Chapter 1697: Chapter 1697

"Everyone, those dozens of dragon pythons, each one comparable to a human Thunder Tribulation tier-one or tier-two expert. Even though our sea ship is sturdy, it cannot withstand their ongoing attacks alone. We need to rely on all of you to work together to protect the sea ship from damage."

The Fan Hai Sect elder leapt onto the lookout tower at the very top of the sea ship, clearly shouting to the two thousand strongmen on the ship.

The strongmen on the sea ship were all keenly aware that if the ship they were aboard was destroyed, their lives would be in grave danger. Hence, protecting the ship equaled protecting themselves; thus they responded with a resounding agreement.

As the people on the sea ship conversed, dozens of dragon pythons suddenly changed direction and swam rapidly towards the ship.

Although the dragon pythons had enormous bodies, akin to leviathans in the sea, their swimming speed was astonishingly fast, far outpacing the ship.

In just the blink of an eye, the dozens of dragon pythons were within a hundred feet of the ship. Some experts could already clearly see the two distinctive dragon horns on their heads.

"Let’s speed up and hurry onward! We will reach Black Tortoise Island within a thousand miles. As long as we enter Black Tortoise Island’s port, the sea ship will be safe!"

The Fan Hai Sect elder, seeing the dragon pythons rushing towards the ship, opened his eyes wide and shouted loudly.

Then, the two sea ships accelerated together, forging ahead with all their might toward Black Tortoise Island.

Black Tortoise Island is one of the few large islands amidst the vast Black Sea, with its sole sect, the Black Tortoise Sect. All tens of thousands of island residents are disciples of this sect.

Among the tens of thousands of disciples of the Black Tortoise Sect, it is said that three thousand possess Tribulation cultivation, making it a powerful sect capable of wielding influence even on the expert-rich Eastern Desolate Continent.

Typically, sea ships traveling between the Eastern and Western Desolate Continents stop at Black Tortoise Island for several days en route, allowing passengers to rest and trade cultivation resources with the island’s disciples, while the ship can restock supplies.

The residents of Black Tortoise Island are known for their hospitality. As long as any passing ship enters within a hundred miles of the island and is pursued by sea beasts, the island’s experts will intervene to help drive the beasts away.

However, the two sea ships from the Fan Hai Sect still have a thousand miles to go to reach Black Tortoise Island, and it’s uncertain whether they can escape the dragon pythons’ attack and reach the island’s waters.

Just a hundred miles into their full-speed voyage, there was a dull thud as the left side of the ship was rammed fiercely by a dragon python.

The ship rocked and swayed, forcing the experts on deck to use immobilization techniques to remain still.

The dragon pythons have robust physiques, particularly their horned heads, whose durability far exceeds steel. Despite the massive collision against the sturdy hull of the ship, they remained unscathed.

Before the experts on the ship could recover from the first collision, another dragon python struck the hull on the right side.

This dragon python was even longer, and stronger, so the ship swayed even more violently.

Though these two strikes did not cause significant damage to the ship, the impacted sections were slightly concaved inward, and repeated strikes would eventually lead to trouble, no matter how sturdy the ship.

"Activate the defensive array!"

The elders from the Fan Hai Sect aboard the two ships shouted sternly and sequentially.

Consequently, disciples of the Fan Hai Sect activated the defensive array on the ship, causing beams of dazzling light to radiate from the array pattern inscribed on the hull, forming a thick protective Qi shield around the two ships.

Although the dragon pythons increased the ferocity of their strikes, the strongmen on the ship felt only slight tremors, indicating that the defensive array was effective.

All the strongmen on the ship breathed a sigh of relief, thinking if the defensive array could safeguard the ship for several hours, they could reach Black Tortoise Island a thousand miles away, ensuring their safety.

The dragon pythons were very cunning, splitting into three groups; the two flanking groups attacking the ship, while the front group used their massive bodies to obstruct the ship’s path.

Consequently, the ship’s speed was greatly reduced, as if stuck in a swamp, progressing slowly.

Activating and maintaining the operation of the ship’s defensive array required the consumption of a large number of Royal Grade Spirit Stones. At the current pace, it’s likely that the ship won’t reach Black Tortoise Island before the defensive array fails due to depletion of Spirit Stones.

"This is not going to work! Thunder Tribulation experts on the ship, let’s unite and repel the sea beasts!"

The elders from Fan Hai Sect on the two ships shouted loudly.

"Alright! Listen to Elder Hai."

"Show those sea beasts what we’re made of!"

"Sea beasts are strong, but we’re not weak!"

"Two ships, three thousand Thunder Tribulation experts, it’s more than enough to deal with hundreds of dragon pythons!"

"Everyone, don’t hold back, attack with all your might!"

"If we can slay a dragon python and acquire its beast core, it will be highly useful!"

The moment the elders of Fan Hai Sect finished speaking, nearly three thousand Thunder Tribulation experts across the two ships spoke out enthusiastically.

Although the dragon pythons are formidable, and the strength of those at the same realm far exceeds human experts, the ship’s experts hold an absolute numerical advantage. By working together and cooperating, they may be able to drive back the dragon pythons.

As some experts mentioned, if they can slay a dragon python and obtain its beast core, it would be a great benefit indeed.

Upon deactivating the defensive array on both sea ships, they lost their protection and were subjected to the dragon pythons’ violent strikes, leading to a continuous barrage of thunderous booming sounds and intense shaking of the ship’s hull. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel~fire~net

Two elders from the Fan Hai Sect aboard the two sea ships shouted and took the lead by flying out of the ship, attacking the dragon pythons from a commanding height over the sea.

Other experts followed suit, launching their attacks as well.

They understood that whether they could repel the dragon pythons was critical to their survival, thus none held back.

Fang Bai, a Soul Severing Perfection expert, didn’t even qualify to join the fight, so he stood on deck with several others of similar cultivation level and observed the intense battle unfolding around the sea ship.

Aboard the ship, Fang Bai knew only Huo Zhenying personally, hence he paid extra attention to him.

Among the many dragon pythons besieging the ship, they were mostly Thunder Tribulation tier-one, tier-two strength, making Huo Zhenying, who was only at Thunder Tribulation tier-one, still at a certain risk while attacking them.

Considering Shi Xiaolian, if Huo Zhenying truly faced a life-and-death crisis, Fang Bai would not mind lending a hand.

The Black Sea is the home turf of the dragon pythons, granting them a significant advantage in battle here, thus showing no fear of the numerous human experts opposing them.

The dragon pythons have robust bodies, and a Thunder Tribulation tier-one dragon python can withstand the attacks of a human Thunder Tribulation tier-two expert solely with its body without being harmed.

Furthermore, the water balls spewed by a Thunder Tribulation tier-one dragon python, formed from condensed Water Spirit Qi, pose a substantial threat to human Thunder Tribulation tier-two experts.

As a result, despite the human experts having an absolute numerical advantage, often with dozens attacking a single dragon python, they struggle to overcome their thick-skinned and tough-bodied adversaries, with many human experts being continuously injured by the water balls spat by the dragon pythons.