The Blade-Wielding Legend

Chapter 1620 - 822: Strange Sea (2)

A tributor used a scabbard to nudge a corpse lying next to the ship’s helm.

The corpse wore a tattered red-haired barbarian-style short shirt and breeches, but the exposed skin appeared eerily gray and withered, tightly clinging to the bones, as if sun-dried for months.

The eye sockets were sunken, the eyeballs missing, leaving only two pitch-black cavities, and the mouth gaped wide, revealing similarly shrunken, blackened gums.

The body was unusually "clean," devoid of signs of decay, as if all moisture had been drained out.

But here we are, at sea...

"Not just one!"

Long Yan’er suppressed her nausea and pointed towards the cabin entrance and the area near the fallen mast.

Everyone dispersed to check, their hearts growing heavier.

More than a dozen corpses lay sprawled around, all in the same shriveled, frightening state.

Their clothing and some remaining hair color unmistakably indicated that they were once red-haired pirate marauders sailing the seas.

But now, like mummies left to dry in the desert for millennia, all their blood and energy had been completely drained by some terrifying force!

"Their vital energy... completely drained!"

Xian Ashui squatted beside a corpse, his fingers hovering over its withered chest, his face pale, his voice trembling slightly, "It’s not a knife or sword injury, nor typical poison erosion... it seems as if their life force and soul were sucked out alive! Only an empty husk remains!"

"The cabin!" Lv San, responsible for investigating the cabin, called out in a low voice, while Li Dong restlessly circled in the low sky, emitting urgent cries.

Everyone immediately gathered around.

The cabin was even darker, filled with an overpowering stench.

A shallow layer of murky, foul seawater filled the bottom, soaking more of the same withered corpses.

In the center of the water among the corpses, several deep blue, palm-sized, serrated-edged strange scales were scattered.

In the dim light, they gleamed with a cold, metallic luster.

"These scales..."

Li Yan wrinkled his nose and frowned, saying: "So heavy with the yin and evil water aura! Laced with a sea smell... and mixed with a faintly sweet blood scent!"

Wang Daoxuan carefully picked up a scale with the tip of his sword, infusing a thread of True Yuan into it, and said in a solemn voice: "Neither fish nor snake, the scales are as hard as refined iron, edges serrated and sharp, with remaining evil qi that’s icy and bone-piercing, capable of corroding the Divine Soul. The master of this thing is no ordinary sea creature..."

"I fear... it is indeed the culprit that drained these red-haired barbarians!"

"Some kind of deep-sea demon?" Lei Wanjun clenched his fists, assuming the opening stance of the Shadowless Kick, watching his surroundings warily.

"Not only that."

Li Yan knelt down, his gaze sweeping across the corner of the cabin and the posture of the fallen corpses, "Look at the position and orientation of these corpses, no signs of resistance or struggle, as if subdued and drained in an instant."

"Moreover, the corpse by the helm, his hand is still tightly gripping the wheel... at the time of the attack, this ship was still traveling at full speed."

"Something wiped out everyone on board in an extremely short time, silently, drained their vital energy, and then vanished!"

This deduction sent a chill down everyone’s spine.

Being able to wipe out a whole ship of tough pirates on a fast-moving pirate ship, draining their vital energy, this demon’s speed and brutality far exceed imagination.

"Brother Situ, are there any similar records in the South Seas?"

Li Yan looked at Situ Hua, who was pale from injury, standing nearby.

The head of the escort of South Seas overseas merchants shook his head, his voice hoarse from pain: "Never... though South Seas black magic is strange, corpse control and ghost manipulation are common, but to drain vital energy so swiftly and without a trace... unheard of. It seems like..."

"I know!"

Elder Xian Ashui suddenly raised his head, his voice filled with fear.

He took a polished bone fragment from his waist, his fingertips rapidly rubbing it, and the edge of the bone glowed with an eerie blue light. He swallowed, "There’s an old Damen ballad ’Mist seals the dark sea, Yaksha patrols, Iron scales cover the body, absorbing marrow and energy’... It’s talking about the ’Iron-Scaled Sea Night Demon’ of the deep sea!"

"This creature is born from the Extremely Yin Sea Abyss, it loves dense fog, and is bloodthirsty to the extreme! Its scales are as hard as steel blades, moving like a ghost, leaving vessels and creatures as dried bones in its wake."

"Legend has it they are Sea Patrol Yaksha who fled from the deep-sea Dragon Palace, fell into the Demon Path, and were banished to the dark sea trench... I’m afraid, we’ve encountered the very culprits!"

