We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 202 The Alchemical Principle of Equivalent Exchange

In an instant.

Several pirates and their henchmen clashed with the apostles.

At this moment, the most eye-catching thing in the arena was not the fight between Benjamin and Moss, but a hurricane of indigo color!
That was a spell cast by Feng Hou!
The fact that she could be directly named "Wind Queen" is enough to demonstrate her mastery of wind-attribute magic.

It could even be said that she is one of the most skilled wind magic practitioners of this era!

Even though Feng Hou's rank was suppressed by the advancement ritual, the strength she displayed at this moment still surpassed the limits of ordinary third-tier secret cultivators.

The indigo-colored hurricane sometimes contracted and condensed, and sometimes expanded and grew.

Blades of wind roared outwards from its center, causing many pirates to change color abruptly and dare not approach.

Being hit by any of the wind blades will result in a bloody end.

If you were on the edge of a hurricane, you would be subjected to a slow, agonizing death, with all your flesh and blood being cut off.

Feng Hou used this tactic to execute several pirates who offended him.

How could someone who could become one of the five pirate kings be merciful?
However, facing the approaching hurricane, the blonde Third Apostle Tiffany remained unfazed and walked forward step by step.

Clang, clang, clang!
As Tiffany entered the area affected by the hurricane, the sounds of collisions, like a sudden downpour, filled the air.

The wind blades seemed to hit an invisible wall, unable to harm Tiffany's delicate body.

"Tiffany..."

At the highest point of the hurricane, Feng Hou's beautiful eyes were lowered, a hint of fear flashing in them.

If we're talking about the enemy she least wants to face, this Third Apostle would definitely be near the top of the list.

It wasn't just because of Tiffany's mysterious ability to travel through secret realms, but also because, in their past encounters, Feng Hou had a feeling—

This woman seems to have always been hiding her true strength!
But soon, Feng Hou regained her cheerful demeanor and spoke with a smile.

"Tiffany, it's been a long time."

"Your telekinetic control is becoming increasingly precise and nuanced."

Tiffany glanced at her indifferently: "Old lady, do we know each other that well?"

Upon hearing the term "old auntie," Feng Hou's expression immediately turned ugly.

In terms of age, she was indeed a few years older than Tiffany, but because the Secret Pathfinders were more likely to maintain a youthful appearance, no one would think that the Wind Queen was that old.

But then again, what woman doesn't care about her age?

The age issue becomes even more pronounced when it comes to two equally beautiful women.

Feng Hou suppressed his smile, glanced around the hall, and said, "This place is too small; it's not suitable for us to fight all out."

"How about going up there?"

Tiffany's expression remained unchanged: "That suits me perfectly."

next moment.

The dome above the palace was suddenly torn open, and two figures quickly rose upwards.

……

……

"Wow... those two women are so strong!"

In a corner of the palace, Gray Cloud hid again, quietly observing the situation.

He possesses a unique technique for concealing his presence, which greatly reduces his own visibility.

This is also why he was able to hide until the very end when he encountered Shane.

At this moment, a large hole appeared in the palace of the Pirate Kingdom, allowing Gray Cloud to see Tiffany and Wind Queen fighting.

The howling wind and the invisible, intangible mental force constantly collided, rubbed against, and clashed, shattering the clouds in the sky and creating a breathtaking spectacle.

"However, women fighting is definitely more entertaining than men fighting."

Gray Cloud then turned his gaze to another battlefield within the palace.

The four apostles faced off against the Eastern King and the Western King, two of the Four Kings.

They used different weapons and fought fiercely with the two kings.

The Eastern King and the Western King, one wielding a long sword and the other a large axe, met them with cold smiles.

Even Gray Cloud could see that the combat skills and strength of the Eastern King and the Western King were far superior to those of the four apostles!

Therefore, even though the apostles had a numerical advantage, they were still at a disadvantage and were only managing to buy time.

"These two kings don't seem to have used their full strength yet!"

After observing for a while, Gray Cloud concluded and guessed, "So, he's still wary of Benjamin after all?"

boom!
Suddenly, a muffled thud caught Gray Cloud's attention.

He turned to look.

In the very center of the palace, two figures, one large and one small, collided with each other with a deafening roar, like meteorites hitting the earth.

Upon hearing the muffled thud, both the pirates and the apostles felt a pang of unease.

The two who collided were none other than the Mad King Kro and the Half-Dragon Nana!

Both of them are skilled in close-quarters combat.

