Chapter 101 The Skinning Church, A Desperate First Encounter
"Jie jie jie..."
A spine-chilling, eerie laugh pierced through the thick sea mist, echoing across the water.
The ghost ship, flying a flag made of human skin, came to a halt less than fifty meters from the frigate.
By the dim light of the bow's searchlight,
everyone finally saw the true faces of these uninvited guests.
The ghost ship's deck was crowded with bizarre-looking thugs.
Some wore human skin masks, while others wore bloody leather armor patched together from the pelts of various creatures.
Each held various skinning and deboning knives, their blades glinting with a sickening, dark-red bloodlight.
These weren't ordinary bandits; they were a group of lunatics who worshipped the art of dismemberment and skinning.
"The Skinning Cult?"
Su Qingyue gripped her sword hilt, her knuckles turning white from the force.
As a young lady from a major Family, she had seen this name in her Family's top-secret archives.
It was a perverted organization active in the Endless Sea, specializing in hunting lone Genius Martial Artists and rare alien races.
They didn't just kill and loot; they preferred to skin their prey alive and turn them into twisted collectibles.
"Boss, we've caught a big fish this time!"
At the bow of the ghost ship, a lackey with a mohawk and stitch scars covering half his face stared greedily at the frigate.
"Not only does the ship look valuable, but the women on board are top-tier!"
"Shut up, you idiot. What do you know about art?"
A coarse and cruel voice interrupted the lackey's clamor.
From the highest point of the ghost ship, an extremely burly man stepped out.
He was shirtless, his muscles covered in crisscrossing, horrific scars.
Most striking was his right hand—a mechanical claw made entirely of blood-red refined steel, emitting a thick scent of blood.
The leader of the Skinning Cult's first branch—the "Blood Hand Butcher," a powerhouse of the fifth level of the Grandmaster Realm.
The Blood Hand Butcher looked down at the frigate from his high vantage point.
His gaze was like a butcher sizing up meat on a cutting board, filled with a sickening sense of appraisal.
As his eyes swept over the women on the deck, they instantly lit up with a perverted fanaticism.
"Not bad, truly excellent collectibles."
The Blood Hand Butcher licked his cracked lips, his voice raspy.
"That little silver-haired fox, her fur's luster is practically perfect. Skinning her to make a pure white scarf to hang in my bedroom... it will surely be beautiful."
Hearing this, Iliya, hiding in the glass room, trembled all over, her nine tails tightly hugging the still-sleeping Jiang Chen.
"And that swordswoman chick in green..."
The butcher's gaze turned to Su Qingyue. "Her eyes are spicy enough. Skinning her and turning her hide into a lampshade, watching her struggle in the firelight every night... that would be absolute bliss."
"As for the woman in the mink coat..."
The butcher finally looked at Mu Qingxue, a hint of greed flashing in his eyes. "What a pair of long legs. Pulling out her leg bones to make bone carvings—they'll definitely fetch a good price."
[Warning! Extremely vile and perverted intent detected.]
[Identity Determination: Scum who deserves to die.]
[host's Current Status: Undergoing deep repair (forced awakening may cause instability in the mental Sea of Consciousness).]
[System Suggestion: Escort personnel must hold the line at all costs!]
These heinous words carried clearly across the sea breeze to the frigate.
Little Fatty Chen shook with rage, holding a bone cleaver he'd swiped from the kitchen. He cursed loudly, "Bullshit! You damn pervert! If you dare touch our people, once Brother Chen wakes up, he'll slice you into sashimi!"
"Brother Chen? You mean that useless pretty boy sleeping in the glass room?"
The Blood Hand Butcher glanced at Jiang Chen in the glass room and sneered disdainfully.
"Since you're so reluctant to part with him, I'll send him on his way first, then take my time dealing with the rest of you!"
Before his voice had even faded,
the Blood Hand Butcher suddenly raised his blood-red mechanical claw and made a violent swiping motion toward the frigate from a distance.
"Rend!"
Boom!
Five massive blood-colored claw marks, like five blades cutting through the air, instantly crossed the fifty-meter distance.
The frigate's energy shield, claimed to be able to withstand missiles, was like paper before these blood-colored claw marks.
With a crisp "crack," the shield shattered.
The violent True Qi aftermath swept across the deck, knocking everyone off balance.
"Fifth level of the Grandmaster Realm... and he specializes in Water-element Cultivation Techniques. On this sea, his strength will double!"
Su Qingyue's face turned pale, a strong sense of despair rising in her heart.
The gap was too large.
Although she was exceptionally gifted, she had only just broken through to the Organ Refining Realm. Her opponent was a battle-hardened fifth-level Grandmaster.
This wasn't a battle; it was a one-sided slaughter.
"Prepare for battle! We must stop them, even if it costs us our lives!"
Su Qingyue bit the tip of her tongue, using the pain to stimulate her nerves and forcibly dispel the fear in her heart.
But just then,
a cold but exceptionally firm hand pressed down on her shoulder.
"Step back."
Mu Qingxue stepped forward, pulling Su Qingyue behind her.
She took off her heavy mink coat and tossed it onto the deck,
revealing the thin white shirt underneath; her figure appeared even more cold and aloof.
"Teacher! What are you doing? Your Cold Poison..." Su Qingyue grew anxious.
She knew that in such an extremely Yin environment, Mu Qingxue's Cold Poison could flare up at any moment. Using True Qi was practically a death wish.
"I am your teacher."
Mu Qingxue didn't look back, her voice as calm as still water.
"As long as I am still standing, it is not my students' turn to take the blade for me."
She took a jade bottle from her robe and poured out a blood-red Medicinal Pill.
"Blood Burning Pill!" Little Fatty Chen cried out in surprise.
That was a Forbidden Medicine that overthrew one's vitality to forcibly suppress injuries in exchange for a brief burst of power! Taking it would damage one's foundation, even if they survived!
Without the slightest hesitation, Mu Qingxue swallowed the Blood Burning Pill.
Boom!
A violent heatwave instantly exploded within her, forcibly suppressing the restless Nine Yin Cold Poison.
An extremely unnatural flush appeared on her originally pale face.
"Ka ka ka..."
As Mu Qingxue took a step forward, the surrounding air temperature plummeted to the freezing point.
The water vapor on the sea surface instantly condensed.
Centered on the frigate, the sea surface within a hundred-meter radius froze into a solid ice field in the blink of an eye!
Ice Domain!
"You want to touch my students?"
Holding a Frost Longsword, Mu Qingxue pointed the tip directly at the Blood Hand Butcher, her eyes reflecting a moving sense of determination and fragility.
"Over my dead body."
The Blood Hand Butcher looked at the frozen sea, his dismissive smile fading.
"A forbidden technique that overdraws vitality? Interesting."
He licked his blood-colored mechanical claw, the bloodthirsty light in his eyes growing even stronger.
"Since you're in such a hurry to die, I'll grant your wish."
"Lads, get on the ice! Kill everyone on the ship! Leave the long-legged teacher; I want to skin her alive myself!"
"Kill!"
Hundreds of desperate criminals from the Skinning Cult, like sharks smelling blood, jumped off the ghost ship with a howl, stepping onto the ice and charging madly toward the frigate.
And Jiang Chen, the Sleep God in whom everyone had placed their hopes,
at this moment, still lay quietly in the glass room, his breathing steady, completely unaware of the life-and-death crisis outside.
A desperate first encounter began its tragic prelude upon the ice.