t
Just at this moment, a group of pirates riding mutated beasts galloping on the water arrived from the distance. As they moved, they kicked up huge waves, appearing as fast as lightning and blocking the two’s passage.
Pirate attacks happened every day in the Black Sea; there was nothing unusual about them.
While standing on the reef, Xiao Chen thought, This group of pirates is pretty strong. They should be able to make Yue Bingyun reveal some of her true strength.
However, the situation did not unfold as he expected.
When the Thunder Fire Sovereign’s descendant, Xia Luo, saw the group of mutated-beast-riding pirates, he rejoiced. He was just thinking he had no opportunity to show off. These pirates really came at the right time.
Hiding the joy in his heart, Xia Luo put on an expression of rage and said, “Bunch of trash. Scram. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
“Haha! Where did this gigolo come from? Even you want to learn from others and act the hero to save the beauty? Kneel down and beg for mercy, and we won’t kill you. However, this girl will have to remain.”
“That’s right. We are not interested in men. If you want to live, scram.”
The group of pirates guffawed, completely ignoring what Xia Luo said. Then they all looked at Yue Bingyun.
In the eyes of these pirates, Yue Bingyun looked like a fairy. Furthermore, she possessed an exquisite figure, curvy where she needed to be. She appeared extraordinary, and her skin looked like snow. Her lovely eyes were very beautiful, filled with boundless charm.
“After we kill this gigolo, snatch the girl away.” The pirate leader sounded very mighty, becoming more impassioned as he stared at Yue Bingyun.
Xia Luo stepped forward and shielded Yue Bingyun. He said, “Bingyun, leave these trivial matters to me, lest they dirty your hands.
Right after Xia Luo said that, he formed hand seals. Then, he quickly threw a palm strike. Clumps of mysterious flames flew out and entered the pirates’ bodies.
It seemed like this mysterious flame was not a real entity. It had no trouble entering the pirates’ bodies. No matter what they did, they could not block it.
The pirates found it strange. However, after they circulated their energies and checked their bodies, they did not discover anything wrong, so they laughed sinisterly and commenced their assault.
“Acting all mysterious. Watch how I tear you apart!”
The many pirates leaped into the air and charged at Xia Luo. If they managed to surround him, he would really be in big trouble.
Xia Luo smiled coldly and said, “How reckless! Do you not even know about the ultimate skill of my Xia Clan, the Thunder Fire Imprint? Die!”
Xia Luo shouted and pointed to the clouds. A bolt of lightning tore through the sky, and thunder quickly followed.
The instant the thunder roared, the cultivators whom the fire entered earlier turned red. Then, they exploded like dynamite, not even leaving a corpse, a sorry sight to behold.
That loud thunder was like a fuse for explosives. Most of the pirates that surrounded Xia Luo died.
The ones that did not die were all frightened into trembling. Xia Luo beat them ragged, forcing them back step by step, all battered and shaken.
The pirate leader riding on a mutated beast thought, Oh no! Then, he hurriedly ordered, “Retreat!”
The many pirates, who had already lost their fighting spirit, immediately withdrew like the receding tide, vanishing from the two’s sight.
Xia Luo felt very pleased. He was beaming, flushed with success, as he turned his head back and asked, “Bingyun, are you alright?!”
Yue Bingyun’s expression did not change at all. She replied politely, “Young Master Xia, it is better for you to address me as Yue Bingyun. Many thanks for making a move earlier.”
Xia Luo’s countenance turned somewhat awkward. Then, he said, “It’s good that you are alright. This journey is dangerous. There are many pirates. However, with me around, I can guarantee Miss Yue’s safety.”
---
Back on the reef, Xiao Chen felt somewhat disappointed. If Xia Luo had not made a move, Yue Bingyun definitely would have had to save herself.
That way, Xiao Chen would have been able to uncover a little of the mysteries surrounding Yue Bingyun, to figure out exactly how strong she was.
However, this Xia Luo’s Martial Technique incited Xiao Chen’s curiosity. Sending clumps of flames into the opponent’s body and then igniting them with thunder—this was extremely mysterious.
After thinking for a while, Xiao Chen roughly understood how this Thunder Fire Imprint worked. Now that he figured it out, it was not as mysterious as it was before.
This seemingly mysterious fire imprint broke up into very tiny portions the moment it came in contact with a cultivator’s protective Quintessence, giving off a minuscule amount of might. Hence, it passed through the protective Quintessence like it was air.
After that, the flame entered through the pores and stuck to the cultivator’s skin. Even when one looked within oneself, they would naturally fail to notice anything strange within their body.
As for how to use the thunder and lightning to get these scattered flames to gather together and explode, Xiao Chen would have to read the secret manual for the Thunder Flame Imprint to find out. He could figure out only the general details by observation.
However, just by working out this step, Xiao Chen already found a way to deal with this Thunder Fire Imprint.
This trip to the Black Sea already gave Xiao Chen a lot of pleasant surprises. It was all worth it.
Be it the Martial Technique of that first pirate leader or this Xia Luo’s Thunder Fire Imprint, they were both very unique Martial Techniques, such eye-openers.
---
“So, Miss Yue, shall we go now?”
Yue Bingyun, however, was not in a rush to leave after the pirates were dealt with. It was like she had made a discovery, which made Xia Luo curious.
She smiled, seeming confident of something, and replied, “There’s no rush. I just saw a friend. Let’s wait for him here.”
“Friend? Where is he? How come I don’t see him?”
