area51novel Chapter 361 The Sea God and the Rakshasa God?
Chapter 361 The Sea God and the Rakshasa God?
The vast ocean at dawn.
The ship sailed alone on the boundless blue sea for several days.
The sky and the sea merge into one on the distant horizon, the sun rises and the moon sets, endlessly, so monotonous that it almost makes one lose all sense of time.
That morning, as the first rays of golden sunlight pierced the thin mist on the sea, turning the shimmering waves into fragments of gold, Ma Hongjun, who was standing at the bow of the ship keeping watch, rubbed his sleepy eyes. Suddenly, he was jolted awake, his eyes widened, and he pointed excitedly to the left and shouted.
"Third Brother! Third Brother, look! There's an island over there! It's a dark, indistinct shape. Could it be the Sea God Island we're looking for?!"
His voice, filled with excitement and anticipation after days of sailing, instantly alerted the others in the cabin.
Upon hearing the sound, Tang San quickly stepped out of the cabin and went to Ma Hongjun's side, gazing into the distance in the direction Ma Hongjun was pointing. The morning sea fog had not yet completely dissipated, but at the horizon, a dark outline could indeed be faintly seen, like a giant beast lurking on the sea surface.
However, Tang San's brows did not relax upon discovering land; instead, they furrowed rapidly. A flash of purple light appeared in his eyes as he quietly activated his Purple Demon Eye.
The view suddenly zoomed in, piercing through the thin mist, and became much clearer.
He saw more than just a blurry outline of the island.
On the sea between the island and their ship, several medium-sized vessels were cutting through the waves at extremely high speed, forming a vague fan shape, and accelerating towards their lone ship! The ship's shape was slightly different from the common ships on the mainland, being more slender and agile, and the prows seemed to be carved with ferocious sea beast patterns.
Their approach was aggressive and definitely not benevolent!
"It shouldn't be Poseidon Island..."
Tang San muttered to himself, his expression instantly turning serious. Then, he whirled around and sternly shouted at Dai Mubai, who had just rushed over after hearing the commotion, and Tailong, who was wiping the deck:
"Mu Bai, Fatty, Tai Long! Be on guard!"
"A boat is coming towards us, very fast, and it doesn't look like it means any harm!"
Upon hearing this, Dai Mubai's eyes sharpened, and the phantom of the white tiger flashed behind him as he immediately entered battle mode. Ma Hongjun also suppressed his excitement, and a hint of tension appeared on his chubby face. Tailong, without saying a word, picked up the heavy iron anchor placed to the side as a makeshift weapon.
Immediately, the group quickly dispersed to both sides of the ship's side, secretly raising their soul power and nervously watching the ships that were rapidly enlarging in their field of vision.
At this moment, even the sea breeze seemed to carry a hint of desolation.
A few minutes later, the ships had already approached, and the traces of seawater erosion on the hulls could be clearly seen, as well as the shadowy figures of people on board.
The other side had obviously spotted them long ago and was adjusting their direction, intending to encircle them.
What's even more striking is that on the mainsails of those ships, there is a huge, menacing purple emblem painted in bold ink. The style is rough and bizarre, and it looks particularly dazzling in the rising sun. It is a conspicuous "purple" character.
"purple……?"
Dai Mubai narrowed his evil eyes, searching his memory, and asked in confusion.
"I've never heard of the Star Luo or Heaven Dou navies using this symbol. Could it be pirates? Or... a local force in this area?"
Upon hearing this, Tang San touched the Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moon at his waist, his gaze calmly sweeping over the clearly hostile figures and the faintly flickering soul power on the other side's bow, and said coldly:
"Whoever tries to take advantage of us will have to pay the price."
The next second, the ships with conspicuous purple emblems on their sails quickly surrounded them, and their gunwales violently rammed into Tang San's ship.
Immediately afterwards, dozens of burly figures leaped off the ship, all dressed in dark purple water jackets, with dark and rough skin, and eyes like hawks, carrying the ruthlessness honed by long-term battles at sea.
The leader was a burly, towering middle-aged man with dark, shiny skin and short, bristly hair that stood on end like a sea urchin. His face was rugged, with an old, deep scar below his left eye that stretched almost to the corner of his mouth, making his already fierce face even more menacing. He wore a dark purple cloak made of unknown sea animal hide, the open front revealing his rock-hard chest and numerous crisscrossing scars.
This man was Kratos the Tide, a pirate from the Purple Pearl Pirate Crew.
His martial spirit is the Deep Sea Crocodile, a ferocious sea spirit beast with immense strength, thick skin, and amphibious combat capabilities.
The Purple Pearl Pirate Gang was active in this sea area, targeting the ships of nobles or wealthy merchants who were dressed in fine clothes and had magnificent ships, plundering their valuables, but they were lenient towards poor fishermen, and even often helped them out. They had a very special reputation in this sea area.
