During the day, Shen Feng fully utilized his abilities. To speed up their progress, he had to continuously employ "Vast East Wind," and under the roaring gales, the ship moved at a rapid pace. Now that night had fallen, Shen Feng's stamina was severely depleted, and he naturally dared not sail at full speed, needing to conserve energy for combat.
Thus, when advancing at night, Shen Feng only altered the wind direction, but not the wind speed, resulting in a slower progress for the ship.
Yue Hengyi sat at the bow of the ship, feeling the sea breeze. He had wanted to gaze at the stars, and since entering the Northern Hemisphere, the Big Dipper was visible at night. Unfortunately, the sky was completely overcast with dark clouds, obscuring everything. In the distance, a slightly brighter light could be seen, which could only be the lights of a cargo ship.
"Alas, fate is cruel. I never expected to encounter danger on the final leg of our journey. If I knew the identities of these people, I would surely seek revenge. These people speak Chinese, likely members of some faction from our country!" Yue Hengyi was filled with resentment towards the group who had blocked his path. If only they had been intercepted on land, these people would already be dead.
After several hours of advancing in the darkness, neither Yue Hengyi nor Shen Feng dared to sleep. After a substantial meal, their stamina had recovered considerably, and they were capable of fighting. However, the current terrain was disadvantageous to them, and Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi still wished to reach land as quickly as possible. Only on solid ground were their combat capabilities at their strongest.
However, at this moment, a light rain suddenly began to fall from the sky. Yue Hengyi quickly retreated into the cabin.
Shen Feng sat by the stove, occasionally adding logs to it. Illuminated by the firelight, he was studying a map, his brow furrowed as he did so.
"Brother Feng, have you discovered something?" Yue Hengyi asked.
Shen Feng pointed upwards and said, "The wind direction outside seems off. Logically, we are currently in the Bashi Channel, and the wind direction should be the southeast monsoon. However, we are encountering a southerly wind! I've altered the wind direction, so you might not feel it, but my ability is wind, and I'm very sensitive to changes in wind direction. This makes me feel that something is wrong!"
"But the compass shows no problem. Could it be that the wind direction has changed in the past few days?" Yue Hengyi looked at the compass, confirming that their current direction of travel was correct.
Shen Feng pondered with a frown. It seemed this was the only possible explanation, otherwise, he couldn't account for the compass's indication of direction. Since the invention of the compass in the Song Dynasty, China had been superstitious about it, even using a Luo Pan for feng shui, "seeking mountains and dividing gold, one mountain entwined is one pass."
Shen Feng thought that although the wind direction had changed somewhat, these changes were not particularly significant. Furthermore, this was his first time in Southeast Asia, and the climate here might be unusual. The compass, used for a thousand years, could not possibly be wrong.
With this thought, Shen Feng controlled the wind direction and continued to advance southward.
He had expected that at their current speed, they would undoubtedly reach Luzon Island by dawn. However, as the sky gradually brightened, Shen Feng made an unexpected discovery: ahead lay only vast, rolling waves. Not to mention an island, not even a shadow could be seen. Not a single seagull was visible in the sky.
"Something's wrong, completely wrong. At our speed, we should have seen an island long ago, but now, we still see nothing. I suspect we've gone in the wrong direction!" Shen Feng said in a deep voice.
Yue Hengyi looked up at the sky, trying to orient himself by the sun, but it was impossible. The sky was hazy, and it was still raining, with the rain showing signs of intensifying. The sun was completely obscured by thick dark clouds, and seeing it was a futile wish.
Rolling black clouds churned in the sky, and occasionally, thunderclaps would split the heavens. When lightning flashed, the entire sea surface turned a pale white.
"Damn it, what kind of faulty compass is this? It's still pointing in this direction!" Yue Hengyi, in a fit of anger, grabbed the compass and threw it to the ground. He blamed the compass for their misdirection.
Shen Feng also found another compass in the cabin, and this one also pointed forward, as if their direction of travel was perfectly correct.
At this point, Shen Feng had a guess: "I suspect this is the work of those fellows behind us! It has nothing to do with the compass. Raise the sails, drop anchor! Prepare to fight them to the death!"
Since they were lost, Shen Feng could only choose the option of burning their bridges. When paths cross, the brave prevail. With two powerful ability users on their side, the outcome of the battle was uncertain!
Yue Hengyi nodded upon hearing Shen Feng's words and said seriously, "Since we can't escape, we can only fight. If it comes to it, Brother Feng, you escape on your own. I'll hold them off. As long as you can return and help Sister Qin, that is my last wish!"
Yue Hengyi knew that escaping at sea was extremely difficult, and only Shen Feng could achieve it. He could walk on water and survive alone, whereas he himself was a burden. Therefore, if they were truly outmatched, preserving their strength was the most important thing!
Yue Hengyi was prepared to sacrifice himself, this was his worst-case scenario.
But Shen Feng was angered by Yue Hengyi's disheartening words: "We haven't even started fighting yet, and you're already boosting the enemy's morale and diminishing our own! Can't you have a little confidence in yourself?"
Yue Hengyi smiled and said nothing, as if he hadn't taken his previous words to heart, though the smile on his face carried a hint of bitterness.
