With half a game of chess, I vanquish all demons!

"Hiss~ Fire! Fire!"

The fishmen screamed, their voices so shrill they almost pierced eardrums.

Where the fire dragon passed, the reefs were scorched red.

The fishmen were covered in water, yet the fire burned their skin, tearing their scales apart and making crackling sounds.

Soon, a layer of burnt grease, mixed with dark green blood, floated to the surface of the sea, making the surroundings even more stenchy and unpleasant.

"Jump! Jump into the sea! Deep water!"

The merfolk leader looked at his comrades who had suffered heavy casualties and shouted desperately.

Upon hearing this, the other fish-men jumped into the sea one after another, splashing up sprays of water.

"Choose the power you want to control."

"I choose, earthy!"

Zhao Yao raised his foot and stomped lightly. The ground trembled, and several deep trenches cracked open near the beach, like the mouth of a giant beast, rumbling and splitting open.

A group of fishmen suddenly lost their footing and, screaming, fell into a deep ditch with the seawater.

"Gurgle..."

Their cries echoed in the deep ravine, only to be drowned out by a thunderous clatter.

Zhao Yao scanned his surroundings.

The rocky beach was littered with the corpses of fishmen, their dark green blood forming streams that flowed into the sea through the cracks in the rocks, turning the seawater near the shore a dark green color.

The surviving fish-men scattered and fled, desperately swimming away into the sea, never daring to show their faces again.

In the blink of an eye, only the murloc leader remained standing there.

The merman leader was covered in wounds, most of his scales were broken, and his trident was also broken in half. He looked particularly shabby in the moonlight.

It glared at Zhao Yao, its single eye filled with resentment. Its gills opened and closed violently, making a panting sound, and a muffled whimper rolled in its throat, sounding like crying or anger.

"Kill...kill..."

It charged at Zhao Yaoben, raising the broken halberd above its head, staggering as it pounded its feet on the rocks, letting out muffled roars as if it wanted to unleash all its fear and anger in this single strike.

"Light."

Zhao Yao watched it quietly as its body shrank and then grew larger. It raised its hand, and a ball of blazing white light condensed in its palm, like the scorching sun in the sky, engulfing the entire rocky beach in its light.

"Ah~"

The merman leader screamed, covering his eyes. His single eye was stinging from the bright light, and tears and blood gushed out together.

It staggered backward, its flippers slipping on the wet rocks, then lost its footing, fell backward, and plunged into the sea with a splash.

Sigh~

puff~

The jade sword was remotely controlled by Zhao Yao, piercing into the seawater. The tip of the sword precisely pierced the back of the fishman leader's head, and in this manner, its corpse was brought ashore.

The merman leader's single eye was wide open, and his body twitched twice before falling still.

The light dissipated.

Zhao Yao reverted to his bronze warrior form, his body slowly shrinking back to a normal human form.

"Phew~"

He stood amidst the corpses of merfolk scattered on the ground and exhaled a breath of foul air.

ended.

He crouched down, took out a thumb-sized demon core from the merman leader's corpse, and examined it closely.

This demon core was entirely dark green, with a faint glow; it looked quite beautiful.

puff~

He manipulated the jade sword, cleaved open another merman corpse, and was about to collect the second one when he suddenly looked up and gazed into the distance.

On the sea, a three-masted sailing ship is slowly approaching.

After a while...

wow~

wow~

The sound of oars cutting through the water came from the sea, growing closer and louder.

Zhao Yao stood on the deserted island and saw the three-masted sailboat slowly approaching the shore.

The middle-aged man stood at the bow of the boat, grinned at him, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

Zhao Yao raised an eyebrow and asked:

"Didn't we tell you to leave? Why are you back?"

"Why are you leaving?"

The middle-aged man jumped off the boat and plunged into the sea with a splash, water reaching his knees as he waded through the water.

Behind him followed several daring sailors, carrying sacks and daggers, their eyes scanning the fish-man corpses scattered on the ground with a mixture of surprise and delight.

"Brother, you must be exhausted cleaning up all by yourself. Let us help you."

As he spoke, he pulled out a dagger, bent down and took out a demon core from a merman corpse, wiped the bloodstains on his clothes, and held it up to his eyes to look at it.

He stared at the demon core, marveling at it, his eyes lighting up:

"What a treasure! A merman demon core this big is a rare find on the market."

The sailors hurriedly began to clean up the fishman's corpse, taking out the demon cores, peeling off the scales, and cutting off the fins. Their movements were very swift, and their daggers moved swiftly across the fishman's body, showing that they were all experienced.

The old sailor even picked up the merman chieftain's broken halberd, held it in his hand and examined it for a long time, then grinned, revealing his rotten teeth, and laughed.

The middle-aged man approached Zhao Yao, rubbed his hands together, and said somewhat embarrassedly:

"Brother, could you sell us these fishman corpses?"

Don't worry, the price is negotiable.

Zhao Yao glanced at the fish-man corpses scattered on the ground, then at the sacks in the sailors' hands, a smile appearing in his eyes.

Everything is ready.

He glanced one last time at the middle-aged man's expectant eyes, then waved his hand.

"Give me the demon core, and you can take the rest. It's free."

"Free of charge?"

The middle-aged man was stunned, his mouth agape and his eyes wide open like saucers.

He blinked, his Adam's apple bobbed, then suddenly turned and shouted to the sailors, his voice rising an octave:

"Did you hear me!"

