Chapter 86: Riding the Waves of the Boundless Sea, Battling the Giant Whale!
Aboard the Sea Swallower.
"Full speed, hard to starboard!"
Bai Rongxuan shouted.
Bai Xuan had already issued his orders, commanding the sailors to prepare for whaling, and now he was at the helm.
Amid the gloomy weather, a massive back broke through the distant surface of the sea. With a sharp hiss, a column of water shot skyward!
"Wait..."
Seeing this, Bai Rongxuan was stunned, drawing in a sharp breath.
"This whale... it's far too enormous!"
He, too, had served on the Kaiyang and participated in whale hunts, but the sight of this creature's back filled him with horror. This whale was at least three times the size of an ordinary one, its back rising like a mountain!
Were it not for the Sea Swallower’s weight, any normal ship struck by such a beast would leave nary a soul alive!
This whale could easily topple a whaling vessel—perhaps even destroy an entire fleet!
"Indeed, it's quite large," Bai Xuan gazed down at the surging sea. He could see clearly the enormity of the whale, and with his perfected Seafarer’s Vision, he could even perceive its tremendous vital energy.
"Even grandmasters, whose blood and vigor run like rivers, cannot rival this creature—there’s no comparison!"
Bai Xuan felt a surge of awe.
Such is the giant whale, a supreme predator of the boundless sea, ruling by the sheer terror of its vitality. Even if humans reach the level of grandmaster, they cannot match the vastness of its blood and strength!
"Rongxuan!"
With Bai Xuan’s command, Bai Rongxuan stood ramrod straight.
"Aye, captain!"
"Ready the whaling harpoon cannon. If the chance arises, aim for the whale’s path. But none of you are to enter the water against this beast."
Bai Xuan spoke evenly, "It is time for me to hunt the whale myself."
"Yes, sir!" Bai Rongxuan’s heart pounded, a premonition of what Bai Xuan was about to attempt.
At that moment,
Bai Xuan extended a hand. With a whistling sound, the Subsea Spear on his back was drawn by his condensed vital energy, flying into his grip. He unraveled the cloth, held it firmly, and gazed down at the waves, where the massive whale’s back swept just below the surface.
Boom!
In the heavens above, dark clouds gathered. At last, a single raindrop fell—then thousands more, pelting down like icy meteors. In an instant, a curtain of rain veiled the world, torrents pouring down!
"My body forged by martial discipline—at this stage, it is only right that I take to the sea and hunt!"
Bai Xuan smiled.
Spear in hand, he leapt into the downpour—a streak of lightning, plunging into the sea!
...
"All hands, ready arms! Load the crossbows!"
Bai Rongxuan barked his orders.
He could scarcely imagine how one man with a single spear could contend with a whale. Even the ordinary ones took a team of hunters to bring down, let alone such a behemoth!
Below the surface,
Splash!
The world quieted as Bai Xuan entered the water. His body, swift as an arrow loosed, shot dozens of meters down, where the immense whale came into view.
"What a magnificent creature," Bai Xuan’s pupils burned with an emerald gleam—the thrill of battle!
This whale was even stronger than the one hunted by the Kaiyang; forty meters long and crisscrossed with scars, likely from a failed hunt by humans in the past, yet still it roamed the deep!
Bai Xuan focused his energy, unleashing the full force of the Shark-Slayer’s mastery. In an instant, his will pierced the whale’s distant brain.
Swish!
At that moment, the whale’s tiny eyes swept toward him. Across the vast waters, Bai Xuan’s image was reflected in their depths.
He saw that intelligence shone within—yet the eyes were clouded, a hint of madness within!
His left fist clenched, and with a roar he transformed, arm turning to the form of an azure flood dragon. Scales surged with vital force, churning the surrounding water into whirling vortices.
"Let me test your strength," Bai Xuan’s eyes danced with anticipation as the whale swept its tail—a motion deceptively slow at first, then accelerating to a terrifying speed—as it charged him!
Boom!
On the ship,
Suddenly, the hull quaked below. Giant waves battered the side, and the Sea Swallower, tossed by the turmoil, nearly lost control, spinning wildly, the helm unresponsive!
"Hard a-port! Steady her!"
Bai Rongxuan shouted, fear gripping his heart.
A suspicion, wild and unspoken, stirred within him—a mere premonition, too bold to believe.
Could it be that the captain was trading blows with the whale?
Boom!
Bai Xuan was knocked back, slicing through the water like an arrow, driven a hundred meters away!
"Such power!"
His left arm went numb, his organs shuddered.
His strength had always far surpassed those of his rank; he had crushed all opponents, never before shaken in direct combat!
Yet it was no surprise.
Compared to the forty-meter whale, Bai Xuan was as insignificant as an ant.
