Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 695 The First Glimmer of Demonic Eyes, Dragon Scales Revealed in the Deep Sea
Under the overwhelming force of the enemy and the double blow of their leader Jinmo, the remaining Shadow Octopuses were thrown into chaos by instinctive fear.

The pirates on the ship completely gave up resistance, crying and kneeling on the deck or on the octopus's back, begging for mercy.

The battle ended so abruptly and thoroughly.

At the top of the Zhenhai Boat, Zhang Yuan slowly lowered his fingers and stood with his hands behind his back.

The sea breeze ruffled the hem of his dark battle robe, and his deep gaze seemed to pierce through the vast sea fog.

His invincible figure is etched into the souls of all who witnessed it, like a brand.

Beside him, Yin Jiuyou gathered up the shadows of divine souls one by one.

Gray clouds swirled between his hands as he coldly flipped through the fragmented memories of the Soul Search, mixed with fear and pain.

Suddenly, Yin Jiuyou paused, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

“My lord, this man has a coordinate point in his memory that points to a strange, half-submerged island in the deep sea, not a place marked on an ordinary nautical chart.”

"Furthermore, the one-eyed pirate leader's last thought before his death seemed to carry an ancient dragon pattern in the style of Zhao Zhou."

Almost as soon as Yin Jiuyou finished speaking, Zhang Yuan's gaze swept over the new army below, who were clearing the battlefield.

"Pass on the order," his voice was calm but unquestionable, "report the results of the practical test of 'Demon Eye Night Vision' immediately."

Yuchi Changshan, who was standing to the side, immediately crushed the communication jade talisman.

Soon, the few elite captains below who were responsible for guiding the new army's "Demon Eyes" in combat transmitted their voices back through a special magical artifact.

"Reporting to the Marquis! The effect is excellent! The third squad of the Class A team is equipped with 'Crimson Eyes,' which has a penetration rate of over 70% against 'Dark Ink Breath.' The pirates' evasive trajectories are clearly visible, and the efficiency of guiding archers to pick off targets has increased threefold!"

"Team B5's 'Azure Eyes' maintained undamaged vision amidst the murky blood and undercurrents, successfully predicting the attack location of the three stealthy giant octopus tentacles and assisting the army in setting up defenses in advance!"

"The only problem is that the 'Golden Eye' is slightly dazzling under strong light, and we still need to get used to the reflection from the sea surface..."

The Deputy Director of the Secret Medicine Department, Poison Lady, also appeared at the edge of the command platform at the right time, bowing and saying, "My lord, the eyeballs of the first batch of three hundred new recruits who voluntarily underwent the transformation have stabilized, and there has been no rejection reaction in the twelve hours after the operation."

"The assessment of the first batch of renovation quotas has been completed, and a total of 3,500 documents have been prepared."

Zhang Yuan nodded slightly, looking down at the new recruits below, whose left eyes gleamed with an unusual color, excitedly exchanging combat experiences.

"Yes, this technique is showing its value, but it needs continuous improvement."

"Poisonous Lady, the remaining 3,500 modification slots will be given priority to those who performed exceptionally well in this battle in the 'Demon Eye' squad and those who are skilled in close combat."

"Remember, resources are for warriors."

The Qin Dynasty has always revered bravery and martial prowess.

The brave deserve better resources.

"Understood!" The Poisonous Lady's eyes gleamed with anticipation for the future applications of this technology.

This is not just a technique, but the beginning of Qingyang Hou's means to reshape the physical bodies of his army!
At this moment, as the remaining pirates collapsed and the chaos of the Shadow Octopus was forcibly suppressed by the Black Dragon Group and the sword cultivators, the joint cleanup team of the Zhenhai Division and the Secret Medicine Division had boarded several larger pirate motherships to clean up the wrecked platforms on the back of the Octopus King, as well as the well-preserved dilapidated ships.

"Report——"

An executioner from the Zhenhai Division descended through the air on chains, presenting a rough animal hide scroll that shimmered with eerie blue water patterns.

"My lord! This item was found in a secret box beneath the shell altar of a Vajra-realm octopus demon king! It should be the incomplete copy of the 'Tidal Secret Technique' that the pirates mentioned!" The scroll was unfurled, revealing ancient seal characters twisted like waves, with patterns and runes flowing with the rhythm of the ocean.

