Chapter 1860 (Raw 1872): Intoxicating Saber Sounds
A massive warship blazing with purple light appeared in the north, flying quickly through the clouds in the night sky towards Jiang He’s courtyard.
There was an ancient “Jiang” character written on a war banner at the bow of the ship.
Even from five hundred kilometers away, one could feel the fighting spirit coming from that ancient warship.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
The deafening sound of war drums rumbled out from the ship, spreading in all directions.
Visible ripples surged out from the warship, looking like waves of water. Space even became confused and got swept away.
The loud drumming startled all of the cultivators in Soaring Dragon City.
“It’s the Jiang Clan’s Purple Thunder Warship!”
“What’s happening? To think that the Jiang Clan brought out a Purple Thunder Warship! There are only three of them in the Jiang Clan.”
“Although the Jiang Clan is not one of the eight great Noble Clans of my dynasty, it is still one of the top three clans within the Soaring Dragon Marquisate.”
“It has been many years since I last saw the Jiang Clan send out a Purple Thunder Warship.”
“Go, go, go! Let’s go and take a look!”
The night sky was dark and a bright moon hung there.
The Jiang Clan’s Purple Thunder Warship was like a bright pearl. Its burning light could contest with the moon’s radiance.
The thunderous drumming seemed like it would shake down the lunar palace in the sky.
[TL Note: Chinese legends speak of a palace on the moon where one of the deities live.]
No one knew why the Jiang Clan was furious enough to bring out a Purple Thunder Warship.
What was more horrifying was that the Jiang Clan even beat their war drums, something that had not happened for several hundred years.
Everyone believed that this was connected to the theft of the Sub-Divine Crystal in broad daylight and the Heavenly Book Scholar’s mysterious abduction.
Many with sharp senses all noticed an extraordinary aura.
Against this backdrop, many experts followed in secret, wanting to see what had happened.
However, something even more shocking had yet to come. A fortress ship bathed in jade light and surrounded by red clouds arrived from the west of Soaring Dragon City. It seemed to take its time traveling.
The ship sparkled and glowed like an Immortal’s treasure ship sailing at a leisurely pace. However, in reality, it moved extremely fast.
That fortress ship moved rapidly, leaving radiance in its wake like Immortal mist. It was like a jade ribbon falling from the heavens, drifting in this quiet night sky.
“Ding! Ding! Dang! Dang!”
Fluid, pleasant, melodious tones rang out from the fortress ship that gave off a brilliant light from lanterns. In contrast to the rumbling drumming, the gentle and elegant sounds were intoxicating. Only when the song ended did everyone slowly open their eyes.
One could make out several young women on that brilliant fortress ship, dancing and playing all sorts of instruments. Their swaying figures showed vague jade-green shadows thrown by the ship’s lantern flame.
“The Smiling Daughter Pavilion’s warship!”
“Damn! It really is the Smiling Daughter Pavilion’s warship!”
“What exactly happened? An entertainment establishment like the Smiling Daughter Pavilion actually sent out their warship!”
“Don’t underestimate the Smiling Daughter Pavilion’s strength. In regard to accumulations, even the Jiang Clan cannot compare to them.”
“I am just surprised. An entertainment establishment like the Smiling Daughter Pavilion rarely gets angry. Who is this shocking person who can anger even the Smiling Daughter Pavilion?”
“I need to go and take a look.”
With the appearance of the Smiling Daughter Pavilion, many cultivators who initially just watched from afar could no longer hold themselves back, soaring into the sky.
There was a good show to come. Another four warships appeared in the night sky.
The factions behind these warships were all stronger than the Jiang Clan.
However, someone discovered something even more horrifying. These warships were converging on one destination.
“The Heavenly Mystery Tower, the Sun Moon Pavilion, the Thunder Cloud Sect, and the Jade Water Mountain Manor! These are all the top factions of our Soaring Dragon Marquisate. What exactly happened?”
All the cultivators paying attention to this matter were flabbergasted. This was simply frightening.
Previously, offending just one of these factions was practically a death sentence.
Today, someone had actually fearlessly offended all of these factions.
“Ghostly Shadow Bandit, you will definitely die today!”
Suddenly, a furious roar came from the Jiang Clan’s Purple Thunder Warship and echoed in the night sky.
The anger contained in the voice made one’s heart pound heavily.
“It’s the Ghostly Shadow Bandit!”
“No wonder, no wonder. Aside from him, no one would dare to offend so many factions.”
“Practically all of these factions had valuable treasures stolen from them. Furthermore, news of that spread far and wide, which embarrassed them. Now that they have the Ghostly Shadow Bandit cornered, they will definitely not let him run away again.”
“This is truly an extensive formation of people. It looks like all these factions really hate this Ghostly Shadow Bandit to the bone.”
Upon hearing that furious roar, everyone immediately understood why these factions were here. This dispelled many people’s doubts.
