Witch Wind

Chapter 18: Lady Zhao (Part )

A dozen black-robed priests boarded the frigate.

On the deck, there were still sailors from England on duty, but they were easily killed by these cruel priests before they could even let out a scream. The cold moonlight shone on the frigate, and large patches of blood were splashed on the deck like watercolor.

No one knew what kind of trap was on the ship. The black-robed priests swept away the sailors on duty and were about to rush into the cabin when seven or eight huge searchlights suddenly lit up on the deck of the frigate. A high-pitched whistle sounded abruptly, followed by gunshots, curses, and explosions.

Joems obviously had a plan in place. When the searchlight came on, a team of elite sailors rushed out with guns.

Several powerful water-cooled machine guns were stuck in the hatch, and with the muffled sound of "dong dong dong", dense bullets were swept out like water. A dozen black-robed priests were caught off guard, and the fire chains formed by the bullets hit their bodies, causing their flesh and blood to fly on the spot.

Several priests with mutated muscles roared and stood in front. Their bodies swelled into strange balls of flesh, like meat shields, blocking the whistling torrent of bullets. The bullets hit their bodies fiercely, making a dull sound. The bullets continued to penetrate their bodies, and large pieces of flesh and blood continued to fall off their bodies.

There were flashes of white light, and the Yingji sailors guarding the cabin door let out dull screams from time to time, and their heads exploded and they died on the spot.

There were also extremely thin black shadows that rushed through the muscular priests and silently wrapped around the limbs of the sailors. The black shadows flashed, and the sailors were lifted high by the whip shadows, and with long and shrill screams, they were thrown far away and hit the water surface more than ten feet away, breaking their bones and tendons, and they could not float at all.

Faced with these priests with strange means, the well-prepared Ingish sailors were defeated step by step. The hatch defense line was breached in an instant, and the group of priests were about to crash into the cabin.

The muscular priests were too small to break in. A few priests whose skins squirmed and turned into black shadows rushed out and ran straight to the cabin door at full speed.

'laugh'!
A low sound of high-pressure gas suddenly spurted out. Amid the horrified cries of the priests who were rushing forward, a team of more than a dozen burly figures wearing fully enclosed heavy armor suddenly rushed out from the cabin. High-pressure gas was constantly spurting out from the joints of the armor.

After these guys put on their heavy armor, they were over seven feet tall. Xing Tianli only needed to lie on the edge of the boat and take a peek to judge that the thickness of these heavy armors was at least more than two inches.

The sound of jets merged into one, and more than a dozen armored soldiers waved their arms. The six-foot-long swords in their hands made a dull roar, and the fine, cold-gleaming serrations on the sword edges began to spin rapidly.

The two armored soldiers at the front swung their swords fiercely, and the heavy swords in their hands, like chainsaws, brought a cold light and fiercely swept across the body of a priest who was rushing at the front. The skin on the priest's body squirmed violently, and the skin overlapped layer by layer, turning into a half-inch thick shell blocking his chest.

The heavy sword made a 'chi' sound, and the fragments of the skin's shell flew everywhere, being split open by the heavy sword.

However, the mutated skin had amazing defensive power, and the heavy sword slid past it with a slight sluggishness. The priest cried out in surprise, and with a chance to catch his breath, he slid back two steps and luckily avoided the disaster of the heavy sword's clone.

Hundreds of extremely thin black shadows lashed down fiercely on the side.

The black shadow hit these heavy armors, making a harsh "crackling" sound, but only left shallow marks on the armors and failed to cause any substantial damage to these guys.

There was a sharp sound of high-pressure gas jets, and circles of gas exploded on the shoulders of the two armored soldiers in the front. Several tiny metal crossbow arrows shot out, avoiding the priest who had the heavy sword clone and was hit in the center of his eyebrows by the high-speed crossbow arrows.

A stream of blood spurted out from the back of the priest's head, and he fell backwards.

In the back, the priests shouted in unison, rushed forward and fought with these armored soldiers.

The armored soldiers were also shouting and cursing loudly. Their roars were blocked by the thick masks, and the buzzing sound could be faintly heard, and words such as "evil" could be heard.

The priests were also shouting and scolding loudly, scolding these armored warriors as "heretics".

