First Encounter with the Mist

East City Dock was far more somber than usual.

The usual hustle and bustle had been replaced by a tense, oppressive silence.

A large crowd of onlookers had been cleared out, leaving only fully armed yamen runners and soldiers stationed at key positions, their sharp eyes scanning the surroundings.

Alongside the dock, four sleek, specially modified fast boats stood ready.

These vessels were noticeably larger than ordinary fishing boats, with streamlined hulls that faintly shimmered with flowing Runes. They sat deep in the water, their bows sheathed in iron.

Slots for mounting crossbows lined both sides of the hulls, clearly designed for official warships to handle harsh sea conditions and conflict.

The sails were already raised, snapping loudly in the wind, as if eager to race toward the unknown danger ahead.

County Lieutenant Gao Mingyuan and Martial Hall Master Zhao Canghai stood shoulder to shoulder, quietly finalizing their action plan in low voices.

The auras of two Bone Forging Realm experts silently enveloped the entire dock, bringing a sense of reassurance but also immense pressure.

"Board the ships!" Gao Mingyuan's command rang out, soft yet clear to every ear.

The team moved swiftly and orderly onto the vessels.

The County yamen's men split across three boats, while the Blackwater Martial Arts School crew took the fourth.

Chen Yuan followed his master, Zhao Canghai, onto the lead fast boat. The sailors aboard were clearly seasoned, moving with practiced ease and steady composure.

"Weigh anchor! Full sails!" the Boat Captain bellowed.

The heavy iron chain clattered loudly as the massive sails were hoisted fully, the sea wind instantly billowing them taut.

The fast boat shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, slicing through the blue sea as it sped out of the harbor, racing eastward into the ever-deepening waters.

The other three fast boats followed closely, forming a loose diamond formation to support one another.

Leaving the harbor, the weather was fine—a clear blue sky, a gentle sea breeze, and seagulls chasing the spray kicked up by the stern, their cries crisp and bright. For a moment, it seemed no different from any other day at sea.

Chen Yuan stood by the railing, gazing into the distance.

This was his first time aboard such a fast ship venturing deep into the ocean. Feeling the power of the hull cutting through the waves beneath his feet, his heart swelled with a sense of freedom.

He silently circulated his blood and qi, adapting to the ship's rocking, while pushing his spiritual perception to its limit, carefully sensing everything around him.

Third Senior Disciple Brother Li Wei approached and handed Chen Yuan a brass telescope. "Junior Disciple Brother, take this. The sea is vast, and the naked eye can't reach far. This will help you see clearly."

"Thank you, Third Senior Disciple Brother." Chen Yuan took the telescope; it was heavy and well-crafted.

Imitating Li Wei, he raised it to his eye, and instantly, the distant, blurry horizon snapped into focus, even the details of the waves crystal clear.

Wang Meng and Sun Yun were also nearby, each watching a different direction.

Wang Meng still had his carefree demeanor, but he observed with unusual thoroughness.

Sun Yun remained silent, her gaze sweeping the sea like a hawk's, missing no detail.

Master Zhao Canghai and County Lieutenant Gao Mingyuan stood at the bow, leaning on the railing as they looked out, their robes fluttering in the sea breeze.

They didn't use telescopes, but wherever their eyes fell, it seemed they could pierce the endless sea and perceive deeper mysteries.

The fleet maintained high speed, sailing east for about an hour.

At first, a few scattered fishing boats could be seen, but as they ventured deeper, the surrounding vessels gradually vanished. The sea's color grew darker, taking on an almost ink-blue hue.

The moisture in the air seemed to thicken, carrying an unsettling, oppressive weight.

"Look out! The water ahead is changing color!" the lookout yamen runner suddenly shouted.

Everyone snapped to attention, following his gaze.

A few li ahead, the sea's surface appeared slightly different from its surroundings—darker, as if veiled by an extremely thin mist that warped and blurred distant shapes.

"Is that the fog?" Wang Meng muttered.

"Doesn't seem like it," Li Wei said, frowning as he peered through his telescope. "Looks like ordinary thin mist. Fog at sea is common. But the location roughly matches the area of the previous incident."

The fleet slowed slightly, growing more alert.

As they approached, the thin mist didn't seem particularly dense; visibility was still decent, though it softened the sunlight.

But just as the fleet was about to enter this misty area, a sudden change occurred.

Without warning, the surrounding mist seemed stirred by an invisible giant hand, abruptly thickening.

Visibility plummeted. The companion ships, once visible over a hundred zhang away, became blurry shadows in an instant. Moments later, even those shadows were swallowed by the rolling, churning gray-white fog.

"Damn! It's that Ghost Mist! All ships, close in! Slow down! On guard!" County Lieutenant Gao's command rang out across the vessels.

But the moment the order was given, Chen Yuan felt the fast boat beneath him jolt violently, as if hitting something. Its speed dropped sharply, and the hull began to swing uncontrollably sideways.

"Something's in the water!" the Boat Captain shouted in terror. "Hit a reef? No! It's alive! A lot of them!"

Almost simultaneously, from all directions came the sickening crunch of wood splintering, along with shouts and angry cries from the other ships. Clearly, the other three boats had also been attacked!