At this moment, Kratos's cold and ferocious gray-yellow eyes, like those of a crocodile, were firmly locked onto Tang San and the others on the deck.
Although Tang San and Dai Mubai had experienced the hardships of life, their clothes were of exceptional quality, and their demeanor was quite different from those who made a living at sea year-round. Ma Hongjun was plump and well-off, and Tailong was also dressed in a respectable outfit.
In the eyes of these pirates, this was undoubtedly a prime target for prey.
Moreover, they are likely to be wealthy and influential noblewomen.
"Haha! Brothers, looks like we're in luck today! A few lost koi have stumbled into the net!" Kratos said, waving his hand with undisguised greed and mockery in his voice.
"All of you, get them! Same old rules: take the valuables, leave them alive and get out of here!"
"Those who resist will be dealt with according to the rules of the sea!"
"Roar!" The pirates responded in unison, their soul power blazing forth one after another.
Behind Kratos, a phantom of a deep-sea crocodile, over five meters long, covered in dark, thick scales, with a long snout, sharp teeth, and a tail like a steel whip, appeared. Its thick arms were also covered in crocodile-skin-like horn, with sharp claws extending from its fingertips.
Dozens of pirates shouted and released various martial spirits related to marine creatures, such as iron-armored turtles, pufferfish, ghost knife fish, and sea snakes, each with its own unique shape.
But they all carried the unique salty and dangerous scent of the ocean, like a swarm of sharks that had smelled blood, leaping onto Tang San and his companions' deck and instantly surrounding the four of them.
"You little punks!" A scarred pirate leader pointed a fishbone knife at Tang San and sneered, "You'd better hand over all the valuables on the ship, as well as your soul tools, jewels, and gold soul coins! Our boss said he'd spare your lives, so don't go looking for trouble!"
"That's right! Hand over your valuables and get out of here in the lifeboats! This ship is our Purple Pearl Pirate Crew's property!" another pirate shouted, brandishing his chain hammer.
As the pirates finished speaking...
The atmosphere on the deck suddenly became tense, and even the sea breeze seemed to carry a chill.
"They're a bunch of reckless fools."
With a cold laugh, Tang San stood at the bow of the ship, facing a pirate gang that far outnumbered his own, was clearly familiar with naval warfare, and possessed unique martial souls, yet his expression remained calm.
He turned his head slightly and whispered to Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun beside him:
"Mu Bai, Fatty, they... are your lunch to boost your cultivation today. The soul power fluctuations emanating from them are not weak, especially the one in the lead."
At this point, his gaze swept over Kratos's hideous phantom of the deep-sea crocodile, and a cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "After devouring them, your cultivation should increase significantly."
After speaking, he turned to look at Tyrone, who stood beside him like an iron tower, his tone almost suggestive: "Tyrone, your martial soul is the Mighty Ape, which is also a beast martial soul. You can also try to strengthen your origin and stimulate your bloodline by devouring. A strength-type martial soul might respond more directly to this kind of blood food. Today, why don't we try it with the flesh and blood of these guys?"
"You bastards! You're asking for it!!"
Tang San's undisguised words, which implied he viewed them as food, thoroughly enraged all the pirates. Kratos, their leader, was so furious his beard and hair stood on end, his crocodile-like vertical pupils shrinking to pinpoints, and his raging soul power erupted from his body!
"Kill them! Tear these three arrogant brats to pieces and feed them to the fish!!"
Kratos roared, and with a piercing shriek as his massive crocodile claw phantom tore through the air, he flashed forward and pounced on Tang San!
At the same time, the dozens of pirates behind him were like an enraged pack of beasts, their various soul skills shining brightly, swords flashing, water arrows and ice spikes, poisonous vines... all rushing towards the four people in the center of the deck!
However, faced with this raging, overwhelming attack...
Tang San didn't even move a step.
He merely raised his left hand slightly, and in an instant, countless jet-black vines, edged with dark gold patterns and exuding a cold and devouring aura, suddenly burst forth from the originally calm wooden cracks of the deck, the edges of the ship's gunwale, and even the air!
It was his martial soul, Dark Blue Silver Grass!
These vines moved at an unbelievable speed, like living black lightning, instantly weaving into an impenetrable net of death!
"Puff puff puff puff—!"
The pirates at the forefront didn't even have time to see where the vines came from before their bodies were tightly bound by several thick, dark blue silver grasses!
The sharp barbs on the vines easily pierced through their soul power protection and sank deep into their flesh. Even more terrifying, a cold and domineering power surged into their bodies along the barbs, not only devouring their soul power but also numbing their nerves and muscles like ice, making them unable to even struggle!