The two sides fought each other, and the armored enclosed cabins on the side were twisted and exploded, revealing huge holes.

At the stern, in the blind spot of both sides, Xing Tianli leaped up lightly. The light and shadow around him were strangely distorted, and his figure became mottled and hazy under the moonlight, making it extremely difficult for the naked eye to detect his movements. The invisible power of the soul was released, and he moved gently from the stern to the bow. In a few breaths, the power of the soul had swept across the entire 32-zhang long frigate.

Joms did not hide in the cabin, but stood in the bridge cockpit with several Yingji officers, quietly overlooking the battle on the deck. Several strong Yingji men in sailor uniforms stood behind them with cold eyes. Behind each of them, there was a heavy armor that was smoother, more gorgeous and more artistic than the armor on the deck.

Xing Tianli quietly approached from above the bridge.

He formed seals with his hands, chanted a secret spell, and his soul power collapsed and condensed, turning into an extremely cold awl, which fiercely stabbed at everyone on the bridge. Including the strong men, everyone on the bridge suddenly lost their sight and fell heavily.

Only Joems' figure shook, and the ruby ​​ring on his left hand burst into dazzling light.

He suddenly lowered his head, looked at the jewel ring that was glowing faintly, then looked at his companion who had fallen beside him, and was about to open his mouth to shout.

Xing Tianli had already flashed into the bridge and tapped the back of Joms' head with his finger. Joms' body stiffened and he fainted.

The chaotic battle on the deck continued, the armored soldiers and several priests with mutated muscles fought fiercely, and even the main gun on the bow was removed by them. No one noticed that Xing Tianli had quietly left the frigate with Joms.

A quarter of an hour later, in the grove outside Xiaolongqiu Town, Joems woke up slowly.

The first thing he said when he opened his eyes was: "Your Excellency, do you know that attacking the diplomatic officials of the Kingdom of England means war?"

The cold and heavy bamboo was pressed against Joems's forehead. Amid the deep and ancient secret spell, a 'soul-confusing spell' had already blasted into the depths of Joems' mind. Joems' ruby ​​ring was held in the hand of Xing Tianli. He was just a mortal with no defenses. His eyes widened on the spot, and his entire soul was completely controlled by Xing Tianli.

After a moment, Xing Tianli shook his head in disappointment, left Joems lying in the grove, and turned and left.

This guy knew nothing about anything. He had no idea why a conflict broke out between the Holy Mother Church and the Kingdom of Yingjishi in Xiaolongqiu Town.

Including the men and women who were transferred from the northwest, Joms only knew that the order to transport these men and women back to the Kingdom of Yingji was from the top of the empire. As for what these people were used for and why the Holy Mother Church was blocking this matter, Joms didn't know the real reason.

Under the moonlight, Xing Tianli walked slowly.

In his heart, the cauldron shook slightly. When he left Jomus behind, Xing Tianli cast a "Soul-Destroying Curse" on him in addition to the "Soul-Confusing Curse". This spell was even more fierce, and Xing Tianli directly extracted and copied Jomus's main memory.

The golden light in the big cauldron burned rapidly. Xing Tianli removed the dross and kept the essence, erasing all the unimportant things in Joems' memory. All those love affairs, all those petty intrigues, were burned away by him.

In Joems' memory, the history of the Kingdom of Yingjishi, information about the Pinghai City Concession, and some confidential intelligence were extracted bit by bit by Xing Tianli and quickly read through.

There are many things that Xing Tianli could never have known from the newspapers he subscribed to in the Pinghai City Concession.

"After the Industrial Revolution, the Far West countries, which had just experienced a world war thirty years ago, are now recuperating and frantically looking for new places to dump goods and supply resources."

"The Holy Mother Church, whose former glory has been swept into the dustbin of history, is unwilling to lose its dominance in the world in the face of a new era that is changing with each passing day, and is secretly making moves."

"The conflict between divine power and royal power is irreconcilable, but why would you make trouble in the East, in the Great Jade Dynasty, and in this tiny rural corner of ours, instead of making trouble in your own territory in the Far West?"

Xing Tianli shook his head in confusion.

He returned to the roof of his house, stood on the roof, and looked in the direction of the missionaries' current station. Thinking of those strange missionaries, Xing Tianli forcibly suppressed the urge to sneak into their camp, secretly bring the old priest out, and forcibly search his soul.

