With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

"Stop the boats immediately and fire at them with ballistae and catapults. The other warriors should kill the captured bandits immediately to prevent them from causing trouble!" Chen Cheng made a decisive decision and gave the order immediately.

The twenty-odd warships on their side immediately slowed down and came to a stop. The ballistae and catapults on the front ships made a series of dull thuds as stones and crossbow bolts whistled towards the Blackwater Fortress fleet approaching from both sides.

The enemy was clearly prepared and launched a counterattack almost simultaneously, raining down stones and crossbow bolts on their own ship formation.

However, of the twenty-odd ships on our side, more than a dozen were newly captured pirate vessels, and none of them were equipped with personnel to operate weapons.

In order to control these ships, some soldiers were dispersed to steer, adjust sails, and maintain navigation, which further diluted the forces that could actually be deployed in combat.

Faced with this sudden pincer attack, their formation and firepower were stretched thin, making it difficult to establish effective suppression.

The catapults and ballistae of Heishui Village were fast-firing and accurate, with stones whistling as they crashed onto the deck and crossbow bolts piercing through the wooden railings and heading straight for the personnel.

Soldiers on our own deck were constantly being hit; screams and the sound of impact mingled with the wind, and bloodstains quickly spread across the deck.

A large number of soldiers were forced to retreat into the cabins to take refuge, leaving only a few combat personnel responsible for operating catapults, ballistae, and bows and arrows on the deck.

At the same time, the Taoist soldiers on the water also carried martial artists, attempting to approach the enemy ship from the side of the river and damage the enemy's hull from underwater or from the flanks.

However, before they could get within effective range, the Blackwater Village boats fired a volley of ballistae at the water.

It turned out that the other side had anticipated this move and had specifically arranged for long-range attacks against the Taoist soldiers.

Heavy crossbow bolts pierced the water, creating a series of water columns. Seeing this, the Taoist soldiers and martial artists dared not advance rashly and could only retreat temporarily.

Faced with a few scattered arrows, even a third-rate martial artist can use the iron armor and the reaction speed enhanced by internal energy to block or dodge.

However, this was on a ship, in a naval battle. The heavy iron armor was not suitable for wearing, which restricted their movement. In addition, the power of the ballista was far greater than that of ordinary bows and arrows, so the martial artists and Taoist soldiers dared not go forward.

"Get closer to them and engage in boarding action!" Seeing that the long-range combat was going poorly, Chen Cheng immediately issued the order, hoping to turn the tide in boarding action by taking advantage of the large number of his own warriors.

By this time, the soldiers on each ship had already executed all the pirate prisoners. These prisoners were already bound and unarmed, so the cleanup was quick, leaving only pools of blood and scattered ropes on the deck.

The two ships quickly approached each other, and the soldiers and warriors on both sides immediately lined up at the front of the deck, gripped their weapons, and prepared to engage in close combat.

Relying on their superior numbers, the Blackwater Fortress did not hesitate to accelerate their approach, with the bows of their ships pointing directly at the center of their own formation.

Because they attacked from both sides, our fleet was cut in two, making it difficult for the two ships to coordinate their attacks.

The command ship carrying Lin Ye and Chen Cheng narrowly avoided a violent collision with the enemy vessel at the last moment. The ship rocked violently, and the equipment on the deck rattled.

The two had already changed into light combat clothing, put on protective gear, and picked up their weapons.

This time, they are really going to fight in person.

The boarding action suddenly broke out.

Unlike last time, this time the people from Blackwater Village took the initiative to jump onto their own ships, attempting to overwhelm them with numbers and seize the deck.

Our side was prepared. Archers lined up in a row, raining down arrows on the enemies who had just jumped onto the ship, while the spearmen in the front row thrust their spears forward at the same time.

The newly arrived pirates often couldn't even hold their weapons steady before being shot through the chest or abdomen, collapsing on the deck with screams of agony.

However, there were also martial artists in the opposing formation, who immediately charged forward despite the rain of arrows.

Holding large shields in one hand to deflect flying arrows and spear tips, and wielding swords in the other to clear a path, they forcefully tore a gap in their own spear formation.

