"Huh? Why has the grand protective formation been activated?" a passenger asked in surprise.
"Look! What is that...?" someone exclaimed in shock, pointing into the distance. Countless black dots filled the sky, and the sea violently churned and splashed.
"Demonic beasts! A horde of demonic beasts is coming!" someone cried out in recognition.
"No wonder they activated the ship's grand protective formation!" another added.
"Everyone, please quiet down! Unfortunately, we have encountered a demonic beast horde. Our Xuanming Merchant Guild requests that everyone join forces with us to resist them! Anyone who has experienced this before knows that a demonic beast horde is not something we can overcome individually. We must unite!" As the passengers buzzed with anxious chatter, a middle-aged man stepped forward and spoke. He was the fourth-level Divine-tier expert who had just emerged from the control room.
"It really is a demonic beast horde!" someone muttered, trembling. It was not uncommon for merchant ships to encounter demonic beast hordes in the Demonic Sea, and almost every encounter ended in heavy casualties. These beasts knew only how to attack frantically, and with their overwhelming numbers, heavy losses were inevitable. There had even been quite a few merchant fleets that failed to withstand the onslaught and were completely annihilated.
"Everyone, do not despair! This time, our Xuanming Merchant Guild has two Divine Lord realm experts guarding us. Furthermore, the Bloodblade Divine Lord is among our passengers, meaning we have three Divine Lords present! You all know how powerful they are. Therefore, we only need to hold the grand formation until the horde passes! We have also notified headquarters, and powerful reinforcements will arrive very soon!" the fourth-level Divine-tier expert explained. The Bloodblade Divine Lord he mentioned was one of the Divine Lord passengers Wu Tianjun and his companion had sensed earlier.
"Thank goodness! We are fortunate to have such esteemed masters with us!" someone breathed a sigh of relief.
"The Demonic Sea is teeming with beasts. Does your Xuanming Merchant Guild know the scale of this horde yet?" The speaker was a young man who spoke with a hint of arrogance, clearly looking down on the fourth-level Divine-tier expert. Behind him stood two fifth-level Divine-tier bodyguards. Since he himself was only at the peak of the Human Core realm, his background was clearly extraordinary.
"Ah, Young Master Hou is very perceptive! We have observed that this horde is led by three Divine Lord-tier demonic beasts. With our three esteemed masters and the grand protective formation, we may very well get through this without a single casualty," the fourth-level Divine-tier expert replied, showing no hint of anger. Although the Xuanming Merchant Guild was far more powerful than the Hou family, that was the guild as a whole; a mere steward like him could not afford to offend the Hou family. After all, the Hou family was guarded by powerful Saint Ancestor experts—and more than one!
"Hmph, I hope so. But the horde is massive. Can this grand formation really..." Young Master Hou trailed off.
"We dare not make any absolute guarantees, but rest assured! Even if the grand formation is breached, the demonic beasts will be severely weakened, allowing us to deliver a fatal blow!" the fourth-level Divine-tier steward reassured him.
"It's still possible for it to be breached...?" Young Master Hou's pupils contracted, a hint of fear in his heart, but he didn't show it outwardly. "Hmph! At that time, I will also lend a hand!" He was, of course, referring to the two bodyguards behind him.
At this moment, three people emerged from the control cabin: two old men, an old woman, and the Third Young Miss. They walked straight to the bow of the ship and saw Wu Tianjun and the other person. These two were a bit strange, both wearing masks! the three thought to themselves.
"..." The old man and the old woman were even more startled because they couldn't perceive the cultivation of the two newcomers; their masks also had the effect of blocking spiritual sense! These two people were very mysterious! This was their second thought.
Wu Tianjun, who was huddled up, saw the three people suddenly approaching and glanced back for a moment before turning away, no longer paying attention! These three were the three stewards!
At this moment, another God Lord also walked to the bow of the ship; it seemed to be the Blood Saber God Lord.
"Why aren't you two down in the cabin yet?!" he said coldly to Wu Tianjun and the other person.
"Ah! We just want to take a look! I've never seen a Demonic Beast before!" Wu Tianjun said with a laugh. "Besides, with this grand formation, even a God Venerate would take some time to break through it," he added.
"..." The old man and the old woman's pupils contracted. That person sounded very young, yet he already knew the power of the ship's protective grand formation; perhaps someone had told him.
"Hm?" The Blood Saber God Lord saw that Wu Tianjun had no intention of retreating, and his face darkened with a hint of menace. "Brat! Listen to what your elders say, it might help you live a little longer!" he said in a cold voice.
"Hmph! I hope you're still alive!" Wu Tianjun glanced indifferently at the Blood Saber God Lord. "Xiao Qing! Go over there!" He tossed Xiao Qing towards Ma Lian, then stepped off the ship, formed a few hand seals, and passed through the grand formation, heading towards the approaching horde of Demonic Beasts.
"You..." The Blood Saber God Lord was furious, but seeing Wu Tianjun walk out of the protective grand formation, he immediately shut his mouth, his pupils contracting. Daring to head towards the horde of Demonic Beasts, knowing there was a God Lord-level presence commanding them, meant only two possibilities: either he was supremely confident in himself, or he was insane!
"Ah! Why did you leave the grand formation..." the Third Young Lady exclaimed, covering her mouth, speaking to Wu Tianjun. "Why didn't you stop him?" She turned to Ma Lian and asked, guessing that this was his master.
"Why should I stop him?" Ma Lian asked, looking at the Third Young Lady strangely. Through his mask, they could only see the pitch-black depths of his eyes, which was somewhat terrifying.
