Chapter 16 Crisis on the Dragon Ship

"Secret Key to River Soldiers!"

"It's actually the Secret Key to River Soldiers!"

"Why is it here?"

Even Ye Que was panic-stricken when he saw the strange and mysterious droplet. Of course, this didn't mean that the Secret Key to River Soldiers was a demonic object that would swallow humans whole. It was the exact opposite, actually. This treasure was a very rare treasure. With it, one would have the hope of finding the River Soldiers.

The River Soldiers were one of the Nine Great Divine Tools that were famous throughout the three worlds.

However, that was the precise reason that Ye Que was panicking. Every place in the three worlds that had anything to do with the Divine Tools as well as every person or object bearing the karma of the birth of the Divine Tools would suffer from a Heaven and Earth Calamity.

There would be rivers of blood, every plain would wither, and dried bones would pile as high as mountains.

For the past ten million years, there had been no exception.

If Ye Que was still the same Ye Que who was invincible in the Celestial World, he could consider coming across the Secret Key to the River Soldiers as fate and would try to obtain it no matter the cost. However, the current Ye Que was only in the Pre-celestial Realm. Without a thorough preparation, he was doomed to be cannon fodder.

"Leave this place immediately."

"We must leave at once. Perhaps the demons we meet in these few days appeared in Luoyang because of this Secret Key to the River Soldiers."

"The best thing to do is concealing my strength and biding time. It's not the time to show off."

It took Ye Que only a second to understand everything. The sooner he left this flower-viewing drinking banquet and this dragon ship, the better. He must make no delay. "Pack up and leave with me."

He stood up from his seat, dragging Qian Shuxiao up with him.

"What's wrong? What happened?" a confused Qian Shuxiao asked.

"Save your questions for later. Let's leave this place first." Ye Que was beginning to sound somewhat anxious.

"We're leaving now? The auction isn't over yet!"

"It'd be too late by then. This place is very dangerous. People will die. When the time comes, I won't be able to protect you."

Right then, Bai Yu had just finished her explanation on stage. She placed both her hands on the silver crystal ball and gave it a light clap. As if triggering some mechanism, the crystal ball opened with a creak.

It was as if the droplet was finally able to get a breath of air. It slowly floated up to the air and began emitting a faint light. Like ripples, the faint light gradually extended throughout the hall. The light appeared weak yet was able to pass through the boards of the ship as well as the bodies of people. Then, it extended far into the distance.

"This is bad. Let's go at once." Ye Que no longer paid Qian Shuxiao's questions any mind and directly dragged him out of the hall. Meanwhile, the guests were all drawn to the mystical air of the Secret Key to the River Soldiers, so much so that they can't look away from the stage.

In a flash, which also at the exact moment Ye Que walked out of the door, a low-level executive of the Mortal World Pavilion staggered as he ran in. The moment the executive entered the hall, he made a beeline for the person-in-charge of the dragon ship and the Grade 2 executive of the Mortal World Pavilion, Leng Wuxin. He looked so panicked that he didn't look like an executive at all.

"Boom!"

A muffled loud sound came from outside the hall, rocking the entire dragon ship.

The initially clear and boundless sky, where not even a cluster of clouds could be seen, that hung over the Luo River suddenly changed. In a speed observable by the naked eye, a large cluster of dark clouds floated over from the distance. The sky turned darker and darker.

"Rumble!"

An ear-splitting thunder resounded from the depths of the firmament as a bolt of lightning ripped the horizon.

The clouds that carried sparks of lightning gathered. It was as if they would blanket the entire heaven and earth.

In the spot where the faraway mountains and the dark clouds intersected, a massive flock of blood-colored crows flew over like a wave of darkness that could cover the entire sky, leaving behind a trail of nasty-sounding cries.

"What's going on? How impolite to behave so anxiously!" Leng Wuxin chided as he looked at the executive in front of him.

"L-Lord, bad news. There's a monster outside."

"Boom!"

Another round of loud sound.

The executive's simple explanation, the dragon ship that was abruptly rocking, coupled with the change in the sky caused all the guests inside the hall to immediately fly into a panic. Everyone stood up, with some beginning to questioning in loud voices and some cursing. There were also those who began to crowd at the hall entrance.

The sound of screeching, chiding, questioning, and cursing resounded continuously. In an instant, the hall of the dragon ship became a mess.

"Pa!"

Once again, someone pushed open the door of the hall. This time, the one who entered was a man who was so bloodied that one couldn't tell the color of his clothes. No one could tell what grade of an executive he was. However, what was most striking about him wasn't his clothes but the sword in his hand. It was a fine sword forged out of mystical iron. Right then, there were seven to eight marks on the blade. One could tell from a single glance that they were bite marks left behind by large teeth.

"Lord, we can't hold on much longer out there. Please send reinforcements at once."

This time, the guest closest the door finally saw what was going on outside.

The deck of the dragon ship was no longer in the condition they left it in. The floor was covered in bloodied water and ten or more malevolent-looking Devious Iguanas were everywhere. Tens of green-clothed executives of Mortal World Pavilion were trying their utmost in brandishing the swords in their hands. Their swords were soaked in their own blood as well as the green saliva of the Devious Iguanas.

Evidently, these Devious Iguanas had ambushed the dragon ship. Many of the executives guarding the deck were caught by surprise and suffered injuries or died from the bites. There were even those who were dragged into the water, never to show up again.

The entire ordeal, from the beginning to the current standoff, lasted no more than three minutes. The moment everyone in the hall felt the ship rock was the moment when these Devious Iguanas jumped on board the dragon ship.

"What are those things?"

"Monsters! These monsters eat people!"

"It was still fine earlier. How did things become like this in an instant?"

"Can I even return to Luoyang City alive?"

"I don't want to die! I can't die! I still have a lot of money that I haven't spend!"

It was probably better if those near the door didn't see what was happening. Once they found out, their faces immediately paled. Several of them even vomited. They then turned around and crowded in the furthest corner of the hall.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! There are monsters outside! Get out of the way at once!"

"Get out of the way if you don't want to die!"

Many of the guests standing inside the hall didn't see the situation outside. They were even tiptoeing, wanting to see what the others were making a ruckus about.

"Inform all the executives on the dragon ship to be on standby immediately. Have all of them gather at the hall entrance right away." Leng Wuxin immediately responded after listening to his subordinate's report. He himself tried to squeeze through the crowd to reach the door. However, the crowd was panicking so badly that everyone had gotten up from their seats to gather at the same place.

"Let me through. Let me through! Get out of the way. Don't panic, everyone. Please make way first."

"If everyone crowds, no one will be able to move."

"Why aren't you getting out of the way? Didn't you hear that there are monsters outside?"

Ye Que looked helpless at the disturbance unfolding before his eyes. "No matter how I calculated, I couldn't have foreseen encountering the Secret Key to the River Soldiers at this flower-viewing drinking banquet. I've already responded quickly enough but I still failed to escape in time. From the looks of things, the monsters have already surrounded this dragon ship."

He glanced at the green figures outside the door. "Devious Iguanas, is it? No doubt, they're from the Demon Race!"