Chapter 10: Great Army

Jiang Jusheng was furious.

Unfortunately, the pressure mounting on him was more than he could bear.

The matter had been decided. He had no choice but to bow his head.

And he needed to do so in a convincing manner, without any stubbornness so that Su Chen wouldn’t come to make trouble for him in the future - he respectfully escorted Su Chen all the way out of his palace.

It wasn’t until Su Chen stepped into the flowing palace that Jiang Jusheng allowed his expression to sink.

“Father......” Jiang Shaohong said.

Bang!

Jiang Jusheng slapped him hard across the face.

This slap was purely because of his unhappiness.

Jiang Xishui had taken the Subdued Sea branch with him and followed after Su Chen. There was no one to vent his anger on but his eldest son.

Jiang Shaohong understood his dad’s temper very well, so he cradled his face but stayed completely silent.

Jiang Jusheng walked inside without saying a word, then sat down on his throne and stared off into the distance for some time. Finally, he spoke. “Notify the other countries that Su Chen is planning on helping Sky City reclaim the Neptune’s Eye!”

This would greatly increase the pressure on Su Chen and the Oceanids.

This was Jiang Jusheng’s way of getting revenge.

But after a moment, he changed his mind and said, “Forget about it.”

He knew what the Oceanids were like, and that this wouldn’t change their decision at all. It would only make trouble for him in the future.

This was because he knew exactly how much suffering the Deep Sea Sorrow had brought the Oceanids. They would be willing to pay any price to destroy it. Anyone who got in their way would be considered a stumbling block and would be dealt with mercilessly.

If Su Chen left today, and news spread tomorrow, the Oceanids would definitely know that he was the one responsible.

Jiang Jusheng hoped that the plan wouldn’t succeed, but it couldn’t fail on account of him. Otherwise, the fury of the Oceanids would fall on him.

After a moment’s thought, he said, “Let Xishui know that he is to report all of Su Chen’s movements to me.”

“Will he listen?”

“He’d better,” Jiang Jusheng replied darkly.

“Brother Su, this was my fault,” Jiang Xishui said apologetically on the Boundless Sect’s floating palace.

“That’s not your fault,” Su Chen chuckled, seemingly at ease. “If you really are sorry, then do a good job leading the Subdued Sea branch. That will be the biggest help you can render to me.”

“Are we really going to go hunt a Sea Beast Sovereign?” Jiang Xishui asked with some apprehension.

Princess Westminster, who was standing to the side, said, “Your Majesty, please be at ease. The Oceanids have been fighting with Beast Sovereigns for a long time. We have lots of experience and will be able to guarantee victory.”

“But you have never been able to win against them,” Ji Hanyan said.

Princess Westminster replied, “That’s just because there are too many of them. We can’t kill them all off. Our hope of victory doesn’t come from the battle, but on Su Chen himself. As long as Sir Su is able to find a way of nullifying the effects of the Deep Sea Sorrow, that will be a big burden off our backs even if he isn’t able to destroy it completely.”

The Oceanids weren’t hoping that Su Chen could get his hands on Deep Sea Sorrow - they were more interested in him finding a way to nullify the catalytic effect that it had on the growth of these Sea Beasts.

That way, even if the Sea Beasts continued to attack the Oceanids, the number of Beast Sovereigns attacking would decrease.

Su Chen understood the way Princess Westminster thought and didn’t mind.

All he said was, “Let’s go. It’s time for us to depart.”

Jiang Xishui nodded at the guards next to him, who walked out of the palace, pulled out a conch shell, and began to blow.

The low, mournful cry of the conch shell rang through the sky, and the Subdued Sea branch mobilized.

The beautiful combat boats left the harbor and gathered on the surface of the sea.

The Subdued Sea branch’s boats weren’t as large as the Boundless Sect’s flying dragon boats. Their largest boat was merely three-fourths the size of one of the dragon boats, while the smallest was one-tenth the size. However, there were at least a thousand of them in the fleet.

“The Subdued Sea branch has 1032 boats, including six hundred Guardian-class, four hundred Song-class, thirty Battalion-class, and two Garrison-class boats,” Jiang Xishui said with some pride.

Of Water Sheen’s boats, Guardian-class boats could hold a hundred people, Song-class boats could hold three hundred, Battalion-class could hold a thousand, and Garrison-class could hold three thousand. As such, there was a total of 216,000 people in the Subdued Sea branch.

The sheer amount of firepower made it quite obvious why the Subdued Sea branch was the most powerful army of Water Sheen.

The two hundred thousand man navy left the harbor, attracting the attention of the civilians nearby.

“Is the Subdued Sea Branch heading out on another expedition?”

“Who knows how many of them will return this time.”

“May they come back in peace!”

The civilians standing on the harbour, the beach, and the nearby fishing boats all wished the Subdued Sea branch luck.

Even though Jiang Jusheng wasn’t a great character, his political management of his country was quite good - clairvoyant rulers didn’t necessarily have to be good people.

However, the Subdued Sea branch’s might paled in comparison to the might of the Oceanids.

Following the Subdued Sea branch’s departure, Oceanids began to surface nearby as well, quickly filling the entire sea nearby.

The Oceanids had no combat boats.