One is a rare "blood leopard species", and the other is a half-dragon human with dragon blood flowing through his veins. Their physical abilities are several times greater than those of ordinary people!
After the solid collision, both men took two steps back.

only……

A blush flashed across Nana's face, but Crowe's expression remained unchanged.

"Not good! It seems that the Mad King's strength is still above Nana's."

Gray Cloud frowned slightly: "The potential of the half-dragons is actually greater than that of the blood leopards."

"But Nana is still too young..."

If Nana and Mad King were to fight at the same age, her chances of winning would be much higher.

But now...

Gray Cloud couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for her.

At this moment, Mad King Kro chuckled and said, "Nana, your power is not bad."

"Among the younger generation, you are already one of the most outstanding people."

"However, it's unrealistic to expect to defeat me."

Upon hearing this, Nana merely sneered, "Old man, enough with the nonsense, take this punch!"

She roared as soon as she finished speaking.

Immediately, her bones cracked and popped, her muscles bulged, and her already taller body grew several centimeters taller.

More and more scales appeared on her face and arms, and the dark golden light in her vertical pupils intensified.

The majesty emanating from the dragon naturally spread, causing the nearby pirates to feel a sense of fear.

It is obvious that Nana has activated the dragon blood within her, greatly increasing her dragonification level.

Upon seeing Nana's posture, Mad King Kro was not surprised but delighted, and laughed heartily.

"Indeed, this kind of aura is worthy of Augustine's name as an apostle!"

"In that case, I'll have to get serious."

As he spoke, Kro's aura intensified, becoming increasingly terrifying.

His thick red hair moved without wind, and the blood in his body surged like a great river. The sound of his heartbeat, like a drumbeat, clearly reached the ears of the surrounding pirates.

Just hearing that heartbeat sent shivers down the spines of the pirates.

Gray Cloud's expression changed slightly, and he thought to himself, "Just how strong is this guy's body?"

"The sound of a heartbeat alone can affect someone's blood flow?"

boom!
Just the next moment.

The two strong and sturdy figures collided again, and the shockwave suddenly expanded outward.

With every gesture Nana made, golden and red energy swirled around her, conjuring up the illusion of a giant dragon as she unleashed her superb martial arts skills.

Kro's entire body was covered in red hair, and blood-red runes appeared one by one on his fists, then disappeared one by one.

A surge of mysterious energy rushed towards us.

The weaker pirates were blown about, some even losing their footing and falling backward.

Fortunately, Nana and Crowe didn't want to involve the innocent pirates, so they consciously fought their way out of the palace.

"Monsters! Both of these guys are monsters!"

Looking at the numerous cracks left on the ground after their collision and the walls that had been directly knocked down, Gray Cloud couldn't help but wipe away a cold sweat. If either of them had crashed into him, his bones would probably have shattered.

After watching the two humanoid beasts leave, Gray Cloud's gaze fell on a battlefield not far away.

The one-eyed old man, Basil, wielding a dagger, moved with uncanny steps, like a dancer twirling on a blade, launching attack after attack on Tucker, the traitor among the apostles.

What surprised Gray Cloud even more than Basil's ghostly figure was...

Despite his obesity, Tucker displayed a flexibility and agility beyond his physique, easily deflecting Basil's attacks each time.

Moreover, the strange toxins he carried made Basil extremely wary.

Even a single touch could have disastrous consequences!
“Strange, according to the intelligence I’ve gathered, Tucker shouldn’t possess such bizarre poison skills…”

After pondering for a moment, Huiyun suddenly realized something.

"Wait a minute, this 'Tucker' is probably no longer the original apostle, but a trial participant playing the role of an apostle!"

"Could his profession be a variant of alchemist?"

It wasn't just Gray Cloud who realized this; some of the trial participants among the pirates also noticed it.

Several people exchanged glances, their eyes darting around.

Taking advantage of the chaos around them, the group quietly approached Tucker from a short distance away.

Immediately, they each used their secret techniques to launch sneak attacks from various angles!

One of them, holding a longsword, couldn't help but show a hint of joy as he was about to pierce Tucker's back.

But suddenly, a layer of fat on Tucker's body surface swelled and bulged, flowing under his skin like liquid, and its color gradually became multicolored.

Immediately afterwards...

With a "bang," the layer of fat exploded.

The colorful venom splattered and covered the attackers in the surrounding area.

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

The trial participants immediately let out a shrill scream.

Under the corrosive effects of the toxins, their clothes and flesh dissolved and disintegrated in an instant.

The closest trial participant fared the worst, getting his head drenched in venom, his white skull exposed to the air.

