Ice Sculpture Island.
One of the Eight Great Trade Ports—Military Port.
Pirate leader Hongpa sat in a wide-backed chair, munching on a watermelon with grunts and snorts.
He sat on the deck of the flagship, gazing at the distant military port.
The military port was on full alert; Mage Tower emitted an imposing radiance, activated a massive Magic Array, and raised a magic light wall.
The light wall was multi-colored, like an aurora, stretching between heaven and earth, intercepting all incoming enemies.
The Firepower Fear pirate group led by Hongpa was now blocked by the light wall.
"First round of artillery fire, birdchild cloud mushroom bombs ready." The First Officer of the Firepower Fear pirate group, positioned in the ship’s bow tower, held an alchemy communication device, directing the battle for Commander Hongpa.
The Firepower Fear pirate ships were already arranged in a line; various long and short, thick and thin cannon barrels were densely packed together.
Bang bang bang...
The next moment, bombs were discharged, smoke rising.
Not all cannons were firing, but the longest ones were.
About fifty bombs were launched; then steel wings popped from the sides. In the air, the steel wings vibrated, making a noise like bird chirps.
The bombs soared upwards, reaching high in the sky and began to follow a full parabolic path, slowly descending.
They all hit the Seven-Colored Light Wall.
Boom boom boom...
Every bomb exploded with a deafening roar.
Within the enormous airwaves, plumes of white mushroom clouds rapidly rose.
After the smoke cleared, the Seven-Colored Light Wall was thinned by a third, but still remained massive.
"The Mage Tower of the Military Port combines seven different defensive magic arrays to form the super-sized spell ’Aurora Great Wall,’ truly astounding in defense!" The First Officer marveled.
After his wonderment, he kept his face calm and continued to order, "Second round of artillery fire, Python Flow Bombs, launch."
This time, medium-length cannons joined in the roar.
About three hundred Python Flow Bombs exploded in the air, transforming into giant electric pythons, rushing into the ’Aurora Great Wall.’
These pythons were like colossal Sea Monsters, constantly swirling and churning within the Great Wall.
The ’Aurora Great Wall’ erupted with brilliant light, encircling the invading giant electric pythons.
After a confrontation, the electric python’s size shrank until they finally vanished.
The pirate First Officer’s eyes flashed with a sharp light, "The ’Aurora Great Wall’ has already been weakened by two-thirds."
"So for the third round, let’s go at it with full force."
He abruptly raised his tone and ordered via the alchemy communication device, "Third round of artillery fire, Shock Space Bombs, launch!"
This time, even the short cannons joined in.
Numerous round bombs were stuffed into the cannon barrels and launched into the air.
Upon impact with the ’Aurora Great Wall,’ these round bombs quickly disintegrated.
Instead of a gunpowder explosion, countless spatial cracks rapidly formed.
Clusters of spatial cracks intertwined and entangled, swiftly evolving to form large spatial tears.
Spatial tears filled the ’Aurora Great Wall,’ which was at risk, its brilliant light dimming to the extreme, and its transcendent aura weakened to the utmost.
But in the next moment, the Mage Tower unleashed terrifying mana, infusing it into the ’Aurora Great Wall.’
With this boost, the weakened appearance vanished, once again becoming grand and thick, its radiance magnificent and dazzling.
The First Officer was dumbfounded, "This, this..."
Crunch crunch.
At this time, pirate leader Hongpa finished the last slice of watermelon; he clapped his hands and stood up.
The colorful aurora illuminated his pig-like face.
A look of displeasure and puzzlement spread across his face, "Wasn’t the ’Aurora Great Wall’ supposed to be the kind of spell that forms once, and can’t be further invested in after it’s cast?"
The First Officer’s voice came from the alchemy device hanging at Hongpa’s waist, laden with obvious fear, "Co-Commander, this should be the spell technique ’Magic Refresh.’ Didn’t expect that the Snow Elves of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom could already apply personal spell techniques to defensive magic arrays."
Hongpa sighed, "I don’t care about any spell techniques; the reason we chose the Military Port was just because of your suggestion."
