novelraw Chapter 293: Dragon’s Blood of the Cup
Chapter 293: Dragon’s Blood of the Cup
Outside the ship, the flapping sounds of flying dragons raced past, with explosions and cries of agony rising and falling incessantly.
The news of 'the navy base's crushing defeat' had already thrown the entire Haibao Number One into panic, and the arrival of the flying dragon pirate forces was like pouring oil on the flames of this fear.
"Listen! In these waters, no one can escape the judgment of the Black Thunder Dragon King! And right now, the Black Thunder Dragon King is on his way! Spare me, and I'll plead with the master to spare you all, even give you a sum of money. Our Blackfin Crew always keeps our word!"
Yalong struggled desperately on the ground, trying to find an opportunity to unleash a great summoning spell.
Black Thunder Dragon King? Burry and Fen exchanged grave expressions. When the black lightning descended, no matter how much they struggled, they'd be nothing but fish jumping around in a frying pan.
With flying dragons attacking head-on, how could they possibly win?
Yet, faced with Yalong's threats, Chen Qi remained expressionless, his boot continuing to press down.
"Three..."
Crunch. Two precious dragon teeth in Yalong's mouth snapped instantly, blood spurting out as his whole body twitched like a trampled loach.
Yalong spoke through the pain:"On our flying dragon forces' Shell-affinity treasure chest dragon, it carries many things. Last night, we robbed a group of adventurers and got a lot of money, plus there's rare Cup Dragon blood."
Oh? Cup Dragon blood? Chen Qi's eyes showed a flicker of interest.
Cup Dragon blood came from the giant dragon blood trees in B-tier dimensional rifts, an extremely rare material that could greatly enhance the abilities of 'dragon-attribute creatures,' making it exceptionally valuable.
Besides that, there was money!
Chen Qi wasn't exactly wealthy right now.
Previously, to upgrade equipment and repair the ship, he had spent too much money.
The cash on hand was only fifty thousand Shell Coins. In this 'gold rush' environment of the Witch Sea, that amount couldn't even cover one ship repair.
Moreover, the Ghost Ship equipped with a 'spatial engine' had an extremely high probability of damage.
And 'Spatial Leap' itself consumed massive amounts of ship energy. Even with a ghost fire energy engine, it would break down after multiple spatial leaps.
His and Fen's reputations were too big now. To survive, they had to continuously use 'Spatial Leap,' meaning they needed money for ship repairs and to purchase new energy engines.
Besides that, although the equipment upgrades were complete and the Flower Witch had provided potion reserves, he still needed funds for circuit surgery, to buy some universal skill cards, and further strengthen his power to ensure he could handle supernova-level third-tier opponents without any issues.
And this required yet more money, an unimaginable amount.
In Chen Qi's view, this wave of flying dragon attacks was like receiving timely assistance.
His deep sea perception told him that this batch of enemies was incredibly rich!
Boom! Boom!
The noises from the dock finally caught their attention.
Boom!
With an ear-splitting sound, the steel door shattered into pieces, iron fragments flying everywhere.
The entire room shook violently from the powerful force.
Burry and Fen struggled to maintain their balance while Chen Qi put on his Hunter's Garb.
Dim light filtered through the broken iron door as two flying dragons extended their slender necks into the room.
Their blood-red eyes scanned the three people before them, fresh blood still dripping from their meat-filled teeth.
Drip! Drip!
The flying dragons twisted their necks, their crimson eyes fixing on Chen Qi.
A third-tier Transcendent's powerful physique was extremely precious and delicious food in the eyes of flying dragons. Combined with the Dragon Tamer King's deliberate training, every one of his flying dragons was essentially a human-devouring monster.
"Why do people these days resort to killing so easily?"
A third-tier Transcendent named Brook entered the dock.
Outside, numerous pirates armed with the flying dragon forces' specialized human-sawing axes marched in formation with neat and orderly steps.
"The frenzied aura of the Blade affinity, a third-tier berserker..."
Seeing this, Chen Qi took the Backpack Card from Yalong's waist, stabbed down with his blade, then kicked the completely crippled Yaling away.
