Chapter 41: Direct Confrontation

The cannons and bed ballistas on the Fengshan Maru were pouring ammunition at the target at maximum speed.

The distance between the two was less than fifty meters, while the Fengshan Dragon's body length exceeded one hundred meters; the archers on the Fengshan Maru responsible for operating the weapons needed no aiming at all. As soon as the sailors assisting with ammunition transport finished reloading, they would immediately pull the cannon ropes and pull the triggers.

The roar of the cannons and the wind-shredding sound of the massive crossbow bolts never ceased in their ears.

Shells with a caliber exceeding thirty centimeters, filled internally with high-power explosives, weighed nearly as much as an adult human each; the power of such heavy cannons was beyond question.

Even a creature of the Fengshan Dragon's size could not ignore the close-range direct fire bombardment of heavy cannons.

The shells whistled as they embedded themselves in the rock-like carapace; the explosives inside detonated instantly, blasting the carapace apart and shattering large sections.

At some of the weaker points on the carapace, thick Ancient Dragon blood could even be seen seeping out.

"Roar—" The Fengshan Dragon roared in pain, swaying its fat body, attempting to create some distance from the Fengshan Maru.

The Ship Group Leader immediately adjusted the rudder to keep up, maintaining a state where the two vessels sailed side by side.

At this moment, Aolang and the others finally arrived at the battlefield and joined the fight.

Just like the other Sand Ship squads surrounding and following the Fengshan Dragon, they also set up the only weapon on their ship, a bed ballista, and fired bolts at the target.

The latest model bed ballista from Barubare had a firing speed far faster than that of the cannons.

Heavy ballista bolts, which for ordinary people could completely serve as short spears, continuously stabbed into the side of the Fengshan Dragon; the pure steel arrowheads penetrated the Rock Armor, sinking in nearly halfway.

Under the successive fire of a dozen bed ballistas, over a hundred heavy ballista bolts soon landed on the Fengshan Dragon's back armor. Even though some of these bolts were deflected by the thick Rock Armor, the number of bolts truly firmly embedded was several dozen, and this number continued to increase.

Unlike the cannons, which frequently shattered the carapace and made the Fengshan Dragon howl in waves of pain, the bed ballista's attacks were not even worth calling a scratch to the Fengshan Dragon.

Unless they hit vital points lacking carapace protection, such as the eyes or mouth, or happened to strike wounds blasted open by the cannons, it was difficult even to make it feel pain.

The bolts that looked deeply embedded had actually not penetrated its skin at all.

But the bed ballistas on the Dragon-Hunting Ships and small Sand Ships continued to attack relentlessly—this was preparation for the upcoming Celong Operation.

The Fengshan Dragon had long roamed the Sand Sea; its seemingly rough Rock Armor had long been polished by sand and gravel until it lacked sharp edges.

It was very easy for the Hunters to fall while climbing with bare hands, and these bolts firmly embedded in the Fengshan Dragon's body were their crucial footholds.

Looking at the Fengshan Dragon, its whole body studded with bolts like it had grown a layer of strange bristles, the Ship Group Leader gripping the helm shouted, "The first phase is about done! Give the order! Have the fleet scatter and wait for the next instruction!"

Ancient Dragons are not beasts; scholars from the Ancient Dragon Observation Bureau and the Royal Paleontology Scribe Team believe that many species of Ancient Dragons possess intelligence and rationality no less than humans.

Overly rigid tactics are useless against Ancient Dragon Species, and could even be exploited for counterattack if a flaw is caught.

Let alone the fact that this Fengshan Dragon before them was already an old rival; using unchanging tactics to repel it would not be easy.

"Doo-wooo—Doo-wooo—"

The command was transmitted via horn and flag signals; the small Sand Ships surrounding the Fengshan Dragon received the order and, one by one, ceased their attacks, scattering in all directions.

At the same time, the impact points of the cannons and bed ballistas on the Dragon-Hunting Ships were corrected, aiming at the Fengshan Dragon's head.

Concentrated attacks locking onto the head naturally had better effect than indiscriminate attacks scattered across the whole body, but there was also a very obvious drawback—it would easily enrage the Fengshan Dragon.

A Fengshan Dragon in a state of rage would have its offensive desire greatly increased, and this was exactly what the Ship Group Leader and the others hoped to see.

"Boom! Boom!"

Blazing flames accompanied by gunpowder smoke erupted beside the Fengshan Dragon's head, while the bolts specifically targeted its eye sockets, firing in a volley.

The Fengshan Dragon's head was blasted to one side; it could not help but open its massive mouth and let out a roar that shook the Sand Sea.