"Iron-Scaled Sea Night Demon..."

Sha Lifei was full of disbelief, "Is there really such a thing as Yaksha?"

He had seen many demons and ghouls, even ancient relic species.

But Yaksha, like the Dragon King, was mostly a mythical story.

Even in Qiankun Academy’s collection, there were rarely any records.

"Underwater!"

At this moment, Lv San’s face changed slightly. He urgently warned again, his voice more hurried than ever, "From all directions! Something is quickly approaching!"

"A great number of them! Faster than that ghost ship just now!"

As soon as his words fell, the mist-covered sea surface suddenly seemed to boil, with hundreds of extremely fine, white lines breaking through the sea.

These lines appeared silently from all directions around the ship, carrying a deadly menace that made one’s scalp tingle, like countless arrows loosed from strings, whistling as they came.

"Prepare for battle!"

Li Yan dashed out onto the deck, his shout resounding like thunder.

"Clang!" The Royal Tributors, well-trained, quickly set up their bird guns along the ship’s sides, with fire ropes sizzling as they burned.

The crossbowmen drew their strong bows and crossbows, the arrowheads glinting coldly.

Martial master Lei Wanjun and two tributes stood protectively beside Li Yan, while Xian Ashui muttered incantations, grabbing a handful of exorcism powder mixed with vermillion, realgar, and bone powder from a pouch on his waist, ready to strike.

The others also prepared themselves.

The hundreds of white waves came closer, swiftly approaching within tens of feet of the ship.

The fog was stirred and parted by an invisible force.

Under the sea, taking advantage of the moment the lines broke through, everyone finally saw the terrifying creatures rapidly approaching.

They were not some iron-scaled giant monsters, but an odd type of fish they had never seen before, hovering between the mist and the water waves!

These fish were nearly transparent, only about the size of a palm.

Shaped like willow leaves, their bodies were flat.

They had no eyes, only two gaping black holes where their heads should be, which opened and closed continuously.

Most horrifying was their mouths, occupying most of their heads, with dense, needle-like fangs lining the gaping maw!

At this moment, the countless mouths were greedily opening and closing, emitting a high-pitched screech that set everyone’s teeth on edge, leaving their ears buzzing and feeling nauseous.

They didn’t swim entirely in water, but seemed to use the thick mist over the sea as a medium, gliding and darting in swarms in an unnatural levitating manner!

"So it’s them!"

Xian Ashui cried out, his voice distorted with fear, "Fog Fish! These strange fish feed on blood essence and souls, how can there be so many!"

"Fire!"

The shout of the Firearms Leader carried a hint of tremor, roaring loudly.

Bang, bang, bang, bang—!

The deafening volley of bird guns fired all at once.

The lead bullets poured like rain onto the dense swarm of hovering fish.

At the same time, arrows also shot forth like a swarm of locusts.

Thud, thud, thud!

The bullets and arrows struck their targets, producing dull thuds and light sounds of piercing flesh!

The bodies of these fog fish were far less sturdy than iron scales, torn apart instantly by the lead bullets.

Dark blue blood mixed with the fragments of their transparent bodies exploded and splattered in the mist, releasing a stronger stench.

However, the terror of these "fog fish" did not end there.

Their shattered bodies abruptly exploded upon contact with the air!

The flesh fell into the sea with a hissing sound, accompanied by a foul odor.

Everyone’s expressions changed dramatically, realizing the fish’s flesh was incredibly toxic!

Screams erupted instantly on the "Sea Suppression" deck.

The gunners and crossbowmen who were closest to the ship’s side were the most affected, their exposed faces, necks, and arms turning black, emitting white smoke, with skin blistering and breaking open.

"Retreat! Hold your breath! Protect your mouth, nose, and eyes!"

Li Yan shouted harshly, raising his hand as the Arm Guard Thousand Thoughts clattered.

A fierce wind rose, sweeping the airborne flesh away.

In their dire moment, they could only resort to such measures.

Fortunately, this wave of "fog fish" did not linger, swiftly passing by the sides of the warship like ocean waves, quickly distancing themselves.

In the blink of an eye, they disappeared without a trace.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but Lv San remained vigilant, even sweating from his forehead, staring intently ahead, listening carefully.

Li Yan slightly frowned, "San’er, there’s more?"

Lv San continued looking forward, gritting his teeth:

"That noise from the strange fish... they’re avoiding something..."