Chapter 284: No One Understands Magical Cannons Better Than I!

"Raise the main wind sail quickly."

"Haven't you eaten? All of you, damn it, give it your all for me!"

"Bring the coarse material source crystals from the warehouse over, and crank the wind magic to its maximum."

"Set the power of the source‑energy steam engine to maximum as well."

"Now is not the time to conserve source energy."

"Second Officer Ma Xiu Ba Te Li, like a small mountain, stationed at the main mast area, constantly ordering the crew and the Vine Shell crew."

……

"Damn… don't open the front shield sail; it'll hinder our sailing efficiency."

……

"Wizard sequence, where is the wizard sequence? Kill those damned death‑spirit crows that flew out from the undead sail; nothing works, top of the noisy ones."

……

Inside the Blood Demon Hand.

After the initial wave of panic.

It quickly settled into regular navigation.

Thanks to Ta Ke having long ago completed the steam‑ecology cycle.

The Blood Demon Hand's propulsion by the source‑energy steam engine now operates far more efficiently than before.

At full thrust, the Blood Demon Hand moves at a very high speed.

It rivals the top‑tier Steam Triple‑Sail Sea Demon Ship.

And at this speed, the Blood Demon Hand is doing one thing—fleeing!

Although at present only one pursuing Sea Demon Ship is visible.

No one knows when a second, or even a third, might appear.

The Blood Demon Hand is only about half a day's sail from the Undead Sea Gorge.

If it reaches the edge of the Undead Sea Gorge, the Blood Demon Hand will be safe.

In this vast ocean, even Ta Ke would be in serious trouble without the Sea Demon Ship's protection.

Those who can protect the Blood Demon Hand, Ta Ke and his companions naturally won't abandon it.

The Blood Demon Hand's speed is certainly not slow.

But the pursuing Black Eclipse's speed is equally extreme.

The two vessels, one ahead of the other, have been chasing across the sea for two or three hours without noticing.

Unwittingly.

The sun gradually set, and dusk fell.

The entire sea began to grow dark and profound.

Attacking rashly without knowing the exact number of enemies is extremely unwise.

Therefore, the Blood Demon Hand has remained in a fleeing defensive stance.

Because the distance between them is too great.

The magical cannon at the rear of the Sea Demon Ship has never been fired.

Originally Ta Ke thought that since the enemy dared to approach, he would fire a shot from the ship‑mounted magical cannon at them.

Throughout the Sea Demon Ship, Ta Ke can confidently say, "No one knows magical cannons better than I do!"

When he was at Saint Land Supernatural Academy, Ta Ke truly took the elective "Magical Cannon Studies."

Unfortunately, during these few hours of sailing, the Black Eclipse also did not act rashly.

Those fifth‑ and sixth‑rank elites certainly have the ability to cross visual‑range ocean distances and catch up to the Blood Demon Hand.

But they did not.

The Black Eclipse is like an experienced hunter.

It continuously pursues its prey across the sea, wearing the prey out, even causing it to reveal a flaw, and finally slays it.

As dusk turns into night.

In the conference room.

Ta Ke stands steadily by the window, quietly observing the coastline gradually swallowed by night behind him, and the Black Eclipse chasing the Blood Demon Hand.

"No one is willing to go die for us," he mutters.

Seeing dusk fall while the Black Eclipse continues to chase without striking, Ta Ke, clutching the "nuclear bomb," feels a slight loss of enthusiasm.

For the other Sea Demon Ship crew members, they are not eager for battle.

After all, combat brings death, and they all have a chance of dying.

But for Ta Ke, he wishes the enemy would now unleash a furious wave.

Alas!

The enemy is quite steady.

As Ta Ke watches the night behind, pondering whether to release the "nuclear bomb" in his hand.

During the vacuum phase condensed by the forbidden spell, when the sixth‑rank bishop is drawn in and the Forbidden Curtain Stage directly seizes the opponent.

Deng— deng— deng—...

Rapid footsteps thudding on the deck stairs echo.

Immediately, the voice of Captain Ai Li Ke of the Vinehead Squad No. 12 rings from outside the door.

"Chief Officer Wu Ya, the captain says there is a vast undead ash fog ahead; he wants you to go discuss important matters."

"Undead ash fog?"

Ta Ke's initially slightly disinterested expression vanished completely.

"Got it, I'm coming over."

……

Nightfall slowly descended.

Clad in the navy admiral's uniform of the raiding Cairion's Principality, wearing a captain's hat and a pair of cowboy boots, his sartorial style highlighted the free‑wheeling captain of the Black Eclipse, Jerome Mike, who, inside the cabin, held a telescope and was carefully scrutinizing the Blood Demon Hand ahead.

Before its arrival.

Jerome Mike had already ordered his second officer, a diviner with the power of the Ocean Element Heart, to perform an "Ocean Divination".

