“Let’s go!” Yu Chen shouted to the others, yelling to be heard over the din of battle.

  Sun Yuan nodded at his words, throwing out his soulbound artifact. It rapidly enlarged as it left the sleeve of his robes, transforming into a sleek spirit vessel that landed in the river with a splash. Displaced water shot into the air, raining down over the sleeping woman gracing the prow.

  They all leapt aboard, Xue Lan and her friend as well, as they swept out into the river to join the other ships sailing off to do battle with the reavers.

  Vessels large and small, and new and old alike came together to defend the Auction Ship, forming a ragtag group as varied as the customers it served. The largest ships belonged to the various sects and groups that dwelled within the river. They were masterful vessels, works of art that cut a sleek figure as they sailed across the yellow river.

  Two of the nearby frigates flew an azure flag, and one in the distance flew a grey flag with blue streaks, like drops of rain across a cloudy surface. They symbolized the pride the cultivators had in their sect, he thought, watching as a flag featuring a rising sun flying over a field of verdant green whipped about in the wind blowing across the river.

  Of course, most of the ships weren’t nearly as large, instead being midsized like the Sleeping Lady herself. They were the property of smaller sects, or individual groups of alchemists and artificers who had the money to spend on a finer vessel than most.

  But it was the small ships that filled the river, more numerous by far. Sampans and sloops with room for only a single cultivator, or perhaps two, and so small they didn’t even have artillery, sailed beside junks and cargo ships that carried three to five, designed to haul the crops and goods belonging to the various spirit farmers and merchants up and down the river.

  Their equipment might be lacking, but in the end, even a single cultivator was a force all their own.

  The Sleeping Lady sailed in the center of this strange armada that cut a path across the river, heading towards the surrounding pirates. The air around them filled with smoke and explosions, obscuring their vision as the spiritual artillery aboard the reaver fleet and the Auction Ship rang out, firing back and forth between them.

  Yu Chen felt his hair begin to lift up, and the robes on his body as well, floating in the air as it became charged from the qi that was filling the environment. Energetic attacks continued to fly overhead, as the attacks coming from the ships and the Golden Core cultivators above refused to let up.

  A deep, whooshing roar filled Yu Chen’s ears. He threw a hand up as he felt waves of heat roll over him as blazing hot balls of fire fell out of the sky, landing in the waters all around him.

  The reavers had halted their assault of the Auction Ship, bringing their cannons to bear on the ragtag fleet that was fast approaching them. Another thunderous roar sounded out, smoke pouring over the river as the pirates opened fire once more, sending chaotic energies blasting across the river.

  Their impressive artillery shredded through the multitude of spiritual vessels.

  Yu Chen shielded himself as a fiery ball of qi smashed into a nearby vessel. The small junk exploded, sending flaming shards everywhere, and the brave spirit farmer aboard didn’t even have time to widen his eyes before he disappeared from sight.

  Was it brave or foolish, Yu Chen couldn’t help but wonder, to sail out into this battlefield without so much as a working shield? He shook his head, turning away from the blazing pyre and the half dozen like it they left behind in their wake.

  The frigates on their side turned, having approached close enough to fire, and unleashed a devastating counterattack that cut through the reaver fleet, piercing a few of the weakened shields. The Sleeping Lady and the rest of the ships used the covering fire to press forward, approaching the enemy ships.

  The river had become a scene of chaos, but the Lady seemed at home as she swept across the massive waves that had been churned up from the depths. Sun Yuan held her in a stern hand as she rose up an approaching swell, her prow cutting across the crest of the wave to arrive victoriously on the other side. A black frigate loomed on the other side, near enough that they almost rammed into it.

  Sun Yuan furiously spun the wheel, the vessel creaking as he swung it into a sharp turn, that brought them alongside the black vessel. Yan Ziqi’s eyes gleamed as he unleashed the cannons, shaking the vessel beneath them. This close to the enemy ship the blow was sharp and concentrated, smashing through their shields and leaving a gaping wound in the hull of the vessel.

  They sailed away, a fire burning in the belly of the half-ruined ship from the sudden blast of energy they’d unleashed upon it. They’d disabled it, leaving it unable to fire again.

  Not that it mattered.

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  Yu Chen cast a glance behind him, watching as the smaller ships arrived in their wake. Dozens of cultivators jumped aboard the ruined vessel, intent on finishing them off. He didn’t end up seeing what happened next; however, his vision was blocked by an explosion of energy that struck the river between them, sending a plume of dark water shooting high into the night sky.

  The fight was chaotic and brutal in the darkness of night, the only light they had to guide them coming from the frequent explosions that erupted across the sky.

  “Another one ahead!”

  Panic filled his voice as Sun Yuan called out from the helm, spinning the wheel as he tried to avoid ramming into a black ship that had cut out in front of them.

  The prow began to ponderously swing around as the wheel spun under his hand, but it moved far too slow for the quick-paced fight. It was unavoidable. They braced for impact, rushing to grab ahold of something before the two ships met.

