Chapter 437: Ruan Tang Ren Catches a Snake

With only two mountain snails left, they could no longer restrain the gold level sea serpent.

The sea serpent whipped its body, quickly shaking off the fishing net wrapped around it, and charged furiously toward the fishmen.

The transcendent fishmen scattered in panic, but the sea serpent opened its maw and sucked in the three nearest fishmen, swallowing them whole on the spot.

Qi Ren rushed into battle personally, while Qi Miao, having exhausted all magic and divine power, could only temporarily withdraw.

The gold level sea serpent lashed left and right, killing fishmen one by one, either by poison or swallowing them whole.

Its belly soon bulged, revealing the uneven shapes of fishmen and weapons beneath. Yet these were swiftly dissolved by the serpent's formidable digestive power.

For the Da Ji Clan, the losses were devastating.

Qi Ren's eyes reddened with anguish, but he could do nothing. Neither Lady Sea Snake nor Zhou Zhang had issued a retreat order.

This was the world of the strong.

No matter how numerous the weak were, they were merely seen as more cannon fodder.

Silver level fishmen like Qi Ren and Qi Shu were, in the eyes of Lady Sea Snake and Zhou Zhang, nothing more than high level cannon fodder.

Fortunately, the sea serpent's intelligence was limited. After breaking free from the fishing net, it locked onto these fishmen, driven by vengeful fury, determined to fight to the death.

Qi Ren and the others fought a retreating battle, luring the sea serpent toward the ambush site.

“The casualties are too heavy!” Qi Ren nearly shed tears of blood.

Though the ambush site was still a short distance away, most of the Da Ji Clan's extraordinary fishmen had already perished. To preserve the remaining extraordinary combat strength, he had no choice but to sacrifice many of the weaker members, women and children included.

“Am I to die here in battle?”

“I cannot die. No more transcendents must be sacrificed!”

Qi Ren was gravely wounded, not out of fear of death, but because the current casualties had pushed the Da Ji Clan to the brink of collapse.

Fortunately, at that moment, Qi Ling relayed Lady Sea Snake's new order: “The Da Ji Clan may retreat.”

Ironically, it was not Zhou Zhang, on whom Qi Ren and others had pinned their hopes, who ultimately spared the Da Ji Clan, but Lady Sea Snake.

However, her mercy stemmed not from compassion.

On the one hand, the Da Ji Clan had lured the sea serpent close enough for them to strike. On the other hand, Lady Sea Snake needed the Da Ji Clan to survive, it was her leverage against Qi Ling.

“We retreat!” Qi Ren bellowed. The fishmen cheered as if granted a pardon, while he volunteered to hold the rear.

"Damn it, damn it!" On the Fluffy Cloud, Qi Ling manipulated numerous water spirits for reconnaissance and knew full well the Da Ji Clan had suffered heavy casualties.

Her heart burned with hatred and fury, yet bound by the magic contract, she couldn't lash out at Lady Sea Snake.

Jian Gui whom she'd pinned her hopes on had quietly approached but hadn't intervened.

Like the fishmen tribe, the backup Qi Ling had counted on failed to materialize at the critical moment.

The ships of the Heroism Pirates had already retreated far away. Now, only the Fluffy Cloud, disguised as a white cloud, hovered above the battlefield.

Ba Qi, Lady Sea Snake, Ruan Tang Ren, Qi Ling, and others gathered on the deck.

“Captain Ruan Tang Ren, it's up to you now,” Lady Sea Snake said, her large eyes glistening with plea, revealing both expectation and entreaty.

Ruan Tang Ren instantly perked up, his spirits soaring. He pounded his chest and vowed, "With me giving it my all, I won't let you down! Even if it means dying, I'll make this plan succeed."

Lady Sea Snake suddenly pressed her index finger gently against Ruan Tang Ren's lips, “No, Ruan Tang Ren. I won't let you die.”

In that instant, Ruan Tang Ren's body trembled violently, his eyes losing focus.

When he snapped back to himself, his face flushed crimson. Two puffs of air burst from his nostrils as he declared loudly, "Lady Sea Snake, you watch this! Just watch!"

Watching this scene, Ba Qi couldn't help but sneer.

Though not old, he'd seen much and carried the shadow of death, making him far more mature than Ruan Tang Ren. He saw right through Lady Sea Snake's tricks.

Ruan Tang Ren had never been this driven in his entire life!

Feeling motivated, he pulled out a large coil of rope and wrapped it around his waist.

The rope was thick, its diameter akin to an adult's fist, yet nearly transparent, its surface merely shimmering with faint golden threads of light.

It was Bu Kong Jun's Weakening Fishing Line.

Such thickness and length were natural, for Bu Kong Jun was neither human nor elf, but a mushroom treeman. In the underground world, colossal mushroom trees thrive. Bu Kong Kun was awakened by druidic enlightenment, then cultivated step by step to become a legendary level magic chef.

As a giant, the fishing line Bu Kong Kun used appeared thick and enormous to ordinary people.

The gold level Weakening Fishing Line was not only transparent in material but also possessed an extremely muted aura, the essence of gold level was nearly imperceptible.

Ruan Tang Ren drew out the line's tip, infusing it with his silver level battle qi.

Though silver level battle qi couldn't exist independently in the air like gold level could, it could still separate from the body and be channeled into weapons or armor to enhance their power.

