Chapter 216

Chapter 216: We Can Help a Little

Seeing this scene, Lou Yun’s heart suddenly jolted, and he muttered to himself, "This is awful!"

What was most feared at sea was a ship being breached, for once seawater rushed in, it would continuously and endlessly flood the ship’s interior. The outcome for the vessel could only be destruction and death for all aboard!

Before Lou Yun could think of a solution, he heard several agonizing screams. Over ten crew members, caught by the surging seawater, were swept out and now floundered in the ocean, desperately crying for help!

In truth, those who fell overboard all knew that plunging into the sea in this stormy region meant there was almost no chance of survival; their calls for rescue were merely instinctive cries before death.

But they absolutely hadn’t expected that Lou Yun was up in the air at that very moment!

Lou Yun’s nature was not one to stand by and watch others die. So upon seeing people fall into the water, he immediately spurred his Xiang Tian magical weapon to rush over and save them.

Then he suddenly realized that the strength left in his body was minimal; returning to the ship would just be possible now, but if he went to rescue others, he might manage only a few rescues before being unable to make it back onboard!

Despite this worry, Lou Yun had to ignore his own safety. He simply couldn’t bear to save himself and watch others in danger without helping! Moreover, he felt there was a direct link between their plunge into the sea and himself.

If he hadn’t grabbed the heavenly fire storm, the dark clouds overhead wouldn’t have expanded and gathered together, naturally preventing the formation of such a massive lightning bolt that tore such a huge hole in the Main Ship, ultimately dragging these people from the ship into the ocean.

Gritting his teeth, Lou Yun arrived before the floundering victims. Though they fought desperately for their lives, their hearts were already filled with despair. When they saw Lou Yun standing on his magical weapon, flying from the sky to appear before them, they instantly thought he was a deity descending to rescue them.

After a stunned pause, they erupted into louder cheers and desperate pleas!

"Divine being, save us!"

"Thank you, divine being! Please, you must save us!"

Lou Yun’s face turned dark as water as he gazed at the struggling swimmers, his mind racing for solutions.

With a quick scan, he saw over ten people in total; rescuing them two at a time would require seven or eight trips to save everyone. Even if he could hold on, these victims might not survive that long.

What to do?

Forget thinking—time was life now. It was better to act fast and rescue two people at once than to waste time searching for an idea!

At that moment, Lou Yun spotted the heavenly fire storm clenched in his right hand again, and his head instantly ached with the dilemma of how to handle it. Its extreme heat would incinerate anything it touched! The only safe place might be the Chaos Golden Cauldron, but Xiao Huo resided there now; if Xiao Huo saw it, he’d surely gulp it down in excitement!

Lou Yun was utterly miserable. He abruptly clenched his teeth, opened his mouth, and swallowed the heavenly fire storm whole!

Feeling the scorching burn in his mouth, he had no choice but to place the ice crystal jade weapon in his mouth too, which brought a little relief. Then he plunged toward the water’s surface, targeted two individuals, grabbed their collars with both hands, and hauled them up.

With this effort, Lou Yun distinctly sensed his own waning strength; he could only drag them along in flight, unable to gain any more altitude.

After depositing the two on the deck, Lou Yun turned immediately to rescue others!

He made three round trips like this before he finally felt his body severely drained. For the fourth rescue group, he lacked the energy to lift them out, so he lowered his flying height and tugged their collars while swimming frantically toward the ship!

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Lou Yun gasped for air, exerting his last ounce of strength to hurl the victims onto the deck again. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness overwhelmed him. His body swayed, his feet slipped off the Xiang Tian magical weapon, and he tumbled headfirst toward the water!

At this moment, Lou Yun was exhausted once more. He hadn’t a shred of energy left, much less the ability to command his magical weapon for flight. As he fell, his only thought was, "So I’ve really died in this deadly sea after all!"

But right then, an incredibly gentle voice spoke by his ear: "Didn’t I say we could help you out a bit?"

The next instant, Lou Yun felt his collar tighten, just as he had done when saving others. He was rescued moments before hitting the water!

And in another second, Lou Yun was sitting on a smooth mirror, where Wen Hou’s familiar smiling face greeted him.

