Beginning with the Ubume Bird Chapter 188

Chapter 188: Chapter 25 Panic

Aboard the Red Flag Gang's wide ship, Li Yan and Lady Dan looked up at the black water and sky that were in a straight line.

The entire ocean appeared like shattered black obsidian scattered across the sky. Little waves tangled into the shape of spider webs, and the furious waves surged up hundreds of meters high, slamming down heavily. Behind the colossal waves, what Li Yan saw was the black tower ship piercing the clouds and the empty-eyed giant skull covered with corals and seaweed.

Under the fleeting glimpse, an irresistible black light swept over everything.

The sea wind howled; Cha Xiaodao's shouting was completely inaudible. Li Yan loudly instructed Lady Dan to return to the Copper Coin, but only saw her shake her head with a bitter smile.

“I was forced out to begin with.”

Before she could finish speaking, the black current had also forced the Black Rider Ghost out from the Copper Coin; he knelt on one knee, the red light in his eyes drifting away like candle flames. Obviously, he couldn't stay in the Copper Coin either.

The only ones not swept up in this were the four sluice ships that had already run far away, carrying the treasures of Yishi, where Cha Xiaodao was.

Besides them, whether it was Li Yan's ship or the Demon Thief's vessels, all were affected.

The black ship and the giant skeleton that rose from beneath the sea were some distance from Li Yan's wide ship and seemed not to have noticed him, only blocking the East India Company's Wrath from front and back,

but that didn't mean Li Yan could stand by and watch. Around his wide ship, floating barrels also shattered upon colliding with each other, spilling their gleaming treasures into the waves.

Nanmu prayer beads, Bodhisattva gold statues, cloisonne color plates, red gem-inlaid sutra boxes, white jade ruyis. They floated and sank in the sea that bore everything.

But more numerous were the various hideous monsters.

Tentacled octopuses with suckers full of sharp teeth; their beaks snapped Bodhisattva gold statues in half atop the sea. Huge black sea cucumbers, their slimy, yellow-brown tongues entwined with prayer beads.

Schools of lanternfish with sharp teeth knocked aside piles of gold and silver, gnawing on the corpses that had fallen into the water.

A black starfish breaking open a barrel grabbed the face of a pirate who couldn't dodge in time. After a series of crunching sounds, the pirate slumped to the ground.

More barrels broke open and hordes of fierce creatures surged towards Li Yan's wide ship. Turning to look at the Demon Thief's ship, it had already been overwhelmed by a tide of sea beasts. Li Yan watched in horror as several Demon Thief pirates were hit by a stream of brown-yellow slime, which soon caused them to emit white smoke and die in agony.

In the sky, thick Hokkien could be heard, accompanied by bursts of sheng and reed pipes. Cloud-shaped red auroras shone through the waves, resembling the Northern Lights. As for what lay behind those lights, nobody wanted to know.

All sorts of terrifying and strange things, dead and alive, were drawn from the dark sea bottom by the gunfire.

Solemn, ugly, holy, filthy, luxurious, simple, rustic, and enchanting.

Scenes with nothing in common were tangled together, indifferent to each other.

They say the Heavenly Mother Crossing the Sea, but now there's no sign of the Heavenly Mother, only the diverse and grotesque fully revealed.

The Red Flag Gang pirates, who normally wouldn't even blink when swallowing hot coals, had no fighting spirit in the face of such divine power and all knelt down, praying for Mazu's salvation.

Li Yan's face was as firm as iron. He glanced at the pirates kneeling on the ground and kicked one in the nose, who was trembling in fear before him.

“If any of you don't want to die, get the hell up!”

“Immediately move everything on the ship to the lower hold, and do it quickly!”

Martin was frantic yet composed, issuing orders promptly.

Wrath possessed the most formidable heavy cannons in the South Seas but was unable to cope with the current situation, whether it was the black tower ship in front or the giant skeleton behind, they simply blocked Wrath's path. But the rolling waves and all the bizarre sights had already disturbed the minds of these British mercenaries.

“It's too late…”

Washington was even more decisive than Martin.

“Throw the deck cannons into the sea, move the side cannons to the lower hold, chop down the masts, immediately!”

If it were an ordinary maritime disaster, Washington and Martin's actions would have been enough to see them through safely, but the Heavenly Mother Crossing the Sea was obviously not such a case.

The Englishmen's ship was in chaos as a melodic chanting sound came from the “Wangxiao”.

From that ancient tower ship sunk at the bottom of the sea for who knows how many years, with seawater dripping down from its large sails.

“Li Zhi asks Heaven for leisure time, and laughs as he returns to Wu's ship with honor. One night's thunder drives away the drought demon…”

With a tall crown and a belt, wearing straight robes, a light and airy figure walked to the top railing of the tower ship, standing out prominently amid the dismal sea and sky. The waves obscured the sun, making it impossible to discern the figure's face.

Without needing an order from Martin, several cannonballs were already smashing their way toward the figure. Fire lit up the sky, illuminating the figure's face.

Under the Eastern Slope headwrap lay a grey, half-rotted skeletal face.

His withered hand bones held two bronze wine cups. His hoarse voice rasped.

“Mr. Yan, it's been years since we parted, please drink this cup.”

With that, he threw one of the bronze cups in his hand.

“Who is he talking to? The giant skeleton behind us?”

Martin asked.

Washington looked back several times, his expression changing repeatedly, before suddenly lowering his head to the deck.

“It seems not…”

From the darkness of the ocean floor, a streak of golden light surged upwards rapidly.

The Wrath, one of the Holun Company's seven great ships, a maritime monster stretching four hundred meters, was now having its masts chopped down by soldiers, teetering on the brink of collapse. A wine cup was hurled straight above the “Wrath”.

Bang!!!!

Dark golden tentacles burst through the entire Wrath from the seabed, snapping the dragon bone mast in two. Golden lightning-like tentacles shot up towards the sky, catching the bronze wine cup thrown by the Eastern Slope skeleton. In the process, it also sliced the “Wrath” in half.

“Ahhhhhhhh—-”

Amid the panic, the elaborate sails were torn apart, and the St. George's Cross flag was carried away by the wind.

The two stewards of the East India Company, along with several hundred well-equipped mercenaries, fell into the sea amid terror.

“Great sweet potato! Piss your pants? What are you kneeling for? Got maggots in your brain? Don't you know port helm? Pull the rudder, man!”

“Haisheng! I'm calling you, you dead-head! Take two brothers and chop down the mast for raising the sails.”

“The rest of you, get the hell up! Grab your knives and follow me! God won't save you poor sorry sods!”

Li Yan handed Lady Dan a sail rope, telling her to tie it around her waist. He did the same. The large ship tilted from the waves' force, and under Li Yan's swearing, the pirates chopped down the masts and quickly tied ropes around their waists to avoid sliding off the slanted deck.

Clang!

The Tiger Head Great Spear was nailed into an octopus tentacle, and with a backhand swing, putrid pus splattered across the deck.

Several fish-headed dwarfs rushed up behind Li Yan along the ship ropes. Hearing the sound of the wind, Li Yan flicked the Devouring Blade into the air, creating three bursts of white-gold spear blooms, and beheaded them in quick succession.

Li Yan led at the very front, with the frosty white spots on the Tiger Head Devouring Blade showered by rain. A slender, graceful figure of a young girl rose from behind him.

Hidden Flight!

Seeing their own Tianbao leading with such valor, the pirates' desire to survive momentarily prevailed. They grabbed their swords, spears, and rattan shields, valiantly holding their ground.

Chapter end