Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Half an hour later, the group set off again.

The entrance to the Black Abyss Forest resembles a dark, gaping maw.

The trees grew very tall, but they lacked vitality.

Many branches are dry and twisted, with gray-black bark, as if they have been smoked by fire or soaked in rotten water for years.

When the wind blows, the slender branches rub against each other, making a creaking sound, as if someone is grinding their teeth in the dark.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of decaying leaves.

When you step into the boots, dark brown muddy water seeps out.

A river flows quietly in the distance, its sound barely audible, almost swallowed by the trees. Occasionally, an unknown bird flits across the branches, its wings flapping sharply before disappearing again.

Elena raised her hand.

The line stopped.

She whispered, "Maintain formation. Roel, scout ahead. Siren and I, in the middle. Samuel, bring up the rear."

Samuel chuckled. "You want me to stay back?"

Elena looked at him: "You are the strongest, and the one who stays behind is the most reliable."

This statement provides ample justification.

Samuel said nothing more.

The group slowly entered the dense forest.

Before he had gone a hundred steps, Xilun's eyes suddenly lit up.

He heard noises in the sound of the water.

It is not a river.

It's breathing.

It was very light and scattered, hidden behind decaying leaves, tree trunks, and distant low slopes.

Xilun did not speak immediately.

He gently pressed his fingers against the gun, but his steps remained steady.

Elena noticed his movement and her gaze shifted slightly.

Xilun glanced very slightly to the left front, then to the right at the shadows of the trees.

Elena's heart sank.

someone.

And quite a few.

The next instant, a sharp whistle suddenly rang out from the dense forest in the distance.

Bang bang bang!

The roar of muskets ripped through the silence.

Forty or fifty figures appeared and disappeared among the shadows of the trees and the low slopes, while the dark muzzles of guns simultaneously spewed out flashes of fire.

Lead bullets, carrying hot winds and shredded leaves, burst forth from the depths of the dense forest, as dense as a sweeping rain of iron.

"spread!"

Elena shouted angrily.

Xilun has already taken the initiative.

The golden spear was drawn.

The gray cloth wrapped around the gun was torn open by the airflow, and the heavy gun barrel swept up, blocking his vital points.

Ding ding ding!

The lead bullets struck the gun, sending up blinding sparks.

The golden spear was incredibly tough; those muskets couldn't penetrate it at all, leaving only faint white marks on the spear shaft.

But ordinary flesh and blood cannot stop it.

The thin young man hesitated for a moment, and a lead bullet grazed his shoulder, causing blood to splatter.

Roel rolled behind a dead tree, using his double blades to protect his head and neck, his face grim.

"The musketeers!"

Samuel stepped forward, unleashing the power of his Overturning Sea Technique, and slashed down several lead bullets aimed at Elena with his sword.

He stood in front of Elena and said in a deep voice, "Junior sister, hide well."

Elena frowned, but did not argue at this moment.

She drew her silver sword, its blade gleaming with a faint, shimmering light, and quickly assessed the enemy's position.

Samuel drew his knife and charged forward, shouting angrily, "Which scoundrel attacked the disciples of the Holy Light Monastery?"

A burst of laughter came from deep within the dense forest.

The laughter was loud, rough like the sea breeze, and also carried a sense of preparedness.

"As expected of Samuel of the Holy Light Monastery, his mastery of the Overturning Sea Technique, coupled with his family's secret Green Steel Martial Arts, is truly consummate."

Above the tree canopy, a figure slowly stood up.

It was a man dressed in blue, his feet planted on a thick, horizontal branch, his body as steady as if he were standing on flat ground.

He had a musket hanging at his waist and a slender, curved sword in his hand.

The sword was dark blue, as if it had been soaked in deep seawater, and the blade gleamed with a faint, cold light in the dim forest light.

The man looked down at the crowd and grinned.

"Over the years, your disciplinary academy has killed many of my Blue Ocean pirates. Now that you've come to the Black Abyss Forest, you'll leave your lives behind."

Elena's face darkened.

She recognized the other person.

One of the five most notorious pirates of the Blue Ocean.

"Blue Sword Hogg".

Roel gripped the double blades tightly, his voice hoarse.

"This is a huge problem."

Xilun raised his golden spear, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding gunners before settling on the blue-clad man in the tree.

The smells of gunpowder smoke, rotting leaves, and blood mingled together, filling the entire dense forest.

The enemy clearly didn't just stumble upon them.

Even if they weren't specifically waiting for Samuel, they must have set up an ambush at the entrance.

Whoever comes, we'll kill them.

Blue Sword Hogg raised his curved sword and pointed it at them.

"Start the second round."

The next moment, flames lit up the dense forest once again.

-

The second volley of musket fire came even faster.

White smoke exploded, and lead bullets pierced through the shadows of trees, shattering withered branches and tearing through decaying leaves, hurtling towards the group with a sharp whistling sound.

Elena hissed, "Get cover, don't take the hit head-on!"

Before she could finish speaking, Samuel had already taken a step forward.

The power of the Overturning Sea Technique spread out from beneath his feet, like an invisible tide, swirling up the decaying leaves and wet mud on the ground.

