Chapter 670: Breeze Bloodline
“So that's it, you possess the Breeze bloodline.”
As he spoke, the blood in Da Han's nose receded, the traces vanishing completely in moments.
Feng Lian noticed this subtle detail and instantly understood: Da Han was under the effect of some constant time divine spell, enabling rapid healing.
He cultivated both magic and battle qi, while Da Han was a dual practitioner of sorcery and divine power. Both men had mastered dual disciplines.
Feng Lian felt a chill in his heart: Da Han... truly worthy of being the fourth-in-command of the Fire Beard Pirates. He had exposed Feng Lian's true nature in just the first round of combat.
The Breeze bloodline had a racial magic known as Wind Combination. Any wind-element energy source could be fused into a single entity.
Under normal circumstances, the energies of fighters, magicians, and clerics, battle qi, magic power, and divine power, could not merge. Transcendents could only wield one.
Simultaneously using battle skill, spells, and divine spells wasn't difficult. What's rare was the true fusion of battle qi, magic power, and divine power.
Feng Lian achieved this through his bloodline.
It was precisely because of this that his offensive and defensive capabilities, among all aspects, were vastly superior.
"Your bloodline allows energy fusion, but it doesn't grant you an overwhelming combat advantage. The reason your battle skill and spells are so powerful is because of the sacred artifact in your hands—the Sea Wind's Howl," Da Han continued.
Feng Lian's eyes flickered, betraying his inner turmoil.
True, he remained a believer of the Sea Wind God, though his faith fell short of the level required for a clergy position.
Nevertheless, through his contributions to the church, he had secured a saint level sacred artifact: the long-handled scythe in his grasp, the Sea Wind's Howl. It could be wielded in close combat or used as a staff, but most crucially, the scythe was imbued with divine magic.
Thus, Feng Lian's strength was forged by the convergence of three elements.
His bloodline allowed the fusion of battle qi and magic power. Amplified by the sacred artifact, his might was multiplied several times over.
It must be said that the Sea Wind Church suited Feng Lian exceptionally well.
His choice of faith proved remarkably wise, significantly boosting his combat prowess.
However, precisely because he had chosen his faith based on self-interest rather than sincere devotion, his belief in the Sea Wind God remained shallow. Consequently, his faith level never truly deepened. Ironically, many of his subordinates became priests of the Sea Wind Church instead.
Having priests within a pirate crew was an exceptionally rare occurrence.
Typically, only formal naval forces maintained such personnel.
“Let me see what secrets you hold,” Da Han declared, initiating the time divine spell.
One of his pupils remained unchanged, while the other began to shift, reflecting a series of magic images within its depths.
Divine spell—Time Rewind.
The necklace and ring on Feng Lian's body flashed repeatedly, yet they couldn't withstand the opponent's scrutiny. He certainly wouldn't sit idly by. Wielding his scythe, he charged forward.
“Lord Captain!” Every move Feng Lian made filled the Divine Wind Pirates' crew with worry and tension.
Among the pirates surrounding Da Han, some admired Feng Lian's courage, while others sneered at his recklessness.
By conventional logic, Da Han, a sorcerer by primary vocation, should be weak in close combat.
Feng Lian, specializing in battle qi, excelled in melee.
Yet he avoided direct combat, pulling back to mid-to-long range and refusing to close in on Da Han.
His weakness in close combat only applied against peers of equal level. Feng Lian was one level below Da Han, so his melee advantage couldn't be fully exploited.
Moreover, Da Han also cultivated divine magic. Clergymen possessed remarkably versatile abilities, as the gods themselves were omnipotent. Naturally, most clergymen filled the healer role within teams of transcendents.
This was because, compared to magicians and fighters, their healing capabilities were far more pronounced.
Battle skill - Wind Blade: Great Slash.
Spell - Wind Blade: Phantom.
Battle skill - Wind Binding Armor.
Spell - Tornado.
…
A cascade of transcendent powers unfolded in succession through Feng Lian's hands.
Whirling wind blades and raging tornadoes coalesced into a colossal offensive surge.
But when this onslaught reached ten meters of Da Han, its power diminished drastically. It was like a ferocious warrior suddenly having his backbone ripped out, or a roaring hero having his vocal cords severed in an instant.
Saint domain!
Centered on Da Han, a layer of white frost blanketed the area within a radius of over ten meters.
It was precisely this frost that severely curtailed Feng Lian's attacks.
This was a true saint domain!
Earlier, Da Han had proactively expanded it, effectively diluting the domain's power and granting Feng Lian an opening. Now, restored to its normal form, the saint domain immediately shifted the battle's momentum upon activation.
All of Feng Lian's assaults entering the saint domain suffered a catastrophic drop in potency. Not even 20% remained, only barely 10% of the original force.
"Oh? I see." Da Han's reconnaissance efforts yielded fresh intelligence.
“So you're a remnant of the Tai He Clan.”
“No wonder you've been lurking in the shadows...”
Transcendent clans primarily descended from the Breeze bloodline were few and far between. The most renowned, and once the most powerful, was the Tai He Clan.
This human clan had originally possessed immense influence, with branches spread across multiple continents and profound foundations.
Regrettably, during the demonic invasion of the Main Plane, the Tai He Clan, for a confluence of reasons, ultimately surrendered to the demons, becoming guides for the demonic hordes assaulting the Main Plane.
