Chapter 634 - 343: In My Eyes, You’re Nothing More Than a Ragtag Bunch! (Part 2)

If he could in one battle take the head of Baili Feng, this Young Master of the Cyan Fish Gang, that would be something even Sikong Li and Quan Feng together had failed to do before. Then his prestige in the Jiao Blood Gang, and even among the Sea Pirates of this whole sea region, would surely soar.

And in these past days he had by chance gained a stroke of fortune on a nameless island in this sea region; after his strength greatly increased, he felt his own power was not necessarily inferior to Sikong Li’s.

"As long as I can kill Baili Feng today, how will Sikong Li compete with me in the future? The Vice Gang Leader’s seat will be mine... and even the Gang Leader’s seat might not be out of reach!"

Zong Buhui’s heart seethed with ambition, fully ignited; he knew he had to win this battle, and win it beautifully.

Right now, the three warships including the Cyan Fish had already been severely damaged by their ramming. The safest extermination plan now should be to order the warships to pull back and open distance, use war machines to bombard them for several rounds, then move in to wipe out the remnants.

But doing it that way was too slow, and it wouldn’t achieve the effect Zong Buhui wanted—using this battle to establish authority and make his name.

"Today is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I must obliterate Baili Feng with thunderous force!"

At that, Zong Buhui raised his hand.

"Everyone from the Jiao Blood Gang, stand down and let him come over to me!"

"Baili child, weren’t you planning to fight me? Today I’ll show great mercy and grant you that chance." Zong Buhui, in a lofty posture, cast a cold gaze upon Baili Feng with his long hair hanging loose.

The disciples of the Jiao Blood Gang hesitated slightly, then all withdrew their great bows and stepped aside, letting the blood-soaked Baili Feng come aboard.

Seeing this scene, Quan Feng of the Black Water Gang and Gongsun Liang of the Black Water Gang both snorted coldly in displeasure. Today’s scheme was initiated by Sikong Li, but it was Zong Buhui who had contacted the two of them.

The original plan was for them to strike together, encircle the Cyan Fish Gang and kill the Baili siblings. Now Zong Buhui actually intended to fight Baili Feng alone; how could the calculating intent behind this be hidden from the two of them?

Cold light flowed in Quan Feng’s eyes as he drew another armor-piercing arrow, seeming to weigh whether he should make a move, but soon a hint of dread flickered across his face.

He thought of Sikong Li, who had still yet to show himself. That man’s strength was undoubtedly the greatest among the four of them, and he was also one of the thirteen great pirates ranked nearest the top.

Moreover, Sikong Li was after all one of the Jiao Blood Gang. Now, with two people from the Jiao Blood Gang here and Sikong Li not yet appearing, after much thought Quan Feng decided not to meddle in the battlefield between Zong Buhui and Baili Feng, and instead turned his arrowhead toward Baili Hongtang.

Baili Feng was Zong Buhui’s prey, so he couldn’t have come for nothing; the head on the neck of Baili Hongtang, the second young miss of the Cyan Fish Gang, would belong to him, Quan Feng!

On the other side, Gongsun Liang had the same thoughts. Zong Buhui’s behavior displeased him, but out of fear he still didn’t plan to fight over it, much less directly strike at Zong Buhui.

That fellow Quan Feng used a bow, and Quan Feng’s archers were the most numerous; in long-range combat he naturally held the advantage. Baili Hongtang herself would likely be hard for him to contend over.

Then the remaining chunk of fat was the Cyan Fish Gang disciples on the field. He absolutely had to take a fierce bite of that broth; if his hand was slow, it would be gone.

"Quan Feng, my Black Water Gang will take the rest. Warships, charge—close in and board, kill every Cyan Fish Gang man!"

Fearing that Quan Feng would leave him no meat, Gongsun Liang directly ordered his subordinates to ram the warships again, then for all hands to board and engage in close-quarters steel-on-steel combat. The Black Water Gang disciples had long been unable to wait; seeing the Cyan Fish Gang disciples in desperate straits, they were ready to strike while the iron was hot.

"Kill!"

The Black Water Gang warships pressed in like black clouds. Amid thunderous crashes, the three warships including the Cyan Fish rocked violently, and silhouettes leapt lithely onto the decks one after another.

Cold light flickered; sabers and swords crossed wildly.

One side in despair, the other with morale soaring—both sides were killing with bloodshot eyes.

"Baili child, today I’ll make you die utterly convinced!"

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zong Buhui did not order his warship to draw near the Cyan Fish. Instead, he kept a certain distance, afraid the other two groups would board and join in besieging Baili Feng, sharing this big piece of fat.

Seeing Baili Feng dart and leap several times, using the warships as stepping stones to draw closer, he could no longer contain the wild joy in his heart, put on his blood-colored iron claws, and strode forward to meet him.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The pitch-black, chilling arrows in Quan Feng’s hands kept clashing in midair with the surging flame-red arrows loosed by Baili Hongtang, detonating in a series of deafening blasts.

Quan Feng gave a soft "Hm" from his mouth; the opponent’s Archery Skill seemed not so far beneath his own. Still, his expression showed no concern, though he did raise his guard by a few degrees.

Three arrows were nocked to the string at once.

The next instant.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

The bowstring trembled through the air, letting out three crisp, rapid reports. Three chilling arrows tore through the sky like cannon shells and shrieked away.