Boom!
In the next instant, a flying thunder dragon suddenly thrust its head forward, opening its fanged mouth to catch Yalong mid-air. With a sickening crunch, it bit him in half right before everyone's eyes and swallowed him whole.
Crunch! Crunch!
Blood splattered across the ground.
He just ate him directly... Burry felt nauseous, taking a step backward.
Third-tier Transcendents had their value; typically, even when captured, they'd be treated as prisoners or commodities to be sold to legends.
But a third-tier Transcendent had just been eaten like nothing in the eyes of the flying dragon forces.
And this Yalong was actually one of their own.
The pupils beneath Fen's mask trembled slightly.
Faced with such a horrifying scene, Brook the berserker showed no sympathy whatsoever. Instead, he lit a cigarette with a smile:
"Yalong, even for a top-tier mechanic's dock and three third-tier Transcendents' Backpack Cards, there's no need to be so hasty. Now all the good stuff can only belong to me."
Brook lightly raised his hand, signaling his subordinates to advance.
Perfect timing to test the newly sharpened blade. Chen Qi looked up, his gaze cutting through the panicked crowd and the smoke over the sea, settling on the stout-bodied treasure chest dragon in the distance.
Treasure chest dragons were typically used to store an entire ship's loot. Moreover, when the value in their chests became sufficiently substantial, the dragons would actually grow gold.
Chen Qi assumed a blade stance:
"Burry, you control your mechanical dock for long-range fire support.
Fen, we'll attack together, target that treasure chest dragon. Grab the loot and leave immediately.
As for the water spirits, you're responsible for collecting the spoils."
Chen Qi calmly announced the battle plan right in front of everyone.
"Okay."
Fen took out her staff, ready for combat.
Though she still felt some fear about being surrounded by enemies, since Chen Qi was committed, she had to join too.
Do you think we can't hear you? Brook bit down on his cigarette, pulling a two-meter-long dragon-cleaving axe from his Backpack Card.
In an instant, his muscles bulged dramatically, veins protruding beneath his skin like coiling dragons, every inch of his flesh radiating a crimson murderous aura.
How dare three mere third-tier Transcendents act so arrogant before a berserker? Even if you three were supernovas, you'd still have to kneel before me!
The next moment, the murderous auras between both sides intensified.
Boom! Chen Qi crouched low, executing a Hound's Pace, flowing like water as he delivered a sideways slash.
Rage filled Brook's eyes as he blocked the strike with his giant axe. However, in the next instant, scalding deep blue fire mixed with blade energy began relentlessly tearing through his flesh!
Shadow Blade Slash, severing all flesh and blood!
Wherever Chen Qi's blade passed, black and blue mixed flames erupted violently.
The adamantine axe began melting under the erosion of the deep blue fire.
Not bad! Brook exhaled a massive cloud of blood mist, roaring:
"Blade Release. Madman's Wrath!"
Madman's Wrath - at the cost of rage, unleashes 100% of the body's power while granting extremely powerful recovery abilities and continuously releasing Blade-affinity murderous aura to attack all units within a five-meter radius.
Outside, numerous pirates armed with the flying dragon forces' specialized human-sawing axes marched in formation with neat and orderly steps.
Everyone die! Brook spread his arms wide, ignoring all attacks, charging at Chen Qi like a ferocious deity.
Boom!
Such wide, reckless attacks leave too many openings... Chen Qi dodged with a Blink Step, delivering a kick blazing with deep blue fire that sent Brook flying.
For a moment, Brook's massive, heavy body became like a scorching fireball, crashing solidly into the treasure chest dragon.
The rage in Brook's eyes instantly turned to agony as dark flames covered his body. These flames bit like countless venomous insects, continuously eating away at him.
Blade of Fury... Chen Qi gently twisted his wrist, the long blade in his hand suddenly blooming with scorching deep blue flames that burned continuously until they formed a two-meter-long giant blade.
Chen Qi took a deep breath. After upgrading his equipment, even without activating Release or using Ember's Touch, his combat ability at sea far surpassed that of ordinary third-tier Transcendents.