He stood against the whale’s charge only because his entire body was without weakness. His mercury blood surged; his left arm’s defense was unmatched, the softness of water forming vortices to absorb the impact.
Were he merely a half-step grandmaster, he would already be dead, his organs shattered!
Even so, the blow sent a shock through his body—but in an instant, his golden viscera rebounded, dissolving the force without harm.
Any ordinary blood-refiner would be coughing blood, unable to withstand such power. This whale was simply too strong—no common master could contend with it!
Bai Xuan, spear in hand, hovered in the water.
Below the churning, murky sea, the whale charged again. Bai Xuan’s palm struck its head, flesh splitting, bone caving in, blood welling from beneath the thick hide—a new, shocking wound.
But such a titan, what did this wound mean? For a human, it would have been pulverizing; for the whale, it was but a scratch, barely visible, hardly felt.
With a roar, the whale thrashed, stirring the sea into massive vortices!
"Vortex Force!"
Bai Xuan did not retreat, but advanced.
His body, honed and indomitable, had withstood the whale’s full charge without injury—what had he to fear!
Swish!
Through the swirling waters, Bai Xuan darted like a nimble fish, weaving through the currents. The whale, thrashing mightily, surged past as his shadow flickered, the stripes of a black tiger patterning his body.
"Howling Wind Steps!"
With an explosive burst of speed, Bai Xuan sliced through the current, flashing alongside the whale’s body—a phantom in the depths. The Subsea Spear in his hands darted like lightning!
Thrust after thrust!
The spear pierced the monstrous creature, and this time the whale’s massive frame could no longer withstand it—a violent eruption split flesh and bone, the vortex of vital energy spinning, shredding tissue, shattering skull!
Blood billowed out, coloring the sea with clouds of red mist.
Aboard the Sea Swallower.
The rain poured, the wind howled.
"Fire the whaling harpoon!"
Bai Rongxuan, aghast, shouted his command. The sailors watched as the waves rose like mountains, an enormous shadow battling below—fearsome beyond measure!
Bai Rongxuan directed them, and with a thunderous crash, the harpoon cannon fired. The massive bolt tore into the water, aimed at the whale’s shape!
"A hit—wait, what?!"
Bai Rongxuan’s eyes widened in shock.
The whale lashed its tail, its colossal form arching from the sea. The harpoon barely penetrated, blood swirling out. In pain, the beast thrashed, and the bolt was flung from its flesh, swept away by the waves!
"The harpoon cannon is useless?"
"And the captain... can he truly slay this beast in the water?"
Bai Rongxuan’s heart trembled.
As a twofold blood-refined warrior himself, he should have been able to hunt whales—but what Bai Xuan was doing was nothing like any ordinary hunt!
At that moment—
Crash!
The surging waves parted. A vast, gray-black back rose like a mountain, a spray from its blowhole shooting into the stormy sky. Lightning flashed, illuminating the small figure standing atop the whale, spear in hand!
Before all eyes, the figure drove the spear down with sudden force, impaling the beast beneath his feet!
Boom!
In the deluge, blood erupted like a fountain, geysering seven or eight meters high, raining crimson onto the sea!
Thunder rolled!
The whale let out a long, anguished cry, its back crashing down, sending waves towering ten meters to either side!
On board, the crew saw the sea roiling and boiling, the tempest raging. The Sea Swallower was tossed high and low, pitching wildly in the storm!
Bai Rongxuan was shaken to his core, a reverence beyond words welling within him. Only in the heart of the storm did he grasp the chasm between men—an abyss impossible to bridge!
The Sea Swallower sailed through the storm for more than half an hour, the mast swaying in the howling wind!
Beneath the waves,
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Bai Xuan fought, exulting in the clash!
"This feeling... only in such battle can I sense my martial path pushed to its limit, my very blood boiling!"
Around him, the wind-tiger markings swirled. His left hand was the azure dragon’s claw, gripping the Subsea Spear!
In the heat of battle, insight dawned—his spear suddenly shrouded in a blue phantom.
"This thrust," Bai Xuan’s eyes shone with joy, "let it pierce through!"
The whale charged again, its head and body half-ruined, but its flesh writhed and healed, roaring as it came!
In that instant, Bai Xuan flashed forward, left arm a blue dragon, wind-tiger markings blazing. He became a blur, spear flashing, a chill emanating as a shadow shot forth—piercing through!
Above the waves,
"Look there!"
Someone cried out. Through the storm, a gray-black shape floated to the surface—the colossal whale, drifting in the rain. Even in death, its monstrous bulk struck terror and awe into every heart!
"The whale is dead!"
At that moment, the Sea Swallower was filled with nothing but shock, dread, awe, and reverence... Even the desperate and the pirates fell to their knees, chanting prayers to the gods!