Chapter 107: On the Warship (Part-6)

After that brief episode, no one dared to step forward again. Curiosity and indignation were quickly swallowed by fear. In times like these, no one wanted to become the next one casually brushed aside.

Ryan paid no attention to the shock around him. After clearing away the nuisance, he lowered his gaze to Mu Xianling, who was still trembling beneath him, and asked again, this time with a noticeably calmer tone, “Are you obedient now?”

Tears welled in Mu Xianling’s eyes as she nodded repeatedly, her voice soft and broken. “I… I’m obedient. I’ll listen.”

“Good.” Ryan released her and lifted her upright, then placed her firmly behind him. “Stand here.”

Mu Xianling staggered back a step and ended up directly behind Ryan. She wiped her tears quietly, her emotions in complete turmoil.

Looking at his broad back so close to her, she felt humiliation, resentment, fear, and an inexplicable sense of security all tangled together. Part of her even had the absurd impulse to strike him back while he wasn’t paying attention, just to vent her anger.

But reason quickly crushed that thought. She knew very well what would happen if she tried.

Ryan then turned to Li Wujie and the others. “You as well. Stay behind me.”

Without hesitation, Li Wujie, Li Shu, Li Baijie, and Wang Bi’er all moved behind Ryan. At this moment, none of them questioned his authority. They instinctively understood that staying close to him was the safest choice.

Only after arranging everyone did Ryan lift his head, his eyes locking onto the approaching warship emblazoned with the skull banner. His fists clenched slowly, his expression tightening as danger pressed down like a tangible weight.

As the skull-bannered warship drew closer, Ryan could clearly sense the terrifying presences aboard it.

There were many Upper Exalts, far more than the number of Western Mansion examiners present, and every one of them carried a fierce, blood-soaked aura. Even more alarming was a particular presence that felt eerily similar to Elder Lu’s, heavy and oppressive, sending a chill down Ryan’s spine.

That was the aura of a Lord rank expert.

This was an existence capable of truly threatening Ryan himself. How could he not feel tense?

No wonder the experts of the West Mansion were so wary of the so-called “The Reaper Bandits.” Just the forces Ryan could sense were already enough to endanger everyone aboard the Void Warship.

What puzzled him, however, was why such a force would dare provoke Western Mansion. In the Western Region, Western Mansion was an undisputed overlord. Challenging it openly was anything but a wise decision. For the Reaper Bandits to attack here, their background had to be far from ordinary.

At that moment, a blinding golden light suddenly erupted from the skull warship, streaking through the sky like a falling sun and rushing straight toward the Void Warship. The instant Ryan sensed it, his pupils shrank. That attack carried a terrifying, destructive power, the kind that seemed capable of erasing everything in its path.

“An attack from the skull ship?” Ryan’s heart jolted.

Before he could finish that thought, Elder Lu’s furious shout rang out across the deck. “Void Cannon, prepare!”

“Fire!”

A deafening boom shook the heavens. From the phoenix statue at the stern of the Void Warship, the phoenix’s beak opened wide, releasing a massive fireball that surged forward to meet the incoming golden light.

The two attacks collided violently in midair.

*Boom*

A thunderous explosion followed, brighter than the sun itself, forcing countless people to shield their eyes.

Shockwaves rippled outward in all directions, howling like a raging storm, while fragments of golden flame rained down from the sky like a meteor shower.

The candidates aboard the Void Warship cried out in panic as the shockwave swept toward them, scrambling instinctively for cover.

At that critical moment, a silver barrier rose around the ship, enveloping it completely. The shockwaves and fiery rain slammed into the barrier, sending ripples across its surface, but failing to break through.

Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief, their hearts still pounding. Had the barrier not been there, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Even the weakest impact would have been enough to kill them all.

The skull warship, unwilling to retreat after a single exchange, roared forward with increased speed, its massive hull charging straight at the Void Warship.

Elder Lu’s expression darkened as he stood atop the phoenix statue. His voice rang out, cold and resolute. “All personnel, prepare to meet the enemy!”

The West Mansion’s experts tightened their grips on their weapons, forming ranks as tension spread like wildfire.

Moments later, the skull warship crashed into the silver barrier with terrifying force. The entire Void Warship shuddered violently as the barrier rippled wildly, cracks spreading across its surface.

Then, with a sound like shattering glass, the barrier exploded.

The Void Warship lurched to a halt in midair, its momentum forcibly stopped. Many candidates were thrown off their feet, tumbling across the deck, while weaker ones were sent rolling helplessly.

Before anyone could recover, dozens of figures burst out from the skull warship, soaring through the air toward them like a dark tide. There were fifty or sixty in total, each radiating a ferocious aura that pressed down on the deck like a storm.

They could all fly.

Upper Exalts, or stronger.

Fifty or sixty Upper Exalts descending at once was a sight that made one’s heart tremble. Such a force was terrifying beyond words. By sheer numbers alone, the Skull Warship already surpassed the strength of the Western Mansion.

And this was far from the end.

From the side of the Skull Warship, an enormous air trestle extended outward, connecting directly to the Void Warship.

The moment it locked into place, countless figures poured out from the skeletal vessel. Each of them wore a skull emblem on their chest and a mask over their face, rushing across the bridge like a black tide and setting foot on the Void Warship.

Although these masked warriors could not fly and lacked the strength of Upper Exalts, every one of them radiated a fierce aura.

At the very least, they were Exalts, and none were weaker than the Western Mansion escorts guarding the ship. There were hundreds of them, far more than the roughly one hundred Exalt-rank experts Western Mansion had dispatched as guards.

In terms of both Upper Exalts and Exalts, the Skull Warship completely overwhelmed Western Mansion in numbers. The situation was instantly pushed to the brink.

“Meet the enemy!” Elder Lu roared, taking the lead and charging forward without hesitation.

With a sweep of his embroidered sleeve, an overwhelming force burst forth. More than a dozen masked warriors who had just rushed onto the trestle were flung screaming into the void, their bodies tumbling helplessly from the sky.

The experts of Western Mansion followed closely behind him, rushing into battle. The examiners took to the air, intercepting the Upper Exalts pouring out of the Skull Warship, while the remaining guards formed a defensive line at the trestle, desperately blocking the masked warriors trying to flood onto the ship.

Explosions rang out one after another as the battlefield descended into chaos. Energy clashed with energy, and the roar of combat drowned out screams.

For the moment, the situation at the trestle was barely under control.

With Elder Lu standing there like an immovable mountain, not a single masked warrior managed to break through the line.

If even one wave of them reached the candidates, the consequences would be unthinkable. Most of the young people on board were only Upper Elites, utterly incapable of resisting Exalt-rank attackers.

The battle in the air, however, was far more perilous. The sheer number of Upper Exalts from the Skull Warship forced many Western Mansion examiners to fight two or even three opponents at once. A single misstep meant death.

A scream pierced the air as one examiner faltered. His chest was shattered by a coordinated strike, and his body plummeted downward from thousands of meters above the ground. There was no chance of survival.

Another cry followed soon after, then another.

One examiner after another was overwhelmed, beaten back, and sent falling into the abyss. Blood sprayed through the air, painting a cruel picture that froze the hearts of those who witnessed it.

Elder Lu glanced at the sky, his expression darkening. With a heavy sigh, he abandoned the trestle and shot upward to support the examiners. If he did not intervene, they would soon be completely wiped out.

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