The First Officer quickly said, "Yes, according to my analysis, relying on our group’s powerful firepower, we should definitely be able to easily deplete the ’Aurora Great Wall.’ Then, after plundering this port focused on military trade, we’ll grow even stronger."
"This is definitely an accident, a mistake in intelligence, it’s not my fault!"
Hongpa sneered, "When we were coming, we agreed on this. You suggested attacking here, and now we can’t even breach the outer layer of defense. First Officer, you have to go."
"No, no, Commander, spare me, please, give me another chance!" The First Officer desperately clutched the alchemy communication device, loudly begging for mercy.
But the next moment, the cabin door was abruptly pushed open, and several burly Water Pigman pirates walked over ferociously.
The First Officer’s face was full of terror, without a trace of resistance, he directly collapsed to the ground.
Water Pigman pirates grabbed the First Officer’s feet and dragged him out, pulling him from the captain’s cabin to behind a cannon.
The First Officer streamed with tears and snot, begging frantically.
But the pirates remained unmoved and opened the cannon barrel, stuffing the First Officer inside.
Boom!
Soon thereafter, the special artillery fire with the First Officer as the bomb was released.
The First Officer’s scream tore through the sky, then crashed into the Aurora Wall.
He was tangible; the Aurora Wall displayed a hard physical property, directly blocking him.
The next moment, the aurora surged, completely dissolving the First Officer.
Hongpa deeply glanced at the ’Aurora Great Wall,’ sighed, "Men, retreat."
The Firepower Fear pirate group participated in previous naval battles alongside the Ice Sea pirate group.
After the second naval fleet of the Lijian family retreated, the pirate coalition dispersed, Cong Mang’s Vegetable Basket pirate group was one contingent, and the Firepower Fear pirate group was another. Apart from these, there were other pirate groups.
Pirates were not regular military, even Holy Domain Level Da Han found it difficult to restrain them in such situations.
In fact, he wouldn’t do so either.
Because he understood the pirates’ greedy nature. If he enforced orders strictly, he could certainly restrain them, after all facing Holy Domain Level, who dares not fear death?
But if he did, Da Han’s reputation among the pirates would become foul. In the future, if he had any actions, it would be hard for other pirates to actively affiliate.
Hongpa chose to attack the Military Port at the First Officer’s strong suggestion.
As a result, they couldn’t even break through the outermost defenses.
The eight major trade ports of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom have always been crucial defense zones. For a force like the Firepower Fear pirate group, a direct assault is difficult, and even with heavy losses, success is unlikely.
So, Hongpa chose to retreat.
The retreat left the pirates disgruntled, and losing a prime opportunity for plunder made their faces even gloomier.
Fortunately, Hongpa had dealt with the First Officer in advance, which, to some extent, quelled much of the public ire.
"It seems our strength makes it difficult to attack a coastal city of the level of the Eight Great Trade Ports."
"The most convenient is to follow the Icebound Pirate Group, leveraging Da Han’s power."
"Regrettably, the Icebound Pirate Group rejected any requests to follow and strictly ordered us to leave, or else we would be treated as enemies."
Thinking about this, Hongpa couldn’t help but sigh again, feeling full of regret.
...
Da Han walked alone in the wilderness.
His movement speed was quite ordinary, but with the blessing of Time Divine Arts, his travel efficiency had increased several times.
He was alone, having abandoned all the subordinates of the Icebound Pirate Group.
Choosing to travel alone significantly masked his whereabouts.
The extraordinary tools on his body provided strong invisibility abilities, though incomparable to Deception Divine Arts.
"Relying on these Golden Level disguise tools won’t help me sneak into the Ice Sculpture Royal Capital."
"To enter the Ice Sculpture Royal Capital and delve deeply into the Ice Lake, I’ll still need to wait for an opportunity."
"The National Ceremony Duel is that opportunity!"
Da Han’s gaze was deep as he traveled alone.
...
The radiance of the Teleportation Magic fluctuated from intense to fading away, all within a mere three seconds.
