Protect Our Patriarch
Book 5: Chapter 161: Show your might! I want this Kunwu Giant Ship!

...

On one side, Third Prince Shentu Jingming was shamelessly trying to win over Wang Long Yan, while on the other, the chase in the Wuwang Sea had reached a critical moment.

The sea and sky were filled with demonic energy.

The gray-black demonic energy enveloped the entire sea like a fog, and the menacing Kunwu Giant Ship exuded a tremendous sense of oppression, stirring up countless waves as it sailed.

Several Three-Eyed Treasure Ships swiftly maneuvered across the sea, surrounding a battered merchant ship from all directions, forcing it to sail in a predetermined direction.

Massive crossbow bolts pierced the sky, and the roar of cannon fire echoed across the horizon. The terrifying might of Divine Realm experts dominated the world.

Waves of terrifying shockwaves swept out one after another.

Under the intense confrontation, the entire sea became turbulent, churning up towering waves.

The armed merchant ship was already in a dire state, and under this encirclement, it appeared even more isolated and helpless, like a trapped beast in a cage, struggling desperately but seeing no hope.

Seeing this, a person on the broad and imposing bow of the Kunwu Giant Ship suddenly burst into laughter.

"Haige, oh Haige, it's been over three thousand years. The former Xia has long perished, and you still think you're a royal princess?" The person's gaze was mocking, and his tone carried an indescribable disdain. "I don't know whether to call you naive or foolish."

Amidst the demonic energy, this person stood with hands behind his back, his indigo embroidered robe fluttering in the wind. His demeanor was noble and imposing, full of spirit and arrogance.

This person was none other than Sun Yaowu, the current heir of the Xia Prince's Mansion of the Demon Zhao Kingdom.

Beside him stood several retainers and attendants, all with restrained auras and extraordinary presences, clearly subordinates of the Xia Prince's Mansion.

"The funniest thing is that the Sima Clan, this caged canary, still dreams of reclaiming the 'Sea Tide Codex' and rallying old forces to restore the nation." Hearing this, an old man standing beside him stroked his beard and sneered, "They don't realize that apart from a few stubborn old diehards, who would follow them in such a suicidal venture?"

This old man was a Divine Realm retainer of the Xia Prince's Mansion, named Sun Dahai, one of the Divine Realm retainers sent by the Xia Prince to protect Sun Yaowu, and also at his command.

"After the one-for-one situation was established back then, the immortal-demon war ended, and both the Immortal and Demon Dynasties tacitly accepted the fall of the former Xia. Only they foolishly refuse to believe it." Sun Yaowu continued to sneer, "In the eyes of the high and mighty Demon Emperor and Immortal Emperor, a country or a state is just a pawn in their game, to be discarded without hesitation when necessary. And we are nothing more than the leftovers discarded by the Immortal Dynasty after securing their interests."

"Without the support of the Immortal Emperor, the Sima Clan's attempt to restore the nation is nothing but a colossal joke."

"Heir, I have a suggestion." Sun Dahai stroked his goatee and suddenly chuckled, "Now that Princess Haige is a turtle in a jar, why not capture her alive and claim she committed suicide out of guilt? Then, you can keep her for your own enjoyment. Heh, although the Sima Clan's glory has faded, this woman still bears the title of 'princess,' which must be different from ordinary women."

Sun Yaowu glanced at Sun Dahai indifferently, "Your vision is too narrow, Hai Retainer. Of course, we should capture her alive. However, such a rare delicacy would be wasted on personal enjoyment."

"Heir, what do you mean?" Sun Dahai's eyes rolled, pondering.

"Have you heard of the Third Prince of the Demon Dynasty, Shentu Jingming?" Sun Yaowu said calmly.

"The one rumored to have a problem with his head?" Sun Dahai was puzzled, "It's said he acts on his whims, caring only for his own pleasures, indifferent to others' opinions. As long as he's happy, he doesn't care if the sky falls."

