Dusk descended like a curtain, covering the battlefield at sea. The once tumultuous noise was completely gone, leaving behind bodies, ice chunks, and shattered planks of wood, all mingled together.
The crimson blood, under the glow of the setting sun, tinted the seawater with a resplendent shade of purple.
Large shoals of sharks roamed the sea, feasting on the bodies of the Navy and the pirates.
For them, it was a rare feast that only followed a pirate victory.
If the Navy had won, they would have salvaged the bodies. But with the pirates’ victory, they naturally pursued the advantage, seldom retrieving their comrades lost to the sea.
The First Naval Fleet arrived belatedly.
Scenes of gruesome carnage fell into the eyes of the naval soldiers.
The Vice Admiral focused more on observing the floating ice at sea.
These were mostly remnants of shattered float icebergs.
Soon, observations concluded— the Second Fleet’s casualties were not as severe as the Vice Admiral anticipated.
"It seems that the Lijian family lost at most a quarter of their forces, their main strength remains."
"Hmph, the floating icebergs really lent them a big hand."
"Strange, could it be that Da Han didn’t strike?"
Subsequent reconnaissance reports arrived one after another.
Only then did the Vice Admiral learn: "Da Han did strike, but not continuously..."
"The Lijian family is really useless, they barely provoked many combat methods from Da Han. The valuable combat intelligence gathered is minimal!"
The Vice Admiral felt disdain and anger, while on another warship, Mei Lin leaned against the ship’s railing, a hint of reluctance flickering in her eyes.
The First Naval Fleet could have arrived in time, but the fleet’s high command chose to intentionally delay.
Mei Lin didn’t like acting this way, but reason told her— it was the most correct and wise decision.
On one hand, politically: The Royal Family had long been dissatisfied with and wary of the Lijian family controlling the Second Naval Fleet. By delaying support, the First Naval Fleet weakened the Lijian family and also tested Da Han, achieving multiple goals.
On the other hand, militarily: There never were any Holy Domain-level interventions from the Ice Sculpture Kingdom. This battle was destined to be a loss!
Mei Lin pondered secretly: "Our Kingdom’s three Holy Domain-level powers, represented by the King and the Royal Family’s Grand Mage, protect the Royal Family and the interests of the Hanyu family, being very guarded against the Lijian family for the second position. They probably intend to weaken the latter, hence they didn’t engage."
"Lacking opponents of the same level, the Second Naval Fleet could not possibly win. Da Han alone was unmanageable, let alone a Holy Domain-level Ice Crystal Jellyfish."
This could count as two Holy Domain-level forces.
If it were a battle of equals, the Holy Domain-level Magic Beast would be disadvantageous, easily targeted. However, the combination of Da Han and the Ice Crystal Jellyfish could be considered 1.5 Holy Domain-level forces.
But in a higher-level assault, for the Second Naval Fleet, Da Han and the Ice Crystal Jellyfish’s combination was absolutely two Holy Domains, perhaps even more daunting due to the Magic Beast’s superior offense and defense, and resilient durability.
"This was a sure-lost naval battle, perhaps the Vice Admiral knew the higher-ups’ plan, hence avoided it in advance."
Soon after, Mei Lin also received the battlefield investigations results.
Throughout the entire war, Da Han made only two strikes. On one occasion, he performed a Holy Domain-level Divine Arts, securing the victory and showcasing the might of the Holy Domain.
As high-level beings within the Extraordinary Levels, Holy Domain masters concentrated immense power in one, achieving a qualitative transformation.
Every move could easily overturn a battlefield, stirring regional upheaval.
This is a world of strong beings; without equivalent combat power, the Second Naval Fleet could only become the object of slaughter.
From this perspective, their ability to escape and preserve their main force was a demonstration of capability.
What caught Mei Lin’s attention more was not the Holy Domain-level Divine Arts, but the first move Da Han made.
Da Han was not merely showing one trick.
He targeted Kong Pan once.
Kong Pan wasn’t killed on the spot, but his spellcasting was abruptly thwarted.
Mei Lin’s eyes grew heavy: "Da Han masters time-related Divine Arts, capable of future calculation."
"Therefore, he foresaw the future scene, acted in advance, and precisely suppressed Kong Pan."
