188: Breaking through ambush at sea, displaying divine power; initial battle on the island, controlling a perilous situation.

Before dawn, the sea breeze carried a salty fishy smell, swirling fine sand against the ship's planks. When Xie Hui stepped onto the main warship through the dew, Wei Xiaobao was on tiptoe tying red silk ribbons to the sails, muttering, "This red silk was sewn by Miss Shuanger; she said it ensures safety. Look, Brother Hui, tying it high will suppress the bad luck of the Divine Dragon Cult!"

Xie Hui smiled and brushed the sand off his shoulder. "Stop messing around and get down; the Navy men are about to hoist the sails." His gaze swept across the deck. Brothers from the Heaven and Earth Society were loading grain and fodder onto the ship, Tiger Wang's men were checking their sabers and spears, and Dragon held a map of Black Wind Island, giving low-voiced instructions to several former members of the Divine Dragon Cult—those former members were previous Branch Masters who were very familiar with the Secret Passages of the Main Altar; they were currently pointing at red dots on the map, saying those were the entrances to the Secret Passages and that they had to go around the reefs on the side.

AKe walked over carrying a cloth bag containing dried herbs and a Compass. She handed the Compass to Xie Hui. "Mist has risen at sea. I just looked at the celestial signs; there might be gusts at noon. We need to adjust the course early, or we'll drift." She then pulled a greaseproof paper packet from her bag, containing golden-brown dried fish. "I bought this from a fisherman last night. Food at sea is hard; eat some to tide you over if you're hungry."

Xie Hui took the Compass, his fingertips touching AKe's hand. She quickly withdrew her hand, her cheeks slightly flushing, and turned to help carry things. Xie Hui looked at her back and felt a warmth in his heart—this girl's change from relying on Zheng Keshuang to actively helping was becoming more and more obvious, fitting the 'beautiful and simple' character setting in the outline more and more.

"Brother Hui! Miss Shuanger and Princess Jianning are calling you from the small universe!" Wei Xiaobao ran over holding a walkie-talkie, which Xie Hui had specifically left for them to stay in touch. "Miss Shuanger said she left some hot soup for us and told us to heat it using the small universe once we reach the island. She also said not to use the black iron sword to hack at rocks, as it will dull the edge."

Xie Hui took the walkie-talkie and pressed the talk button. "Understood. Don't run around in the small universe. Jianning, don't always go to the orchard to pick fruit; wait for me to come back and pick them with you."

Jianning's voice came through the walkie-talkie, slightly coquettish: "Got it! But you have to come back quickly; the sugar cakes Sister Shuanger made are almost finished by me!" Shuanger softly added from the side: "Brother Hui, I put the First-aid Kit in the cabin of the small universe. Remember to take it if you get hurt; don't push yourself too hard."

Hanging up the walkie-talkie, Xie Hui tucked it into his robe and shouted to everyone, "Everyone, board the ships! The Navy's warships go first, our ships follow behind, maintaining a distance of fifty paces. Don't panic if we encounter an ambush; listen to my command!"

Twenty warships left the port in sequence, their sails forming a continuous line in the morning mist like a silver ribbon. Wei Xiaobao leaned over the side of the ship looking at the sea and suddenly shouted, "Brother Hui! Look over there! Are those ships?"

Xie Hui looked in the direction he pointed. Sure enough, several dark shadows were appearing in the distant mist, heading towards them—it was the Divine Dragon Cult's ambush fleet! He was already prepared; from interrogating the Scouts earlier, he knew the enemy would intercept and kill them halfway. He calmly commanded: "Navy Commander! Arrange the warships in a 'Goose-wing Formation'! Musketeer Squad, prepare! Dragon, have your people take their gear; throw the explosives once we get close!"

Dragon nodded and pulled several packs of modern explosives from her inner universe—Xie Hui had distributed them to her yesterday, and they were ten times more powerful than the Divine Dragon Cult's gunpowder. She handed them to several former members, cautioning, "Don't throw them too close; don't blow up our own people."

The Divine Dragon Cult's ships grew closer, about fifteen in total. Each ship had over a dozen cultists standing on it, holding sabers and spears, and some were filling cannon barrels with gunpowder. Standing on the lead ship was a Bearded Man, the naval leader of the Divine Dragon Cult. He shouted toward Xie Hui's ship, "Xie Hui! If you're smart, surrender! Otherwise, we'll blow you up and feed you to the fish!"

Xie Hui sneered and waved to the Navy Commander. "Fire the signal flare! Have the ships behind us speed up!"

