33: Chapter 33 Deep-Sea Fishing, Technology Overwhelms

Two days later, northwest of the Outer Sea, shallow reef area.

This place was quite a distance from Blue Moon Island and rarely visited. The sea surface looked calm, but underneath lay dense reef ridges and turbulent currents. When the tide rose and fell, the waves seemed chopped up, curling back and forth between the black rocks. If they hadn't scouted it beforehand, a regular ship would have its keel snapped just by accidentally entering these waters.

Yet, at this moment, it was very quiet behind the reef line.

Twenty mystic ice spirit-breaking crossbows had been divided into three layers and buried behind different rock positions. The first layer took the frontal firing angle, the middle layer specialized in suppressing the left backflow zone, and the last layer was slightly elevated to provide supplementary fire for aerial targets. Each crossbow base was cushioned with a temporarily reinforced Array Pattern iron stand, and mystic ice jade pieces were embedded between the crossbow arm and the turntable to ensure the first volley wouldn't deviate due to the shaking of the rock positions.

Shi Jian lay behind the No. 3 crossbow position, his palms sweating.

This wasn't his first time touching such a killing weapon, but this time was completely different from guarding the Inner Sea last time. Last time, there was the island, the city, and a retreat behind them; this time, they had actively sneaked into the Outer Sea with the weapons to fish for monsters. If the first volley didn't kill the opponents, these crossbow positions might not even have a chance to turn back.

Lu Hu lowered his voice and swept past a row of rock positions: "Keep your hands steady. Watch only the signal flag, recognize only the firing angle. No one is to fire early until the Merfolk leader rushes out of the shallow line!"

"Yes!"

The low-pitched responses came one after another.

Further away, two fast ships were spinning along the Outer Sea's turbulent currents, as if in a panic, chasing something. The ships hung temporarily replaced, ordinary Outer Sea merchant flags; from a distance, one would only think it was a group of unlucky Loose Cultivator ships.

And the real bait was hidden in the center of the reef line.

That was a spirit-locking platform temporarily supported by a secondary Formation Plate and a few black reefs, only half a zhang high, barely exposed above the sea surface. The blood dragon whale monster core was sealed in the center of the spirit-locking platform, with only a layer of half-open Restriction wrapped on the outside. If the Restriction wasn't broken, the monster core wouldn't truly lose control; once the Restriction loosened, that thick, nearly maddening third-tier Qi and blood would rush out like fire.

Lu Changyuan stood behind a reef ridge at the very front, his robes pressed tight against his figure by the sea breeze, his gaze fixed on the deep water direction.

Leng Feng swooped back from the other side, his voice pressed very low: "They're here."

Lu Changyuan's eyes narrowed.

The next moment, the distant sea surface began to change color.

First appeared a group of purple shadows driven and scattered. They were extremely fast, flashing along the sea surface, with fine electric arcs bursting between their dorsal fins and manes from time to time, like strings of purple lightning jumping between the waves. At a rough glance, there were at least three or four hundred of them.

A group of Purple Lightning Seahorses.

Even from so far away, Lu Hu felt as if his chest had been hit hard by something.

If these things were truly raised, the shortest leg of Blue Moon Island's maritime warfare would be forcibly connected.

With this batch of seahorses, Blue Moon Island's maritime tactics would grow legs for pouncing and maneuvering for the first time, moving beyond pure defense.

But the things that surged out right behind the seahorse group also made everyone's eyelids jump.

The water surface exploded, and hundreds of blue-black figures broke through the waves one after another. They had human-like upper bodies, but their lower bodies were covered in thick scales, with broad backs. They held bone forks, short spears, and barbed nets in their hands. When they charged, almost half their bodies were submerged beneath the water, and their speed was astonishing.

The two at the very front were particularly fierce.

One had a tall build with rows of bone spurs on its shoulders and back, holding a black three-pronged bone fork in its right hand; the other had red scales and a necklace made of unknown sea beast teeth hanging around its neck, and when it opened its mouth, one could see a mouth full of fine, sharp teeth. Both of their auras were firmly suppressed at the Early Foundation Establishment, with water waves rolling around them; clearly, they were the leaders of this Merfolk tribe.

"There really are two of them." Lu Hu cursed in a low voice, his palm already wet on the hilt of his blade.

