Chapter 460: Section 247: Battle of Pine Wind Sea 6
White Bandage.
The Dragon-man youth stepped on the leaning mast at the bow, his tough crimson dragon scales facing the sea breeze, displaying his bulky and robust figure.
He held a monocular telescope in his hand, watching the Iron Lump.
And Zong Ge stood ready on the ship’s stern.
The sailors were bustling about onboard and below deck, two covert combat teams lay in wait, their hiding places unknown.
Many cannons had already been extended from their ports, their dark, round barrels like the gleaming teeth of a giant beast.
Unlike the other two sides, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, who joined the battlefield last, was in peak condition.
But the Dragon-man youth’s expression was solemn because he knew that although his side seemed to have the upper hand in strength, it wasn’t really the case.
The Gold Level Undead Mage—a ship ghost—had not yet taken action, and the alliance of three pirate groups was also a formidable opponent.
“Let’s go, it’s the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps!” On Crying Pine Island, Ku Feng spotted the banner of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps and once again grabbed the Little Prince by the neck, retreating deeper into the pine forest.
“I’ve spent some time with them.”
“This mercenary group has a strong backing, rumored originally to be an arms smuggling organization.”
“The squad leader and Vice Captain of the mercenary group are no ordinary Silver Level; Vice Captain Lion Flag has already achieved Gold-colored Silver Fighting Spirit, and the squad leader Long Fu is even more formidable.”
“He was unmatched at his level during the melee on Twin Eyes Island. He even fought head-on against an ear slapper and only barely came up short.”
As Ku Feng explained to the Little Prince, he used the Communication Device to inform the other Undead Mages as well, including Cang Xu, a newcomer attending the Undead Gathering for the first time.
“The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps… they’ve finally come!” Onion-head frowned deeply.
There was no doubt that the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps was an extremely powerful enemy.
Dian Wan was even more anxious.
Because, according to the course of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, they would be the first to encounter them.
It wasn’t that Dian Wan didn’t want to retreat, to put distance between himself and the Dragon Lion Mercenary Group; it was that they were currently entangled by the Undead three-headed sea snake and the Water Ghost Army, unable to move.
“Fire at me, fire at me!” Dian Wan gritted his teeth, resolved, and suddenly yelled.
He leapt back onto the sea’s surface, facing his own cannons head-on.
The First Officer also shouted, “Do as the squad leader said!”
Boom! Boom!
Two cannon shots rang out, and two Electric Grid Bombs were fired one after the other, exploding over Dian Wan’s head.
The resulting electric nets enveloped him.
Dian Wan summoned all his Fighting energy, struggling against the double layer of electric nets.
The nets quickly scorched his skin black and emitted the smell of cooked meat.
Dian Wan’s body trembled violently, his head bowing and his back continuously buckling as he fought to stay conscious.
He endured the most difficult phase with sheer force of will.
After catching his breath, he immediately used his Fighting energy to absorb the electric current in and on his body.
He practiced the Electric Torture Battle Qi Technique, a cultivation method founded on rigorous austerity. Normally, he would deliberately come into contact with electric currents, willingly suffer electric shocks, and use the electric flow to stimulate his body, inside and out, to generate Fighting energy.
His regular Cultivation was extremely painful, and the Secret Skill he was now employing derived from the same principle.
Both involved electrical stimulation and, amidst immense pain, served to achieve a certain cultivation goal.
The double layer of electric nets was Dian Wan’s limit.
Originally, he had depleted much of his Fighting energy chasing the Iron Lump, battling the Undead three-headed sea snake, and fighting the Water Ghost Army—barely having 30% left.
But after enduring such an electric shock, his potential was greatly stimulated, and his Fighting energy quickly recovered to 85%. At the same time, his attack, defense, and speed all considerably increased.
“It really hurts!” Dian Wan slowly lifted his head, extended his arms—now swollen to at least double their usual size—and crossed them over his chest.
Then, he threw his head back and thrust his arms out, ripping apart the weakened double layer of electric nets in an instant.
Dian Wan bared his chest, his whole body swollen, his muscles bulging as if carved from marble, his spikey blue hair standing straight like needles, with sparks of electricity flickering at the tips and along the strands.
Dian Wan’s eyes were pitch black, with dazzling electric light radiating outward from his azure pupils.
At this moment, Dian Wan reached his personal peak of combat prowess!
Bang.
He stomped on the sea’s surface and disappeared from his original spot.
Dian Wan transformed into a bolt of lightning and violently struck the belly of the Undead three-headed snake.
The Undead three-headed snake, hit as if by a moving train engine, was knocked far away from the Electric Grid Fishing Ship.
All three snake heads turned toward their own belly and spat out powerful Magic-like attacks.
Dian Wan roared and executed a Combat Skill.
After the collision, a massive explosion ensued.
The Undead three-headed snake was blasted directly into the sea, leaving a colossal hole in its abdomen.
Dian Wan, breathing heavily, jumped onto the stern of his flagship, looking at the Undead three-headed snake falling into the water; his complexion pale, his swollen body had also shrunk slightly.
“Great General!” the Little Prince hiding on the island called out in pain.
He could sense that the Undead three-headed snake was seriously injured.
Of course, it could still fight.
