Chapter 71 - Prince Rui's Counterattack

A loud explosion shook the sea as the imperial fleet was put to rest but it was at this moment the concord realised that their Pirate King had vanished in the middle of the sea from his cabin.

Lady Cheng Sei was the first to notice something was up. The enemy was done for but their leader hadn't come out of his cabin. She lowered her body from the sky like an angel descending from heaven, beautiful yet intimidating.

She landed right in front of the open door and gulped as an ominous feeling gripped her soul. When she pushed the door open her fear was confirmed. Ji Wen had indeed vanished into thin air.

Panicked she exited the captain's cabin and shouted, "Move out.... and protect the new king!" As soon as she said this everyone was in a frenzy preparing to set sail. They didn't know what happen to Ji Wen but the rule was to follow orders and ask questions later.

This mission was relatively simple, in fact, it was too simple which was worrying and now that Lady Cheng Sei had spoken then their worst fear had been confirmed.

The seas became rougher as the wind and rain obstructed their sail but those ships were on steroids sailing at a speed unbeknownst to this era.

While the concord was racing against time to get to Ji Yao, he himself was oblivious. He had no idea that his father was missing and that something even more terrifying was about to descend upon the island.

From between the bedrock at the shoreline of the island, a group of masked men silently emerged in the darkness like skilled thieves in the night. Like an organized colony of ants, they vanished into the thick bushes with full knowledge of where they were going.

From a distance, one could clearly see the little dot in the sea which was presumably their ship they had left behind so as not to alert the enemy. The most eye-catching among them was the unmasked man clad in green robes.

The rest of the group were rushing in light footsteps but he was the only one ambling on the beach like he was out on a casual stroll. His damp hair clung to his stunning face as he fixed his wrist brace with an eerie smile.

He snapped his fingers and a purple light spread all over his body. His clothes and hair were dry in an instant like he hadn't been underwater just now. A glint of red flashed in his eyes before disappearing with the aurora surrounding his body.

"Ah-Fei, father is here to take you home," he said with a throaty chuckle before disappearing into the forest.

Ji Yao who had been sitting crossed legged on a tree branch meditating suddenly opened his eyes as he felt an ominous air spread throughout the island. He abruptly stood up but a gush of wind approached from behind.

His gaze sharpened as he tilted his body to the side before he spun around and drew his sabre ready to attack. The way he spun around was especially elegant and graceful but ruthless at the same time with killing intent.

His hair fluttered with the night breeze as his gaze softened. Who else could be brazen enough to approach Ji Yao from behind except Rui Fei? He put his sabre away and was about to reprimand him when Rui Fei suddenly grabbed his arm and pinned him against the tree trunk.

Taken by surprise Ji Yao forgot to breathe for a moment with his brain as blank as a sheet of paper. He placed his hand on Rui Fei's arm as he stared at the boy's gorgeous side profile. His heart beat hard against his chest when his gaze landed on the corner of those plump lips.

He soon realised how astray his thoughts were and decided to push Rui Fui away but his actions paused when he heard a whistling sound of an arrow flying past them. Ji Yao followed the arrow with his gaze with a look of disbelief in his eyes. He easily recognized that familiar insignia. 

The arrow struck a tree trunk and split it into pieces right before his eyes. Rui Fei turned to look at him and said, "They are here for me..... be careful," in a stern voice like he meant serious business.

As soon as he said this Rui Fei leapt off the tree as grey fog emerged from his body and spread like feelers shooting out to the assailant. The masked man dodged and leapt in the sky leading him away.

Ji Yao wanted to follow but he heard painful screams coming from the homes nearby and decided to rush over to protect his people. He found a masked man harassing a woman and child belonging to one of the crew members. Furious, he drew his sabre and powerful strings of lightning spread to the tip as he engaged his aether.

He swung the sabre and struck the man with a force powerful enough to kill an elephant but because this man was half Nocru he managed to escape. He blocked Ji Yao's attack with a shield but his strike was still powerful enough to break the formation at the corner of his shield hitting his shoulder.

The masked man was sent flying a few feet with the smell of burning flesh permeating the air. Ji Yao ordered the pair to go to the safe house as he went after the man who had disappeared into the forest.

The woman nodded and grabbed her daughter entering her house to access the tunnel to the safe house. 

On the other hand, Ji Yao caught up with the man and swung his sabre releasing another powerful attack but the man half knelt on the ground and a formation appeared with runes in the language of the Nocru.

The ground before Ji Yao suddenly rose into a thick pillar of soil blocking his attack. The lightning strike sliced the pillar in half. But as it fell a tree that had been uprooted from the ground was tossed in his direction.

He leaned backwards bending his back at a ninety-degree angle and watched as the tree flew past his nose. Livid, he gathered a ball of lightning in his hand and struck the tree sideways. The force wasn't as comparable as when he spread his seraphic energy to the sabre but it was enough to return that tree to the sender.

The masked man hadn't seen that coming which meant he got a tree to his face making him yelp in surprise.. One can only imagine how many splinters he would have on his face.