"Problem with his head?" Sun Yaowu's lips curled into a smile, "If he truly had a problem with his head, would the Demon Emperor indulge him so? Given the things he's done, anyone else would have been discarded by the Demon Emperor long ago. I think this man, despite his carefree facade, has deep thoughts."

"Heir, you mean to present Princess Haige to the Third Prince as a stepping stone?" Sun Dahai's spirit lifted, and he became slightly excited, "I've heard the Third Prince has been frequenting our Zhao Kingdom lately, though his intentions are unclear."

"What the Third Prince is plotting is beyond our concern or reach." Sun Yaowu sternly reminded him, "Our Emperor supports the Xia Prince's Mansion to set an example for the Immortal Dynasty's factions, showing that life under the Demon Dynasty is not only not worse but better. The Xia Prince's Mansion may seem glorious, but as surrendered ministers, our position is awkward, and trust and heavy use are hard to come by."

"The Sima Clan's rebellion is the best opportunity for the Xia Prince's Mansion to prove its loyalty. And if we can seize this chance to curry favor with the Third Prince, it will solidify our standing in the Demon Dynasty." Sun Yaowu spoke eloquently, displaying a shrewd and calculating demeanor.

"Brilliant plan, Heir! But why not curry favor with the First or Second Prince?" Sun Dahai was puzzled, "In terms of ascending to the Demon Emperor's throne, the Third Prince is far behind the other two."

"Ridiculous! Precisely because the First and Second Princes have a chance to ascend, we can't easily curry favor with them." Sun Yaowu glanced at him, exasperated, "Our interactions with the princes won't go unnoticed. If we curry favor with the First or Second Prince, others will assume we're seeking merit from supporting the future emperor. What will our Zhao Kingdom's Emperor think? He'll wonder if the Xia Prince's Mansion is no longer content with just being a prince."

"Your wisdom is unparalleled, Heir. I am enlightened." Sun Dahai suddenly realized, filled with admiration.

The Heir truly lived up to his title, considering everything thoroughly.

Their conversation was casual, showing no regard for Princess Haige, as if they were certain of capturing her soon.

Unexpectedly.

During their brief exchange, a powerful energy fluctuation erupted from the armed merchant ship, breaking through the Three-Eyed Treasure Ships' firepower blockade and escaping through a gap.

In that moment, the battered armed merchant ship unleashed unparalleled speed, racing forward and quickly widening the distance.

The smug look on Sun Yaowu's face froze, and his expression turned grim, "Chase them!"

With the order, the fleet immediately changed direction, fanning out to pursue the armed merchant ship.

The massive Kunwu Giant Ship followed closely, its colossal hull cutting through the sea with a thunderous momentum, as if a thousand troops and horses were charging, making hearts tremble.

In comparison, the armed merchant ship seemed weak, pitiful, and helpless.

After multiple battles, the armed merchant ship was severely damaged. Although it broke through the encirclement, its speed continued to decrease.

Without a turn of events, it would be caught again in no more than two or three hours.

At this moment.

On the armed merchant ship.

"Cough, cough!" The old servant accompanying Princess Haige lay pale and weak on the deck, coughing up blood and looking miserable.

Earlier, to break through, he had to use major divine abilities to withstand several attacks from enemy ships, suffering severe injuries.

Blood spread across the deck, glaringly red.

"Old Yang, Old Yang, how are you?" Princess Haige supported his arm, her eyes red with anxiety, her voice trembling.

"Princess, this ship can't hold on much longer. While they haven't caught up, you should abandon the ship and escape. There's still a chance, cough, cough!" The old servant coughed up blood, but his mind remained clear, his tone resolute, "Go now. The old servant and the Sima Clan's death warriors will hold off the pursuers for you."

"No! We'll leave together!" Princess Haige's eyes were fierce, her tone equally determined, "I won't abandon everyone to escape alone."

"Foolish child." The old servant's expression was anxious, "If you stay, you'll only lead everyone to their deaths."

