Chapter 503: Dealing With the Captives

“Now, bring them all out.” Cang Xu was satisfied with the results of his first divine spell.

At the fishman youngster's command, the two Rubber Swallowers regurgitated their captives from their stomachs.

Ku Feng and Qing Xin kept their eyes tightly shut, their bodies limp and utterly devoid of resistance.

“This is divine magic...” Cang Xu could already glimpse a fragment of the vast power of the Charming Blue Goddess.

The fishman youngster did not relax. He gave the order again for the other alchemy puppets to bring the two captives into the Deep Sea Monster Fish.

Simultaneously, he commanded the remaining Rubber Swallowers to continue diving out of the ship's hold to capture the fishmen of the Da Ji Clan alive.

Ku Feng and Qing Xin, carried by the Rubber Swallowers, passed through the metal corridor and entered a compartment.

Within the compartment, several longhorn cages had been arranged.

The primary material for these alchemy cages was the spiral horns of narwhals.

Earlier, the fishman youngster had instructed Zhong Yong to hasten their production. Shortly after entering the Ocean Mother Nest, the fishman youngster had used these very cages to imprison numerous naga transported in via blood sacrifices.

Spiral horns protruded densely from every part of the longhorn cages like spikes.

These slender spikes, like countless needles, pierced into Qing Xin and Ku Feng's bodies.

Unlike their use against the naga prisoners before, the spiral spikes now felt far gentler. Though they inflicted minor wounds on the two captives, the injuries were not severe and certainly not fatal.

The longhorn cage began to function, suppressing Qing Xin and Ku Feng's transcendent powers.

They had already been subjected to a double seal earlier.

Later, they fell victim to the Opportunistic Deception Spell. (This wasn't just any divine spell as it consumed the god level material Pearl Bubble!)

Now, the longhorn cage served as the final seal.

With these layers of suppression, Qing Xin and Ku Feng couldn't even think of escaping, even waking up was already extremely difficult.

The fishman youngster was as steady as a rock.

Handling prisoners demanded utmost caution! After all, the Deep Sea Monster Fish was their sole stronghold now.

Without any gold level powerhouses, a gold level magic ship was a rare trump card capable of slightly countering saint level threats.

The fishman youngster and Cang Xu had discussed repeatedly how to deal with Qing Xin and Ku Feng.

Ultimately, they reached a consensus: treat them as prisoners.

This was the safest course.

Their first agreement was clear: they had to intervene to aid these two.

Relying solely on conversion efforts would yield little. Left unattended, both would likely meet a gruesome end at the hands of the Snow Pear Octopus.

The question remained, how to help?

Without revealing their own existence, they could only rely on the Deceptive Disguise spell, alchemy puppets, and similar methods.

The fishman youngster had considered helping Ku Feng, altering his memories, and then sending him back. The advantage of this approach was that Ku Feng could assist Cang Xu to some extent.

But Cang Xu rejected it.

Cang Xu believed that even if Ku Feng offered help, it would be extremely limited. Jian Gui's influence over him far surpassed Cang Xu's hold over Ku Feng.

Moreover, converting two undead beings in succession would draw attention and suspicion. It would place Cang Xu squarely under the spotlight. Already walking a tightrope, further exposure would severely hamper his operations.

Thus, Ku Feng's fate was capture and imprisonment.

“This approach carries a potential risk,” Cang Xu had once pointed out, “Jian Gui planted a lethal backdoor within me. Given his nature, he likely did the same to Ku Feng.”

“The proof lies in how Jian Gui's faction can secretly communicate, discussing and sharing techniques for fabricating memories to bypass Zhou Zhang's dual seals.”

The necromancers achieved this level of coordination precisely because Jian Gui implanted hidden gateways within each of them. This forged a profound, clandestine bond between their souls and his, effectively turning these undead into his summoned entities, akin to the ghost ship itself.

Since Ku Feng can communicate in secret, it's almost certain he has a hidden passage on his body.

But the one who set up the hidden passage might not only be Jian Gui, but also Doctor Sui Shi who originally turned Ku Feng into a zombie. The latter might have secretly revealed the hidden trap to Jian Gui.

Cang Xu, meticulous in thought, stated bluntly, “The Deceptive Disguise spell might not be able to rule out this kind of soul connection either.”

“For even if the Deceptive Disguise spell employs pearl bubbles, it cannot forge one's faith.”

"Earlier, you, the commander, attempted to use the Deceptive Disguise spell to empower an alchemy puppet, hoping to pass it off as a Charming Blue believer for teleportation. The result? The alchemy puppet was promptly destroyed by the saint octopus."

Only by forging memories and tampering with the soul could one possibly deceive the gods.

It was also possible that the Deceptive Disguise spell was ineffective against the Charming Blue Goddess, though it might work on other deities, this remained to be verified.