"..." Seeing this, the Third Young Lady also recoiled two steps in surprise. "But he..." the Third Young Lady asked, regaining her composure.
"Haha!" Mo Lian merely laughed without speaking, casting a glance at the Blood Saber Divine Lord, then ignored him and squinted toward Wu Tianjun. That White Sand Wu Tianjun had was quite cunning! His cultivation was also at the mid-stage God Venerate realm, which wasn't weak; perhaps it was enough for Wu Tianjun to unleash all sorts of methods! After all, the God Venerate realm was already on a completely different level from Divine Lords or ordinary God-level cultivators.
"Second Protector! Can’t I go out? I feel like if I devour those demonic beasts, my cultivation will increase very quickly!" Xiao Qing, who was now lying on Mo Lian’s shoulder, asked via spiritual transmission.
"I’ll catch a few demonic beasts for you later; this protective barrier won’t hold out for too long!" Mo Lian also replied via spiritual transmission. Ever since they learned of Xiao Qing’s peculiarity, they hadn’t paid too much attention to it; after all, if Wu Tianjun had taken something in, how could it possibly be ordinary?
"Hehe! Thank you, Second Protector!" Although Xiao Qing was still a child, he was very cunning, causing the Protectors to sigh endlessly.
When the people on the ship learned of the demonic beast attack, they were indeed alarmed, but hearing what the fourth-tier God-level steward said, they felt somewhat reassured.
"Ah! Look quickly! Someone walked out of the protective grand formation!" A female voice suddenly shrieked, pointing toward Wu Tianjun.
"Huh? What’s his cultivation level? I can’t sense it!" someone said in surprise, unable to perceive Wu Tianjun’s cultivation.
"To be able to tread the void, he must at least be at the Spirit-Connecting Realm..." another person said.
"Hmph! What’s the use of being at the Spirit-Connecting Realm! Encountering a demonic beast horde, even a mighty Divine Lord Realm expert risks perishing!" A cold, young voice rang out; it was none other than that Young Master Hou. "Courting death, hmph!" he said with a hint of disdain. In truth, he was also very surprised by Wu Tianjun, but with his arrogant nature, he naturally wouldn’t tolerate anyone being superior to him.
"Bang!" The moment Young Master Hou finished speaking, he was immediately struck by a heavy blow and flew backward, only stopping when he slammed into the ship’s railing! He coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell unconscious. The one who struck, of course, was Mo Lian. He merely didn’t intend to kill him; after all, the Young Master didn’t want them to kill too much, so there was no need to deliver a fatal blow unless absolutely necessary!
"Who struck? How dare you touch someone from my Hou Family!" Two fifth-tier God-level experts only now reacted, rushing over to Young Master Hou. One immediately checked on him and fed him a medicinal pill, then, with a grim face, looked around and shouted loudly. If their Young Master encountered trouble outside, they wouldn’t fare well upon their return.
At the bow of the ship, the pupils of the three Divine Lords contracted as they looked at Mo Lian. This person had merely glanced at Young Master Hou, and the latter was already struck down; they hadn’t even had time to sense anything. This masked figure in black robes was far more powerful than them! They immediately drew their conclusion. Blood Saber was somewhat fortunate that he had restrained himself earlier and hadn’t mocked Wu Tianjun. If he had pushed it any further, he probably wouldn’t be as safe as he was now.
"Oh? Which Hou family?" Mo Lian turned to ask the two Divine Realm experts of the Hou family. "When traveling abroad, you should keep your mouth a bit cleaner! The waters of this starry sky run very deep!" he said coldly. There was no overt display of power, yet it gave everyone a feeling of absolute inability to resist.
"Your Excellency! Our Hou family is not something you can comprehend!" that Divine Realm expert said coldly. He felt that the other party was extremely strong, and they could only wait until they returned to their family to seek revenge.
"Fellow Daoist! This Hou family is also very powerful, with three Saint Ancestors presiding over it! One two-step Saint Ancestor and two one-step Saint Ancestors, all possessing supreme strength! Unless absolutely necessary, it is best not to clash with them," the old Divine Lord transmitted his voice. After all, they were currently facing a demonic beast horde, and if this unknown expert could help them get through it, it would be much easier. Besides, forging a good relationship wouldn't be a bad thing.
"Haha! If you dare to say one more word, I will immediately send you and your young master to the afterlife! To think you dare use mere early-stage Saint Ancestors to threaten this venerable one!" Mo Lian sneered. He didn't even care much about the Martial God's Young Master, let alone a few early-stage Saint Ancestors! What's more, he himself was a mighty Saint Ancestor-level expert; if the Hou family wanted to provoke him, they would have to consider whether they even had the capability.
"You..." That Divine Realm expert was about to speak, but met the same fate as Young Master Hou. He was inexplicably struck by a heavy blow, crashing through the ship's wall and only stopping when he hit the protective barrier of the ship's grand formation. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell unconscious, his fate unknown.
The old man, who was about to offer some more advice, immediately swallowed his words! This fellow clearly had a bit of a temper.
"If you open your mouth, you will end up just like them!" Mo Lian looked at the remaining Divine Realm expert and said. "Hmph! You are disturbing this venerable one's observation!" He snorted coldly, then looked into the distance. Wu Tianjun was already nearing the demonic beast horde.
Seeing this, everyone on the ship also shut their mouths and looked into the distance, where the white figure was about to be engulfed by the black tide of the demonic beast horde!
"These are demonic beasts!" Wu Tianjun said as he looked at the mass of black, red-eyed, bizarre creatures.