Chapter Eighty-Five: The Storm Approaches, the Perot Fleet!

Swallowing Sea, on the deck.

In a flash, Bai Xuan's figure appeared.

Nearby, Bai Rongxuan hurried over.

"Captain."

He stood respectfully to the side, waiting for Bai Xuan's orders.

"In just a moment, the storm will arrive," Bai Xuan said, lifting his head to scan the sky.

At that instant, the sea was calm, the sky stretched cloudless for miles, and even the air felt stifling, as though not a single breeze stirred.

Yet with the Eye of Celestial Phenomena, Bai Xuan’s gaze swept across the heavens, and he could discern the coming changes with perfect clarity.

"A storm is approaching?" Bai Rongxuan grew solemn. "Captain, should we alter our course and seek refuge on a nearby deserted island?"

At sea, once a storm strikes, even a mighty vessel is like a candle flickering in the wind; as for the sailors, unable to distinguish east from west, they are left utterly blind.

"No need," Bai Xuan replied, shaking his head with serene composure. "The ironwood warship is in no danger of capsizing in such a storm."

He turned to face the horizon. "In the heart of the storm, the great whales appear. The time has come to enter the sea and hunt them."

His words were calm, yet they struck the deck like a bolt of lightning.

"Hunt whales?"

"Yes, Captain!" Bai Rongxuan was stunned, yet beneath the shock was a thrill of elation.

He himself hailed from the Kaiyang, experienced in whale hunting, and this Swallowing Sea was a vessel built for that very purpose. To slay a great whale on this voyage was their sacred duty.

"Hunting whales amidst the storm!" Bai Rongxuan's heart surged. "What sort of strength must the Captain possess, to dare lead us in hunting giant whales under such conditions?"

He had already reached the second level of vital energy, yet before Bai Xuan, he felt as though he stood at the foot of an unscalable mountain, unable to see the summit.

Soon after—

"Secure all objects on deck, fasten the ropes, stow away the fishing nets, arm the ship's ballistae! Ready the harpoon cannons for whale hunting!"

Dozens of sailors bustled about the deck.

"Anyone without vital energy strength, below deck within half an hour! The Swallowing Sea is about to begin the whale hunt!"

The entire vessel sprang into action. All functions for fishing or daily life were stripped away, revealing its most formidable form—simple, direct, a pure machine of the hunt.

It had been an ironwood warship, reforged into a vessel made for hunting whales.

Thunder rumbled.

Soon, the sky darkened as heavy clouds gathered, spreading and churning, with flashes of lightning flickering within.

Such strikes—were they to descend, not only mortals but even masters would be gravely wounded, or killed outright.

"The might of heaven and earth..."

Bai Xuan drew a deep breath.

"Such power is formidable. But within the storm, it is time to test my path in martial arts."

"Longevity Tree!"

The Longevity Dao Tree appeared, its branch representing body refinement already thick with leaves. Two points had been gained on land, three more at sea—five in total.

"Iron Bones!"

In battle at sea, facing the terrifying strength of great whales, even with a membrane to cushion blows, ordinary means could do little. Bai Xuan allocated his accumulated points to Iron Bones as a priority.

In an instant, the Iron Bone branch sprouted swiftly, growing sharper and shaded with a fierce, pale iron hue, as if forged through a thousand tempers, imbued with an unyielding, unbending spirit.

Iron Bones (Minor Achievement, progress: four-fifths)!

Suddenly, Bai Xuan's bones were reforged throughout his body, ringing with metallic resonance, sparks even bursting forth.

A slight motion of his spine was like a coiled dragon, gathering all his strength—should a battering ram strike him, the force could be shattered by sheer power.

"The might of Iron Bones—at this level, it can truly be unleashed," Bai Xuan thought, anticipation shining in his eyes.

In the distance—

Beneath the lowering, impending storm clouds, at the farthest verge of sight, a vast, high, gray-black back cut across the waves!

…

On the far end of these waters—

"Kill!"

A battle neared its end. Several merchant ships were awash in blood; dozens of corpses lay sprawled on the decks, swords and knives protruded from the cabins, and countless crossbow bolts jutted haphazardly from the planks. Some holds were ablaze, flames licking upward.

"Peiro! You’ve joined the Starhunters? You’re a renowned master of blood-forging on these seas, with a reputation spanning over a decade. And now you surrender?"

Swish, swish, swish!

Two figures clashed at blinding speed, the wooden deck splintering beneath their feet. A flash of sword light—a crack—and the mast snapped and toppled.

"Surrender? I only regret not joining the Starhunters sooner. Serving under the Sea Rift King is far better than struggling alone!"

So said the man named Peiro.

"Swallowing Wild Goose Blade!"

He moved, and in a blink, a white arc of steel flashed, sharp and deadly.

"Not good!"

His opponent, a half-step master named Jiang Yuanpei, held vital energy like a stream and had long served as the martial expert for this merchant company.

He had guarded against this very strike, but in the heat of battle it was hard to evade. Caught off guard, the blade flashed, barely missing the mark, yet slashing open his left arm, blood spraying forth.

Clang!

The white arc shot into the cabin, its energy finally spent, revealing itself as nothing more than a narrow flying knife.

