Chapter 118: The Name of the Whale Hunter Resounds Across the East Sea!

Chapter 118: The Name of the Whale Hunter Resounds Across the Eastern Sea!
Chapter 118: The Return of the Whale Hunter, Leader of the Thousand Mountain Army!

"Run! I must run!"

Luan Shan sprinted with incredible speed, yet in an instant, the air behind him vibrated. A streak of white light sliced across the sea, covering the vast distance in a heartbeat, causing the water to erupt into waves over ten meters high as it cleaved the ocean apart.

Within a few breaths, the white light arrived, striking like a thunderbolt from the void. The terrifying pressure of blood energy bore down upon him.

The Visualization of the Mountain-Moving Giant Ape provided immense power, but it was not suited for speed. Even with the strength amplification, the ape’s true energy was concentrated primarily in its arms.

Trying to escape?

When the Mountain Lord Howling Wind Tiger Visualization was unleashed, Bai Xuan’s speed easily shattered the sound barrier, sweeping across the sea to catch up in a flash!

"Oh no!"

Luan Shan was gripped by overwhelming terror. His massive ape avatar could not outrun his pursuer. Facing the incoming force, he gritted his teeth, raised his giant staff, and roared, "I am willing to offer my life's savings, including all the secrets of the Star Hunter Pirates! Please, spare my life!"

"Spirit Monkey Agility, move!"

Seeing that Bai Xuan remained silent while checking the storage bag, Luan Shan retreated slowly. Finally, he swallowed a pill, and his blood energy erupted with frenzied intensity.

Luan Shan was terrified. The left arm of his Giant Ape visualization shattered with a loud crack, and his remaining right arm began to freeze over, encased in a chilling, lethal frost.

Boom!

Bai Xuan’s figure materialized. Wind surged around him, lifting him into the air with a low rumble.

Luan Shan looked withered. The clash had shattered his blood energy, leaving him deathly pale.

"Yes, this is the Yin Soul Bag refined by Master Luo. It contains a ninth-grade talisman capable of swallowing seventeen thousand and nine hundred catties of dead matter. Living creatures sucked inside die instantly, though it cannot trap masters like us."

"With my life's savings, I beg you to spare me. There are military secrets inside, and everything regarding the Star Hunter Army is within... Once this is over, I will live in seclusion and never interfere in maritime affairs again!"

Facing the ultimate terror of life and death, this Six-River Master lost his composure, babbling in a panic.

"Heavenly Demon Disintegration Pill, blood energy burst!"

This pill was for emergency bursts of power. Every maritime master had such a technique—be it a secret art, a pill, or a talisman—to boost their strength to a terrifying level in a life-or-death struggle.

However, he did not believe that relying on this pill would allow him to contend with Bai Xuan. Instead, he shrank his form, unleashed his blood energy once more, and darted away like a nimble monkey.

"A storage bag?"

Luan Shan gave his all, taking the hit head-on. His blood energy collapsed, his hands bled, and his staff was sent flying into the sea.

"There are several powerful secret manuals I looted from destroyed islands, four divine weapons, and tens of thousands in silver notes... The most precious item is a blueprint for the 'Spell-Image Sea Boat,' which records how to build a vessel that can enter storms without damage and cleave through glaciers unscathed!"

Before he could finish, a terrifying whistling sound tore through the air. The Sea-Subduing Spear swung down with astonishing speed. With a thunderous crash, the sea surface exploded, and the fish below were pulverized.

Bai Xuan grabbed the cloth bag, sensing it was similar to his own Profound Yin Bag, with a talisman operating inside to ingest items.

"There are nine bottles of 'Tai Sui Pills' here, each one step away from being graded—far superior to ordinary Tai Sui medicine. They are potent, only to be refined by a perfected master."

He was terrified that if he were a second late, Bai Xuan’s ferocity would flare, and he would be decapitated.

The Mountain Lord Howling Wind could ride the wind to flee; at this level of strength, he was no longer merely human!

Luan Shan pleaded repeatedly.

Seeing Bai Xuan appear, Luan Shan did not hesitate to untie the cloth bag from his waist and toss it toward him.

"How is this possible? The power of this spear technique has increased again!"

"My lord, here is my life's wealth. I only hope you spare me. I will surely go to sea and live in seclusion, never to step into this sea of fire again."

His agility technique allowed him to flip and leap a thousand meters, providing the burst of speed needed to escape.

"Run! If I can escape this time, even if I lose everything, I can return to Lord Duan Haiyuan and rise again from scratch."

Luan Shan never truly intended to quit the maritime conflicts. He had lost his island, his troops, his logistics, and his fleet. As a Six-River Master, what could he use to replenish his blood energy? Was he to practice a hibernation technique and never appear in the world again?

