Chapter 338: One Man Robbing a Group

Chapter 338: One Man Robbing a Group

As soon as Xu Yan entered the Azure Sea, he felt his entire being open up to the vastness of the ocean. Gazing at the endless azure waters, he felt like a mere speck in this vast expanse.

Yun Tian Azure Sea City was located in the Yun Tian Sea Area, far away from the outer seas of Wu State.

Instead of flying in the sky, the Escape Sea Boat descended onto the water and sped across the waves.

Since they were already in the Azure Sea, it would be a waste to continue flying in the air.

After traveling on the sea for several days, Xu Yan suddenly felt intrigued and took out a fishing rod.

"When Master was on Canglan Island, he often went fishing in the Cang River. There must be a deeper meaning to this. Is he trying to comprehend the ways of nature and the heavens?

"Or perhaps, it's a form of mental cultivation?

"I feel like Master is hinting at something through his actions. Fishing might be a way to gain self-realization, calm the mind, and cultivate one's mental state."

The more Xu Yan thought about it, the more it made sense.

He examined the fishing rod in his hand, which he had asked Fang Hao to forge. He had kept it with him, hoping to one day emulate his master and try his hand at fishing, curious about what insights he might gain.

"Now, what should I use as bait?"

Xu Yan muttered to himself as he took out a pill and attached it to the hook.

The fishing line and hook were also refined by Fang Hao and were of a spiritual artifact grade. Once a catch was hooked, there was no escaping.

It was no exaggeration to say that even a sea beast comparable to the Refinement God Realm would be unable to break free!

The undisputed ruler of the Azure Sea was the Sea Spirit Race, but aside from them, there were numerous other sea beasts.

According to Cai Ling'er, there were several types of sea beasts in the Azure Sea that, upon reaching adulthood, possessed strength comparable to Refinement God Warriors. However, they lacked understanding of martial arts techniques and relied solely on brute force.

Although they had not yet developed their spiritual intelligence, their raw power was formidable. Even so, ordinary Refinement God Warriors would find it difficult to hunt such ferocious sea beasts alone.

Moreover, sea beasts, despite their lack of spiritual intelligence, would exhibit a natural instinct to avoid danger and would try to escape by diving deep into the sea.

For human warriors, entering the sea was often futile unless their strength far surpassed that of these powerful beasts.

Refinement God-level sea beasts were almost exclusively hunted by the Sea Spirit Race, and they were also the primary commodity the Sea Spirit Race traded with powerful human warriors in Yun Tian Azure Sea City.

The Escape Sea Boat sped across the Azure Sea, and it was only when they had left the coastal waters of Wu State far behind that Xu Yan finally cast his line and began to fish.

As soon as the hook touched the water, Xu Yan noticed a school of sea fish swimming towards it. With a slight tremor of his divine sense, he sent the curious fish flying back into the water.

"I'm here to catch bigger fish, not these tiny ones," Xu Yan muttered.

The Escape Sea Boat continued on its way, heading towards the Yun Tian Sea Area.

After fishing for two days without encountering any sea beasts comparable to the Refinement God Realm, Xu Yan couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Then, a thought struck him, "My mindset is wrong. Since I'm fishing, why should I care about the size of the catch? Isn't that contrary to the very essence of fishing?"

With this realization, Xu Yan stopped paying attention to what his hook attracted and simply enjoyed the peaceful activity.

Soon enough, he reeled in a fish that was about three feet long. After changing the bait, he continued fishing.

After catching several more fish of varying sizes, Xu Yan cast his line far into the distance. He covered the bait with a divine sense restriction, ensuring that only a Refinement God Realm sea beast would be able to bite the hook and eat the bait.

Seated cross-legged on the Escape Sea Boat, Xu Yan continued his cultivation and contemplation of the martial path. The boat traveled in a set direction, with the fishing rod hanging off the side, awaiting any curious bites.

A day later, Xu Yan, who had been in the midst of cultivating, suddenly opened his eyes. The fishing rod was vibrating, and a tremendous pulling force was transmitted through the line.

He had a bite!

Xu Yan was delighted, and he looked ahead of the Escape Sea Boat to see turbulent waves. A massive brown sea beast was floundering and struggling, unable to break free from the hook.

"The strength of this sea beast is comparable to the late stages of the Refinement God Realm," Xu Yan marveled.

The struggling sea beast suddenly turned and rammed towards the Escape Sea Boat. Xu Yan smiled faintly and raised his hand, sending a force that suppressed and pinned the charging beast.

Only when the sea beast stopped struggling did Xu Yan release his hold.

After repeating this process several times, the sea beast became aware of the danger posed by the Escape Sea Boat and began to flee frantically, dragging the boat behind it as it sped across the Azure Sea.

"This direction happens to be towards the Yun Tian Sea Area. Let's just let it pull us for now," Xu Yan said as he shut down the boat's propulsion and allowed the sea beast to tow them along.