"Vice Gang Leader Quan’s archery skill grows ever more exquisite!"

"Beads on a string, the arrows fly like thunder and wind. Watching the Vice Gang Leader loose his arrows is truly a delight; that Baili Hongtang is bound to die!"

In the shocked gazes of the Black Snake Gang disciples, those three arrows actually linked into a single line midair. Quite a few Black Snake Gang disciples cried out in amazement, and more than a few felt their spirits soar at the sight.

"Black Water Gang bastards, curb your arrogance! Kill them!"

The disciples of Cyan Flood Dragon Hall saw their Young Master wounded yet still pressing forward alone into the core of the Jiao Blood Gang’s pirate flagship; each one was anxious to the point of burning, but right now they could not aid the Young Master, and could only fight the enemy with all their strength.

Qin Shu, Steward of Cyan Flood Dragon Hall, once followed the current Cyan Fish Gang Leader Baili Hong to sea in campaign. He was an old hand of the Hall, who advanced to Fourth Grade three years ago; now he had condensed a Lotus of Qi Blood, and was a Martial Artist of the One-Flower Realm.

Before putting out to sea, the Hall had already formally nominated him as Elder. Barring accidents, he would need only to wait a year or so before becoming an Elder of Cyan Flood Dragon Hall.

Qin Shu charged at the forefront, the Black Wave Saber in his hand, under the infusion of the Lotus of Qi Blood, spewing out a foot-long blade-qi. With one saber chop he hacked the two Black Water Gang pirates boarding before him cleanly at the waist.

"Qin Shu of Cyan Flood Dragon Hall is here—if you’ve got guts, come over!"

"Zhou Hao of Cyan Flood Dragon Hall is here—bastards, prepare to die!"

The stewards and elite disciples of Cyan Flood Dragon Hall all fought bravely to kill the enemy; each man was incomparably fierce. In just a few breaths, the Black Water Gang pirates boarding the ship were cut down by them to the number of twenty, corpses plunging into the sea one after another.

"Cyan Fish Gang remnants, you’ve got gall, daring to kill my men. Get out of the way, all of you get the hell out of my way!"

His voice boomed like thunder, making everyone present’s ears ring. Immediately, a burly bald man with a knife-scarred face and a single eye, with two lotus flowers blooming above his head, leapt ten zhang, and in an instant a fierce aura swept out and pressed down over all.

Everyone felt that the circulation of Qi Blood and Power within their bodies had all suffered varying degrees of slight stagnation; it was as if an invisible weight of thousands of jun pressed down upon their bodies.

Thud!

The bald one-eyed burly man slammed down onto the deck; the battered great ship of over a hundred meters shook with a booming tremor and tilted slightly, and shattered planks kicked up several meters of dust.

"Ah—!"

Almost at the same time, screams rang out in succession. Three figures, faces twisted in pain and bodies drenched in blood, were flung out like kites with their strings cut from within the dust. Everyone fixed their eyes to look.

The Cyan Fish Gang disciples all revealed terror on their faces. Those few who were hurled out screaming were none other than the previously incomparably valiant Qin Shu, Zhou Hao, and the other three stewards of Cyan Flood Dragon Hall.

At this moment the corners of the three men’s mouths were bleeding, and the Lotus of Qi Blood above their heads was flickering and illusory, as if it might disperse at any time.

And the bald one-eyed burly man who had struck out was none other than the Ninth of the Thirteen Great Bandits, the Vice Gang Leader of the Black Snake Gang, Gongsun Liang, whose nickname was One-Eyed Savage Bear.

The Black Water Gang disciples were no match for even a single round against the stewards of Cyan Flood Dragon Hall, yet Gongsun Liang, with merely one exchange, had injured and driven back three stewards of Cyan Flood Dragon Hall who had all reached the Fourth Grade Realm.

"So strong—is this the strength of the Thirteen Great Bandits?!"

"And this man’s ranking doesn’t even surpass Sikong Li. Just now, the Young Master was fighting a monster of this sort!"

Blood dripped from Qin Shu’s right arm as it hung powerless, pain stabbing deep into the bone. His expression changed; only when one truly faced the Thirteen Great Bandits could one feel the gap in strength between the two sides.

Every single Great Bandit was no easy character, but an utterly vicious fiend who had hacked his way out with his own hands through blood and severed heads!

"Tap, tap—!"

The towering figure, like a savage bear, stepped out from the drifting dust one stride at a time, a terrifying blood-stained Wolf Fang Club casually slung over his shoulder, the corner of his mouth full of scorn.

"Cyan Flood Dragon Hall? Nothing but a mob of rabble."

"You, you..."

The disciples of Cyan Flood Dragon Hall all had iron-blue faces, hearts burning with anger, yet at this moment they could find no words with which to refute him; strength spoke louder than argument.

"Is that so? To my eye, you..."

A plain-faced young man wearing a black Martial Robe with thistle blossoms embroidered at the cuffs and a five-lined cyan fish motif moved unhurriedly as he reached out to support the flung-back Qin Shu.

His pair of eyes, dark and deep, locked onto Gongsun Liang; within them there faintly gleamed a trace of excitement and soaring battle intent that seemed barely contained. His lips parted slightly as he spoke, enunciating each word.

"Are nothing but chicken and stray dogs."