Chapter 337: The Sword Armor

True Qi cards and Soul-Enhancing cards, needless to say, are all required resources.

The Skill Card records a superior martial art called "Poisonous Dragon Claw," mastered to the peak of perfection.

Chen Mu used it directly and acquired this martial art.

The key is the Memory Card!

The owner of this Memory Card is Yan Laogui, one of the Four Ghosts, famed for his cunning, deceit, and vast knowledge.

Yan Laogui's memories were vast and chaotic, filled with dark transactions, fragments of killings, and collections of secret rumors from all over.

Chen Mu endured patiently, sifting through them like panning for gold to extract valuable information.

Until he saw one memory fragment.

It was on a dock of an overseas island; Yan Laogui, likely to fence stolen goods or purchase special supplies, had caught a fleeting glimpse of a well-dressed young man.

The young man wore a half-armor of ancient design, entirely dark silver in color, with intricate patterns on the chest.

The patterns on the armor grew increasingly familiar to Chen Mu.

Yan Laogui's memory clearly imprinted the whispered remarks of a nearby informant at the time.

"... See that? That's the only son of the Ice-Fire Island lord, Tong Tong Shoutian! The treasure he wears—its defense is astonishing, impervious to water and fire…"

Ice-Fire Island!

Sword Armor chestplate!

Chen Mu's spirits surged.

Yes, the chestplate worn by Tong Tong Shoutian was one component of the "Sword Armor"!

He never expected to obtain its exact location here.

Concerning the "Sword Armor," Chen Mu decided to sail out to sea.

Calculating the time, there was still over a month until the "Qilin Armory" opened.

Ice-Fire Island lay in the southeastern outer sea, not especially far; with his speed, a round trip would leave ample time.

With the plan set, Chen Mu first returned to the Southeast Dao Zhenwu Bureau headquarters as originally planned.

He found Zhao Wencen and gave a full report on his mission in Weizhou, including the ambush by remnants of the Snake King Island and the Four Ghosts of Jin Sha during his return journey—all of whom he had killed in counterattack.

Zhao Wencen greatly praised him.

After completing the handover, Chen Mu immediately set off for the southeastern coast.

…

The sea was vast, its waves majestic.

Within the inland sea region, the Great Zhou's powerful navy patrolled regularly to maintain safe and orderly shipping lanes.

But once beyond the inland sea, one entered true "outer sea," where islands dotted the waters like stars, powers intertwined, and pirates of all sizes, independent island lords, overseas sects, adventurers, and outlaws held sway.

The outer sea stretched boundlessly, roughly divided into nine domains, each as vast as several of Great Zhou's provinces.

Ice-Fire Island lay in the southeastern outer sea region, near the edge of the inland sea—a relatively "civilized" and "orderly" zone, frequented by merchant ships.

Chen Mu had originally intended to fly directly through the air to save time.

But this was his first time venturing deep into the outer sea; without clear land landmarks, he could easily lose direction, and prolonged flight drained immense energy—should he encounter violent weather or hidden mighty sea beasts or pirates, it would be troublesome.

After weighing his options, Chen Mu found a large merchant vessel, the "Haiyun," at a bustling coastal port, about to sail with a route passing near Ice-Fire Island's waters.

After paying a hefty fare, Chen Mu boarded the ship.

To avoid drawing attention, Chen Mu subtly altered his facial features, suppressed most of his aura, and donned common cultivation attire of a wandering cultivator, appearing as an ordinary martial artist of decent cultivation, hovering around the Innate Realm, traveling alone to seek opportunities—merging seamlessly among passengers and sailors.

The "Haiyun" unfurled its sails and set out into the boundless blue sea.

The first two days at sea were calm, the sky and ocean one seamless expanse, soothing the spirit.

Onboard, people either admired the sea views, exchanged information, or meditated silently.

But on the third afternoon, sudden change erupted!

The merchant vessel sailed across a seemingly tranquil stretch of sea when, without warning, the water beneath the hull surged violently—as if some colossal creature was rapidly rising!

"The water's wrong!"

"Something's there! Something underwater!"

"It's a sea beast! Prepare for defense!"

…

Experienced sailors raised the alarm first; sharp whistles pierced the air.

Panic erupted aboard; passengers scrambled toward the deck's center, while sailors and onboard guards swiftly grabbed harpoons, crossbows, swords, and daggers, rushing to the rails and staring tensely at the churning sea.

The two guard captains, both at the late Innate Realm, reacted fastest; wielding specially crafted, one-zhang-long anti-Qi harpoons, they channeled their true qi, their spear tips gleaming with cold light, locked firmly onto the dark shadow drawing ever closer beneath the waves.

Splash!

A blurred, nearly ten-meter-long giant dark silhouette was now clearly visible.

Just as the shadow was about to burst from the water, the two guard captains roared in unison and hurled their harpoons with all their strength.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

The harpoons tore through the air, shrieking sharply, slamming down toward the underwater shadow.

Yet the sea beast reacted faster!

Puff! Puff!

Two thick, sharp bone spines, their tips glowing with eerie blue frost, shot upward from below, intercepting the harpoons with perfect precision.

Crack! Crack!

The steel harpoons were shattered by the bone spines—yet the spines kept flying, continuing toward the guards on deck!

"Ahh!"

"Ugh—"

An escort captain was struck in the chest by the backlash of the broken spear shaft and bone spurs, coughing up blood from the grievous wound, collapsing and unable to rise.

Although another man strove desperately to dodge, a bone spur still grazed his right arm—the razor-sharp bone blade nearly pierced clean through his entire right arm at the shoulder in an instant!

He immediately let out a wretched scream, his weapon slipping from his grasp, fresh blood spraying wildly, and he lost all fighting ability in an instant.

With the main combat power instantly crippled, the people on the ship were even more scared out of their wits!

And at this moment, the sea beast beneath the water had already surfaced more than half its body—it was a hideous monster resembling a giant lizard, with a single horn on its head, its entire body covered in blue-black bone armor, and its long tail bristling with barbs.

It let out a muffled roar, its thick forelimbs slapping the water's surface, heaving up huge waves, and its massive body, carrying the force of ten thousand jun, suddenly charged toward the midsection of the "Sea Cloud Ship's" hull!

The merchant vessel rocked violently, the wooden hull emitting a teeth-grinding "creak," as if it might fall apart at any moment.

Screams and wails rose in a chorus, the hull tilted, many people couldn't keep their footing and tumbled to the ground, watching helplessly as this great ship was about to be capsized and torn apart by the ferocious sea beast.

At this critical, hair-raising moment—

An inconspicuous figure stepped out from the panicked crowd in a single stride, arriving at the violently rocking ship's rail.

It was none other than the disguised Chen Mu.

His gaze calm as he watched the sea beast charging at high speed, his right hand's fingers pressed together like a sword, and he made a casual slicing gesture toward the sea surface.

Ninefold Wave Surge Art!

Hum—

The seawater within a radius of several dozen meters seemed to hear a sovereign's command, instantly becoming "docile" and "cohesive."

Vast water-attribute primordial energy was forcibly drawn out and compressed, and a "giant water blade"—formed entirely from condensed pure water essence, several zhang long, its entire body a deep blue and nearly transparent, its edges spinning at high speed—took shape abruptly beneath the sea surface between the hull and the sea beast!