Chapter 721: Chapter 10: Gods, Monsters, and Scholars (Part 3) Chapter 721: Chapter 10: Gods, Monsters, and Scholars (Part 3) Li Yan tried to reach out his hand, aiming at the incoming cannonballs.

Winter Yak, activate.

The first two cannonballs landed at Li Yan’s feet, producing a dull thud and smashing two holes the size of human heads into the wooden ship, but the ten subsequent cannonballs hit the sails and cabin one after another, immediately igniting a series of explosive sparks.

Even though Li Yan had activated Four Seasons Yak, the development of each Yak gene was a long and painstaking process that required practice and even talent. Vera’s Winter Yak could suppress chemical reactions within a radius of several dozen kilometers, whereas Li Yan could only control a radius of less than half a meter around himself and couldn’t afford to be distracted, rendering it of little practical value in combat.

Black smoke rose up to the sky, mingling with the dark clouds. A crack of thunder followed, lightning illuminating the faces of everyone at sea.

…
“I will only say this once, if you still value your life, turn around immediately. I’m not joking with you anymore,”
Saint Watson said sternly.

Captain Andre had served on the Glasgow, an Immortal-class ship, for six years, and he knew this vessel better than his own body.

“Mr. Watson, you know I am not a stubborn or arrogant man, but this is too absurd. If we retreat from the battle now, I cannot imagine the difficulties I would face from my superiors and the authorities, all because of your single sentence? At the very least, you should explain what the danger is and where it’s coming from,” Andre said.

“I don’t know. A storm, a giant octopus, or something else, this is a sea where not even God’s light can reach. Anything can happen here,”
Saint Watson somehow found a bottle of unopened rum, popped the cork, and with a hoarse voice said, “I just looked at your log, and the pirates here gave you a rude awakening six years ago. Perhaps the danger is coming from that small island ahead?”

Andre responded seriously, “My men and I are mentally prepared for war, including facing the pirates and sorcerers of the South Seas.”

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, a loud noise caused both men to look sideways.

Through the veil of rain, they saw the An, a cruiser half-submerged in the water, spiraling in a whirlpool. In just a few breaths, the ironclad vessel with a displacement of three thousand tons vanished into the sea with an unusual and sinister speed, leaving only gentle ripples behind.

“Ah ha, I guess they weren’t ready. Mmm, ah~”
Saint Watson took a sip of rum: “Perhaps it’s not too late to retreat now, Captain.”

By now the rain was heavy enough that Andre started doubting his vision.

The An was known as the “Son of Rage”, equipped with six 7-inch 178mm guns, four 64-pound 15 to 19-caliber 160mm rifled muzzle-loaders. It boasted a formidable firepower, and despite being bulky and costly like the Seven Great Ships of Rage, its construction cost was only a tenth of theirs. Since it was first launched at the Thames Ironworks ten years ago, it has become rapidly popular among European countries as the hottest type of warship of its time.

Andre placed his hands on the control panel, his voice grave, “I’ve seen the prowess of South Seas sorcerers. In An Nan, there’s a wicked sorcerer named Zhang He who, through sacrificing the lives of virgins, used the power of demons to sink a Portuguese Vasco warship, but he was also gravely injured in the process. Such power is not sustainable. We…”
Another explosion echoed, mocking him. Another first-rate cruiser on the edge of the formation belched flames and smoke from its bottom. The surrounding sea water was stirred by an invisible force, and a massive whirlpool remorselessly toyed with the powerless iron toy. The nearly six-thousand-ton ironclad with unarmored side cannons sank helplessly to the bottom as everyone watched.

“I guess they have two such sorcerers,”
Saint Watson mocked Andre mercilessly.

…
The numerous ships started firing at the mysterious whirlpools. The booming of cannons and the thunder were ceaseless over the sea.

The An was powered by a horizontal double-expansion steam engine, which, being underwater, was not generally easily hit by cannon fire. The Allied Fleet surmised that something underwater was rapidly piercing the engines and creating whirlpools on the surface, leading to the swift sinking of the ships.

Clearly, this assessment was entirely correct.

Under the heavy bombardment, bodies of grotesque aquatic creatures began to surface, such as light blue crocodiles and monstrous fish with huge tumors on their foreheads. But before long, these bodies miraculously vanished.

On the edge of the formation, the seamen on a small torpedo boat watched in horror as clusters of golden light lurked beneath the surface. Unable to contain their panic, they fired torpedoes at the underwater glows. After the explosions and rising plumes of water subsided, more and more golden glows converged to the left and right of the torpedo boat. Suddenly, several golden tentacles burst from the water, penetrating several seamen and dragging them into the sea.

