The Regressor of Mount Hua

Chapter 306. A Battle Under the Sea (2)

The South Sea Dragon Gate's troops numbered an incredible six hundred. They were on the level of a great sect. Considering their numbers, it was surprising that their experts had yet to appear in the gangho.

Six hundred soldiers waiting for the start of the expedition stood in front of the Dragon Palace.

"Your Majesty, there's a report!" shouted a South Sea Dragon Gate soldier, who had gone up to the surface for reconnaissance. "The Hainan Sword Sect and the small and medium-sized sects that are supporting it have gathered about three hundred people on the coast!"

"And?"

"Six ships have appeared in the nearby waters, not far from the Dragon Palace!"

"Hmm..." A short woman with hair long enough to trail past her back narrowed her eyes and fell into contemplation.

The Dragon's Tail, Chi Shuishui.[1]

Chi Shuishui was called the tail of the dragon of the South Sea Dragon Gate and was an expert comparable to the Dragon's Claw, who had recently gone missing.

Her contemplation didn't last long.

"Dragon's Scale."

"Speak."

The Dragon's Scale, the Red Sea Great Warrior.

Befitting his title, "the Great Warrior of the Sea," the Dragon's Scale was eight feet tall and had massive muscles. He looked incredibly fierce, and his blue beard had grown haphazardly. Like the rest of the warriors, he seemed quite young.

Like the Dragon's Claw and the Dragon's Tail, he was an expert of the South Sea Dragon Gate.

"Take four hundred of them and handle the coast."

"Four hundred? Hahahaha! Would that really be okay?!" the Red Sea Warrior answered with a cheerful laugh.

"We won't even be on land; this is the sea. Two hundred of us would be too much for those reckless land humans."

Chi Shuishui smiled. In the South Sea Dragon Gate, she, the Dragon's Tail, was the one who was the most skilled in water immersion arts. In terms of mobility and sea combat, no one could match her except for the South Sea Dragon King.

There was a reason she was called the Dragon's Tail.

"It seems like they're trying to disperse our forces. Even though it really won't have much of an effect." Chi Shuishui laughed coldly.

***

Hainan Island, the coast...

Beneath the hot sun, everyone's hair fluttered in the sea breeze. Sweat formed on the foreheads of the small and medium-sized sect warriors who had gathered around the Hainan Sword Sect.

However, they were sweating not because of the heat.

"The South Sea Dragon Gate...!"

The waves slapped against the beach before receding.

What emerged from the limpid sea surface that was so clear that one could see right through the water wasn't sea life but a person.

About four hundred warriors of the South Sea Dragon Gate faced the Hainan Sword Sect with eyes full of bloodlust.

"Hahaha!" The Red Sea Warrior couldn't hold back his laughter and burst out, guffawing. You dumb fools!

The only "land" that the South Sea Dragon Gate would step on was the coast. The coast of Hainan Island was the territory of the South Sea Dragon Gate, let alone the coast directly in front of the Dragon Palace.

They were incredibly strong here, and it was to the point where the Red Sea Warrior felt like there was no reason for him to bring four hundred warriors with him.

"Sandbank Pitfall Formation!" the Red Sea Warrior shouted at the top of his lungs.

His shout was like a blatant announcement of what they were going to do, but it didn't really matter, as the Sandbank Pitfall Formation would activate in an instant, anyway.

This was a golden opportunity.

Those fools were begging to be slaughtered by standing in the middle of a sandy beach, but...

"...?"

The scream he had been waiting for didn't come.

There was supposed to be chaos as soon as the Hainan Sword Sect's disciples found themselves falling into sand pits. However, things were quiet. It was so quiet, in fact, that the Red Sea Warrior felt embarrassed by his fervent shouting.

"Just what the hell is going..."

"Now!" Wei Yihai, who had the overall command of the Hainan Island side, shouted.

"Don't let the demons of the South Sea return to the water!"

"Raaaah!!!

"For the peace of the South Sea!"

Starting with the Hainan Sword Sect, cheers erupted. Their war cry was loud enough to startle a swan wandering along the beach and make it flee.

"Tsk!" The Red Sea Warrior was flustered for a moment. "This doesn't matter! After all, the land men are no match for us!"

Bang!

Instead of clapping, the Red Sea Warrior pounded his fists together.

"Kill them!"

The South Sea Dragon Gate warriors responded to the Dragon's Scale's order.

"For the peace of the sea!"

"For the Dragon King!"

"Glory to the Dragon Palace!"

"Bring punishment to the land men!"

The South Sea Dragon Gate and the Hainan Sword Sect clashed.

Clang, clang, clang!

"Argh!"

"Ugh!"

Even though the Sandbank Pitfall Formation had lost its functionality, the South Sea Dragon Gate warriors weren't discouraged. They fought fiercely. There was no unnecessary extravagance in South Sea Dragon Gate's prowess. They boasted incredible strength not only in the sea but on the beach as well.

