Chapter 268

In the following few days, everything seemed to go smoothly.

There were no demons or monsters coming to harass them; the peace was such that Mu Yi wondered if they had previously been hallucinating.

After a few days of rest, all the ship's problems were resolved, and the remnants of the evil god's followers on the island were completely wiped out.

"Raise the sails! Set sail!" Zheng He gave the order.

With a resounding "honk~", the treasure ship where Zheng He was, serving as the flagship, began to move southward, and the mighty fleet resumed its oceanic voyage.

"Raise the Cloud Energy, accelerate forward!"

After Zheng He issued the order, several soldiers hoisted the large horn and blew it hard, producing three simple, unadorned long notes.

After setting sail, the entire fleet quickly drew together, a thick layer of Cloud Energy rose up, and the whole fleet formed a huge "V" shape, its speed suddenly increasing by a large margin.

Mu Yi clearly saw that, under the transformation of the secret art, the ocean was turning into something like waves that carried the fleet forward, making wind direction and currents irrelevant; under this secret art, the fleet could reach any corner of the ocean.

Even more exquisite is that this secret art consumes little; most of the consumption comes from seizing heaven-and-earth essence from the air via the circulation system, thus fully preserving one's combat power and avoiding the predicament of losing it outright from rushing.

"Is the combat method entirely reliant on Cloud Energy?"

Mu Yi's foundation was quite good; after following Zheng He for several days, he learned many naval tactics from him.

Basically, naval tactics are all developed based on Cloud Energy; whether high attack or defense, or anything else, they rely on the Cloud Energy stored in the warships to accomplish them, and the self-circulation system is also based on these Cloud Energies.

One could say the amount of Cloud Energy stored in a warship is what limits naval combat power, since naval battles hardly have room for close-quarters combat and rely extremely heavily on Cloud Energy for everything.

The ocean is not entirely peaceful; countless sea beasts live in it, forming a considerable force; previously, the Four Sea Dragon Kings kept them in check, so there was basically no major turmoil.

However, the disappearance of the Four Sea Dragon Kings, along with the descent of the evil god, seems to have intensified the ocean's chaos, so the fleet often encounters various kinds of sea beasts during its voyage.

Giant whales larger than the ships, schools of sharks, sea turtles as big as islands…

Some of these sea beasts wisely avoided the fleet, while others, mindless, actively rammed into it.

Naturally, these unorganized sea beasts could not be the fleet's standard; they were simply struck down and eaten as seafood.

Some clever sea beasts directly followed behind the fleet, digesting the various sea beast carcasses the fleet discarded.

Mu Yi enthusiastically made a fishing rod and sat on the warship to fish, simultaneously tempering his will and passing the time.

The ocean is truly vast; even with the secret art, a long time is still needed for the voyage.

At first Mu Yi was still quite excited, but facing an almost unchanging ocean, his initial enthusiasm was worn away, forcing him to find something to do.

Fishing obviously matched well with the ocean.

"Exalted One, are you… fishing?"

The burly martial commander walked past Mu Yi from behind, somewhat puzzled, and seeing Mu Yi attach a huge hook to a hemp rope, swing it in a few big circles and cast it out, he stared wide‑mouthed, thinking, "Is this fishing?"

"Of course I'm fishing!" Mu Yi said, pulling the rope up as he spoke, and on the hook was a large sea fish struggling.

As he spoke, his body lunged forward, "Look, it's hooked!"

He glanced at the silk line attached to the bamboo rod in his hand and the bait made specially from fish meat, and the burly martial commander fell into deep thought.

He felt his face twitch; what a foolish fish, to swallow such a huge hook into its belly.

This seems a bit different from the fishing I know; is my approach wrong?

"Fishing is also a process of tempering one's will!"

Mu Yi gave the burly martial commander a glance; having gotten along these past days, he was a decent fellow, so Mu Yi thought he might as well casually form a good connection and offer a bit of guidance.

"Watch closely!" Mu Yi this time deliberately released his willpower, letting the other observe his actions.

Only then did the burly martial commander clearly see that Mu Yi was not fishing, but using the posture of fishing to temper his will, so he needed no bait at all—will was the key.

As Mu Yi pulled the hook in again, the sea fish, ensnared by will on the hook, flailed unwillingly on the deck.

Air force? Impossible, there's no air force!

