Time passed swiftly, and fifteen days had gone by. As the ship sailed further south, the temperature steadily rose.
The once bone-chilling night winds were now replaced by a refreshing coolness.
Xu Zihuang stepped out of his room after completing his cultivation session, leaning on the railing of the passageway to gaze at the rolling waves below. The sea breeze tousled the few strands of purple hair on his forehead, his refined features carrying a touch of inherent majesty. He exuded the elegance of a noble gentleman. Since fusing with the Brilliant Dragon Claw, his physique had been enhanced, and even his skin had become notably fairer.
Stretching lazily, Xu Zihuang's peripheral vision caught sight of a burly teenager, around eighteen years old, standing nearby. Among the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion's soldiers, he was the youngest.
"Meng Lang, you don't have to keep watching over me. I'm just here to enjoy the breeze," Xu Zihuang said, rubbing his temples. The moment he spoke, he regretted it.
As expected, the young soldier responded with the same mechanical answer as before.
"Young Lord, my father instructed me to stay by your side at all times to ensure your safety."
Xu Zihuang sighed. During his imprisonment, he had grown accustomed to being shadowed constantly. While he wasn't unfamiliar with the feeling, gaining his freedom only to have someone else tail him gave him an unsettling sense of still being confined.
Still, he didn't force Meng Lang to leave. In the perilous seas, caution was never a bad thing.
On the wide deck, the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion soldiers moved about, patrolling and keeping vigilant. Noticing Xu Zihuang leaning on the railing, they respectfully saluted before resuming their duties.
"Thud, swish, thud…" The wind battered the sails, producing rhythmic, taut rustling sounds that grew increasingly intense.
The black fur cloak draped over Xu Zihuang's shoulders billowed in the wind. Raising his head, he gazed at the massive sails above.
"The wind direction has changed suddenly."
Sudden shifts in wind direction at sea were dangerous. They could create powerful currents and often signaled the approach of a strong sea soul beast. These were basics he had learned during casual conversations with the crew.
Two yellow figures darted through the night sky, shrouded in lightning, before landing steadily on the deck. These were two scouts whose martial soul, Lightning Falcon, granted them exceptional speed and sharp eyesight. They had been monitoring the surrounding sea from above to guard against any potential threats.
"Commander, the fish seem to have been startled and are fleeing the area. There may be a sea soul beast nearby," one of the scouts respectfully reported to Wang Xiao, who stood at the center of the deck.
Wang Xiao frowned and glanced at Yao Yang.
"Uncle Wang, I sense something unusual as well," Yao Yang said gravely. "Unfortunately, I don't have detection-type soul skills. My spiritual power can only sense about five kilometers around the ship. So far, nothing stands out."
Five kilometers might sound like a lot, but on the vast and boundless sea, it was barely a drop in the ocean.
"Uncle Wang, Brother Yang, look at the waters ahead," Xu Zihuang suddenly interjected. With the enhanced vision from his Golden Eyes, he noticed countless pale blue lights surfacing beneath the waves ahead of the ship.
Following Xu Zihuang's guidance, everyone looked toward the distant waters.
A growing cluster of pale blue lights shimmered beneath the surface, gradually nearing the ship. Some of them even broke through the water, drawing graceful arcs in the air.
"A school of flying fish?"
Flying Fish were a type of sea soul beast, one of the few with the ability to glide above the waves. Their streamlined bodies were covered in dark blue scales, exuding an elegant beauty. Long pectoral fins extended to their tails, resembling the wings of flying-type soul beasts.
The translucent fins emitted faint soul power, allowing the fish to glide rapidly through the air after leaping from the water.
The massive school, numbering over five hundred, included many with thousand-level cultivation.
What could possibly frighten such a large school of flying fish into such panic?
Before Wang Xiao could issue an order, the soldiers of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion instinctively moved to the ship's edges. Each soldier stood by a protruding metal node—a place to channel soul power. Once activated, these nodes would generate a soul-powered shield to envelop the entire ship.
While the soul-powered shield might not withstand the attacks of ten-thousand-year soul beasts, it could undoubtedly repel this group of flying fish, whose strongest members were no older than five thousand years.
However, both Wang Xiao and Yao Yang noticed something unsettling. Their gazes locked on the waters beyond the fleeing fish.
"Hummmmm—"
The sea behind the fish began to boil, sending ominous ripples of dark red across the water. These ripples advanced toward the ship, turning the surrounding air and water thick with an oppressive energy. Everything within the area seemed to gain a faint reddish crystalline hue, as if the world had been frozen in beautiful yet deadly red crystal.
Five towering columns of water erupted from the ocean's surface, and the crimson crystal fractured into countless shards, each breaking apart with a sharp, melodic chime. The flying fish caught within were obliterated, their remains vaporized, leaving behind only concentric rings of white, yellow, and purple soul rings slowly condensing in their place.
Five massive, black dorsal fins cut through the water's surface with terrifying speed. Both Wang Xiao and Yao Yang's expressions turned grim.
"That's the Evil Spirit Orca Clan's innate soul skill, Evil Spirit Orca Mirror Destruction..."
"It's actually a group of Evil Spirit Orcas?!"
The Evil Spirit Orca was one of the ocean's three apex predators, its strength beyond dispute. Fortunately, the group before them seemed to be a small pod. Typically, such pods were led by two adult Evil Spirit Orcas, meaning that among the five, at least two had ten-thousand-year cultivations.
Without hesitation, Yao Yang summoned his martial soul. His blood-red eyes closed briefly as he focused his spiritual power, scanning the approaching pod.
"Uncle Wang, among the five Evil Spirit Orcas, one has twenty thousand years of cultivation, another just over ten thousand, and the remaining three are under five thousand years."
"Prepare for battle! Don't hesitate to use the stationary soul cannons—end this quickly!" Having understood the situation, Wang Xiao ordered decisively. Thanks to advancements in soul tool engineering, humanity had gained the power to face sea soul beasts head-on.
No matter how powerful the Evil Spirit Orca clan was, they couldn't withstand consecutive bombardments from stationary soul cannons. If it's an Evil Spirit Orca with over fifty thousand years of cultivation, he might be more cautious, but facing one or two Evil Spirit Orcas with ten to twenty thousand years of cultivation, he didn't regard them highly.
"Understood, Commander!"
"Evil Spirit Orcas?!"
Xu Zihuang's face tensed, but he didn't want the others to be distracted by protecting him. He quickly vaulted over the railing, landing back on the main deck, now the safest spot due to its fortifications.
Meng Lang hurried to follow.
Yao Yang glanced at Xu Zihuang, preparing to say something, but his expression abruptly shifted. He stepped in front of Xu Zihuang protectively, his voice ringing out, "There's another soul beast! This one has hidden itself from my spiritual detection. Be on alert, everyo—!"
Before he finished speaking, a white, whale-like soul beast over three meters long burst from the water.
The creature's sleek body extended midair, and as it made contact with the ship's soul-powered shield, golden ripples spread across the barrier. To everyone's shock, it passed through the shield effortlessly, landing heavily on the deck.