As they argued.

In the direction the armed merchant ship was fleeing, a large fleet suddenly emerged from the sea fog, sailing from the opposite direction.

Due to the fog, the fleet appeared somewhat hazy, but its general outline was still visible.

In the fleet, the flagship at the forefront was massive. Although it appeared smaller than the Kunwu Giant Ship, it seemed more solid and robust.

Most importantly, the flagship's design was completely different from any sea vessel of the Demon Zhao Kingdom!

"This..." The old servant surnamed Yang's pupils contracted, then his face turned ecstatic, "This doesn't look like a Zhao Kingdom fleet. Maybe... we can ask them for help!"

Needless to say.

The fleet they saw was the Wang's Clan's ocean fleet heading towards the Demon Zhao Kingdom.

At this moment.

Inside the armored ship's bridge.

Led by Wang Shouzhe, the group had gathered.

The appearance of the Wang's Clan fleet here was no coincidence. Imagine, with the Yuan Shui Azure Dragon scouting in the clouds and the Dragon Whale group secretly paving the way in the water.

In terms of "vision," the Wang's Clan naturally had a broader view.

In this situation, since the two sides "encountered," it was clear that the Wang's Clan fleet had other intentions.

"Shouzhe, are you planning to engage the Demon Zhao Kingdom's fleet?" Chaoyang King frowned slightly, "Wouldn't this provoke conflict between the Immortal and Demon Dynasties? You know, with the tense situation on the outer region battlefield, an internal war could easily turn into chaos."

"Don't worry, Your Highness. With our strength, taking down this fleet is a piece of cake." As the fleet commander, Long Wuji was full of confidence, seemingly not taking the Kunwu Giant Ship seriously, "Shouzhe's main intention is to capture a Kunwu Giant Ship."

"Exactly. The Kunwu Giant Ship is one of the Demon Dynasty's main battleships." Wang Shouzhe explained, "In the Great Qian Western Sea, the Blood Child Demon Lord is also intensifying the construction of Kunwu warships. We will inevitably face them in battle. If we can capture a Kunwu Giant Ship and study it, we can better counter it in the future."

In fact, at the Wang's Research Institute, especially Wang Shouzhe's precious daughter, the institute's director Wang Liyue, had long been clamoring for a Kunwu Giant Ship.

However, the immortal-demon war had ended thousands of years ago, and the Kunwu Giant Ships captured by the Immortal Dynasty had long been returned to the Demon Dynasty as "prisoner exchanges."

What Wang Shouzhe could obtain from the Immortal Dynasty were just some broken parts of the Kunwu Giant Ship.

Those parts naturally had less research value than a complete Kunwu Giant Ship.

"Your Highness Chaoyang King." Jiang Zhencang said, "Although we need to exercise restraint in matters involving the Demon Dynasty for the sake of unity, in reality, it's often the Demon Dynasty that targets our Immortal Dynasty factions first."

"For example, the war between the Great Qian and the Western Jin and Southern Qin, instigated by the Blood Child Demon Lord, the conflict between the Liang Kingdom and the Demon Yan Kingdom, and the chaos on the Muzhen Continent."

"Now we have a chance to stir things up for the Demon Dynasty, and I think there's no problem with that. We can't just endure and take the hits for the sake of the bigger picture, right?"

Chaoyang King nodded, "Holy Master Jiang makes a valid point. As long as it doesn't escalate too much, a show of force might even be beneficial. Shouzhe, execute your plan as you see fit. I'm just offering some casual advice; you don't need to worry too much about my opinion. In a team, there can only be one decision-maker."

"My daughter Liyue is quite interested in the Kunwu Giant Ship." Wang Shouzhe said, "Judging by the current situation, that fleet is clearly pursuing that armed merchant ship. Such a large-scale operation, coupled with the fact that the armed merchant ship has a Divine Realm escort, suggests that this is no simple matter. We can act accordingly, and if exposed, the Immortal Emperor and Demon Emperor will have a reason to argue."