"I've been taught!" the burly martial commander exclaimed, convinced, and immediately began to imitate; however, it was obvious that, on first contact with this method, lacking Mu Yi's fortunate encounter of being pointed out by an expert, he could hardly grasp its essence at once.

Unlike Mu Yi, who never fails to catch fish, the burly martial commander got nine misses out of ten hooks, and the fish he did catch often slipped right off the hook.

But as Mu Yi said, fishing is merely a posture; what they are truly doing is tempering their will.

Scattered mental will spread through the ocean; not long after, the burly martial commander finally caught his first fish, but unlike Mu Yi, who freely chose his target, his control of will was not that fine.

He was more like using will as bait to lure fish onto the hook, rather than Mu Yi's method of weaving a net of will to catch fish.

This directly caused a problem: Mu Yi clearly knew what kind of fish he had hauled up, whereas the burly martial commander had no idea what had bitten the hook.

Hey, this strength is pretty strong!

The burly martial commander planted a foot against the gunwale, his arms bulging with muscle; as a refined cultivator, he feared no one in strength, not even Zheng He in a pure test of might.

The thick hemp rope, as thick as a fist, was pulled taut, but it was obvious that the burly martial commander had forgotten one thing: he remembered to protect the rope with Inner Qi, yet he could not protect the gunwale.

Crack—

Although the burly martial commander originally had a slight edge in strength, once the spot he stood on gave way, he was directly yanked down.

"Ugh…" Mu Yi had just thought to go down and rescue him, but then discovered the burly martial commander riding a shark, thrashing about in the ocean.

Even so, being a half‑step Legend, he wouldn't be killed just from being dragged into the water.

Die!

The burly martial commander roared, then burst forth with a black‑gold radiance that enveloped himself and the shark.

The shark seemed to sense danger and dove straight down into the deep sea, looking like a meteorite plunging into the ocean.

The sea surface returned to a brief calm, but Mu Yi's perception told him that the battle between the two was still ongoing.

Boom!

The burly martial commander shot up from beneath the sea surface, gripping the shark's body tightly in his hand; the irregular bend of the shark's head showed who had won the struggle.

Enemy attack! On guard!

Yet the burly martial commander's face held no joy; he bellowed, almost losing his composure.

Mu Yi froze for a moment, then quickly threw the hook from his hand; the burly martial commander caught it, and Mu Yi hauled him aboard the ship in one pull.

He casually tossed the shark onto the deck, and the burly martial commander's face was still pale with shock.

What happened!

Startled by the burly general's shout of an enemy attack, the crowd rushed out of the cabins, taking their positions to guard the seemingly calm sea surface.

Enemies, all enemies!

The burly general's face looked grim, almost raving incoherently; it seemed not only had he been shocked, but also his rationality had been evaporated by the impact.

Stay calm!

The Taoist let out a low shout, slapping a talisman onto the burly general's head, finally restoring his sanity.

In the deep sea, they are all the Evil God's retinue; the Evil God's retinue—Black Goat Kids—mentioned by the Supreme God, there are over a dozen of them on the seabed! They are right beneath our fleet...

As he spoke, the burly general's face again showed a grim look, and he spoke with difficulty...

Moreover... moreover, I seem to have seen the Four Sea Dragon King, mingling with those monsters...

Upon hearing this, even Zheng He, the commander, couldn't help but change color; in their estimation, the Four Sea Dragon King would at least not come to harm, at most be trapped somewhere, but they never expected that he had already been completely wiped out.

Even more extreme, the Four Sea Dragon King has already been corrupted by the Evil God, becoming the Evil God's claw...

You should know, each of the Four Sea Dragon Kings is a Legend-level existence; under them, the countless shrimp soldiers and crab generals all possess the training method inherited from the native Four Sea Dragon Clan of Jiuzhou, and in the ocean they are in no way inferior to the Great Ming army.

Yet even so, they have actually been completely wiped out?

"This is of great importance; will the Supreme God be willing to go down and investigate?" After a moment's contemplation, Zheng He had everyone return to their posts to prepare for battle.

Fortunately, there weren't many soldiers around just now, so this news hasn't spread yet, avoiding a riot; given their current situation, the enemy has delayed launching an attack, merely tailing them, which suggests they still lack strength.

