ctnovel Chapter 390 - 240: Fall of the Flying Boat
Chapter 390 - 240: Fall of the Flying Boat
A dozen or so Flying Boats were tangled together, locked in a fierce dogfight.
The battle tactic of the Flying Boats hijacked by the Ox Power Demons was incredibly simple. They would concentrate the firepower of several vessels on a single target, shattering its Defensive Spirit Light. Then, the elite Ox Power Demons led by Yang Jing would use Impact Boats to board and seize control of the entire vessel.
One of the primary functions of an Impact Boat was to carry Cultivators for boarding actions.
Among the Six Sects, it was usually Body Refining Cultivators and Dharma Cultivators who performed boarding actions. The narrow spaces inside a Flying Boat were actually an ideal environment for Body Cultivators and Dharma Cultivators to display their power.
But after the Nine Yang Sect was destroyed, the number of Body Refining Cultivators on the Western Continent plummeted, leaving only the Dharma Image Sect’s Cultivators to carry the banner.
In combat between Flying Boats, boarding was often used as a tactic to pin down and deal with an enemy vessel.
This was because the target Flying Boat often had its own stationed Cultivators skilled in close-quarters combat. The boarding Cultivators were at a great disadvantage in terms of numbers and familiarity with the terrain.
Seizing control was extremely difficult.
However, these Demon Cultivators from the Eastern Demon Sect were particularly fond of using Power Demons—who excelled at close-quarters combat—to guard their Flying Boats. When the Ox Power Demons revolted, the defensive forces on these vessels were instantly crippled, leaving them with practically no way to resist the boarders.
The Eastern Demon Sect disciples on the other Flying Boats could only push their vessels to full power, trying to pull away from the ones controlled by the Ox Power Demons.
Suddenly, one Flying Boat, like a bird with a broken wing, plummeted to the ground. Its incredible Tunneling Speed caused it to bounce high into the air upon impact, skipping across the earth a dozen times like a stone on water.
The Inner Sect Disciple from the Eastern Demon Sect on that Flying Boat had, after being boarded, immediately and decisively cut off the supply of Demonic Qi to the vessel.
The Flying Boat slid for several miles before crashing into a hard mountainside and coming to a halt. The hard ground was plowed into a long, narrow furrow by the vessel.
The massive impact of the crash caused heavy casualties among the Qi Cultivation Demon Cultivators on the Flying Boat. Severed limbs and mangled bodies were everywhere, and the sound of wailing was incessant.
The acrid smell of blood filled the corridors.
Yang Jing hoisted the Two-Handed Horse-Slaying Greatsword onto his shoulder, a squad of wounded Ox Power Demons following behind him. He hadn’t expected the Inner Sect Disciple on the Flying Boat to be so decisive.
Before the crash, all the protective Restrictions had been shut down, causing it to fall while at high speed. The violent impact had completely wrecked the Flying Boat. Many of its Restrictions would be completely inoperable without extensive repairs.
"My King!"
Although the Ox Power Demons were tough and thick-skinned, they were still seriously injured, even with Yang Jing’s advance warning.
Luckily, they had broken into the ship’s interior at the last moment. If they had still been on the deck, most of the Ox Power Demons would have been reduced to piles of gore.
"Let’s go. We’ll head back the way we came."
Yang Jing glanced at the completely darkened corridor and spoke to the other Ox Power Demons. ’Even this Tier Two Flying Boat is severely damaged; the Impact Boat we arrived in must be a total wreck too.’
’To completely repair this Flying Boat, we’d have to get it back to an Eastern Demon Sect port, where Tier Three Artifact Refiners could oversee the work.’
Freed from the bonds of their Restrictions, the Banished Celestial Demons on the Flying Boat began to run rampant. They flew out from the broken Restrictions and started to vengefully feast on the flesh and blood of the Demon Cultivators inside the vessel.
Suddenly, Yang Jing reached out and snatched a Yin Serpent out of the air.
