Countless corpses of the Crimson Whale Sect’s guards lay strewn across the deck, deep-red blood pooling beneath them. The liquid ran in narrow streams toward the drainage canals on both sides, washing the planks in a dark sheen.
Lu Sheng lifted his head. His gaze cut through the mound of bodies and locked onto a silhouette cloaked entirely in crimson.
The moment he saw it, his pupils tightened.
“Heeheeheee…8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8c39V1Dywx
You’ve really made it… painful for me…”
The woman beneath the red umbrella stood on one leg at the ship’s helm, the slightest misstep away from plunging into the churning waters. Yet even in the roaring gale, she did not sway. Only her blood-red dress unfurled behind her like a banner of warning.
“Heeheeheee… so you’re… Sect Master Lu? So you’re the new Sect Master…”
Another red figure, also holding an umbrella, materialized at his right—appearing as though carved from the air itself.
Then more emerged.
Red silhouettes bloomed across the deck one after another, multiplying until they surrounded Lu Sheng completely.
Shrill, eerie laughter echoed from every direction.
Lu Sheng’s expression darkened. He finally understood—he had gravely underestimated this red-umbrella ghost.
“Your servant is named Hong San. Remember this name…”
The umbrella women turned in perfect unison to face him.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then—
Swish, swish, swish, swish—!
All of them lunged at once, streaking toward him like bolts of bloody light.
“ROAR!!!”
Lu Sheng bellowed toward the sky, his body swelling like an inflating beast. A red web of inner Qi erupted outward from his form.
BOOM!!!
More than a dozen red figures collided into him at the same instant, only to be hurled away by the explosive force.
Without warning, the crimson Qi web detonated outward, expanding from Lu Sheng as its violent center.
KA-BOOM!!!
Every red figure shattered into countless scraps of fluttering crimson cloth. Yet the fragments did not scatter—they spiraled together, knitting themselves back into the shape of a woman.
The umbrella girl raised her umbrella with a soft, deliberate motion, hiding her face. Behind its edge, long black hair draped down on both sides like a dark waterfall.
The umbrella began to spin. With a sharp whirl, her entire form was drawn into it, vanishing without a trace. Only the red paper umbrella remained, turning slowly in midair as though held aloft by invisible fingers. Then, without warning, it shot toward Lu Sheng.
“Without the Zhen Family, I don’t believe that a mere mortal like you…!”
Her shrill voice echoed as the umbrella’s razor-edged rim accelerated its rotation. Faster and faster it spun, until even the embroidered pink plum blossoms began to turn, forming a glowing circular ring. From its center, tendrils of black Qi unfurled.
“Szzz…”
Lu Sheng inhaled deeply. He brought his hands together before his chest, gathering every thread of blood web and inner Qi within his body, forcing them toward the space between his palms.
Under the full activation of the Ultimate Crimson Nine Furies Skill, the energy condensed rapidly—compressing into a small, translucent crimson orb.
“Changing the Heavens in Seven Days…”
A thin blood-red streak crawled from his chest to the center of his forehead.
“DIVINE MIGHT!!!”
A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he thrust forward with every ounce of power he possessed.
KA-BOOM!!!
The orb exploded the instant it left his hands, shooting forward like a blazing comet and flooding the air with crimson radiance.
BOOM!!!
Black Qi met red light head-on. The collision ruptured into clouds of smoke and showers of scarlet sparks that rained down across the corpses and the deck.
“Szzz szz szz szz…”
Where the sparks and black Qi landed, flames erupted—spreading in hungry waves. Within moments, the entire first deck outside the hall doors had become a roaring sea of fire, thick with drifting Bind poison.
BAM!
A section of the ship’s tower—shattered earlier by the blast—collapsed onto the deck, feeding the flames and sending them spiraling higher.
Amid the inferno, Lu Sheng shoved aside a mound of debris and rose to his feet. His gaze locked onto the umbrella girl, who stood not far away, her silhouette wavering behind the flames.
