32: Chapter 32 The Seahorse Surprise Attack: A Tactical Dilemma

The next morning, before the doors to the Qingyuan Terrace council hall had fully opened, Lu Hu and Leng Feng had already arrived one after the other.

The aftershocks of last night's great battle had not yet dissipated, and all of Blue Moon Island remained in a state of high-strung excitement, yet the atmosphere inside the council hall was noticeably tense.

This was because Lu Changyuan had issued an urgent summons early in the morning, calling only the core members inside, leaving even Shi Jian waiting outside for orders.

As soon as Lu Hu entered, he saw the sea chart pressed perfectly flat on the table.

There was a newly marked coordinate on the chart, located exactly where the open waters outside Blue Moon Island met the deeper sea.

"Young Lord, what happened?"

Lu Changyuan did not answer directly, only looking at Su Qingli. "You tell him."

Su Qingli had barely slept last night, yet her eyes were brighter than they had been in the past few days.

She raised her hand and pointed at the coordinate, saying, "Three hundred miles out in the open sea, a herd of Rank 2 Purple Lightning Seahorses has been discovered."

"Based on the coordinates the Young Lord pointed out last night and the clues found subsequently, this herd of seahorses is being driven and migrated by a Merfolk tribe, and their numbers will not be small."

Lu Hu was stunned at first, then his breathing grew heavy. "Purple Lightning Seahorses?"

As a veteran commander who had patrolled the open seas for years, he knew all too well what that name meant.

Marine mounts were different from land-based riding beasts.

Ordinary spirit boats relied on Formations and Spirit Stones, making them suitable for transporting troops but not for close-quarters combat; ordinary sea beasts were either too wild or too slow, and when it came to real battle, they were far less reliable than Cultivators who knew Formations and techniques.

But Purple Lightning Seahorses were different; they were naturally aquatic, possessed explosive speed, and could shuttle back and forth between the sea surface and shallow waters. If trained properly, they were perfect for intercepting, pursuing, cutting off retreats, and emergency support.

With the beast tide approaching, this was practically the "mobile unit" Lu Changyuan had mentioned just last night.

"If we can capture them, our coastal defense won't just be about holding ground," Lu Hu said, his voice raspy. "But how could the Merfolk let such a thing go?"

Leng Feng, who had been silent, finally spoke. "I went to scout the area according to the coordinates early this morning, but I only dared to watch from the periphery."

He placed a temporarily copied water-patterned Jade Slip on the table and infused it with spiritual light, causing the rough terrain of the sea surface and the depths to quickly appear.

"The Purple Lightning Seahorse herd is migrating through this area. Ahead is the passage to the outer edge of the shallow waters, and following behind is a Merfolk tribe."

"There are at least two Early Foundation Establishment Merfolk leaders, and over three hundred elite warriors at the Qi Refinement Stage."

"They haven't completely subdued the seahorse herd; it looks more like they are driving and hunting them along the way."

The spiritual light on the sea chart shifted, circling a group of tiny light points in the center, with thicker red marks surrounding them.

Su Qingli said in a low voice, "This number is enough to form a complete unit of marine cavalry."

Lu Hu tightened his grip on his sword hilt. "Then we fight."

"How do we fight?" Su Qingli looked up at him. "Fight in the deep sea?"

The single sentence pierced the rising enthusiasm like a needle.

Leng Feng pointed to the outer edge of that sea area. "I tried diving down. That place is already close to the deep-water zone of the open sea, and the water pressure far exceeds that of the waters near Blue Moon Island."

"If ordinary Dao soldiers go down there, their circulation of spiritual power will be slowed by a significant margin. The Merfolk are naturally adapted to water and have formidable Physical Bodies; in such a place, their combat power will only be greater."

Lu Hu frowned. "The Young Lord is at the Foundation Establishment stage, and our Dao soldiers aren't made of mud. Is there really no chance at all?"

"There is," Lu Changyuan finally spoke. "If we throw enough lives into it, we can carve out a path."

The great hall fell silent at once.

Everyone could tell that this was not the intention.

Lu Changyuan raised his hand and spread out another blueprint.

On it were drawn the firing range, armor-piercing curves, and power degradation at different water depths for the mystic ice spirit-breaking crossbow.