Shen Feng stopped altering the wind direction, and immediately, the wind, mixed with rain, entered the cabin, drenching the two of them. Yue Hengyi also lowered the sails at this moment and threw the anchor into the water, bringing the small boat to a halt.
The cargo ship was also rapidly approaching. Arrogant voices could be heard from the ship: "Why aren't you running anymore? Do you know you can't escape, so you've decided to give up?"
The cargo ship drew closer, and the figures on board became clearer. Thirteen people stood in neat rows atop the neatly stacked containers. They were all wearing black robes and masks, which were rather peculiar, all designed in the likeness of Yakshas and evil spirits.
"It really was you causing trouble. Why do you want to kill us? If it's for money, you don't need to. How much did your employer pay? I'll give you double! Just tell me who ordered you to do this!" Shen Feng said in a deep voice.
The man at the head, wearing a demon king mask that appeared to be made of silicone, with two red horns, looked formidable. Upon hearing Shen Feng's attempt to sway them, he chuckled and said, "Heh heh, Mr. Shen Feng is the City Lord of Yuzhou, and I believe the price you can offer is certainly substantial. Even preparing a room full of gold, I believe you could manage it. However, this is absolutely impossible. You must die at sea today!"
"What deep-seated hatred do we have? Or have we brothers offended you?" Shen Feng continued to ask. He certainly had no intention of bribing these people; he knew it was impossible. These people were prepared, and they wouldn't be easily swayed by him. He was trying to stall for time.
Shen Feng sensed the wind speed around him increasing, which meant a storm was coming. To quote Gorky, "Let the storm come with greater fury!"
Once the storm arrived, Shen Feng would have an advantage in the ensuing battle, as he could activate the "Wind King Barrier," rendering himself unaffected. However, the enemies would not be so fortunate; they would undoubtedly be affected by the stormy weather.
On the cargo ship, the demon king atop the containers also had his own plans. He knew a typhoon was approaching. They had the heavy cargo ship, and the hundreds of tons of cargo on board served as ballast, helping them withstand the typhoon. As for Shen Feng, he only had a small boat, and it was impossible for him to withstand a typhoon. Therefore, if they delayed, the advantage would be theirs.
Both sides were stalling for time, creating a delicate balance on the surface. This balance allowed the conversation to continue amidst the tense standoff.
"Mr. Shen is a great hero in the eyes of the public, and he is known as the God of Wind, respected by countless people. How could we, insignificant individuals, cross you? Ultimately, it's because you've blocked our financial path. As the saying goes, cutting off someone's financial path is like killing their parents. How can the revenge for killing a father not be sought?" the demon king said.
Shen Feng frowned as he looked at the group and said coldly, "You are all ability users, so it's not entirely accurate to call yourselves insignificant. I've been away from China for over five months now. I wonder when such formidable individuals appeared in our country. I truly wish to know your true identities!"
"Heh heh, when we defeat you, we will erect graves for both of you. When we burn offerings, we will tell you the truth, so that you can be enlightened ghosts and not go to see the King of Hell in confusion!" the demon king said calmly.
Yue Hengyi also chimed in, "Excuse me, but as a youth of the new era, I don't believe in gods or Buddhas. If you want me to report to the King of Hell, it's unlikely to happen."
"A youth of the new era? Just like me. Then, why don't we send you to discuss ideology with Marx? Is that acceptable?" the demon king laughed, his laughter filled with disdain, as if victory was already assured.
At this point, Yue Hengyi could no longer tolerate it and roared, "I think I'd rather send you to Marx for repentance!"
With that, Yue Hengyi instantly unleashed a five-times gravity field, covering a radius of one kilometer. Instantly, everyone except Yue Hengyi was affected. The people on the cargo ship knelt on the containers, their knees making crisp sounds as they contacted the steel plates. Shen Feng was also affected at the same time and immediately knelt on the ground.
Someone on the cargo ship couldn't hold back. A person wearing a Yaksha mask spoke, "I won't waste any more words with you. We are at sea now, this is my home turf!"
With that, the person unleashed their ability, and the rain falling from the sky gradually took shape, forming a water dragon that attacked the two on the boat. This person's ability was to control water flow, no wonder they said the sea was their home turf; the substance they could control was everywhere!
The water dragon in the sky was enormous, over thirty meters long, and it attacked the small boat on the sea. If it hit the boat, the small boat would surely fall apart.
Shen Feng dared not underestimate this attack. Gritting his teeth, he unleashed "Eye of the Hurricane." A tornado appeared out of thin air, with the small boat at its center. As the water dragon approached the tornado, it was instantly caught by the fierce winds. The water dragon lost control, turning into streams of water. In the face of the powerful wind speed, the water dragon could only be torn apart.
After the water dragon was torn apart, Shen Feng withdrew the "Eye of the Hurricane." The water from the sky fell, drenching Yue Hengyi and himself. This indicated that the enemy's attack had failed.
"Couldn't you have directly created waves to attack? Using a water dragon attack is far too inefficient!" The demon king was somewhat angered by his subordinate's performance. Water ability users' most effective attack methods were large waves; giant waves attacking like an overwhelming force were almost unstoppable. Yet, his subordinate didn't understand this principle, which greatly disappointed him.