After all, they were merely "accidentally" caught up in it. What could be wrong with that?

"Shouzhe, do you know what I like most about you?" Long Wuji grinned mischievously, "It's your shameless way of having your cake and eating it too."

"I call it 'acting with justification'!" Wang Shouzhe glared at him.

"Alright, alright, I don't care if you're acting with justification or not. Just give the order, and I'll make sure to take down that fleet." Long Wuji was brimming with excitement, already eager for action, "My Divine Might Cannon is itching for action."

As they spoke.

Suddenly.

A woman's voice came from the battered armed merchant ship ahead.

With profound energy, her voice easily reached the ship from over ten miles away: "I am Haige, the current princess of the Sima Clan of the Great Xia, currently being pursued by the traitors of the Xia Prince's Mansion, the Sun Clan. I implore you for assistance, and Haige will do everything in her power to repay you."

Great Xia?

Even Chaoyang King was momentarily stunned, pondering for a while before recalling, "It's the former Immortal Dynasty vassal state, the Xia Kingdom, on the Yan Sea Continent!"

"An Immortal Dynasty vassal state? And a fallen princess?" Long Wuji's eyes lit up, and he laughed heartily, "Shouzhe, today you have the chance to play the hero saving the beauty."

Wang Shouzhe smiled nonchalantly, "It's just a coincidence, like having a pillow delivered when you're sleepy. Now it's justified. As for the opportunity to play the hero, I'll pass as a married man."

"Instead, Brother Long, you're still unmarried and might consider this Princess Haige. Last time, I heard His Majesty nagging about finding you a match."

At this.

Long Wuji's face darkened, "Shouzhe, don't joke around. How can I give up the whole forest for one tree? You have no idea how enthusiastic the girls on the Tianji Continent are... smack!"

Before he could finish, Chaoyang King slapped him on the head.

"Rascal!" Chaoyang King scolded, "If you don't have children, where will humanity's hope lie?"

Wasn't this the phrase Wang Shouzhe always had on his lips? How did even Chaoyang King say it so smoothly?

Long Wuji held his head, speechless.

Unfortunately, being hit by Chaoyang King, no matter how aggrieved he felt, he could only swallow it. After all, this was not only an elder but also someone who dared to hit even his ancestor!

"Wuji, you've had enough fun. It's indeed time to settle down." Holy Master Jiang added with a smile, "Though she's a fallen princess, she still holds a princess title, which won't disgrace you."

As they chatted and laughed, their demeanor was clearly relaxed.

Honestly, with such a luxurious lineup, even trying to create a tense atmosphere would be challenging.

The appearance of the Wang's Clan fleet, however, made the Xia Prince's Mansion fleet tense.

"Where did this fleet come from?" On the bow of the Kunwu Giant Ship, Heir Sun Yaowu's expression was somewhat awkward, "No flags, no insignia, just appeared out of nowhere? Does our Zhao Kingdom have such a fleet?"

Most importantly, this fleet didn't look weak, and the flagship was over thirty feet long, only slightly smaller than the Kunwu Giant Ship.

"Heir, to maintain a fleet of this scale, a family must be at least first-grade or super-grade." Retainer Sun Dahai was equally puzzled, "But I've never heard of a family with such a peculiar fleet."

The Yan Sea Continent, though called a continent, is surrounded by sea, making it more like a giant island. As a result, the maritime industry is relatively developed, and many powerful families have their own fleets.

"Princess Haige has asked them for help. Heir, what should we do?"

"Persuade them to stay out of this." Sun Yaowu frowned and ordered.

He didn't want to cause trouble at this critical moment, but he wasn't afraid of trouble either. After all, from the outside, the Xia Prince's Mansion fleet seemed stronger.

Immediately, Retainer Sun Dahai used profound energy to shout, "Friends ahead, we are the Xia Prince's Mansion fleet of the Zhao Kingdom, pursuing family traitors. If you are willing to stand aside, our Xia Prince's Mansion will be grateful and offer generous gifts. However, if you insist on meddling, don't blame our fleet for being impolite."