In addition to their individual strength, they also had the advantage in numbers.

They were by no means an easy opponent.

If it were just the Hainan Sword Sect fighting, they wouldn't be able to avoid annihilation before they could go very far. However, their current strength was completely different from before.

Zhou Xuchuan's pirate crackdown had brought about various results.

One of those results was the support of the people from the small and medium-sized sects, allowing them to gather hundreds of warriors.

They also received help from the elites of the Zhuge Family and the Qingcheng Sect.

The most particularly outstanding warrior was the master who had reached the Harmony Realm at a young age, the Wave Sword Phoenix Duan Lihua.

Whenever Duan Lihua unleashed her Seventy-Two Waves Sword, even the heaven-defying South Sea Dragon Gate warriors couldn't help but struggle against her.

In addition, the South Sea's First and Second Swords also took part in the battle. The Hainan Sword Sect's forces made it so that the fight was truly worthy of being called "all-out war."

Although they were fighting on a sandy beach and were at a numerical disadvantage, they could still respond somehow.

"You bastards!" The Dragon's Scale was furious, and his anger engulfed the shore. The Red Sea Warrior's appearance changed in an instant.

Just like with Dragon's Claw Chi Wu's arms, the Dragon's Scale was covered in scales as if he were wearing armor made out of scales. With a height of eight feet, he looked like a celestial warrior from the legends.

"Dragon Scale External Art !"

This was a cultivation method given only to the Dragon's Scale of the South Sea Dragon Gate. Moreover, it wasn't an internal qi cultivation method but an external physical cultivation method.

When trained, one's skin would turn into scales, and expressing the art allowed one to cover one's entire body in such armor. It boasted such a strong defense that it was an art worthy of the title, "Dragon's Scale."

"Raaaah!"

The Red Sea Warrior swung his arms.

Boom!

"Urgh!"

"Argh!"

All the warrior had done was swing his arm, but two of the Hainan Sword Sect disciples who blocked his blow with their arms were blasted away, rolling miserably on the ground.

Parts of their arms were swollen and blue; clearly, the bones inside were broken.

"Now, come..."

Shing!

The Red Sea Warrior frowned and stepped back.

A long sword scar was left on the surface of his arm.

"This brat..."

"I, the South Sea's Second Sword, Tian Shuiguo, will repay the grudge of the disciple brothers and sisters who have fallen at your hands throughout these battles."

With his left hand, Tian Shuiguo displayed his sword techniques.

***

Amidst the fierce battle on the coast, the sound of drums echoed throughout the sea, boosting morale.

Boom! Boom! Bo-boom!

Boom! Boom! Bo-boom!

The drummer beat the drums to a steady beat.

The six ships maintained a steady formation and stopped on the sea surface. They were right above the Dragon Palace.

How is it that they didn't get caught by it?

The depth of the water was fifteen zhang.

The two hundred South Sea Dragon Gate warriors led by Dragon's Tail Chi Shuishui waited, unable to board the six ships.

How could they have known the location of the Life Gate of the Dragon Palace Guardian Formation?

There were several nature formations near Hainan Island. Among them, the most infamous one was the Dragon Palace Guardian Formation that had recently appeared.

No, to be exact, it had been there since ancient times, but it was simply perceived as a terror of the seas and a natural disaster.

In any case, it was thanks to the Dragon Palace Guardian Formation that the South Sea Dragon Gate was able to block outside access for so long and remain a hidden sect.

The South Sea Dragon Gate had remained undiscovered all this time thanks to the Dragon Palace Guardian Formation, but someone from Hainan Island hadn't just found them; they even made their way through the formation's life gate.

Could there truly be a traitor among us—no, that's impossible.

The importance of the Dragon Palace Guardian Formation went without saying, so information about it was kept confidential. The only people who knew about the life gate were the South Sea Dragon King, the Dragon's Claw, the Dragon's Scale, and the Dragon's Tail.

Reaching the positions of the Dragon's Claw and the Dragon's Scale wasn't something that could be done through martial arts alone. Loyalty to the Gate was also essential.

Could it be a trap?

Chi Shuishui was a cautious person. She checked on the off chance that the land men had spread out a net, but she couldn't see anything.

Moreover, even if there were a net, it wouldn't be a big problem.

An ordinary martial artist would have trouble against a net, but those of the South Sea Dragon Gate were capable of exerting more power underwater than above on the surface, so they could easily cut through and destroy nets.

I won't be able to figure out an answer even if I worry about it. Since things have already gotten to this point, let's just catch a few of them and interrogate them.

Chi Shuishui looked up with a determined gaze and made her move. The way her figure swayed as she swam made her look like a legendary mermaid or like a dragon's tail.

The two hundred South Sea Dragon Gates also followed Chi Shuishui, and under her command, they divided into six groups and headed to the ships.

Splash!

