Holy War in the Scarlet Sea

Nothing happened that night. The next morning,

a thin layer of morning mist spread across the sea.

Black bread, fish soup... and a little smoked salmon—a standard breakfast at sea.

Quite a lot of breakfast had been prepared, yet Mu Baobao swept it all away in no time. After all, a dragon's appetite was terrifying.

As he left his cabin and stepped onto the deck to breathe in the fresh air, Captain Nanuk approached with several crew members, smiling warmly.

"Friend from Shrek, was breakfast to your liking?" Mu Baobao gave the captain a thumbs-up. "It was excellent!"

Sea Spear Island's harbor was exceptionally impressive, with over a hundred ships docked there. Half of them easily exceeded a hundred meters in length. After trade with the mainland began, the Seven Ocean Islands had all started constructing ports.

Although sea soul beasts were incredibly savage, the ocean also held endless wealth. Even though many people died in the jaws of sea soul beasts every year,

there were still people willing to risk their lives. After all, living without money... was miserable.

Sea Spear Island was responsible for fishing operations throughout the ocean. They firmly believed that as long as they did not drive the sea soul beasts to extinction, they could keep eating for tens of thousands of years.

The Nanuk Ship was one hundred and twenty meters long and over forty to fifty meters wide. Though it could not compare with those terrifyingly enormous soul beasts, it was still a colossal vessel. Its hull was covered in thick iron plating, and as a blacksmith, Mu Baobao could naturally tell that it was Thousand Refinement-grade Iron Mother.

The cost of this ship was no lower than several sets of Spirit Refinement Battle Armor. It could withstand the attacks and collisions of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, simply because it was so massive.

Haidel introduced him. "This is Captain Nanuk of the Nanuk Ship. Nanuk is considered the lord of Sea Spear Island. His surname is hereditary and irrevocable, and it was also once the name and martial soul of the Seven Holy Pillars' Sea Spear Douluo. The lords of the other islands are mostly descendants of the other Holy Pillar Douluos and their martial souls."

"That is precisely why Sea Spear Island is the largest of the Seven Ocean Islands," Haidel added.

From Nanuk's explanation, Mu Baobao learned that the Nanuk Ship had more than a hundred crew members. Aside from Nanuk, the captain, there were six captains, all core personnel of the Seven Ocean Islands. Haidel was Nanuk's deputy.

And his younger brother. All six captains possessed Soul Douluo-level strength, while there were dozens of Soul Emperors and Soul Saints as well.

With such a lineup, they would not fear even a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. If they could not win, they could at least escape.

The Nanuk Ship was not as luxurious as ordinary vessels. After all, they were not going sightseeing—they were heading out to do something that could cost them their lives.

There were no extravagant facilities such as ballrooms. The lowest deck housed workers and stored supplies, while the middle three decks were entirely rooms.

The top deck offered a unique view from above. The salty scent of the sea came with the howling wind, pungent yet bringing waves of chill. Fortunately, everyone was a powerful soul master, so such a cold breeze was nothing to them.

"Raise anchor. Set sail."

Everyone had arrived, and with Captain Nanuk's command, the Nanuk Ship officially spread its sails and departed.

After weighing anchor, it left the harbor and headed straight into the open sea. Once its direction was expertly adjusted, it accelerated toward their destination.

The boundless sea stretched as far as the eye could see. The sun had already risen slowly in the east, dispelling the thick mist.

Sunlight glittered across the ocean, forming a breathtaking sight where sea and sky met at the horizon.

Mu Baobao stood on the Nanuk Ship's upper deck, gazing at the sea's captivating scenery. As the sea wind swept over him, he felt indescribably refreshed.

Lunch was naturally seafood as well. Fried and boiled fish served with rice and vegetables—it was damn good with a meal.

Captain Nanuk gave him several enormous crabs. Such a delicacy was rarely available inland, and Mu Baobao enjoyed them immensely.

In the afternoon, the winds and waves began to rise. The Nanuk Ship bobbed with the swells. At first it was nothing, but as the waves gradually grew stronger, Mu Baobao began to suffer from seasickness.

He started vomiting violently, drawing laughter from the others aboard the ship. Some even looked down on him for being so unable to endure rough weather. After all, he had flown directly whenever he came to the Seven Ocean Islands, while the other crew members were practically all sea soul masters and naturally unaffected.

Nanuk could only tell him that he would get used to it after vomiting a few more times. As it turned out, that was exactly what happened.

His adaptability was terrifying. After experiencing seasickness a few times, he had completely grown accustomed to the sensation. The strength of the dragon race was fully displayed—almost every aspect of it was heaven-defying.

A day quickly passed. All around them was endless blue seawater, without the slightest trace of land. The navigator stood in the watchtower and peered into the distance through a telescope, using the sun to determine direction at sea. He could roughly confirm that the Nanuk Ship was heading the right way.