"Roar-ho-ho-ho—!"

Provoked into anger, the Fengshan Dragon's body shuddered; several clumps of sand and soil condensed into blocks shot out from the air vents on its back. Like lava clumps erupting from a volcano crater, they rose to high altitude before plummeting down onto the nearby Dragon-Hunting Ship.

This was the Fengshan Dragon's counterattack!

"Boom! Boom!"

Two Sand Clusters struck the main deck and the side of the Fengshan Maru respectively. Facing such an attack, if it were a ship made of ordinary wood, it would surely be smashed open with two huge holes, and it would not be strange for it to lose the ability to continue sailing.

But the Fengshan Maru, built from Mysterious Dragon Bone and Jieyun Wood, was different; it steadily withstood this attack. Apart from some wooden planks being smashed and cracked open, there was not a single problem.

The Ship Group Leader laughed heartily, as if mocking the powerlessness of the Fengshan Dragon's attack.

This result further enraged the Fengshan Dragon; the muscles capable of supporting its massive body as it roamed the Sand Sea suddenly tightened.

Its body, resembling a moving mountain, leaped into the air. Like a giant whale breaching the sea surface, it thrashed its way into the sky, and immediately after, it crashed down toward the Fengshan Maru.

Asa, piloting a small Sand Ship and hanging back waiting for further instructions, opened his mouth wide. "Good lord, if blowing your nose won't knock it down, you might as well just jump up and smash it yourself, right?"

Aolang: "......"

He was too lazy to comment on this guy's metaphor; his mind was completely fixed on the battlefield where the Dragon-Hunting Ship and the Fengshan Dragon were clashing.

The weight of this Sand Sea beast was measured in tens of thousands of tons. If struck, everyone on the Fengshan Maru, including this Dragon-Hunting Ship passed down for many years, had no possibility other than being crushed to powder.

Fortunately, the Ship Group Leader had prepared for this long ago.

"Everyone hold on tight!" Amidst his still powerful shout, he turned the rudder fully to the right with all his strength.

The sailors on the ship cooperated, lifting the Stabilizer Rods on both sides of the hull that affected maneuverability, and the ship turned sharply toward the position where the Fengshan Dragon had jumped from.

"Boom-rumble-rumble-rumble!"

The Fengshan Dragon, suspended in the air for several seconds, fell back into the Sand Sea. The massive yellow sand waves it raised almost overturned the Dragon-Hunting Ship, which had just turned to dodge and had not yet had time to stabilize its hull.

At this critical moment, the Stabilizer Rods set on both sides of the hull played their role once again.

While completing the sharp turn, the experienced sailors, needing no reminder from the Leader, immediately lowered the Stabilizer Rods on both sides of the hull. The streamlined rods firmly supported the sand surface, stabilizing the Dragon-Hunting Ship on the verge of capsizing.

After this exchange, the positions of the Fengshan Dragon and the Dragon-Hunting Ship had swapped; the Fengshan Dragon, originally on the starboard side of the ship, had now moved to the port side.

And the Fengshan Dragon also seemed somewhat exhausted due to the previous attacks.

Driving such a massive body to leap into the air consumed a considerable amount of stamina; for a moment, its speed moving through the Sand Sea seemed to have decreased slightly.

This was exactly what the Ship Group Leader hoped to see.

From enraging the Fengshan Dragon to make it spit Sand Clusters in counterattack, to deliberately enduring the attack to demonstrate the Fengshan Maru's solidity, and finally luring the Fengshan Dragon to leap and smash down—all of this was to consume the Fengshan Dragon's stamina.

In the time to come, the Fengshan Dragon would become relatively calmer due to stamina depletion.

This was the opportunity he created for the Hunters.

The roar of the cannons ceased, replaced by the long blast of the horn commanding the Celong Operation. The small Sand Ships, receiving the signal, gathered like a school of sharks smelling blood.

When still dozens of meters from the target, Aolang, who was operating the Bed Ballista, pulled the trigger, launching the pre-loaded Binding Bomb.

Almost simultaneously, more than a dozen Binding Bombs with massive barbs shot out from Sand Ships on all sides, drilling deep into the Peak Mountain Dragon's back armor.

As the mechanical winches rapidly tightened, the sturdy ropes connected to the Binding Bombs snapped taut in an instant, pulling the Sand Ships closer to the Peak Mountain Dragon.

Saila lowered her visor, hopped twice on the spot to relax her muscles, then turned back and asked, "Are you ready? Don't push yourself too hard."

Aolang dropped the Bed Ballista's handle and grinned at him.

"I can't wait anymore."