Nine Astra Skies
chapter-238

“Why?” Little Tanuki looked at Ye Chen, her wavy lashes quivering. She did not quite understand.

“Well, you’re too beautiful. I’m worried that if you appear before them without wearing clothes, they’ll get wicked thoughts,” Ye Chen said embarrassedly. On second thought, his willpower was not too bad. Even so, when he was faced with Little Tanuki, he still could not fully resist the temptation.

Ye Chen felt somewhat guilty as Little Tanuki’s limpid eyes stared at him.

“Mm.” Little Tanuki nodded and said seriously, “No matter what you ask me to do, Big Brother Ye Chen, I’ll trust you.”

When he heard this, Ye Chen felt his own heart skipped two beats. This little vixen was truly overwhelmingly enchanting. Little Tanuki had an innocent, guileless manner, yet she was so alluring and said such tantalizing words. Most people would not have been able to hold back.

Ye Chen scratched his head. The first one to have wicked thoughts was him. Little Tanuki’s scent made one feel as if they were in the middle of a field of flowers.

“My transformation time is almost up. Big Brother Ye Chen, do you want to touch me here?” Little Tanuki saw that Ye Chen kept looking at her chest and blinked as she asked.

“Wha… This… This…” Ye Chen’s face went stiff as his heart suffered an agonizing torment. Was touching her a shameless act? However, Little Tanuki’s pair of alabaster mounds were too captivating…

Little Tanuki took Ye Chen’s hand and placed it on her chest, saying, “My transformation time is almost up now. I still can’t transform at will for now, so I’ll let Big Brother Ye Chen have a feel.”

Ye Chen felt his mind explode and turn blank. Under his right hand, there was a satiny, soft sensation as well as a tiny, protruding point. Presently he was feeling something that could not be described. This marvelous feeling caused his heart to stop beating.

At this point, Little Tanuki’s body rapidly shrank and she resumed her tanuki form.

After a long while, Ye Chen gradually recovered his senses. Everything that had happened earlier was like a dream. Even so, it was impossible to rid his mind of that extraordinary feeling and his body seemed to be bursting with a boundless urge.

Ye Chen looked down and saw that Little Tanuki was resting on his leg, curled up in a ball. Instantly he was gripped with disappointment and frustration.

“My moral integrity is in complete ruins.” Ye Chen laughed bitterly to himself. Little Tanuki had enchanted him deeply. “Still, that was truly an experience. How soft.”

Ye Chen shook his head, banishing the perverted thoughts from his mind.

When Little Tanuki saw that Ye Chen had entered a state of cultivation, the blush on her cheeks slowly faded, and a crafty smile flitted across her lips. Her mother had told her that, in front of the man she loved, she must pretend not to know anything and occasionally give him a taste of pleasure. However, she must not give up everything to him so quickly. Only then would she captivate his heart and prevent him from thinking of other women.

It was midnight. The waves outside had grown enormous and the ship started to rock more violently.

Ye Chen kept feeling an uneasy premonition for some reason. He moved his Astral Body to investigate the sea below and saw a gigantic black shadow approaching swiftly. By the time his Astral Body could get a clearer look, he discovered that it was a giant octopus.

This octopus was half the size of the entire tower ship. It looked different from Little Squido and was probably not a Dusk Octopus.

Ye Chen’s Astral Body enveloped the octopus, trying to scare it off with his Astral Body. However, he found that the octopus was completely unaffected!

This octopus was rather different from ordinary mystical beasts and Celestial Beasts. His Astral Body had no effect on it! Nonetheless, Ye Chen had detected that this octopus was not that strong. He estimated that it was around Heavenly Adept Rank. Perhaps these sea monsters that lived in the sea were not fearful of Daemon Kings.

Just like Tantai Ling who had no Psyche, different from ordinary mystical beasts.

“Little Tanuki, a sea monster is attacking, let’s go!” Ye Chen quickly passed this message to Little Tanuki through his Astral Body. Taking her with him, he dashed out of the room and woke up the rest.

Although Ye Chen had sensed that this sea monster only had Heavenly Adept Rank strength, he dared not be too careless.

As soon as they rushed onto the deck, there was an earsplitting “rumble”. The entire ship shuddered. Tentacles stretched out from the sea, wrapping around the ship’s body.

If the entire tower ship was overturned, they would be in trouble! Fortunately, this tower ship was made out of a special metal. Thus, its body was very solid and not easily breakable.

Ye Chen drew the Hell Rupture Sword. Circulating his Celestial Chi, he swung the blade with a “swoosh”.

Pfft!

One of the octopus’ tentacles was cut off with a loud rip. It landed on the deck and wriggled ceaselessly.

The entire tower ship quaked furiously. The octopus seemed to be enraged and rammed the ship a few times. The tentacle that was sliced off also swiftly regrew.

Great Emperor Mingwu, Nie Qingyun, and the rest drew their weapons, slashing toward the octopus. Pfft pfft pfft. They were not able to cut off a tentacle in one strike like Ye Chen but were still able to injure it. Nevertheless, this creature’s regenerative powers were shocking. Its wounds were swiftly healed.