On this scale, if they fought head-on in deep water, Blue Moon Island's hundred or so people would most likely be swallowed alive if thrown in.

Lu Changyuan, however, did not move, only raising his hand to make a gesture.

The first layer of the Restriction on the spirit-locking platform slowly loosened a gap.

Boom.

It was as if someone had smashed a jar of hundred-year-old blood wine in the center of the reef area.

The violent, thick smell of Qi and blood from the blood dragon whale monster core, enough to drive the underwater Yao Race crazy, instantly turned into an invisible tide, rushing out along the sea breeze and water current.

The Merfolk formation, which was still driving the seahorse group, was in chaos at almost the same moment.

The two leaders at the very front paused simultaneously, then suddenly looked up, staring fixedly at the inconspicuous spirit-locking platform in the center of the reef line.

That look was not like seeing food.

It was more like seeing a lifeline that could change the fate of the entire tribe.

Many Qi Refinement Stage Merfolk in the back even let out shrill, strange cries on the spot, their speed suddenly increasing by another thirty percent, not even bothering to chase the seahorse group they had originally surrounded.

"They've taken the bait." Su Qingli said in a low voice.

But Lu Changyuan still didn't give the order.

He wanted them to rush into the deadliest position themselves.

The two Merfolk leaders indeed let out piercing, long howls one after another. The next moment, the tribe formation, which had been quite orderly, was torn open by them, and dozens of elites in the front were forcibly led to rush towards the reef area. The leader with bone spurs on its back was the fastest, almost crashing along the waves; the other red-scaled leader waved its bone fork while charging, forcing the tribesmen behind to keep up.

The Purple Lightning Seahorse group took the opportunity to scatter in fear, some rushing to the left shallow zone along the pre-reserved gap, others panic-stricken and circling the outer edge of the reef line. They didn't know they were being given an escape route; they just instinctively burrowed into the most chaotic places.

"Wait a little longer." Lu Changyuan stared at the position of the two Merfolk leaders at the very front.

Ten zhang.

Eight zhang.

Five zhang.

The first Merfolk leader suddenly rushed onto the shallow line, the waves beneath its feet shattered, and half its body actually left the deep water, pouncing toward the spirit-locking platform like a strange bird. It clearly knew that the shallower it went, the more dangerous it was, so its movements were fast to the extreme, almost wanting to grab the monster core and retreat in one go.

And it was at this moment.

The signal flag in Lu Changyuan's hand fell fiercely.

"Fire the crossbows!"

Twenty mystic ice spirit-breaking crossbows vibrated simultaneously.

This sound didn't spread layer by layer across the sea surface like the previous battle in the Inner Sea, but exploded right against the reef area, so close that it felt like someone was hitting everyone's eardrums with iron hammers at the same time. Twenty giant ice arrows burst from behind the three layers of rock positions, tearing through the sea breeze with a continuous cold shriek, almost turning the entire shallow sea into a blinding blue-white.

The bone-spurred Merfolk leader at the very front couldn't even see where the crossbow positions were.

It only saw a flash of blood color from the spirit-locking platform in front of it, and the next instant, its chest, throat, left eye, and half its shoulder and back exploded simultaneously.

Four giant ice arrows pierced through frontally, and two more supplemented from behind; the massive body was like a torn-apart broken bag, pinned and flown into mid-air on the spot, blood and scales along with the shattered bone fork scattered across the sea.

The other red-scaled leader reacted slightly faster, and almost at the same time the cold light erupted, it forcibly turned sideways, trying to use the water waves to press itself back to the deep line.

But it was fast, and the third layer of crossbow positions with elevated angles was faster.

Su Qingli had calculated its most likely dodging path in advance, and those two supplementary crossbows specialized for aerial targets were waiting for exactly this moment.

Two giant arrows crossed and nailed it diagonally, one piercing from its lower back, and the other directly shattering its half-open protective water screen, exploding its shoulder blade and neck together.

The red-scaled leader let out a sharp howl so short it barely sounded like a scream, its entire body pinned onto the shallow reef, and before its limbs had finished twitching, the cold fire had already burned into its internal organs along the wounds.

Two Early Foundation Establishment leaders.

In one encounter, both dead.

