Chapter 341 Demonic Wind

The main text of "Nine Heavens Dominion" Chapter 341: A tale of mixed fortunes, Xiao Bang was also in the crowd, standing not far from the Rose group. He was arguably the calmest of the Holy Sanctuary disciples upon hearing the news.

He did not join in the lively discussions of the others, instead quietly turned and left. After spending the better part of the day with his master, receiving numerous insights, he understood that mastering the storm of internal and external rotation was merely the first step for him, with much room for improvement. Instead of being awestruck by others' prowess, he decided to continue his cultivation, which would be his trump card to reach the ghost level.

Regarding his master, he harbored no concerns. With his master's abilities, how could a mere illusion be of any concern? Of course, he was not a talkative person and did not need to mention such things to others, not even to Xue Zhiyu and others who had just come over with worried faces to inquire about his master's situation.

However, the Rose faction lacked Xiao Bang's unwavering faith in Old Wang.

"Damn it all!" Winnie felt her mood swinging like an extreme swing, sinking to the bottom when she saw only Fa Cang come out, then swinging back upon hearing that Wang Feng was still alive, but to her surprise, that guy actually wanted to continue diving in: "That dead ghost Wang Feng, he's driving me up the wall! Doesn't he know we're worried? He's not some badass like Old Hei, what's he trying to prove!"

"Absolutely, absolutely!" Fan Te Xi was nearly beside himself with worry. It seemed that after meeting in the dark cave, Feng had changed, no longer afraid of danger, a style as unpredictable as a chameleon's colors: "Just now, Fa Cang also said that Feng and his girl were just watching the show..."

"Mapeier," Andy interjected from the sidelines, yet his words fell on deaf ears.

Xue Zhiyu was genuinely concerned, yet a subtle sense of relief washed over her.

Truth be told, long ago, Xue Zhiyu sensed that beneath Wang Feng's jovial facade beat a heart of true resilience. He just didn't like to talk about it like others did. Isn't that what a true hero is like, going forward even if faced with thousands? This trait is nobler than the sheer might of someone like Hei Wukai.

Aota observed her brow furrow and then smooth, understanding the turmoil within her, and comforted her: "Rest assured, Hei Wukai has ascended to the ghost level—his strength is formidable, plus my big brother's super brain, these two together are absolutely invincible! At worst, they can always run away."

"Surviving is victory enough," Mo Tong was more open-minded. Old Wang was the quintessential troublemaker, the kind that outlives a millennium, not easy to die, he patted Aota's shoulder with a smile: "Didn't you say you were going to treat me to a drink? I've been starving these past few days, there's a lot of good food in Dragon City, don't you dare back out!"

These two, one a former sycophant of Old Wang and the other his detractor, originally had nothing in common, but after the dark cave incident, they forged a bond through battle, both being the bold type, Mahoraga was confident in his body, Aota was even more confident, and they fought side by side against Mahoraga, truly hitting it off.

"Bah, would I, Aota, back out?" Aota slapped his chest grandly: "My big brother is still alive, we've all survived a disaster, we must celebrate! There's spicy rabbit heads nearby, let's go, good food and drink, as much as you want!"

...

In the abyssal sea, under the cloak of night, the moonlight gently fell on the sea from the horizon, the waves dyed black by the night splashed with a sound of the sea.

Clara cradled a chalice brimming with exquisite wine, her legs, paler than the moon's glow, were elegantly crossed before her, diamond-studded high heels filled with a tempting noble luster. Clara was certain that no man could withstand the allure of her shapely legs, if she wished, even a hero would eventually surrender and kneel before her to kiss her high heels.

Except for that brat, a mere upstart, who dares to strut so arrogantly!

Clara took a hard sip of the wine, this time, she did not savor the texture and layers of the wine, but drank it all in one go.

Clara stood up,

walked to the porthole, gazing at the moon between the sea and the sky, the brilliant galaxy seemed within reach, the night sea, sometimes beautiful like a graceful dancer, sometimes dark like the gaping mouth of an abyss, tonight the sea seemed like a gentle beauty, the bright moonlight adorned her with extraordinary depth. The whale clan warrior, Meifei, loyally shadowed Clara, outside the corridor there was a team of vigilant sea people guards, she never entrusted Clara's safety to untrustworthy humans.