Upon seeing this, the warriors on their side immediately stepped forward to intercept, and the two sides clashed in close combat on the narrow deck, quickly disrupting their formation.

Taking advantage of the chaos, more pirates swarmed onto the boat and engaged in a fierce battle with the soldiers.

The decks of every ship became battlefields for life and death.

On the water, the warriors who were originally riding Taoist soldiers had retreated to the deck to join the battle, leaving the Taoist soldiers underwater to specifically kill the water bandits who had fallen into the river.

Lin Ye and Chen Cheng also charged into the crowd, forming a pincer movement between each other with perfect coordination, followed by three second-rate guards from the Chen family.

The five men, with the strength of second-rate martial artists, charged through the enemy ranks, their swords flashing and spears clashing, and none could stop them.

Lin Ye's marksmanship was steady and ruthless; every thrust hit its mark.

Chen Cheng's swordsmanship was fierce, aiming straight for vital points.

The three guards held firm on both sides and the rear to ensure that the two would not be surrounded and attacked.

In a short time, they had joined forces to clear out the two pirate ships, leaving the decks littered with corpses and the ship's planks stained with blood.

Seeing their lord bravely taking the lead, the soldiers on their side were immediately in high spirits. Their shouts and the clanging of weapons blended into a stirring battle cry, and the situation was tilting in their favor.

Just then, the battle situation took a dramatic turn.

Suddenly, seven or eight people leaped high from a pirate ship.

Leading the group was a tall, slender man who moved like an arrow, leaping through the air in a few bounds before passing two colliding ships and heading straight for Lin Ye, Chen Cheng, and the others.

The bandits following behind him also leaped into the air one after another, their movements agile and ruthless, clearly indicating that they were all martial artists.

"Oh no, it's a first-rate martial artist!" Chen Cheng shouted almost instinctively.

Before he finished speaking, a white figure suddenly flashed through the crowd, so fast that its trajectory was almost invisible. It was Liu Zhenghua.

Charging towards the top-tier martial artist, the two figures clashed in mid-air, their swords clashing violently at high speed, the force of their impact forcing the surrounding soldiers to retreat.

Then, the two used the momentum to separate and landed in different places on the deck.

However, the top-tier martial artist did not linger in the fight, bypassing Liu Zhenghua and continuing to pounce on Lin Ye and the others.

Midway through, Liu Zhenghua intercepted him again, his figure following him like a shadow, effectively blocking his route.

The attackers were repeatedly thwarted in their all-out assaults, and growing increasingly impatient, they were finally forced to halt and engage Liu Zhenghua in direct combat. The clash of weapons echoed across the narrow deck, sending waves of air surging through the air.

Seeing this, Lin Ye, Chen Cheng, and their guards quickly evacuated the battle zone and moved to a nearby ship.

However, the other warriors who had jumped over also approached, and the two sides suddenly clashed on the new ship.

Upon close contact, both sides realized each other's strength composition; both were at least third-rate martial artists, making the battle more difficult than expected.

On our side, there are five second-rate martial artists and two first-rate Dao soldiers, saber-toothed mantises.

On the other side, there were four second-rate martial artists, three third-rate martial artists, and two Dao soldiers who were in the shape of werewolves.

These two werewolf-shaped soldiers were similar in height to ordinary humans, with broad shoulders and thick backs. Their bodies were covered with short, gray-blue fur, which gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen in the sunlight and the reflection of the water.

Its face is ferocious, its snout protrudes, its fangs are exposed like daggers, and the tips of its canine teeth gleam faintly with a cold light.

Their eyes are a pale blue like ice crystals, their claws are large and thick, and their claw tips are jet black and sharp, capable of easily tearing apart wooden boards and iron armor.

What is most striking is the chill emanating from them; wherever they pass on the deck, a layer of white frost quickly condenses, and a faint mist of ice permeates the air.

"Everyone be careful!" Chen Cheng shouted a warning when he saw the werewolf soldiers, recalling the battles against the Northern Xiongnu on the border.

"These are the Frost Wolf Guards, top-tier Daoist soldiers of the Northern Xiongnu! Their attacks have a frost effect; being hit by them will slow you down or even cause frostbite."