Chapter 264 - 261: Grand Sacrificial Ceremony

"So powerful. A Golden Core Cultivator is truly something else."

"Haha, of course! A Golden Core Cultivator isn't like you or me…"

Master Fatty was laughing along when he realized he'd let something slip, and he gave an awkward chuckle.

"Alright, it's true a Golden Core Cultivator stepped in to lure that giant octopus away, but I actually helped out quite a bit, too… Quick, look! The General Manager is making his move!"

After Jiang Xu called his bluff, Master Fatty quickly changed the subject, looking ahead and crying out in surprise.

Jiang Xu's attention was also drawn forward.

On the deck up ahead, the Cultivator who had taken Jiang Xu's Spirit Stones a few days ago stood silently, facing a horde of ferocious Demon Beasts.

The Demon Beasts surged forward like a violent ocean wave. Their forms were massive and terrifying, and the aura they exuded was heart-stopping.

A malicious light flickered on some of the Demon Beasts; they had clearly gathered their Magic, preparing to launch a fatal attack on the General Manager.

However, the General Manager wasn't flustered. His figure was like a streak of light, nimbly and swiftly dodging the Demon Beasts' attacks. Streaks of Sword Qi erupted from his hand, striking the Demon Beasts' vital points like lightning and causing them to cry out in pain as they fell one after another.

The General Manager's attacks were effortless and precise. Every strike accurately hit a Demon Beast's weak spot, leaving them powerless to retaliate. His Body Technique was agile and his Swordsmanship masterful, allowing him to neutralize their attacks with ease.

Under the General Manager's assault, the Demon Beasts steadily fell back, collapsing to the deck with agonized screams. Even those that had gathered their Magic were turned to ash by his blade before they could unleash it.

The General Manager's aura was overwhelming. With his every move, the Demon Beasts were unable to resist his assault, forced to let him run rampant among them.

He faced a dual threat from both the sea and the sky, yet he showed no sign of panic. On the contrary, he appeared calm and composed, as if everything was under his control.

But the sheer number of Demon Beasts was too great. For every one he killed, two or even three more would rush forward. Soon, the wide deck was covered with the mangled limbs of Demon Beasts and the new ones charging in.

Just as the situation grew more tense, the General Manager seemed to feel the mounting drain on his stamina and Spiritual Power, yet he showed no trace of fear or fatigue.

His gaze was like a torch. With a single thought, he let out a low shout. His body's Magical Power surged, and an immense force instantly poured into the Dharma Ship beneath his feet.

The Dharma Ship instantly erupted in a dazzling light. A massive Protective Array materialized, completely enveloping the entire vessel.

Immediately after, the Array activated. Streaks of Runes shot out from all over the ship's hull, smashing into the frenzied horde of Demon Beasts like a meteor shower.

As soon as these Runes touched a Demon Beast, they triggered an explosive shockwave of Spiritual Power, creating a devastating area-of-effect attack.

Amidst a deafening chorus of roars and wails, large swathes of Demon Beasts were blasted to dust by this immense power in the blink of an eye, while others were gravely injured and left unable to fight.

As the Dharma Ship's Array operated at full power, the number of Demon Beasts dropped sharply, and their once-dense assault began to thin out.

Seeing his chance, the General Manager once again brandished his longsword. Sword Qi crisscrossed the air as he cut down the remaining Demon Beasts one by one.

In the end, only a few wailing Demon Beasts were left on the deck. The General Manager's figure still stood tall, looking down upon the creatures with contempt, his clothes still spotless.

He levitated and returned to the ship's cabin.

Only then did the many Qi Cultivation Realm sailors emerge from the cabins and hurriedly begin collecting the corpses of the dead Demon Beasts from the deck and other parts of the hull.

"Such a show-off," Master Fatty muttered, but his voice held an unconcealable trace of envy.

"Every time we take this route, the Youxian Sea pulls a stunt like this to 'show its strength.' As soon as we get near this area, a huge number of Low-level Demon Beasts come to attack the ship."

"Whenever this happens, the Captain makes a huge profit. The Spirit Stones spent activating the Dharma Ship's attack Array are worth far less than what these Demon Beast corpses sell for."

"Some of the greedier captains even use special tricks to attract more Demon Beasts, which means a bigger haul."

"But this is probably it for now. Once the ship smells of blood and is covered in the deathly aura from so many Demon Beasts, not many others will dare to attack."

Jiang Xu fell into thought.

"Why would these Demon Beasts attack the ship? Are they just coming here to die?"

"Of course not. Based on my guess, these Tier One Demon Beasts are most likely the vanguard for High-Level Demon Beasts, sent to scout the combat strength of our ship," Master Fatty said with an air of great importance.

Jiang Xu heard him out, but he wasn't convinced by this explanation.

"If there were Tier Two Demon Beasts behind them, then these Tier One Demon Beasts wouldn't just come here to die for no reason."

"Because once a Demon Beast reaches Tier Two, its intelligence generally takes a huge leap. Faced with such a majestic Dharma Ship, they wouldn't go looking for trouble."

Master Fatty thought for a moment and conceded that Jiang Xu had a point. After some more thought, he added:

"You're right. There are probably many factors involved, not just one."

"For example, the ocean itself might have some mysterious power affecting it, making these Demon Beasts lose their minds and turn frenzied. Or maybe this part of the sea has some unknown Restriction or a naturally formed 'domain' that forces nearby Demon Beasts to act according to a certain pattern, like guarding their territory and madly attacking any intruder."