Chapter 87

In the sea breeze blowing toward them, intense fluctuations of malevolent thought arose; in the distance, ships approached at great speed—a full hundred sailboats with black sails billowing, riding the wind and breaking waves. Yet somewhat unexpectedly, the flags flown on the masts of these ships were not unlike Hong Yi's banner—that was the flag of the Jinghai Army among the Five Sea Garrisons of Great Qian, where Hong Yi served.

"Jinghai Army?" Zhou Shuo directed a doubtful gaze at Hong Yi, recalling that the second wave of pursuers should have been Hong Yi's enemies, not his superiors—the plot had changed.

"Shuo-brother, wait a moment, Tie Zhu—have someone raise a signal to ask the other side's intentions and order them to stop approaching immediately." Hong Yi looked at the opposing flags, also a bit unable to react; he spoke to Zhou Shuo while directing his attendants, for this outing he had greeted Jinghai General Yan Zhen—why would they still send such a fleet, and with seemingly hostile intent?

Following Hong Yi's order, the shout was passed down; on the mast of the great tooth ship, the signalman raised the flag as commanded, but the opposing hundred-odd sailboats continued straight on, intending no reply. Hong Yi focused his gaze, watching the opposing flags grow clearer, his face shifting slightly—beneath the Jinghai Army's banner flew a single-character flag bearing the character "Wei".

"Those ships aren't just Jinghai Army; more than half of them carry Yunmeng's Golden Wolf Guard on board." Chan Yin Sha opened her eyes, set down the heaven-shaking bow and limitless arrows she had refined, and told Hong Yi, unlike Zhou Shuo who couldn't tell—because of her connection to Bi Shi Hua, she was very familiar with Yunmeng's various armies.

"Zhuoyang, prepare for battle and issue orders to the whole ship." Upon hearing Chan Yin Sha's words, Hong Yi's face changed instantly—the Jinghai Army had actually teamed up with the enemy Yunmeng's Golden Wolf Army; things had changed.

"Here they come." Zhou Shuo looked at the fellow facing great change yet still maintaining a clear train of thought, and couldn't help giving a shout; the yin wind in the air had ceased, the distant encircling sailboats were slowly stopping, and on the open sea before them, two visible vortices formed, water vapor turning at visible speed into two tens-of-meters-high water columns that spun and surged forward.

"This cultivation..." Hong Yi gazed at the distant rising water spout, his face shifting again—this was entirely a tornado of thought and seawater stirred up by thought; judging by the yin energy level, it seemed not yet a ghost immortal, for if it weren't a ghost immortal, such formidable cultivation would be impossible—how could one cultivate to that level?

"Suppress the sea." Chan Yin Sha grasped the heaven-shaking bow, gazed at the oncoming, ever-expanding water column, uttered two words, her thought flew from her body straight up to the sky, then pressed down slightly; the diameter had already shifted to ten meters, the height nearing a hundred meters—enough to crush a stretch of water column, which instantly collapsed, water mist spreading across the sea surface.

Watching the collapsed water column at sea, Zhou Shuo's eyes twitched—whether Chan Yin Sha or the one who raised the water column, their soul cultivation was immensely strong; this is the benefit of years of Dao practice. Although he could surpass either of them in realm and strength, his cultivation fell far short of theirs, a matter of pure accumulation.

"It turns out to be the Silver Shark King before me; I, the humble Xing Yuxian, offer my respects." As Zhou Shuo pondered the cultivation realm issue, a clear voice rang from the water mist over the sea; with just a single exchange of Dao arts, the other party recognized Chan Yin Sha aboard the ship.

"It turns out to be Miss Xing, the daughter of Brother Xing; I recently heard Brother Xing had also come to sea to contend with the Supreme Dao Sect Leader—did Miss Xing not accompany him?" Chan Yin Sha heard the other's title, her eyes flickered; she glanced at Zhou Shuo then replied from afar, because of Zhou Shuo she had inquired a little—lately, beneath the calm sea surface many undercurrents hid; aside from troop movements of Yunmeng and Great Qian, the cultivation world also had masters hunting the Supreme Dao Sect Leader Meng Shenji, among whom the Peacock King Xing Xuan was one.

Facing Chan Yin Sha's gaze, Zhou Shuo tilted his head and gave a faint smile, saying nothing; his cheap master was indeed a genuine elder of the Supreme Dao Sect, but boasting of that now would truly be unwise—among the world's eight great demon immortals, the Peacock King Xing Xuan allied with the masters of the Profound Heaven Hall, the Holy One Tu Yuan of the Jingyuan Divine Sect, and the leader Bai Fengxian of the Zhen Gang Gate in hunting Meng Shenji; to attract their attention would be disastrous.

Compared to Zhou Shuo's silent smile, Hong Yi's face changed dramatically; he whispered a couple of sentences to his friend Zhuoyang, who being a Yunmeng person knew well the various experts of Yunmeng—without mentioning lineage, Xing Yuxian's cultivation as a standout among Yunmeng's younger generation experts, he had naturally heard much; she was the Peacock King's daughter, a successor of the Celestial Dragon Dao.

Hong Yi was not yet Yi Zi—just a tiny shrimp, having just entered the sea and already targeted by several big fish; he couldn't fathom it, but after hearing Zhuoyang's information and Chan Yin Sha's words, piecing it together gave him a rough idea: he was being targeted like this ultimately because of his identity—he was the bastard son of the Marquis Wuwen, son of the former Supreme Dao Sect holy maiden Meng Bingyun, nominal nephew of the Supreme Dao Sect Leader Meng Shenji, and the Yunmeng expert Xing Yuxian had come for him.

