Chapter 274: Sai Ni Ao Er

Above the gray mist, through the image formed by the prayer's light points, Ke Lai En, watching the battle below, couldn't help but exclaim:

"Indeed, knowledge is power."

"They can even hand‑craft orbital cannons now; I wonder if the emperor's Gundam has been built—hmm. Probably not, I've never heard any rumors about that."

But is something on the Golden Dream Vessel attracting the Death‑Announcing Vessel? It is so persistent in trying to catch up with the Golden Dream Vessel.

While pondering, Ke Lai En already turned his gaze toward the Golden Dream Vessel, but constrained by the gray mist, he could only focus on Lei Ke Dun's vicinity, unable to see the sea surface in detail.

Under the dark clouds, the leaping arcs of electricity vanished without a trace, only occasional flashes in the cloud layer, as if the lightning of this thunderstorm was losing its vigor.

"Frost!" Lei Ke Dun, his eyes surrounded by pale blue light, whispered a Great Dragon incantation.

The next moment, crystal‑clear streams of light fell from the sky onto the sea below, landing on the Death‑Announcing Vessel; the surrounding seawater instantly solidified into ice, and the vessel became studded with one ice spire after another.

The Death‑Announcing Vessel, which had nearly capsized from the earlier orbital cannon barrage, was briefly shackled in place by successive layers of frost.

High above, Lei Ke Dun, surrounded by specks of starlight, had his eyes veiled with a hazy white.

He employed his prophetic ability to examine why the Death‑Announcing Vessel was so relentless; it was merely for uncertain information and the recent attack, which shouldn't have driven it to such action.

Following the trace, Lei Ke Dun saw a scene:

In a modest, dim bar, a figure cloaked entirely in black fur, its true face indiscernible, loudly proclaimed to those around:

"It is said that the treasure contains high‑sequence attributes of the Abyssal Path; what a pity, why isn't it on my path?"

The scene abruptly flipped; he saw one bizarrely moving sea fish after another, relay‑like, following a massive sailing ship on the sea.

The scene shifted again; a vague object clung to a ship's hull, resembling a mutated barnacle.

It was two or three times larger than its kin, an eerie scarlet, sprouting tufts of short gray hair, tightly attached to the hull as if fused with the ship.

The next instant, the view pulled back; the vessel bearing the strange barnacle was fully revealed as the Golden Dream Vessel, its surface reflecting a golden hue in the sunlight.

Lei Ke Dun frowned slightly, puzzled how the other party evaded his premonition and the ice‑mountain general's probe, placing that Abyss‑scented object onto the barnacle clinging to the Golden Dream Vessel's hull.

Sai Ni Ao Er possesses a miraculous item of the Fate Path. Blessed by luck, it coincidentally evaded detection, and he even left behind a wolf hair crafted with a dark‑type spell that bears anti‑divination properties.

Taking a deep breath, Lei Ke Dun raised his hand in a void grip, gently turned his wrist, and opened a "door" in the air leading to the Golden Dream Vessel; his figure immediately slipped inside.

The next moment, his silhouette appeared on the Golden Dream Vessel, his body suffused with gold, spreading outward layer by layer.

Pure, clear light enveloped the entire ship, illuminating every corner, leaving not a trace of darkness or shadow, no thing concealed.

Immediately, his figure became instantly transparent, then transformed into dazzling specks of starlight that surged, piercing the deck and flowing toward the deepest part of the hold.

Though there was no communication, Ai De Wen Na instantly reacted: someone had infiltrated the Golden Dream Vessel!

A pale blue hue washed over her eyes; using the ship's arrangements, she quickly located the crew member possessed by a vengeful spirit.

The next instant, a grand, pure, blazing pillar of light descended from the heavens, enveloping a sailor on the foredeck.

His hands, uncontrolled, clutched his own throat from front to back; in his two eyes reflected a middle‑aged man wearing a tattered triangular hat, sunken eye sockets, and a terrifyingly pale complexion.

He seemed about forty, with two black whiskers on his lips and a snarling grin on his face.

Before the holy light simulated by Ai De Wen Na could force the crew member's body out, he reacted faster, directly controlling the possessed crew member to reach out and slit his own throat.

After he shed the vengeful spirit's possession, his figure quickly faded away.

"No mirror flashes allowed here!"

At some point, a brass‑colored balance appeared in Ai De Wen Na's hand; with an authoritative tone she issued a prohibition, then a second, then a third:

"No vengeful spirit possession here!"

"No vengeful spirits, no shadows here!"

"No floating here!"

The continuous prohibitions made her complexion turn a bit sallow; the miraculous item in her hand is called the Decree Balance, forged from the traits of a punitive knight.

Bu Lu Wo Er Si of Sequence Six still cannot perfectly craft a miraculous item of this tier; the Decree Balance's negative effect is strong, and when imposing a prohibition on a target, the user also suffers an equally strong restriction.

