The Blade-Wielding Legend

Chapter 1622 - 823: Ship Graveyard (Part 2)

The terrifying sea monster just now is now lying docilely beside the reef, its severed tentacle a bloody mess.

This creature is similar to a squid, but covered in scales.

Like a small hill, it lies on the reef.

The merfolk scale is "communicating" with it in a sharp, high-frequency hiss, soothing it with caressing hands.

"How is it?"

Chao Shengwan inquired in a deep voice.

He was dressed in a dark blue hunting outfit, his face sinister and reserved.

The merfolk scale stopped hissing, turned to the leader, and spat out in awkward Central Plains official language, "It’s a big ship... very solid... has powerful cannons... and... exorcism power... heavily wounded..."

"It’s indeed a court ship! Must be sent by that Xiao Jingheng!"

The "Yakimaru" in the Sea Demon Group is a witch with an Eight-headed Serpent embroidered on her kimono.

She held in her hand a bizarre pennant bound with white cloth strips, densely inscribed with incantations.

This item is called an "Imperial Coin," a Magic Artifact of Japanese Shintoism.

Her appearance was enchanting, her eyes flickering with a resentful, venomous light, "Lord Chao Shengwan, they probably know the location of the shipwreck."

As she spoke, the Imperial Coin in her hand began to stir restlessly.

The Rogue Swordsman Long Cang also gripped the hilt of his Wodao, exuding a murderous aura.

Seeing the expressions of everyone, Chao Shengwan slowly shook his head and said coldly, "Anger will blind the eyes of wisdom."

"That big ship is solid, its firepower fierce, with masters on board. To attack it forcibly would be like smashing eggs against a rock."

While speaking, he looked toward the deep sea shrouded in dense fog at a distance, a cold arc gracing his lips, "This sea is far more dangerous than we imagined."

"Humph... a big ship? A larger target, perfect as bait and for pathfinding."

He paused, speaking with undeniable determination, "Give the order, have the ’Vortex’ continue monitoring, no more proactive attacks."

"We’ll just follow behind, let them pave the way for us."

"Find the ’Sea Stabilizing Night Light’... then make a move to seize it!"

"Yes!"

......

Aboard the "Sea Suppression," Li Yan and the others were oblivious to the venomous snake tailing them from behind.

They were faced with a more immediate crisis ahead.

As Chao Shengwan mentioned, the massive "Sea Suppression" became a huge liability in this uncanny and unpredictable sea.

The dense fog not only obstructed visibility, but also made the compass needle swing erratically.

Wang Daoxuan’s Compass played a key role, but the underwater reefs were the greatest danger.

"Full left rudder! Watch out for the right side pile!"

The most experienced Damen helmsman shouted hoarsely, his voice raspy from extreme tension.

The enormous hull navigated through narrow waterways and reefs scattered like stars, each turn a nerve-wracking ordeal.

Screech!

The ear-piercing sound of the hull scraping against shallow reef rocks sent everyone’s heart to their throats.

The sailors were on edge, continuously probing the water depth under the ship with long sounding rods.

"No! Continuing like this is too slow! And too dangerous!" Sha Lifei wiped the seawater and sweat from his face.

He nervously eyed the reefs emerging and disappearing with the tide.

If anything happened to the ship, they’d be completely trapped here, with no help from heaven or earth.

"Misfortune has come!"

Master Xian Ashui pointed to the starboard bow, his voice tinged with a hint of terror, "Look at the weather! Black clouds pressing the water, an eye of the storm is forming!"

As if to confirm his words, the originally howling sea wind suddenly turned violent!

The sky darkened at a visible pace, ink-black clouds frantically converging and swirling from all directions.

Soon, a massive funnel-shaped cloud vortex formed, piercing the sea!

At the center of the cloud vortex, lightning danced wildly, thunder booming like the war drums of a Heavenly God above!

"It’s a Dragon Water Spout!" someone cried out in despair.

The power of heaven and earth, mighty beyond resistance!

A gigantic water spout connecting sea and sky formed a mere few miles from the "Sea Suppression."

They rotated furiously, swallowing vast amounts of seawater, making a deafening roar.

The strong suction pulled everything around, forming a huge vortex on the sea surface, countless fish and shrimp, even shattered planks were easily drawn up into the sky, then fell with the storm and rain.

"Steady the ship! Lower half the sails! Quickly!" Xian Ashui shouted hoarsely.