"Though I have lost everything, my internal cultivation remains! There is still a chance. As long as I escape, if Lord Duan Haiyuan intervenes, this man will..."

Just as Luan Shan leaped, he saw Bai Xuan flick his finger, and a white rainbow streaked out.

This rainbow contained three rivers of blood energy, condensing the momentum of heaven and earth, unleashing a terrifying sword intent that crossed a thousand meters in an instant!

Fast!

The talisman sword surged with wind and blood energy, reaching an extreme velocity.

Luan Shan, no longer holding a weapon, reached out to block the rainbow. With a boom, it pierced his right arm and then his chest. His body exploded into a mist of blood. His limbs were shattered, and his head flew high into the air, still wearing an expression of bewildered disbelief.

Swish!

Bai Xuan reached out, and the talisman sword flew back, along with the head, which hovered in mid-air.

Luan Shan was a Six-River Master who had led an army and carried countless blood debts. Could he be spared simply by handing over his savings?

"If it can be killed, it will be killed."

Bai Xuan put away the storage bag. Killing Luan Shan caused no ripple in his heart. The battle was over; it was time to return to Thousand Mountain Island to refine the spoils, digest the gains, and prepare for the open sea.

...

Behind the council hall of the Thousand Mountain Army.

The battle had concluded, and the battlefield was being cleaned, but the masters had returned first. Several of them waited in silence, exchanging glances.

Just then, a gust of wind swept by, and a figure emerged.

Swish!

The masters stood up in unison.

"Lord Whale Hunter!"

Even Bai Yuannian showed profound respect, bowing slightly. The other masters, especially the two who had just surrendered, were filled with awe and reverence.

All eyes fixed on the object held in the Whale Hunter’s hand: a head.

The head still bore an expression of disbelief and confusion, but the blood had dried, and traces of blood energy lingered. The head of Luan Shan, the fourth-ranked leader among the Star Hunter Pirates and a Six-River Master, was held firmly in the Whale Hunter's grasp.

Swish!

The Whale Hunter raised his hand and tossed the head forward. Beside him, Bai Tanlang, shocked, stepped forward to catch it.

"Luan Shan is dead; the Mountain-Moving Army is finished."

The Whale Hunter’s deep voice resonated. "Master Bai Yuannian, as the strongest of the Thousand Mountain Army, I have slain the external enemy. If you have anything to say, speak now."

"I am thoroughly convinced! I am willing to serve you as the leader of the Thousand Mountain Army, to lead our four families and the alliance of islands!"

Bai Yuannian bowed deeply, crisp and decisive.

"We are willing to serve you as our leader!"

All the masters bowed in unison, their voices shaking the hall. Aside from the masters, seven or eight fleet commanders were present. Realizing the situation, they knew that the Thousand Mountain Army had no choice but to serve the Whale Hunter.

"The first order of business: I require the blood energy pills, demonic fish, exotic fish, and all medicinal recipes from the islands to nourish myself, increase my strength, and prepare for the coming great war."

The Whale Hunter spoke in a low voice. This was only natural; the masters knew that their role as leaders was to support their own cultivation. Now that the Whale Hunter stood above them, he naturally possessed the ambition to consume the resources of the islands to bolster his own path.

"Understood."

The masters exchanged looks. With the Thousand Mountain Army’s victory, the situation in these waters would change completely. The islands that had not participated would now be brought into the fold. The wealth and treasures from the territories Luan Shan once dominated would flow in; even if they gave the majority to the Whale Hunter, they would still be well-compensated.

"The second matter: I will head to the open sea soon, within three months at the latest. After I leave, act with caution. However, do not be overly fearful. When I return, all issues will be resolved the same way!"

The Whale Hunter spoke, and the masters bowed in agreement. They had neither the ability nor the qualification to stop such a powerful figure. In fact, some felt a weight lifted from their shoulders.

The Whale Hunter glanced at the White-Browed Marquis, nodded slightly, and vanished in a flash. The White-Browed Marquis stood up and disappeared into the wind as well.

"Whale Hunter..."

Bai Yuannian sat on the main throne, his expression calm, but his heart raced as he recalled the world-shaking strike he had witnessed at sea—the dragon tail that had cleaved the glacier and cut the flagship in two.

"The Four Seas Azure Heaven Dragon Visualization... It is so similar! Although it was masked by the forces of heaven and earth, that strike was so like the transformation of a dragon's tail."

"Who is the Whale Hunter? Could he truly be a hidden master of my Bai family? Which ancestor?"

Bai Yuannian was bewildered by the strength of that body, which was in its prime. "Who on earth is he?"

He could rack his brain, but he could not fathom the true identity of the Whale Hunter. There was not a single clue.