After all, they had traveled this route countless times. "After about another half day of sailing, we'll enter an area where soul beasts are active. We'll have to rely on all of you then."

"Understood!" everyone shouted. They were clearly already familiar with this and showed no panic.

Soul beasts and soul masters were locked in an endless struggle, and soul beasts in particular were more violent. The rules of this world were unfair: soul beasts could yield Soul Rings and Soul Bones.

Soul masters had nothing to gain from soul beasts other than eating them. Not to mention that soul beasts in the sea were even more violent. Many people died at sea every year, which could be considered a sacrifice to those sea soul beasts. Humans had their own countermeasures, however.

The hull was coated with medicine that soul beasts detested, making them unwilling to approach. Furthermore, every captain daring enough to sail into the distant ocean carried a sea chart in his head.

With that chart, they could generally ensure most of their safety. In this regard, sea soul beasts were similar to those on land.

They had their own territories, and their territorial instincts were even stronger than those of land soul beasts. Therefore, many ships avoided the domains of especially powerful sea soul beasts to avoid trouble.

But this fleet had such a terrifying lineup that it could rampage freely as long as no Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast appeared. After all, every part of those soul beasts was valuable.

Mu Baobao imagined how, on Douluo Continent, Spirit Hall had once dispatched two thousand soul masters to conquer Sea God Island. With that lineup, avoiding anything would have been impossible.

Even the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King could only flee upon seeing them. They would have swept through like a pack of wolves, leaving nothing behind.

Unfortunately, he had arrived in the era of the Peerless Tang Sect. Otherwise, he would have given Tang Buddha Ancestor a good beating, then helped Spirit Hall unify the continent. When Sun Moon Continent crashed over, there would have been no internal divisions, and they could have beaten them until they cried for their fathers.

Tang Buddha Ancestor had stopped that great undertaking. The Heaven Dou Empire had been smashed into Heavenly Soul and Douling, while the Star Luo Empire had nearly... But then Shrek Academy would not have been able to show off and become local emperors.

Time at sea passed swiftly, and night soon fell. The weather was good tonight, and the stars and moon were clearly visible in the sky. The sight of the bright moon rising over the sea was enough to intoxicate anyone.

Mu Baobao noticed something unusual. A patch of scarlet had appeared in the seawater below, and after asking about it, he learned why.

Among sea soul beasts, Demon Soul White Sharks, Deep Sea Demon Whales, and Evil Spirit Orcas stood at the very top of the ocean's food chain. Yet there were differences among them. Deep Sea Demon Whales were undoubtedly the strongest, but their population was extremely small.

They also lived alone and were lazy. They generally just stayed underwater, opening their foolishly huge mouths and waiting for food to deliver itself. Aside from Deep Sea Demon Whales, the fiercest were Evil Spirit Orcas. Even the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King was unwilling to provoke them lightly, because Evil Spirit Orcas were herd-type soul beasts. They had virtually no natural enemies, and their numbers were naturally considerable.

They ran rampant through the sea. Even when they did not need food, they continued slaughtering. Whenever they encountered any living creature, they would tear it apart without mercy. Every sea soul beast hated them, but no one dared challenge them because of their formidable strength.

Demon Soul White Sharks and Evil Spirit Orcas were mortal enemies. Every few decades or centuries, the two clans would wage a holy war.

Small-scale battles had occurred countless times over the tens of thousands of years. Every time, the Demon Soul White Sharks had been at a disadvantage. If not for the Sea God's protection, this clan would have ceased to exist long ago. One Evil Spirit Orca could fight two Demon Soul White Sharks to a draw.

Their reproductive ability was inferior to that of the Demon Soul White Sharks. Otherwise, if led by the Evil Orca King, their clan would already be qualified to challenge the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King. Of course, that might also lead to their extermination, burying every member of their clan.

The Scarlet Blood Sea was where the two clans waged war, which was why the entire place had been stained with blood. The pungent smell of blood and the salty seawater—

the mixed scent was hardly pleasant and gave people a terrible headache. This time, by sheer coincidence,

Mu Baobao had encountered a holy war between the two clans. Their kings would certainly appear. Originally, after Tang Buddha Ancestor became the Sea God, the Demon Soul White Sharks had slaughtered the Evil Spirit Orcas almost to extinction. But then that guy—

after ascending to the God Realm, he had not even left behind a single inheritance ground, since he himself had inherited it through luck.

The Evil Spirit Orcas were especially furious upon meeting their enemies. After lying dormant for thousands of years, they had begun a holy war once more.

Without a god's protection, the Demon Soul White Sharks were simply trash. In the era of Legend of the Dragon King, they were even directly exterminated by the Evil Spirit Orcas. They deserved it!