These were the data that Su Qingli and the Workshop had tested together before the great battle.

"In the coastal and shallow water firing range, the mystic ice spirit-breaking crossbow can pierce through ship protective shields and can suppress Foundation Establishment Cultivators."

"But once it enters deep water, the speed of the bolts will be significantly sapped by water pressure and turbulence. It is acceptable within ten zhang, but beyond twenty zhang, the power drops severely."

"If it goes any deeper, even if we hit a Merfolk leader, we might not be able to kill them with a single arrow."

Su Qingli continued, "What's more troublesome is that there are no reef ambush positions like in the Inner Sea. The sea surface is open, and the water currents below are complex; it is difficult for us to bury crossbows in advance, and it is also difficult to stably deploy Formation Plates."

"If we move the heavy crossbows onto boats to chase and fight, the reloading, turning, and the rocking of the ship will ruin most of our accuracy."

Lu Hu's expression grew increasingly grim as he listened.

He was not a fool; he had just been carried away by the excitement of the Purple Lightning Seahorses earlier. When he really laid out the calculations, he realized that although this opportunity was lucrative, it was like hanging on the tip of a blade.

"What about the Merfolk tribe?" he asked. "What exactly is their background?"

Leng Feng said, "They are an alien race from the outer seas, accustomed to operating in reef trenches and deep-water zones, and they like to drive weaker sea beasts to act as their vanguard."

"Their combat power drops when they come ashore, but if they entangle us underwater, it is hard for our Dao soldiers to be more ruthless than them. I didn't dare to get too close to those two Foundation Establishment leaders, but I confirmed that they both carried bone forks and wore scale armor, and their aura is not weak."

Lu Changyuan stared at the sea chart for a moment, then suddenly asked Su Qingli, "If we can lure them to the shallow reef area, can the mystic ice spirit-breaking crossbow finish them off?"

Su Qingli did not hesitate. "Yes."

"As long as they leave the deep water and the firing range is stable, with twenty crossbows suppressing them simultaneously, the two Early Foundation Establishment Merfolk will definitely not be able to withstand it. The problem is, they are not stupid. The seahorse herd is meat on their plate; they will drive them while surrounding them, and will not easily chase them into a shallow water trap."

"Unless there is something more valuable than the Purple Lightning Seahorses, something that would drive them mad," Lu Changyuan said.

As his voice fell, everyone paused.

Whatever could make an entire Merfolk tribe lose their caution and risk danger to rush out of the deep sea to fight for it would certainly not be ordinary bait.

Lu Hu was the first to react, his eyelids twitching fiercely. "Young Lord, you don't mean..."

Lu Changyuan did not answer, but turned and walked to a separately sealed black wooden chest beside the secret room.

There were still four layers of Restrictions on the chest that had not been undone; it was one of the heavy items selected last night from the private vaults of the four island masters and the remains of the sunken ships.

Lu Changyuan raised his finger to break the Seal, and as the lid flipped open, a wave of Evil Qi and blood, thick enough to be nearly viscous, instantly exploded in the room.

Lu Hu was caught off guard, his breathing hitching for a moment.

Lying in the chest was a dark red monster core the size of a human head.

The core patterns were intertwined like blood vessels, and the shadow of a whale could be vaguely seen churning inside. Even through the Spirit-Sealing Jade box, it could not suppress that fierce aura from a deep-sea hegemon.

Su Qingli gasped softly. "A Rank 3... blood dragon whale monster core?"

"It was unearthed last night from the private vault of the Black Tide Islet master," Lu Changyuan said. "According to the ledger, the old thing originally wanted to keep it to trade for a trump card treasure to break through his cultivation realm, but he couldn't bear to part with it. Now, it just happens to be our gain."

Leng Feng looked at the monster core, his eyes flickering slightly. "The blood dragon whale is considered a hegemon Bloodline even in the deep sea. If the Merfolk see it, they will absolutely not remain indifferent."

"Indifferent? They won't just be indifferent," Lu Hu swallowed hard. "For them, a monster core of this level is not just a supplement; it's a life-saving treasure that can allow their Bloodline and Physical Body to advance to the next level. Forget the Early Foundation Establishment leaders; I fear the entire tribe will go mad."