The signal flare 'whooshed' into the sky, and the warships behind instantly accelerated. The Goose-wing Formation they formed was like a pair of scissors, cutting toward the Divine Dragon Cult's fleet. Seeing this, the Divine Dragon Cult members quickly fired their cannons; the cannonballs landed in the water, splashing several meters high.

"Now!" Xie Hui shouted. Dragon and the former members immediately threw the explosives. The explosives landed on the Divine Dragon Cult's decks, and with several loud 'booms,' the planks were blown to pieces, and cultists fell into the sea screaming. The leading Bearded Man still wanted to command a counterattack, but Xie Hui pulled out the black iron sword from his inner universe, circulated the Lightness Skill of the Nine Yin Manual, and with a tap of his toes on the crest of a wave, he jumped onto the enemy ship.

"You dare come over!" The Bearded Man brandished his saber to strike, but Xie Hui sidestepped and swung the black iron sword, breaking the saber into two pieces and thrusting the sword into his chest in one smooth motion. The Bearded Man's eyes widened as he collapsed onto the deck. Seeing their leader dead, the remaining cultists surrendered one after another in fear.

Wei Xiaobao clapped his hands from the ship behind: "Brother Hui is amazing! That sword strike was so cool! I want to learn that kung fu in the future too!"

Xie Hui wiped the blood off the black iron sword and shouted to the surrendering cultists, "Those who want to live, help bring the ships alongside! Those who resist will be thrown directly into the sea!" The cultists quickly complied, and in a short while, the fifteen enemy ships were under control.

Tiger Wang walked to Xie Hui's side and patted his shoulder. "I, Tiger Wang, am truly impressed by General Xie's skill! From now on, wherever you point, I will strike!"

Xie Hui smiled. "All brothers, no need for formalities. Now, quickly clear the battlefield. We need to reach Black Wind Island before noon; don't delay."

After clearing the battlefield, the fleet continued toward Black Wind Island. At noon, as expected, a gust of wind rose. AKe held the Compass and helped adjust the course to prevent the ships from drifting. Wei Xiaobao bragged to the Heaven and Earth Society brothers, claiming he had also killed a cultist just now—though the cultist had actually fallen into the sea himself—making everyone roar with laughter, and the atmosphere on the ship lightened considerably.

In the afternoon, Black Wind Island finally appeared in their sight. The island was surrounded by reefs, and black city walls were faintly visible on it. Over a dozen hongyi cannons were mounted on the walls, pointing directly at the sea—the Divine Dragon Cult people had already discovered them!

"Prepare to deal with the cannons!" Xie Hui shouted. "Dragon, take a few former members and go around behind the reefs in a small boat to find the Secret Passage entrance; Tiger Wang, take your men and land on the island once the cannons stop to control the cultists on the shore; Brother Xu, you and Wei Xiaobao take the Heaven and Earth Society brothers and support Dragon from the side!"

Everyone responded, and Dragon left in a small boat with several former members. The hongyi cannons on the city walls began to fire; the cannonballs 'whooshed' through the air, and the Navy warships quickly adjusted their positions to avoid them. Xie Hui stared at the cannons. After the enemy fired three rounds, he shouted, "Now! Navy Commander, have the Musketeer Squad hit the cannon barrels! Throw the explosives!"

The Navy's Musketeer Squad fired at the cannon barrels. The bullets hit the barrels; though they didn't penetrate, they caused the gunpowder inside to jam. Several Navy soldiers took the opportunity to throw explosives onto the city walls. With several 'booms,' the cannon positions were blown to bits, and the hongyi cannons could no longer fire.

"Land on the island!" Xie Hui ordered. Tiger Wang's men were the first to jump off the ships, charging onto the island across the reefs. The cultists on the shore resisted with sabers and spears but were no match for Tiger Wang's subordinates and were soon knocked down in heaps. The Heaven and Earth Society brothers followed suit. Wei Xiaobao, holding a dagger, specifically picked out wounded cultists to finish off, shouting, "You dare oppose your grandpa! Now you know how powerful your grandpa is!"

Xie Hui and AKe also jumped onto the island. AKe pointed to the forest ahead. "I heard Zheng Keshuang say before that the entrance to the Main Altar is in a cave behind the forest. We have to pass through the forest to get there."

The two walked into the forest and were immediately ambushed by several cultists. Xie Hui swung his sword, and the cultists were no match at all, being dealt with in a short while. AKe helped check the cultists' bodies and found a Medallion on a leader, engraved with the words 'Divine Dragon Cult Main Altar.' "This should be the Medallion to enter the Main Altar. Let's take it; we'll need it later."