After the infusion, the line's tip immediately curled upward, as if suddenly alive.

Ruan Tang Ren flung it with all his might, sending the Weakening Fishing Line flying far out.

Dragged by the line's tip, it shot toward the boat's edge, then plummeted straight down. Within seconds, it plunged into the sea, heading directly for the sea serpent.

The fishing line's aura was concealed to near-invisibility, yet careful detection could still detect a faint trace.

After all, this was a gold level artifact. Ruan Tang Ren, being only silver level, struggled to harness its full power with his battle qi, like a small horse pulling a heavy cart, his strength insufficient.

Only a gold level battle qi could conceal the line's aura completely.

Still, for the current situation, this level of concealment was entirely sufficient.

Though the sea serpent was a formidable gold level creature, its intelligence paled in comparison to that of a fishman. Moreover, now in a state of frenzied rage, it hadn't detected the fishing line's approach at all.

As if possessed by eyes of its own, the fishing line effortlessly coiled around the gold level sea serpent, binding it tightly.

The sea serpent, sensing its renewed confinement and severely restricted movement, grew even more enraged, churning up massive waves in the ocean.

On the Fluffy Cloud, Ruan Tang Ren fought the gold level sea serpent single-handedly. He was frantically channeling his battle qi, his face flushed crimson as he strained every muscle, his entire body trembling slightly.

He desperately harnessed the power of the Weakening Fishing Line, steadily sapping the sea serpent's strength and deepening its state of exhaustion.

The gold level sea serpent's resistance grew weaker by the moment.

A flicker of joy crossed his face as he looked toward Lady Sea Snake, “I've got it under control. Maybe I won't need Lord Ba Qi to intervene. I might just...”

He didn't realize that the serpent's weakened state was merely a feigned lull, the calm before the storm.

In the next instant, the gold level sea serpent unleashed a spell, doubling its strength beyond measure!

Ruan Tang Ren's face paled. Before he could react, the fishing line yanked him away.

Thud! He slammed into the mast, quickly wrapping his softened, elongated arms around it.

The line coiled around his waist, still dragging him toward the water below.

At the other end, the gold level sea serpent swam with all its might, plunging into the ocean depths.

An ordinary silver level fighter would likely have been torn apart alive by this force. But Ruan Tang Ren possessed a unique bloodline and a compatible battle qi technique. His bones and flesh could temporarily soften, stretch, and even undergo minor deformation.

“See? I've got this under control. Don't... don't worry!” Ruan Tang Ren boasted to Lady Sea Snake.

“That move was a bit excessive for him,” Lady Sea Snake rolled her eyes inwardly, though her expression remained outwardly concerned.

Her worry wasn't entirely feigned.

Of course, her concern wasn't for Ruan Tang Ren himself, but rather that he might screw up and cause the entire operation to fail.

Still, Lady Sea Snake was well-prepared. Should this sea serpent slip away, she had backup targets ready.

Only, there was no second Da Ji Clan to serve as cannon fodder this time.

Half a minute later, Ruan Tang Ren's expression darkened. Despite his all-out tugging, the gold level sea serpent continued diving deeper into the ocean.

He was forced to release several coils of fishing line from his waist.

The gold level Weakening Fishing Line could stretch, thinning under tension yet retaining remarkable resilience, unlikely to snap anytime soon.

“Damn it, my battle qi's down to less than a third!” He finally shouted after another thirty seconds, “Quick, feed me the potion!”

With both arms and legs wrapped around the mast and his other hand gripping the slack fishing line, he couldn't take the potion himself.

The first mate hurried over, opened the bottle, and poured it into Ruan Tang Ren's open mouth.

Ruan Tang Ren swallowed the potion successfully. Its effects kicked in immediately, dramatically increasing the rate at which battle qi was generated within him. Despite the constant depletion, his reserves began to rise.

But the next instant, the gold level sea serpent erupted again.

Ruan Tang Ren wasn't torn apart, but the mast could no longer bear the strain and snapped clean off.

His face paled. Without anything to cling to, he was yanked straight out.

Just as he was about to crash through the ship's rail and be dragged into the waterway by the gold level sea serpent, at the critical moment, a thunderous roar filled the air. Ba Qi suddenly appeared at the ship's rail, extending his massive hand to grab Ruan Tang Ren's shoulder.

Only then did a wave of air surge over.

Ba Qi's intervention was as steady as mountains, instantly securing Ruan Tang Ren firmly against the ship's rail.

Still shaken, Ruan Tang Ren hurriedly thanked him, finally comprehending why Lady Sea Snake had spared no expense to summon Ba Qi's aid.

“Captain Ruan Tang Ren, how are you?” Lady Sea Snake asked anxiously.

Her concern, of course, wasn't for Ruan Tang Ren, but for the sea serpent lurking beneath the waves.

Yet, well-versed in human psychology, she didn't voice this fear. Instead, she inquired about Ruan Tang Ren's condition.

Ruan Tang Ren felt a twinge of embarrassment, but the warmth of his beloved's concern outweighed it. He quickly replied, “I'm fine, cough cough, I'm fine. The sea serpent is under my control too.”

He answered rapidly, blood spurting from his mouth as he spoke.

His struggle against the gold level sea serpent had already pushed him to his limits. The impact from their clash had been immense, inflicting serious damage.

Lady Sea Snake's brows furrowed deeply. Her assessment of the situation left her far from optimistic.