The sailors also exerted all their effort to operate, but the "Sea Suppression," in the face of nature’s violent power, was like a toy in the hand of a giant, being swept by violent air and water currents, helplessly sliding toward the edge of the water spout.

The hull emitted a soul-shattering groan, as if the massive keel might snap at any moment.

"Port side! Beware the underwater currents on the port side!" The helmsman cried out, desperately turning the wheel.

In the terrified eyes of the crew, the warship narrowly and precariously avoided a water dragon tornado.

However, the terrifying suction field created by the tornado completely disrupted the ocean currents. A powerful and bizarre underwater current, like an invisible giant hand, suddenly pushed the struggling "Sea Suppression" towards a completely off-course direction.

Li Yan glanced at the sea map, which marked a large blank space.

Indicating this was an unknown water area completely sealed off by thick fog!

......

The storm raged, and the sea waves roared wildly.

With nightfall, visibility was reduced to zero.

The crew could only cling tightly to the wooden pillars of the cabin, tossing up and down with the waves like a roller coaster.

"Boom——!"

A flash of blinding lightning ripped through the dense fog, instantly illuminating the eerie sea ahead.

In that fleeting brightness, Li Yan’s sharp gaze pierced through the rain curtain, staring hard ahead.

What is that?!

His eyes widened in shock, and the others had their mouths agape.

Through the deluge, a shadowy silhouette emerged, revealing a shipwreck graveyard!

Countless massive, twisted shipwrecks covered in thick seaweed and barnacles stood like the white bones of ancient beasts, half-sunken amidst jagged reefs.

They varied in form, with mighty Chinese Fuchuan ships, high-mast Western galleons, and even outlines of very ancient wooden vessels.

Among the ship carcasses gathered a thick and dark Resentful Evil aura, more viscous and chilling than the surrounding sea fog.

The sea water in this area appeared ominously dead and deep black.

Due to the accumulation of Sha Qi, ice layers even formed between the reefs.

The crew looked at each other in dismay, but the ship continued forward uncontrollably.

In the thick ink-like death aura, the Sea Suppression ship floated gently towards the shipwreck graveyard with the undercurrent.

Xian Ashui stared at the half-submerged wrecks, suddenly recalling something and quivering as he spoke:

"So many... lost Fuchuan ships and Red-haired Ships vanished without a trace; turned out they were swept here by the sea currents!"

While speaking, the Sea Suppression ship uncontrollably crashed into the reef.

Rumble!

With a loud crash, the ship suddenly stopped, and the soldiers were thrown around in disarray.

Some were flung out directly into the water.

Fortunately, the reef area was large enough that they were not washed away.

Amidst the chaos, the crew managed to rescue them.

But after checking, a wave of despondency spread among them.

The front of the hull had been torn open by the reef substantially.

Kuai Dayou, who had been seasick, was helped out.

"No problem."

After inspecting, he looked at the Crown Prince’s invited Guardian Martial Master Lei Wanjun from the Foshan Ironsmith Guild, "It can be repaired in two days, but I can’t exert myself. Master Lei, I’ll need your help."

The other, though a Guardian Martial Master, was also a blacksmith.

Lei Wanjun solemnly clasped his fists and said, "Naturally, I am eager to collaborate with the descendant of Divine Craftsman Kuai."

"Master Lei is too kind."

Kuai Dayou nodded and looked at Li Yan, "We lack materials on the ship, I’m afraid we’ll have to dismantle those sunken ships."

"I’ll take a team to check it out."

Li Yan, without further ado, immediately led a few men to jump onto the nearby Red-haired galleon wreck.

This ship was also severely damaged, but even stranger were its conditions:

On the sloped deck, seven or eight shriveled corpses lay curled.

Their faces were charcoal black, skin and flesh stuck tight to bones like dried meat, with exposed wrist bones glowing a ghostly blue.

"Don’t go near!"

Long Yan’er halted the crew and cautiously approached to inspect. With a grave expression, she spoke, "These are sea gu!"

Master Xian Ashui’s face turned pale upon hearing this, retreating two steps.

When everyone had distanced from the bodies, he spoke, "As recorded in ’Lingwai Daida’, ’The people of Erguang Xingdong raise gu to poison others. There exists sea gu, thrown into the sea, fishes that eat them are poisoned, people eating the fish die, spreading the poison, none on the ship escape!’"

"Who would still keep these things..."

He hadn’t finished speaking when the veins on the corpses’ skin surfaces bulged like squirming worms...