"The Silver Shark King jests; Xing Yuxian's humble abilities, following her father to take part in that great battle, would merely be superfluous." The clear voice from the hazy water mist gave one the feeling of basking in an immortal realm.

"What brings you, Xing Yuxian, leading the Golden Wolf Guard here, and why are you mingling with Great Qian's Jinghai Army, given that Great Qian and Yunmeng have been at war for years—and who is that little companion beside you?" Chan Yin Sha grasped the heaven-shaking bow, her tone likewise as if chatting over tea.

Zhou Shuo, standing aside, watched Chan Yin Sha converse from afar with Xing Yuxian and couldn't help finding it highly amusing—clearly they were wary strangers, yet they chatted like old friends; the contrast was too great, women truly are born drama queens.

"I am Wei Lei, Commander of the Jinghai Army; my father is Wei Taicang, Governor of Southern Prefecture. I have come specially to apprehend the rebel Hong Yi, and I hope the Silver Shark King will not obstruct me." A deep male voice carried from afar, projecting across the sea, showing the speaker's considerable martial cultivation; his tone hinted at his identity and lineage, clearly bearing a veiled threat.

"Wei Taicang, the Heavenly Blade Saint Hand?" Chan Yin Sha's brow twitched slightly as she glanced at Zhou Shuo; the Heavenly Blade Saint Hand Wei Taicang, a renowned blade master of Great Qian, was said to have some connection with the former Yunmeng Blade Saint Gong Yangyu; if so, the Jinghai Army's mingling with the Golden Wolf Army would hardly be surprising—yet would this affair drag the Great Qian court and the Peacock King into it, and should it continue?

"Young Master Wei, are you trying to scare us off with your status and your father's name?" Zhou Shuo caught Chan Yin Sha's gaze, speaking while returning the message from afar, and turned his eyes toward Hong Yi to signal him to reply.

"You must be the one who just clashed with the Yan True Sect of the Great Luo School!" Xing Yuxian's voice came over; the sea mist had gradually cleared, and over a hundred sailboats were forming an encirclement around Hong Yi's vessels. On the deck of a black-flag flagship stood a girl wearing a square headscarf, her posture swaying, shoulder-to-shoulder with a youth clad in black clothes and silver armor, wielding a great blade.

"Young one, having confidence is good, but overconfidence loses your head." Zhou Shuo heard the opposing tone, tilted his head and gave a wry smirk, not waiting for a reply, and glanced askance at Hong Yi.

"Wei Lei, you scoundrel—though our earlier disagreement was forgivable, now as Commander of Great Qian's Jinghai Army you dare collude with Yunmeng's Golden Wolf Army to plot against comrades!" Hong Yi, seeing Zhou Shuo's sidelong glance, quickly took up the call, shouting across to the opposing ship's crew, slapping a big label on them at the outset to highlight his stance, boost momentum, and show his unusual scheming.

"Wei Lei, don't spout nonsense—the Supreme Dao Sect is one of the three Daoist sects permitted by our court; you claim it has no ruler nor father—what proof do you have, where would you place the court? And you also say I'm connected to the Supreme Dao Sect—on what basis? …!" In terms of scheming, Hong Yi far outstripped Wei Lei; he immediately fired back a rebuttal and then unleashed a heap of dirt.

"Wei Lei, quit spouting nonsense—the Supreme Dao Sect is one of the three Daoist sects permitted by our court; you claim it has no ruler nor father—what evidence do you have, where would you place the court? And you also say I'm connected to the Supreme Dao Sect—on what basis? …!" In terms of scheming, Hong Yi far outstripped Wei Lei; he immediately fired back a rebuttal and then unleashed a heap of dirt.

"Interesting, huh?" Zhou Shuo watched the two trading barbs from afar and couldn't help sending a amused mental query to Chan Yin Sha.

"A boring war of words—what exactly are you thinking?" Chan Yin Sha heard the mental transmission, frowned and replied in kind; having no ties to either side, she didn't wish to offend the Great Qian court or the Peacock King over Hong Yi, but the situation now hinged on Zhou Shuo's decision.

"I'd like to place a bet on Hong Yi—care to join? The payoff could be substantial." Zhou Shuo gave Chan Yin Sha a smirking glance.

"What exactly do you know?" Chan Yin Sha looked at the fellow whose glance held a smile, her eyes narrowing; thoughts flashed through her mind—this guy seemed like a riddle, betting on Hong Yi with a promised return—what kind of game was this?

"Just some hunches; in a gamble, nobody knows the outcome until the very last second!" Zhou Shuo smiled in reply.

"All right, I'll bet with you." Chan Yin Sha heard Zhou Shuo's words, glanced down at the heaven-shaking bow and limitless arrows in her hand, and answered decisively; though she could never quite read him, following his bet should not be wrong.

As Zhou Shuo and Chan Yin Sha conferred, the war of words between Hong Yi and Wei Lei elsewhere reached a peak; Hong Yi sat steady on the fishing platform, relentlessly hammering Wei Lei for colluding with the Golden Wolf Army, while Wei Lei's breath cultivation was slightly lacking—he refrained from acting out of deference to Zhou Shuo and Chan Yin Sha's presence, but after a while his temper flared and he began hurling insults: "scum," "coward," trying to provoke Hong Yi into striking first.