Chapter 649: Section 436: Da Ji Tribe (2100 Monthly Votes Bonus Chapter)
The most crucial aspect was that the unique aura of the Undead had been completely erased.
Unless they detected the actual Ghost Ship, most people would only assume it to be a giant Bronze Level sea beast.
After completing this step, the Ghost Ship began to quietly ascend, gradually approaching the Softie.
Cang Xu and the others also returned to the cabin one after another.
As Mages, their primary task was to conceal themselves.
Cang Xu thought to himself, "Is there no way to apply any more camouflage?"
"In this state, if the Ghost Ship is detected, our identity can still be immediately recognized."
There was no helping it; the ship ghost didn’t have "Mermaid’s Fairy Tale," nor did it have a Deception Array to use. To have done this much was already the limit of his abilities.
This was also why the Ghost Ship had deliberately kept its distance from the Softie over the past few days, without any intention of approaching.
In terms of camouflage capability, even at the Golden Level, the ship ghost was still inferior to the Silver Level Sea Snake Lady.
Such a close approach by the Ghost Ship was still risky. The closer the distance, the greater the chance they would be discovered. But now that they had received communication from the Fin Spirit, battle was imminent, and naturally, there was no need to worry about such risks anymore.
After the Ghost Ship began to move, the Da Ji Fishman Tribe, to which the Fin Spirit belonged prior to its death, finally received the communication from the Fin Spirit.
"Lord Fin Spirit has sent a message!" exclaimed Qiao Miao, a Black Iron Level Fishman Priest.
"I’ve said it many times already, Fin Spirit has fallen and has become an Undead Mage. Stop referring to her as ’lord’!" Qi Shu scoffed coldly, looking displeased.
He was quite tall and was the top fighter of the Da Ji Tribe, achieving the Silver Level as a fighter.
Clan Leader Qi Ren shook his head: "Although Fin Spirit has become an Undead Mage, she has secretly looked after us. She secretly eliminated many dangerous sea beasts for the Da Ji Tribe. She has made contributions to the tribe."
"Clan Leader! If it weren’t for Fin Spirit, could we have been poisoned and controlled by that despicable and cunning human female pirate? It was to get hold of Fin Spirit that she did this. So, we have all been implicated by that damned Undead Mage," Qi Shu cried out in a low voice.
Qi Ren, the Clan Leader, shook his head again: "This is not what Fin Spirit wanted to see. The Sea Snake Lady is the true culprit, not her."
Qiao Miao quickly tried to defuse the tension: "Don’t worry too much, both of you. While it seems we’re under duress, in reality, we have Archbishop Zhou Zhang supporting us from behind. This time, the tribe’s tribulation will surely be overcome!"
Qiao Miao had great confidence in the future of the tribe.
His confidence stemmed from the octopus person Zhou Zhang.
The Sea Snake Lady had Ba Qi as a backup. Fin Spirit and the ship ghost were secretly in contact and had their backup plan. Unbeknownst to others, the tribe had also secretly secured powerful support.
On the surface, the Da Ji Tribe had been hunting alone in the White Hair Sea Trench, but in reality, they had already contacted octopus person Priest Zhou Zhang through other tribes.
Zhou Zhang had set up an altar in the deepest part of the White Hair Sea Trench, surrounding the Ocean Nest, and conducted Blood Sacrifices continuously.
Under her command were many marine sapient races, with Fishmen making up the vast majority, while the number of octopus people was quite sparse.
Zhou Zhang naturally did not advise against, where feasible, assisting the Da Ji Tribe a bit.
As an Archbishop of the Holy Domain Level adherent of Mei Lan, she always had a strong motivation for proselytizing. Especially after observing that over 50% of the Fishmen in the Da Ji Tribe were believers of the Mei Lan Faith.
To Zhou Zhang, such a Fishman Tribe was essentially one of her own.
However, after understanding the details, Zhou Zhang did not immediately act against the people on the Softie, but instead secretly commanded the Da Ji Tribe to play along with the Sea Snake Lady’s plan and to turn the tables on her.
So, the Da Ji Tribe could only keep up this act up to this point.
Honestly, Qi Shu was dissatisfied with such arrangements. He stated frankly, "Although we have the support of Archbishop Zhou Zhang, she too wants to use us as bait to lure more prey for the Blood Sacrifices."
Qi Shu wasn’t a believer of Mei Lan and was wary of Zhou Zhang.
Putting the tribe first, he voiced his worry: "Now we have to face a Golden Level Sea Snake, and we will certainly suffer great casualties."
Qi Ren sighed deeply: "To be able to preserve the tribe is already quite fortunate. If it was just us, there would have been no chance of turning the tide. Let’s endure. If we can get through this ordeal, the Da Ji Tribe will have vast and limitless prospects."
With limited strength, this was all that could be done.
Qi Shu and Qiao Miao exchanged looks and both sighed as well.
Immediately, the Fishmen communicated with Zhou Zhang using a conch shell.
This was a means of communication left to them specifically by Zhou Zhang.
Minutes later, the conch shell resonated, conveying Zhou Zhang’s orders.
As expected by Qi Ren, Qi Shu, and Qiao Miao, Zhou Zhang ordered the Da Ji Tribe to mobilize and, for the time being, cooperate with the Sea Snake Lady’s plan.
With a heavy sigh, Qi Ren gave the order: "Gather the entire tribe, we set off immediately."