A nervous look flashed in Xia Luo’s eyes as he observed his surroundings. However, he did not discover Xiao Chen, who was fifty kilometers away. He did not know whom Yue Bingyun meant.
Yue Bingyun smiled and turned her head away. Then, she mouthed something.
Young Master Xiao, how long are you going to keep watching?
This question stunned Xiao Chen, who had been watching from the reef. Even from fifty kilometers away, Yue Bingyun had actually discovered his existence.
“Your senses are very sharp, much stronger than this Xia Luo’s,” Xiao Chen said softly. He guessed that Yue Bingyun probably noticed when he used his Spiritual Sense to check the area.
Since he had already been discovered, there was no need to keep hiding. He pushed off the reef and traveled over the water, executing Thunder Dragon Steps.
Three electric dragons traveled in the water beneath Xiao Chen’s feet, while four electric dragons flew beside him with another three overhead.
This Thunder Dragon Steps, altered from the Azure Dragon Cloud Soaring Art, was very mighty and suited Xiao Chen better. This allowed him to use it freely, to fuse it even more perfectly with his Martial Techniques in combat.
Xiao Chen leisurely crossed the distance of fifty kilometers in about seven minutes. When he landed on the water, the ten electric dragons returned to his body.
The vast and powerful might instantly disappeared, demonstrating Xiao Chen’s firm control over the Thunder Dragon Steps, which he could bring out or retract with just a thought.
When Xiao Chen landed beside Yue Bingyun, he did not kick up any splashes at all. He calmly said, “How unexpected! I did not think that I would run into Miss Yue here.”
“Haha! Why is it that you may come to the Black Sea for experiential training and I may not? I am a quasi-Emperor as well,” Yue Bingyun laughed gently.
“Young Master Xia, let me make the introductions. This is my friend, Mo Yun. He comes from the Kunlun Continent.”
Mo Yun?
Xiao Chen wondered why Yue Bingyun was helping him conceal his identity. However, this was fine as well. Although there were not many who knew of the Azure Dragon King in the Black Sea, he could save himself some trouble by using an alias.
He gave tacit agreement by not denying it.
Xia Luo smiled carefreely. After he greeted Xiao Chen, he asked, “I wonder, where is Brother Mo going?”
“Black Water City,” Xiao Chen answered honestly.
Xia Luo’s expression changed, and murderous intent flashed in his eyes. He gave Xiao Chen a peculiar and cold smile and prompted, “Is that so, Brother Mo? Are you sure you did not remember wrong?”
This was already clearly a threat, a threat to intimidate Xiao Chen into changing his destination and prevent him from interrupting Xia Luo’s time alone with Yue Bingyun.
Crazy! Xiao Chen scolded in his heart. Then, he looked indifferently at the other party. “Whether I remember wrong or not, I am clearer than you are. There is no need for Brother Xia to worry.”
When Xia Luo heard this, his expression automatically became even more sullen. This fellow actually did not understand my obvious hint.
Yue Bingyun chose an opportune time to say, “In that case, it looks like I can travel with Young Master Mo to Black Water City.”
When she spoke, she seemed to directly ignore Xia Luo, upsetting him considerably.
Black Water Island was the center of the Black Water Sea. It was extremely large. Given its vast area, it simply could not be called an island anymore.
If a quasi-Emperor wanted to explore every part of Black Water Island, he would have to spend a lot of time.
Of course, this was just exploration. If one wanted to examine and study the place, even one hundred years would not be enough.
The geography of the island was very complicated, boasting mountains, rivers, plains, deserts, snowfields, and many other places, at least one of every kind. Ancient Era Remnants were ubiquitous, attracting many experts to adventure.
According to history, the many islands of the Black Sea were once a single continent. It had its own glorious people, producing many overlords, powerful Sovereigns, and legendary Martial Emperors, as many as the stars in the sky, all of them shining brightly.
However, it had been a long time since the continent sundered. Now, very few people thought about this history.
The group of three headed for Black Water City. However, they were not moving at a hectic pace. The main reason they took their time was that Xiao Chen and Yue Bingyue were here for experiential training and wanted to see the difference between themselves and Black Sea cultivators.
After half a month, the trio finally saw the silhouette of Black Water Island. In this past half month, Xiao Chen had gotten fed up with Xia Luo, the descendant of the legendary Thunder Fire Sovereign.
Xia Luo was under the impression that he would have his heyday and that he would definitely bring back the glory of the Thunder Fire Sovereign; hence, he looked down on Xiao Chen at all times.
Furthermore, Xiao Chen “was not amenable to reason,” spoiling Xia Luo’s chance to be alone with Yue Bingyun—which upset and depressed Xia Luo even more.
If Yue Bingyun were not around, he would have fought Xiao Chen long ago and taught him a lesson.
“There is a small city up ahead. We can go there to rest for the night first. Tomorrow, we can make our way to Black Water City. My Xia Clan is in Black Water City and holds some prestige. After we arrive, I can bring Miss Yue to the famous quasi-Emperor experts of Black Water City.”
When Xia Luo said this, he purposely glanced at Xiao Chen, displaying superiority.
Xiao Chen was speechless. Beauty invited disaster. This Xia Luo looked like he had some strength and was not stupid. However, his entrancement with this Yue Bingyun was like water clogging up his brain.
Everything Xia Luo had done was juvenile. For example, bragging about his clan and his future. Xiao Chen found these actions laughable.