Of course, prolonged combat remained dangerous. The Black Thunder Dragon King prowling the skies could tear through the heavens and unleash lightning at any moment!
They had to finish this quickly... Blue flames ignited at Chen Chen Qi's feet as he raced across the sea surface at astonishing speed, like a burning meteor streaking across the water, charging toward Brook on the treasure chest dragon.
Along the way, over thirty flying dragon crew pirates wielding giant axes charged at him.
Dark flames gathered on Chen Qi's blade, forming a nearly ten-meter-long flame blade. With a horizontal slash, he sent the flying dragon pirates tumbling in disarray.
Fen followed behind Chen Qi, using her staff to shoot paralyzing vines that restrained all the flying dragons attempting to attack him.
Are these two really this fierce? Their coordination is this good? The mechanic Burry broke out in a cold sweat as he began operating his mechanical dock.
He was a mechanic. Though his personal combat ability wasn't strong, once he operated machinery, he became the king of firepower.
Kinetic cannons, underwater torpedoes, laser cannons...
Burry activated all attack systems of the mechanical dock at once.
Suddenly, thousands of artillery shells rained down like a meteor shower, striking the flying dragons in the air. Many of the airborne dragons plummeted into the sea, becoming food for sea beasts.
The tremendous cannon fire drew the attention of numerous hunters at Haibao Number One.
"Someone's actually fighting back!"
"Let's just run! When the Black Thunder Dragon King arrives, we'll all die!"
"We need to cripple these flying dragons first before we can escape!"
The adventurers' attention naturally turned toward the sea of fire, where they spotted a familiar dark figure amidst the flames.
The Black Hunter actually dared to actively attack the Dragon Tamer King's forces!
Everyone exchanged glances. Though they also feared the Black Hunter, simply running away would never escape the flying dragons' attacks. Many hunters chose to turn back and join the battle.
Chen Qi had ignited the flames of counterattack. Explosions throughout Haibao Number One rang out incessantly like pouring rain.
Flying dragons, hunters, Haibao Number One staff, Blackfin Crew pirates, tourists...
In that moment, all of Haibao Number One descended into unprecedented chaos and battle.
"As long as I'm above the sea, my deep sea perception can detect most attacks, and the Blade of Fury's power has increased tremendously..."
Chen Qi closed his eyes, quietly sensing everything about the ocean.
The deep sea perception provided him with too much information; he needed to adapt to this massive influx of data.
Then, with a burst of speed, he charged before Brook and delivered a ten-meter dark fire blade energy slash!
Boom!
Brook could only barely block with his giant axe.
Too slow... Chen Qi gave him no chance to counterattack, freely releasing his own rage. Within moments, he had delivered hundreds of slashes.
Under this storm-like onslaught, the berserker Brook accumulated more and more injuries.
This was completely one-sided beating!
Everyone watched in stunned silence. The previously arrogant commander of the flying dragon forces had instantly been forced into disadvantage.
At that moment, a pirate shouted loudly:
"Don't be afraid! The worse the situation for a berserker, the more injured he becomes! And a berserker's passive skill means the more injured he is, the stronger his combat power! So the worse the situation, the more injured he gets, the stronger he becomes, which means the situation actually improves!"
Upon hearing this, the pirates' morale soared.
Listening to the pirates' shouts, Brook felt as if a knife had been plunged into his heart.
Though he was at low health, right now he had no ability to counterattack at all!
Berserkers were known for their high health pools, high aggression, and extremely strong recovery at low health - a classic Blade-affinity profession. But the healing reduction effect of 'sever all flesh and blood' completely nullified Brook's recovery ability.
Brook was drenched in blood, his flesh burning, his own furious aura completely suppressed.
To be precise, the furious aura on his body couldn't even compare to that of the blade in his opponent's hand!
Even his own furious aura was being absorbed by that blade!
This was complete domination! The slashes of the blade, the scorching of the flames! Brook's arms became as fragile as ash.