The sailors pulled into the water saw a succession of bubbles followed by one giant golden jellyfish after another, their majestic crowns resembling a lion’s mane as they elegantly undulated through the water. Suddenly, the jellyfish dispersed to reveal countless officer and soldier corpses sunk to the bottom as far as the eye could see.

Soon after, this sailor too lost consciousness due to lack of oxygen.

With the sinking of the two large ships, the dark waters below were, to say the least, filled with nearly a thousand bodies of officers, soldiers, and Red-haired Men, all plummeting to the ocean floor.

Splash, splash, splash~
Li Yan leaped out of the water, propelled by a wave over two meters high, riding the crest that surged beneath his feet.

Boom! Boom!

Several gunboats noticed Li Yan standing atop the waves and fired cannonballs at him. A series of grand explosions bloomed beside him, quickly engulfing him in a black cloud of smoke,
but in an instant, Li Yan, carried by the waves, broke through the smoke, charging toward a much larger battleship like the unruly Nezha of the sea.

…

“What sorcery has that Tianbao performed?”

Aboard the Dragon Flag ship, Qian Yongzhao angrily questioned Xu Longsi. As head of the Xu family and brother of Queen Yan of the South Seas, he should not be ignorant of these horrifying phenomena.

“Could this possibly be… the Quanlang Sea Ghost?”

Surprised and suspicious, Xu Longsi knew it was not simple. The Xu family Gaoli ghost, the Lin Family Quanlang Type–rumor had it that when combined, they formed Mazu’s guard, the Quanlang Sea Ghost. Xu Longsi understood the exceptionally high requirements placed on the transformed individuals. Vanished from the South Seas for nearly a century, the last recorded Quanlang Sea Ghost perished in a battle at Pescadores Sea during the government’s conquest of Treasure Island. Captured after depleting its strength, the Sea Ghost was tortured exhaustively before execution. Only after soaking in tainted blood for several days was it finally cooked in boiling oil. Could Tianbao have actually achieved transformation?

“I don’t care about him…”

Qian Yongzhao stopped mid-sentence as a raindrop hit his face, sizzling like hot oil. In excruciating pain, he instinctively shielded himself with his cloak. The rain from the sky turned from light to dark, and when it struck the soldiers’ bodies, it pierced through them like arrows, quickly creating numerous gurgling bloody holes, leading to screams of agony.

“Chop down the masts! Find cover!”

Despite the torment as if being carved by a thousand knives, Qian Yongzhao still shouted out loud. Soon after, he was shoved into a corner by Xu Longsi for cover. Zhufen took the opportunity first, having only suffered a few hits on his hands and shoulders, he tumbled into a corner for cover like a rolling calabash.

The officers and soldiers scrambled into the cabins. The ones nearby were alright, but those farther away collapsed under the black rain after only a few steps, and in a short time, their flesh decayed and turned into grinning skeletons. Desperate to survive, some officers squeezed toward Zhufen for shelter. Seeing no room to hide, Yishi, without a second thought, kicked a man back into the rain.

Under the deadly black rain, piercing alarms and signal flags spread among the fleet, with ships quickly dispersing to escape from the rainclouds.

“Quite quick to react, aren’t you.”

The cloud of Disaster Water created by Li Yan’s Force of Ten Thousand Aspects now spanned ten kilometers. However, across the vast sea, once the ships dispersed, the cloud’s reach wasn’t enough, and as for the Nine Variations of Calamity’s ability to resurrect his kind, it only covered a mere kilometer, insufficient for pursuit.

“Catch the king first to capture the thieves.”

Without hesitation, Li Yan braved the black rain and charged towards Andre and Qian Yongzhao’s flagship.

…

“Mr. Saint Watson, the Allied Fleet now faces a crisis, and I need your help.”

Andre solemnly spoke to the elderly Mediterranean man in the red suit before him.

“Are you joking? You want me to go against that monster? Let him chew me up alive? And then he gets diarrhea, allowing you to escape? How amusing, Andre.”

“Mr. Saint Watson, if anyone can lead the Allied Fleet through this crisis, I think it’s only you. We both understand why Mr. Hesting invited you to the South Seas…”

“To hell with you, Andre, and to hell with Hesting. Why should I sacrifice my life for the East India Company? Reminding you is already the full extent of my benevolence. I doubt anyone could stop me if I chose to leave. You should prepare to feed the sharks.”