The sea beast had incredible endurance and speed, and as it pulled the Escape Sea Boat, it occasionally tried to dive into the sea to escape. However, it couldn't pull the boat underwater, and after a few failed attempts, it had no choice but to keep moving forward.

Xu Yan sat on the boat, continuing his cultivation and contemplation of his martial arts.

A day later, the sea beast was still frantically fleeing, its speed increasing, as if it wanted to crash through any obstacles in its path.

On the large ship, the Blood Blade Bandit who had been eyeing the female warrior excitedly made his move. He approached her in the corner, his eyes gleaming with lust. "Now, be a good girl. I'll just have my way with you. Compared to those who lost everything, you're lucky!"

The female warrior bit her lip, her eyes closed, too afraid to utter a word. Her trembling figure betrayed the fear she felt in that moment.

"Here I come, beauty!" The Blood Blade Bandit tore off his clothes, ready to pounce, when a loud splash startled him. Accompanying the sound was a piercing cry.

The sudden commotion startled him, and his face turned ashen as he looked in the direction of the noise. His eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly grabbed his clothes and held his blade, his previous intentions forgotten.

The female warrior, startled by the noise, opened her eyes and saw a massive sea beast leaping out of the water behind the ship, emitting an angry cry.

Trailing behind the sea beast was a strange, pale blue small boat.

"Quick, kill the sea beast!" the leader of the Blood Blade Bandits shouted angrily.

The sea beast seemed to be charging towards the large ship.

This unexpected turn of events caused the Refinement God Warriors on board, who had been prepared to surrender, to suddenly brighten. They quickly communicated with each other and then soared into the air, working together to escape in a certain direction.

Rather than leaving their fate in the hands of the Blood Blade Bandits, they seized the opportunity to flee.

Over twenty Refinement God Warriors joined forces and charged out, causing the bandits in their path to pale and quickly move out of the way.

"You're asking to die!" The leader of the Blood Blade Bandits roared in fury and waved his hand. "Kill them!"

A group of Blood Blade Bandits brandished their blades and gave chase, while two of them lifted their blades and slashed at the massive sea beast in mid-air.

This particular sea beast was quite powerful, with thick skin and an astonishing defense. A single strike might not be enough to kill it.

Xu Yan, who had been cultivating, opened his eyes in surprise. He was intrigued to see that the sea beast was attempting to ram into the large ship, hoping to create an opportunity to escape.

"It knows how to use its environment to evade danger," Xu Yan mused.

Just as he was about to watch the sea beast collide with the ship, Xu Yan gave his fishing rod a sharp tug. The beast, which had been leaping towards the ship, was suddenly pulled back.

The two blades of the bandits slashed through empty air.

"Apologies, my fishing has disturbed you all," Xu Yan said apologetically.

The Escape Sea Boat sped forward, and Xu Yan raised his hand, sending out a surge of divine sense that lifted the sea beast into the air. The boat flew over the large ship.

"This is a robbery! Leave the sea beast and that small boat behind!"

Suddenly, a figure blocked his path, a blood-red long blade in hand.

With its speed and ability to fly, if they could get their hands on it, their gang would become even more elusive and formidable.

Xu Yan was taken aback. "Robbery?"

"Are you sure you want to rob me?" he asked, glancing at the surrounding group of bandits.

"Young man, we Blood Blade Bandits always stick to our principles. Leave the sea beast and the small boat, and you can walk away unharmed. Otherwise, another corpse will be floating in these azure seas!" The leader of the Blood Blade Bandits spoke in a deep, threatening tone.

Xu Yan smiled. "Pirates with principles? Cai Ling'er mentioned that there are some pirates in the Azure Sea, but the chances of encountering them are low, and incidents of pirate attacks are rare."

Of course, to Xu Yan, pirates posed no threat at all. Cai Ling'er had merely mentioned them while describing the Azure Sea.

"I'm also a man of principles," Xu Yan said, looking at the group of bandits and smiling. "Hand over your stash bags, and I'll let you go. Otherwise, I'll crush you to dust and scatter your souls!"

The Blood Blade Bandits were stunned, their faces filled with disbelief.

What did this kid mean? Was he trying to rob them instead? Was he seriously attempting to rob a group of them by himself?

Who gave him the guts?

"Good, good, good! In my entire life as a Blood Blade Bandit, I've never met anyone as arrogant as you. Alone, you dare to turn the tables and rob us? You've got guts, I'll give you that, and your audacity is admirable. Although I, Blood Blade, appreciate young people like you..."

Smack!

Before he could finish his sentence, a slap landed on his face, sending him flying. His head spun, and he felt like he was seeing stars.

"Enough talk. Hand over your stash bags!" Xu Yan coldly laughed.

Plop!

The group of Blood Blade Bandits turned pale.

"Did you see him move just now?"

"No, I just saw the leader flying away."

"Me neither!"

The bandits quietly communicated with each other, their hearts sinking.