And the repeated divination results gave Jerome Mike a huge fright.

The result of choosing to attack proactively.

Without exception, each time Jerome Mike would suffer a "Fate of Death".

All along, the second officer's divinations had been extremely accurate.

In the past, even when facing a Tier‑7 strongman of the Nine Demon Seas.

It always meant "bearing an extremely high death risk".

Since it is a "risk", it proves there is a chance of survival.

But this time the divination was a "Fate of Death", the kind that nails a coffin shut—any daring move would inevitably end in death.

In other words, within that Blood Demon Hand lies a power more terrifying than a Nine Demon Sea strongman, or some dreadful method.

Facing such a situation.

Jerome Mike decisively followed the thought deep in his heart.

He resolutely chose stability as the priority, daring not entertain any notion or desire to attack.

That terrifying forbidden curse—whoever wants it can have it.

Anyway, Captain Jerome Mike would never take it, even if beaten to death.

……

"Sss…"

"Hehe…"

"Aooo…"

Directly ahead of the Blood Demon Hand, a thick ghostly gray mist hung like a heavy sky curtain.

Along the sea surface, it surged forward like a sandstorm.

Various mournful wails and chilling ghostly screeches made souls shudder.

The many crew members of the Blood Demon Hand's faces changed dramatically.

"Combat ready!"

The burly Second Officer Ma Xiu let out a low roar, like a muffled thunder.

As the Blood Demon Hand shook violently.

The Blood Demon Hand plunged headfirst into the dense oceanic ghostly mist.

Soon the sounds of battle rang from bow to stern.

Wandering ghosts from the heavens swept down like a blanket.

Sea‑surface ghosts surged like a legion of knights, swarming the Sea Demon Ship from all directions.

Meanwhile, fish‑type ocean ghosts in the sea also frantically tore at the Blood Demon Hand Sea Demon Ship.

The blood scent emitted by the Blood Demon Hand Sea Demon Ship drove them especially mad.

When the entire Blood Demon Hand fell into a full‑scale three‑dimensional encirclement battle.

Ta Ke, however, sat steadily in his own First Officer's quarters in the fore cabin.

As the World power released.

Ta Ke's soul‑will quickly and effortlessly merged with the "Steam Sea Demon Ship".

Sea Demon Ship ecology, Steam ecology, Ghost Sail ecology.

The essence of the three ecologies was perfectly mastered by Ta Ke.

"Transform!"

Ta Ke swiftly condensed the Sea Demon Ship and Steam ecologies, then released the essential energy of the Ghost Sail ecology throughout the Sea Demon Ship.

On the deck of the Blood Demon Hand.

The many crew members who were fighting a second ago.

The next second they discovered those ghosts seemed to have lost the desire to fight them.

Deep within the ghostly mist, a massive surge of floating ghosts glanced left and right, then lost interest in this Sea Demon Ship and its many "flesh‑blood beings".

The surface ghosts that had clambered up the hull also turned and leapt back into the sea.

The shark‑ghost swarm in the deep sea angrily spat out wood shavings, wagged their tails, and dove away.

"Ah… this…"

All the crew on the Blood Demon Hand stared dumbfounded at the scene.

"Our ship can actually evade the ghosts' hatred!"

"My god, this is too amazing!"

"These ghostly beings seem to treat us as their companions."

"Oh! Damn, I'm emitting a strong ghostly aura, what's going on?"

"Me too!"

"Could it be that we've been cursed and will become ghosts too!"

"It is the curse of the great sea!"

"Great Ocean Wraith God, we beg you to forgive us!"

The crowd began to stir, and some even knelt on the deck, wailing and praying.

But soon the unrest was suppressed.

"It was the power of the Ghost Sail that shielded the Sea Demon Ship!"

That was the explanation given by Boiling Blood Captain.

Strictly speaking, there is nothing wrong with this explanation.

Large swaths of wraith gray mist began to drift over the ocean, indicating that everyone was already very close to the "Wraith Sea Gorge" area.

The deeper one goes inside, the more extensive the wraith gray mist becomes.

When protected by the wraith gray mist and continuing to sail deeper into the abyss.

Ta Ke used his powerful phase vision and saw two more Sea Demon Ships appear at the far end of the ocean.

The Bloodfall Pirate Crew, with three pursuing Sea Demon Ships, caught up completely.

He opened his palm, and the dense wraith gray mist brushed through the gaps between Ta Ke's fingers.

Ta Ke smiled lightly.

"If you had besieged us before this, perhaps there would still be a sliver of a chance."

"But now that I have entered the wraith gray mist, you have no chance at all."

"Let me develop steadily inside for two or three years, and when I emerge—"

"—it will be completely different."

Looking at the three Sea Demon Ships deep beyond the coastline, Ta Ke thought silently.