He slashed horizontally with his long sword, the steel-blue light on the blade surging, actually cutting a fan-shaped barrier in front of him.

Dangdang Dangdang!

Several lead bullets were sliced ​​open by the flash of the blade.

Sparks flew onto his face, but he didn't even blink.

It must be said that Samuel certainly had reason to be proud.

His strength was smooth and profound, and his swordsmanship was extremely steady. With the combination of the Azure Steel Secret Weapon and the Overturning Sea Technique, his frontal defense was significantly stronger than that of an ordinary third-tier warrior.

If it were just a few scattered gunmen, it would be difficult to overwhelm him with firearms.

But the enemy wasn't just a bunch of scattered gunmen.

The gun squad in the dense forest was clearly well-trained.

After the first platoon fired, they immediately crouched down to reload, and the second platoon took over from behind the trees. The gunfire came in waves, like the repeated crashing of the tide, giving no one a proper chance to catch their breath.

Roel cursed from behind the dead tree, "These aren't ordinary pirates! Their musketeers have been trained!"

The thin young man clutched his bleeding shoulder, his face pale.

The young man carrying the short spear planted it into the ground, channeling his energy to create a semi-transparent water shield that barely blocked the stray bullets from the side. However, the water shield vibrated violently with each block, clearly indicating that it wouldn't last long.

Siren did not retreat behind the tree.

He stood half a step to Elena's left, the golden spear spinning heavily in his palm.

The lead bullets were densely packed, but not without gaps.

Before firing a musket, the gunman's shoulder would tense up, and the muzzle would deflect very slightly.

For ordinary people, this omen is meaningless, but for Xilun, who has experienced countless life-or-death close combat, it is enough to determine the key direction.

He doesn't need to block all the lead bullets.

It only blocks those who will kill.

The gun barrel blocks horizontally, points, flicks diagonally, and presses back.

Ding ding ding ding.

Sparks kept exploding on the golden gun.

Elena stood beside him and could clearly hear the series of rapid impacts.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Xilun's shoulders and back barely moved; all his power was hidden in his wrists, elbows, and waist. He was so calm and composed that it didn't seem like he was facing a volley of musket fire, but rather like he was practicing a basic gun stance by a lake.

She felt somewhat at ease.

At least Xilun won't be a hindrance.

"Roel, there are seven men on the lower slope to the left. Find a way to get past them!"

Elena quickly gave the order.

"Kerry, move the water shield three steps to the right to protect the wounded! Samuel, draw fire from the front, don't charge too deep!"

Samuel's eyes flickered when he heard the last sentence.

Don't go too deep.

He looked at the blue sword Hogg on the treetop, his chest surging with fighting spirit.

If Hogger's head could be severed, it would be a potion of boundless energy.

This achievement is enough to shake the entire department.

But Elena's orders held him back, and he could only suppress his impulse for the time being.

"clear."

Roel had already darted out close to the ground.

He glided swiftly between the dead trees and the low slopes like a gray sea serpent.

The musketeers noticed his approach and immediately some of them turned their guns around, but Roel's movements were too cunning. He used decaying leaves, tree roots, and low-lying mud pits to change direction continuously, and in the blink of an eye, he was close to the low slope on the left.

Screams soon followed.

The double blades flashed in the shadows of the trees, and two pirates collapsed, clutching their throats.

But the next moment, three axe-wielding pirates rushed out from behind the low slope. Their aura was clearly stronger than that of ordinary gunmen, and they directly blocked Roel's path.

Blue Sword Hogg stood on the tree branch, his smile deepening.

"Not bad, not bad, as expected of a disciple of the monastery, much more resilient than those village guards."

Elena said coldly, "Hogg, you attacked villages and towns and ambushed monastery disciples. You will not escape today."

Hogg seemed to have heard something amusing.

"escape?"

He looked down at the crowd, his blue clothes fluttering in the damp forest wind.

"Miss Elena, are you sure you've made a mistake? This is the Black Abyss Forest, not your monastery lecture hall."

Here, who is the hunter and who is the prey will be decided by the sword and the gun.

After saying that, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Deeper into the dense forest, a heavy dragging sound suddenly came from.

The pirates pushed out two corpses that had been tied to wooden frames.

They were two men wearing leather armor as village guards, their chests slashed open, their faces still frozen in the terror of death.

The pirate pushed the corpse in front of everyone's view, grinning maliciously as he cut the ropes.

The body was dumped into the muddy water.

The smell of blood was stronger.

Anger flashed in Elena's eyes.

Samuel's face also darkened.

Hogg did it on purpose.

He was provoking them.

If anyone in the team loses control and rushes out, they will be surrounded by gunners and jungle knife-wielders.

Xilen looked at the two corpses with little change in his expression, only his grip on the gun tightened slightly.

He had seen far worse scenes.

The plague in the lower city, the ruins of the old textile factory, Lund pinned to the clock tower with a spear.

Hogg's provocation was not enough to shake him.

But he hated that kind of laughter.

It's like holding someone else's life in your hands and crushing it repeatedly, and then taking pleasure in the sound of it breaking.

"Elena," Siren suddenly spoke.

