Chapter 436: Da Ji Clan

Most crucially, the aura unique to undead had been completely purged.

Unless they detected the ghost ship itself, most would assume it was merely a colossal bronze level sea beast.

After completing this step, the ghost ship began silently ascending, gradually approaching the position of the Fluffy Cloud.

Cang Xu and the others also returned to the ship's cabin one after another.

As magicians, their primary task was to conceal themselves.

Cang Xu's thoughts stirred: “Is there no way to apply further camouflage?”

“In this state, if the ghost ship were detected, our identity would still be immediately recognized.”

There was no choice. Jian Gui possessed neither the Mermaid Fairy Tale nor any Deceptive Disguise Formation to employ. This level of concealment was already the limit of his abilities.

That was precisely why the ghost ship had deliberately kept its distance from the Fluffy Cloud over the past few days, showing no inclination to draw near.

In terms of disguise capabilities, even the gold level Jian Gui couldn't match the silver level Lady Sea Snake.

Approaching in this state still carried risks. The closer they got, the greater the chance of discovery. But now that they'd received Qi Ling's message, battle was imminent. Such risks no longer mattered.

Only after the ghost ship began its advance did the Da Ji Clan, to which Qi Ling had belonged in life, finally receive her message.

“Lady Qi Ling has sent word!” announced Qi Miao, the iron level fishman priest.

"I've said it many times, Qi Ling has fallen and become a necromancer. Stop addressing her as ‘Lady’!" Qi Shu snorted coldly, his expression displeased.

Tall and imposing, he was the Da Ji Clan's foremost fighter, his level reaching silver.

The clan leader Qi Ren shook his head. "Though Qi Ling became a necromancer, she's secretly protected us all along. She's secretly eliminated many dangerous sea beasts for the Da Ji Clan. She has contributed to the clan."

"Clan Leader! If not for Qi Ling this time, would we have been poisoned and controlled by that despicable, treacherous human pirate woman? She did this solely to capture Qi Ling. So we've all been dragged down by this damned necromancer!" Qi Shu shouted in a low voice.

Qi Ren shook his head again. "This is not what Qi Ling would have wanted. The true culprit is Lady Sea Snake, not her."

Qi Miao quickly lightened the mood: "No need for excessive worry, both of you. While we appear to be held hostage, Lord Zhou Zhang stands firmly behind us. This crisis will surely be overcome!"

Qi Miao held unwavering confidence in the tribe's future.

Her assurance stemmed from the octopusman, Zhou Zhang.

Lady Sea Snake had invited Ba Qi as a backup plan. Qi Ling and Jian Gui had secretly made contact, also holding a reserve strategy. As one faction within the tribe, they had secretly secured a formidable ally.

On the surface, the Da Ji Clan hunted alone in the White Hair Trench. In reality, they had covertly reached out to the octopusman priestess Zhou Zhang through other tribes.

At the deepest reaches of the White Hair Trench, Zhou Zhang had erected an altar. Surrounding the Ocean Mother Nest, she continuously performed blood sacrifices.

She commanded numerous intelligent marine species, with fishman constituting the vast majority. Octopusman numbers, conversely, were quite sparse.

Zhou Zhang naturally had no objection to assisting the Da Ji Clan within her capabilities.

As a saint level Charming Blue Archbishop, she possessed a powerful drive for proselytizing. This was especially true upon discovering that over 50% of the Da Ji Clan's fishman already worshipped the Charming Blue Goddess.

To Zhou Zhang, such a fishman tribe was essentially her own kind.

But after learning the details, Zhou Zhang did not immediately move against those aboard the Fluffy Cloud. Instead, she secretly ordered the Da Ji Clan to play along with Lady Sea Snake, turning the tables on her.

Thus, the Da Ji Clan had no choice but to keep up the charade until now.

Frankly, Qi Shu was dissatisfied with this arrangement. He stated bluntly, “Though we have Lord Zhou Zhang's backing, she intends to use us as bait to lure more prey for her blood sacrifice.”

Not a Charming Blue believer, Qi Shu harbored wariness toward Zhou Zhang.

Devoted to his tribe, he voiced his concern: “We're about to face a gold level sea serpent. We'll suffer heavy casualties.”

Qi Ren sighed deeply. "Simply preserving our tribe is already a great achievement. Relying solely on our own strength, we have no chance of turning the tide. Bear it. Survive this ordeal, and the Da Ji Clan will have boundless horizons."

With limited strength, this was the only option.

Qi Miao and Qi Shu exchanged glances, each letting out a sigh.

The fishmen immediately used conch shells to send a message to Zhou Zhang.

This was the contact method Zhou Zhang had specifically reserved for them.

Minutes later, the conch shell sounded, conveying Zhou Zhang's orders.

As Qi Ren, Qi Shu, and Qi Miao had anticipated, Zhou Zhang commanded the Da Ji Clan to mobilize and temporarily cooperate with Lady Sea Snake's plan.

Qi Ren sighed bitterly and issued the order: “Assemble the entire tribe. We depart immediately.”

Qi Miao couldn't help but plead, “Clan Leader, let the elders, women, and children remain behind.”

