Chapter 223: Section 11: 3vs1
Zong Ge and the knight youth had been lurking aboard the Grey Rat all along, patiently waiting for the right moment to strike.
“Goddamn ambush!” Rou Cang’s eyebrows inverted in surprise as he was hit by the unexpected attack.
His Golden Fighting Spirit burst forth, halting his charging body mid-air, the momentum of his elephantine assault abruptly stopping.
Zong Ge and the knight youth’s attack could not reach from afar, only the grey Combat Skill, Gray Mist Wave, rushed towards him.
But the normally dense gray mist couldn’t obscure Rou Cang’s colossal frame.
However, as the gray mist began to corrode Rou Cang’s body, the Golden Level powerhouse shouted fiercely, unleashing the Combat Skill—Meat Sea Waves!
His body’s fatty layers rolled tumultuously, rising and falling like tidal waves.
After brewing for three seconds, his whole body suddenly shook violently, sending a powerful vibration from inside out in all directions, with him at the center.
Zong Ge, the knight youth, and their ally in gray were all prepared, their Fighting energy surging around them.
Yet as the wave hit, their expressions changed drastically, feeling the power of the wave weird and formidable. It not only battered against their Silver Fighting Spirit defenses but also drove their own muscles to compress against their bones and organs!
Thud, thud, thud.
All three spat blood at the same time, swept aside by the powerful surge.
The one in gray crashed into the mast, while the knight youth and Zong Ge were stopped by the ship’s rail, barely avoiding going overboard into the sea.
With no further obstacles, Rou Cang slowly descended to the deck, as if a deity had come down to earth.
At this moment, the grandeur of a Golden Level fighter was undeniable!
Zong Ge and the knight youth’s coordinated ambush might have plunged Golden Chin, a peak Silver Level Transcendent, into a deadly crisis, but it was cleverly and forcefully countered by Rou Cang.
“This guy can actually fly!” gasped the one in gray, catching his breath after being winded.
When a Transcendent practices Fighting energy to reach the Silver Level, it can protect the body’s torso. At the Golden Level, the Fighting energy can extend a distance away from the body.
Upon reaching the Golden Level, a fighter’s attack range and variety of attack methods increase significantly.
However, not all Golden Fighters can fly.
Only a select few Fighting energy scriptures and Combat Skills enable flight, which also includes distinctions like short-distance flight, long-distance flight, and hovering.
“So we have three little mice here, and you’re unlucky to encounter me as my Fighting energy reaches its peak. Ha, ha, ha…” Rou Cang sneered, his eyes filled with a vicious killing intent.
Combat Skill—Sword Blade Assault!
Zong Ge’s attack interrupted Rou Cang’s sneering.
Holding his Two-Handed Greatsword with both hands, he positioned the hilt at his right side, the entire blade pointing forward, perpendicular to Zong Ge’s upright posture.
The greatsword’s tip aimed directly at Rou Cang.
After charging for five seconds, Zong Ge’s Silver Fighting Spirit burst out. His entire body accelerated rapidly, fusing man and sword, charging like a knight storming forward, both formidable and valiant in his attack on Rou Cang.
Closing the dozen or so steps quickly, Zong Ge gave his all, the tip of his greatsword even shimmering with a hint of golden luster.
“Good sword!” exclaimed the one in gray, unable to hold back his praise.
He knew the power of this sword; if it were him, he would be cleaved in two, with no second outcome possible.
However, Rou Cang neither dodged nor evaded but instead thrust out his massive belly.
He seemed to use his belly as a shield to block Zong Ge’s blade.
Zong Ge’s strong thrust hit Rou Cang, but his face turned pale in response.
Although the greatsword’s tip stabbed into Rou Cang’s belly, it was repelled by the robust Golden Fighting Spirit. Furthermore, Rou Cang’s belly flesh rippled back, creating waves around the sword’s tip.
The flesh wave dispersed Zong Ge’s charging energy throughout Rou Cang’s body, even causing his hair to stand on end.
Zong Ge felt as if he thrust into a pliable dough, the sense of futility making him feel nauseous.
Such a potent strike was so effortlessly neutralized by Rou Cang that Zong Ge immediately tried to retreat.
But Rou Cang, battle-hardened, didn’t miss this opportunity for attack.
Combat Skill—Tiny Meat Palm Strike!
Raising his left palm, Rou Cang’s Golden Fighting Spirit surged, coalescing into a basin-sized golden palm.
His body quivering slightly from receiving Zong Ge’s attack, the dispersed energy spread throughout his body and surged back.
Rou Cang’s flesh undulated again like returning waves. This time, however, the force didn’t gather at his belly but flowed into the golden palm formed by Fighting Spirit.
The palm shot out rapidly, hitting Zong Ge square on.
Zong Ge not only faced the blow from the Tiny Meat Palm Strike but also the might of his own Sword Blade Assault. He flew back like a bomb, spewing mouthfuls of blood, slamming hard against the ship’s rail. With almost no pause, he burst through the ship’s side and plunged into the sea with a splash.
Zong Ge, at the pinnacle of the Silver Level, couldn’t even withstand a single round of solo combat against Rou Cang.
Rou Cang’s combat ability far exceeded the intelligence the knight youth had obtained.
The one in gray clenched his teeth and hurriedly activated his Combat Skill—Gray Mist Sky.
Thus, the deck of the Grey Rat was shrouded in a cloud of gray, obscuring everyone’s sight.
This unique Combat Skill of the one in gray not only consumed his Fighting energy but also his hair. A Silver Level fighter, his hair was not trivial and could be considered Silver Level Magic Material.