The Yin Serpent’s colors were quite vivid. It struggled violently in his hand, its head letting out an unsettling HISS.
With a hard squeeze, Yang Jing crushed the snake into a pulp and flicked it to the ground.
"Stay sharp,"
he said to the Ox Power Demons under his command.
’Something’s not right. This Flying Boat is littered with fresh blood. The bodies of those Demon Cultivators should be far more tempting than a group of hale and hearty Ox Power Demons like us.’
’That Yin Serpent was probably an enemy’s scouting probe.’
Successfully starting the rebellion and seizing eight Flying Boats had made Yang Jing’s prestige among the Ox Power Demons practically unparalleled, reaching its absolute peak.
The Ox Power Demons who had followed him on the continuous boarding actions were especially fanatical.
They immediately tightened their grips on their Demon Soldiers and warily scanned their surroundings.
The Celestial Demons that had been freely feasting on flesh and blood were terrified upon seeing the fully armed Ox Power Demons. They immediately turned and fled, disappearing into the darkness.
Yang Jing walked in the middle of the group, holding the hilt of his Two-Handed Horse-Slaying Greatsword with both hands. The sword was seven feet long, and the Spiritual Materials used to forge it were extraordinary; it had been hammered from Nine Nether Profound Gold mixed with several types of Demon Gold.
Even after Yang Jing had used it to shatter a dozen Demon Soldiers, its edge remained as sharp as ever.
"My King, the path ahead is blocked,"
said the Ox Power Demon at the front.
When the Flying Boat crashed, not even the hull, forged from Nine Nether Demon Iron, could withstand the violent impact, and the resulting deformation had sealed off the corridor.
Yang Jing pushed aside the Ox Power Demon in front of him, gripped his greatsword with both hands, and thrust forward with all his might.
Amid a piercing screech of metal on metal, the two-handed greatsword slowly but unstoppably pierced the Nine Nether Demon Iron hull. He dragged it sideways, quickly carving an opening in the warped hull large enough for an Ox Power Demon to pass through.
Under his immense strength, the Nine Nether Demon Iron, which was strong enough to block a Spiritual Artifact, seemed like little more than tough leather.
"Keep moving,"
Yang Jing said.
’A pity the armor on the Flying Boat’s exterior is two feet thick. Even I can’t cut through that with this sword alone.’
After they had walked for a short while, Yang Jing suddenly let out a sharp cry.
"Get back!"
He himself gripped his two-handed sword and charged forward.
The next moment, a massive Spider Demon suddenly appeared from the darkness. It was hideous in shape, its eight eyes glinting with a cold, demonic light.
Its segmented legs, like sharp blades, stabbed toward Yang Jing.
"A White Evil Spider Demon."
Yang Jing recognized the type of Celestial Demon at a glance. ’Once this Demon advances, it becomes a Tier Three Yin Evil Spider Demon. It loves to ambush prey from the darkness. Its silk is incredibly tough, a perfect counter to Celestial Demons like the Ox Power Demons, who only have brute strength and no skill with Magic Techniques.’
In the darkness, a sharp flash of Sword Light sliced off the incoming leg.
The White Evil Spider Demon let out a long, pained hiss. It had intended to use its leg to pin down Yang Jing and then follow up with a surprise attack of Demon Silk. It never expected that its leg, strong enough to contend with a Demon Soldier, would be severed in the first exchange.
Forcing down the intense pain, it swelled its abdomen, preparing to spray its silk.
A sharp glint of light flashed. The White Evil Spider Demon’s eight eyes went vacant, and its head rolled from its body.
From the darkness, several strands of Demon Silk suddenly shot out, aiming straight for Yang Jing’s arms and legs.
Yang Jing used his greatsword to prop up the White Evil Spider Demon’s corpse in front of him, and the incredibly resilient strands of silk were all blocked by its body.
"My King!"
The Ox Power Demons behind him roared, and their whistling Chain Hammers flew over his head, smashing toward the Spider Demons in the darkness.
