King
Chapter 850 - 850 77 Ghost Canopy_2

850: Chapter 77, Ghost Canopy_2 850: Chapter 77, Ghost Canopy_2 Enhancing strength was secondary, the key was the amusement.

Ghosts, as a type of creature, were exceedingly rare in the material plane.

He had grown so much, yet it was the first time he saw such a being that regarded itself as human, yet fancily drifted about everywhere.

The three unscrupulous fellows contemplated how to enslave these ghosts, and consequently, their attack on the Ghost Ship was much weaker than before.

This spelled trouble for the fleet below.

Dealing with ghosts that floated hither and thither, neither living nor dying, was clearly not their area of expertise.

Even though Hudson had detained all the high-order ghosts, they were still driven to the brink of mental collapse by the meandering spirits.

Hearing the screams, Hudson remembered his allies who were accompanying him.

He hurriedly spoke up, “Maxim, stop wasting time with these guys.

Just attack the Ghost Ship directly and drive them away.

Belsden, find an opportunity to capture more ghosts.

We need some from each ship, and it would be best if you could capture a Ghost King.”

“Driving away” didn’t mean extermination; it was clear he was enticed by the Ghost Ship.

Cases of Ghost Ships being controlled were extremely rare, but not unheard of.

In the Ancient Era, a powerful Witch King had once assembled a fleet of Ghost Ships; wherever they went, the local fleets vanished without trace.

The various species organizations attempted multiple encirclements, all of which ended in failure, forcing maritime trade to nearly cease at one point.

Perhaps living too comfortably, the reckless Witch King went to Dragon Island to steal corpses for Bone Dragon alchemy, provoking the Dragon Race’s pursuit.

Under the leadership of three Dragon Kings, hundreds of adult Giant Dragons pursued the Witch King for over a decade before they eradicated him.

Having learned from this ordeal, the species across the continent drew lessons.

As soon as a Ghost Ship was discovered, they would immediately organize an encirclement, not giving the ships a chance to grow strong.

As the continent’s overlords, the Human Race took this matter very seriously, especially the Coastal nations, whose pursuit of Ghost Ships was even more fervent.

Just the trio of daylight-wandering Ghost Ships before them could attract pursuit from an entire Kingdom.

If luck ran high, it was even possible for several major nations to join the pursuit simultaneously.

Destroying a Ghost Ship and taking its residual heart core could be exchanged for rewards in the nations across the continent.

Titles, fiefs, gold and silver jewelry, cultivation resources—all were negotiable.

It wasn’t that the nations felt a major responsibility; the heart cores left behind by Ghost Ships were treasures in themselves.

For Strongmen who practiced Dark Magic, Undead Magic, and as Wizards, these were the finest auxiliary treasures.

If one could obtain the heart cores of the three Eighth-rank Ghost Ships present, it was possible to elevate someone into a Sanctuary Powerhouse.

If Hudson himself hadn’t needed these playthings to break through, he definitely would have chosen to kill the ships and take their cores.

After all, personal strength was truly powerful.

In fact, had these ghosts not been trapped within the Ghost Ships, they themselves would have been valuable Magical Materials.

For some arcanists obsessed with research, everything could be material for development.

Let alone mere ghosts, even Demons and Angels were materials in their hands, and in the Ancient Era, there were even those who sought to use Divine Spirits as research materials.

Engaging in such thrilling pursuits, it was no wonder they were denounced as Heresy by the Clergy, ranking first in professions that defiled the divine.

Once Maxim got serious, the three Ghost Ships below quickly became pockmarked, their planks rotting beyond recognition, with several cabins collapsing.

Seeing their home being wrecked, the ghosts became furious.

Ignoring the massacre of the ships below, they joined in the assault against Maxim.

“Canopy of the Netherworld!”

With the Ghost King’s fierce shout, countless ghosts transformed into black fog, obscuring the sun above, and the yin energy from all around continued to converge under the gloomy clouds.

With the cover of black fog, the aura of the three Ghost Kings grew continuously stronger, eventually stepping into the Ninth Order of the Sanctuary.

The scene before him made Hudson realize “to feel the lack of knowledge when it’s needed most.” The formidable move deployed by the ghosts surpassed his understanding.

He glanced at Belsden, and the Earth Bear simply shook its head.

The Earth Bear was only a terrestrial sovereign, famous across the continent for being a homebody, with limited knowledge of maritime matters.

Maxim needed no mention.

Being an incompletely inherited Giant Dragon, his mind was filled with knowledge imparted by his mother dragon and his own accumulation.