Once space stabilized, three figures appeared out of thin air.
Led by the Undead Master, followed by Cang Xu and the Ship Ghost.
"Where is this?" Cang Xu looked at the valley; he was now an Undying Life form, yet could still feel the cold in the air.
The cold that could be felt by an undead life form proved that the air temperature was extremely low.
The Undead Master led the two out of this hidden cave.
Cang Xu and the Ship Ghost then saw a vast snowy plain.
Snow flew wildly, frigid winds howled, blending heaven and earth into one.
The voice of the Undead Master drifted over: "This is the heartland of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom."
"The Ice Sculpture Kingdom?" Cang Xu was astonished.
The Ship Ghost was puzzled: "My lord, why have we come here?"
"In fact, this is the true destination of my journey. Follow closely, a grand drama is about to unfold here." The Undead Master did not elaborate further, stepping first into the swirling snow.
...
Plop.
The Fishman youth, using Spirit Manipulation to control the Water Element, threw the captured Cong Mang onto the ground.
This was a forest in the wilderness.
The air was chilled, pine trees stood tall, with little sign of life.
Cong Mang coughed violently, having nearly been squeezed to death moments before.
Having narrowly escaped death, he took deep breaths, his mind still fuzzy, not yet able to comprehend why the mysterious formidable foe spared him.
The next moment, a Purple Vine Secret Order was tossed onto the snow-dappled grass.
Staring at this Purple Vine Secret Order for a full ten seconds, Cong Mang finally reacted, eyes widening as he angrily glared at the Fishman youth: "You, you damn it, are a member of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce? Why did you attack me?!"
Bam.
The Fishman youth’s expression remained calm, simply waving the water element hand lightly.
Cong Mang was struck, his body sent flying, crashing into a pine tree trunk, then falling to the ground.
He began coughing again, spitting out fresh blood.
Due to the violent impact, snow fell from the branches, covering Cong Mang, accentuating his miserable state.
The Fishman youth walked over slowly.
Cong Mang, having been taught a lesson, became completely sober, recognizing reality: "Wait, wait, let’s talk this out!"
"I have always cooperated with your Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce, you should know that."
Gazing down, the Fishman youth’s voice was indifferent: "What I know is that you received guild support, yet you didn’t contribute your strength to prove your loyalty. You betrayed the guild."
"No, when I accepted the backing, I wasn’t affiliated with the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce... argh." Cong Mang let out a miserable cry.
Before he could finish speaking, he received a kick to the abdomen from the Fishman youth.
Cong Mang spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his face turning ashen, the intense pain making him curl up like a cooked lobster.
After breathing heavily for a while, Cong Mang finally recovered.
His eyes darkened, head buzzing, as he heard the Fishman youth’s voice descending as if from ethereal clouds: "For betraying the guild, punishment is unavoidable."
"Your pirate group grew with guild backing."
"Now, I’ve reclaimed some of that investment with an explosion."
"As for you, you’re also part of our guild’s investment..."
With hands tainted with blood, Cong Mang clutched the Fishman youth’s boot, panting several cold breaths before barely voicing: "I, I was wrong."
"My lord, please give me a chance."
"Let me right my wrongs, I promise to change!"
The Fishman youth’s tone eased a bit: "A commendable realization."
Grabbing onto his lifeline, Cong Mang pleaded urgently: "The value I can create alive is greater than when I’m dead, my lord!"
The Fishman youth acknowledged: "Indeed, the upper echelon did say to give you one last chance."
"Upper echelon?" Cong Mang looked up pitifully.
He was shocked to realize that the formidable Fishman before him was not the highest leader. There was someone above him!
The next moment, the Fishman youth opened a hand with webbed fingers, grabbing Cong Mang’s bald head, lifting him up.
"By activating the Purple Vine Secret Order next, you can indeed prove your value." The Fishman youth said.
Cong Mang quickly promised: "I will try my best, my lord!"
"A good attitude." The Fishman youth nodded slowly, "Then, welcome to Ice Sculpture Island."