Qi Shu responded with a hint of coldness: "We march together. If our main force perishes, those left behind, the old, weak, and sick, will have no chance of survival either. Even if they're absorbed by other fishman tribes, their lives will be unbearably miserable. They'll become cannon fodder sooner or later. Better to face it now, at least this time it's for our own kin."

Qi Ren shook his head, ultimately revising the order to allow elderly fishman to join the battle while keeping women and children behind.

The Da Ji Clan mobilized.

Following coordinates provided by Qi Ling, they swiftly reached the coral reef where the sea serpent lurked.

Several hunter fishman ventured cautiously into the reef and successfully located the gold level sea serpent.

It was a silver-ringed, emerald-scaled sea serpent, measuring 13 meters in length. Coiled in the shadows of the coral, its belly slightly swollen, it had clearly fed recently and was now resting to digest its meal.

Qi Ren and Qi Shu, both silver levels, personally took action, hurling a fishing net at the sea serpent.

It was a gold level net.

Though the Da Ji Clan lacked gold level members, generations of accumulation had granted them access to gold level equipment.

This net represented the clan's greatest asset.

Caught off guard, the sea serpent was swiftly ensnared, along with the surrounding coral.

The net contracted rapidly as the remaining fishmen closed in, hurling their first volley of harpoons.

The sharp spearheads cleaved through the water, nearly all striking the serpent's body.

Yet the effect was poor. The spears barely pierced the serpent's scales. Only a few thrown by silver level fishman managed to draw a trickle of blood.

Caught off guard, the sea serpent began thrashing violently within the net.

Hundreds of fishmen strained with all their might, pulling on the ropes attached to the net's edges.

The four main ropes at the corners were firmly secured to giant sea snails anchored to the ocean floor.

These sea snails were enormous, resembling small hills.

Strictly speaking, the Da Ji Clan members were nomads of the deep sea. The giant sea snails served as the main structures for their shifting pastures and temporary homes.

The snail shells were enormous, hollowed out to create numerous rooms and windows.

The Da Ji Clan carefully selected specific minerals to feed them daily.

After consuming these minerals, the snail shells hardened to iron-like rigidity and became incredibly heavy.

To confront the gold level sea serpent, the Da Ji Clan deployed their full arsenal—not only utilizing the gold level fishing net but also mobilizing every mountain snail at their disposal.

The snails moved slowly in four directions, like four massive pillars, firmly anchoring the nets to prevent the sea serpent from escaping.

Wave after wave of harpoon attacks followed, with Qi Ren, Qi Shu, and Qi Miao joining the assault.

The cumulative damage from the silver level attacks steadily increased, leaving visible wounds across the sea serpent's body.

The sea serpent lashed out in fury, spewing streams of sickening green venomous water.

The venom contaminated the surrounding seawater, spreading rapidly like a thick fog in the ocean.

Fishmen who touched the water were instantly poisoned.

It was extremely potent!

The Da Ji Clan reacted swiftly, consuming seaweed antidotes, to little effect.

After all, this was a gold level racial magic, the sea serpent's ultimate survival tactic.

At the critical moment, Qi Ren gave the order. Veteran fishmen from the tribe charged into the toxic fog, one after another. They carried water bladders, using them to absorb the surrounding seawater. Many even opened their mouths wide, using themselves as water bags to absorb the surrounding poisonous seawater with all their might.

Soon, every one of these veteran fishmen lay motionless, their bellies turned skyward, eyes wide and unblinking.

Qi Ren and Qi Shu wore grim expressions.

Qi Miao looked utterly heartbroken.

A tragic atmosphere swiftly spread. Soon, the second wave of elderly fishmen charged toward the sea serpent.

Wave after wave of these suicidal attacks successfully mitigated the surrounding toxic waters.

Most embraced death with a hearty laugh. Yet some, facing imminent death, fled the battlefield.

These deserters were swiftly beheaded by Qi Shu and his comrades.

Yet even towards these fleeing elders, the fishmen of the Da Ji Clan showed no scorn or ridicule. The fear of death was inherent to sentient beings. When they themselves grew old, no one could guarantee they wouldn't act similarly.

Wave after wave of elderly fishmen traded their lives for a turning point on the battlefield.

Their voluntary sacrifice was also for the Da Ji Clan, to secure sufficient living space for their kin and alleviate resource pressures.

Even in environments like the White Hair Trench, the fishman tribes still faced immense survival pressures.

Under such pressures, the oceanic intelligent species continually adapted, evolving optimal survival strategies.

The sea serpent relentlessly spewed venom, yet the Da Ji Clan's precise countermeasures neutralized most attacks without altering the serpent's fate, it remained bound by the fishing net.

Four sea snails flew in simultaneously, dragging the net and pulling the sea snake forcefully toward the ambush site.

By the halfway point, the Da Ji Clan had already sacrificed over three hundred fishmen, and even one of the sea snails had been poisoned.

With nearly all the elder fishmen dead, Qi Shu and the others could only lead the tribe's elite warriors into the fray.

After over three agonizing minutes, another sea snail collapsed.

The transcendent fishmen had also suffered over fifty percent casualties, causing Qi Ren immense heartache.