From his previous behavior, it was apparent that Maxim’s mother was not a very responsible dragon.

Much of his knowledge was incomplete or skewed by too many personal notions.

The fact proves that tricking one’s offspring was not unique to any species.

…

“Damn it!

The Ghost King’s strength has been elevated to the ninth order.

Artillery, take position immediately, and all Magic Crystal Cannons target the frontmost Ghost Ship for attack!

We need to act fast, we must break through these ghosts’ secret technique, or none of us will be able to leave today!”

Byron urgently gave the order.

In the blink of an eye, the fleet had become shrouded in a dark fog, having lost sight of their target, and could only fire wildly based on feeling.

Whether or not any targets were hit was unknown; regardless, the firing couldn’t stop—it offered a sense of reassurance.

“Uncle Byron, the Magic Crystal Cannons cannot aim properly, what should we do now?”

Viscount Caryo asked in a panic.

He was still young, with a bright future ahead of him.

His wife and child were waiting for him at home, and he had no wish to be buried in this vast sea.

“There’s nothing we can do.

Now we can only hope that Earl Hudson can defeat the enemy.

The Giant Dragon’s combat strength is formidable; a Dragon Knight might not lose even fighting three to one.

Moreover, Earl Hudson also has an Earth Bear; facing two against three, they should not be at a disadvantage!”

Byron said uncertainly.

In theory, it was just theory.

The power of the Giant Dragons was great, but the ghosts’ combat strength was not weak either!

Especially with the canopy to their advantage, it was clearly more conducive to the ghosts’ prowess.

If it were not for the fact that all three Ghost Kings had their power forcibly elevated and certainly could not understand the realm of the Sanctuary as well as the naturally advancing dragon and bear, Byron would not be able to muster any hope.

The thoughts of everyone on the ship were quite similar—sometimes they felt they were done for, and other times, they held a glimmer of hope.

No time to consider the thoughts of those below, at that moment, Earl Hudson, along with a dragon and a bear, was sizing up the three Ghost Kings whose power had been artificially increased.

To get a better view, he even released an Illumination Spell.

In the words of Belsden: Fake is fake after all.

No matter how much you boost their strength, these three Ghost Kings are just Eighth-order Ghosts with power but a lack of rule comprehension.

The only downside to this transformation was that the ghosts had turned into black fog, and Belsden could no longer proceed with his capture.

The plan to capture a Ghost King alive had completely fallen through under these circumstances.

Seeing that Hudson had not taken action, the three Ghost Kings, thinking they had frightened him into idiocy, all revealed sly smiles after completing their power increase.

“Big brother, who would have thought we three brothers would still have a chance to experience the honor of being dragon-slaying heroes.

Big stupid dragon, I’ll give you a chance: Slay that Dragon Knight for us brothers to use as a mount, and I’ll guarantee you’ll live the high life…”

Before the youngest Ghost King could finish his sentence, the enraged Maxim released his long-prepared forbidden spell “Doomsday Judgement.”

The sky full of flames seemed to solidify all at once, charging directly towards the three Ghost Kings.

Frightened, the three of them tried to dodge, but it was all in vain.

Being targeted, they could not escape the attack of the forbidden spell no matter where they ran.

With no other choice, the three had to join forces to take the hit head-on.

In an instant, the collision occurred, and a deafening boom shot up to the skies.

The black fog that had previously enveloped the sky was swallowed up by the forbidden spell.

Without the enhancement of the black fog, the three targeted Ghost Kings, naturally, did not fare well and were sent back to their ships to rejuvenate.

After a brief moment of stupefaction, the three Ghost Kings who came to their senses all took the same action, directly turning the Ghost Ships around and fleeing in three different directions.

Even the absence of ghosts in their ranks didn’t attract their attention, fearing that staying a moment longer would draw the attention of the terrifying enemy above.

Without the dark fog’s cover, the sight of the Ghost Ships fleeing in disarray was clearly seen by everyone.

The turn of events was so sudden, no one knew quite what to say.

What followed was the jubilation of having survived a catastrophe.

They had thought they were about to perish at sea, not expecting that it would be the enemy who ended up fleeing, cheating death.

The feeling of regaining one’s life is incomprehensible to those who have never experienced it.

There was no possibility of pursuit.

Despite the Ghost Ships suffering heavy damage, if they pursued and a skirmish ensued, it would still be they who would be unlucky.

Seeing that Hudson had no intention of pursuit, the others did not take the initiative to speak.

Making a decision for a Dragon Knight was not a good choice.

Recovering from the shock, Byron urgently ordered, “Send word down, have each ship count their casualties and assess the losses!”