Chapter 70: Borrowing the Wind

Beyond the Bay of Enchantment, military banners fluttered, boats sprawled across the river, all forces poised in vigilant readiness.

At this very moment, atop the largest warship, a warrior clad in iron armor and an elderly Taoist in ceremonial robes silently watched the Bay of Enchantment. The warrior, tall and broad-shouldered, bore a square jaw and dark complexion; his brows were raised with an air of heroic determination.

The old Taoist, his hair and beard white as snow, held a compass and muttered ceaselessly as though sensing some hidden force.

Suddenly, the compass needle spun, and the Taoist’s expression shifted.

“Commander, the time is upon us. It is time to break the enemy,” the Taoist, Fang Wen, addressed the warrior—Lu Chen Zhou—with respectful ceremony.

Lu Chen Zhou’s expression remained unchanged, though his aura grew heavier and more resolute. “Thank you, Master Fang Wen. I will need your aid to disperse this mist.”

He looked toward Fang Wen with gentle tone. Despite Fang Wen’s cultivation only reaching the peak of spiritual inspiration—never having mastered breath refinement—his skill in reading winds and waters earned him a high standing within the River Command.

“Rest assured, Commander. By midday, I can summon a great wind to clear the mist for our army.”

Without hesitation, accompanied by two young disciples, Fang Wen departed to prepare. The Bay of Enchantment was a place of unique circumstance; with the presence of the Mist Banner, it had become a natural barrier. Lacking the magical power to dispel it directly, Fang Wen’s best course was to borrow the strength of heaven and earth.

Lu Chen Zhou watched him depart with satisfaction. Fang Wen was sly, but never lagged when duty called.

“Pirates of the Wandering River, Iron Man Tu, the claws of the Gao clan—these years the Gao family has grown increasingly restless. I will use the blood of these river bandits to bring them to their senses.”

Lu Chen Zhou’s face grew colder as he gazed upon the Bay of Enchantment.

Qingyuan County was neither large nor small, its cultivation factions intertwined in complex relationships—sometimes allied, sometimes rivaled. The recent actions of the Gao family had irked the Lu clan. Thus, when the magistrate of Qinghe County pleaded for aid, the River Command turned its sights upon the river bandits.

“According to intelligence, some upheaval has occurred among the river bandits, but such matters are irrelevant. If the Gao family cannot control their dogs and let them bite at will, I will help them put those dogs down.”

True energy coursed through Lu Chen Zhou as he readied himself for battle. To ensure victory, he would intervene personally.

Time slipped quietly by. At three quarters past noon, the sun, once high in the sky, was obscured by dark clouds, and a fierce wind rose over Qingyuan River.

With preparations made, Fang Wen and his three disciples guided the wind with their formation plates, channeling its force into the Bay of Enchantment. In an instant, the wild gale swept through, dispersing the thick mist; the bay, long shrouded in fog, finally revealed its true face.

It was a shallow cove, with clear waters and a bed of sand and gravel. Only a few deep trenches allowed passage for larger vessels, their sources at Muyu Island. From afar, these channels appeared as chains locking the island in place—a curious sight.

“Commander, the terrain here is unique. Though I have borrowed heavenly force to clear the mist, it will eventually return, especially if someone manipulates it—it will recover all the quicker.”

Sweat streaming down his face, Fang Wen, with the support of a disciple, approached Lu Chen Zhou.

Lu Chen Zhou nodded at Fang Wen’s words. “Thank you, Master. Rest now—I will defeat the enemy swiftly.”

Understanding Fang Wen’s meaning, Lu Chen Zhou sent him to rest.

Once Fang Wen boarded another ship, Lu Chen Zhou issued the order to attack. The war drums thundered, and the battle began in earnest.

Meanwhile, above Muyu Island, Jiang Chen, clad in feathered robes and wielding a hidden umbrella, observed the unfolding events.

“To harness the power of heaven and earth—an impressive method. But I am not Iron Man Tu.”

With a thought, Jiang Chen produced the Mist Banner.

As pure energy surged into it, the banner expanded from palm-sized to the height of a man. The cloud patterns embroidered on its pale azure surface seemed to come alive, drifting ethereally.

Though blood-refined treasures were unique, and warriors could activate them with their vital energy, only true cultivators could fully unleash their power.

“Let the mist return!”

Jiang Chen solemnly waved the Mist Banner.

At that moment, the dispersed mist, scattered by the wind, gathered once more at Jiang Chen’s command. The most immediate effect: Muyu Island, previously exposed, was again enveloped in fog, shrouded in clouds and mist, obscured from sight.

The River Command’s forces noticed the change and their expressions shifted.

“This is beyond Iron Man Tu’s abilities. Is it someone from the Gao family?”

Lu Chen Zhou’s gaze was sharp as a blade. Peering into the depths of the mist, he seemed to glimpse something hidden.

“Let the waves rise.”

His river-qi surged, and Lu Chen Zhou no longer hesitated. He cast a spell—the Wave Rider Technique.

The river surged, waves forming and propelling his warship swiftly toward Muyu Island. His mastery of the River Unity Method gave him significant advantage in water-bound combat.

Watching this, Jiang Chen activated the Skin-Clad Technique, donning the iron corpse’s hide and the mask of the River Rogue.

Simultaneously, responding to Jiang Chen’s orders, Wang Yuan and Skinny Monkey led the river bandits into position, joined by Mouse Tianjiao.

“It’s time.”

From above, seeing Lu Chen Zhou approach Muyu Island, Jiang Chen moved.

By now, a thin mist had risen once more across the waters of the Bay of Enchantment; Lu Chen Zhou’s ship was completely separated from the rear fleet.

“Finally, they arrive.”

At the bow, sensing the turbulent mist, Lu Chen Zhou reached toward the river.

In the next instant, the river surged, forming a spear which he hurled fiercely. The response was a strange true force, cold and blazing, interwoven.

Boom! Fist and water-spear collided, the dense mist exploded, and Jiang Chen’s figure appeared before Lu Chen Zhou.

“So it really is Iron Man Tu? Has he cultivated some strange talisman technique? Has he become a martial grandmaster? But what about the earlier manipulation of the mist?”

Seeing Jiang Chen, clad in iron corpse skin, neither alive nor dead, Lu Chen Zhou’s mind filled with questions.

As the chief of river bandits, Iron Man Tu was well-known to the River Command, and his practice of the Iron Armor Technique was no secret.

“Let’s see who you really are!”

Lu Chen Zhou’s armor shimmered with spiritual light, a ferocious aura radiating. With a spear in hand, he rode the waves straight for Jiang Chen—the Cold Crocodile Armor and the Wave-Chasing Spear, one defensive, one offensive, both magical treasures.