"They've come to the surface!" shouted the Gold Will Sword sect warriors looking down on the sea from on top of the ships. Their shouts quickly spread to the remaining five ships.

"Attack the sides of the ship!"

Chi Shuishui gave the order as soon as her head emerged to the surface. The stern, aft, and keel were solid. Moreover, the designs of the hull were also roughly similarly solid.

The hull was flat, wide, and thick. It was even thicker than most ships due to the ships' sizes. It was better for the South Sea Dragon Gate warriors to drill holes into the port and starboard sides and sink them that way.

Still, in preparation for any unexpected situations, half of them tried to attack by crowding under the stern without sticking their heads out of the water, but...

"Open!"

The voice of a young man echoed through the South Sea.

The young man was none other than Zhuge Shengji.

Swish! Swish!

Swish!

On the sides of the ship, square windows opened on both the port and starboard.

Thinking that the enemy was about to thrust with their oars, the warriors who had emerged from the water tried to evade the oncoming attack. However, that assumption was a big mistake.

"Shoot!"

Boom!

It was a loud noise—no, a deafening noise. However, the problem wasn't in the sound.

The weapon was a harpoon.

Dozens of harpoons per ship shot out like arrows, covering the sky—no, the sea.

"Urgh!"

"Aaaah!"

Although they knew that something was coming, the South Sea Dragon Gate warriors were left flustered by the unexpected attack, and they moved around in a panic. However, most of them couldn't dodge the attack and were left with harpoons sticking out of them.

Even the South Sea Dragon Gate warriors, known as mermen for their proficiency in water immersion arts, couldn't dodge all the harpoons fired at them at abnormal speeds. Moreover, there were more than a hundred harpoons per ship.

Fortunately, the hundred South Sea Dragon Gate warriors who had been waiting under the water were able to survive unscathed, but the damage to their total forces was massive.

"Just what the hell...!"

The few survivors and Chi Shuishui were shocked.

The reason they emerged from the sea was to sink the ship. However, it resulted in an incredible loss. Yes, harpoons were deadly, but weapons like that would lose their power in the water.

However, the problem was that the warriors had emerged to the surface. In addition, it wasn't just one; six ships had fired simultaneously, meaning that hundreds of harpoons had rained down on them.

"Success! Success!"

Zhuge Shengji burst out laughing on the ship.

"Hahaha, as expected of the little tyke!" Chu Lian laughed loudly as she leaned back.

"Y-you cowards!"

The faces of the enemies were distorted from the humiliation.

"This is what you call mechanisms!"

Zhuge Shengji grinned as he stood with his hands on his waist. If a Righteous Faction martial artist were here, the sight would make them curse vehemently.

The enemy bit their lips and dived back under the water.

"Hahaha!"

Zhou Xuchuan hadn't been the only one to prepare for war.

While Zhou Xuchuan was busy cultivating a water immersion art, the others were busy preparing various things as well.

Zhuge Shengji and Li Yicai were great examples of that.

Hyungnim, if I try a bit, I might be able to modify these so we can use them.

They had taken six pirate ships from Fang Jun.

Originally, Li Yicai had intended to use them as transport ships for his new merchant fleet, but upon inspection, it turned out that the pirate ships had been modified here and there.

There were now warships meant to fight against the imperial navy.

Realizing that, Zhuge Shengji installed various mechanisms to transform them into true weapons.

Since the imperial government had strict control over gunpowder, it was difficult for even the Zhuge Family or the Gold Will Merchants to obtain it in large quantities.

That was why they used harpoons and attached mechanisms in various places on the ship.

It wasn't that hard to obtain harpoons.

"You want all of our harpoons? I mean, then how are we supposed to make a living and survive? Even though you helped us eliminate the pirates, you outsiders truly are—"

"What do you think about this much?"

"Long live the Gold Will Merchants! I've always dreamed of being friendly with the people of the Central Plains! If anyone bothers you, just tell me!"

Everyone rushed to give harpoons in exchange for Li Yicai's money.

Since the pirate ships had been modified in advance, the additional modifications were completed with just a little bit of repair. Moreover, since they had the pirates, the manpower to make such changes didn't matter, either.

The warriors of Gold Will Merchants were divided into the six ships for surveillance and escort. They took command and shouted, sounding the alarm.

Those— Chi Shuishui moved under the ship, grinding her teeth. I-it doesn't matter. It's going to take a while, but as long as we stay down here—ugh!

Chi Shuishui was startled by the sword flying toward her from the side, and she hurriedly retreated in response. It looked like the sword flying toward her was thrust by someone using martial arts as exquisitely as if they were on land.

...? Chi Shuishui shivered as a chill ran down her spine. He cast her gaze to the side and saw a young man in a robe with a plum blossom design on the sleeve.

The young man was none other than Zhou Xuchuan, and he was staring at Chi Shuishui with gleaming eyes.

1. 赤水水 Lmao her name is Water Water. ☜