However, this is the Golden Dream Vessel; even if she is weakened to the same degree, she still has ample confidence.

Sai Ni Ao Er's previously fading silhouette resurfaced not far away, his spirit trembling, becoming somewhat ethereal, as if severely wounded.

The once light spirit was suddenly burdened, unable to hover, and plummeted straight onto the deck.

He immediately restored his body to flesh, instantly nullifying all negative effects.

The next moment, his foot slipped, and his freshly landed body tumbled uncontrollably to the side.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bullets trailing bright light shot through where his chest, head, and abdomen had been, embedding in the deck behind him, leaving a series of small yet deep circular holes.

Falling to the ground, Sai Ni Ao Er rolled twice in place, a layer of chilling frost spreading outward from beneath him.

The next instant, he lost control of the ice; the frost's spread was abruptly halted.

On the other side, Yue De Sen, barely reaching out to grasp, curled his lips—truly a vengeful spirit of Sequence Five; his extraordinary ability is hard to steal, but unfortunately he failed to snatch the fierce wailing of the vengeful spirit.

Yue De Sen slightly raised his hand, and two slender ice crystal arrows quickly formed on his palm.

With a flick, the ice crystal arrows shot out.

Sai Ni Ao Er was forced back two steps by Bu Lu's powerful thermal weapon fire; Yue De Sen's ice crystal arrows collided with a fellow crewman's flaming spear, spraying a burst of water mist.

"Damn! Pi Si Ke, what are you doing!"

"Shit! I should be the one saying that to you!"

The crew member known as Pi Si Ke immediately quarreled with Yue De Sen.

Ai De Wen Na narrowed her eyes slightly, noticing something unusual, and promptly prepared to alter the proclamation she was about to utter.

Such odd luck would enhance the "confinement" effect within a certain area.

Pale blue fireballs emitting a strong sulfur smell surged in swarms, tearing through the air.

"Captain! Attack from the Death‑Announcing Vessel!"

On the stern deck, the second officer Ao Er Fu Si, vigilant of the Death‑Announcing Vessel, shouted loudly behind him.

Damn, even a Sun Priest would find it hard to block this level of dense fireballs.

Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, several bolts of lightning flashed down from the sky, striking precisely at the weak point of the flame cluster.

For a moment, arcs of electricity and flames burst across the sea between the Deathknell and the Golden Dream, like a grand fireworks display.

Ao Er Fu Si stared blankly at the fireworks blooming ahead of him, a sharp sulfurous smell still lingering at the tip of his nose.

He turned his head to look behind him; the surrounding crew members, including Captain Ai De Wen Na, who was about to activate the protective spell on the Golden Dream, were all somewhat startled by the lightning just now.

Above the gray mist, inside that majestic ancient palace.

Ke Lai En helplessly put down the peculiar crown he had been gripping tightly; his spiritual energy could barely hold on any longer.

Sai Ni Ao Er, who had infiltrated the Golden Dream, had already been discovered; A Er should be able to handle the rest without problem.

After a brief moment of thought, Luo Yang manifested the yellow crystal pendant he often used and performed a simple divination.

"Huu~ The result is good, so there's no problem."

Muttering to himself, Luo Yang wrapped his remaining spiritual energy around himself, simulated the sensation of falling, and broke free from this space above the gray mist.

On the White Agate, Ke Lai En washed his face with clean water again, rubbed his face twice with his hand, and relying on the Faceless Person's ability, adjusted his somewhat pallid complexion from overusing spiritual energy back to a normal look.

Only then did Luo Yang dispel the spiritual walls he had set up around him and walk out of the washroom.

Tu Ba Ge shook the pale yellow paper in front of it, which was full of the twisted, winding words it had written, along with some strange little rabbit figures.

This was a sheet of paper Lei Ke Dun tore off from the book messenger, letting Tu Ba Ge carry it around, and it's also how they usually communicate.

After Ke Lai En came out of the washroom, it glanced at it, withdrew its gaze, then glanced again with some doubt.

It repeated this action several times over, and on its fluffy face appeared a human-like expression of contemplation.

Ke Lai En restrained the motion of reaching to touch his face, looking doubtfully at Tu Ba Ge and asking:

"What's wrong?"

Tu Ba Ge said with a look of pondering and deep thought:

"Your complexion looks really bad, but your face looks normal—how strange!"

Forgot that this rabbit's previous sequence was a physician; the Faceless Person's ability can't fool it, as it can directly judge the body's health condition through a person's aura.

Ke Lai En fell silent for a moment, not yet having thought of a good excuse to brush it off, when he heard Tu Ba Ge suddenly realize and say:

"Mm I know, you're kidney deficient!"

"That's why you're always going to the washroom, and your complexion is still so bad!"

"Puchi!"

Ke Lai En's expression froze; he heard Daniz beside him trying to hold back laughter but failing to do so completely.

"Good, do you want to try the rabbit trick together with me?"

(End of chapter)