At least the enemy lacks the confidence to destroy them; moreover, even if we retreat ten thousand steps, with the fleet in hand he truly fears no enemy, but being followed like this without noticing is hardly a good thing.

The burly general's weak will destined his testimony to be somewhat dubious, so after a moment's thought, Zheng He turned his gaze toward Mu Yi.

Mu Yi has demonstrated the Water God's methods, able to exert in the ocean a power that others cannot possess.

"Zongwang Prompt: Trigger campaign mission—Seabed Exploration."

【Seabed Exploration】

Mission details: Investigate the specific situation in the ocean.

Mission rewards: Great Ming Faction reputation, Zheng He's favorability, Great Ming Military Merit.

Leave it to me!

Mu Yi also did not decline; the Mountain Water Seal appeared in his hand, from which flowed many Water Vein Powers, then wrapping Mu Yi as he sank silently into the ocean.

In Jiuzhou, the Four Seas are still inferior to the Four Rivers; they possess vast seas but lack the Water Vein Power of the Four Rivers, which is why the Dragon Clan can firmly grasp the Four Seas, almost bringing every Jiuzhou world's Four Seas under the Dragon Clan's control.

While sailing before, Mu Yi fished on one hand and used the Mountain Water Seal to absorb the Water Vein Power from the ocean; now the Mountain Water Seal stores a large amount of Water Vein Power refined by Mu Yi, allowing him to fully exert the power of a seventh-rank Water God.

However, as soon as Mu Yi just entered the deep sea, he immediately felt something wrong in the ocean.

This cannot be sensed at all on the sea surface; even in slightly shallower places he felt nothing at all.

Chaos, disorder, madness!

Almost without needing to go deeper, Mu Yi could tell from this feeling alone that what the burly general said was mostly true.

Trouble!

The Water Vein served as Mu Yi's eyes, and he saw many Evil God retinues and claws lurking in the deep sea.

"Zongwang Prompt: You are suffering a will attack, currently undergoing a will check..."

"Zongwang Prompt: You are suffering a will attack, currently undergoing a will check..."

"Zongwang Prompt: You are suffering a will attack, currently undergoing a will check..."

Without any surprise, the moment he saw the opponent, Mu Yi began to suffer the impact; however, Mu Yi is not the burly general, and he possesses a far stronger will.

Really, there are so many!

Mu Yi's face grew grim; the number of Evil God retinues in the deep sea is at least tenfold more than what they encountered on the island before.

After a moment's contemplation, Mu Yi tentatively manipulated the water flow mixed with Water Vein Power and flung it toward the Evil God retinues in the deep sea.

He did not see the Four Sea Dragon King that the burly general mentioned; either it was the general's incoherent ravings after his rationality evaporated, or the disturbance is still not large enough, and the opponent remains lurking deeper.

Strands of water flow mixed with Water Vein Power struck like heavy hammers, smashing down upon the monsters in the deep sea.

The weak deep-diver fish people and bizarre other things were directly shattered by the water flow, then swept along and slammed into deeper places.

However, the next second, the surging water flow abruptly ceased; amidst the deep sea, a divine dragon appeared, and Mu Yi's means were easily dispelled.

"Really, this is the worst situation!" Mu Yi's mouth twitched as he beheld the divine dragon covered head to toe in tentacles, and the aura emanating from it.

Basically we can conclude that the opponent is precisely the so-called Four Sea Dragon King, now mutated into this monstrous form; it cannot be said there's no hope, only that an early death is an early rebirth.

At the very moment Mu Yi thought that, several water vortices formed around him; the powerful water flow seemed about to tear him apart, though the flow itself is not lethal—it is the chaos mixed within it that is deadly.

Mu Yi's surrounding Water Vein Power, under this corrosive chaos, is being consumed at a tremendous rate.

"Not only has it not been weakened, but has it actually become stronger?"

Mu Yi felt a headache; just what is the origin of this Evil God? Although the Four Sea Dragon Clan in Jiuzhou sounds like a mere backdrop, not everyone is qualified to appear in the backdrop of every great deity.

Even if this world's Four Sea Dragon King is merely some offshoot of dragon sons and grandsons, it shouldn't have been directly turned into this state, let alone having almost no chance to flee and call for help.

What exactly happened in the ocean? Surely it isn't really the worst-case scenario, right?