But the Little Prince no longer wanted to risk his “Great General.”
He commanded the Undead three-headed snake to retreat immediately through Spirit communication.
The creature showed no intention of arguing and spared no fighting Spirit of a living being, it, cold and mechanical, headed back toward Songfeng Island upon receiving the order.
Meanwhile, Dian Wan engaged with the Water Ghost Army, inflicting no small losses upon them.
His fighting energy was mixed with electric currents, dramatically increasing the lethal effect on ghosts.
Seeing this, the Fin Spirit Mage promptly commanded the Water Ghost Army to retreat.
The water ghosts moved swiftly; conventional physical obstacles meant almost nothing to them, and they retreated cleanly as if they had never been there.
But the sunken ships of the Jidian Pirate Group, scattered with pirate corpses everywhere, bore witness to their terror.
“Did we win?”
“We finally repelled those damned undead!”
“Wuwuwu, I thought I was a goner this time.”
“It’s all thanks to our captain! Dian Wan’s mighty presence!!”
Dian Wan tried to steady his breathing; he hastily issued an order: “Get moving, quick! The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is coming!”
The pirates’ cheers came to an abrupt halt.
Their situation was truly miserable.
After being ravaged and bullied by two veteran Silver Level Undead Mages, they were now facing the formidable Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
The pirates tensed up, scrambling into action with hardly a moment to breathe.
The First Officer stood by Dian Wan, looking anxiously at him.
His fists were trembling slightly, yet he stood erect, like a steel spear!
He focused intently on the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, his heart filled with bitterness.
There was no time left to spare.
Dian Wan had no desire to fight; the Jidian Pirate Group had already suffered enough casualties.
But setting sail now, their speed would not compete with the high-speed vessels of the mercenary corps.
“Prepare for battle!” Dian Wan commanded once again, glaring at the approaching formidable foe.
However, the First Officer had a different thought: “Boss, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps might not come after us.”
Almost simultaneously, the Dragon-man youth issued an order: “Circle around, avoid the Jidian Pirate Group.”
The next moment, with the White Bandage as the flagship, the fleet deviated slightly from its course, with the following ships in close pursuit.
They were like a sharp blade, maintaining a certain distance and cutting diagonally past the Jidian Pirate Group.
By Dian Wan’s side, the First Officer’s eyes flashed with a brief spark of insight: “Our previous reconnaissance revealed that the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps has incorporated the Dwarf Menshi, a Silver Level figure, into their ranks.”
“There are a large number of Dwarf prisoners on the Iron Lump, all of Menshi’s kinsfolk.”
“So, the primary target of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is not us pirates but the Iron Lump.”
“The squad leader Long Fu wants to rescue these Dwarves!”
Dian Wan suddenly realized: “So that’s the case.”
But just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he saw plumes of white smoke rising from the sides of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ fleet, large and small.
Both Dian Wan and the First Officer’s pupils contracted sharply as they shouted: “Cannon fire! Take cover, everyone!”
Although the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps had deliberately circumvented the Jidian Pirate Group, they did not completely spare them.
In terms of positioning, the Jidian Pirate Group’s ships were clustered together, while the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ ships were almost in a straight line, perfectly aligning their sides with the Jidian Pirate Group.
Normally, a ship’s cannons were mostly arranged on both sides, hence the firepower of the sides was the strongest, while the bow and stern were the weakest.
The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps was not short on cannons.
They had lacked them once, but after the battle at Twin Eyes Island, they had reorganized and conducted a transaction with Hun Tong, fully restocking their ordinary cannons.
The dense barrage of cannons hung over the Jidian Pirate Group like a layer of curtain, impartial and remorseless.
Bang, bang, bang…
Continuous explosions rained down upon the Jidian Pirate Group, massively increasing casualties in an instant.
Dian Wan roared in anger.
The First Officer, on the other hand, hugged his head and buried himself behind cover, curling up as much as possible.
Suddenly, a bomb landed near the two men.
This was a Silver Level bomb!
The bomb exploded, knocking the First Officer unconscious on the spot. A huge hole was blown open on the deck of the Electric Grid Fishing Ship, and Dian Wan was blasted three meters away.
The one responsible was Chi Lai.
Seeing Dian Wan blown away but quickly getting back up, Chi Lai sighed regretfully.
The cannon in front of him had exploded, completely damaged and unable to support his attack.
“If it were a Golden Level cannon, the entire Electric Grid Fishing Ship would be no match for it!” Chi Lai reminisced.
He had once fired a Golden Level cannon during the chaos at Twin Eyes Island.
That profound sense of satisfaction was unforgettable to this day.
“Boss Dian Wan, how are you?” the pirates asked with concern.
“I’m fine!” Dian Wan stood upright, but his back was drenched in blood.
“Cough, cough, cough.” He suddenly coughed violently, turning even paler.
But he knew he could not fall; he had to grit his teeth and hold on.
Just then, the Sea Snake Lady’s voice came through the communication device: “Captain Dian Wan, please have your group hold back the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps as much as possible!”
Dian Wan was stunned for a moment before exploding in curse: “Screw your holding back!”
The Jidian Pirate Group had suffered grievously; Dian Wan immediately ordered a full retreat.
The Jidian Pirate Group became the first team to start withdrawing from the battlefield.