Chapter 288: Section 76: The Traitor Among the Fishmen!
The new Deep Blue Wise One Bloodline the Fishman youth had acquired was only of Bronze Level, and not of a high grade.
Fishmen with this type of bloodline were completely incompetent in cultivating fighting energy and as spellcasters, their achievements would be limited to Bronze Level for life.
In most cases, bloodline defined one’s talent and aptitude for cultivation.
Some bloodlines were extremely proficient in cultivating fighting energy, like the Martial Sect Bloodline of the Holy Bright Empire. Others excelled in the realms of magic or Divine Arts, like the Angel Bloodline.
There were also some that encapsulated multiple categories, such as the Flame Dragon King Bloodline absorbed by the youth. Transcendents with this complete bloodline found it easier to make accomplishments in both the domains of fighting energy and magic.
The Deep Blue Wise One Bloodline was not only of low grade but also very incomplete. If a complete bloodline represented 100%, then currently, the Blood Core contained only 3%.
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With this part of the bloodline, the Fishman youth could at best transform a few scales.
But none of this hindered the immense surprise and joy in the youth’s heart.
Because it was this part of the bloodline that granted him the Fishman language.
The value of something was determined by demand.
Now these minute portions of the Deep Blue Wise One Bloodline, fulfilling the youth’s desires, were of immense value!
If a Silver Level weapon were placed before the youth, he would rather choose the Fishman language.
That was what he was most in need of.
Racial languages could also be inherited and embedded in a racial bloodline.
The legendary Mengyi of the Dragon Clan had initially been a stolen dragon egg that had been lost. When Mengyi hatched, she had to survive alone.
Relying on the magic and knowledge inherent in her bloodline, Mengyi thrived, overcoming hardships.
Even without her parents or other Dragons to guide her, she could still speak fluent Dragonese. By the time she reached puberty, she was discovered by a Black Iron giant dragon underground, and they could easily communicate using Dragonese.
Indeed, many Dragon spells required chanting in Dragonese.
The youth’s fiery Dragon Breath was one such.
The youth once again silently thanked this Deep Blue Fishman Sage in his heart.
He manipulated his Heart Core, causing a mutation.
Checking himself, he had fully transformed into a Brown Scale Fishman. Compared to the previous Blue Scale Fishmen, Brown Scale Fishmen were taller, and their arms and legs had visibly more muscles.
The Brown Scale Fishman had a slightly wider field of vision too.
For Blue Scale Fishmen, advancing to Transcendent was very difficult, and even if successful, they were confined to Bronze Level for life. It was relatively easier for Brown Scale Fishmen to break through to Transcendent, and after reaching Bronze, they could advance further to Black Iron Level.
Almost all Brown Scale Fishmen the youth encountered were of Black Iron Level. This indicated that moving from Bronze to Black Iron was relatively easy for this bloodline.
Blue Scale Fishmen typically used tridents, while Brown Scale Fishmen more commonly wielded scimitars.
On the chest of the Brown Scale Fishman youth were a few Deep Blue scales.
This indicated that he had also used the Deep Blue Fishman Sage Bloodline for the mutation.
This mutation enabled him to instantly understand the Fishman language.
“Great, with this form, I can blend into Fishman villages.”
“But there are still things to be cautious about.”
“The first thing is that the Brown Scale Bloodline is only of Black Iron Level, if my Silver Fighting Spirit traits show, it would give me away.”
“The second point is my lack of combat skills. If I control it myself, maintaining the disguise while fighting other Brown Scale Fishmen, I might not be a match for them.”
The Steel Bone Knight bloodline was still the one that could fully exploit the youth’s cultivation.
But such Fishman Knights were too rare!
The youth was able to quickly gather a complete Brown Scale Bloodline thanks to the fortunate contribution of that Deep Blue Fishman Sage, mixed with some luck.
Collecting a full Steel Bone Bloodline in a short time was nearly impossible, the youth knew.
“One last thing, I need time.”
Mixing into Fishman settlements wasn’t like the previous ambushes; he needed more time.
“What kind of reason should I find to tell Zong Ge and Cang Xu?”
The Fishman youth started to ascend, swimming towards the fleet.
As he was about to reach the Justice, he discovered the Justice Pirate Group was engaged in battle.
Numerous Fishmen were rushing towards the ten pirate ships on the sea surface, their morale very high.
Commanding them was a giant.
The giant had blue skin, was bald, and his beard, as dense as seaweed, spread from his ears to his chin, draping to his chest. His giant eyes glared, each roar like a howling wind.
Almost naked, his upper body was draped with a fishing net, tied with shells serving as armor. The craftsmanship was rather crude. Around his waist was a yellowed canvas.
Most notably, in his hands, he held a special weapon—a massive anchor.
A Sea Giant!
The Fishman youth observed the battle from below the sea, feeling both surprised and unsurprised.
He was aware of the Sea Giants.
The Deep Sea Monster Fish provided him with lots of information daily.
But this was not the territory of the Sea Giant.
“He must have taken the initiative to lead the Fishmen to attack my fleet,” the youth analyzed swiftly in his mind.
The Sea Giant could command the Fishman Clan, in fact, Fishmen liked attaching themselves to Sea Giants.
Just like on land, goblin tribes often served as vassals to the Dragon Clan.
In the sea, Fishmen were somewhat akin to goblins on land.
Like before, the Deep Sea Four-headed Serpent had led a large number of Fishmen to confront the Justice Pirate Group. Those Fishmen were vassals of the Four-headed Serpent.
However, compared to the Four-headed Serpent, the Sea Giant was undoubtedly more intelligent.
