Picking Someone Up

Holy crap, so many people!

"Holy crap, so many ships!"

"Holy crap, so many weapons!"

"Holy crap, they even have cannons!"

The Old Third felt that he had made the right choice in coming here; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to see such a rare sight.

In Heavenly Gate, let alone fighting, even a simple magic duel is subject to regulation.

But here, it's a completely different story.

Each boat is a medium-sized awning spirit boat, with a compact and low hull, made of driftwood inlaid with thin iron, and small spirit patterns subtly embedded on the sides. It is simple yet sophisticated, and each boat has two old-fashioned spirit cannons mounted on its sides.

The people at the very front row, closest to the ship's railing, were all robust young men with skin a deep, bronze tan from years of exposure to the sea. They all had their eyebrows lowered, their eyes upturned at the corners, their pupils dark, and their gazes deep and fierce.

Zheng Family Garden's forces were divided into two groups. One group consisted of modified cultivators from the Demonic Machine Hall, whose limbs had been replaced by magical artifacts and Law Artifact bodies, and whose auras were mostly at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. The other group consisted of standard "Wave-Turning" cultivators.

Each person wore a black belt made of tempered sea cowhide, with fine moisture-proof spiritual patterns engraved on the belt. A water-quenched curved knife hung from the belt, its blade gleaming with a cold, dark silver light. The back of the blade was quenched with sea monster blood, capable of cutting through ordinary iron and breaking through low-level spiritual shields. The scabbard was wrapped with brown spiritual rope to prevent corrosion from seawater. Their left forearms were covered with black iron arm guards, layers of refined iron scales inlaid with faint spiritual light.

These men are not meant for close-quarters combat, but for underwater warfare.

These cultivators practice specialized underwater skills, and as long as there is sufficient Spiritual Qi, they basically do not need to breathe.

For the dockside forces, the number of "troublemakers" was sometimes even more important than the actual thugs.

While the modified cultivator is good in every way, it has one drawback: it's not waterproof and easily breaks when submerged, especially during underwater combat.

"Second brother, are we going to fight someone?"

The Old Third said excitedly.

"No, just picking someone up."

Hu Mang had also dressed up a bit today, changing into a standard leader's outfit. His outer garment was a black shark battle robe made of deep-sea black shark leather. It was matte, dark, and waterproof, capable of preventing Law Artifact from piercing it. The sea breeze did not cause it to flutter or flutter; it simply clung heavily to his shoulders and torso, making his shoulders appear extremely broad and upright. He did not have any weapons in his hands, but his Heavenly Devil Field was restrained, giving him a powerful aura that seemed capable of tearing everything apart at any moment.

Dozens of medium-sized ships sailed in a grand procession toward the Palembang of Sumatra.

At the Nanyang docks, negotiating without sufficient manpower could result in being hacked to death on the spot.

If we don't have enough manpower, let alone picking up other people, we might even be detained on the spot.

Hu Mang was very comfortable in this kind of situation; he had participated in such negotiations many times before, only this time there were more people and more weapons.

There is no difference in the rest.

But Chen Xiaosan was different. When he saw the cannons on the ship, even though they were old models, his eyes widened in astonishment.

Are overseas gangs all this sophisticated now?

Prepare so much equipment.

He touched this and looked around, and chatted with people for no reason; the scene was quite incongruous.

"Hey kid, what are you doing? We finally got the cannon in position, what are you doing climbing up there!"

Hu Mang turned his head and found that the Old Third had flown to another ship at some point and was curiously fiddling with a ship-mounted cannon.

Then he was subjected to a barrage of insults by another veteran patron Liu Shifa.

There was no other way; the only ones who could operate these large Law Artifact were the apprentices from the Law Artifact factory he had brought with him, so the old man was temporarily conscripted.

Moreover, this old man seemed to have developed a strange technological path, actually equipping Law Artifact magical artifacts with gunpowder weapons.

Gunpowder weapons, such as muskets and cannons, were popular for a time in the Old Heavenly Gate era. After all, even Golden Core body couldn't withstand being bombarded head-on by cannon fire.

However, these gunpowder weapons soon became ineffective. Initially, this was due to the large-scale emergence of Qi Training and Foundation Establishment cultivators, as ordinary firearms simply could not penetrate the protective shields of these cultivators. Furthermore, any Golden Core cultivator with Divine Sense could not be targeted by cannons.

Finally, with the large-scale production of magical Law Artifact, high-grade Law Artifact and high-grade Spirit Artifact are produced as if they were free. The power of large Law Artifact far exceeds that of various cannons and weapons, and they are also easier for cultivators to manipulate.

Soon, these once-powerful weapons used by the Middle Earth to fight against overseas Devil Cultivator were relegated to the dustbin of history.

However, this old master seems to have a deep nostalgia for the era of cannons, and actually wants to combine Law Artifact with firearms, such as installing demon-subduing runes or wind speed runes on cannons.

I don't know how effective it will be, but this thing seems to require precise operation, and outsiders can easily disrupt the coordination between the two systems.

So soon, Liu Shifa carried the Old Third back like a chick, with Naimi was having a bit of a headache, following behind.

"Keep your family in check. He's actually thinking of taking out a powder keg to look at it. Does he want to set the whole ship on fire?"

