Above Destiny

Chapter 741 The Way of Conquest
A boiling sound rang out.

The once-dead ocean surged and churned.

Under the searchlights, wisps of dark color emerged from the gloomy ocean, spreading rapidly from afar like meandering mist or streams.

Unfazed by the steel structure, it suddenly crashed into the foremost warship, instantly unleashing a series of chilling, sharp scraping sounds mixed with the sizzling of boiling water—a truly eerie event.

A scream rang out.

On the deck, the sailors of the city staggered backward in terror as the enormous creature that had leaped from the sea landed on the deck and began to wriggle around.

It was a monstrous fish, even taller than a normal person, ugly and enormous, with layers of fangs in its mouth that stretched outwards like dense brushes. With each opening and closing of its massive jaws, it left scratches on the deck, and anyone bitten was instantly severed in half, with blood and internal organs gushing out.

Piranhas!
The strange fish thrashed and crawled all over the deck. Some returned to the sea, while others were instantly turned into a pile of rotten flesh by the hail of bullets. Even with their brains and internal organs smashed, their empty eyes still stared intently at the food around them, opening their mouths and wriggling towards it.

They cannot comprehend death, cannot feel pain, and have no need to think; they act purely on instinct.

This thing's mind is only about eating. Even without a brain, it can still control its body through the nerves in its spine and other organs. Even if it is cut in half, the remaining upper half will keep wriggling and twitching, choosing people to devour.

Even more outrageous was the rapid appearance of cracks on the ship's hull amidst a series of chilling scraping sounds and the nibbling of countless strange fish in the sea. Several watertight compartments had even been bitten open and were beginning to take on water.

Amidst the roar, the ship's machine guns began firing wildly, aiming at the sea. Giant piranhas kept surfacing, only to be torn apart by their own kind, leaving no trace of their remains.

These freaks even eat their own fish!

"It's a herd!"

The captain, who had rushed to the bridge, stared at the radar screen, his expression knowing: "These guys are useless with guns, fire depth charges!"

Anyone living on the endless sea will inevitably have to deal with these things. Even if the Seven Cities are just a makeshift place, they still have to find a way to make a living. No matter how bad the situation is, they will not be helpless.

Besides, so far, apart from a few unlucky guys on deck, no one has died yet!

Bang!
On the deck, a short, thick cannon barrel made a muffled thud, followed by a parabolic arc before disappearing into the Kuroshio Current. Then, just a few seconds later, accompanied by a sudden burst of light from the deep sea, a deep roar abruptly spread outwards.

A shockwave shot into the sky, creating ripples that stirred the sea and caused countless corpses to float to the surface.

Depth charges!

Depth charges, which had long been phased out of the Federation and Empire's weaponry, have shone brightly on the endless sea, even undergoing innovation and upgrades, ushering in entirely new gameplay.

The design and usage remain the same; the only change is the amount of explosives inside. Just stuff it in, stuff it in until it bursts!
Stuff it until it's absolutely stuffed.

Once launched and reaching a certain depth...

boom!
Fried fish!

Under the violent changes in air and water pressure, countless piranhas that were still rushing forward were instantly crushed and exploded. In one fell swoop, the entire sea surface was soon covered with corpses.

The depth charges kept coming, one after another, until the corpses on the surface of the sea became more and more numerous, the stench and the smell of burning flesh mixed together, making people nauseous.

The Kuroshio took the initiative to keep its distance, and the piranhas seemed to realize their fear and stopped approaching.

However, the captain on the bridge showed no sign of pride or excitement.

Instead, his expression became even more serious.

Herds...

Why is it called a herd?

Because these damned things are the cattle and sheep herded by the mermaids!
Just like raising cattle and sheep, this huge, exaggerated school of mutated fish was like military rations carried by soldiers on a march.

When fighting, release them out as cannon fodder. Once they die, they'll be eaten on the spot. Keep the survivors alive and feed them again when they're ready to have another party!
After realizing that the food ahead was not right, and after the herd had suffered such heavy losses, even the most mindless mermaid would not rush forward blindly.

In the eerie silence, pairs of phosphorescent eyes stared intently at the fleet above from the depths of the sea.

There has been no movement for too long.

It even leads one to suspect that the mermaids were frightened and ran away.

But that's impossible in reality. Mermaids are too much like humans; they have brains, and because they're like humans, they hold grudges and are absolutely vengeful.

If a ship has harmed one of their kind, the lingering scent will incite hatred and attack from all the merfolk. The fact that there's been no movement for so long can only mean that these guys are brewing something big!
A few minutes later, the creaking of horns could be heard from afar, and then the moonlight gradually dimmed, and the stars gradually disappeared.

