Chapter 295: Section 83: Sucking Nest Trench
Using multiple Combat Skills at the same time is no simple feat, requiring at least two conditions to be met.
The first condition is that the energy pathways of the Combat Skills don’t conflict with each other. The second depends on whether the user can multitask, distributing their energy to carry out multiple intricate operations simultaneously.
The Redscale Chaos Blade Skill is inherently complex; old Brownscale can’t use any other Combat Skills when employing it.
Yet the Fishman youth could also use the Wave Stepping Combat Skill at the same time.
When both Combat Skills were unleashed together, it appeared as effortlessly simple as drinking water.
The surrounding Fishmen were all astonished by the youth’s “talent.”
...
The oppressive power of the Redscale Chaos Blade Skill was terrifying enough, and combined with the mobility of Wave Stepping, it suddenly caused the Fishman youth’s combat strength to surge.
Sword Scar became increasingly frustrated as the fight went on, with the youth firmly seizing the initiative.
The other Swordfin Fishmen all wore looks of tension and worry.
After battling for a moment longer, just as it seemed Sword Scar was about to fall, Man Ying suddenly spoke up, “Stop the fight, this duel is over. Sword Scar is defeated, the victor is you. What is your name?”
“Bubble.” The Fishman youth retreated and sheathed his blade, replying with composure.
Cheers erupted from the surrounding Fishmen.
Man Ying nodded at the youth, a look of appreciation spreading across his face.
Sword Scar looked incredibly sour, glaring at the Fishman youth as he accused, “Where do you come from? Lord Man Ying, this guy’s origins are unclear, he could be a spy from the White-Eye or Poison Arrow Family.”
“Shut up! He’s my nephew and only recently joined our town; how could he possibly be a spy?” old Brownscale immediately shouted.
Pickled Vegetable added at once, “You lost, just accept it, why are you still making excuses?”
The Fishman youth glanced at the master and disciple, not denying Brownscale’s claim of kinship. This was to his benefit, as it would make Man Ying more at ease about his background.
The Swordfin Fishmen didn’t press the issue too much.
They had already guessed as much.
After all, the Fishman youth and old Brownscale both bore Brownscale lineage and had learned the signature Redscale Chaos Blade Skill, which was old Brownscale’s hidden ace in the hole.
The Fishman youth laughed heartily, “Swordfin Town is nothing much after all.”
He carried the air of a proud young victor.
He raised his arms high, walking along the edge of the duel field, surrounded by the cheering Fishmen.
The shouting from the Fishmen grew even louder.
Some Swordfin Fishmen were visibly vexed, while others had dark expressions.
“Look on the bright side. This is actually a good thing; we’ve forced out an unexpected opponent. If it weren’t for coming with Lord Man Ying, we might still be in the dark. Now that Bubble has revealed himself, we will be on guard against him. Although he’s Black Iron, the addition of one Black Iron to the opposition doesn’t affect the overall balance of power between us,” Fishmen comforted Sword Scar.
Sword Scar nodded slowly, his voice low and laden with a murderous intent, “This kid’s too arrogant. He won’t last long.”
The victorious Fishman youth joined Man Ying’s team alongside Pickled Vegetable and other Fishmen in a high-profile manner.
Man Ying rested in the town while the old Shaman ordered the Fishmen to prepare lunch.
Taking advantage of this time, old Brownscale pulled the Fishman youth aside in a corner, “The geography of Suction Gully is complicated, be careful. You’ve offended the Swordfin Fishmen, and they’ll take their chances to strike at you.”
“I will teach you that Defensive Combat Skill. You are a talent among our Brownscale Fishmen, you’ll learn it easily.”
Thus, the Fishman youth acquired the Steelscale Combat Skill.
“This time, I thank you,” old Brownscale said, after teaching the skill, expressing his gratitude to the Fishman youth.
The youth waved his hand nonchalantly, “I just couldn’t stand them.”
Brownscale lowered his voice further, “We’ll keep your background a secret. Just pretend you’re my nephew and don’t casually expose your past as a Wandering Fishman. Man Ying is a person of high station, and these Upper-class folks don’t really trust outsiders.”
“Got it, I’ll remember that,” the Fishman youth nodded.
Both he and old Brownscale were pleased.
The Fishman youth had gained an appropriate identity and background, while old Brownscale had tightly interwoven the youth’s fate with his own and that of the town.
From this perspective, old Brownscale felt an unprecedented sense of gratitude towards the Swordfin Fishmen who had assisted them.
After lunch, the team left town and continued on their journey.
The space between Fishman villages and towns wasn’t safe, and at any moment, something unexpected could happen.
But that evening, as they arrived at the third town, they were only ambushed by two shark packs.
These foolhardy sharks ended up as spoil of war for the cadre of elite Fishmen.
In this town, Man Ying successfully recruited a group of Fishman Transcendents.
Most of these Fishmen were descendants of Steel Bone Knights, each with their own mounts. The common mounts were sea toads, in addition to the rare crabs and turtles.
These sea beasts were also Magic Beasts, the majority Bronze Level, but there were also two or three Black Irons.
The team rested in Knight Sea Town for a night, and early the next morning after breakfast, they set off.