Unable to hold back, Qiao Miao advised: "Clan Leader, perhaps it’s best to leave the elderly, women, and children behind."
Qi Shu offered a somewhat cold suggestion: "Let’s move together. If our main force is wiped out, the remnants left behind have no chance of survival either. Even if they are absorbed by other Fishman Tribes, their lives would be miserable. Sooner or later they’ll be cannon fodder; might as well be for once now, at least this time it’s for our own kin."
Qi Ren shook his head and ultimately revised the command; commanding the elder Fishmen to join the fight while leaving behind the women and children.
The Da Ji Tribe mobilized.
Following the coordinates provided by Fin Spirit, they quickly arrived near the Coral where the Sea Snake concealed herself.
Several hunter Fishmen ventured in, successfully locating the Gold Level sea serpent.
This was a silver banded, jade-scaled sea serpent, measuring 13 meters in length. Coiling in the shadows of the coral, its belly was slightly bulged, clearly having just fed and now resting to digest its meal.
Qi Ren and Qi Shu, two Silver Level individuals, personally took action, casting a fishing net at the sea serpent.
This was a Gold Level fishing net.
Although the Da Ji Tribe did not possess any Gold Level members, after generations of accumulation, they owned Gold Level equipment.
This fishing net represented the greatest foundation of the Da Ji Tribe.
Caught off guard, the sea serpent was successfully ensnared by the net, along with the surrounding coral.
The net swiftly contracted, while the rest of the Fishmen immediately followed up, throwing the first volley of thrusting spears.
The spear tips were sharp, splitting the water, almost all of them striking the serpent’s body.
However, the effect was poor; the thrusting spears basically failed to break through the sea serpent’s scales, with only a few thrown by Silver Level Fishmen barely drawing some snake blood.
The sea serpent, caught by surprise, started to wriggle and struggle within the net.
Over a hundred Fishmen exerted all their strength, pulling the ropes on the net’s edges.
The most important ropes at the four corners were firmly tied to the sea snails on the ocean floor.
These sea snails were enormous, like hills.
In the strictest sense, the Da Ji Tribe was a nomadic undersea community. The sea snails served as their primary domicile upon whom they relied for relocation and settlement.
The sea snail shells were huge, hollowed out inside with many chambers crafted, and even windows.
The food the Da Ji Tribe usually fed them was carefully selected minerals.
After consuming these, the snail shells would become as hard and heavy as iron.
To deal with the Gold Level sea serpent, the Da Ji Tribe brought forth all their resources, not only deploying the Gold Level fishing net but also enlisting all of their sea snails.
Arranged in four directions, the sea snails moved sluggishly, like four great columns, firmly pulling the net, preventing the sea serpent from easily escaping.
Wave after wave of thrusting spears rained down, and with them, attacks from individuals like Qi Ren, Qi Shu, and Qiao Miao.
Accumulation of Silver Level assaults increased the inflicted damage on the sea serpent, visibly augmenting the injuries on its body.
The sea serpent, in a fit of rage, spat out streams of a ghastly green poison.
The poison infected the surrounding water, spreading swiftly, like a dense fog spreading through the sea.
Fishmen who touched the water immediately convulsed from the poison.
It was extraordinarily potent!
The Da Ji Tribe immediately responded, consuming antidotal seaweed with little effect.
After all, this was a Gold Level Magic-like ability, a powerful method the Gold Level sea serpent relied on for survival.
At a critical moment, under Qi Ren’s command, the tribe’s older Fishmen successively and relentlessly charged into the poison mist. They carried water pouches, using them to absorb the surrounding water. Many even opened their mouths wide, treating themselves as water pouches, trying their utmost to soak up the surrounding toxic water.
Soon, this group of older Fishmen lay bloated, eyes bulging, motionless.
Qi Ren and Qi Shu’s faces were stern.
Qiao Miao’s expression was one of unbearable pain.
A solemn atmosphere quickly spread; soon, a second group of older Fishmen also rushed toward the sea serpent.
The suicidal attacks of group after group of older Fishmen successfully alleviated the situation with the toxic water.
Most of them headed to death with laughter, but there were those who fled in the face of death.
The latter were swiftly beheaded by individuals like Qi Shu.
Nevertheless, even towards these fleeing older Fishmen, the Fishmen of the Da Ji Tribe did not hold any contemptuous sneers. Cowardliness is the nature of any intelligent species. When they grow old, no one can wholly assure they won’t act the same.
Group after group of older Fishmen traded their lives for a turning point in the battlefield.
Their willing sacrifice was for the Da Ji Tribe, to leave enough living space for their own kin and to alleviate resource pressure.
Even in an environment like the White Hair Sea Trench, Fishman Tribes still face enormous survival pressures.
Under such pressures, the ocean’s intelligent populations constantly adapt, evolving the optimal survival strategies.
Although the sea serpent kept spitting poison, with the proper response from the Da Ji Tribe, despite many casualties, they could not change the reality of the serpent being bound by the net.
Four sea snails all together arrived flying, pulling the net, dragging the sea serpent towards the ambush point forcefully.
By the halfway point, the Da Ji Tribe had already lost over three hundred Fishmen, and even a sea snail had succumbed to the poison.
With almost all the older Fishmen gone, individuals like Qi Shu could only lead the elite warriors of the tribe into the fray.
After a torturous three-plus minutes, another sea snail fell.
More than half of the Transcendent Level Fishmen were casualties, causing Qi Ren immense heartache.