The sea breeze that hit my face became sticky, making it hard to breathe.

fog.

A large amount of viscous fog rose from the seawater like living things, spreading outwards, and with it came countless herds that rose into the air from the ocean along with the fog!
As the mermaids' horns sounded, the mutated fish went completely mad. Freed from the shackles of the sea, they soared through the sky like birds.

Although the speed was slow, the sheer scale was enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

"Alright, let's fire!"

Penarossa, carrying his axe and halberd, yawned, not wanting to wait any longer.

Suddenly, the silent fleet shuddered, unleashing its full firepower. All the shipboard weapons were released in an instant, tearing through the thin mist and illuminating the night with scorching bullets. The bullets lashed out like giant blades, easily stirring up a bloody storm and literally dyeing the mist crimson.

Blood rained down like a storm, mingling with bits of flesh, and poured onto the sea—a scene both cruel and spectacular.

But Ji Jue's attention was not on the scene before him, but on Penarossa, who was indifferently looking down at everything. On his body, faint crimson flames rose, and spiritual fire spread, faintly covering the entire fleet, flowing in one direction.

As a result, the makeshift crew of the Dancheng defense fleet, numerous obsolete warships, his personal guards, and even many of the empire's weapons were all integrated and strengthened.

Without any extra effort or exertion, he naturally became the backbone of the entire fleet and the source of morale.

Even without a speech, the faces of the fleet members were already flushed with excitement, and some even sang loudly in their fervor.

Instinctively, and haltingly, they began to sing the empire's military songs!

If this were a game interface, countless buffs would probably be floating in front of everyone right now.

Boost morale, enhance resilience, elevate vitality, improve precision, enhance execution...

Every aspect involved has now reached a new level!
Even a makeshift team can be transformed into an elite force in his hands, one that can maintain its formation even when its casualty ratio is over 70%!

How can we say we have no clothes? We share the same robes. The king is raising an army; let us prepare our spears and shields, and fight together against our common enemy…

This is practically a mini-priest!

"As expected of the Sacred Tree family."

Ji Jue clapped his hands in admiration, exclaiming from the bottom of his heart, "Truly worthy of being called the Tree of the Empire."

As one of the fourteen families that existed when the empire was founded, the Sacred Tree Family was originally just a local sect. Later, through the continuous efforts of generations of family members, it has become a giant imperial tree that is based in the capital and has taken root in all corners of the world.

These are the top aristocratic families at the very top of the pyramid. Unlike the Federation, the Empire never emphasizes electoral politics; they are simply part of what makes up the Empire!

Now, in order to protect their interests in the seven cities, they have casually pulled out a large group, and what they are doing is the most superior way of conquest among all the large groups.

This path of combining Tianyuan and Daqun involves using rules to govern violence, and using violence to demonstrate rules, most notably in large-scale, long-term group warfare.

It is truly a case of "one general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand soldiers"!

Only a core family like the Sacred Tree Clan can do this. How could other wild groups possibly obtain recommendation letters and guarantees from major families, receive medals through formal military academies, gain imperial support by commanding troops in battle for a long time, and then gain recognition from the Earthly Ruler or Heavenly Supervisor through merits and achievements?

The prerequisites are too high. Without any of these, what's the point of pursuing the Way of Conquest? People like Old Tang, no matter how profound their lineage or how astonishing their origins, can forget about even getting close.

With such a figure in charge, Dan City truly holds the upper hand. If the seven cities were to engage in infighting and bloodshed, as long as Penarossa sits in the command center, the defense fleet, cobbled together with money, would be able to easily sweep through on the main battlefield.

He alone is a complete, battle-hardened army!

At that moment, amidst the roar of artillery fire, Penarossa casually glanced around, his eyes meeting Ji Jue's for a fleeting moment. He nodded slightly, smiled, and looked away.

The real purpose of tonight's hospitality has already been achieved.

Only clueless scoundrels would resort to underhanded tactics. With the Holy Tree family's resources and influence, most of the time, simply making their stance clear and expressing their attitude is enough. Why would they need any show of force or threats?
Little brother, we've had our drinks and our meal, and the sacred tree has shown us all the proper etiquette. Whether you want to continue arm wrestling is up to you.

Ji Jue simply smiled, his gaze fixed on the distance.

Behind countless exploding corpses, amidst the rain of blood, enormous figures seemed to suddenly emerge from the mist. Concealed and distorted by the mist, these grotesque mermaids, which were barely visible, only appeared before everyone's eyes when they came within a hundred meters!
(End of this chapter)