"Retreat!"

Wounded, Jiang Yuanpei knew he was outmatched. Without hesitation, he lashed out with three sword strokes to force his opponent back, then darted away. With a splash, he vanished into the sea.

"Quick to flee," Peiro said, grinning, making no effort to pursue.

Half his strength was invested in this Swallowing Wild Goose Blade—a sign of his mastery of the Misty Rain Wild Goose Visualization.

Though it was but a single strike, it contained a highly concentrated vital force, its variations unpredictable—three hundred seventy different ways to deliver it. Even if the enemy anticipated it, they could still fall to a single blow.

A few months before, he had used this very move to strike from afar, catching the disciple White Luo off guard and severing his left leg with a single cut.

However, while the Swallowing Wild Goose Blade was deadly on the surface, it was less effective underwater. Only by refining the Misty Rain Wild Goose Visualization to a formidable level could one overcome the resistance of the water and kill with a flying blade beneath the waves.

"With this one, I’ve defeated seven blood-forging masters," Peiro mused.

"Alas, they were all ordinary—none were top experts like the Yin Law King of the White Lotus Sect, Li Qicheng, or Zong Shen, to make my name resound in a single battle!"

The Swallowing Wild Goose Blade excelled in overcoming the strong with the weak, in the element of surprise.

Against any half-step master with a flaw, this blade could end them.

"White-Browed Marquis... Hmph. When I win the favor of that immortal, gain the Yin-Yang True Blood Pill, replenish my vital energy and achieve completion…"

Peiro’s heart brimmed with pride. "Then I’ll challenge you, and finish you with my flying blade!"

With the masters' duel decided and Peiro victorious, the battle swiftly wound down.

In no time, fighting on the merchant ships ceased. Dozens of pirates herded the merchant leaders onto the decks, forcing them to their knees.

Crash!

Peiro rifled through their navigation logs, which chronicled every event aboard.

"So, you weren’t even on this route. Why did you change course and trespass on my territory?"

Peiro’s voice was cold. "Do you look down on me? Or think I’m not to be respected?"

"Master Pei, we’re honest merchants. How would we dare run amok in your waters?" the merchant leader replied hastily. "It was Jiang Yuanpei who claimed he saw a great whale and wanted to hunt it, to test his skills. That’s how we entered your territory!"

But inwardly, the merchant leader regretted it bitterly.

The truth was, it hadn’t been Jiang Yuanpei’s idea. The merchant leader himself, experienced and knowledgeable, had recognized the whale’s distinctive back. He knew such a whale’s skull might contain a Taisui.

A Taisui was worth a fortune, and if you had the connections, even a single ounce was unimaginably valuable!

Greed had spurred him to order the pursuit.

The ship was armed with heavy ballistae, meant for naval combat, and guarded by a half-step master like Jiang Yuanpei.

In his eyes, there was a chance to slay the whale and reap a fabulous reward.

"How did we run into Peiro? Fortunately, his fleet usually only takes half the cargo in these raids," the merchant leader thought in anguish.

"Kill them all, take the goods, keep what’s valuable, and burn the ships with the rest," Peiro ordered.

"What?" The merchant leader’s eyes bulged. "Master Pei! Our East Sea Trading Company has great power on these seas. The usual custom—no, you can’t do this!"

He was dragged away by pirates, and in moments, the merchant ships were put to the sword.

Soon, flames consumed the ships, which slowly sank into the water.

"Customs?" Peiro smiled, savoring the moment. "In the past, I spared your lives only to avoid trouble."

There had once been order at sea—random slaughter could unite rival companies, perhaps even hiring powerful masters to eliminate a pirate. Even among pirates, power was fragmented; if another pirate killed you, he could seize your territory.

If you left no survivors, others would band together, even at a cost, to wipe you out. The Black Pirates had risen to dominance precisely by such merciless means, enforcing new rules across the sea.

"But now, things are different," Peiro thought with satisfaction. "The Starhunters sweep across the East Sea, chaos reigns. As long as you join them, you have powerful backing and can kill as you please. That’s how it is for all of us."

In times of chaos, rules become meaningless. All manner of atrocities and disorder emerge.

"The great whale?" Peiro pondered, eyeing the sea chart. "A whale that even Jiang Yuanpei coveted?"

"Surely, it’s not just a whale—its skull likely holds a Taisui!"

Desire and greed gnawed at his heart.

Many of the islands and powers at sea had dealings with various immortals, and the Starhunters were no exception.

If a Taisui could be obtained and refined into pills, the gains would be vast in a single stroke.

Nearby—

"Chief, the weather looks ominous—there might be a storm," the lookout said cautiously.

"What’s a storm to us? We’ve ironwood warships too—are we to fear a little squall?" Peiro scoffed. "Take the ballistae from the merchant ships and, according to the chart, pursue that whale. It can’t have gone far. Whoever helps kill it gets thirty taels of silver!"

"Yes, Chief!"

The pirates roared their assent. Having slaughtered, burned, and looted at sea, their spirits were high, and every command from Peiro met with eager obedience.

In moments, beneath the darkening sky and the approaching storm, Peiro’s fleet set sail, four great ships speeding toward the horizon.

(The chapter ends)