In the courtyard, as Xiao Chen watched the warships flying over from all directions, he entered deep thought. “It looks like tonight would be rather unbearable.”
The warships of the various factions had already locked down on this place, sealing off all the exits.
There was simply no way to run. It was rather difficult to run away from right under their noses.
Jiang He said somewhat helplessly, “Sorry, I implicated you. I did not expect that it would escalate this much.”
Previously, Jiang He had the Heaven Bewildering Formation to wipe his presence from the heavenly mysteries. He did not need to fear others surrounding him.
However, he made a bit of a blunder today.
Xiao Chen smiled faintly. “I am the one who brought the Heavenly Book Scholar here. If we are meting out blame, I should be the one that implicated you.”
“Two big brothers, don’t be afraid. I will go and dismantle one of the ships and tear a path out for you.”
The little monk wore a red undergarment that covered his chest and abdomen. His tender buttocks were still exposed. Even so, he did not seem afraid.
As the little monk stood on the stone table, he looked up at the sky, a heroic expression on his baby face.
“Be obedient and don’t cause trouble.”
Xiao Chen picked up the little monk and tossed him into the sling on his back as he thought about countermeasures.
This trouble could not be solved by dismantling one ship.
Not to mention whether the little monk could dismantle one of the ships or not, even if he could, the others would quickly seal the opening.
These warships all rivaled 7-Star pirate ships. Their speed was frightening.
Cultivators might be nimbler than warships and have greater explosive speed. However, competing in strength against a warship was simply seeking death.
“What countermeasure do you have?” Jiang He asked.
A cold light flashed in Xiao Chen’s eyes as he replied, “Snatch a ship.”
At first, Jiang He was startled. Then, he thought about it. Indeed, snatching a ship was one possible way.
It was challenging to flee from a warship with their personal strength. However, if the two could use the other party’s warship, the situation would be very different.
“Of these warships, which one is the weakest?” Xiao Chen asked. These were Jiang He’s enemies. He should know more.
Jiang He looked at a warship flying over from the west. Then, he said softly, “Of these factions, the Smiling Daughter Pavilion is the one with the deepest accumulations. However, this is not the dynasty’s capital. A warship that they brought out from a marquisate’s capital would not be that strong.”
“That’s the one, then.”
Xiao Chen turned around, looking hopeful. His clear eyes were calm as if he was proposing something minor.
Jiang He entered deep thought. It seems that I’ve been underestimating Xiao Chen all along. This person was far scarier than I imagined.
However, there was no fluster or hesitation in Jiang He’s eyes, either.
Since he had already made up his mind, Jiang He would not hesitate anymore.
“Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Suddenly, two sonic booms erupted in the courtyard. Xiao Chen and Jiang He took to the skies simultaneously, moving ten kilometers in the blink of an eye.
The two of them stood above the clouds, looking down in all directions.
The people who came to watch the excitement on the roofs along the streets looked up. They saw two figures high above, looking like people in paintings under the full moon.
“Two people?”
“Which one is the Ghostly Shadow Bandit? Could it be that the Ghostly Shadow Bandit has always been two people?”
“What are they doing? To think that they took the initiative to head for the Smiling Daughter Pavilion’s ship.”
“Are they sending themselves to death?”
“The Smiling Daughter Pavilion is rife with hidden talents. There are many experts there. If such an entertainment establishment did not have experts guarding it, it would have been overturned long ago.”
The loud exclamations below rang out endlessly. The bold actions of the two in the air made the onlookers break out in a cold sweat.
“Humph!”
A cold snort came from the fortress ship shining with a jade light. One of the pretty women on the ship said, “They are seeking death. You may injure them, but none of them are allowed to die!”
That woman’s voice showed a determined tyranny and strong confidence.
“Yes, Lead Headliner!”
“Hum!”
Zithers, flutes, panpipes, pipas, bells, guzhengs, and many other instruments sang at the same time.
The music was still very gentle, flowing, and clear. It still sounded intoxicating, entrancing.
However, the killing Qi it contained was like huge, surging waves towering to the sky.
Anyone with eyes could see the killing intent and the offensive power of the sound waves. It could instantly kill an early-stage Holy Venerate.
With such great might, regular people would not dare to face it.
The two figures that seemed to be descending from the moon appeared as insignificant as a lone boat in the vast sea as they faced the surging attack.
However, the two’s expressions did not change, remaining calm.
Be it that white-clad youth with delicate facial features and exuding a proud aura or the gray-clad youth that showed a playful and disrespectful expression to the world, neither retreated.
Many already imagined the two getting cut into pieces by the sound waves and their blood scattering throughout the sky. These people could not bear to continue watching.
However, in the next moment, the sound of two sabers being unsheathed rang out. These sounds were even more intoxicating than the wondrous music coming from the countless instruments.
This resulted in everyone reflexively opening their eyes to see.
Everyone saw two strands of resplendent saber light bursting out from the two’s hands.
The night was gone. Only this light lit up the surroundings.