But one truth was clear, in the realm of souls, undead research stood at the world's forefront, rendering the Deceptive Disguise spell obsolete.

The fishman youngster found Cang Xu's reasoning compelling.

After much contemplation, he still resolved to capture Ku Feng.

"The secret bond between Ku Feng and Jian Gui is a soul-level resonance between summoned entity and master. The Deceptive Disguise spell still holds the potential for deception. At present, we cannot rule it out."

“More importantly: even if Jian Gui senses Ku Feng is not dead and remains in the Ocean Mother Nest without returning, he won't report it. He will only conceal his suspicions, sensing something amiss within the Ocean Mother Nest.”

“This has minimal impact on the situation.”

“Moreover, from Jian Gui's reaction, we might infer whether the Deceptive Disguise spell can truly deceive a soul-level connection.”

“Understanding the limits of this technique will guide our future use of it.”

Now was an excellent opportunity to test it.

The fishman youngster decided to seize this chance.

He successfully persuaded Cang Xu.

Next came the plan for Qing Xin.

“Qing Xin is from the Wisteria Merchant Alliance, one of our own.” The fishman youngster harbored a natural trust toward her.

He thus asked Cang Xu whether Qing Xin was trustworthy.

Cang Xu directly recounted their shared experiences and Qing Xin's conduct throughout.

“In short, capture her and treat her the same as Ku Feng,” Cang Xu stated his proposed course of action.

Hearing this, the fishman youngster felt puzzled, for Qing Xin had shown no signs of being an enemy.

Cang Xu offered a logical explanation: “Precisely because of that, we cannot trust her lightly. Because Qing Xin hasn't shown any signs of being our ally either. Before truly joining us, she must prove herself.”

“In a way, we resemble the orthodox undead faction, so we can reference their methods.”

"The orthodox undead spread their legacy to expand the ranks of necromancers from the grassroots level. On the other hand, they intensify their screening process to control new recruits."

"Assessing a recruit's aptitude and talent is key; beyond that, they assign tasks to test new magicians' loyalty to the undead orthodoxy."

"They definitely conduct background checks, another way to gauge loyalty."

"Getting into Jian Gui's ranks was mostly luck!" Under normal circumstances, even with another two or three years, I wouldn't have been able to attain the intermediate undead inheritance."

Regarding Qing Xin, Cang Xu stated plainly: “I don't doubt Qing Xin's identity. I preliminarily recognize her as a potential ally.”

“But only after proving her loyalty can we gradually reveal our secrets to her.”

"Don't let emotions cloud your judgment. Just because you feel she's trustworthy doesn't mean she is. That's wrong!"

“A competent organization must have strict, well-defined protocols for integrating new members.”

The fishman youngster listened intently, finding his words deeply resonant.

Thus, he ultimately treated Qing Xin as a prisoner.

At this stage, neither the youngster nor Cang Xu could judge Qing Xin's loyalty, making it impossible to reveal secrets of the Deep Sea Monster Fish's caliber.

Moreover, even if they could verify her loyalty, the fishman youngster would struggle to secure Qing Xin's immediate allegiance. Zi Di was not present at his side.

Without Qing Xin's swift pledge of loyalty, her power remained inaccessible to him.

The more painful truth was that even if Qing Xin pledged her loyalty and devoted herself wholeheartedly to the fishman youngster, her power is of little use in the current situation. With or without her, it made no difference!

Qing Xin and Ku Feng were both locked inside a longhorn cage.

The fishman youngster and Cang Xu left the compartment, watching as the metal hatch slid shut with a final click.

The fishman youngster then stationed two swordsman guards on both sides of the hatch.

These alchemy automatons were among the spoils seized when they captured the Deep Sea Monster Fish. They could provide some combat and defensive support to survivors within the compartments.

Next, it was the turn of the fishmen from the Da Ji Clan.

The fishman youngster and Cang Xu returned to the landing pod. The first fishman was spat out by the Rubber Swallower, crashing onto the metal floor.

The fishman looked up at Cang Xu, believing he had arrived in the underworld and was seeing his exterminated clan's enemy.

But the pain from hitting the metal floor quickly brought him back to reality, he wasn't dead. Not only that, but Xu Jia was still alive too!

The fishman roared in fury and lunged at Cang Xu.

The next instant, he was pinned to the ground by the Rubber Swallower.

To the fishman's eyes, it was as if a torrent of seawater crushed him.

Rage and hatred surged within him as he struggled desperately, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Cang Xu. If looks could kill, Cang Xu would have died seventeen or eighteen times over.

Cang Xu remained expressionless as he channeled divine magic toward the fishman.

As divine power drained from him, the spell Soul Link manifested.

A pale blue radiance extended from the depths of Cang Xu's soul, coalescing midway into a slender chain that shot into the fishman's body.

The fishman's flesh offered no defense as the chain pierced directly into his soul.