Seeing Wen Hou, Lou Yun’s anxious heart finally relaxed. Pointing to the sea below, he said, "Rescue them!"

After speaking, he closed his eyes in tranquility, knowing that since Wen Hou was here, Tie Sha must be too. With only nine or so people left in the water, their combined power would surely save them all.

Lou Yun guessed right; both Wen Hou and Tie Sha had come out, specifically to find him!

When lightning pierced the ship with a giant hole, everyone onboard soon knew. After those several falls into the ocean, chaos ensued—some frantically sealing the breach, others bailing water. Soon after, Cai San Gong and others opened their cabin doors hearing the commotion and were puzzled by Lou Yun’s absence. They pushed open his room and found him gone, leaving them all baffled; no one expected Lou Yun to leave in such conditions, and the roaring storm had drowned out any noise, while Wen Hou and Tie Sha were too exhausted to hear him leave either.

Everyone had journeyed here for Lou Yun’s sake. With him missing, they naturally launched a search.

At the crew’s request, Wen Hou and Tie Sha rushed out first to rescue the victims and then find Lou Yun.

The moment they emerged, Wen Hou caught sight of Lou Yun throwing two people onto the deck, then leaning unsteadily on his magical weapon before plummeting.

Wen Hou wasted no time pondering how Lou Yun could suddenly fly with a magical weapon. He tossed his own magical weapon out, flew over, and snatched Lou Yun just before he hit the water.

Watching Lou Yun fall unconscious, Wen Hou chuckled and shook his head. He and Tie Sha found saving people far easier since their magical weapons covered large surfaces; they loaded all the survivors at once and brought them back.

They didn’t need to intervene further, and all the crew expressed tearful gratitude. Without those three aboard, everyone on all five ships would likely be dead.

Finally, the ships, unscathed, slowly left the dreaded Death Zone. But right after they departed, an earth-shattering explosion rang out! Upon looking back, they saw the dark clouds above the stormy sea splitting open!

As the clouds scattered, the sky slowly brightened. In no time, this perpetually rain-swept, lightning-lashed region transformed into calm seas—azure skies, billowy white clouds, and crystal-clear water, free of storms or thunder!

This shift left everyone speechless with shock. No one understood why it happened—could it mean this horrifying storm route would vanish forever?

Later events proved that this stormy zone, whose existence spanned untold years, had indeed dissipated entirely after the explosion!

Theories abounded for its disappearance—some said a sea god had taken pity; others credited the extraordinary strength of the three young men for blasting the clouds apart—countless stories circulated.

But the most plausible account was that during the incident’s final night, a young man, standing on a flying magical weapon, dodged layer upon layer of lightning bolts to soar straight into the dark clouds and fight a fiend to the death within. When he reemerged, he had grievously wounded the monster, which unleashed a final strike—a bolt of lightning wider than a child’s arm that few had ever beheld—attacking him but missing and striking a ship instead. Ultimately, the fiend perished, the clouds exploded, the storm vanished like smoke, yet the young man survived intact.

This version seemed credible because it came from Zhao Zhanpeng, a captain of the Tongyuan Commercial Association who claimed to have witnessed it firsthand. When curious skeptics asked the young man’s name, he always solemnly replied, "That youth was Lou Yun!"

…

When Lou Yun awoke, it was the following noon. Opening his eyes, he saw Miss Shui seated anxiously before him.

Blinking, he instantly recalled yesterday’s events and frantically pushed himself partly upright: "Miss Shui, what happened to those who fell overboard yesterday?"

Shui Lingluo gently pressed him back: "Master Lou, rest assured! Wen Hou and Tie Sha saved them all. We’ve safely exited the storm zone now, and everyone across all five ships is unharmed!"

Understanding his personality well, Shui Lingluo rattled off all the answers to his worries. Lou Yun smiled faintly and peacefully sank back.

Yet no sooner had he relaxed than his expression shifted in alarm; he sensed a flame slowly igniting inside him—the heavenly fire storm!

During his rescue mission before fainting, needing both hands free, he had defiantly swallowed it in frustration. Afterward, distracted by saving others, losing his strength, and collapsing, he hadn’t thought of it again!

But throughout his coma, the heavenly fire storm lay dormant for unknown reasons, only bursting forth now with its heavenly fire essence as consciousness returned.