Yin Qi Tide

The moment Wang Yu rushed onto the deck, explosions and shrill cries filled his ears. He swept his gaze around and sucked in a breath of cold air.

The entire Tower Ship was now enveloped in a gray Light Screen.

On the deck, numerous crewmen stood in a ring, iron forks strapped to their backs and light crossbows in their hands. They fired wooden bolts bearing red talismans through the Light Screen, where they burst into balls of fire.

Beyond the Light Screen...

Black mist billowed and chilling winds howled. Countless stark-white skeletal fish of every shape floated in dense swarms. Not a scrap of flesh remained on their bodies, yet they still behaved like living creatures, uttering strange cries as they hurled themselves desperately against the gray Light Screen.

The skeletal fish varied in size. The largest were several feet long, while the smallest were only the size of a fist, but black qi swirled around every one of them. Fireballs landing among them could only reduce the fish at the center to ashes. The others nearby tumbled through the black qi, then resumed battering the Light Screen as though nothing had happened.

Fortunately, other crewmen operated the Azure Giant Ballista aboard the Tower Ship, firing thick iron bolts. Each pierced several skeletal fish and shattered them to pieces.

Behind the sailors stood more than a dozen Immortal Cultivators in assorted clothing.

Yu Bintian, Madam Yin, and the others were all there. Wang Yu even spotted the tall, slender Masked Young Man and Qin'er, the girl who lived across from him, along with several unfamiliar faces. Every one of them wore a grim expression.

"Listen well, fellow Daoists. There may be many Filth-Bone Fish swept along by the yin qi tide, but they are nothing to fear. I will control the Soul-Suppressing Banner and open a gap so you can kill them in batches. Once their numbers fall far enough, the yin qi tide will disperse on its own."

"The ordinary crewmen can deal with ordinary Filth-Bone Fish, but should any powerful mutants appear, I hope you will all lend a hand." Elder Feng's voice rang out again from above the Tower Ship.

Wang Yu looked up and saw Elder Feng sitting cross-legged beneath the black Soul-Suppressing Banner, one hand pressed against its pole while the other formed a hand seal. Wisps of gray mist drifted from the banner, constantly replenishing the gray Light Screen. The long smoking pipe that never left his hand was now tucked into his belt.

So these skeletal fish are called Filth-Bone Fish. What are the mutants?

While Wang Yu was still puzzling over this, a tremendous crash sounded outside the gray Light Screen. A fish head as large as a water vat slammed into it.

The entire Light Screen and Tower Ship shuddered. A black shape the size of a small boat flashed past outside the Light Screen and vanished among the swarming Filth-Bone Fish.

The sight made Wang Yu's scalp prickle.

"Be careful, young Wang. Mutant Filthy Bonefish can be treated as Immortal Cultivators in the middle or late stages of Qi Refining. If you encounter danger, come closer to me. If I have strength to spare, I will offer you some protection." An aged voice sounded nearby. Wang Yu turned toward it and found Madam Yin approaching with a black walking stick.

"Thank you, Senior. I hope it won't come to that," Wang Yu said, cupping his hands, though inwardly he wondered why she was looking after him so attentively.

Just then, shrill cries rose from the swarm of Filth-Bone Fish outside. A slit opened in the Light Screen directly ahead of the deck, and densely packed skeletal fish surged aboard.

Although they had no limbs, they could float freely amid the black qi around them. They were remarkably agile, and in the blink of an eye, they were upon the crowd.

The crewmen tossed aside their iron crossbows, drew their iron forks, and rushed forward in a mob, stabbing wildly at the nearby skeletal fish.

The impaled Filth-Bone Fish let out piercing cries. The black qi around them dispersed, and they fell to the deck, struggling briefly before lying still.

Only then did Wang Yu notice that the tips of the iron forks also bore talismans-a different, white variety that gave off a faint white glow.

Meanwhile, the Immortal Cultivators behind them formed hand seals, muttered incantations, or drew weapons. Some slapped talismans onto their weapons, while others applied them directly to their bodies. The glow of various spells began appearing before them.

Wang Yu tightened his grip on his iron essence saber, feeling rather awkward. He regretted not trading for a couple more defensive talismans over the past few days. He had only one Golden Light Talisman, which he intended to save for a life-threatening emergency, and he knew no protective spells at all. Still, he could hardly do nothing.

With that thought, he held his iron essence saber across his body, formed a hand seal with his other hand, and began chanting.

Luck was with him. After a ripple passed through his divine sense sea, the spell mark formed on his first attempt. Red light flickered on his finger, and a crimson flame appeared-Firefly.

Some Filth-Bone Fish had already broken through the crewmen's defenses and reached the Immortal Cultivators.

Several cultivators unleashed spells from their hands: enormous fireballs the size of heads, icicles as thick as fingers, and curved-saber-like blades of wind. In an instant, they engulfed the twenty-odd skeletal fish at the front.

But the fish behind them still broke through the spells' coverage and shot straight toward the crowd.

Wang Yu flicked his finger. The flame became a speck of red light that shot out and struck a skeletal fish charging toward him with perfect accuracy.

With a boom, the fish was engulfed in raging flames. The extreme heat reduced it to a wisp of bluish smoke.