"Moreover, his later use of the crossed sword slash with Divine Arts cleverly avoided the ice mountain’s capability to absorb ice elements. This shouldn’t be mere coincidence, but rather a predicted optimal attack method from Da Han."
"An enemy like this is truly frightening..."
Just his Holy Domain-level alone was enough to cause headaches, bringing monumental pressure and making it hard to breathe. Now Mei Lin discovered Da Han could predict the future with Divine Arts.
This inflated Da Han’s daunting level by at least tenfold!
Many tactics were snuffed out before they were used, foreseen by Da Han.
Da Han responded timely, facing it more calmly, and could even counteract.
What Mei Lin knew was, Kong Pan was very strong, she led the Second Naval Fleet for years, proficient and versatile in naval tactics. As long as they didn’t encounter a Holy Domain, they could dominate the sea.
But in this battle, she didn’t even employ any fitting naval tactics, likely all pre-empted by Da Han.
Recalling the naval battle from the battle report, Mei Lin found that the Lijian family didn’t have any counterstrike ability in this attack-defense battle. Initially, their sea defense was first breached by pirate vanguards, then assaulted again, and finally harvested on Da Han’s third offense.
"If it were me, with the First Fleet, facing Da Han, it would absolutely be unfavorable." Mei Lin’s mood was heavy.
She sensed the huge gap between the enemy and her side through the battle report.
The Vice Admiral summoned her to discuss the next steps.
With the Second Naval Fleet’s retreat, the maritime defense line in this area was thoroughly breached.
According to various reconnaissance, the Vice Admiral already knew: Pirates showed signs of dispersion by the end of the naval battle. By the time the Second Navy was chased away entirely, the pirate coalition was already in disarray.
"In the upcoming period, any coastal town on Ice Sculpture Island could likely face pirate raids."
"The Second Naval Fleet can’t be relied upon, from now on it depends solely on us."
"Luckily, the pirates have low discipline; a victory in one naval battle already disperses them. This provides us an excellent opportunity to concentrate forces for annihilation!"
The Vice Admiral said this, striking the sea chart on the table with a fist, boosting morale.
Mei Lin then asked, "Where is Da Han located?"
For the next operation to succeed, the key was to avoid Da Han.
The Vice Admiral fell silent, as a vice admiral speculated: "Da Han, as a renowned Holy Domain-level, if he takes action, his target certainly won’t be small."
"I think our Kingdom’s Eight Great Trade Ports might all become his targets."
"I suggest we directly avoid these eight ports and first hunt down pirate groups elsewhere."
This suggestion was quickly approved.
After the discussion ended, Mei Lin left the flagship and returned to her own ship, and by then, the sunset had descended, and night fell upon the sea.
The First Fleet cleaned up the battlefield a bit, then withdrew.
Mei Lin watched the distant battlefield, letting out a soft sigh.
No matter how excellent the commander is, facing an extremely powerful individual, no tactics would work.
In the face of Da Han, a Holy Domain Level being, the art of command becomes a joke.
A sense of powerlessness surged in Mei Lin’s heart.
At the same time, Zi Di was also filled with a sense of helpless gloom.
She was heading towards the Teleportation Array with Zong Ge.
Zong Ge was still unconscious. No, to be precise, his soul had disappeared but his body was still alive.
"I must leave the Royal Capital as soon as possible!"
Zi Di was planning to flee with Zong Ge.
Apart from Zong Ge’s coma, the most important reason was that there were too few Pearl Bubbles.
To leave this time, Zi Di used two Pearl Bubbles again, altering both her and Zong Ge’s appearances.
As a result, Zi Di only had two Pearl Bubbles left.
She had to retreat.
Once the Pearl Bubbles were used up, her secret as an Undead Mage would inevitably be exposed.
At that time, the entire Royal Capital’s extraordinary forces would come to hunt her down.
This retreat meant giving up duels and pausing business plans. But Zi Di was really powerless, she could only choose to retreat!
Of course, she had thought about seeking help from the Lijian family, but quickly dismissed the idea.
The Lijian family had already vaguely shown malice, seeking help at this time would be a sign of weakness, likely turning the Lijian family, an ally, into an enemy!
