In the midst of the torrential rain, endless wind blades descended. Each wind blade shimmered with a cold light, becoming dazzling even in the dim, obscured sky. A few wind blades might not amount to much, but tens of thousands of them were an undeniable force beyond human resistance.
However, the espers on the cargo ship, desperate to survive, melted the outer shells of the containers to form shields. These thick barriers were raised against the sky, blocking the wind blades. Even if a wind blade managed to pierce a gap in the shield, it would quickly mend. This defensive capability was simply monstrous.
As the containers melted, their contents spilled out. It turned out that these containers were filled with golden corn. This corn might have been destined for other countries, but now, with no barriers in the way, the kernels slid into the sea, turning the surface golden as if it had been coated.
Seeing Shen Feng's attack being blocked, Yue Hengyi grew anxious and couldn't help but shout, "There's one person isolated in the water, unprotected. Attack the lone one quickly!" Yue Hengyi understood a crucial principle: it was better to sever one finger than to injure ten. Especially now, the priority was not to pursue widespread damage but to achieve effective damage first, to reduce the enemy's numbers, and then to gain an advantage in the subsequent battle.
Shen Feng quickly heeded Yue Hengyi's advice. With two thousand wind blades still to fall from the sky, and since most of the enemies were now protected, he decided to focus on the unprotected individual. This person was continuously solidifying white substances in the sea, almost covering the surrounding water. Shen Feng directed all two thousand wind blades to attack the man in the water.
The man in the water seemed caught off guard by such a severe assault and immediately gathered white substances around his body to block the wind blades. Unfortunately, facing two thousand wind blades, his defenses were breached in mere seconds. A torrent of converged wind blades tore through the man in the water, continuously cutting him. A minute later, the wind blades dissipated, marking the end of Shen Feng's first wave of attack. The person who had been floating on the sea had completely vanished, reduced to a mass of minced meat. Bloodstains floated in the water, slowly dispersing with the currents.
"Brother Feng, great job!" Yue Hengyi exclaimed, completely surprised by the potent effects of the Centenary Flower fruit. After consuming it, his combat power had surged, allowing him to exert a tenfold gravity field. As for Shen Feng, when he acted, it was with over ten thousand wind blades – truly a legendary display of "Myriad Swords Returning to the Origin."
Shen Feng's heart also pounded. He quickly used his esper ability to draw in some oxygen and said, "It's a pity about the esper potion. It would have been great if we could have kept the head, but I couldn't control the precision, so I could only watch the esper potion disappear!"
"Is this the time to worry about the esper potion? Staying alive is the most important thing right now. As long as we can survive, everything else can be discussed. We brothers will continue to fight. Within half an hour, we must kill these people, or when the effect wears off, we'll be at their mercy!" Yue Hengyi was displeased with Shen Feng's greed. For Yue Hengyi, the priority was to resolve the immediate danger. If they could annihilate all the enemies, that would be even better. Shen Feng, on the other hand, was insatiably greedy, still thinking about obtaining the esper potion, committing the sin of avarice.
Shen Feng looked at the massive shield covering the cargo ship in the distance and felt a sense of powerlessness. He couldn't help but say, "Do you think I don't want to end this battle quickly? But we're at sea now, the terrain is disadvantageous to us, they have protection, my wind blades are ineffective, and I can't kill them!"
Yue Hengyi looked at the situation with some urgency. Suddenly, he noticed the white substances in the sea, created by the previous esper. He reached out and picked up a piece. With a casual squeeze, it crumbled. Seeing this, Yue Hengyi felt puzzled. "Are they planning to kill us with these loose materials? Are they underestimating us? These things aren't even as good as ice!"
Shen Feng looked at the white powder in Yue Hengyi's hand and said, "Stick out your tongue and taste it!" Yue Hengyi quickly complied, sticking out his tongue. He immediately spat it out, his entire face contorting. "Pah! Brother Feng, you can't trick me! You made me eat salt! And it's bitter salt!" After tasting it, Yue Hengyi realized that the substances in the sea were salt. It appeared the esper who fell into the water was not an ice esper, but one who controlled salt – a material esper.
Shen Feng pondered for a moment and frowned, saying, "I understand. This guy wanted to use salt to attack us. How insidious and vicious!" Yue Hengyi looked at Shen Feng, bewildered, and asked, "Attack with salt? How is that possible? Are we afraid of salt? Can't we just not eat it?"
"Even if you're from the north, you must know how to cure meat, right? With so much salt appearing on the ship at once, it will definitely dehydrate us. Furthermore, there's plenty of fresh water in the ship's cabins. When salt appears on the ship, the fresh water will be contaminated. Without fresh water at sea, this is basically a death sentence!" Shen Feng quickly explained. After hearing Shen Feng's explanation, Yue Hengyi nodded. It seemed there were no useless espers in the world; every esper had its purpose. Even an esper that seemed unremarkable could be a deadly trap if one wasn't careful.
The ordinary people on the cargo ship lay on the deck. Due to the massive steel shield overhead, there was little light beneath it, plunging everyone into darkness. No one could see anyone else, and some weaker individuals were already finding it increasingly difficult to breathe, their breaths almost imperceptible.
