Free Web NovelChapter 319: Chapter 317: Kiss of Annihilation, the Spirit Battle Ends
’How is that possible? The spirit ship is still being controlled?’
’Did the Kiss of Annihilation fail?’
"Impossible!"
She immediately rejected that guess.
As the Caster, she had a mental connection to her own spell.
There was still a considerable amount of time before the Kiss of Annihilation would wear off—more than enough for her!
’So, what is it then?’
’Does this spirit ship have an automated defense system?’
BUZZ!
Just as she was pondering, twelve Plasma Bombs streaked through the air, but their interception wasn’t very effective.
They only managed to annihilate a single Sun-Eroding Spider Spear.
The other two slammed into the Ghostly Flood Dragon’s array and exploded violently!
After all, without a Fourth-Rank Divine Sense for auxiliary targeting and without the Monarch of Calamity manipulating the Gang Wind for acceleration, the Plasma Bombs’ hit rate had dropped significantly!
WHOOSH!
Spiritual light scattered and clouds of energy burst apart!
Two holes were blasted through the Ghostly Flood Dragon’s Shield Array, and the hull shuddered!
The deep scarlet color of the Shield Array faded, turning almost transparent!
However, this state didn’t last long.
HUMM.
A bloody light circulated as the power of living souls within the Soul Abyss Blood Prison was extracted and converted into energy.
The scarlet light flowed like molten candy, sealing the gaps in the array and restoring its crimson "shell."
Simultaneously, the hull came alive. Layers upon layers of exoskeletal armor grew out across its surface.
The warship’s bow and stern retracted, and its hull became spherical, transforming it into what looked like a star, glinting with bloody light and completely encased in bone armor!
Ghostly Flood Dragon: Defense Mode!
In the distant sky, Ziyuan’s eyes flashed with a hint of understanding.
’As I thought...’
’This spirit ship has a ship spirit!’
Ziyuan was certain.
Just a moment ago, when the Ghostly Flood Dragon’s Shield Array had dimmed and turned transparent, she had used a spiritual eye technique. Gazing into the distance, she had clearly spotted Jiaojiao’s figure on the deck!
’A ship spirit!’
Ziyuan’s heart blazed with desire.
Unlike an Artifact Spirit from a Spiritual Treasure, the conditions for the birth of a ship spirit—a spirit of an array—were far more demanding.
Not even every Fourth-Rank spirit ship possessed a ship spirit!
Only Fifth-Rank spirit ships were guaranteed to have one!
In the Island Cultivation Realm, this was common knowledge!
’Only a Fifth-Rank spirit ship is guaranteed to have a ship spirit.’
’Then... conversely...’
’Does that mean a spirit ship with a ship spirit has the potential to be upgraded to Fifth-Rank?!’
Ziyuan’s voice was deep. She licked her crimson lips, her eyes flashing with a covetous light!
Her previous reason for fighting—simply to defend Spider Demon Island—was now overshadowed.
Now, Ziyuan had a much more urgent desire to win!
She wanted to win!
She wanted this spirit ship!
’Ghostly Flood Dragon...’
’This spirit ship has the potential to surpass the [Seven Colossi]!’
Ziyuan’s eyes gleamed.
’In that case, I’ll have to change my tactics...’
Her original plan was to keep hurling Sun-Eroding Spider Spears to destroy the Ghostly Flood Dragon and kill Su Ye.
But now, she couldn’t do that.
A warship with a ship spirit!
Destroy it?
Ziyuan couldn’t bring herself to do it!
The thought alone was painful!
’So...’
Ziyuan took a deep breath.
Then, she dipped low in mid-air, lowering her center of gravity.
Pitch-black Sun-Eroding power coalesced into a Magical Robe, draping itself over her body!
BOOM!
She stomped on the air!
The step created a piercing sonic boom in mid-air!
Ziyuan’s body became a black shadow, shooting forward like an arrow!
Her target.
—The Ghostly Flood Dragon!
SWOOSH!
Ziyuan flew at incredible speed, rapidly closing in on the Ghostly Flood Dragon.
The Ghostly Flood Dragon, now resembling a death star, extended its cannons and fired a continuous volley of Plasma Bombs in an attempt to intercept her.
However, without Su Ye at the helm, these attacks were frankly unimpressive.
Ziyuan’s figure flickered, trailing a wake of black spiritual light as she carved a graceful arc high in the sky, effortlessly dodging the barrage!
In just thirty-nine breaths, she reached the surface of the Ghostly Flood Dragon.
Then...
"You will..."
"BREAK!"
Ziyuan raised her right hand and threw a punch!
Her fair, delicate fist carried the aura of an ancient, ferocious beast, and the phantom of a spider materialized behind her!