Brother Zhao Yao said he's giving us the merman's corpse for free! Hurry up and thank him!

"Thanks, bro!"

"Brothers are loyal!"

"Brother, your kindness and virtue are unforgettable!"

The sailors thanked them profusely, their voices rising and falling, their hands moving even more nimbly as daggers flashed and scales rustled as they stuffed them into sacks, their smiles stretching almost to their ears.

Some people have already started to quietly make plans:

"These scales can be exchanged for three acres of good land..."

The person next to him gave him a push:

"Look at you, so pathetic!"

Seeing their overjoyed expressions, Zhao Yao couldn't help but say:

"Aren't you afraid of offending the Sea God Cult?"

These fish-men are followers of the Sea God's cult.

The middle-aged man paused, the dagger hovering in mid-air. He looked up, his smile fading slightly, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, as if he were recalling something unpleasant.

"Afraid? Of course I'm not afraid."

Who isn't afraid of those lunatics from the Cult of Poseidon?

He lowered his head and continued to pull out the demon core, his hands covered in dark green blood, the dagger churning inside the fishman's chest cavity, making a squelching sound.

He went on to say:

"But what good is being afraid?"

We spend our whole lives making a living at sea, braving the wind and waves, earning a meager living through hard work.

Sometimes, after a long trip, I don't even get a hot meal.

He looked up at Zhao Yao, his eyes slightly reddening, and his nostrils twitched slightly.

"These fish-men, their scales, fins, bones, what part of them isn't valuable?"

After this job, I'll be set for life and never have to go back to the sea.

He lowered his head and continued working, his voice slightly choked:

"Brother, you don't know, some of us never accumulate any wealth in our entire lives."

This time, it's all thanks to you.

Zhao Yao remained silent for a while, then said nothing more.

Once the merman corpses were cleaned up, the deck was piled high with merman scales and various materials.

Zhao Yao put away the demon cores they brought, came aboard the ship, his body shrank and then grew larger, and slowly raised his hand.

Call ~

A gentle breeze surged from his palm, growing stronger and stronger, transforming into a swirling current that carried the stench of the fishmen's blood throughout the ship, blowing towards the depths of the sea.

Gaa~ Gaa~

As the fishy wind swept by, seabirds took flight in fright, emitting cries of alarm.

A moment later, there was no longer any trace of the fish-men on the ship.

The sailors stared in disbelief, and one of them couldn't help but mutter:

"This guy is really unpredictable..."

slap~

The middle-aged man slapped him hard on the back of the head and scolded him:

"Then stop overthinking it."

He walked to Zhao Yao's side, and with an exceptionally sincere expression, clasped his hands in a respectful bow:

"Brother, I am deeply grateful and cannot express my thanks."

Before we part, there's something I want to tell you.

"Speaking."

Zhao Yao nodded.

The middle-aged man straightened up, his expression grave, and lowered his voice:

"When traveling at sea, beware of the All-Heavens Merchant Alliance."

Zhao Yao raised an eyebrow slightly:

"You're not from the All-Heavens Merchant Alliance?"

The middle-aged man chuckled and scratched his head somewhat sheepishly:

"It's just using someone else's name to make a big deal out of nothing."

"Our dilapidated ship is hardly qualified to join the Celestial Merchant Alliance."

He leaned closer, lowering his voice even further, almost whispering in Zhao Yao's ear:

"If you encounter anyone from the All-Heavens Merchant Alliance, be careful."

Those people are ruthless and heartless.

Zhao Yao nodded and made a note of it.

He suddenly remembered something and asked the middle-aged man directly:

"I'm asking you about someone."

"Who?"

"Su Shangtao, Su Shangtao of the Su family of Wangzhou City."

Have you seen him while you were traveling at sea?

The middle-aged man paused for a moment, then slapped his forehead twice.

"Su Shangtao... Hmm, I've heard rumors that he went to some overseas island to lay low for a while, it seems he was..."

He turned his head and pointed into the distance:

"...It seems to be in that direction."

I can't say exactly where it is, but if you head in that direction, you'll eventually find out.

Zhao Yao looked in the direction he was pointing, and saw the sea and sky blending into one, stretching endlessly.

He turned his head, looked at the middle-aged man, and nodded sincerely:

"Thank you for telling me."

"You've done us a great favor, there's no need to be so polite."

The middle-aged man patted him on the shoulder and said with emotion:

"Brother Zhao Yao, take care."

If you encounter any difficulties at sea in the future, inquire about the name of "Old Sea Dog." We will do everything we can to help.

Then the sailors got busy, their shouts, footsteps, and the sound of ropes being pulled all together.

The sailboat slowly sailed away from the deserted island. The sailors stood at the stern, waving goodbye to Zhao Yao. Some of them shouted a few times, but their voices were carried away by the sea breeze and could not be heard clearly.

Call ~

Zhao Yao stood on the reef, watching the sailboat disappear into the sea and sky until they could no longer see him and began to go about their own business. Only then did he turn his gaze to the vast sea.

The sea breeze carries a salty, fishy smell.

"Heave-ho!"

He took a deep breath, raised his hand and waved it, and the jade light surged and condensed into a small boat in front of him.

Thump~

He leaped onto the bow of the boat, steadied himself, and slowly sailed in the direction the middle-aged man had pointed.