A chunk of flesh was missing from the leader’s shoulder, his shoulder blade clearly visible.
SPLASH!
At the same time, Xuanyuan Jinkang channeled his Potential Power and poured a ladle of seawater onto the leader’s wound.
"AHHHH!"
The leader let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Gazing at the bloodshot-eyed, utterly vicious Xuanyuan Jinkang, he begged for mercy, "Spare me, sir! I’ll do anything you say!"
It was clear that those long accustomed to high positions were often the most afraid of death.
Besides, Xuanyuan Jinkang’s current appearance made him look more like an inhuman pirate than anything else. The man didn’t dare resist and could only obey his orders.
"Don’t let them block the path up the mountain. And remember, you owe me your life."
Xuanyuan Jinkang dragged the minor leader back to the small boat and snarled at Chu Lingguang, who was standing at the port.
"I know."
Chu Lingguang stirred the Wind and Wave Power to give Xuanyuan Jinkang a push, then turned and charged toward the mountaintop.
The path up the mountain was narrow and steep.
If the path was blocked, even if the main army reached the port, the men and horses wouldn’t be able to ascend, let alone annihilate all the pirates.
As for trapping the pirates on the mountain and forcing them to surrender without a fight, neither Chu Lingguang nor Xuanyuan Jinkang had considered it.
A true man takes revenge when it’s due. Every extra day these pirates lived was a sign of disrespect to Eunuch Liu.
Besides, the situation at sea was ever-changing.
The army of over a thousand men couldn’t stay at the Xiazigou port forever. What if other pirates heard the news and got ideas about Black Bear Island’s merchant caravans?
Furthermore, with the main pirate chief just dead, their morale was in shambles. As long as the path up the mountain wasn’t blocked and the army could reach the summit, none of the pirates would be able to escape, even if they grew wings.
And so, with this thought in mind, Chu Lingguang once again transformed into a god of slaughter, just as he had the night before, and carved a path of death toward the summit.
The previous night, he had carried Eunuch Liu on his back, fighting his way down from the summit.
He had cut down countless pirates on the steep slope.
Tonight, he was doing the reverse, fighting his way up from the base. Those who stood in his way became ghosts under his spear. Many were blasted off the slope by Chu Lingguang’s power, shattering into pieces upon impact.
"A ghost!"
"It’s him! He’s the one who killed the chief!"
"He’s come back to kill again!"
"The god of slaughter is here!"
The story of Chu Lingguang’s rampage the previous night—how he had swept through their ranks, completely unstoppable—had already spread among the pirates.
In the chaos of the moment, they hadn’t realized just how many of their brothers had died at Chu Lingguang’s hands.
It was only afterward, when they learned the casualty count, that the survivors of the chase broke out in a cold sweat. A god of slaughter who had cut down over a hundred of their brothers and wounded more than two hundred more in a single night... He was like a taboo god of the sea, a thought that made them shudder in fear.
They thought they would never have to face Chu Lingguang again in this lifetime.
But to their shock, Chu Lingguang had returned to kill again the very next day. The pirates, already terrified of him, finally broke, with some starting to flee toward the summit.
Of course, they didn’t forget to lower the iron gates along the path as they fled.
Unfortunately for them, to Chu Lingguang—who had awakened the Black Tortoise Divine Power and possessed the strength of forty-six tigers—those iron gates were like paper. A single sweep of his spear was enough to shatter them.
Even the massive boulders rolled down from above were either easily dodged or sent flying with a flick of his Long Spear.
Just as he had fought his way down from the summit as if through an empty realm the night before, so too did he fight his way up tonight. With unstoppable momentum, he single-handedly charged from the base of the mountain to the top.
It was as if he could annihilate all the pirates of Xiazigou by himself.
Finally, Chu Lingguang reached the summit once again.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Countless poison-laced arrow shafts shot toward him.
Chu Lingguang executed the Flying Leaf Lotus Spear. The three-foot defensive space in front of him became impenetrable, deflecting the countless arrow shafts as he continued to charge the group of Archers ahead.
"Kill him!"
"Who in the hell is he?!"
The pirate leaders were in a panic, having never seen such a ferocious man.
Poisoned arrows and Poison Needles shot at Chu Lingguang from every corner.
HUMMM!
Chu Lingguang unleashed his Bloodline Divine Abilities. Brick-like fragments formed an airtight barrier in front of him. His Spear Stance erupted at the same moment. After a night’s passing, his Spear Stance had finally taken tangible form. Within its range, rays of spear light condensed, imbuing every sweep of his weapon with devastating, unstoppable power.
He finally reached the Archers.
BOOM!
He swept his spear out, its power multiplied by layers of Potential Power. The Archers’ formation was thrown into chaos, as if struck by a hurricane and smashed by a tsunami.
Many of them spat blood, and some even died on the spot.
"He’s... he’s too strong."
"Just who is he?"
"We can’t beat him, even if we all team up!"
The few remaining leaders watched, their hearts pounding in terror. After feeling the fluctuations of Chu Lingguang’s power, all of their usual savagery at sea seemed to evaporate. They could only order their underlings to charge forward while they themselves retreated uncontrollably.
Chu Lingguang didn’t rush to pursue them. He focused first on completely slaughtering all the pirates who used bows, then firmly held his position at the entrance to the mountain path, ensuring the troops behind him could make their way up.
Fortunately, after three months of training, the soldiers from Black Bear Island, while not exactly elite troops, no longer had any shirkers among them. With Chu Lingguang clearing the way for them—the path up the mountain littered with pirate corpses—they were greatly inspired. Their morale soared as they charged up from the base of the mountain, holding torches aloft.
By the time they reached the summit, day had completely broken.
"Brothers, follow me and kill!"
Zhang Baofu roared.
This was the first time he had ever set foot on the summit of Xiazigou. His blood boiled with excitement, and he wished he could personally gut every single pirate.