wait for the boss's signal!"

"Understood!"

The men of the Heavenly King Pirate Group had no idea that although they believed themselves hidden ten thousand meters away on the open sea—where they thought even nine-star powerhouses might fail to detect them—they had nonetheless fallen into the sight of one person.

Xu Wen gently patted Little Black's head, shifted his gaze to quickly scan the eight-star experts who had suffered over fifty percent casualties, and then glanced at the unhurried Langzi. His tightly furrowed brow tightened even further.

Something was wrong!

Langzi clearly could have eliminated more of the Fish Arrow Mercenary Group's eight-star experts in a much shorter time. Furthermore, given the strength of the Heavenly King Pirate Group stationed ten thousand meters away—with over seventy eight-star experts—they could easily swallow up the Fish Arrow Mercenary Group entirely! Why would Langzi take such a risk, granting 'Budong' the opportunity to successfully complete his demonic transformation?

A demonized Budong was definitely not someone Langzi and a group of eight-star experts could casually toy with... The unease in his heart escalated rapidly.

Yet, for the moment, Xu Wen could not figure out the source of this unease.

Still, the current situation was crystal clear... The Heavenly King Pirate Group held an absolute advantage, and the Fish Arrow Mercenary Group was trapped like a turtle in a jar, unable to leap around for much longer, even if Budong's demonic transformation succeeded.

Demonic transformation?

Wait!

A flash of inspiration suddenly struck Xu Wen's mind, as if he had captured something.

His gaze flickered, swiftly sweeping across the waters where the grand vessel had been destroyed, and then quickly scanning the battered and wretched members of the Fish Arrow Mercenary Group lingering outside the battlefield. Finally, his gaze landed on the group of people locked in fierce combat!

Taking a deep breath, Xu Wen suddenly understood!

The unease and puzzlement that had lingered in his heart all along stemmed precisely from the methods of the Heavenly King Mercenary Group... Pirates!

Their primary focus should be plundering.

Yet today's situation was clearly unusual.

Langzi had destroyed the grand vessel right at the start. Even if there were valuable goods aboard, they had likely already been buried at the bottom of the sea; followed immediately by unhesitating slaughter.

This was completely contrary to a pirate's usual style of operation!

Judging by his current actions and the pirate forces kept waiting in the distance, his intention was clearly to wipe out everyone present here.

The so-called alliance of pirate groups and their march toward the mainland seemed to have nothing to do with the situation before them.

Pirates never acted without profit in sight, nor would they provoke powerful enemies for no reason and cause unnecessary casualties... Roar!!!

With an angry roar, the dark aura abruptly ceased its churning winds and clouds, shrinking inward at an astonishing speed.

Xu Wen and the other two, along with everyone else on the sea surface, had their gazes deeply drawn by this fixed, monstrous pressure.

It was as if an enormous exhaust fan was frantically sucking in the dark aura. The massive black clouds floating above the sea surface shrank by more than half in the blink of an eye, finally revealing a black, demonized body that looked as though it were cast from steel! It resembled the physique of a ferocious beast!

Its eyes flew open, and a gloomy, ash-gray light flashed brilliantly!

"My turn!"

A voice like thunder boomed from Budong's mouth, echoing in overlapping waves and spreading rapidly in all directions. The vast mid-nine-star spiritual force made the members of the Fish Arrow Mercenary Group feel their minds shake.

Only Xu Wen was an exception.

Because just a split second before Budong completed his demonic transformation, he suddenly caught several successive fluctuations of magical energy rising from Langzi.

The dozen water dragons rising from the sea suddenly changed simultaneously.

Without the slightest warning, an intense chill erupted!

The water dragons directly crystallized, the soft water elements mutating into ice—sturdy, ferocious, their mouths even sprouting sharp teeth, their bodies lined with diamond-shaped, razor-sharp ice crystals!

They charged forward at full speed.

"Not good!"

"Run!!"

The members of the Fish Arrow Mercenary Group took the brunt of the attack. Crying out in alarm, they were already too late to react. Half of them were affected by the frigid chill, their flying movements slowing down just as the dozen ice dragons surged past like a high-speed train, sweeping across their bodies with a dense flurry of sharp ice blades.

Defensive magic and protective battle qi were instantly grazed by the countless ice blades!

Under the high-speed impact, every single ice blade constituted an attack. For the eight-star members of the Fish Arrow Mercenary Group, no one could withstand this level of impact... Meanwhile, those outside the battlefield only saw the water dragons mutate as they burst out of the sea, transforming into ferocious-looking ice dragons that surrounded the twenty-odd members of the Fish Arrow Mercenary Group, including the old captain. Like kites with snapped strings, they were sent flying backward in disarray.

The situation changed so rapidly that it exceeded everyone's expectations, including Budong, who had just completed his demonic transformation and was currently enjoying the thrill of overflowing power filling his entire body.

"He's been holding back his strength all along?" The other two women on the Black Wind Condor finally managed to spot a trace of strangeness, their faces turning pale with shock.

"Up until now, he hasn't even bothered to summon his little brothers out. He seems extremely confident that he has us in the bag." Xu Wen didn't even lift an eyelid, his flat words waking Bi'er and Ku'er from their awe of Langzi's strength.

The two women stared at Xu Wen, their expressions rapidly turning grave.

"Did you discover something?"

"..."

Xu Wen pointed toward the distant spot where the Heavenly King Pirate Group had halted:

"Over there, there are at least seventy eight-star experts, more than four hundred peak seven-star experts, and a pack of Tiger Sharks... At the speed of Tiger Sharks in the water, it won't take long for them to get here."

Although Budong belonged to the Dark Empire, Xu Wen harbored no goodwill toward the pirate group either. Moreover, the decisiveness and ruthlessness they displayed made them far more dangerous than Budong.

Between the two choices, helping Budong survive this ordeal was equivalent to helping himself.

Atop the Black Wind Condor, the expressions of all four shifted drastically.

"Are you sure?"

Bi'er's suspicious tone was met with Xu Wen's mocking, cold laugh: "Do you really think the leader of a pirate group would be foolish enough to act alone? Especially against a mercenary group with a nine-star grand magus?"

"..."

Bi'er was left speechless.

"We must let Master know about this news."

In comparison, Ku'er in her black robe clearly had a broader view of the big picture. Once she confirmed Xu Wen was not joking, she quickly understood their current predicament and transmitted the message to her master.

Soon!

Budong's voice entered Xu Wen's ears, his tone sounding exceptionally grave:

"Fly in the southeast direction; you'll see land in about two days and two nights! I'll stay behind to cover your retreat. Remember! Don't try any tricks with me—I've placed spiritual imprints on all three of you. No matter where you run, I'll know. Understood?"

True to being a man of sharp wit, Budong made his decision the moment he learned of the news from Ku'er, choosing to abandon the Fish Arrow Mercenary Group and run for his life.

"Use that Elemental Turbulence Pill at the critical moment; it can stall the nine-star water mage for a while."

Xu Wen reminded him.

Though he longed for Budong to drop dead, right now, until they escaped danger, the man could not die!

(To be continued)