Xie Hui took the Medallion and was about to speak when he heard Dragon's voice: "Brother Hui! The Secret Passage has been found, but the entrance is blocked by rocks; we need to blow it open!"

Xie Hui quickly ran toward the sound and indeed saw Dragon and several former members surrounding a cave. The entrance was tightly blocked by large rocks. He pulled several packs of explosives from his inner universe and placed them under the rocks. "Everyone, move back; I'm going to blow it up!"

The explosives went off, and the rocks were blown to pieces, revealing a pitch-black cave entrance. Dragon shone a torch inside; stone steps could be seen. "This is the Secret Passage. It leads directly to the Cult Leader's Bedchamber in the Main Altar. If we enter from here, we can find the Cult Leader directly!"

Just as everyone was about to enter, they heard the sound of shouting and fighting from afar. Xu Tianchuan ran over. "Brother Hui! This is bad! A lot of cultists have rushed out from the Main Altar with sabers and spears; Tiger Wang's men are having a hard time holding them off!"

Xie Hui frowned and said to everyone, "Dragon, take the former members through the Secret Passage and find a chance to control the Cult Leader; don't let him escape. AKe, you come with me to help Tiger Wang. Brother Xu, you take the Heaven and Earth Society brothers to provide support. Wei Xiaobao, you stay behind Brother Xu and don't run around!"

Everyone responded, and Dragon entered the Secret Passage with the former members. Xie Hui and AKe ran toward Tiger Wang's direction. From afar, they saw Tiger Wang's men being surrounded and attacked by cultists. Tiger Wang was fighting with his ghost head saber, already splattered with quite a bit of blood.

"Don't panic! We're here!" Xie Hui shouted, circulating the palm technique of the Nine Yin Manual. He struck a cultist's chest with a palm; the cultist spat out blood with a 'wa' and flew backward. AKe also held a saber and slashed at the cultists' legs, helping Tiger Wang out of the predicament.

Seeing Xie Hui arrive, Tiger Wang's spirits lifted. "General Xie! These cultists are too fierce; we need to finish this quickly, or it'll be troublesome when the Cult Leader comes out!"

Xie Hui nodded and shouted to the cultists, "The Divine Dragon Cult Leader is tyrannical; following him only leads to death! Surrender now, and I'll spare your lives and even give you grain and fodder!"

Hearing this, some cultists began to hesitate, and some even put down their sabers. The leading cultist head shouted, "Don't listen to him! The Cult Leader will give us benefits!"

Xie Hui didn't waste words with him; with a swing of the black iron sword, he cut off the man's head. Seeing their leader dead, the remaining cultists surrendered one after another: "We surrender! We won't follow the Cult Leader anymore!"

Solved the cultists, Tiger Wang breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his face. "Thanks to General Xie, otherwise we would have definitely been done for today."

Xie Hui smiled. "We're all brothers; helping each other is only right. Now let's go to the cave behind the forest, meet up with Dragon, and attack the Main Altar together!"

Everyone walked toward the cave. Just as they reached the entrance, they heard Dragon's voice from inside: "Brother Hui! Come in quickly! There are traps in the Secret Passage; we've dealt with a few. The Main Altar' Bedchamber is just ahead!"

Xie Hui was delighted and waved to everyone, "Go! Get in! Today we'll raid the Divine Dragon Cult Main Altar and take the forty-two chapter sutra!"

Everyone followed Xie Hui into the cave. The stone steps in the Secret Passage were a bit slippery. AKe walked beside Xie Hui, occasionally supporting him. Wei Xiaobao followed behind, muttering, "forty-two chapter sutra, oh forty-two chapter sutra, once I get it, I'll be as powerful as Brother Hui!"

After walking for about fifteen minutes, light finally appeared ahead. Dragon was waiting at the light. "Brother Hui, ahead is the back door of the Main Altar' Bedchamber. I just saw the Cult Leader inside, holding two copies of the forty-two chapter sutra, seemingly talking to someone!"

Xie Hui's eyes lit up, and he made a 'silence' gesture to everyone. "Don't say a word; let's sneak over and catch him off guard!"

Everyone moved forward quietly. The voices from the Bedchamber grew closer. A raspy voice could be heard saying, "When Xie Hui and the others come in, activate the traps and trap them all inside. I want them to taste my power!"

Xie Hui's heart skipped a beat—so the Cult Leader was prepared! He gave everyone a look, ready to act at any moment. The Bedchamber door was right in front of them; as long as they pushed this door open, they would see the Divine Dragon Cult Leader and get the forty-two chapter sutra. But Xie Hui knew there were definitely even more powerful traps waiting for them inside. This battle was not over yet...