Hu Mang looked at the Old Third, Old Third revealed the innocent and naive expression typical of the silly roe deer of Heavenly Gate.

Hu Mang waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to bring a few chairs to the deck, and said with a smile, "Old Liu, he's from Heavenly Gate, he doesn't know the rules, I'll keep an eye on him."

The thin, narrow-shouldered, and hunched old man didn't refuse. He snorted, plopped down, and downed the cold tea on the small table in one gulp.

"Are all the people in Heavenly Gate these days so brainless?"

"Hmm, it's not working quite right. But considering he's Golden Core cultivator, please forgive him a little."

"He's Golden Core!?"

Now it was Liu Shifa and Naimi's turn to be surprised, looking the young man up and down as if he wasn't quite right in the head.

"Such a young Golden Core?"

"The most outstanding young people in Heavenly Gate nowadays generally reach the Core Formation stage around sixty years old."

Hu Mang laughed.

"You're Golden Core, aren't you going to fight back?"

Liu Shifa surprised. Although he was older, he was only at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. He had caught the other party like a chick, and there was no trace of the aura of Golden Core expert.

Chen Xiaosan chuckled, flashing his white teeth and giving a thumbs-up.

I respect the elderly.

"His brain isn't working too well," Liu Shifa clicked his tongue, then suddenly asked, "Do you know Chao County?"

The old man was from Chao County, but he hadn't been back for almost a century.

However, since one of them came from the north and the other from the Underworld, they were not very familiar with the county towns in the Minyue region.

So when the two men answered his questions without knowing anything, the old man's disappointment was palpable, and his face looked somewhat sad.

"If you miss home, then go back and visit. Traveling is so convenient these days," the Old Third suddenly said.

"I can't go back. My home is in the Old Heavenly Gate, now it's the New Heavenly Gate," Liu Shifa sighed with emotion.

"Why? So many years have passed. Could it be that you were still Old Celestial Person back then?"

"I'm just an old military officer. I've been to Tidewatch City, guarded Submerged Reef Luo City, and sailed warships at Sunken Pearl Port. I've basically traveled all over the big and small places in Nanyang."

Using his limited historical knowledge, Chen Xiaosan recalled that these places were either military cities or military ports, and he was immediately filled with awe.

"I never imagined you were a member of the Overseas Insurgent Army."

Liu Shifa revealed a strange smile.

"On the contrary, this old man has suppressed Overseas Insurgent Army."

"Back when your Feather Lord Yu Dingguo went to the Nanyang Military Bureau headquarters to start an uprising, I fired the first shot to suppress it."

"..." Hu Mang, Chen Xiaosan.

I never knew you had such a splendid resume. The achievement of defeating a legendary Feather Lord is not something an ordinary person can accomplish.

This old rebel—no, back then, they were the ones who could be considered rebels—this old feudal military officer actually had this kind of experience.

"That's incredible! Your experience is beyond exaggerated!" Chen Xiaosan said sincerely.

Liu Shifa preferred to talk about his own illustrious career when speaking to these two young Heavenly Gate, including not only intriguing stories but also the battles fought overseas by the Old Heavenly Gate.

As for the two people present, they didn't seem to have any hostile or indignant feelings; instead, they were looking at that great battle from a new perspective.

However, Liu Shifa quickly realized that the reason why these two young people did not feel a sense of identification was largely because the New Heavenly Gate was already at a very high level. Two Golden Core cultivators would have been high-ranking military officers and the pride of heaven back then, but now they were just one of the new generation of young Golden Core in the Heavenly Gate.

So, faced with these two "prodigies," Liu Shifa suddenly lost the will to speak, waved his hand, and left dejectedly.

"Has the old man finished his story?" Chen Xiaosan asked, puzzled.

"His story is finished."

Hu Mang lay on a rattan chair with his hands folded behind his head, admiring the clear sky and the endless expanse of dark clouds.

The people of Zheng Family Garden follow the regular sea route; there are no Seaquake, no sea monsters, and no pirates.

This last point left Chen Xiaosan extremely disappointed.

Hu Mang glanced at the other party. If they encountered pirates, it was hard to say who would rob whom.

In short, the journey to Palembang went smoothly.

The Palembang's docks were much larger than those in Java, and there were many more Fujian and French ships, as well as a large number of pirate ships.

Even if we don't say the banners covered the sky, there were still thousands of them.

These are only the ships docked at the pier; there are many more at sea.

Pirate ships are similar to ordinary magic ships, which are ships reinforced with formations. However, ordinary magic ships are generally reinforced with defensive formations, while pirate ships are reinforced with offensive formations. Many pirate ships even have cannons that are more advanced than those of Zheng Family Garden. The runes on them are densely packed, emitting a feeling that makes even Golden Core cultivators feel a slight tension.

"Those damned Heavenly Gate people came from Heavenly Gate."

Liu Shifa his breath.

Hu Mang glanced at him and said, "Yes, you're right, those damned Heavenly Gate people."

After a brief chat with the manager of the Palembang, they soon saw the convoy of the Wanshun Sea Hall.

These familiar-looking vehicles and shuttles were undoubtedly imported from Heavenly Gate.

Hu Mang glanced around and said calmly, "Don't dock the ship. Just wait at sea. Take a few alley leaders with me to see that Master Bao. It's just picking someone up; it won't take long."