Suddenly, Meifei raised an eyebrow, a wisp of mist floated past the window, followed by a beautiful song coming from ahead, it was unclear whether the song arrived first or the mist, accompanied by the song, more white mist enveloped the entire fleet...

"A siren?"

Clara was both surprised and speechless, the beautiful song and the mist, undoubtedly, this was the usual tactic of pirates with sirens, but... mere pirates dared to covet her fleet?

"Your Highness! The situation is urgent, please quickly order the sirens to disperse the mist, the fleet is preparing to engage! No pirate does not know your business, if they have come, they must be fully prepared!"

Colt rushed over, urgently shouting, he was the human deputy commander hired by Clara, human ships, handed over to experienced humans to handle, Clara had long understood the benefits of appropriate delegation, taking a little risk in exchange for stronger combat power.

"Command flag signal 'Doll'." Clara did not doubt Colt's judgment, immediately handed over the flag signal that could fully command including the sea people to Colt, Colt was one of the few humans who would not fall for the charm of a mermaid, only because he deeply loved his wife, and his wife served as an administrative specialist in the Golden Shell Trading Company.

Colt hurriedly saluted, immediately turned around, while roaring at the sailors: "Don't slack off! Prepare to engage if you don't want to die! Haven't even seen a ghost yet, don't rush to draw your sword, do you want to stab yourself? Tie the ship ropes, prepare for artillery battle, damn bastard gunners where are you, if you don't want me to chop off your heads immediately heat up the magic crystal cannons..."

The roaring Colt was like a mad bull, even the sea people sailors were stunned by his commands, unconsciously following his instructions, and for the human sailors, at sea, the captain's orders were as effective as the king's.

The flagship's orders swiftly rippled through the fleet via flag signals, under Colt's command, the fleet quickly completed its defensive preparations.

At the same time, Meifei brought two seductive sirens onto the deck, they wore thin gauze, their delicate skin showing a lewd flush, "Kneel before Her Highness!" Meifei suddenly whipped one of the sirens, she let out a cat-like cry, her expression showing pleasure from the whipping, "Praise Her Highness."

The two mermaids knelt down, and the one who hadn't been whipped showed a look of longing.

Mermaids are a scarce resource in the sea, not only because they are the best playthings but also because of their innate abilities to control mist and bewitch minds. In naval battles, the side with mermaids holds complete initiative over the side without.

Under Meifei's lash, the two mermaids immediately burst into joyful song. Their vocal organs extend beyond lips, tongues, and throats; behind their ribs, thin vibrating fins spread open when they sing, allowing their voices to carry over ten nautical miles.

With the singing of their own mermaids, the mist quickly dispersed. A fleet of sixteen pirate ships had closed in to less than five nautical miles. The preheated magic crystal cannons shimmered with energy. Fortunately, the angle of fire was still not wide enough, but Colt's expression darkened. If they were ordinary pirates, they would have already opened fire. But the other side clearly had a high-level commander who was his equal in skill, constantly using wind direction and momentum to try to find a position where most of the magic crystal cannons could unleash their firepower.

As the mist disappeared, the singing of both sides' mermaids suddenly turned into shrieks. This is the mermaids' innate ability. The sound waves of the mermaids' shrieks clashed on the sea surface, and a huge wave erupted from the calm sea!

Boom...

Almost simultaneously, the magic crystal cannons on both sides fired. Colt timed it perfectly, allowing the fleet to complete its turn for the counterattack.

Hundreds of magic crystal beams streaked through the air, then crisscrossed, falling onto the warships.

The roar of explosions drowned out everything until both sides' magic crystal cannons entered the preloading state for reheating. Only then could the screams of the wounded be heard.

Clara's trust in Colt paid off at this moment. The merchant fleet's warships held their own in the hasty cannon battle. Colt commanded a cargo ship to cut across the battlefield at the most critical moment, blocking 20% of the enemy's fire for their own warships, sacrificing the sinking of one cargo ship to preserve the combat capability of two warships.

But Colt's greatest achievement was that he did not forget to guard against attacks from beneath the sea. He treated the enemy pirate fleet as a regular army, defending against them with utmost vigilance. He tracked the movements of four giant jellyfish kings, and under the fire of the magic crystal cannons, two of the jellyfish kings were severely injured, while the other two temporarily withdrew from the battlefield.