The Sea God's Fourth Trial, the Whale-Shark Battle, was the battle in which the Shrek Seven Devils helped the Demon Soul White Sharks defeat the Evil Spirit Orcas. This entire demon-hunting operation—

would only become harder, because they were going to hunt both clans. In the end, the two sides might even join forces to counterattack.

They would never have participated in such holy wars before, fearing that the two clans would lash out in desperation and wipe out the Seven Ocean Islands. But now, with Mu Baobao joining them—

even if they could not defeat them, perhaps a Title Douluo was following behind him. Wouldn't killing both kings then be easy? After all, the Seven Ocean Islands had no Title Douluos and feared retaliation afterward.

Even if they would not kill the goose that laid the golden eggs, they naturally had to take the chance to eliminate the kings. That was why all six captains had come aboard the Nanuk Ship this time.

This could be called Sea God Island's declaration of war against the two great demonic king clans. In their memories, Tang San had dealt with the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King... yet its clan members still existed. Who could have imagined that its wife—

the Demon Empress, would become a god after lying dormant for ten thousand years and nearly kill Tang Buddha Ancestor's son, Tang Wulin? Yet her daughter, Lan Fozi, had for love—

betrayed her. What a fine daughter, loyal to neither mother nor father. After meeting the enemy's son a few times, she had fallen for him.

When Mu Baobao had read this part back then, it had utterly shattered his worldview. And then there was the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena... the gods of the God Realm had driven the Dragon God into a split personality.

Yet she, the leader of soul beasts, had also fallen for the descendant of those people. The way she called them father, mother, elder sister, and brother-in-law sounded so sweet. The key was that they were all hundreds of thousands of years younger than her... Ah Yin and Xiao Wu could even be regarded as her descendants.

"Same old rules. I'll go scout ahead!"

A girl with an indifferent expression, long blue hair, a hat, and a mask spoke slowly. Only her beautiful purple eyes were exposed.

Two yellow, two purple, and two black Soul Rings—six in total—were neatly arranged around her. She wore black long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, while a snake-shaped ribbon of light floated around her body. It was clearly her martial soul.

"Illusion Snake?" Mu Baobao recognized the girl's martial soul at a glance. It was an extremely miraculous and rare sea soul beast, and also the martial soul once possessed by the Seven Holy Pillars' Sea Illusion Douluo.

Using seawater to create all sorts of illusions, conceal herself, scout... such things naturally came easily to her.

Evil Spirit Orcas possessed a ripple-based detection method. As long as a living creature with energy appeared within ten miles, it could not escape their detection.

The sense of smell of Demon Soul White Sharks was even rarer among sea soul beasts, as sensitive as a dog's nose.

But this Scarlet Sea region was filled with the scent of blood, greatly weakening both clans' scouting abilities. Otherwise, how could humans possibly fish in troubled waters?

"Miss, could you take me with you?" Mu Baobao asked with interest.

The girl frowned. "You? If Uncle Nanuk did not know your identity, I would think you were here to freeload. Your combat strength might not be weak... but don't get in my way during reconnaissance!"

"Uh!" He had been looked down on. Just as he was about to defend himself, Nanuk spoke for him.

"Ziqiu, take him with you. He'll be very useful, and I doubt even I'm his match. At the very least, he can ensure your safety."

Nanuk's words caused quite a stir. A brat barely over twenty years old!

Even if he came from the continent's number one academy, Nanuk was already over fifty and had remained a Soul Douluo for many years, with a chance of breaking through to Title Douluo.

Yet he said he was no match for him? She wanted to question it, but immediately lost steam. After all, had the Sea God's Seven Holy Pillars not likewise been defeated by a group of brats in their early twenties, only in their seventies or eighties?

"Fine, bring him along. But if he gets discovered, I won't hesitate to leave him behind. He insisted on seeking death, after all!" Ziqiu said coldly, her disdain obvious without needing to be stated.

The next moment, Mu Baobao understood why. Ziqiu grabbed him and unceremoniously threw him into the sea.

Just before he hit the water, Ziqiu fused with the Illusion Snake and caught up. He landed right on her... Though the martial soul was between them, that position!

A snake rider? No wonder the young lady had not wanted to bring him. He was taking far too much advantage of her.

Before he could say anything, mist rose from Ziqiu's body. Their surroundings immediately changed, blending completely with the blood sea. Even their auras became impossible to detect.

This concealment ability was no weaker than the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud. Tang Buddha Ancestor had first borrowed Xiao Bai's concealment ability to sneak over and carry out a shameless assassination, while he was now following this young lady to scout the situation.

"If you dare touch me improperly, I'll kill you!" Ziqiu said. Though Nanuk had already warned her that she was no match for Mu Baobao, that did not stop her from threatening him.

At the very least, she could not sound weak. And if this guy's lust got the better of him, he would only have himself to blame.

After all... was a man really the one at a disadvantage?