The Nine Yang Sword Sect elder, who was skilled in water magic, carefully sensed it and his eyes gleamed: "It is indeed a high-level water control and tide manipulation technique! Although it is incomplete, its ability to draw upon the power of the tides and its stealthy movement through the undercurrents are a hundred times more advanced than the rudimentary water escape techniques used in the army. It also has a technique to draw upon the primordial energy of heaven and earth in the sea to form a 'tidal force field' to attack the enemy!"

"This is the Zhenhai Guard... or perhaps an ancient method of controlling the sea!"

Zhang Yuan took the scroll and immediately felt a surge of moisture: "Good. This technique should be submitted to the Ministry of Works' Watercraft Hall and the Zhenhai Division to make copies and incorporate it into the new army's compulsory advanced course in naval warfare."

"Anyone who masters the basics of this technique will be rewarded with a piece of immortal jade."

His gaze shifted to the hundreds of remaining pirates kneeling and trembling below: "These remnants, are you willing to surrender?"

Yin Jiuyou sneered: "Most of them were originally bandits from the East China Sea, cowardly and afraid of death. The leaders have already confessed that they were just following orders from the 'Dark Scale Gang'."

“Dark Scale Gang…” Zhang Yuan said calmly, looking into the distance with a glint in his eyes, “Elder Pei, incorporate them into the ‘Suicide Squad’.”

"Your Sword Sect disciples will supervise them, responsible for scouting reefs and clearing obstacles. Those who perform meritorious service will live; those who betray will be devoured by demonic spirits."

Not far away, Pei Lie bowed and clasped his hands in greeting, then led the Sword Sect disciples to gather the remaining pirates.

After dealing with the surrendered soldiers, Zhang Yuan looked at Yin Jiuyou: "In the remnant soul of that one-eyed leader, besides the coordinates, there was also the Zhao Zhou dragon pattern?"

Yin Jiuyou traced a pattern in the air with his fingers, and a pattern made of pure soul power appeared.

It was a twisted dragon pattern, full of wild and ancient charm, with scales like ancient seal script, dragon horns like broken coral, and an abstract anchor mark wrapped around its tail.

"Your Excellency is wise. This pattern is indeed a unique mark of the Zhao Zhou ancient shipyard descendants, often tattooed on the necks of the ship owners or the descendants of master craftsmen."

Yin Jiuyou pointed to the location of the pattern: "The obsession imprinted on the core of its soul is to find the sunken island at the coordinate point and retrieve the 'Key to the Sunken Ship'."

"According to its scattered fragments of memory, that sunken island ruins was a secret supply island of the former Zhenhaiwei of the Great Xia Dynasty, and it seems that some kind of 'sacrificial snail' that can communicate with the deep sea demon lord still remains."

"As for whether this is the place where the Xuanqiong Demon Lord once resided, the memory is too chaotic to be reliable, but the location is worth investigating."

Zhang Yuan stared at the dark sea map area where the coordinates were located, remaining silent for a moment.

Xue Dingyue stood solemnly to the side, his eyes gleaming: "My lord, it seems that beneath the turbulent currents of the East Sea, there are not only the legacy of the Zhenhai Guard and the hidden traces of Qizhou, but also clues about the exiles of Zhaozhou and the Xuanqiong Demon Lord?"

“Not bad.” Zhang Yuan tapped the railing lightly with his fingers, imprinting the coordinates deeply into his mind. “Order the fleet to slowly approach and cruise towards the coordinates. Release the ‘Shadowscale Harriers’ for covert reconnaissance.”

"Yao Bodhi, prepare a specially made miasma-avoiding pill; Zhen Xuan, check the 'Zhou Tian Ding Hai Pan' to deal with complex seabed terrain at any time."

He looked up at the thick clouds rolling at the horizon, as if trying to pierce through layers of mist:
"The East China Sea holds more secrets than we imagine."

"The Demon Lord, the Zhenhai Guard, the Zhao Zhou lineage, and the Qi Zhou demons are all entangled in this sea."

"Let's go and see this sunken island. Let's see what kind of monsters and demons are waiting for me there, besides the treasure."

The wind and waves surged at the bow of the ship, causing the dark robes of the marquis to flutter wildly.

Zhang Yuan's figure, amidst the deep blue sea and sky, resembled a long, dark sword about to pierce the center of a vortex.

The coordinates of the sunken island not only point to potential wealth or powerful enemies, but also vaguely point to another mysterious and vast continent.

(End of this chapter)