Moments earlier, both had unleashed their full strength—each tasting the true measure of the other’s power. Though they fought with everything they had, neither could overwhelm the other. Both were in the realm of Bind, their abilities perfectly countered. Lu Sheng could not kill the umbrella girl, and she could not pierce the unyielding defense of his tempered body.
Around him, the raging flames curled and snapped but never touched him. The blood web of the Ultimate Crimson Nine Furies Skill enveloped him instinctively, shielding him from the heat. His naturally formidable resistance to fire rendered the inferno meaningless.
Likewise, the umbrella girl remained untouched by the blaze. A faint layer of flowing black substance—Bind’s power—slid across her skin, forming an impenetrable barrier against the heat and toxic smoke.
“I’ve never seen a human like you…” she murmured, eyes somber as she stared at Lu Sheng. Behind her back, concealed from his view, half of her palm had shriveled into charred remains.
“Now you have.” Lu Sheng’s tone was calm, steady.
“Your servant… shall be back…” she whispered at last.
POOF!
She erupted into flames in an instant, like a torch set aflame from within. Her form sagged and collapsed, melting swiftly into a pool of molten residue upon the scorched deck.
Lu Sheng watched her vanish without a ripple of expression. This had been his first true battle against an Anomaly—and victory had come by the slimmest margin. The final ignition of her body had been triggered by the Ultimate Crimson Nine Furies energy he had forcibly infused into her.
He was certain he had broken through her Bind defense multiple times, ravaging her body from within. Yet even after consecutive attempts, he could not fully annihilate her. Judging by the way she had burned, it seemed less a death and more an escape.
The resilience of an Anomaly… was beyond frightening.
“Sect Master!!!” Only now did the upper-echelon members dare to step out of the hall.
“Hurry, put out the fire! Use the hose!”
“Quick! Quick! The pharmacy is burning!!!”
Chen Ying and Hong Mingzi vaulted into the air and landed at Lu Sheng’s sides. Chen Ying immediately swept his palm through the flames, each strike generating a powerful gust that extinguished the nearby fire.
“Are you alright, Junior Apprentice Brother!?” Hong Mingzi asked, already coughing hard after moving just once.
Lu Sheng’s battle with the umbrella girl had shaken the heavens—turning the entire deck into a blazing inferno. The Bind poison drifting heavily in the air had kept everyone trapped inside the hall, none daring to step out. Only after the umbrella girl vanished did they finally muster the courage to come forward.
“I’m alright… I didn’t expect some random Anomaly popping out of nowhere to be evenly matched with me,” Lu Sheng said, his tone grave.
Hong Mingzi shook his head. “That was no ordinary Anomaly. Junior Apprentice Brother, you may not know this, but that umbrella girl was actually the Deputy District Mistress of the Scarlet District. She’s their strongest expert—second only to the District Mistress. It’s a miracle you could stand toe-to-toe with her!”
“Deputy District Mistress?” Lu Sheng murmured as realization settled in. He recalled fighting the Song Manor little girl—who had been on the verge of becoming an Anomaly. Even then, with far less power than he had now, she could not withstand a single strike from him.
No wonder he found it difficult to believe how much the realm of Bind transformed upon evolving into an Anomaly.
Chen Ying spoke softly, almost reverently. “The Scarlet District was heavily weakened in its war against the Zhen Family. Almost all their Anomalies have been wiped out. That must be why their Deputy District Mistress came personally to strike at our Crimson Whale Sect.”
Unknowingly, his respect for Lu Sheng deepened. Part of it stemmed from Lu Sheng’s new status as Sect Master. But far more than that—it came from witnessing the sheer extent of Lu Sheng’s power.
“Junior Apprentice Brother, we must arrange an evacuation as soon as possible. The Crimson Whale Sect has become a public target. Even without the Scarlet District, other factions will come for us. Without the Zhen Family backing us, we won’t be able to hold them off… cough, cough…” Hong Mingzi broke into harsh coughs halfway through his rushed explanation.