The Justice Pirate Group had initially intruded into the Four-headed Serpent’s territory, thus inciting the attack. The Sea Giant, on the other hand, understood the value of striking first.
Combat Skill—Sword Blade Assault!
Zong Ge, wielding the Demon Blood Greatsword, sprinted across the deck and leapt into the air, his trajectory almost a straight line towards the chest of the Sea Giant.
On the Sea Giant’s shoulder stood a Black Iron Level Fishman Shaman, who released a Lightning Chain at the Half-Beast.
Zong Ge was struck by an electric shock, his body convulsed violently, and his combat skill was forcibly terminated, causing him to fall from midair towards the sea surface.
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind arose. The Sea Giant, seizing the moment, swung his anchor.
The massive anchor whirled around with terrifying momentum, and it was about to smash into Zong Ge.
Just then, a Rat-man, cloaked in gray, deployed a combat skill that struck the anchor.
The anchor’s path slightly altered, brushing past Zong Ge.
Seizing the opportunity, Zong Ge swung his two-handed greatsword, struck the anchor, and used the recoil to retreat back onto the deck of the Silver Hook.
He was at the peak of Silver Level, possessing the strongest aura within the Justice Pirate Group. This caused most enemies to assume he was the leader, concentrating all their firepower on him.
The Sea Giant was of Silver Level Cultivation and was similarly at the peak.
More crucially, he had a massive physique. The bloodline of the giant race endowed him with formidable strength, endurance, and recovery power.
In terms of physical qualities alone, the Sea Giant was superior to Zong Ge.
Combined with Silver Level Fighting Spirit, the Sea Giant still managed to overpower the Half-Beast.
Only by joining forces could Zong Ge and the gray-clad Rat-man manage to fight the Sea Giant to a standstill, temporarily holding the line.
The Sea Giant’s shoulder still hosted a Black Iron Level Fishman Shaman, intermittently casting spells to support the entire battlefield.
That Lightning Chain had just caused Zong Ge to lose a hard-won opportunity for advantage.
Golden Chin and the Sea Snake Lady were not here. Post-battle with the Gold and Silver brothers, they had separated from the youth. Cang Xu, a Mage of equal rank, had been dealing with the Fishman Shaman.
But without using Undead Magic, Cang Xu struggled to unleash his true strength.
He was using Magic Scrolls.
To conceal this fact, he had to remain as invisible as possible, feigning casting actions.
“3, 2, 1, fire!” On board the Justice, the bird commanded the pirates.
Smoke rose from one side of the ship, and bombs rained down like showers, tracing parabolas in the sky before enveloping the Sea Giant.
The Sea Giant promptly raised the anchor to shield the Fishman Shaman on his shoulder, taking numerous hits himself.
Bombarded by the salvo, the Sea Giant couldn’t lift his head and roared in pain.
Several Silver Level bombs were mixed among the others, and at the Fishman Shaman’s warning, the Sea Giant suddenly dived, plunging into the water.
The bombs hit the water, blasting sprays of water upward.
The bird could only reluctantly cease fire as the sea water obscured his target.
“Accelerate, turn the helm to the left!” Lan Zao felt a bad premonition and shouted loudly on board the Justice.
His premonition was correct.
Due to the recent cannonade, the Sea Giant had shifted his focus from Zong Ge to the Justice as his primary target.
He emitted a long call from within the water.
Simultaneously, the Fishman Shaman on his shoulder was frantically waving and shouting, as if dancing.
The sea water was teeming with Fishmen who, hearing their calls, promptly swam over.
The Fishmen climbed onto the Sea Giant like ants, forming several layers of armor made of Fishmen all over his body, instantly making him appear even more massive.
He paddled with his limbs, stepping on currents, and approached the underside of the Justice with proficient swimming skills.
Bai Ya, standing at the bulwark, suddenly saw a dark shadow surge from the seabed and yelled at once, “Enemy attack, enemy attack!”
But it was already too late.
With a boom, towering waves rose.
From within the waves, the Sea Giant emerged.
He grabbed the bulwark with both hands, and his feet hit the hull, ready to climb onto the deck of the Justice.
The Big Guy shouted, swinging the Wolf Fang Club, fiercely smashing it onto the Sea Giant’s head that protruded above the bulwark.
The Sea Giant extended his arms, sweeping across the deck, and the Big Guy was violently thrown back, the Wolf Fang Club slipping from his hand.
The Fishman Shaman laughed loudly, pointing a finger. Fishmen on the Sea Giant’s body jumped onto the deck of the Justice like fleas, engaging in full combat with the pirates.
“Damn it!” Gray-clad Rat-man and Zong Ge hurried to assist.
Just then, the Fishman Shaman’s body jerked, his head falling from his neck.
The one who killed him was a Brown Scale Fishman beside him.
This Brown Scale Fishman suddenly erupted with Silver Fighting Spirit and, with a blood-stained scimitar, viciously stabbed into the Sea Giant’s neck beside him.
The Sea Giant: ?!!!
He was dumbfounded by this scene.
It was only when the Brown Scale Fishman pulled out the scimitar, causing the wound to gush blood, that the Sea Giant realized what happened.
Enraged to the extreme, regardless of others, he swung the anchor fiercely at the Brown Scale Fishman.
The Brown Scale Fishman scoffed with disdain, leaped gracefully, plunging into the water, causing only a small splash.
Just as the Sea Giant was about to pursue, magic from Cang Xu, combat skills from Zong Ge, and the gray-clad Rat-man all struck simultaneously.
Blood spattered wildly from the massive body of the Sea Giant!
This was the crucial turning point of the battle.
Moments later, the Sea Giant looked up and howled, carrying resentment and anger, dying from severe wounds on the battlefield.