They didn’t need boats, and even if they had any, they would merely use them for cargo purposes. There was no military need for such boats.

As sons and daughters of the sea, they could breathe freely in the water. Even barely matured Oceanids could swim through the sea as they pleased, as if they were walking on solid ground.

However, they did have cavalry units.

As the waves crested a frothy white, ferocious-looking sharks appeared at the surface of the water.

All of these Mottled-Head Sharks were incredibly fierce creatures. Their speed underwater was exceptional, and they possessed an innate ability to control the flow of water. They were true Demonic Beasts that had been tamed by the Oceanids and turned into one of their main sources of strength.

Those who rode the Mottled-Head Sharks came to be known as Hunting Shark Riders, putting them even above the Whale Butchers. After all, one needed to control, while the other needed merely to kill. The amount of skill necessary was totally incomparable.

The strength of these Hunting Shark Riders were roughly equivalent to that of a human Qi Drawing Realm cultivator, but with the assistance of the Mottled-Head Sharks, it was probably more accurate to classify them as Blood Boiling Realm cultivators.

There were roughly four hundred thousand of these riders alone.

A large school of Flying Arrow Fish had also appeared next to the sharks.

These Flying Arrow Fish would jump out of the sea from time to time, and they carried Oceanids on their back as well.

These fish were not merely gliding; they had the actual capacity to fly. Even though they weren’t able to maintain it for long, temporary flight was still more than possible.

Their combat strength was not as great as the Mottled-Head Sharks, but they were even faster.

The Flying Arrow Fish riders were primarily responsible for scouting duties, as well as making incisive attacks at critical moments.

Behind the Flying Arrow Fish were a group of massive Dragon Turtles.

Dragon Turtles were Sea Beasts the size of a small mountain. They were typically about three hundred feet in size. Their sturdy shell and razor-sharp head mallets made them the Oceanids’ most powerful close-quarters combat specialists. Each Dragon Turtle could carry up to a hundred soldiers.

These Dragon Turtles were not considered cavalry, but underwater armor.

Even though they moved much more slowly, they were quite effective against the Sea Beasts, who lacked tactical understanding. Unfortunately, these Dragon Turtles took a long time to mature, so they were not easily replaced when lost.

The Oceanids were never able to produce a large battalion of Dragon Turtles for this reason. Even though they had done their best to keep the Dragon Turtles safe and healthy, they still didn’t have any more than three hundred.

Behind the Dragon Turtles came the Iron-Boned Seacows.

Even though the Seacows looked nothing like actual cows, they were large and strong but possessed gentle natures, which was why they were eventually called Seacows.

These Iron-Boned Seacows were another important cavalry group amongst the Oceanid army. They lacked much offensive capabilities despite their large size and high defenses because of their mild temperament. However, they were incredibly useful - perhaps the most useful of the three major cavalry types - because they could bestow their strength to their rider.

A mature Seacow was capable of increasing the strength of its rider by an entire realm.

As such, a Blood Boiling Realm warrior would be as strong as a Yang Opening Realm warrior when riding a mature Seacow. Of course, the gap between Light Shaking and Yang Opening was far too great, so that kind of an increase was not possible. However, it was possible to go from low-layer Yang Opening to peak Yang Opening. If the rider was already at the peak of Yang Opening, it was possible that their strength could be boosted to the Light Shaking Realm level.

The Seacows also had a long life cycle, but they were not as hard to breed as the Dragon Turtles. Under the Oceanids’ care, their numbers had reached the tens of thousands at this point.

Behind the Iron-Boned Seacows, the already somewhat turbulent sea grew noticeably more chaotic.

Large tentacles surged out from the surface of the ocean, stretching to the sky.

These tentacles were long and thick like pillars, each one of them at least a thousand feet long.

Su Chen knew that these were the Oceanids’ most powerful cavalry units, the Deep Sea Octopuses.

Deep Sea Octopuses were the largest Sea Beast controlled by the Oceanids. When they fully extended their limbs, they were also roughly the size of a small mountain.

Even the weakest Deep Sea Octopus was equivalent to a Light Shaking Realm cultivator in strength, while the more powerful ones could easily match up against a Spirit Burning Realm cultivator.

There were actually quite a few Deep Sea Octopuses present. Even though they appeared quite large, they were easier to breed than the Dragon Turtles. However, learning to control them was far more difficult.

At this point, the Oceanids controlled no more than eight hundred of these Deep Sea Octopuses.

Even so, when paired with the Oceanids’ truly powerful warriors, the Deep Sea Octopus branch of the Oceanids’ cavalry became a powerful trump card.

Of course, the Oceanids had not brought their entire army here, but even one-tenth of their numbers was enough to fill those present with awe.

The Oceanids surfaced one after another, producing quite a shocking scene.

They were truly sparing no expense to keep Su Chen safe.

Their reception of Su Chen, as well as their warning to Jiang Jusheng, clearly demonstrated their decisive intention!

After the Deep Sea Octopuses stood a few more Oceanids.

They were not riding anything, and they were not accompanied by any escorts. There were only a few dozen of them floating on the surface of the water. They appeared diminutive compared to the Deep Sea Octopuses, but those with some understanding would be able to sense the shocking strength concealed in those thin frames.

Su Chen knew that the Oceanids’ experts had arrived on the scene.