At daybreak, the roosters in the small town began to howl at the top of their lungs.

The sky was covered with dark clouds, and a light blue glow jumped up in the eastern horizon, and the whole world seemed to be wrapped in a thick piece of blue glass. The temperature rose sharply. Xing Tianli finished washing, picked up a bucket and fetched clean water, and splashed it in the yard. As a result, in just half a cup of tea, all the clean water on the stone slab evaporated.

"What a damn weather!"

Xing Tianli glanced towards the eastern sky. The sun in this world was shockingly blue. Ordinary people in this world were already accustomed to the existence of this sun, and were not too surprised by its color and temperature. Only Xing Tianli knew that if a star was completely blue, it represented how terrifying its origin and energy were.

The large cauldron in his heart swayed slightly, and an extremely incredible idea flashed through Xing Tianli's mind - if he could refine this blue sun, to what extent could his cultivation level be improved?
"I don't know how Joems is doing." Xing Tianli muttered in a low voice: "Well, there are more mosquitoes in the grove at most. He was hit by the Soul-Confusing Curse and the Soul-Destroying Curse in turn. At most, he has some amnesia and forgetfulness. There shouldn't be any other major problems, right?"

Still at the familiar alley entrance, after eating a bowl of wontons, a fried dough stick and a piece of fried cake, Xing Tianli lit the Tongtian Miaozhu and walked slowly towards the pier.

"Mr. Xiao Li, Mr. Xiao Li." There was a lot of messy footsteps coming from behind, and someone was shouting loudly.

Xing Tianli stopped and pretended to listen: "Oh, it's Boss Li, Manager Qian, and Mr. Sun, you are all here, what's going on?"

The group of people who hurried over from behind were all acquaintances of Xing Tianli, the leading figures in various industries in Xiaolongqiu Town, and respectable people with money and status. Over the years, when Xing Tianli told stories in teahouses, they were the ones who gave him the most generous rewards!

The group of people ran to Xing Tianli breathlessly. Mr. Sun, who was wearing a silk robe with copper coin patterns, saluted Xing Tianli with his fists and said, "Mr. Li... look at my mouth!"

After giving himself a light slap on the face, Mr. Sun said with a smile, "It's Li Zhubu, Lord Li! Lord Li, we came to see you so early in the morning, of course we have something to ask. Uh, isn't the Holy Mother Church going to acquire land to build a church?"

Xing Tianli's eyes twitched: "Hmm?"

Shopkeeper Qian on the side smiled until his eyes narrowed: "We donated those plots of land voluntarily, all to the Holy Mother Church."

Boss Li also nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, we thought about it for a long time last night. This land, we can't bring it with us when we are born, and we can't take it with us when we die. Our belongings are enough to feed and spend for a lifetime. Let's donate it to the Holy Mother Church quickly. This is an act of accumulating blessings and virtues for future generations!"

"Hey, this land has been donated. When we die in the future, we will be redeemed!" Sun Yuanwai raised the bronze badge of the Virgin Mary with a pious look on his face, pressed it hard against his chest and prayed murmuredly: "We will return to the Virgin Mary's seat and enjoy infinite glory, and there will be no more suffering from birth, aging, sickness, death, and reincarnation!"

A group of more than a dozen well-dressed and respectable people in the town raised the badges of the Virgin Mary and pressed them against their chests.

"Are you serious?" Xing Tianli was furious. "Everyone, we are all from the same village. These lands are the assets that you have accumulated with great difficulty for generations. Are you going to donate them all?"

The group of people nodded and said in unison: "Donate, donate all. Donate, then you will have blessings!"

Mr. Sun smiled even more brilliantly: "Not only the land, but also our grandchildren, the priests said, are intelligent and blessed by the Virgin Mary. They can go to the church to practice and become proper priests."

Xing Tianli clenched the Tongtian Magic Bamboo with his five fingers, and his knuckles turned white.

"Have you discussed this with your family?" Xing Tianli asked.

"We've discussed it, and our whole family agrees. Is there any need to hesitate about such a great thing to accumulate merit and virtue?" Boss Li chuckled, his fat body trembling with laughter: "Hurry up, Chief Li, Lord Li, we have even brought the land deed, you just need to do it for us and convert our land deed into church property."