Turning friends into foes? Zi Di would never do such a losing business. So she decided to leave temporarily, using the Deception and Disguise Skill to mysteriously disappear, leaving enough room for the Lijian family to imagine. If this could make them apprehensive, all the better.
Along with Zi Di, people like Fat Tongue also left, but in several groups.
Initially, Zi Di’s retreat went smoothly.
However, when she brought the wooden box (containing Zong Ge) into the Teleportation Array queue, the array did not activate.
"What’s going on?" the other people in the teleportation queue asked.
The official in charge of the Teleportation Array stepped forward: "We’ve detected contraband. This teleportation is paused, we need to inspect everyone."
The crowd was shocked and complained but had to comply.
Zi Di sensed something was wrong, forced herself to remain calm, and was confident in her Deception and Disguise Skill.
However, when she was led into a room alone, she met an acquaintance—the housekeeper of the Lijian family.
"Mage Yao Ma is leaving the city late at night, is there something important? Perhaps the Lijian family can help." The housekeeper smiled.
Zi Di was greatly shocked.
She had obviously covered herself with a new layer of Deception and Disguise Skill, yet had not fooled the Lijian family!
In an instant, she realized that the cessation of the Teleportation Array was entirely the Lijian family’s doing.
The Lijian family specifically came for her and Zong Ge.
The housekeeper, with a smile, sipped tea, seeing Zi Di’s shocked expression, continued to ask: "Your group has been closely cooperating with our family. Leaving without notice is not very polite."
"You are not only escaping alone but also taking your squad leader with you."
"So what about the upcoming National Ceremony duel? What about the Warm Snow Cup competition? What about our sales of mount Magic Potions?"
Zi Di coldly snorted, interrupting the housekeeper, and asked the most crucial question: "How did you see through our disguise?"
The housekeeper revealed a smug smile: "About this, we are quite curious."
"Your group’s disguise methods are ingenious, different from most disguise abilities. Those unaware can hardly see through, but as long as someone knows that you have changed your appearance, you appear the same to those in the know."
"What exactly is this method? Can you tell us?"
Zi Di immediately understood, narrowed her eyes, cold light pouring from the slits: "You were monitoring us?"
The housekeeper nodded, openly admitting: "Luckily we did, otherwise depending on your group’s disguise methods, wouldn’t we be fooled by you?"
Zi Di sneered: "Even if discovered, what can you do? Don’t forget, we signed a Magic Contract."
This was a layer of insurance.
Cooperative parties cannot harm each other.
The housekeeper said, "Mage Yao Ma, don’t worry, our family values its reputation, and of course wouldn’t kill you."
"But leaving without notice like this is inadvisable."
"Better to return and continue fulfilling your duties."
"Oh, and don’t worry too much about Lord Long Fu."
"His current state is not necessarily a bad thing."
Zi Di’s expression changed again, unable to hide her killing intent: "So that’s it! You tampered with the Worry Relief Red Wine, causing Lord Long Fu to be unconscious."
The smile on the housekeeper’s face widened even more: "Don’t think about attacking me, Mage Yao Ma, don’t forget, we have a cooperation contract."
Zi Di’s personal strength was not high, especially when facing the well-prepared Lijian family.
She would have a hard time escaping alone, let alone with the burden of Zong Ge.
The housekeeper truly did not harm Zi Di but forced her to return.
Zi Di was helpless, only able to be escorted back to their previous residence.
There, she saw Fat Tongue and others who were also escorted back.
Zi Di appeared calm, but Fat Tongue was quite agitated upon seeing Zi Di.
Because he knew that the Pearl Bubbles were insufficient.
Once completely used up, his young mistress’s identity as an Undead would be completely exposed. By then, even if the Lijian family wanted to protect Zi Di, they couldn’t.
Zi Di would be torn apart by the swarming Transcendents!
As for Zong Ge and Fat Tongue, although they also had positions and would be exposed, their identities weren’t as sensitive and could linger for a while.
Of course, this was only temporary.
Once their true identities were shown, it wouldn’t take long for someone to uncover their real identities. Subsequently, the secrets of Mysterious Monster Island would also be exposed!
By that time, everything would be over.
Desolation.
Zi Di, Zong Ge, Fat Tongue, and others found themselves in despair.