Above The Sky
Chapter 212 - 212 201 Cloud Sculptor 24

212: Chapter 201 Cloud Sculptor (2/4) 212: Chapter 201 Cloud Sculptor (2/4) The cannon fire from afar blanketed the sea, casting the exploratory ship into an exceptionally dire strait.

The captain immediately took control of the ship to turn it, while the others also returned to their posts at the first opportunity.

Ian stood by Yisen Gard, his brows slightly furrowed—the living wood ship armored with an Armor Suit was still quite a distance from the Reverence Light, yet the pirate fleet’s gunboats seemed to have already located the Reverence Light.

This speed was truly unnatural, there must be a spy on the Reverence Light signaling the enemy.

However, during his assessment, he had already used Foresight View to check all the crew members’ information—they harbored no ill intentions, and although a few were shrouded in the aura of death, that was a normal part of the risks associated with this operation.

“Perhaps it’s not the people, but the ship and equipment that have been tampered with.”

Speculating this changed nothing, for beyond the storm, shadows of the pirate fleet’s gunboats were already vaguely emerging at the other end of the sea.

There were no warnings, no signs they wished to communicate.

They kept on firing.

In the dense curtain of rain, the flames from the gunboats’ cannons were like thunder over the sea, as explosive shells whistled through the mist, barely missing the Reverence Light before crashing into the surrounding waters.

These cannonballs were not mere close calls by chance, but rather being deflected by the power of Master Gossay.

Pale white gales, sharp as blades, shredded some of the cannonballs before they got near—those that were off the mark, the old man simply pushed further away.

At the same time, the crew of the Reverence Light brought out one Alchemical Cannon after another, aiming the deep muzzles at the distance.

In such a stormy environment, hitting the target was almost impossible, but what if they did?

The gunners expertly activated the Inscription Array, lightning gathered and burst forth, propelling the cannonballs through the atmospheric veil of rain to explode in the enemy’s vicinity.

The waves cascaded in all directions, the scorching lightning preventing the pirate gunboats from closing in any further.

The Reverence Light had a total of four Alchemical Cannons on the upper and lower gunwales on both sides, with a range far beyond that of regular cannons and greater power.

Even though the fire density from the two gunboats was much higher than that of the Reverence Light, they were unable to compete with the exploratory ship in an artillery duel at this distance.

Not to mention with Master Gossay at the helm, the Reverence Light was like having a 100% dodge boost activated, delivering blows unilaterally while no other ship’s cannonballs could get near.

But that was precisely the problem—upon recognizing the enemy’s strength, the pirate gunboats simply gave up on closing in for the barrage.

Instead, they wavered just beyond the Reverence Light’s ultimate firing range, harassing with their own cannonballs while guiding the larger fleet at their rear closer.

Now it was the crew’s turn to be at a loss with the pirates…

Even though Master Gossay possessed overwhelming military strength, he couldn’t leave the ship and could only defend.

The Reverence Light was slowly adjusting its course, approaching the area that marked the starting point of the great storm from past years, the location of the deep-sea mountain range.

Most believed that deep in the sea there was an active underwater volcano, or perhaps a lava conduit created by a prehistoric civilization.

The labyrinth and ruins were all established relying on that seafloor volcano.

This statement wasn’t wrong; the source of the anomaly was indeed there, where ceaseless lightning crisscrossed densely, even accumulating into whirlpools resembling bird nests.

Visible to the naked eye, the Natural Spiritual Energy Field was roaring and shimmering between heaven and earth.

The incessant lightning was so intense that it lit up the entire sea area for quite a while, as if it were broad daylight.

Even with Master Gossay aboard, no vessel dared to steer straight towards the center of this abnormal region.

The captain was seriously controlling the direction of the ship, maneuvering the small boat amid giant waves, turning back from the biggest crests and circumventing them to enter the weaker areas of the storm from the side.

The gunboats were being left behind—they too had Sublimators assisting against the wind and waves, but their skills were far inferior to those of Master Gossay.

If the enemy’s strength was just that, then the pirate fleet would quickly lose track of the survey ship.

Soon, the Sublimators among the pirates would run out of strength amidst the increasingly violent storm and would have to retreat.

But no one thought the enemy would be easy to deal with.

Just as expected, due to the gunboats’ restraining actions, the slowed-down survey ship’s lookout issued an alarm: From the northeast, a large ship without any flags raised, featuring a bow statue capable of calming the waves, was speeding up, cutting directly across the path of the Reverence Light.

“Indeed, it’s the Elf Pirates from Canaan Moore’s side, and it’s a large fleet at that,”

Master Gossay narrowed his eyes, his prosthetic eye seemingly possessing the function of a telescope, as he observed the approaching pirate fleet while Ian had yet to see it clearly.

“Ian, tell the captain,” the old man said gravely, “That ship is Canaan Moore’s Large Escort Ship, modified to carry fourteen or even eighteen cannons—tell him to be cautious, I can block them but I can’t let the enemy use cannon fire to drain my strength!”

A Second Energy Level Peak Crocodragon could withstand over twenty barrages from Alchemical Cannons with only light injuries by leveraging terrain and mud as a shield; Master Gossay naturally could do the same, and perhaps even better.

“Wind.”

Standing on the deck, the hunchbacked old man raised his cane, drew a circle in the air, then another, and suddenly an endless, powerful gust of wind surged from these circles, even forming two sideways churning tornadoes around the Reverence Light.

The two tornadoes swept through the surrounding waters with an unstoppable force, and instantly, a dozen incoming cannonballs were swept up by the fierce wind, then burst apart within—the golden-red flames flickered and vanished in the white fissures, and the nearby waves were blown away by this power.

Under the cloak, the old man’s hunched back revealed a rigid metallic structure beneath his robe as if blown by the raging wind… It wasn’t just an ordinary hump, but rather some kind of structure not yet fully deployed.

The furious storm had become a part of his power; Master Gossay was unaffected by the environment and, on the contrary, was like the ruler of the storm.

Cloud Sculptor…

indeed, fashioned the tempest and the clouds, the master of storms.

A Second Energy Level Sublimator, compared to the First Energy Level, represented another qualitative leap and sublimation—they could not only control the Origin Quality within their bodies but also externalize it, easily affecting the entire external world.

Although their influence was limited to a small range around them…

this was a world apart from the First Energy Level, which only allowed for control over oneself and some nearby natural elements.

Just as a Crocodragon could absorb half a city’s mud to forge a shield for itself, while Ian might still need to carry his own gravel, Master Gossay could channel the force of the storm to strengthen his own power.

But the old man’s physical strength and amount of Origin Quality could not compare to that of massive beasts like a Crocodragon; he had to conserve energy for any powerful battles that might come next and couldn’t spend it all on blocking cannon fire.