After the demons were repelled, the Tai He Clan faced reckoning. Not only were their ancestral holdings confiscated, but the entire clan faced a united manhunt by the major powers of the Main Plane.
“Slanderous fabrication!” Feng Lian retorted coldly.
·
Battle skill - Wind Blade: Heart of Freedom!
He resorted to his old trick, expelling a small swirl of breeze.
It was the very move that had just pierced the saint domain.
Without a doubt, this was one of his trump cards.
The breeze invaded Da Han's vicinity, penetrating about a meter into the saint domain before dissipating harmlessly.
Like an eraser, it wiped away a meter-long stretch of frost, revealing the underlying surface.
Da Han snorted coldly. Without even chanting, he swept his hand, causing a surge of frost to rise from the saint domain. The frost blazed like light, a streak of brilliant rainbow hurtling toward Feng Lian.
Feng Lian attempted to dodge, but at the critical moment, his time slowed.
The frost grazed Feng Lian's shoulder, instantly crystallizing into a thick layer. With a series of cracks, a solid block of ice formed.
Feng Lian swiftly switched hands to grip his scythe, the affected shoulder already numb.
He retreated again, widening the distance. His entire body resembled a soaring bird, circling around Da Han while unleashing a relentless barrage of wind blades.
The diverse formation of wind blades formed a razor-sharp offensive, leaving the watching pirates watching with dry throats.
The gold level pirates imagined themselves in Da Han's position, it would be difficult to withstand Feng Lian's assault.
But Da Han was saint level.
He stood immovable, relying on his saint domain's defensive effect that also amplified his racial magic's offensive might.
Da Han took the initiative, closing the distance.
Feng Lian dared not engage head-on, choosing instead to retreat, desperately maintaining his distance.
He excelled at acceleration, but Da Han wielded the time divine spell, accelerating his own time while slowing Feng Lian's.
With the doubled effect, Da Han steadily closed in while Feng Lian retreated, countering as he fell back.
Feng Lian's attacks proved ineffective.
Earlier, Da Han had been careless. Now fully focused, he fought methodically. His mastery of the saint level granted him complete control over the battlefield.
“Quick, aid the Lord Captain!”
“Lord Captain, catch!”
The Divine Wind Pirates' first mate and others, sensing the dire situation, swiftly activated the alchemy components.
Nearly every pirate ship participated.
A section of the deck flipped open, revealing a massive fan.
The fan whirred, spinning rapidly and generating a spiraling green wind.
Strands of green wind, serpentine in form, shot toward the battlefield, growing thinner and thinner as they flew.
By the time they reached Feng Lian, they were as thin as belts.
The green winds bound Feng Lian and his pirate ship together.
In an instant, Feng Lian's aura surged, and his attacks multiplied nearly tenfold!
“Interesting. The Breeze bloodline has advanced this far.” Da Han remained unmoved, still able to comment with leisure.
Even a tenfold increase in attack couldn't breach Da Han's saint domain!
The gap between saint level and gold level was that vast.
Yet Feng Lian's state differed from the ordinary. Using the winds, he channeled every magic pool from the pirate ships into himself, accumulating so much power it overflowed!
While he freely squandered it to form an offensive against Da Han's advance, he simultaneously drew magic through the wind currents, surging it into his mask.
The next moment, the bronze mask erupted with an aura, revealing itself as saint level equipment.
Only, this artifact was no longer a sacred artifact, but a magic item.
"Huh? Part of a magic construct?” Da Han caught a glimpse of the truth.
Feng Lian's entire body began to swell.
From his normal height, he transformed into a figure over three meters tall.
The bronze mask, the long-handled scythe, and everything else grew in proportion.
In this state, even a simple Wind Blade from Feng Lian rivaled the power of Wind Blade: Gigantic Slash.
With the mask fully activated, Feng Lian's combat power surged again, leaving Da Han visibly impressed. "In this state, Feng Lian is far beyond the reach of my gold level subordinates. He's practically a quasi-saint!"
“But unfortunately, he still can't break through my saint domain.”
Under Feng Lian's relentless assault, Da Han's saint domain had shrunk from its original radius of over ten meters to roughly eight meters.
Yet this represented Feng Lian's absolute limit.
Witnessing this, Feng Lian exhaled a breath of stale air. Without further hesitation, he swung his spear and cast a spell upon his own pirate crew.
Spell—Wind Booster.
A powerful wind surged forth, propelling the pirate ships forward.
The Divine Wind Pirates began their retreat.
Da Han snorted coldly and immediately launched an attack at Feng Lian.
Relying on his two saint level artifacts, Feng Lian struggled to resist.
Watching the Divine Wind Pirates flee into the distance, Da Han ruthlessly suppressed Feng Lian before turning to assault the latter's pirate ship.
Feng Lian swiftly followed. Dragged by the wind, his speed was astonishing, and he soon entangled Da Han once more.
Time and again, Da Han failed to gain the upper hand.
A murderous glint flashed in Da Han's eyes. He threw everything he had at Feng Lian, quickly overwhelming him.
But the wind current intervened again, pulling Feng Lian away.
Da Han pursued relentlessly, chasing for several minutes before finally catching Feng Lian again.
Yet while he could handle Feng Lian, he couldn't handle the pirate ship. Soon, the pirate ship pulled away, dragging Feng Lian off once more.
At that moment, Qian Xing transmitted his voice: “Shall I intervene?”
He still owed Da Han a promise of full-fledged assistance.