"Boss, can you think of a solution? Some of our Tier Four espers can't withstand the tenfold gravity and are about to be crushed. Fractured bones are a minor issue; our internal organs can't take it anymore!" Old Six, hiding under the protective shield, spoke, utterly helpless in their current predicament. The conscious individuals began to discuss countermeasures. The situation had far exceeded their expectations. In their previous understanding, dealing with Yue Hengyi and Shen Feng, even if these two were incredibly powerful and had earned their titles, with thirteen espers on their side, they should have been able to at least contend. Moreover, they possessed all the information about the opponents, their moves fully exposed, while they themselves were hidden, calculating with ill intent, with a 99% chance of victory! However, now, it was not Yue Hengyi and Shen Feng who were cornered, but these dozen or so people. The fellow who had jumped into the sea earlier was most likely killed, so now only twelve of them remained!
The Demon King's breathing was also somewhat rapid. Without the ability to use illusions, his combat power was not particularly strong. However, even in this dire situation, the Demon King began to comfort everyone. "Don't worry, I saw the news this morning. A typhoon is passing through this sea area, and soon, the two people on the small boat will be swept away by the typhoon!" The Demon King's words comforted his anxious subordinates. When someone needed to step forward and boost morale, he perfectly fulfilled that role.
"Yes, yes, that's right! Believe what the boss says, the typhoon is coming soon!" Immediately, someone began to echo the Demon King's words, and everyone gradually calmed down. Perhaps the prayers of the people on the ship had an effect, for the typhoon arrived!
Shen Feng felt the wind speed and then looked at the compass. He discovered that the compass, subjected to tenfold gravity, had not held up and was now damaged, making it impossible to determine the wind direction. The people on the cargo ship, meanwhile, kept their steel protective shield overhead, showing no intention of opening it to look, truly acting like ostriches.
The fierce wind and torrential rain lashed against Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi's faces, making it impossible for them to open their eyes. Shen Feng said with difficulty, "Little Yue, retract your gravity field, we're leaving! The typhoon has likely arrived. It's just the outer bands now, but the wind speed is already Force Nine. In this situation, we can't achieve a quick victory. Let's go!" Yue Hengyi obediently retracted his esper ability. Without the gravity field, the sea surface immediately churned with waves. The small boat bobbed up and down on the sea, with waves reaching five to six meters high, as if any moment a large wave could completely obliterate the two people on board!
However, it was a blessing in disguise. The calcium compounds that had solidified on the bottom of the boat were washed away by the waves, and the boat's buoyancy returned to normal. Yue Hengyi couldn't open his eyes because as soon as he did, rainwater would get into them. He squinted and asked, "Brother Feng, should we lower the sail?"
"Are you trying to die?" Shen Feng cursed. "With such strong winds, the boat could capsize at any moment. If we lower the sail, we could be buried at sea at any moment!"
"Then what should we do?" Yue Hengyi asked anxiously.
"Go find the ropes, tie ourselves to the boat, and take shelter in the cabin from the typhoon!" This was the only solution Shen Feng could think of at the moment. Yue Hengyi quickly found the ropes on the boat and entered the cabin, tying himself to the boat. This way, no matter how much it pitched, he wouldn't be thrown into the sea by the waves. Considering the time, the half-hour effect of consuming the Centenary Flower fruit was about to wear off. He would soon lose all his strength, and whether he could protect himself in the typhoon was still unknown.
After entering the cabin, the two quickly closed the hatch, letting the boat toss and turn in the wind and waves. The ship still had two large barrels of fresh water. Originally, there were three barrels of fresh water, but during the fierce battle earlier, one barrel of fresh water had been spilled, filling the entire cabin with water. The remaining two barrels of fresh water were the last life-saving supplies.
After the outer bands of the typhoon passed, a massive vortex had formed on the Pacific Ocean. Wherever it passed, seawater was continuously drawn into the air. In such a situation, fish could only desperately swim towards the deep sea, otherwise, wherever the typhoon passed, both the seawater and the fish would be swept into the sky. The Philippine islands were the first to be affected by the typhoon. The trees by the sea were directly ravaged by the Force Twelve winds. Tender branches and leaves were snapped off by the gale. Even the coconut trees, most resistant to wind and waves, were blown flat against the ground by the typhoon.
Shen Feng had thought that he could at least control the flow and speed of the wind to some extent, protecting himself in the typhoon. However, when the typhoon truly arrived, the small boat tossed and turned on the sea, even being thrown out of the water by the waves and then falling heavily. Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi, each holding a water bucket tightly, prevented the buckets from being overturned. Even though the buckets had lids, repeated impacts could still break them. In the face of the powerful winds and waves, Shen Feng fully realized how terrifying the power of nature was. The harm an individual could inflict was insignificant in the face of nature.
At this moment, the half-hour effect wore off. Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi's bodies became instantly weak. Their muscles rapidly shriveled, and the rate of fat consumption could only be described as terrifying. In almost the blink of an eye, the fat on their waists and legs disappeared. Both of them felt their belts loosen considerably. The fat was consumed from the limbs first. After the fat in the limbs was mostly gone, it was the turn of the torso. Once the fat on the torso was also nearly depleted, the fat on the face would be next. Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi immediately looked like neither human nor ghost. Their eye sockets began to sink, the fat on their cheeks disappeared, causing their cheekbones to protrude sharply, while their mouths became thin and pointed. Seeing each other's appearance, they both felt like laughing.