Because of this, the Gray Mist Sky Combat Skill had a unique effect; the gray mist was extraordinary. Any Silver Level life entering it would face severe limits in vision and perception.
Of course, the one in gray was the exception.
Using the gray mist as cover, he silently approached Rou Cang from behind and plunged his sword forward.
His thin sword targeted Rou Cang’s vast and plump behind.
Rou Cang was oblivious.
Just as the thin sword was about to strike, it seemed as if an invisible pressure had come prematurely, causing a slight indent in Rou Cang’s buttock.
Though the indentation was barely perceptible, Rou Cang was extremely sensitive.
He turned around fiercely, his right fist hammering down hard.
Dressed in gray, he felt a surge of alarm and hastily retreated to dodge.
With a loud bang, Rou Cang’s fist smashed into the deck, punching a hole straight through it.
Dressed in gray, he continuously stepped back, the splintered wood grazing his face. In less than a breath, he had disappeared into the gray mist again, his Life Breath condensed to the extreme.
Rou Cang once again lost sight of his target.
Dressed in gray, cold sweat streamed down his face.
In the skirmish that had just taken place, he had skirted the edge of death.
To get close to Rou Cang, he hadn’t used any Combat Skills, completely concealing his presence. Yet Rou Cang’s sense of touch was also so sharp.
Even though his vision was hindered by the gray mist, such tactile sensitivity allowed him to thwart any such assassination attempts.
Combat Skill—Meat Sea Waves!
Rou Cang unleashed the Combat Skill again, the surge of energy stirring up, sweeping the gray mist off the ship.
And just as his vision cleared, the image of the knight youth suddenly appeared on his left side.
Combat Skill—Hundred Needle Wind!
In an instant, countless sword shadows blossomed, Silver Fighting Spirit clinging to the sword tips, making the knight youth’s attack even more sharp.
Rou Cang roared lowly, he had just deployed a Combat Skill, and at the moment his Fighting Energy was waning, making it very difficult to use Combat Skills for defense.
The knight youth seized this opportunity. Rou Cang could only muster his full strength to stir his Golden Fighting Spirit, covering his left arm.
He raised his left arm upright, his plump arm forming a makeshift shield.
If it had been an attack by Zong Ge, it would have been ineffective at this moment.
But the thin sword Silver Lightning was no ordinary weapon, its sharp blade pierced through the Golden Fighting Spirit, drawing out strands of blood.
Rou Cang shielded his face with his left arm, his right hand brewing a Combat Skill.
Three breaths later, he deployed the Minor Meat Palm Strike again.
But the knight youth was already prepared, dodging in advance and leaving the attack to strike nothingness.
“He’s wounded!” Dressed in gray, his spirit soared.
They had been in combat until now, and though it was only a few exchanges, it felt like an eternity.
The battle power displayed by Rou Cang exceeded the rumors, putting immense pressure on Dressed in Gray and the other two. Regretfully, had he known it would come to this, he would not have set such a trap.
“Nice sword.” Rou Cang said, looking at his blood-soaked left arm, and grinned viciously once again.
His body stirred a tidal wave of flesh once more, the flesh wave enveloping his left arm, and the punctured wounds on the arm swiftly closed and sealed.
The blood stopped almost instantly.
Then, the tightly closed wounds began to heal at a visible rate.
Combat Skill—Meat sprouts!
The knight youth and Dressed in Gray witnessed this and couldn’t help but pale.
Rou Cang actually had a very rare healing Combat Skill! This meant, as long as he had Fighting Energy, he could fight nearly unscathed through the whole battle.
This was quite a desperate realization.
“We can’t let him heal smoothly!” the knight youth shouted lowly, charging out first.
Dressed in Gray clenched his teeth and joined the battle from the other side.
The two circled around Rou Cang, attacking continuously.
Rou Cang stood his ground, parrying left and right, unmovable, completely dominating the battle.
The offense by Dressed in Gray and the knight youth, surprisingly, couldn’t stop Rou Cang’s healing.
Boom!
In the midst of combat, Zong Ge suddenly burst through the hole in the deck, catching Rou Cang off guard.
But Rou Cang endured the slash of the Two-Handed Greatsword, once more repelling Zong Ge.
The three of them circled Rou Cang, attacking relentlessly.
Rou Cang shifted slowly, each attack causing Dressed in Gray and the others to leap about, with someone frequently being sent flying.
The Grey Rat was a Black Iron Level ship, but it couldn’t withstand such fighting.
Soon enough, all the masts had been broken, the deck was riddled with holes, and only half of the rudder remained.
“My ship!” Dressed in Gray’s heart ached like a knife was being twisted in it.
The situation grew increasingly perilous. The knight youth, gritting his teeth, boldly pulled out an Alchemy Crossbow and aimed a flurry of shots at Rou Cang’s huge body.
Initially, the knight youth had been somewhat concerned about damaging the Grey Rat, but now, he had to use all of his strength for any hope of overcoming the formidable foe before him.
Rou Cang found it difficult to dodge; his body was enormous and heavy, and the distance between them was so close.
Momentarily, the Alchemy Arrows hit him in waves, and Rou Cang could only rely on his Golden Fighting Spirit to endure.
The knight youth kept on firing relentlessly.
He was equipped with four Alchemy Crossbows, all products of War Merchant alchemy. The crossbows were matched with the arrows, upon firing, the crossbow bodies had a Fine Engraving Array that could draw new arrows to float up and automatically load and draw the string.
For a time, the knight youth’s arrows rained down like a monsoon, suppressing Rou Cang for the first time.
Dressed in Gray watched, his eyelids twitching as the aftermath of the Alchemy Arrow explosions ravaged the Grey Rat again and again, feeling as if his heart was bleeding.