This octopus was only at the Heavenly Adept Rank, yet it already had such fearsome healing abilities!

Bang bang bang. Its tentacles attacked the group of Earthly Venerable experts, beating them back one after another. As for Great Emperor Mingwu, Nie Qingyun, and the old man transformed from the Eclipsing Firebird, they could fend off the attacks with skillful ease.

“This sea monster is quite peculiar. No matter how we attack, we can’t hurt it!”

It was likely that they had to cut off its head to be done with it. However, its head was hidden below the water. This creature had probably used this method to slay quite a few people.

Ye Chen had first thought that it would be a piece of cake for their group to deal with a Heavenly Adept Rank sea monster and was thus unwilling to unleash his Astral Body. Even so, it now appeared as if he had no other choice. If he delayed any longer, the tower ship might be overturned by this gigantic octopus.

Ye Chen’s Astral Body swiftly dove into the water. With a thought from him, it had condensed into the gold-armored soldier beneath the sea.

The gold-armored soldier raised its saber, which burned with raging purple flames that turned the surrounding water into steam instantly.

The gold-armored soldier glared coldly at the octopus hiding beneath the ship, sending forth its overpowering, repressive consciousness.

The octopus finally felt a trace of fear after sensing this pressure. It quickly withdrew its tentacles and got ready for battle.

Ye Chen was about to swing the saber toward the octopus when he saw, far away in the water, something shooting toward them like an arrow. With a twitch of his Astral Body, Ye Chen saw that it was Little Squido.

How fast Little Squido was in the sea!

While the tower ship was traveling, Little Squido had been frolicking nearby. Everything in the sea was truly rather new to it.

After a moment, Little Squido had reached the gold-armored soldier.

When the octopus saw Little Squido, its entire body stiffened as if it could no longer move.

Ye Chen was slightly baffled. Why was this massive octopus so frightened after seeing Little Squido? Was there also a hierarchy among sea monsters and octopi?

Ye Chen could not help but be amazed at the following scene.

Little Squido swam toward the giant octopus, stretched out a tentacle, and flogged its face with a loud “smack”. The giant octopus took the blow and still remained there with its head lowered, not daring to move a muscle.

Little Squido had been following Little Wingsy around, frequently mingling in the Imperial Palace. When the nannies were disciplining the young ladies-in-waiting, this was the method they used. Little Squido had learned this behavior.

A tiny octopus, the size of a football, disciplining a colossal octopus this size of a ship. No matter what, this was a hilarious sight. Little Squido was Earthly Adept Rank at most whereas this massive octopus was Heavenly Adept Rank.

The giant octopus was thrashed by Little Squido for a long time, stunned and unable to move. After a moment, it was as if it had received some order. It swam by the side of the tower ship but no longer dared to attack.

With a thought from Ye Chen, the gold-armored soldier dispersed into thin air.

Great Emperor Mingwu, Nie Qingyun, and the rest did not know what went on beneath the sea and were still vigilantly waiting on the deck, ready to handle the sea monster’s attack at any time. They could sense that the octopus monster had not gone far.

“Forget it, it’s over. We can return to our rooms,” Ye Chen said casually.

“The octopus monster has fled?” Great Emperor Mingwu asked doubtfully.

“It hasn’t fled, but it won’t attack us anymore,” Ye Chen said, yet he could not explain why.

Nie Qingyun looked meaningfully at Ye Chen, then bowed slightly along with the old man who was an Eclipsing Firebird. They left the deck, believing fully in Ye Chen’s words. Perhaps His Highness the Daemon King had used some technique to subdue the sea monster.

When Great Emperor Mingwu noticed this, he was still hesitant, but then gave up thinking after a while. Possibly this was a secret technique of the Beastmasters. They were enigmatic indeed. Great Emperor Mingwu sighed ruefully to himself. During the past century, they had sent many people to the Central Empire to reestablish some relations but all attempts had failed.

If they were supported by a large sect like the Beastmasters, the Yin Clan of the Royal Tribe definitely would not be in such a predicament. It was too bad that submitting to the Beastmasters through Ye Chen would be rather difficult. That would have been a social boost for the Yin Clan of the Royal Tribe.

The others discussed among themselves and slowly dispersed, returning to their cabins.

With a Heavenly Adept Rank octopus monster safeguarding the ship, their journey was a much safer one.

The tower ship had traveled across the sea for six days.

“Look, that must be the Exclusion Zone!” an Earthly Venerable expert yelled out while quickly taking out a navigation map to verify.

“It’s the Exclusion Zone indeed.” Each of their hearts clenched slightly.

In its long, endless history, the Exclusion Zone had been equivalent to a place of death. Countless combatants had fallen here, reduced to bones that belonged to no one.

Everyone walked onto the deck, leaning against the railing as they surveyed the distance. They saw a lonely island emerging on the distant horizon. This island, in the midst of the boundless sea, appeared rather inconsequential.

The solitary island was still too far away, so it appeared rather small. In truth, it was huge.

Above the island, it was shrouded by a multi-colored light membrane that looked like a rainbow on the horizon. Even so, Ye Chen knew that it was a restriction set up by someone. It seemed that this place was even more tightly controlled than the Sunken Jade Palace.