The dozens of Merfolk elites behind only hit the shallow line at this moment. Their forward momentum hadn't stopped, but their leaders had already become two piles of remains, and they were instantly in chaos, as if their heads had been smashed.

Some screamed and wanted to pounce up to grab the monster core.

Some subconsciously retreated to the deep water.

A few others were squeezed by the tribesmen behind and forcibly crashed into the second round of firing range.

Lu Hu seized this chaos.

"Kill!"

With his violent shout, the Dao soldiers hidden in the reef gullies on both sides pounced out simultaneously. The front row held shields and forks, the back row held bows and short spears, specializing in intercepting those Merfolk who had rushed onto the shallow line but hadn't had time to retreat. Lu Hu himself slashed at the neck of a Merfolk at the very front, the blade edge using its forward momentum to hack in fiercely, splitting it open for the most part, scales and bones included.

Shi Jian and the others were reloading arrows and pressing slots behind the crossbow positions like madmen.

This was their first time operating heavy crossbows at this face-to-face distance, with living, alien monsters about to pounce right in front of their eyes, yet their hands and feet were faster than during the great battle. Because everyone knew that whether the Dao soldiers in front could retreat alive depended entirely on whether their second round of supplementary fire was fast enough.

"No. 3 position loaded!"

"No. 7 position turn left, supplement that big one!"

"Fire!"

The second volley wasn't as neat as the first, but it was more lethal.

Several Merfolk elites who were about to take the lead in counterattacking had just jumped up from the waves when they were pierced dead on the spot by giant ice arrows; on the other side of the shallow line, several Merfolk who still wanted to re-surround the seahorse group were also pinned down by long-range shots, forcibly tearing a larger gap in the chaotic situation.

And the Purple Lightning Seahorse group was finally completely out of control.

Without the leaders driving them, and frightened by the blood dragon whale monster core and the crossbow noise, this group of naturally thunder-riding naval mounts began to scramble in all directions. But no matter how fast they were, they weren't faster than Leng Feng and the fast ships hidden on the outside forming a blockade. The few fast ships only did one thing: not let the seahorse group dive back into the deep water, letting them disperse along the shallow belt and outer backflow toward the predetermined direction.

Leng Feng's sword light flashed, cutting off a barbed net thrown by a Merfolk, and took the opportunity to sweep across the waves, scaring a noticeably stronger Purple Lightning Seahorse toward the left empty zone.

"Capture the seahorses first, don't chase into the deep line!" Lu Changyuan's shout suppressed the entire scene.

These words weren't just for Lu Hu and the others, but also for himself.

The first two rounds went too smoothly, which easily made people's blood boil.

But he knew better than anyone that this was ultimately not Blue Moon Island's home field. In the deep water behind, there were still at least two hundred Merfolk elites who hadn't truly pressed in. Once they became obsessed with the battle, and the opponents recovered from the chaos of their leaders' sudden deaths, this small group of people from Blue Moon Island would be dragged to death on the reef belt.

So what he wanted, from the very beginning, was just "decapitation, disruption, seizing horses, and immediate withdrawal."

The sea surface quickly became a completely stirred-up mess.

In the shallow line ahead, Merfolk corpses and broken scales accumulated more and more; on the shallow belts on both sides, dozens of Purple Lightning Seahorses were frightened into crashing back and forth, crackling sounds on their manes and ridges, and the electric arcs reflecting the seawater into fine purple light. After Lu Hu led the Dao soldiers to kill several Merfolk who refused to retreat, he personally pounced on a Purple Lightning Seahorse that had been most severely frightened, taking a tail-whip lightning strike head-on before he managed to slip the spirit-locking rope, like a rein, around its neck.

"It's controlled!"

"Drag it to the back first!"

This loud roar was like dropping a stone into the chaotic situation.

As long as the first one was suppressed, there was a precedent to follow. The Dao soldiers used spirit-locking ropes, nets, and side-pressure methods to pick on those seahorses that had been frightened out of the group but hadn't yet gone completely crazy, not seeking to tame them immediately, but only seeking to drag them away from the center of the battlefield first.

Su Qingli remained guarding the spirit-locking platform, ready to regulate the strength of the Restriction at any time.