Soon, even those pale bones were turned into a pool of pus.

Nearby, some pirates suffered an undeserved calamity, lying on the ground howling in pain. Before long, their faces turned ashen, and they lost their lives.

Of the attackers, only one managed to dodge in time and was only splashed with venom on his arm.

He cut off the arm, which saved his life.

Even so, the man's eyes were full of fear and anger as he looked at Tucker.

"You madman! You actually turned your own body into a device for producing venom!?"

"Now your entire body is covered in deadly poison!"

After a layer of fat on his body surface burst, most of Tucker's skin was damaged, exposing the fat underneath.

Strangely, not a single drop of blood flowed from his body; instead, vibrant colors covered every corner of his flesh, making him look incredibly terrifying.

When confronted with the man's questioning, Tucker grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"You're right."

"But the principle of alchemy is equivalent exchange!"

"Only by paying the corresponding price can I obtain the power I desire. What are mere flesh and blood worth?"

"As the first person to see through my methods, I have decided to grant you a merciful death!"

Before Tucker could finish speaking, one of his fingers shot towards the trial participant like a throwing knife.

The trial participant's expression changed drastically, and he turned to run away.

But the finger was incredibly fast, and it suddenly exploded in mid-air, scattering the colorful rain of venom once again.

Several people, including the one who had taken the secret path, were directly corroded and dissolved by the poisonous rain, dying tragically on the spot, much to the chagrin of the pirates watching.

"This guy is a complete freak!"

Gray Cloud's eyelids twitched: "If this were the real world, he certainly wouldn't dare to refine his body into a venom tank, but this is just an advancement ritual after all."

“Even if Tucker’s body is ruined by alchemy, as long as he is alive, he can complete this trial.”

"Moreover, he is now like a suicide bomber. Even enemies stronger than him are unwilling to perish together with him."

The more Gray Cloud thought about it, the more he realized that Tucker, despite his seemingly crazy appearance, was actually bold and meticulous, and was definitely not an ordinary secret traveler.

as predicted.

After witnessing Tucker's body covered in venom, Basil's attacks became increasingly hesitant.

A stalemate ensued.

"However, the battlefield that truly determines victory or defeat is..."

The gray clouds looked in another direction.

There, Moss, his body covered in solid ice, was challenging Benjamin in front of him.

Mosben was clearly seriously injured by Tucker's sneak attack, but perhaps it was precisely because he knew that his life was almost over that he shone with an extremely brilliant light.

He was surrounded by an extremely terrifying icy secret power that could easily freeze the flow of blood, plunging his enemies into a frozen state.

Even Benjamin moved somewhat slowly when he was next to Moss.

Ice spikes and ice knives shot out one after another from anywhere around Benjamin, insidious and cunning, making them impossible to defend against.

Benjamin was merely passively avoiding them.

On the surface, Moss seemed to have the upper hand for a time.

"Whoever wins this battle will decide the future of the Pirate Kingdom."

Gray Cloud watched the two fight intently, thinking to himself.

But who will ultimately win?

"Of course it's Benjamin."

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out beside him.

Gray Cloud was startled and turned his head to look, where he saw a white coat with a monocle.

Gray Cloud should have been wary of this completely unfamiliar man.

For some reason, he felt that there was nothing wrong with this man being there, and that it was normal for him to talk to him.

A certain strange sense of incongruity was quietly erased.

So, Gray Cloud asked instinctively, "Why?"

The man who looked like a researcher smiled and said, "Can't you tell?"

"Moss has already used his full strength, while Benjamin hasn't even used 30% of his ability, has he?"

"hiss……"

Gray Cloud gasped.

He had considered that there would be a significant gap between Moss and Benjamin, but he never imagined that the gap would be this large!
"So, does that mean the apostles are doomed to lose?"

"That's not necessarily the case."

The man shook his head: "As long as Augustine intervenes, all problems will be solved."

Gray Cloud was puzzled: "But wasn't Augustine already seriously injured?"

"If he wasn't injured, why was he hiding?"

The doctor in the white coat gave him a disgruntled look: "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"

"Who knows what that old guy is up to!"

Upon hearing the term "old guy," Gray Cloud felt a faint sense of unease again, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

At this moment, the man in the white coat pointed at the two people in the room and laughed.

"Hehe, Benjamin is getting serious."

"Watch closely, Moss is about to... um?"

Just as the doctor in the white coat was about to express his opinion, his expression changed slightly. He looked at the ground beneath his feet and murmured something.

"...Something's coming!"

(End of this chapter)