Chapter 155: Necromancy

Able to serve as the foremost fierce general under the command of "Prodigal", the Heavenly King Pirate Crew's Gou Qian possessed extraordinary skill and daring, needless to say. Even trapped in a desperate situation, he was certainly not someone Xu Wen and his companions could easily deal with in just a few moves.

Driven by a furious surge of battle qi, his giant axe spun like a wheel, creating a whistling vortex that not only parried Elder Xie’s attack but also successfully cleaved the surface of the sea, plunging him into the water.

Although the millennium corpse poison still lingered in the seawater, it failed to infiltrate Gou Qian’s protective battle qi.

Xu Wen and the other four watched helplessly as Gou Qian plunged into the ocean like a glowing, spiky sphere, completely powerless to stop him.

More than ten seconds passed.

The sea surface remained calm and tranquil, with no further sign of Gou Qian.

Xu Wen’s brows knitted into a tight knot, knowing instantly that they were in deep trouble.

Although the plan had proceeded exceptionally smoothly—the five of them eliminating five pursuers while at an absolute disadvantage, and even forcing the leader into the sea without daring to show his face—as long as the enemy refused to surface, there was every possibility he would return after their departure, report to the Heavenly King Pirate Crew, and bring about a second, far more ferocious wave of pursuers.

When that happened, an opportunity like this would never present itself again!

"He’s not coming out. What do we do now?"

Xu Wen was anxious, and Wang Xiaoshuai and the others were filled with dread. While the men of the Heavenly King Pirate Crew might not immediately detect the situation here, once Gou Qian escaped, the pirate crew would undoubtedly find a way to track them down.

Yet, if they continued to stand guard here, dragging things out for too long would likewise arouse the vigilance and suspicion of the Heavenly King Pirate Crew, prompting them to dispatch reinforcements to investigate.

Trapped between a rock and a hard place, the five of them found it difficult to decide whether to stay or leave!

Though Xu Wen desperately wanted to seize the moment and flee, he knew all too well that in the boundless ocean, a simple escape would never sever the sight of the Heavenly King Pirate Crew.

Moreover, Gou Qian had plunged a hundred meters beneath the ocean floor—a depth far beyond the reach of magic. As long as his battle qi was not exhausted, he could remain down there as steady as a monolith, waiting indefinitely.

They had to find a way to force him out and kill him; otherwise, he would never have peace of mind.

His gaze drifted for a moment before finally landing on the six corpses of the tiger-sharks floating upon the sea surface!

A flash of inspiration struck his mind.

"Let’s do it!"

A hint of joy surfaced on Xu Wen’s face.

He ordered the Dark Wind Condor to hover steadily directly above the spot where Gou Qian was located, beating its wings to hold its position.

Glancing at Elder Xie, Xu Wen issued his instructions:

"Elder Xie, prepare your strongest magic!"

"Wang Xiaoshuai, you do the same!" The latter nodded, tightening his grip on the Flying Dragon Spear.

Finally, Xu Wen’s gaze fell upon Ku'er:

"I will force him out. When the time comes, you will be responsible for shattering his battle qi armor!"

"Alright."

Ku'er’s voice was calm, yet far more straightforward than before, perhaps owing to the sight of the Seven-Star Earth Emperor-grade magic Xu Wen had previously unleashed.

Bier sat quietly at the tail of the Dark Wind Condor, staring at Xu Wen’s profile with an indescribable look in her eyes, watching and listening without interrupting his arrangement for the next phase of battle.

"How do you plan to force him out?"

With everyone's tasks assigned, Ku'er took the initiative to speak for the first time, asking Xu Wen for his strategy.

Sensing the curious and trusting gazes of the group, Xu Wen offered no superfluous words. He walked to the edge of the Dark Wind Condor’s back, swept a glance over the foul-smelling, mountain-like corpses of the tiger-sharks below, and—under the shocked gazes of the one man and two women—skillfully flicked out six emerald-green cold flames!

"Undead Flames!"