In Chen Qi's eyes, Brook, lacking any means of counterattack, was nothing but a roaring training dummy.
Slash!
Amid the storm of slashes, like cutting through fruit, Chen Qi delivered one final strike that cleaved the berserker Brook in half at the waist.
The twenty-meter-tall treasure chest dragon behind him also fell to the ground, crashing onto Haibao Number One's deck with a thunderous boom.
Dark flames descended, instantly covering the entire deck in a sea of fire.
Around them, the many pirates who had been preparing to support Brook hesitated, ultimately choosing to watch from a distance.
"Surprisingly easy."
Chen Qi let out a long breath, kicking open the treasure chest on the dragon's back.
In that instant, dazzling gold coins burst forth from the chest.
Chen Qi casually counted - just the ten-thousand-value gold coins alone numbered a staggering five thousand.
Fifty million Shell Coins. If you included the other loot, conservatively it reached one hundred million... Chen Qi couldn't help but reflect that piracy remained the most profitable profession on these seas.
Finished... After briefly counting the Shell Coins, Chen Qi looked up.
In the distance, dragon roars continued unabated.
Chen Qi raised his head, following the smoke to gaze at the thick cloud layers in the sky.
Though his deep sea perception could detect the spiritual energy fields of everyone around Haibao Number One, he couldn't guarantee there weren't other reinforcements.
A faint, almost imperceptible rumbling sound emanated from the clouds.
The ruler of the Witch Sea skies, the Dragon Tamer King... Chen Qi muttered to himself. He knew some methods to deal with the Dragon Tamer King, but currently, his preparations were far from sufficient.
Taking advantage of the chaos, grabbing the fifty million Shell Coins and running immediately was the safer choice... Chen Qi grabbed the Backpack Card, made two consecutive dashes, and returned to Burry's mechanical dock.
On the dock, Fen's abilities had also improved significantly - most flying dragons couldn't get within a meter of her.
"Let's go. Next time, when we're better prepared, we'll come play with these flying dragons again..."
Chen Qi wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, speaking to Burry and Fen.
Burry nodded frantically - he hadn't wanted to fight from the beginning.
Fen also nodded slightly, though she hadn't expected the Dragon Tamer King's flying dragon forces to be frightened to this extent.
After the water spirits finished collecting the spoils, Chen Qi took advantage of the chaos, piloted the Ghost Ship, and left the area.
......
On the sailing Ghost Ship, sea winds blew past as the dragon roars gradually faded into the distance.
Terrified little flowers sprouted on Fen's head as she clutched her chest, breathing heavily. Thankfully, Chen Qi had intimidated those flying dragons enough to make them stop their attacks.
Burry wiped cold sweat from his forehead, asking curiously:
"Qi, where did you get all these weapons..."
Burry was astonished. Chen Qi's equipment nearly matched that of some nobility with abundant family resources.
He suddenly remembered An's words - could this Chen Qi before him actually be from The Press?
"......"
Chen Qi didn't speak, instead turning to look at the distant horizon.
The Dragon Tamer King... He shook his head. His current strength was sufficient to handle flocks of flying dragons.
But that Black Thunder Dragon King prowling the sky's apex, along with the Dragon Tamer Jie, remained a significant challenge.
Fen hung her head low. The terrifying scene with the flying dragons made her worried about their next moves.
The Dragon Tamer King's pirate forces were renowned as the sky overlords of the Witch Sea. Using their aerial advantage, they had dominated victory after victory across the seas.
However, compared to other legends, the Dragon Tamer King had one major weakness: extremely poor naval combat capabilities and an intense fear of the ocean itself.
Chen Qi looked at the 'Dragon Contract Card' and 'Cup Dragon Blood' in his hand. If he wanted to ensure his safety, he needed one more layer of protection.
Something that could guarantee his freedom of movement at sea, even without a ship.
Suddenly, Chen Qi's gaze settled on the 'Dragon Contract Card' in his hand.
"Taming a dragon, then..."
As the salty sea breeze brushed past, Chen Qi slowly turned his head, looking toward the direction of the coastal waters.