Su Qingli, however, was not blinded by this fierce object and immediately frowned. "Using it as bait might indeed lure the Merfolk out. But the problem is, it might not just be the two leaders and hundreds of elites that emerge, but the entire tribe. If we really get dragged into the near-shore waters, can we handle them?"

"We cannot handle the entire tribe," Lu Changyuan said, looking at the sea chart. "But we don't need to handle the entire tribe."

He raised his hand and pressed heavily on a patch of shallow water reefs on the northwest side of Blue Moon Island.

It was not too far from the migration route of the seahorse herd, but it had several intersecting reef lines. Most were submerged at high tide, and sharp black rocks were exposed at low tide, making it the most suitable place to hide crossbows and the best place to trap large sea beasts and high-speed targets.

"First step: hang the monster core here."

"Second step: let Leng Feng and a few fast boats appear only on the periphery, driving the seahorse herd and forcing them to scatter toward this reef belt."

"Third step: wait for the Merfolk leaders to rush into the shallow waters themselves, and we will only target the leaders, only intercepting that first wave. Once the first wave is shattered, the remaining tribe elites will fall into chaos. At that time, we will capture as many seahorses as we can, kill as many Merfolk as we can, and never linger in battle."

As Lu Hu listened, the Battle Intent in his eyes brightened little by little.

Su Qingli, however, was still filling in the most critical loopholes. "The bait must be real, the crossbow positions must be stable, and the retreat route must be reserved in advance. If we don't pin down the two leaders in the first round, the battlefield will turn around and bite us."

"Therefore, not only must the twenty crossbows be deployed simultaneously, but all firing ranges must be calibrated in advance," Lu Changyuan said. "You take the Workshop there today and set up all the burial positions behind the reef lines. Chisel the reefs if you can, and stabilize as many auxiliary Formation Plates as possible. We don't need a full Formation; we just need them to absorb the recoil for the crossbow arms and turntables."

"Lu Hu, you pick the most steady Dao soldiers and artillerymen; one hundred men is enough. Only take those who dare to fight and dare to retreat."

"Leng Feng, you continue to watch that sea area and figure out the Merfolk's activity rhythm and the seahorse herd's turning patterns. I want to know when they are most agitated and which segment is easiest to lure out of the water."

As the three orders were issued, the expressions of the group became solemn at the same time.

This was the first true proactive strike by Blue Moon Island after last night's great battle.

And it was not to defend a line, but to snatch meat from the mouths of the more ferocious alien races of the outer seas.

After they split up and left, only Lu Changyuan and Su Qingli remained in the council hall.

Su Qingli was still standing before the sea chart, her finger lingering on the line where the reefs met the deep water. After a moment, she suddenly said, "You mentioned wanting mobile units just last night, and the Jade Slip provided the Purple Lightning Seahorses tonight. This thing is a bit too accurate."

Lu Changyuan glanced at her.

Su Qingli was very tactful and did not ask about the origin of the Jade Slip, only adding in a low voice, "I'm just reminding you, the more accurate something is, the easier it is for people to overestimate the scope of what they can handle."

"I know," Lu Changyuan said. "That's why this time, we will only take this bite in front of us and won't try to raid the entire Merfolk nest."

Once these words were spoken, Su Qingli finally let out a sigh of relief.

What she feared most was not that Lu Changyuan was bold, but that he would rely on consecutive victories and truly develop the idea of pushing all the way through. Now it seemed that this man knew better than anyone where his strengths lay and also knew when to stop.

She nodded. "Then I will go set up the positions."

"There is one more thing," Lu Changyuan called out to her.

"If we really capture the seahorse herd, who on the island is most likely to handle the taming method?"

Su Qingli thought for a moment and said, "Normal taming takes at least several months. But if it's just to suppress the seahorse herd first and keep them from scattering, I have to see if the Merfolk leaders have any ready-made beast-taming items. If they do, it might save most of the trouble."

Lu Changyuan's eyes flickered slightly, and he noted this down.

After Su Qingli left, he looked alone at the blood dragon whale monster core still sealed in the jade box on the table.

Snatching meat in the deep sea was about who knew better how to plunge a blade in at the exact moment the opponent was most greedy and most impatient.

After a while, he suddenly raised his hand and resealed the jade box.

"Since we cannot fight underwater..."

"Then we will lure these beasts up to the surface."