For the first time, Meifei looked at this human, who lacked even Tiger Peak strength, with admiration. One could imagine what kind of disaster it would have been if, during the most dangerous moment of the cannon battle, the four jellyfish kings had launched a surprise attack from underwater.

The pirate fleet's first wave of attack was utterly thwarted, and two of their warships lost combat capability due to fires, slowly retreating while trying to extinguish the flames.

The cooling period of the magic crystal cannons was the time for the strong fighters on both sides to engage.

A figure leaped from the pirate ship and stood atop the sea's waves.

"Hahaha, Captain Colt's reputation for unparalleled cannon battles is indeed well-earned!"

With a loud laugh, a figure flew out from the pirate ship. His burly body was deeply tanned, and his black naval captain's uniform was adorned with glittering jewels. Notably, his left hand had only a thumb and index finger. While laughing wildly, he didn't forget to sow discord: "Old Colt, I'll give you a chance to surrender. I can help you get your wife from the shore. I heard she's quite beautiful, with a black mole behind her left ear, right? I adore beauties with such little imperfections."

Colt's face changed drastically: "Half-Hand Demon Wind! It's the Demon Wind Pirate Gang!"

Meifei leaped out, shouting in anger, "Half-Hand! How dare you attack my fleet!"

Meifei, responsible for the merchant fleet's maritime security, had long-standing agreements with the major pirate gangs. She would buy the loot seized by the major pirate gangs at market prices, and every month, she would also transport a batch of contraband to the major pirate gangs in exchange for the smooth passage of the Golden Shell Trading Company at sea.

Attacking her was equivalent to attacking the interests of all major pirate gangs!

"Hahaha, whale girl, who do you think you are? What's there to fear? Pah, did you really think we could be swayed by petty gains?"

Half-Hand licked his lips as he gazed at Clara's massive fleet. The wealth and goods inside were more than he could plunder in ten years. Pulling off this heist, even if he sold all the goods at a low price, he could live however he wanted for the rest of his life. He could expand his fleet and become the pirate king of the Abyssal Sea, or retire ashore and live in luxury for the rest of his life. Forget about some petty agreement—even if it were his own father's fleet, he would still plunder it, let alone...

Boom! Meifei lunged forward, her rage carrying a violent force as she charged at Half-Hand.

Half-Hand unleashed his soul power, spewing vulgarities while engaging Meifei in combat. Meifei's attacks were fierce and unrelenting, but as she cursed, her hands moved like a weaver's, up and down, left and right, forming a soft net that tightly contained Meifei's wild strength.

For a while, the two fought fiercely on the sea surface, locked in a stalemate.

Clara's eyes flickered. She closed them slightly, then opened them and smiled as she looked at Half-Hand. "Half-Hand!"

Her soft call, as fragrant as orchids, instantly transformed her seductive gaze into a gentle breeze that brushed Half-Hand's face. Half-Hand, who had been enjoying the fight, suddenly felt a wave of intoxicating fragrance corroding his will. In just a few breaths, he almost couldn't resist looking at Clara. But at that moment, a sharp shout abruptly shattered Clara's enchanting aura.

Half-Hand snapped out of his daze just in time to block Meifei's originally fatal punch.

On the other side, Clara groaned, her head splitting with pain as she retreated two steps. When she looked up again, she saw another figure standing in mid-air above the sea—another Tiger Peak expert!

Two ghost-level powerhouses!

Boom...

Beneath the waves, two colossal jellyfish kings surged forward once more.

Clara glanced at the second ghost-level powerhouse, and everything clicked into place. It was unprecedented for a pirate crew to boast two ghost-level powerhouses—not even brothers could achieve that. No other major pirate faction would tolerate such a thing.

Behind Half-Palm lay another power. This came as no surprise. Whether it was the Nine Gods Empire, the duchies of the League of Blades, or even the mermaid clan, all had covertly backed pirate factions. The ocean's vastness made it impossible for any single navy to secure the shipping lanes fully.

"Princess, the magic crystal cannons are nearly ready to fire," Colt said with a grim face. "If we sacrifice a few ships, there's a twenty percent chance the cannons can wound that ghost-level powerhouse... Shall we launch the second barrage?"

