At the East City Dock, the atmosphere was far more murderous than usual.
The usual bustle and clamor had been replaced by a stifling tension.
Most idle bystanders had already been cleared out, leaving only fully armed yamen runners and soldiers stationed at key positions, their sharp eyes sweeping the surroundings.
Beside the dock, four long, streamlined fast ships that had clearly undergone special modifications stood ready.
These ships were considerably larger than ordinary fishing boats. Their hulls had sleek lines, with Runes faintly flowing across them. They sat deep in the water, and their bows were sheathed in iron.
The sides of the hulls still had mounting slots for crossbows, clearly marking them as official warships meant to deal with rough seas and conflict.
The sails had already been raised, snapping in the wind as though impatient to rush toward that unknown perilous region.
County Lieutenant Gao Mingyuan stood shoulder to shoulder with Martial Hall Master Zhao Canghai, quietly making a final confirmation of the operation plan.
The invisible presence of two Bone Forging Realm experts enveloped the entire dock, reassuring everyone while also making them feel immense pressure.
"Board the ships!" Gao Mingyuan ordered. His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.
The group began boarding swiftly and orderly.
The county yamen's men split among three ships, while the people from Blackwater Martial Arts School boarded the remaining one.
Chen Yuan followed his master, Zhao Canghai, onto the lead fast ship. The sailors aboard were clearly seasoned veterans, moving deftly with calm expressions.
"Raise anchor! Hoist the sails fully!" the Boat Captain shouted.
Heavy chains clattered, and the enormous sails were pulled taut. The sea wind instantly bellied them out.
The fast ship shot forward like a sharp arrow loosed from a bow, cleaving the blue sea as it sped out of the harbor toward the increasingly profound waters to the east.
The other three fast ships followed close behind in a loose diamond formation, supporting one another.
At first, the weather was clear after leaving the harbor. The sky was a flawless blue, the sea breeze brushed their faces, and seagulls chased the waves thrown up by the stern, crying brightly. Everything seemed no different from setting out to sea on any other day.
Chen Yuan stood by the railing, straining his eyes toward the distant horizon.
This was his first time riding such a fast ship deep into the sea. Feeling the vessel's power as it cleaved the waves beneath his feet, his chest opened wide.
He silently circulated his qi and blood, adapting to the ship's rocking, while simultaneously raising his spiritual perception to its utmost and carefully sensing everything around him.
Third Senior Disciple Li Wei walked over and handed Chen Yuan a single-barreled brass telescope. "Little Junior Brother, take this. The sea is vast, and the naked eye can't reach very far. You'll see more clearly with this."
"Thank you, Third Senior Disciple." Chen Yuan accepted the telescope. It was heavy in his hand and finely crafted.
Imitating Li Wei, he raised the telescope to his eye. At once, the originally blurred horizon in the distance seemed to rush closer, and even the details of the waves became clear.
Wang Meng and Sun Yun were nearby as well, each responsible for watching one direction.
Wang Meng still wore his usual carefree look, yet he observed with extraordinary attentiveness.
Sun Yun, meanwhile, was taciturn. Her gaze swept across the sea like an eagle's, missing not the slightest detail.
His master, Zhao Canghai, and County Lieutenant Gao Mingyuan stood at the bow, gazing into the distance over the railing, their robes fluttering in the sea wind.
They did not use telescopes, yet wherever their eyes reached, it seemed they could pierce through the endless sea and see into deeper mysteries.
The fleet maintained its high speed, traveling eastward for roughly an hour.
At first, they could still occasionally spot a few scattered fishing boats. But as they ventured farther in, the surrounding vessels gradually vanished, and the seawater grew increasingly dark, taking on an almost ink-blue hue.
The moisture in the air seemed to thicken as well, carrying a faint, unsettling sense of oppression.
"Attention! The color of the water ahead has changed!" the yamen runner on lookout suddenly shouted.
Everyone's spirits lifted, and they immediately looked in the direction of his voice.
Several li ahead, the color of the sea seemed slightly different from its surroundings. It appeared grayer and darker, as though covered by an extremely faint veil, making the distant scenery look distorted and blurred.
"Is that the mist?" Wang Meng asked in a lowered voice.
"Doesn't seem like it." Li Wei slightly furrowed his brow and raised the telescope for a careful look.
"It looks like ordinary light fog. Fog at sea is perfectly normal. But its location does roughly match the waters where the previous incident occurred."
The fleet slowed slightly and grew even more vigilant.
As they gradually approached, the thin mist did not seem particularly dense. Visibility remained acceptable, though it made the sunlight somewhat hazy.
However, just as the fleet was about to enter the misty region, a sudden change occurred.
Without warning, the surrounding thin mist seemed to be stirred by an invisible giant hand and abruptly thickened.
Visibility plummeted. They could still see the companion ships more than a hundred zhang away one moment, but in the blink of an eye, only blurred shadows remained. A moment later, even those shadows were completely swallowed by the roiling gray-white fog.
"Not good! It really is the Ghost Mist! All ships, close ranks! Slow down! Prepare for battle!" County Lieutenant Gao's order immediately spread across all the ships.
Yet the instant the order was given, Chen Yuan felt the fast ship beneath his feet jolt violently, as though it had struck something. Its speed dropped sharply, and at the same time, the hull began to swing broadside out of control.
"There's something underwater!" the Boat Captain cried in terror. "Did we hit a reef? No! They're alive! There are so many!"
Almost at the same time, teeth-grating snaps, splintering wood, and shouts and furious roars from the other ships rang out in every direction. Clearly, the other three ships had also come under attack!