Pale purple Spider Demon limbs moved with her straight punch, striking the Ghostly Flood Dragon’s shield with unstoppable force!
BOOM!
The bloody light rippled violently!
Then, the Shield Array was blasted clean through!
As a Fourth-Rank Great Demon, Ziyuan’s own body was her greatest weapon!
Of course, this was also due to the Ghostly Flood Dragon’s "strong offense, weak defense" design—Su Ye’s defense stat was 21 points lower than his offense, which meant its Armor Attribute was 21 points lower than its firepower.
Lacking the support of its stats, the quasi-Fourth-Rank spirit ship, the Ghostly Flood Dragon, inevitably had a weak Defense Power when facing a true Fourth-Rank being.
BOOM!
She blasted through the Shield Array.
Then, Ziyuan’s body shot forward like a meteor, smashing through nearly ten layers of exoskeletal plating and the outer hull to crash into the Ghostly Flood Dragon’s interior!
WHOOSH!
Ziyuan stood up amidst a spreading ring of dust and scorching smoke!
Break into the warship, kill Su Ye, and subdue the ship spirit.
That was her new battle plan!
’And now, the first step is complete!’
Ziyuan slowly rose, a smile playing on her lips.
However, in the next moment, her smile froze.
’Something’s wrong!’
The hole she had crashed through behind her was instantly sealed by new growth!
Within the cabin, dozens of compressed blood flames bloomed like flowers and then instantly detonated!
The Ghostly Flood Dragon could only maintain twelve cannons when creating Plasma Bombs with the ’wind’ element, but simply producing compressed blood flames was far, far easier!
Surging blood flames filled every corner of the cabin!
Ziyuan’s face was a mask of astonishment; there was nowhere to run!
"This is a trap!"
She let out a shriek.
The blood flames took advantage of the opening, pouring down her throat and silencing her!
Immediately after,
HUM!
a surging, blazing fluctuation of Spiritual Power emerged from the depths of the spirit ship!
The next moment!
A scarlet pillar of light came roaring toward her with destructive force!
—Song of Hell!
"This..." Ziyuan was horrified.
She activated her Eclipse Domain at full power, preparing to pay any price to force her way out of this specially reinforced room and escape the Ghostly Flood Dragon!
But...
Ziyuan’s gaze suddenly went slack.
A familiar feeling.
—The Whale-Hunting Spear!
—Soul Suppressing!
’Is this... Su Ye taking action?’
’But... what about my Kiss of Annihilation?’
Ziyuan’s heart filled with shock and fury!
BOOM!
The Song of Hell washed over her like a raging tsunami, engulfing her terrified face!
Like a roller coaster, Ziyuan’s body was instantly launched skyward by the scarlet pillar of light!
Liftoff!
「A dozen breaths later.」
A figure emerged from one of the ship’s cabins.
Su Ye stretched his neck and limbs, as if just waking from a dream.
"Mmm..."
"That sensory deprivation lasted quite a while."
That’s right.
Su Ye had only just shaken off the effects of the Kiss of Annihilation.
As for his earlier actions?
Captain’s view, friend.
"But the main thing was good pre-battle intelligence and tactical design."
Su Ye gazed into the sky, feeling a bit reflective.
Ziyuan’s Kiss of Annihilation was ridiculously overpowered.
It would be a guaranteed kill on the first encounter for the vast majority of cultivators.
Even Su Ye couldn’t say for sure that he wouldn’t have been taken out by it...
But the problem was...
"An old-timer who’s almost a thousand years old and has been famous for centuries still wants to rely on a first-encounter kill?"
Su Ye had allocated three hundred thousand Spirit Stones and a staff of over a hundred to his intelligence division, specifically to research the Sun-Eating Demon Spider Emperor.
They had compiled a complete intelligence summary, from the characteristics of the Sun-Eating Demon Spiders to Ziyuan’s famous battle records, personal habits, and preferences!
As a result, they had formulated one hundred and thirty-five countermeasures for various contingencies...
What had just unfolded was exactly one of those plans.
"Age can increase one’s cultivation and experience... but at the same time, the more you act, the more intelligence you leak..."
"Even an expert who’s been famous for years can lose to a newcomer..."
"No king rules forever!"
Su Ye shook his head and said reflectively.
Just then, the scarlet pillar of light that had pierced the sky finally dissipated.
A faint but resilient aura still remained.
Immediately, it turned and fled at extreme speed!
Ziyuan was terrified!
She was trying to run!
"Oh, but you can’t escape~"
A smile touched Su Ye’s lips, and a wisp of golden-red light flickered within his deep blue eyes!
’Traceability Mark, my friend!’
Although he couldn’t use [End of Tracing Origin],
placing a simple mark was easy enough!