"Kid, I'll make you pay for this!" The leader of the Blood Blade Bandits shook his head, his eyes flashing with anger. His aura exploded with killing intent as blood-colored blade chi blossomed around him.

"Attack together and kill him!"

Although he was shocked, he remained calm. They had the numbers and the advantage. How could their combined might lose to a single opponent, no matter how strong he was?

Whoosh!

However, as soon as he finished speaking, a sword light appeared in front of his eyes, and in an instant, he was obliterated.

The rest of the Blood Blade Bandits, who were about to join the attack, suddenly felt a chill run down their spines. Their leader had just been killed with a single sword strike? Even if they attacked together, they would undoubtedly suffer heavy casualties.

They were pirates, but they were not desperados. Even if they won in the end, who could guarantee that they wouldn't be the ones to die in the battle? Moreover, now that their leader was dead, they were leaderless.

"Don't move! Young master, please don't attack! We'll hand over our stash bags! We'll hand them over!"

The Blood Blade Bandits were drenched in cold sweat.

"That's more like it. I'm not a bloodthirsty person either. Hand over the money you risked your lives for." Xu Yan smiled.

"Yes, yes!"

The Blood Blade Bandits hurriedly handed over their stash bags, their faces filled with pain and reluctance.

As pirates, they carried all their possessions with them, and the contents of those bags represented their entire wealth.

With this handover, they would instantly become penniless!

Xu Yan waved his hand, collecting all the stash bags. He pointed at several of the bandits and said, "Hand over the stash bags you've hidden, or you will die!"

Those bandits had unhappy expressions on their faces, but they obediently handed over their second stash bags.

"Alright, now you can all scram!" Xu Yan waved his hand.

"Yes, yes!"

The Blood Blade Bandits nodded frantically and turned to leave.

Xu Yan waved his hand again, and the sea beast he had been controlling fell back into the sea. He intended to continue letting the sea beast pull the Escape Sea Boat to save some spirit crystals.

"Watch out for the Blood Blade Bandits!" A woman's voice called out from the large ship.

"Die!"

The group of Blood Blade Bandits, who had been preparing to flee, saw an opportunity. Taking advantage of Xu Yan's momentary lapse in attention, they raised their blades and slashed at him.

They had secretly agreed to attack together. The blood-colored blade light filled the air, and their powerful assault seemed destined to engulf Xu Yan.

The Blood Blade Bandits' faces twisted with ferocity. They were used to being the robbers, not the robbed!

That little girl on the ship had dared to warn Xu Yan. After they killed him, they would teach that girl a lesson and let her know the cruelty of the Blood Blade Bandits.

"Why are you rushing to your deaths? It's unnecessary!" Xu Yan sighed. He lifted his hand, and with a flick of his fingers, a sword light appeared, slicing through the air and obliterating all the attacks.

The blade chi dissipated, and the sword light continued its relentless assault. In an instant, it transformed into more than twenty sword lights, each one targeting a Blood Blade Bandit.

Whoosh!

Amid the shocked gazes of the Blood Blade Bandits, the sword lights descended, turning them into flying ash.

On the large ship, the group of warriors was stunned.

Especially the woman who had just spoken up—after she had called out, she had immediately regretted it, fearing that she would be tortured and killed by the Blood Blade Bandits. She had even prepared herself for self-destruction.

But now, not only had this young man robbed a group of bandits, but he had also killed them all with a single sword strike! These Blood Blade Bandits were all peak Refinement God Warriors!

With a casual wave of his hand, he had wiped out the bandits. How formidable was his strength? In the entire Azure Sea, there probably weren't many who could match this level of power.

The woman suddenly thought of someone—a legendary figure, renowned for his sword mastery and known as the best in the world.

After Xu Yan had finished off the Blood Blade Bandits with a wave of his hand, he was about to continue on his way, letting the sea beast pull the Escape Sea Boat toward the Yun Tian Sea Area.

Although the Blood Blade Bandits were strong, peak Refinement God Warriors were no longer a threat to Xu Yan. He could easily annihilate them with a wave of his hand.

Even those who had cultivated the Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi were not worth his attention. Only warriors like the Thousand Swords Pavilion's Elder Zhang, who wielded the power of the world, could be considered opponents.

The only ones who could truly bring out his full potential in a fight were those with strength comparable to Xin Mengrou.

He was not far from achieving a perfect God Source Realm, and his strength had grown far beyond what it was when he had first entered the realm.

As he shook the fishing rod, about to urge the sea beast to pull the boat away, a woman's voice called out to him.

"Benefactor, please wait!"

Xu Yan turned to see the woman who had warned him earlier.

"What is it?"

The woman was exceptionally beautiful, with a proud and alluring demeanor. She was at the early stage of the Refinement God Realm.

The woman was a bit agitated, unable to believe that the legendary number one swordsman in the world was so young and handsome. Her heart was fluttering.

"Benefactor, are you the Sword King?" she asked excitedly.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end