But another skeletal fish immediately darted in from the other side, opening its sharp-toothed jaws to bite him viciously.

Wang Yu stepped half a pace back. Cold light flashed, and his saber neatly cleaved the fish in two.

Clatter. Clatter.

The two halves landed on the deck. Though they could no longer float, they still thrashed desperately, showing no sign of dying anytime soon.

The sight left Wang Yu unsettled, but his saber swished twice more, cutting another two skeletal fish into four pieces in midair. Only then did he find a moment to look at the others.

After that initial wave of spells, no one wasted time casting more offensive magic. Each used their own specialty to deal with the swarm, giving Wang Yu an eye-opening display.

Beside Madam Yin, who was closest to him, two black hounds with indistinct bodies had appeared at some point. They pounced on every Filth-Bone Fish that approached and knocked them to the deck.

Madam Yin then pointed her black walking stick at the fallen fish, and frost appeared over their bodies, leaving them rigid.

The purple-robed elder, Yu Bintian, held a bronze mirror in one hand. Balls of yellow light periodically shot from its hazy white surface, knocking down the nearby skeletal fish one by one.

The gaunt Gao Qi wielded two dagger-like short blades. His figure flitted like a phantom around Yu Bintian, and wherever he passed, the Filth-Bone Fish fell apart.

On the other side, Monk's arms had grown a full size thicker. He swung a Crescent Monk's Staff like a raging storm, shattering great swathes of Filth-Bone Fish wherever he went, like a tyrannosaur in human form.

Farther away, the Young Huang Household Couple stood shoulder to shoulder. The woman maintained a hand seal with one hand, forming a blue shield of light around them both, while the man swung a silver sword, conjuring streaks of silver sword shadows. Their coordination was seamless, allowing them to defend and attack alike.

The Masked Young Man wielded a crimson spear in a corner. Flames billowed wherever its tip passed, and a ring of charred skeletal fish remains already lay around him. Even so, he still glanced toward the Huang Household couple from time to time.

The other unfamiliar Immortal Cultivators also brought out all manner of methods, broadening Wang Yu's horizons.

"Huh?"

Where is that Green-Clad Girl? She was on the deck just now. Why can't I find her?

Did she slip away?

Wang Yu had suddenly noticed someone missing from the crowd. Just as he was wondering about it, Elder Feng shouted a warning from above.

"Careful! A mutant has gotten in!"

The small gap in the gray Light Screen abruptly widened. An enormous Filth-Bone Fish, twenty feet long and the size of a whale, plunged onto the deck. A single sweep of its tail, trailing billowing black qi, smashed several crewmen into bloody pulp.

The other crewmen cried out and scattered in every direction. The Immortal Cultivators stiffened, all turning their attention to the enormous creature.

"I will hold it in place for a few breaths. The rest will depend on your divine abilities, fellow Daoists."

Elder Feng shouted from above the Tower Ship, then began muttering an incantation. A mass of gray threads of light flew from the Soul-Suppressing Banner, forming a great net that enveloped the enormous Filth-Bone Fish.

Boom!

The enormous Filth-Bone Fish's floating body crashed onto the deck like a small mountain. Though it thrashed desperately and beat its tail, it could not break free of the net for the moment.

The other Immortal Cultivators were delighted. Some activated their magical artifacts, while others hurled offensive talismans. Those skilled in close combat swung their weapons directly at the enormous body, hacking and hammering it in a frenzy.

The Masked Young Man even gave a low shout and hurled his spear viciously, turning it into a streak of red light.

For a moment, blazing light and thunderous explosions erupted across the enormous Filth-Bone Fish's body, while the black qi around it churned wildly.

Soon, wounds covered its enormous body, and the red spear had pinned its head firmly to the deck. It appeared to be on its last breath.

Wang Yu also seized the chance to deliver two slashes. Although he had not used his full strength, he could tell that the enormous Filth-Bone Fish's body was far harder than those of ordinary skeletal fish. His attacks had left only two saber marks.

He was inwardly astonished that the Masked Young Man's spear had pierced straight through the enormous Filth-Bone Fish's skull.

He did not know whether the Masked Young Man possessed extraordinary arm strength or whether that red spear was something unusual.

"Hahaha! So this is a mutant? I reckon I could take it down all by myself!" Monk seemed carried away by the battle. After viciously smashing the enormous Filth-Bone Fish's tail several times with his Crescent Monk's Staff, he burst into somewhat crazed laughter.

Some of the other Immortal Cultivators gave Monk sidelong looks, while others seemed unimpressed.

Just then, the enormous Filth-Bone Fish, which had seemed incapable of moving, suddenly raised its head and let out a piercing cry. Its body then began swelling madly like a balloon.

"This is bad! It's going to self-destruct!"

Someone nearby cried out at the sight. Immortal Cultivators and ordinary crewmen alike took to their heels, trying to get far away, but it was clearly already too late.

Wang Yu cursed inwardly, then instinctively dropped into a backward roll.

Boom! A tremendous explosion rang out.

Wang Yu felt a surging blast behind him. Countless bone fragments seemed to skim just overhead like a torrential downpour, while a series of screams rose nearby.