"Wherever the glory of the Virgin Mary covers, all intelligent beings will be inspired." With the sound of silver bells, the old priest came over with a large group of missionaries. Next to him was Jomus, who was wearing a divine robe, with a sacred face and a saintly look in his eyes.

Xing Tianli sighed.

Joems' luck was not good enough. I had let him go last night, but he still fell into the hands of the Holy Mother Church. Judging from his appearance, this guy has converted... well, or was forcibly converted?

"Master Xiao Li, the supreme and merciful Mother is high in the clouds, overlooking all living things. Under Her power, no problem is unsolvable." The old priest smiled at Xing Tianli and said, "Look, the problem that you found difficult yesterday has been solved today. The devout believers voluntarily donated the land we need, which is enough to prove the greatness of the Mother!"

There was a sharp sound of high-pressure gas jet.

More than thirty armored soldiers took big strides, accompanied by hundreds of armed Yingji guards, and rushed along the cobblestone street.

On both sides of the street, in shops and houses, the townspeople screamed in fear.

When have they ever seen such a creation?

The burly warriors, over seven feet tall, look like gods or demons, making strange noises as they move. They exude an inexplicable, extremely majestic, and awe-inspiring aura.

"Sir Jomus, are you okay?" Several armored soldiers rushed to Xing Tianli and stopped. They looked at Jomus standing next to the old priest with vigilance, quickly sized him up, and roared angrily: "Despicable charlatan, you attacked our warship last night and kidnapped Sir Jomus!"

The old priest gently rang the silver bell in his hand and whispered, "Lost lamb, Joms felt the call of the Virgin Mary last night. He took the initiative to leave your warship and followed the guidance to come to me. I gave him a second baptism."

"Joms is a believer of the Virgin Mary!"

"He was baptized when he was born."

"This time, he understood the path he was going to take. He felt the glory of the Virgin Mary. He accepted the second baptism and became a pious servant of the Virgin Mary walking on earth. This is the right path. You must not doubt it!"

Joms took a step forward, raised his left hand, and pointed lightly at the armored soldiers and armed guards.

"I order you to lay down your weapons!"

The armored soldiers froze suddenly, staring at Joms in a daze for a moment, and roared angrily: "Joms, you are not qualified to order us around!"

The hundreds of armed guards quickly and efficiently laid down their guns.

Even after many of the armed guards put down their guns, they showed extremely relaxed and comfortable expressions on their faces. Xing Tianli was very familiar with this expression. In his previous life, the "workers" would show the same smile when they succeeded in slacking off.

"The salary is too low, Mr. Joems. People are not willing to work hard for you!" Xing Tianli shook his head slightly but did not say what was in his mind.

"So, lost lambs, are you willing to bathe in the glory of the Virgin Mary again?" The old priest rang the silver bell and walked towards the armored soldiers step by step, surrounded by several young nuns.

The armored soldiers, who were nearly two feet taller than the old priest, were like lambs being forced by tigers. They retreated step by step, and the joints of their armor kept making "hissing" sounds.

Silver bells rang, and invisible spiritual waves swept through these armored warriors.

The old priest raised the corner of his mouth and smiled proudly.

He got a bargain by subduing Joms. If he could bring these thirty or so armored warriors who looked "expensive" under his control, this achievement would be enough for him to wear a white robe in the Holy Mother Church, right?

At that time, you won't have to work so hard outside, but can sit in the magnificent and bright church and order the poor guys around who are running errands below.

"Follow your nature and feel the mercy of the Virgin Mary." The old priest's voice gradually became sharp, and the silver bell in his hand vibrated more and more violently. The "ding-ling-ling" sound of the bell was originally clear and pleasant, but at this moment it was faintly shocking to the internal organs, making people's stomachs churn. Some townspeople nearby had already begun to vomit.

Xing Tianli took a few steps back.

He watched with cold eyes, and saw that on the armors of those armored soldiers, in some extremely hidden corners, there were fine lines flashing with a faint light. Whenever the silver bells vibrated, the light of these lines suddenly dimmed, like a candle in a strong wind, which could be extinguished at any time.

Come prepared too!
Xing Tianli tucked his left hand into his sleeve, made a hand seal, and silently released a "soul-calming spell".

(End of this chapter)