The flag officer immediately hoisted the signal flag on the main mast.
300 warships, at bow and stern, released the anchor cables simultaneously, and the huge iron anchors smashed into the sea with a "clattering" noise.
The large sails on the three masts slid down smoothly.
The four of them remained silent, watching the scene before them. All of this was experience, but not necessarily something that could increase "Ability".
Just like that advertising slogan, out of a hundred million spent on ads, only fifty million may be effective, but you never know which fifty million, so you have to invest the full hundred million. They also don't know which experiences would increase their "Ability", so they had to pay attention to everything.
The sky turned dark, the stars brighter than they had ever been before.
The Milky Way, only seen in photographs, rotated slowly above their heads.
"It's so beautiful," Li Qianxia murmured.
She had never seen such a clear and transparent night, even during her childhood in the countryside.
Suddenly, all four turned their gaze away at once.
In front, a huge bubble rose from the dark sea surface, reminiscent of the scene when those people appeared during the day.
Crash!
A colossal ship, like a fortress, loomed in front of the 300 sailboats.
It was unclear exactly how big the ship was, but compared to it, Zheng Chenggong's 300 sailboats looked pitifully small, like 300 grains of rice facing a keyboard.
Sounds of terror came from all around.
"It's Matsu! Matsu is angry!" some soldiers who had grown up by the sea knelt on the deck, thumping their heads onto it.
Matsu, a folk belief spread along the coastal areas.
Also known as Heavenly Consort, Heavenly Empress, Holy Mother in Heaven, Niang Ma, and so on, she is the deity commonly worshipped by shipbuilders, seamen, travelers, merchants, and fishermen.
The people of the coastal regions always conduct a ritual to Matsu before shipping out, praying for her blessing for favorable winds and safe travels, and on the ships, they establish a Divine Position for Matsu for worship.
Numerous white ghosts, wailing and whining inside the ship's windows and doors, seemed to struggle to break free.
An eerie atmosphere enveloped this once surely magnificent vessel.
"Back when Zheng He sailed to the Western Seas, the 'Treasure Ship' was only over 100 meters long and 50 meters wide. This ship is at least 300 meters; it couldn't possibly be any historic ship," Turquoise Pool had done her homework as well.
"With Matsu's incarnation and the Penglai Immortal by my side, what in the world is impossible?" Li Changzhou scanned the ship and didn't spot any players.
While eerie was indeed eerie, in terms of sheer strength, he didn't see this ship as a threat.
Zheng Chenggong, who had steadied the emotions of his soldiers, walked over quickly.
"Please, Immortal Master, take action!" he said urgently, clasping his hands in salute.
In the face of such a bizarre scene, he appeared composed and fearless before his troops, but internally, he was equally frightened and horrified.
Setting aside those white ghosts, if the massive ship were to ram into them, all his 300 sailboats would be sunk right here.
The waves made by the ghost ship emerging from the sea caused the warships to bob and sway, like Zheng Chenggong's current mood.
"No worries," Li Changzhou waved his hand dismissively, still searching for the players.
"Maybe they are not with us," Turquoise Pool suddenly said, "As we delve deeper, demons and ghosts will also revive."
Her point was that this was not the work of players, but rather that history had returned to a time when demons and ghosts might have existed; the ghost ship was naturally part of that period.
But why would it block Zheng Chenggong?
Did Zheng Chenggong encounter this ghost ship in history? And if so, how did he get past it?
Just then, a streak of light suddenly flew across the sky.
"Sigh, the present and past, things change, people are gone, only the mountains and rivers remain ageless in the world."
"Rain cover, wind hood."
"Who in the Four Seas knows me, my sword crosses the sky several times."
As the voice faded, the streak of light reached above the ghost ship, and a massive Sword Qi, glowing with a dazzling light, struck down from the sky.
The demons of the ghost ship raged the heavens, countless white ghosts swarmed out of their nests, wailing as they rushed towards the Sword Qi.
The booming sound, the explosion of Qi in the night sky, drew concentric circles, shredding the air in all directions.
Turquoise Pool spread her hands, Heavenly Calamity became an enormous screen, hanging between the sea and the sky like a gauzy curtain, nearly transparent, shielding them from all the aftereffects.
"Making an entrance with a poem, this guy sure knows how to put on an act... how to play it cool!" Li Qianxia tugged at Li Changzhou's sleeve, "Brother, you've lost!"
"I'm not his match," Li Changzhou sighed.
"You are the most handsome," Yang Qinglan laughed.
"Haha!" Li Changzhou laughed heartily, wanting to hug her waist, longing to plant a big kiss on her face.
As the sword light faded, the ghost ship had vanished without a trace, and Turquoise Pool withdrew the Heavenly Calamity.
The streak of light slid past, and a Daoist landed on the deck.
"What a treasure!" The Daoist had a beard, appeared to be in his forties, and was extraordinarily handsome and dashing, with skin so good it was unbelievable.
"Thank you," Turquoise Pool said with a smile.
The Daoist's gaze flickered, looking at her twice longer and couldn't help feeling a sense of admiration.
He turned his head, surveyed the deck, and focused his eyes on Zheng Chenggong, who was wearing an imperial python robe.