Chapter 220

Chapter 220: The Power of Thunderstorm Fire

Lou Yun guessed correctly; the fake pirates before him were precisely members of the Qiu family from Shuotai Island!

Back at the dock of Binhai City, Qiu Ruomei witnessed her younger brother being burned to ashes, yet her husband not only failed to avenge him but also knelt before Lou Yun. This naturally ignited fierce rage in her, and she could not possibly let Lou Yun escape unpunished, so she alerted her family to intercept Lou Yun and his companions at sea and kill them!

The Qiu family had only one son, Qiu Ruohai, so upon hearing the news of his death, they were all overwhelmed with fury. They immediately dispatched men to the sea. To prevent future troubles, the Qiu family even resolved to kill everyone from the entire Tongyuan Commercial Association. That way, no one would ever discover what transpired at sea, and certainly, no suspicion would fall upon the Qiu family!

Now that Lou Yun had abruptly exposed their true identities, though a bit startled inwardly, the Qiu family members dismissed it casually—after all, in their view, everyone from the Tongyuan Commercial Association and Lou Yun’s group were doomed to die that day!

The steward stroked his beard, abandoning the pirate disguise, and smiled faintly, "Good lad, quite sharp! Since you’ve already figured it out, it saves us from pretending!"

At that, the steward abruptly hardened his expression and demanded, "Was it you who killed our family’s young master?"

"It was me!" Lou Yun nodded openly without hiding.

"Hmph, such audacity to kill our family’s young master! Lad, life must pay for murder; today, we are here to claim yours!"

Lou Yun shrugged and said, "You talk of murder requiring payback? What about the lives of those young women slain by Qiu Ruohai? Shouldn’t Qiu Ruohai pay for them with his death? If you want my life, I’m right here; come and take it whenever. But I warn you: many have sought my death, yet I’m still alive and thriving!"

"Lad, truly arrogant enough!" The steward sneered and suddenly raised his voice, "Why are you all hesitating? Move out now!"

"Yes!"

In the thunderous chorus of agreement, dozens of figures leaped from the many small boats. Only a dozen or so charged toward Lou Yun, while the rest sped toward the other four ships of the Tongyuan Commercial Association.

Seeing this, Lou Yun froze at first, but instantly his expression darkened. He understood clearly that the Qiu family aimed to kill not only him but also wipe out everyone from the Tongyuan Commercial Association! Call it silencing witnesses or looting valuables—either way, such treachery infuriated him immensely!

"You are utterly despicable!"

After uttering that, a ball of flame suddenly appeared in Lou Yun’s hand, encircled by a ring of hair-thin golden lightning serpents!

This was the heavenly fire storm!

After absorbing the heavenly fire storm, Lou Yun could freely wield it as a weapon, manipulating it at will; after all, this was the most destructive celestial fire possible!

Lou Yun swung his hand, and the Thunderstorm Fire whistled as it flew toward one small boat below. Those on the boat had not expected nor ever witnessed anyone hurling a detached fireball as a weapon, so they all stood frozen, utterly clueless about what to do!

Fortunately, someone swiftly snapped out of it and shouted, "Abandon ship!"

At once, all scrambled desperately to leap overboard. Yet, beyond the few quickest movers, the others had not managed to plunge into the water before the Thunderstorm Fire, entwined with lightning, crashed violently onto the deck.

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion mixed with thunderous roars erupted. Dense smoke billowed into the air; the sea within a ten-meter radius churned violently under the enormous blast. Nearby boats rocked and swayed.

In the haze, faint golden serpents danced wildly, the sizzling sounds of electricity piercing everyone’s ears, chilling their spines uncontrollably.

When the smoke cleared, everyone frantically stared. The small boat and all aboard had vanished completely. Even those fast few who had jumped overboard before the fireball struck were no longer visible. Only scattered wood fragments floating on the water proved the boat’s prior existence!

Just then, everyone—those on other boats or those already airborne, ready to attack Lou Yun and the Tongyuan Commercial Association—stood utterly dumbfounded!

What kind of flame was this, wielding such immense power? It had reduced so many people and the boat to ashes instantly!

Lou Yun himself was quite astonished; he truly had not expected the heavenly fire storm to pack such force! It even far exceeded the power of the Hellfire that Little Xiao Huo had breathed out earlier!

