"I know you’re watching!" Zhao Ya suddenly said.
The only response to him was the sound of dense rain.
Zhao Ya’s tone was calm as water, and he continued, "I once read a book which said that silence is the greatest contempt. At the time, I didn’t quite understand what it meant, but now I do!"
"So many of us have gathered here for a common goal. Some have even sacrificed their precious lives just to stop you."
"Yet from beginning to end, you haven’t even shown your face, not even bothering to say a word. It shows that in your eyes, all our efforts are worthless, even a joke."
The Black Ship beneath their feet rumbled, and the enormous smokestack at the stern spewed out increasingly intense red light. The rain evaporated into steam before it could even land, then spread out.
This hazy mist floated above the deck, making Zhao Ya’s voice sound ethereal.
Then, in the curtain of rain and steam, tiny red lights began to appear. At first, there were just a few scattered lights, but soon they multiplied and surrounded Zhao Ya.
Zhao Ya seemed oblivious, slowly drawing the sword from his waist. The blade was washed by the rain, exuding a cold glow.
He then lowered his head, gently caressed the blade, and said calmly, "But now I just want to tell you, you’re wrong!"
"No one’s sacrifice should be ridiculed or scorned, not even yours!"
As the last word left his mouth, Zhao Ya leaped into the mist, his sword tracing a graceful arc as it sliced through the darkness.
In an instant, a dazzling burst of sword light exploded in the air, like a bolt of thunder, marking the beginning of a fierce battle.
Thump!
A copper-green head flew off, and from the gaping neck, a nearly ink-green liquid with a pungent smell sprayed out.
But even without a head, the body didn’t immediately lose its vitality. That massive armored form trembled continuously, as if something was trying to break free.
But in the next moment, another slash cut through.
This slash landed right on the spine of the body.
With a dazzling spark, the hard armor was sliced open, along with the spine inside, split into two.
Finally, the armored mountain of flesh collapsed with a thud.
Yet Zhao Ya did not linger but immediately dashed back into the darkness.
And just as he left, a black line swiftly cut through the mist, slicing through where Zhao Ya had just stood, then disappearing into the darkness.
A moment later, a loud boom echoed from afar, demonstrating the immense power of that black line.
Meanwhile, Zhao Ya moved continuously in the dark, his sword acting like the scythe of death, mercilessly reaping everything.
Boom!
Another unknown creature fell heavily to the ground.
Its appearance was similar to the first, the only difference being a pair of long tentacles under its armpits, swinging like steel whips. Even for Zhao Ya, with his exceptional skills, it took quite some effort to deal with it.
But just after slaying this monster, before he could move, dozens of black lines surged in, blocking all escape routes.
Seeing those perilous black lines closing in, at the critical moment, Zhao Ya, who had been standing still, suddenly vanished.
Immediately, a series of continuous explosions came from the edge of the deck.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With each explosion, a black line disappeared.
Those black lines originated from launch pads rising from the deck’s edge.
In an instant, Zhao Ya had cleared all those launch pads.
But when he returned to the mist, he found that all the unknown creatures had vanished, not even leaving any corpses behind.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Ya let out a cold laugh.
He knew this meant the enemy realized that ordinary tactics had no effect on him, so they temporarily retreated.
Now, Zhao Ya felt a bit more at ease.
The reason he risked coming aboard the Black Ship was that, through previous probes and confrontations, Zhao Ya found that although the Black Ship seemed formidable, it wasn’t invincible.
And this head-on fight further proved this point.
So his next plan was to find a breakthrough to enter the interior of the Black Ship.
But just then, the beast-headed statue at the bow suddenly turned and opened its eyes.
Its red eyes stared intently at Zhao Ya.
In an instant, Zhao Ya felt an overwhelming sense of crisis, and the air around him seemed to turn to glue, making every movement incredibly difficult.
Moreover, the raindrops that had been pattering nearby vanished.
The pressure on his body grew stronger and stronger.
In the blink of an eye, Zhao Ya was like a statue, frozen in place.
Moreover, from within the mist came the sound of heavy footsteps, as the previously vanished creatures reappeared.
These creatures, some with two heads and others covered in tumors, but the most striking was one with the upper body of a seductive woman and the lower body of a snake.
The attack power of these unknown creatures was formidable and completely unaffected by the surrounding environment. Upon appearing, they launched an immediate assault on Zhao Ya.
Especially the Snake Woman, who lashed her tail toward Zhao Ya’s head with such force that it emitted a sharp cracking sound.
Undoubtedly, if that tail hit, it would shatter anything, even a rock.
But right then, Zhao Ya, who had been unmoving, suddenly waved his hand.
His blade flashed, and blood splattered.
Several creatures at the front fell to the ground.
The Snake Woman let out a painful scream, and on the deck, a severed snake tail quivered endlessly.
"No, how is this possible? How could you break free from the beast head’s control?" the Snake Woman moaned in agony.
Zhao Ya’s eyes brightened.
Because it was the first time since boarding the Black Ship that he had encountered a creature he could communicate with.
But now wasn’t the time to think about such things.
The reason he could break free of the beast head’s bind wasn’t True Power but rather the powerful Divine Sense he gained after unlocking his potential.
But that merely restored part of his control, far from completely breaking free.
However, with experience, the next steps were clear.
Zhao Ya swiftly expanded the Power of Divine Sense.
Crack.
In the distance, there was a crisp sound, and cracks appeared on the beast-headed statue.
The Snake Woman screamed immediately.
"Essence! You’re a Martial Artist who has unlocked the Celestial Gate?"