"Keep the hull steady. Don't panic."
Zhao Canghai's voice rang out aboard the ship like a Sea Pacifier Needle, carrying a power that put everyone at ease. He had yet to act, but his mighty presence already enveloped the entire vessel.
Chen Yuan drew his blade. The Cold Ripple Blade sensed its master's battle intent and gave a faint hum, cold air spilling from its length.
He and the other Senior Disciple Brothers and Senior Disciple Sisters swiftly formed a simple defensive circle back to back, concentrating as they stood on guard.
The thick fog spread everywhere, reducing visibility to less than three zhang. All around was a blanket of white. They could hear only waves slapping against the hull, the faint sounds of fighting from the other ships, and a dense, hair-raising series of clicks continuously coming from underwater, as though countless teeth were gnawing at the bottom of the vessel.
Splash! Splash!
Several black shadows suddenly shot out of the seawater on both sides of the ship and pounced onto the deck!
They were hideous fish monsters roughly half a person in length. Their bodies were flat and covered in thick, dark green scales. Their snouts protruded, filled with layers of interlocking, crisscrossing teeth as sharp as executioner's blades.
Their eyes had degenerated into nothing more than two white dots, and they seemed to rely entirely on their other senses to move.
"Iron Tooth Ghost Head Fish!" Li Wei roared. The long blade in his hand had already cleaved down. Its wind was fierce, and in an instant, it split a fish monster lunging at him in two, spraying foul-smelling blood. "Watch out for their teeth! They can bite through wood, and they usually come in huge numbers."
Before his voice faded, more Iron Tooth Ghost Head Fish leaped from the water like death scythes, pouncing onto the deck from every direction.
The battle erupted in an instant!
Wang Meng roared. A metallic sheen spread across his fists, and he smashed one fish monster's skull to pieces with a single punch, his force fierce and unstoppable.
Sun Yun moved with nimble grace. The short sword in her hand flickered like a venomous snake striking its tongue, precisely stabbing the fish monsters' weak points, such as their eye sockets and gills.
Chen Yuan's gaze was icy as the Cold Ripple Blade drew a frigid arc.
"Cold River Reflecting Moon!"
The blade light poured down like a cold moon. Wherever the edge passed, even the air seemed to freeze. The Iron Tooth Ghost Head Fish that had lunged close suddenly stiffened, a thin layer of frost instantly covering its body, before fierce blade qi silently split it apart down the middle!
The cut was smooth as a mirror, and hardly any blood sprayed out. It was as though the flesh and blood had frozen solid in an instant!
His swordsmanship was exceptionally efficient amid this chaotic battlefield. Not a trace of strength was wasted in any slash; every strike was precise and deadly.
Yet the fish monsters seemed endless. They continued leaping from the seawater shrouded in thick fog, attacking the ship and the people aboard it in a frenzy.
Worse still, the gnawing beneath the hull grew denser and denser. The vessel shook violently, clearly suffering severe damage. If this continued, even if the people aboard held their ground, the ship would still be chewed under!
"We can't defend passively. Clear out what's underwater," Zhao Canghai said in a deep voice.
"Master, I'll go down!" Li Wei said without hesitation, already moving to remove his outer clothing.
"I'll go too!" Chen Yuan spoke almost at the same time.
He was skilled in the water and also possessed Mist Manipulation. Perhaps he could display extraordinary effectiveness underwater.
Zhao Canghai's gaze swept over the two of them, and he decided instantly. "Li Wei, take the port side. Chen Yuan, take the starboard side. Liu Qing, Wang Meng, Sun Yun, hold the deck and clear out anything that jumps aboard. Cover them."
"Yes!"
Chen Yuan and Li Wei exchanged a glance before leaping over the railing without hesitation. With two splashes, they vanished into the icy seawater.
The instant he entered the water, everything before Chen Yuan's eyes became even darker and more blurred.
The thick fog hindered the penetration of light, leaving visibility in the seawater extremely poor.
But Chen Yuan could clearly sense countless savage figures densely clinging to the underside of the ship, frantically gnawing at the wood. The clicking and clacking sounded even more spine-chilling underwater.
Without hesitation, he sent his qi and blood surging through his body. Spiral Force burst from him, and as the Cold Ripple Blade moved through the water, the resistance seemed to lessen somewhat.
"Die!"
Blade light blossomed underwater like a lotus of death.
Every slash cut down or froze several Iron Tooth Ghost Head Fish.
On the other side, Li Wei also unleashed formidable battle power. Blade qi crisscrossed as he continuously cleared away the threat beneath the ship.
Chen Yuan even tried merging a thread of Mist Manipulation's power into the surrounding waters. Although he could not directly create mist, he caused minute disturbances and visual distortions in the current, interfering with the fish monsters' senses and throwing their attacks into disarray, making them easier to kill.
Just as the two of them were working hard to clear the fish monsters beneath the ship, Chen Yuan suddenly felt an intense sense of danger coming from the deeper, more distant waters shrouded in fog.
It was a far larger, colder aura that was rapidly approaching.
He abruptly raised his head and looked into the distance through the murky seawater. Faintly, he seemed to see an enormous, twisted shadow thrashing its terrifying body as it charged toward the fleet.
"Not good! Something huge is coming!" Alarm bells rang in Chen Yuan's heart. He immediately warned Li Wei beside him and the people aboard the ship.
At the same time, that immense, frigid aura also alerted the two Bone Forging Realm experts at the bow.
Zhao Canghai and Gao Mingyuan both snorted coldly almost simultaneously.
"Beast! How dare you run rampant!"
Before you continue