"explain."

"The gun team can't drag this out for too long."

Elena understood what he meant.

The musketeers, holding the terrain, will maintain their pressure and gradually wear down the enemy's stamina. Once their formation is broken, Hogg and the melee pirates will come in to finish them off.

She quickly asked, "Which side can you break through?"

Xilun's gaze swept around.

The frontal firepower was the densest, with Hogg also providing cover in the frontal canopy.

Roel on the left has been entangled.

There is a black puddle on the right, with rotten leaves floating on the surface. It looks difficult to walk, but for Xilun, water has never been an obstacle.

"Right side."

Elena hesitated for only a moment.

"Go, don't chase too deep, just tear open the firing port and then press back down."

Samuel's expression changed slightly: "Junior sister, he went to the right side alone?"

Elena didn't look at him: "I believe in my team."

These words made Samuel feel a lump in his throat.

Xilun has already made a move.

Instead of crouching low like Roel, he stepped directly into the black puddle on his right.

Several gunmen immediately spotted him, and their guns turned towards him.

Bang bang bang!

The lead bullet flew over.

A ripple suddenly spread across the water beneath Xilun's feet.

With his deep-sea diving skills and natural affinity for water working in tandem, his body glided lightly across the slippery surface, as if being pushed half a foot away by the lake tide.

Several lead bullets grazed the hem of his clothes and struck the tree trunk behind him.

Another round of gunfire rang out.

Xilun raised his gun.

He held the golden spear horizontally in front of him, the shaft precisely blocking two lead bullets aimed at his head and chest. He dodged the remaining bullets simply by moving his feet.

The puddle was quite deep; if an ordinary person stepped into it, the water would be at least above their calves, and they would get stuck in the rotten mud.

Xilun, however, seemed to be walking on an invisible thin layer of ice, his steps light and steady.

The gunman on the right looked horrified.

"He can walk on water!"

"Don't let him get near!"

A pirate captain roared, drew his short musket, aimed it at Siron's face, and pulled the trigger.

The distance is too close.

The flames exploded almost right in front of Xilun's eyes.

Ke Xilun merely tilted his head slightly.

The lead bullet grazed the side of his face, leaving a trail of blood.

The next moment, the golden spear was already thrust out.

The spear tip pierced through the mist like a dark golden lightning bolt, striking the pirate captain directly in the chest and pinning him to a withered tree behind him.

boom!

The withered tree trembled.

The pirate leader coughed up blood and foam, his hands gripping the gun barrel tightly, but he couldn't even struggle.

Xilun drew his gun and swept it across.

The heavy gun barrel struck two gunmen nearby.

The sound of bones cracking rang out almost simultaneously.

The two men flew out like broken sacks, knocking over the pirates who were loading gunpowder behind them.

The firepower on the right side was instantly thrown into disarray.

"Stop him!"

More pirates pounced out from behind the tree.

They were not ordinary gunmen, but melee swordsmen specifically tasked with protecting the musket squad.

Each of them reeked of blood, and their scimitars were coated with dark green poison, clearly indicating their expertise in ambushing and killing in dense forests.

A chill ran through Xilun's eyes.

He did not release the Breath of the Styx.

Elena and others are still here; it's not appropriate to expose that overly dangerous, deathly aura.

He only activated the Overturning Sea Technique.

The surging energy rose from the soles of his feet, carried his waist and back, and finally flowed into the gun barrel.

The golden spear swept out horizontally.

The first swordsman raised his sword to parry, but the blade bent instantly, his hand on his hand exploded, and he was struck in the shoulder and neck by the gun barrel. When he flew backward, his neck was already twisted to one side.

The second man approached from the side, his curved blade slashing towards Xilun's waist and abdomen.

Xilun loosened his grip with his left hand, then grabbed his opponent's wrist with his other hand, applying force with all five fingers.

Crack.

The wrist bone was fractured.

Immediately afterwards, he kneed the other man in the chest.

The knife-wielder collapsed, blood gushing from his mouth and nose, and knelt down.

Seeing that things were going badly, the third person turned around and tried to retreat.

Xilun caught up with him on the water and fired a shot into his back.

The man's body suddenly stiffened, he fell forward, and then fell silent.

The whole process took only a few breaths.

A gap was torn open in the right-hand gunnery.

Elena seized the opportunity and pointed her silver sword forward.

"Press it down!"

Samuel had been waiting impatiently for a long time.

His longsword flashed with a bluish-green light as he charged forward. The blade sliced ​​through several hastily fired lead bullets, deflecting them, and then cleaved open the shoulder and chest of the pirate blocking his path.

The gaunt youth endured the pain and followed, while the youth carrying the short spear also removed his water shield, threw his short spear, and pierced through a gunman who was loading gunpowder.

With the pressure on Roel's left side reduced, he unleashed his double blades, killing two knife-wielding men who were blocking his way, and finally escaped the entanglement on the low slope.

The situation was as if Xilun had torn open a hole with a single shot.

The once impenetrable ambush formation began to falter.

Blue Sword Hogg stood on the treetop, his smile finally fading a little.

His gaze fell on Xiren.

"interesting."