“Any idea where the Scarlet District’s headquarters are?” Lu Sheng asked.
“Junior Apprentice Brother intends to…” Hong Mingzi trailed off, unable to keep up with Lu Sheng’s line of thought.
“If possible, we can go test the waters,” Lu Sheng whispered.
Hong Mingzi paled. “Absolutely not! The Scarlet District’s District Mistress is overwhelmingly powerful—far stronger than that umbrella girl. She’s on the same level as the Zhen Family’s Family Head.” He urged his warning out with urgency.
“Then why didn’t she come for us?” Lu Sheng asked calmly.
Chen Ying hesitated. “Because… perhaps she thinks our Crimson Whale Sect isn’t worth her coming personally?”
Lu Sheng shook his head. “I don’t think so. They acted against us because the Zhen Family has fled. They’re searching for leads. If I’m right, the District Mistress either stayed behind to guard their base or has already moved personally to pursue the Zhen Family.”
Hong Mingzi blinked, then nodded slowly. “This… Junior Apprentice Brother’s reasoning does make sense. Their goal is still the treasure in the Zhen Family’s possession. If they don’t commit their full force, they’ll just be devoured by the Zhen Family—completely useless.” He took a shaky breath before continuing, “So once they choose to pursue them, they will undoubtedly move out in full force.” A bout of coughing overtook him again.
Chen Ying added with a firm nod, “If that’s the case, we only need to determine whether their main force has left to know if the Scarlet District’s District Mistress is still present.”
“From the fact that the Deputy District Mistress came personally for our Crimson Whale Sect, we can deduce there’s at least a sixty percent chance that the Scarlet District’s main force has already departed,” Lu Sheng said evenly. “Otherwise, if I were the District Mistress, and I learned that the Zhen Family had fled while the Crimson Whale Sect might hold clues to their whereabouts, the first thing I’d do is strike immediately—swift, decisive, capturing everyone before interrogating them afterward. What I wouldn’t do is test the waters slowly, like cooking a frog in warm water—harassing the edges before making a real move. That’s a pointless waste of time. And even if I misjudged, the worst that could happen is a direct clash with the Zhen Family.”
Hong Mingzi nodded emphatically. “That’s right. Junior Apprentice Brother’s deduction is sound.”
“So now we…?” Chen Ying looked to Lu Sheng expectantly.
Lu Sheng’s eyes narrowed. “Testing them right now is too dangerous. First, we consolidate and contract our estate and forces. Then—we call in the cavalry.”
Hong Mingzi’s expression froze. “Junior Apprentice Brother, you mean… to throw our lot in with another Noble Family? But… would any of them even accept us?”
“The Crimson Whale Sect has the largest intelligence network in the Northern Lands,” Lu Sheng replied calmly. “We hold vast resources and talent. Even if other Noble Families send their own people, they cannot compare to us—decades rooted here in the North. Aligning with a Noble Family may not grant us glory, but it will keep us alive. The only question is… which Noble Family to join.”
By now, the flames consuming the Crimson Whale were being extinguished by a massive water basin lowered from the ship’s side. Surviving disciples emerged one by one, their faces dark with grief as they carried away the corpses. Many bodies were burnt beyond recognition; in places, the deck itself had been scorched through, leaving gaping holes of varying sizes.
The Internal Affairs Emissaries went to work immediately, barking orders and coordinating the effort to restore order amid the devastation.
Lu Sheng gazed out over the wreckage, his thoughts deep and steady amidst the devastation.
“Since the Zhen Family has abandoned us, there’s no need for us to speak of loyalty,” he said quietly. “Senior Apprentice Brother, Chen Ying—I'll trouble you both to make the arrangements. Tomorrow, I’ll visit the representatives of the other factions in the city and secure a way out for us.”
Scarlet District’s failure to crush the Crimson Whale Sect in a single stroke meant that Lu Sheng had carved out a slim but critical chance—an opportunity for the Crimson Whale Sect to turn their fate around.
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