The temptation of the blood dragon whale monster core was too strong, strong enough to make the Merfolk crazy, and strong enough to constantly stimulate the seahorse group. She had to time it perfectly, maintaining the Merfolk's unwillingness to retreat while not actually drawing in more deep-water monsters.

Seeing that the second round of decapitation and horse-seizing had been successful, she made a decisive decision: "That's enough, retract the bait!"

Lu Changyuan nodded.

The Restriction on the spirit-locking platform closed abruptly, and the smell of the blood dragon whale monster core's leaking Qi and blood was immediately reduced by seventy percent. The Merfolk group that was still stirring in the outer deep water hesitated significantly.

And it was this hesitation that became the window for the entire Blue Moon Island team to retreat.

"Take the seahorses, retreat!"

Lu Hu slashed the last Merfolk that pounced close, and retreated while pulling the spirit-locking rope. The remaining Dao soldiers immediately divided into two layers, the inner layer dragging the horses, the outer layer covering the retreat. Under Shi Jian's command, the crossbow positions were dismantled while moving; the crossbow arms and turntables that could be moved immediately were loaded onto the ships first, and the iron bases that couldn't be moved for the time being were abandoned behind the reefs, as they were all temporary parts anyway.

In the deep water behind, Merfolk finally woke up from the shock of their leaders' sudden deaths, letting out a series of shrill, long howls. More blue-black figures began to pounce toward the shallow line.

But they were ultimately one step too late.

The third round of supplementary fire roared up again, knocking down the few Merfolk at the very front who were chasing fastest, and then the Blue Moon Island crowd quickly withdrew using the familiar reef line and the pre-reserved ship channels. By the time the tribe elites behind truly pressed to the area of the spirit-locking platform, only two piles of leaders' remains and the lingering, bloody smell that hadn't completely dissipated remained on the sea.

Lu Changyuan stood at the stern of the last fast ship to retreat, watching from afar as the group of Merfolk howled madly around the leaders' corpses, but there wasn't much relaxation in his eyes.

This victory was beautiful, relying on information asymmetry, bait, and terrain.

If they were prepared next time, it would be difficult to use the same method again.

But at least, Blue Moon Island had already bitten off this piece of meat.

He turned to look at the ship cabin and the back of the tow boats.

There, the Purple Lightning Seahorses, barely suppressed by the spirit-locking ropes and temporary formation nets, already numbered over a hundred. There were even more scattered seahorses being driven back all the way by the fast ships on the outside. They stepped on the waves uneasily, lightning crackling and flashing on their manes and ridges, looking fierce, yet unable to hide that sharp, heroic spirit that made people's eyes hot.

Lu Hu's arm was numb from the electricity, but he smiled so widely his mouth couldn't close: "Young Lord, we really made a big catch this time!"

Lu Changyuan glanced at the group of seahorses, and then at a dark blue conch shell captured from beside the Merfolk remains in the corner of the deck.

The thing wasn't big, but its surface was carved with dense water-control patterns, clearly not an ordinary decoration.

He picked up the conch, took one look, and tossed it to Su Qingli, who had just caught her breath.

"Take it back and have a look."

"Also, Leng Feng."

Leng Feng looked up in response.

Lu Changyuan looked toward the deep water behind that had been stirred into constant churning by the angry howls, his voice flat to the point of coldness.

"Collect a few of the more complete corpses of the Merfolk leaders and elites."

"Pick some barbed darts and blood-stained flags commonly used by the Blood Shark Pirates from the storage."

"Clean them up and throw them at the border of the Outer Sea."

Leng Feng's eyes flashed, and he immediately understood what he meant.

Since they had snatched the other party's seahorses and didn't intend to fight the entire Merfolk tribe to the bitter end for the time being, they would first divert this fire elsewhere.

He replied in a low voice: "Understood."

The sea breeze blew in their faces, carrying the scent of blood, salt, and lightning.

Lu Changyuan stood at the bow of the ship, looking at Blue Moon Island getting closer and closer, and finally, a trace of a truly sharp smile appeared in his eyes.

Only three months left until the beast tide.

He looked at the sea surface behind the ship, lit up by the lightning, and the Qi that had been pressing in his heart for several days finally loosened by half an inch.

From today on, Blue Moon Island finally had the capital to pounce out and bite people.