Wang Xiaoshuai took a half-step back, staring at Xu Wen with a gaze of absolute disbelief, extreme shock, and incomprehension! He could hardly believe his eyes—Xu Wen actually mastered Undead-attribute magic.

Even though Xu Wen had announced not long ago that he intended to study undead magic.

The shock in the hearts of Bier and Ku'er was no less intense than Wang Xiaoshuai’s!

An Undead Mage held an extremely lofty status within the Dark Empire. An undead mage of the same rank commanded greater prestige than a dark mage of equivalent rank. For someone so young to be an undead mage while simultaneously functioning as a Seven-Star Fire Mage... such a thing had never been recorded in the history of the Soul Continent.

Xu Wen, however, paid no mind to the stunned and questioning expressions on their faces. With a solemn gaze, he quietly sensed every single step as the tiger-shark corpses fused into their skeletal frames and rapidly underwent undeath transformation.

All five tiger-sharks belonged to the peak Six-Star magical beast tier; the giant white tiger-shark, meanwhile, belonged to Seven-Star magical beasts.

Even with a ten percent drop in strength, the combat prowess of six undead magical beasts remained terrifyingly formidable.

The very instant the complete undeath transformation concluded, the three individuals on the Dark Wind Condor, including Elder Xie, all wore looks of realization and anticipation. They immediately prepared for battle, beginning to chant spells or readying their battle skills.

"What a pity..."

Xu Wen manipulated the tiger-sharks to swim a few circles in the water. They moved freely without hindrance, yet a quiet regret stirred in his heart.

If the number of tiger-sharks could be even greater, he would have absolute confidence in slaying Gou Qian underwater!

Six magical beast skeletons were cutting it a bit too close when it came to dealing with an Eight-Star powerhouse.

"Wait."

Bier, who had remained silent all this while, suddenly spoke up:

"I have some magical beast corpses here. You might find them useful."

A spatial ring appeared in Bier’s hand, her dual pupils fixed on Xu Wen with a peculiar expression.

Glancing at her, Xu Wen did not hesitate, readily accepting the ring and sweeping his spiritual sense inward to inspect the inventory.

"..."

Magnificent!

Aside from corpses of various Seven-Star and Eight-Star magical beasts, there were quite a few human corpses inside. Their weapons and armor had not even been removed; they remained worn upon their bodies, preserving the exact state they were in at the moment of death.

Among them were dozens of familiar faces Xu Wen had seen before... including Luffy and Anderson!

Clearly, this was Pudong’s private spatial ring dedicated to collecting corpses—likely spoils of war looted from the Crimson Alliance, intended to be smuggled back to the Dark Empire and sold to undead mages for a hefty profit.

This was truly fine treasure. The corpses within were prime vessels for refining undead guards, something that would have required Xu Wen at least several months of hard labor to gather on his own.

Without a shred of politeness, Xu Wen accepted the ring, swiftly selected over twenty Seven-Star magical beast corpses, and tossed them onto the back of the white tiger-shark for rapid refinement.

The number of magical beast skeletons instantly swelled to over thirty.

With everything properly arranged, Xu Wen exchanged a glance with the other four.

Plop!

Plop!!

Over thirty magical beasts plunged into the sea simultaneously.

Ominous and aggressive, they rapidly closed in on Gou Qian hiding beneath the waves.

...Before the sea surface beneath the Dark Wind Condor could regain its tranquility, a cluster of white light flashed rapidly from the deep recesses of the ocean floor.

Immediately following that, a mild ripple vibrated swiftly, as if a minor tremor had traveled up from the seabed—coming quickly and vanishing just as fast!

Xu Wen’s brows furrowed a bit deeper... The three tiger-sharks had been smashed to pieces the moment they approached Gou Qian.

The combat capability of Six-Star magical beast skeletons truly could not bear overly high expectations.

It all hinged on the white tiger-shark now!

After all, as his former mount and possessing the combat power of a Seven-Star initial-stage magical beast, even if it couldn't inflict heavy damage on Gou Qian, causing him a bit of trouble shouldn't be a problem.

