The black fleet, led by the flagship Lac Hong, silently departed from Tran Nam Port in the early morning mist. Like black arrows nocked and loosed, they shot toward the distant southern horizon. The south wind blew fiercely, filling the pitch-black sails, carrying the determination of hundreds of warriors and the mission of an entire people.
The first few days of the journey passed in an eerie tranquility. The vast sea was a uniform azure, with the occasional flock of seagulls circling overhead. Tran Kien's army, following a month of hellish training, displayed terrifying discipline and efficiency. They were not boisterous or drunken like ordinary pirate crews. Every man remained silent at his post, polishing weapons or checking gear, their eyes as sharp as wolves awaiting battle.
Tran Kien did not slacken his vigilance. He spent the majority of his time with Old Whale and Uncle Sword, studying ancient nautical charts, cross-referencing them with gathered intelligence, and striving to plot the safest possible route.
"The Black Water Ghost Domain," Old Whale pointed at a sea region marked in red ink on the chart, his single eye etched with solemnity. "This place possesses more than just mist and sea monsters. Legend has it that the ocean currents here are incredibly chaotic. At the bottom of the sea lie spatial rifts that occasionally erupt with 'Void-Rending Gale-Winds,' capable of tearing even top-grade magical artifacts to shreds. We absolutely cannot underestimate it."
After a seven-day voyage, they finally reached the edge of the deathly sea.
The scenery shifted abruptly. The clear blue sky suddenly darkened, and pitch-black clouds rolled in, churning like monstrous beasts. The seawater lost its azure hue, turning an inky black—thick, viscous, and reflecting absolutely no light. The air grew chillingly cold and damp, carrying a wicked aura capable of corroding spiritual energy. Moreover, phantoms of rotting ghost ships would occasionally appear on the sea's surface, gliding by in silence before vanishing.
"Everyone to your stations!" Ly Tin roared. "Form the Defensive Array!"
The entire fleet sprang into coordinated action. Array flags were raised, and the spiritual energy of hundreds of warriors linked together, forming a faint shield of spiritual light that enveloped the fleet.
ROAAAAAR!!!
Just then, from beneath the ink-black sea, dozens, hundreds of colossal black shadows suddenly surged upward. Their forms resembled sharks, but their entire bodies were shrouded in dark red blood-qi. Their eyes possessed no pupils—only two deep, black pits radiating sky-piercing resentment. They lacked fully corporeal bodies, existing halfway between the real and the ethereal, as they lunged straight for the spiritual shield.
"They are 'Blood-Soul Demon Sharks'!" Old Whale cried out in horror. "They are the souls of cultivators who died here, twisted into monsters by the evil miasma! Ordinary magical arts have no effect on them!"
True enough, the volley of spirit-cannons and crossbow bolts from the Sea Dragon Guards passed straight through their semi-ethereal bodies without causing significant harm. In return, the demon sharks, upon closing the distance, used their fangs of pure resentment to frantically gnaw at the spiritual shield, causing it to shake violently.
"Use the 'Demon-Shattering Arrows'!" Thiet Phu roared.
The Blood Fiend Guards immediately drew specialized arrows. The shafts were engraved with evil-warding Shamanic runes, and the arrowheads were coated in a mineral powder capable of neutralizing tà khí (evil energy).
"FIRE!"
Hundreds of Demon-Shattering Arrows loosed, forming a silver rain that plunged into the bodies of the Blood-Soul Demon Shark pack. This time, it was effective. The struck sharks let out miserable shrieks as large swathes of their blood-qi disintegrated.
But the pack was too vast. For every one killed, ten more surged forward. The spiritual shield grew increasingly thin.
At that moment, a significantly larger demon shark, the size of a small warship, rose from the depths. Its entire body was the color of blood, and its aura had reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm. It was the Shark King!
With a roar, it bypassed the shield and lunged straight for the flagship Lac Hong!
"It is time," Tran Kien, who had been observing in silence, murmured.
He did not strike personally. He merely stood there, placing both hands upon the colossal Demon-Shattering Divine Crossbow at the prow.
"Ten men, form the array!"
The ten most elite Sea Dragon Guards instantly took their positions, pouring their Primordial Chaos Qi into the ten auxiliary array nodes on the crossbow's body. Tran Kien stood at the primary node. The Golden Core within him spun, and the most majestic surge of Primordial Chaos Qi—carrying the aura of the Dragon Veins and the "Protective" will of the sun—billowed into the weapon.
The entire divine crossbow trembled violently. The array diagrams upon it blazed with light. A colossal arrow of pure light, forged from the spiritual energy of eleven men, slowly condensed at its front. It was no longer an arrow. It was a miniature sun!
"FIRE!"
A roar rang out. That miniature sun, harboring the power of destruction and the purification of all creation, tore through the night without a sound, shooting straight at the incoming Shark King.
The Shark King seemed to sense the terminal danger. It roared madly, attempting to dive back into the water. But it was too late.
The moment the miniature sun touched it...
There was no explosion. There was only light. A resplendent, golden light, so blinding that everyone had to shut their eyes. All the evil energy, blood-qi, and resentment of the Shark King were purified and incinerated into nothingness beneath that righteous radiance.
When the light faded, the colossal Shark King had vanished without a trace. The remaining pack, seeing their king annihilated so effortlessly, was instantly seized by terror. Daring not to attack further, they frantically dove deep into the inky waters, disappearing from sight.
The first battle was an overwhelming victory!
Yet, Tran Kien showed no joy. He looked toward the pitch-black island standing tall amidst the distant sea.
"The opening act is over," he murmured. "The true master of this chessboard... is about to show himself."