Kratos's powerful crocodile claw strike was also entangled in mid-air by several even thicker vines. The terrifying force seemed to vanish into thin air, being dissipated and absorbed layer by layer by the vines! He was horrified to discover that his soul power was being rapidly drained away by those eerie black vines!
In just one exchange, apart from Kratos who was still barely holding on with his powerful soul force and frantically tearing at the vines, the other dozens of pirates who rushed onto the deck were all bound into black dumplings by the dark blue silver grass, either hanging in mid-air or pressed firmly onto the deck, unable to move.
"Mu Bai, Fatty, now's the time!" Tang San shouted coldly.
Upon hearing this, Dai Mubai's eyes gleamed with evil light, and he let out an excited growl. The phantom of the white tiger solidified behind him, and he pounced on a pirate captain who was bound by vines and whose soul power was being rapidly devoured.
Without using any soul skills, he simply opened his mouth, and the phantom of the Evil-Eyed White Tiger seemed to open its giant maw as well, a powerful suction force enveloping the pirate.
Immediately afterwards, as if being stripped away, the soul power emanating from the pirate surged toward Dai Mubai, causing his flesh and essence to rapidly wither and dry up!
"ah--"
The pirate let out a short, piercing scream, then his voice abruptly stopped, and he turned into a withered, dried-up corpse at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Ma Hongjun also did not hesitate. The flames of the Evil Fire Phoenix were no longer a warm red, but turned into a deeper and more eerie dark purple.
He made a grasping motion with both hands, and the evil fire coiled around the two bound pirates like living creatures. The flames did not immediately burn them to ashes, but instead burrowed into their bodies like maggots, frantically burning and refining their soul power and life force, before turning into a pure energy stream that Ma Hongjun absorbed into his body!
The two pirates writhed and convulsed in the flames, emitting inhuman screams, before finally turning into two charred ash heaps. Only the most precious parts were devoured by Ma Hongjun.
As Tyrone witnessed the bloody and cruel scene before him, his stomach churned. But remembering Tang San's words, and seeing the obvious surge of aura emanating from Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, and then looking at the pirates who were usually fierce and menacing but were now like lambs to the slaughter, a struggle flashed in his eyes.
But in the end, I couldn't resist.
With a low growl, Tyrone's Mighty Ape Martial Soul instantly possessed him. He strode forward, not directly devouring soul power like Dai Mubai, but instead grabbing a pirate who was bound by vines and on the verge of death. His thick fingers crushed the pirate's shoulder like iron pincers, and then he opened his mouth wide, with a hint of beastly ferocity, and bit down hard on the pirate's carotid artery!
Instantly, scalding blood rushed into his throat, accompanied by a faint but real aura of power originating from the same source as the Beast Martial Soul, which merged into his body. Talon could feel that his power seemed to have solidified a bit, and the red light in his eyes intensified.
The deck instantly transformed into a bloody slaughterhouse and a purgatory of devouring creatures.
Screams, the crackling of bones, the popping of flames, and the chilling sounds of sucking and devouring all mingled together.
Kratos watched as his men were slaughtered and devoured like pigs and sheep, letting out a roar of extreme rage. He struggled desperately, the phantom of the deep-sea crocodile frantically tearing at the dark blue silver grass that entangled him, but he could not break free. Instead, he felt his power continuously draining away.
…………
At this moment, above the sea and above the clouds.
Just as the deck of the ship below turned into a bloody hell.
High above the sea of clouds, two ethereal figures floated silently, overlooking the tragedy unfolding on the azure waves.
One of the figures was pure sky blue, as if formed from the clearest seawater and the brightest sunlight. He was tall and majestic, with a blurred face that exuded an aura of vastness, gentleness and compassion. He seemed to be some kind of embodiment of the will of the ocean.
At this moment, the blue phantom's gaze pierced through the clouds, clearly landing on the scene of Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun devouring the pirates.
The calm blue light in his eyes seemed to dim slightly for a moment.
"well…"
A very soft, disappointed murmur, as if mixed with the sigh of the waves, echoed faintly in the space where he stood.
However, not far from this blue phantom...
The other figure, however, exuded a completely opposite aura.
It was a deep, dark phantom, her figure graceful yet exuding endless deathly stillness and murderous intent, holding in her hand a gigantic scythe with a grotesque shape and an ominous dark red glow flowing from its blade.
In contrast to the disappointment of the blue phantom, the black phantom's face slowly curved into an expression of admiration as it looked at everything below.
"Hehehe, want to go to Poseidon Island?"
"How could the sea god possibly accept you in this state?"
"Why don't you just go to the Devil's Island that I temporarily set up for you and receive my inheritance?"
P.S.: This is a combined two-part chapter, totaling 4000 words! (End of Chapter)