Sure enough!

The sea surface beneath the Dark Wind Condor suddenly bulged and erupted!

It felt as though a depth charge had just been detonated underwater, though under the immense pressure of the sea, the commotion was reduced to a minimum.

"How is it?"

Ku'er asked softly by Xu Wen’s ear.

With a solemn expression, Xu Wen shook his head:

The white tiger-shark and the last tiger-shark had been destroyed, along with two other magical beast skeletons.

Though magical beast skeletons were being destroyed one after another, Gou Qian remained securely entrenched on the seabed, completely unbothered.

Hearing this, Elder Xie could no longer sit still.

"I’m going!"

A glance at Elder Xie, a brief flash of hesitation in Xu Wen’s eyes, and then he nodded.

Elder Xie himself possessed Eight-Star combat prowess. With him personally descending into the water to fight, it would be impossible for the enemy to remain hidden.

Receiving Xu Wen’s approval, Elder Xie hesitated no longer. His thick, beast-like arms expanded forcefully as a dense layer of dark aura instantly enveloped his entire body, his aura surging violently. Following closely behind the magical beast skeletons, he plunged into the sea.

Xu Wen did not remain idle either.

The moment Elder Xie approached Gou Qian, the remaining twenty-odd magical beast skeletons surrounded the target from all directions, launching a coordinated assault!

The underwater battle erupted!

Water droplets shot skyward one after another, and the sea surface instantly churned into roaring waves!

Less than half a minute later, an overwhelmingly majestic magical fluctuation suddenly rose from beneath the seabed, causing a vast expanse of calm water to rapidly swell and bulge high into the air!!

"Careful!"

Xu Wen issued a stern warning as the Dark Wind Condor frantically beat its wings to gain altitude.

Boom!!

The sea surface exploded. This time, it felt as though an underwater atomic bomb had been detonated; a pillar of water hundreds of meters high surged into the sky, failing to spare even the Dark Wind Condor from being caught in the vortex.

Fortunately, Xu Wen had continuously guarded the Dark Wind Condor with the Black Flame Serpent; the moment the seawater rushed close, it was instantly vaporized into nothingness, sparing the riders on the bird’s back from taking any severe impact.

Yet, amid this sudden and massive explosion, two dark figures darted into mid-air at astonishing speed.

Xu Wen and the other four had already lost their optimal window for an ambush!

"Cease your attack!"

Floating in mid-air, Gou Qian was drenched head-to-toe, his body marred by several deep wounds mixed with flowing blood. Even his massive axe was nowhere to be seen, making him look utterly disheveled.

However, the object he gripped tightly in his hand—resembling a signal flare—caused Xu Wen and the five others to temporarily halt their tempestuous onslaught, each of them wearing a solemn expression.

"How about we strike a deal?"

Gou Qian panted heavily, staring at Elder Xie with a look of absolute resolve. Seeing the latter actually cast an inquiring glance toward the Dark Wind Condor, he couldn't help but freeze in surprise.

"What kind of deal?"

Xu Wen spoke up. Despite their meticulous planning, the moment a signal flare was launched, their tracks and situation would undoubtedly be exposed beyond a doubt, making it impossible to avoid becoming ghosts under the blades of the Heavenly King Pirate Crew.

Though skeptical, Gou Qian could still tell that Xu Wen was the leader among the five.

"A truce!"

Gou Qian replied: "The signal flare in my hand can be clearly seen within a radius of a hundred miles. As long as you call off your attack, I can accompany you for a hundred miles before turning back."

Xu Wen felt a pang of temptation.

This method was indeed viable. To save his life, Gou Qian would tag along and naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to fire the signal flare—and as long as they safely flew a hundred miles away, the pursuers of the Heavenly King Pirate Crew, even if Prodigal himself took the field, would struggle to cover such a vast region, giving them a strong chance of making a safe escape.

"I can agree to that, but you must tell me the true reason behind your hunt for us." The latter half of Xu Wen’s sentence was transmitted directly into Gou Qian’s ears via sound transmission.