"Generous gifts? What kind of generous gifts?" As soon as he finished speaking, Long Wuji's teasing voice came from afar, "We are a fleet from the Tianji Continent. If you don't want me to intervene, you'd better lay out your terms. The young lady said I could name any condition, hehe~"

Long Wuji was never one to follow rules. He had a bit of a rogue nature, acting recklessly and spending most of his time at sea, dealing with various unknown forces, and lying came naturally to him.

"Tianji Continent? No wonder these ships look a bit strange." Sun Yaowu realized, then his face darkened, muttering in a hostile tone, "But a mere Purple Mansion Realm dares to take advantage of our Xia Prince's Mansion. If it weren't for the special circumstances, I'd teach him a lesson!"

He snorted coldly, "Hai Retainer, offer him fifty thousand immortal crystals and tell him to leave."

"Yes, Heir."

Sun Dahai responded and then said loudly, "My Heir says, since you're friends from the Tianji Continent, here's fifty thousand immortal crystals as a token of our Xia Prince's Mansion's hospitality. Let's make a good connection."

"Fifty thousand immortal crystals? Are you trying to dismiss a beggar?" Long Wuji pursed his lips, his tone extremely irritating, "That's a princess, and she's only worth that much? One price, five million immortal crystals. Send the money over obediently, and your Lord Long will kindly let you go."

Five million immortal crystals?! And let them go?

Heir Sun Yaowu was so furious he trembled all over, his face dark with anger, "Truly shameless! If we don't teach him a lesson, he'll think I'm easy to bully. Use the secondary cannon to fire at him and drive him away."

The Kunwu Giant Ship had a famous main cannon called the "Demon Dragon Ballista."

It was a masterpiece of the Demon Dynasty's crafting technology, capable of firing a Demon Dragon Bolt with power comparable to a Void Realm strike after charging.

During the immortal-demon war, the Demon Dragon Ballista had an impressive record.

However, the Demon Dragon Ballista required special bolts, which were expensive, and the charging cost was enormous. A single shot cost over ten thousand immortal crystals.

Moreover, the ballista couldn't fire continuously, as each charge required a long time.

Chasing a princess didn't warrant using the main cannon, so it hadn't been charged in advance.

Therefore, even in his rage, Sun Yaowu wisely opted for the secondary cannon.

The secondary cannon was a scaled-down version of the Demon Dragon Ballista, costing only about ten thousand immortal crystals per shot and had already been pre-charged.

With his order, the secondary cannon on the Kunwu Giant Ship emitted a dazzling energy glow, and a smaller Demon Dragon Bolt whistled through the air.

In just two breaths, the bolt approached the armored giant ship's flagship.

Unexpectedly.

Before the bolt could hit the armored giant ship, a flash of light appeared on the massive hull, and a thick energy shield suddenly materialized above the ship.

With prior preparation, the armored giant ship's defensive array activated in time, intercepting the bolt fired by the Kunwu Giant Ship's secondary cannon.

"Boom!"

The bolt collided with the energy shield, causing it to ripple like waves.

Under the immense recoil, the Demon Dragon Bolt shattered.

The scattered bolt fragments struck the thick armor, creating a cacophony of noise but failing to damage it.

"This is a smaller version of the Demon Dragon Bolt." Inside the bridge, Long Wuji immediately recognized the bolt's origin, "This thing is very powerful, equivalent to our Divine Might main cannon. But its weakness is obvious: each shot requires a lot of spiritual stones for charging, and it's very expensive!"

"Fire at them. Test the Kunwu Giant Ship's defensive capabilities." Wang Shouzhe ordered.

"Alright, alright~ It's only polite to return the favor." Long Wuji was instantly excited, laughing wildly, "Order the ship's Divine Might main cannon to aim! Fire!"

With the order.