In truth, the heavenly fire storm’s strength could indeed soar to such heights, even beyond this, but with Lou Yun’s current ability, he could not unleash that potential at all. The reason this occurred was mainly because most aboard that vessel were ordinary folk; even if magical weapons masters were present, their skill was low, and they failed to react timely, rendering them defenseless against such an assault by the heavenly fire storm.

Although most remained dazed, Tie Sha and Wen Hou did not idle. Each propelled their magical weapons and, seizing the moment, soared into the air to intercept those intent on killing the Tongyuan Commercial Association members.

Amid rising and falling cries of agony, seven or eight were swiftly eliminated in moments.

The crowd fully regained their wits. Lou Yun sneered, not deploying his magical weapon or the Xiang Tian sword at all, and flashed forward to engage those charging toward him to fight.

Originally, Lou Yun was preparing to deploy his weapon techniques, but it occurred to him that since his magical weapon realm had reached mystery rank one star, why not give it a try and see how much his physical strength had increased!

So Lou Yun activated the Wind Play Decision beneath his feet, darting forward like a phantom to confront a profound-level magical weapons master. Without the slightest reservation, he threw an utterly ordinary punch!

"Whizz!"

The fist carved out a whistling sound through the air, moving so swiftly the foe couldn’t dodge in time—it smashed squarely into his chest!

"Thud!"

The entire chest instantly caved in, followed by a spurt of blood from his mouth. The body curled up like a shrimp before hurtling straight backward, slamming into the ship’s railing, snapping the wooden planks, then tumbling into the water.

A single punch had ended the life!

Lou Yun had once killed a demon beast with a punch during his first hunt, but back then, he toiled relentlessly and paid a heavy price himself. Moreover, that beast had been the lowest rank, the frailest in strength!

Now, though, he could kill a profound-level magical weapons master with the same punch—the gap between these outcomes was like heaven and earth!

The spectators froze in shock again. None had witnessed a magical weapons master abandon his magical weapon and solely rely on his raw fist and body to dispatch an enemy so abruptly!

Lou Yun, having struck twice consecutively and secured astonishing successes, swelled with pleasant surprise inside. Naturally, confidence surged most powerfully within him!

Cracking a cold sneer, Lou Yun plunged into the throng. No weapon techniques were deployed; instead, he solely wielded his physical form. He alternated between punches and kicks—any method involving limbs was fair game to assault the enemies. In mere moments, he knocked down half his foes.

The survivors, witnessing Lou Yun’s ferocious display entirely without magical weapons, were terrified to death. Their morale crumbled, leaving no will to confront him further. They scrambled backward while fighting, before fleeing outright moments later!

Lou Yun had already sensed their intent to bolt. However, he didn’t obstruct them sternly, simply permitting their flight. Chasing them now remained improbable, as he had to aid Wen Hou and Tie Sha in handling those attempting to murder members of the Tongyuan Commercial Association!

After this chaotic battle to bystanders, Lou Yun became enamored with this combat form: attacking purely through his physique. No formulas. No rules. Just instinctive responses to the adversary’s movements—utterly spontaneous and natural!

Lou Yun didn’t realize this very notion embodied perceiving the ‘Intent’!

Just then, the steward, witnessing his large forces overpowered by Lou Yun’s trio, raged uncontrollably: "All of you, advance! Cut them down! Slaughter them—every soul, spare none alive!"

At that, countless figures shot skyward, charging at the five merchant ships!

Lou Yun’s demeanor chilled sharply. Despite their trio holding an advantage moments before, now—overwhelmed by sheer numbers, only three fighting—rendered this perilous!

But at this dire junction, persisting alone offered hope. Retreat would doom all aboard the vessels; the Qiu family would certainly massacre them mercilessly!

Lou Yun roared to the fifth Auxiliary Ship’s representative: "Notify Captain Zhao! Tell him to sail now—stop waiting! We’ll stall them!"

The man slapped his forehead, reproaching himself for forgetting escape. Lou Yun’s reminder jolted him to nod fervently: "I’m going!"

Lou Yun wheeled toward Wen Hou and Tie Sha: "We kill however many we can! Hold out for as long as possible!"

"Good!"

"Hmph!"

Surpassing both replies rang another voice: "League Leader, we humble four are late once more. Forgive our delinquency!"