Clara's eyes gleamed with determination. This was no time to weigh the cost of battle. A combined assault of cannon fire and her arcane skills might buy them a sliver of hope. As she prepared to give the order, the presence of a third ghost-level powerhouse materialized beside her. "Princess, I urge you not to act rashly."

A cloud of dust erupted, and a lithe figure emerged behind Clara, a strange dagger poised at her heart. Dust Concealment—a high-tier ghost assassin from the Shell Clan. Clara shut her eyes. The assailant, too, was of the sea people. "Colt, command the fleet to stand down. No more lives need be wasted..." she said. "And you, Shell Clan assassin, I trust you understand the gravity of your actions."

"Princess, forgive me. You must come with me," the Shell Clan assassin said, her tone devoid of hesitation. The blade stayed fixed on Clara's heart, ready to strike at the slightest provocation. Her ears flicked, attuned to every whisper in the air.

"Mayfair, stand down. If this drags on, your master might suffer unintended harm."

Out at sea, Mayfair, encircled by two ghost-level powerhouses, caught sight of the scene. With a cry of despair, she yielded, letting the second ghost-level powerhouse administer a vial of magic potion. Weakness soon overtook her, rendering her adrift on the waves, her gaze locked in fury on the ghost-level powerhouse. "A High-level Weakness Potion... How extravagant..."

As the fleet raised the white flag, the pirates began boarding the ships in a frenzy of celebration. All the sailors and guards were tied up, and even Clara was not spared the same fate.

Under the watchful eyes of the pirates, Clara was taken to Half-Palm's pirate ship. But what Clara didn't expect was that as soon as she entered the cabin, she saw someone she hadn't anticipated.

"Clara, we meet again."

The Sea Dragon Prince looked at the bound Clara and smiled brightly: "After our last meeting, I kept thinking about how beautiful you would look tied up. Today, I finally got my wish."

Clara's expression changed. She had considered countless possibilities but never imagined that the one behind the ambush would be Prince Urix of the Sea Dragon Clan. The second ghost-level expert turned out to be Urix's guard. But Clara quickly forced herself to calm down and smiled gracefully: "Your Highness, this joke of yours is a bit too much, don't you think?"

"Oh, I'm not joking. Don't you think it's quite thrilling?" The Sea Dragon Prince looked at Clara with admiration, her chest's curves more pronounced due to the restraints, her feminine softness fully exposed. The upper body's bindings also made her relatively free legs even more striking, filling the prince with a sense of conquest and control.

"Your Highness, I currently represent the esteemed Queen, and I am on an important mission. Please refrain from making such jokes."

"Oh, I know that. But you were attacked by pirates, what can you do?" Urix chuckled as he pinched Clara's cheek, the unexpectedly smooth texture making him smile even wider. "Besides, who would know? And even if they did, so what? Do we, the Sea Dragon Clan, need to answer to you mermaids?"

Feeling the increasing pressure of Urix's fingers on her face, Clara's heart grew heavier. "Your Highness, if you have something to say, please say it directly. This behavior is unbecoming of your status."

"Hahaha, don't try to provoke me. I don't have that much patience." Urix suddenly released Clara's face. "But you're right about one thing. I don't like forcing people. You're an exception. A mermaid like you is indeed rare. If you serve me well, I might even let you live."

Clara took a deep breath, knowing that survival was unlikely. Urix wasn't afraid of the Queen's retaliation; he was confident he could keep it secret. The Sea Dragon Clan had enough resources and secret methods to block the curse that would come from killing a mermaid.

"Your Highness... are you trying to fool a child? This is no fun. If you want to kill me, go ahead. As for your desires, I'm sorry, but I really don't find you appealing."

Clara's voice was icy.

"Tsk tsk, do you know why I targeted you? It's because I like your kind of personality. Heh, let's see how long you can keep up that tough talk..."

Bang...

Before the Sea Dragon Prince could finish, the entire ship suddenly shook violently, followed by piercing screams.

"Hahaha, anyone who can withstand three of my strikes will be spared!"

A bizarre laugh mixed with insane words echoed as a half-faced freak with one eye, one nostril, and the other half of his face covered in twisted, worm-like flesh burst in. His single eye locked onto the Sea Dragon Prince's guard. He grinned with half his mouth, revealing surprisingly normal, neat, and white teeth: "You're an exception. Double it. If you can withstand six strikes, you'll be spared."