  They came together with the violent sound of snapping timbers as the metallic figurehead on the prow of the Lady tore through the enemy hull, biting as deep as she could before the ship's momentum was arrested. A shudder ran through the spirit vessel as she finally came to a halt, locking the two ships together.

  The air filled with tension as their small crew looked up, meeting the eyes of the thirty odd cultivators aboard the enemy ship.

  Serbo au Serbo made the first move.

  No warning passed his lips, no wild battle cry or high-pitched squeal as he leaped into action. There was only a twang, a slight reverberation that filled the air as a blazing white line cut across Yu Chen’s vision, leaving a burning afterimage that remained no matter how hard he blinked.

  He blinked again, seeing smoke rising from the lifeless body of a pirate that had been pinned to the deck with an arrow.

  The creaking sound of a bow being flexed filled his ears, but before his thoughts had a chance to catch up another arrow leapt forward claiming another life.

  This at last seemed to break the stillness on board. Auras crackled to life as the cultivators leapt into action. The majority of the black robed pirates were only in Qi Condensation, but there were more than a few Foundation Establishment cultivators among them.

  Thankfully, there were no Golden Core cultivators on board, all of them having taken to the skies.

  They might have fewer men than the pirates, but they held the edge in quality. Not only were Serbo au Serbo and Yan Ziqi both within the realm of Foundation Establishment, but Xue Lan and her friend had also stepped into a higher realm since the last time he’d seen them. Yu Chen himself was only halfway there, but his body was powerful enough that he didn’t fear to fight one on one.

  Sun Yuan was the only one among them who was entirely within the realm of Qi Condensation, but he was quickly approaching its boundaries, and it wouldn’t be long before he stepped into Foundation Establishment as well.

  It made him a liability in this fight, but he fought as though he didn’t care, rushing to the prow of their ship to help repel the boarders. He swung his sabre through intricate patterns, deflecting a blow from a pirate before lashing out and cutting deep into his flesh. The attack sent him reeling back, but more cultivators appeared to replace the man.

  The swordsman joined him, expertly wielding two blades at once, the third one he carried remaining curiously sheathed at his side.

  Swords were a strange sight on the river. Most of the cultivators tended to prefer the heavier and thicker blades of a sabre, as they were useful for not only cutting through men, but ropes and timber as well.

  Yu Chen knew however, that it wasn’t the weapon that mattered but the skill of the hands that wielded it. The swordsman might have been born in the same backwards, inland empire that Yu Chen called home, but they’d at least managed to teach him how to wield a sword.

  Serbo au Serbo sat in the back, calmly picking off the cultivators that tried to swarm up the ship. Between him and the other two, none of the cultivators managed to make it aboard.

  Until a powerful aura fell over them, two Foundation Establishment experts leaping over the fray to land on the deck of the Sleeping Lady. They moved to attack, but Yan Ziqi appeared, erupting with a powerful aura of his own as he faced them down. A burst of will sent his artifacts flying into the sky, where they swirled around him in a deadly storm of energy.

  Xue Lan was nowhere to be seen, but Yu Chen didn’t have time to worry about that as he leapt across the deck to stand beside Yan Ziqi. The artificer wasted no time, bursting into motion as soon as he arrived. He waved his hand, sending his artifacts shooting forward as he jumped in to attack.

  Yu Chen took a light step, dashing forward as well as he activated his movement technique to keep pace with the older boy.

  The two black robed cultivators appeared surprised at their speed, but to their credit they reacted quickly, gracefully unsheathing their weapons. One waved a hand, and a Sabre appeared, burning with a fiery red light, while the other shook his sleeve. A thin blade fell into his hand, somewhat longer than a dagger but still shorter than a sword.

  They clashed with the demonic cultivators, meeting in an explosion of sudden violence.

  Yan Ziqi took the man on the right, the one with a burning sabre, covering him in a whirlwind of chaotic energy. The man waved his blade around impotently, but Yu Chen didn’t have time to watch as he attacked the other.

  A wolfish grin crossed his face as he ducked under the thin blade slashing towards his neck. His biggest strength in times like these was the element of surprise. Yu Chen had kept pace with Yan Ziqi before, but in truth he was far faster than the other boy.

  He burnt his qi with abandon as he accelerated to his maximum speed, twisting his hips and lashing out with a sharp kick that caught the unsuspecting man in the ribs.

  Yu Chen compressed his qi at the moment of impact, in the same way he had time and time again, but this time everything felt right. The blow shattered his opponent's ribs, sending sharp shards of bones ricocheting throughout his body.

  He paused for a second, his foot still in the air as he watched the Foundation Establishment expert tumble across the deck away from him.

  Something shifted inside, the Diamond Forms he’d begun working on so long ago finally clicking into place, but the foolish grin that had begun to spread across his face was wiped away as his opponent stood up.

  The man spat out a mouthful of blood, casting a resentful look his way. Thin dribbles of red liquid ran down his chin, staining his robes, but the man ignored it, raising his blade before him.

  “You’re a tough one, aren’t you?” Yu Chen asked conversationally as he fell into a defensive posture.