It took two days and one night for the team to reach the outskirts of Suction Gully.
“Do you see these small holes?” Pickled Vegetable pointed at the black holes on the cliffs of the gully, speaking to the Fishman youth.
Such small black holes were common, found throughout the entire gully.
Seeing the youth nod, Sour Pickle seriously cautioned, “Stay away from these caves, some are interconnected and sometimes they emit a terrifying suction force that draws in everything nearby into the holes.”
“The suction is scary, not just for us Black Iron Fighters, but even those at the Silver Level could be in trouble.”
“If you’re lucky enough, maybe you could crawl out of the hole.”
“Eight or nine out of ten Fishmen sucked in won’t come back.”
“Who knows what’s inside!”
The Suction Nest Trench was truly a dangerous place.
Aside from the perilous terrain, a large Lobsterfolk tribe also dwelled here.
Under Man Ying’s command, the team ventured deep into the Suction Nest Trench.
Before long, one of the Fishman scouts swimming ahead returned to report the sighting of a Lobsterfolk and requested instructions.
“Kill it directly,” Man Ying said, seething with murderous intent.
The Fishman youth travelled with the main force for a while before he came across the body of a Lobsterfolk.
This Lobsterfolk had a brownish-red shell, about 3 meters in length and 2 meters tall. Its shell was mottled, indicating it was very old.
The seabed scallops discarded next to the body of the Lobsterfolk suggested that this elderly creature had ventured out alone in search of food.
Lobsterfolk’s primary diet consisted of the flesh inside shells.
Of course, they also hunted at times, and any fish, including Fishmen, were their food.
Likewise, Fishmen also ate Lobsterfolk.
In fact, on land, Lobsterfolk meat was commonly regarded as a delicacy by all races.
The Fishman youth examined the body, his keen eyes spotting the fatal wound on the head.
It was a clear cut, lodged in the crevice between shells.
“The attacker must have been a Sword Fin Fishman. Both his swimming speed and the speed of his strike were very fast,” the image of a previous scene flashed through the Fishman youth’s mind.
An elderly Lobsterfolk was using its pincers to pry open a shell, attempting to extract the flesh within.
The Sword Fin Fishman scout approached silently, and when within a certain distance, he suddenly swam violently towards the target.
By the time the Lobsterfolk reacted, the Sword Fin Fishman scout had brushed past him like a sharp arrow.
The Lobsterfolk paused, a blue stream of blood spurting from the knife wound in his head.
The next moment, his massive body toppled with a crash.
Their Bloodlines were different; Sword Fin Fishmen had a more elongated body, and their swimming speed could outpace Brown Scale Fishmen without the use of Combat Skills.
The Fishman youth approached the Lobsterfolk’s corpse and tried to cut through the shell with his Black Iron Scimitar.
Quickly, he managed to crack the Lobsterfolk’s shell, but it was a lot more effort than he had expected.
“This is a Bronze Level Lobsterfolk, the shell is this tough. In real combat, it’s better to aim for the gaps between shells,” the youth silently told himself.
“Lord Man Ying, should we destroy this Lobsterfolk’s body?” a Fishman asked.
“No need! Let it spread the scent of death. I’d love to see the expressions of panic and terror on the Lobsterfolk’s faces, hahaha, let’s move on!” Man Ying gestured grandly and continued to lead the team forward unbowed.
His careless offensive stance soon alerted the Lobsterfolk, and more and more of them appeared on their path.
Shh!
With a light sound, the Fishman youth’s Black Iron Scimitar sliced off a Lobsterfolk’s shell and killed him instantly.
But the next moment, three huge Lobsterfolk pincers attacked from three directions.
The Fishman youth promptly used Wave Stepping to retreat.
However, there were also Lobsterfolk behind him.
Fortunately, at the moment of impact, the youth activated his Blood Core, turning the scales on his back into Dragon Scales, significantly enhancing his defensive power.
The Lobsterfolk was knocked back, and the youth retransformed his scales back into Fishman form.
To this day, his ability to manipulate his Blood Core had risen to a high level.
The Lobsterfolk knocked back by the youth turned over, ready to strike at his back, but Sour Pickle charged over at that moment, stabbing the Lobsterfolk’s heart with a scimitar, successfully extricating the youth from danger.
The Fishman youth and Sour Pickle fought side by side.
Looking around, red Lobsterfolk shells were everywhere. The Lobsterfolk were much larger than the Fishmen and far outnumbered them.
However, most Lobsterfolk were ordinary creatures, with even fewer Transcendents compared to the Fishmen.
Having withstood the initial onslaught with the combined strength of the Fishman Transcendents, these Lobsterfolk began to be slaughtered one by one.
In this battle, Man Ying took action for the first time, revealing the aura of the Silver Level.
“There are at least three Silver Fighters among these Lobsterfolk, and a Lobsterfolk Shaman at the Black Iron Level. Our team’s strength has been completely exposed now, and we’re likely to face the Lobsterfolk’s main force next,” Sword Scar said, deeply concerned.
There were still too few in their team, and this was Lobsterfolk territory.
If they had a group of ordinary Fishmen to aid them in combat, Sword Scar would feel much more confident.