"Steady the ship. No panic."

Zhao Canghai's voice rang out like a Sea Stabilizer, carrying a calming strength. Though he hadn't yet acted, his powerful aura enveloped the entire vessel.

Chen Yuan drew his blade. The Cold Ripple Blade hummed faintly, sensing its master's battle intent, its edge radiating chilling cold.

He quickly formed a simple defensive circle back-to-back with the other senior disciple brothers and sisters, on high alert.

The thick fog spread, visibility dropping to less than ten yards. All around was a blank white expanse, with only the sound of waves slapping the hull, faint fighting noises from other ships, and a dense, unsettling clicking sound rising continuously from beneath the water, as if countless teeth were gnawing at the ship's bottom.

Plop! Plop!

Several dark figures suddenly burst from the seawater on both sides of the ship's railings, lunging onto the deck!

They were ugly, strange fish, about half a man's length, with flat bodies covered in dark green, thick scales. Their protruding snouts were lined with layers of interlocking, guillotine-like sharp teeth.

Their eyes had degenerated into mere white dots, as if they relied entirely on other senses to move.

"It's the Iron Tooth Ghost Head Fish!" Li Wei shouted, his long blade already swinging with fierce wind, instantly cleaving one of the strange fish lunging at him in two, spraying foul, bloody gore. "Watch their teeth—they can bite through wood, and there's usually a lot of them."

Before his words faded, more Iron Tooth Ghost Head Fish, like scythes of death leaping from the water, surged onto the deck from all directions.

Battle erupted instantly!

Wang Meng roared, his fists gleaming with metallic luster, and smashed a strange fish's head to pulp with one punch, his strength overwhelming and unmatched.

Sun Yun moved with agile grace, her short sword striking like a viper's tongue, precisely piercing the weak spots of the fish's eye sockets or gills.

Chen Yuan's eyes were icy cold as the Cold Ripple Blade traced a frigid arc.

"Cold River Reflecting Moon!"

The blade's light poured down like a cold moon, freezing the very air in its path. The Iron Tooth Ghost Head Fish that lunged close suddenly stiffened, a thin layer of frost forming on their bodies, before being silently split open by the sharp blade aura!

The cut surface was smooth as a mirror, with barely any blood spurting out, as if the flesh and blood had been instantly frozen!

His swordsmanship, even in this chaotic battlefield, was remarkably efficient—every stroke wasted no effort, precise and deadly.

Yet these strange fish seemed endless, constantly leaping from the fog-shrouded seawater, madly attacking the ship and everyone on it.

Worse still, the gnawing sounds from the hull grew denser, the ship shuddering violently, clearly suffering severe damage. At this rate, even if the people on board could hold out, the ship would be chewed to pieces and sink!

"We can't just defend passively. Clear out what's underwater," Zhao Canghai said in a deep voice.

"Master, this disciple will go down!" Li Wei didn't hesitate, already starting to remove his outer robe.

"I'll go too!" Chen Yuan spoke almost simultaneously.

He was an expert swimmer and had the Mist Manipulation ability, which might prove uniquely effective underwater.

Zhao Canghai's gaze swept over the two, making a quick decision: "Li Wei, you take the port side. Chen Yuan, the starboard. Liu Qing, Wang Meng, Sun Yun, hold the deck, clean up any that jump aboard, and cover them."

"Yes!"

Chen Yuan and Li Wei exchanged a glance, then without hesitation flipped over the ship's railing, plunging into the icy seawater with two splashes.

Once underwater, the view was even dimmer and blurrier.

The fog blocked much of the light, making visibility extremely low in the sea.

But Chen Yuan could clearly sense countless hideous figures densely clinging to the ship's bottom, madly gnawing at the wood. The clicking sounds were even more hair-raising underwater.

Without a second thought, he let his blood and qi surge, the Spiral Force bursting from his body. The Cold Ripple Blade cut through the water, its resistance seemingly reduced.

"Die!"

Blade light bloomed underwater like a lotus of death.

With every swing, several Iron Tooth Ghost Head Fish were severed or frozen stiff.

On the other side, Li Wei also unleashed formidable combat power, his blade aura sweeping across, constantly clearing threats from the hull.

Chen Yuan even tried infusing a thread of his Mist Manipulation power into the surrounding water. Though he couldn't directly create fog, it caused subtle disturbances and visual distortions in the currents, disrupting the strange fish's senses, making their attacks chaotic and easier to slay.

Just as the two were frantically clearing the fish from the hull, Chen Yuan suddenly felt a strong sense of danger emanating from deeper, farther waters in the fog.

It was a larger, more chilling presence, approaching at high speed.

He jerked his head up, peering through the murky water into the distance. Vaguely, he seemed to see an enormous, twisted shadow, its body undulating with a dread-inducing motion, charging toward the fleet.

"Not good—something big is coming!" Chen Yuan's mental alarm bells rang wildly, and he immediately sent a warning to Li Wei beside him and to the ship above.

At the same time, that cold, massive presence also alerted the two Bone Forging Realm experts at the bow.

Zhao Canghai and Gao Mingyuan snorted almost simultaneously.

"Beast! How dare you act recklessly!"