In the narrow corridor, the Spider Demons had nowhere to dodge and were struck head-on by the Chain Hammers.
The Ox Power Demons shouted work chants, wrapping the chains around their waists and engaging in a contest of strength with the White Evil Spider Demons. Although the White Evil Spider Demons were Tier Two, they were better at ambushes and sneak attacks. In terms of pure Qi Power, they weren’t much stronger than the Ox Power Demons, and for a moment, they were locked in a stalemate.
They could only HISS in anger and spit out all the silk in their abdomens at once.
Wielding his sword with both hands, Yang Jing casually sidestepped the wildly spraying silk, as if taking a leisurely stroll, and beheaded every one of the formidable White Evil Spider Demons.
The successive boarding actions and ship seizures had made the coordination between him and these Ox Power Demons incredibly sharp.
The hideous corpses of the White Evil Spider Demons lay strewn across the floor, their foul-smelling Demon Blood flowing freely.
Even though they had slaughtered all the White Evil Spider Demons, Yang Jing didn’t relax in the slightest. ’These Spider Demons wouldn’t have just appeared in the Flying Boat for no reason.’
"Elder Jin Xuan, since you’re already on the ship, why not show yourself?"
Yang Jing’s eyes scanned the gloomy corridor.
’White Evil Spider Demons aren’t ordinary. A common Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator could never Banish so many at once. It’s even more unlikely they would be generous enough to use them as cannon fodder for a probe.’
’Only an Elder of the Golden Core Realm like Jin Xuan would have that kind of power and wealth.’
’Right after the Flying Boat crashed, I thought it was strange that the Demon Sect disciple commanding it had been so decisive. A Tier Two Flying Boat is worth far more than a Tier Three Magical Treasure.’
’An ordinary Inner Sect Disciple would never dare to abandon or sacrifice one so easily.’
’And Jin Xuan’s reaction, for a Golden Core Cultivator, was a little too slow.’
’So he was already hidden on the Flying Boat, waiting for me to board and fall into his trap.’
In the gloomy corridor, a Demon Fog began to rise. Only the RUSTLING, scuttling sound of crawling remained. The pained cries of the Demon Cultivators, which had been incessant before, suddenly stopped.
The Ox Power Demons helped one another, struggling to tear away the Demon Silk tangled around their bodies.
When they heard Elder Jin Xuan’s name, fear immediately appeared on their faces.
Such was the power of a name, the shadow of a reputation.
They had heard many stories of Elder Jin Xuan’s fearsome reputation from the mouths of the other Demon Cultivators.
"My King, we’ll hold this old bastard off for you. You have to get out of here!"
the Ox Power Demons said, panting heavily.
Yang Jing shook his head.
’Even if it’s just a clone, Elder Jin Xuan’s power is far beyond that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator. These Ox Power Demons wouldn’t be able to stall him at all; they’d be wiped out in an instant.’
’Elder Jin Xuan might even be able to Banish these Ox Power Demons and turn them against me.’
Suddenly, the dense sound of slithering filled the corridor. Countless Yin Serpents of every imaginable color, brilliant and variegated, swarmed together. They nearly blocked the entire passage, surging forward like a tidal wave to form a river of snakes.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a dense mass of snake heads and scales.
Yang Jing’s expression was cold as he immediately spun his two-handed greatsword into a blur of motion.
The next instant, sparks flew. Countless severed scales and snake segments were sent flying as gore splattered everywhere. Even if ten thousand snake heads had lunged at him, they would have been annihilated by that single sword dance.
Any Yin Serpents that slipped past were beaten to death by the Ox Power Demons swinging their Demon Soldiers.
It was only when they faced the Yin Serpents themselves that they realized how bizarre the creatures were. The snakes’ bodies were incredibly tough. A single slash could only break their scales, and the blade would get stuck in the muscle beneath, unable to advance another inch.
Only a heavy weapon like a great hammer could kill one in a single blow.