The crew immediately sprang into action, and in the blink of an eye, the armored giant ship's bow Divine Might main cannon slowly rotated its barrel, then aimed, and a shell was fired with a thunderous roar!

"Boom!"

Under the immense impact, the armored giant ship shuddered.

The massive Divine Might shell streaked across the sky like a meteor, roaring like thunder as it shot towards the Kunwu Giant Ship.

The Kunwu Giant Ship reacted quickly, immediately activating its defensive array and raising an energy shield.

The Divine Might main cannon failed to penetrate the energy shield, instead causing it to ripple and distort.

It must be said, the Kunwu Giant Ship, as the Demon Dynasty's main battleship, was indeed formidable in overall performance.

However, the armored giant ship had its strengths.

Long Wuji commanded the armored giant ship to execute a tail whip, and under the massive waves, the ship swung around at high speed due to inertia.

The side opened, revealing twenty-four secondary Divine Might cannons with dark barrels, baring their menacing fangs.

This was the true combat style of the armored giant ship.

"Aim, volley fire!"

With Long Wuji's high-spirited command, in the blink of an eye, twenty-four cannons roared in unison, and the massive and heavy ship shuddered under the immense recoil.

This was why ironclad ships were used to mount cannons. Ships made of spiritual wood were too light and unstable, and if multiple Divine Might cannons fired simultaneously, the ship would struggle to withstand the violent shaking.

The Divine Might cannons were accurate, and the gunners were well-trained.

Over twenty of the twenty-four Divine Might shells hit the Kunwu Giant Ship.

Boom, boom, boom!

The shells struck the Kunwu Giant Ship's energy shield, blooming like a meteor shower, causing the shield to tremble violently.

Suddenly.

One of the array's power supply disks couldn't bear the load and exploded.

The Kunwu Giant Ship's thick energy shield dimmed, and even its stability was significantly weakened.

The massive shockwave caused the Kunwu Giant Ship to shake violently.

The Kunwu Giant Ship's main structure was still made of spiritual wood, so despite its size, it was much lighter than the armored giant ship of the same volume, and naturally less stable.

"Damn it, they dared to fight back! And their ballista is so powerful?" Heir Sun Yaowu was taken aback.

He had commanded the Kunwu fleet for years, and except when encountering other prince's fleets, he had always been invincible at sea. When had he ever suffered such a loss?!

Both shocked and embarrassed, he lost his usual composure, clutching the railing and shouting, "Fight back! Full counterattack! Start charging the Demon Dragon main cannon immediately!"

But before he could finish.

Another "boom" echoed, and the Kunwu Giant Ship shook violently as if it had been hit by something.

Instinctively, he looked and saw a massive fish head emerging from the sea near the bow.

The fish was round and plump, with white, intricate patterns on its body, looking imposing. It was none other than the aggrieved Wang Zongkun.

He chirped and chirped, commanding the Dragon Whale group to gather near the Kunwu Giant Ship.

"Dragon Whales!?" Sun Yaowu was shocked, "When did so many Dragon Whales appear? And this Dragon Whale looks so strange; I've never seen this species before..."

At this.

Wang Zongkun was furious, chirping and roaring.

You're the Dragon Whale! Your whole family is Dragon Whales! Are you blind? Can't you see that I look nothing like a Dragon Whale?!

Dragon Whale sisters, flip this broken ship for me!

With a wave of Wang Zongkun's fin, the massive Dragon Whale group charged at the Kunwu Giant Ship.

Meanwhile.

Dragon roars echoed in the sky.

Rolling clouds gathered, and before they knew it, torrential rain poured down.

Several massive Yuan Shui Azure Dragons circled in the clouds, and as the rain fell, they roared and descended from the clouds.

In the pouring rain, their scales didn't glisten as usual, but their aura became more majestic and domineering, their presence more terrifying.

The leading one was particularly fierce, roaring halfway down, "Zongkun! You brat, don't steal my credit!"

...