The crew of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew fought back with all their might, but some of the combat crew members quickly found themselves unable to hold on. Not only were the Ice Spears incredibly powerful, but the increasing cold also hindered their movements.
Xia Ling shouted, "Those who can't hold on, retreat! The prerequisite for passing through the Mystic Realm is that no one dies."
Although they wanted to contribute more, they had indeed reached their limits. The combat crew members began to withdraw one after another, increasing the pressure on Xia Ling and the others. Seeing that Ye Yu had already reached half the required height, they gritted their teeth and persevered.
Xiao Ke's eyes were sharp, his gun firing precise shots, each bullet shattering the incoming Ice Spears with unerring accuracy.
Zhao Yan'er's body was engulfed in blazing flames, continuously launching Fire Fists. Even if some Ice Spears weren't completely shattered, they would melt upon getting close.
Xia Ling kept firing Ice Spears while unleashing Cold Energy in an attempt to freeze the Ice Spears above, but it was futile. She could only focus on breaking the ice.
Sun Long directly activated his Ghostly Nine Swords Style, spinning like a top with three heads and six arms, delivering powerful Slashes.
Zhou Xing weaved through the gaps between the Ice Spears, dodging while delivering strong kicks that shattered the Ice Spears one by one.
As time passed, they were horrified to see that the number of Ice Spears was increasing, becoming more and more dense.
"Everyone, hold on! We must help the Captain reach the vortex height!"
While attacking and dodging, they also targeted the Ice Spears around Ye Yu. As long as one person reached the vortex height, they would pass.
Whoosh!
Zhou Xing dodged and kicked, but a massive Ice Spear came at him at an incredible speed, making it difficult to evade or counter.
"Zhou Xing, be careful!"
Sun Long and the others' faces changed in alarm, knowing the power of each Ice Spear. Being hit would result in severe injuries, even for them.
At this critical moment, Zhou Xing's entire body was covered in Armament Haki, choosing to take the hit head-on since he couldn't dodge.
With a loud bang, the Ice Spear shattered, the powerful impact knocking Zhou Xing down.
The crew's faces changed in worry.
Zhou Xing did a kip-up, stood up, wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, and smiled slightly, "I'm fine, just a minor injury. Don't worry."
Everyone realized that Zhou Xing wasn't just toughing it out; it was indeed a minor injury. They were shocked. Zhou Xing's body was so tough that he could withstand an Ice Spear with only minor injuries.
Ye Yu wasn't surprised. After all, Sanji from the Pirate King, after awakening his lineage factor, had seen a significant boost in combat power. Not only could he use the Demon Wind Leg, but the flames on his feet turned blue, and his body's strength greatly increased. Zhou Xing, naturally, had inherited Sanji's lineage factor and high-strength body.
At this moment, watching all this, Lin Muxue felt jealous and sour.
"Although I saw it in the previous battle, because I was facing Ye Yu, I couldn't keep an eye on the other crew members of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew. Now, seeing it, Ye Yu's vice-captain and executives are all very strong, top-tier talents."
Li Cang also felt sour, "Damn it, although he's strong now, he's just a Non-Ability User, yet so many talents follow him. When we reach level thirty, I believe some will leave him. In the end, all the talents will submit to Xue Er."
Lin Muxue felt elated, not thinking Li Cang was just flattering her, believing it would indeed be so.
At this time, the Ice Spears' attacks became more intense, and the executives and vice-captains gradually found it harder to hold on. The consumption was significant, and the increasing cold affected their movements, causing them to gradually get injured.
Ye Yu looked down at his companions. Although they were only one-tenth away from the vortex and just a step away from success, he understood that continuing would only put everyone in danger.
Asking everyone to withdraw would make it difficult for him to complete the task alone. He needed his partners to share the burden, as the difficulty of this Mystic Realm was indeed immense.
"Everyone, retreat!" Ye Yu decisively ordered.
Though reluctant, they obeyed the command and began to withdraw.
Back on the ship, they lay on the deck, gasping for breath. The continuous high-intensity attacks and the extreme cold inside had taken their toll.
At that moment, more vortex streams appeared in the sky around them, and Ice Spears fell in large areas, tightly sealing off the surroundings.
Lin Muxue watched Ye Yu and the others return in failure, a gloating smile on her face: "Haha, you didn't make it. You're going to be stuck here for a while."
Li Cang and the others were delighted: "Let's keep them here for ten days or half a month."
Ye Yu ordered: "Everyone, rest and adjust. Prepare for the next challenge. Although we failed this time, we've gained an understanding of the Mystic Realm's difficulty. Next time, with more experience, we'll definitely succeed."
"Understood, Captain. We were so close this time. Next time, we'll make it with full preparation."
Lin Muxue wasn't worried: "If you couldn't pass this time, you won't pass next time either. In such a short period, how much can your overall strength improve? Unless your strength increases, how can you possibly succeed?"
Ye Yu could imagine Lin Muxue and the others gloating. He ordered: "Tell Lin Muxue and her group to clean up and come aboard."
Lin Muxue and the others were puzzled. They had just come down not long ago and were now being asked to go back up. What did he want them to do? Were they being punished for failing?
They didn't dare disobey and had no choice but to comply.
After washing up, Lin Muxue and the others came to the deck.
Lin Muxue asked suspiciously: "What do you want us to do now?"
Ye Yu said bluntly: "Only members of our Dominant Feather Pirate Crew can participate in this Mystic Realm."
Lin Muxue nodded: "Right, so don't think about having us join. You'll have to rely on yourselves."
Ye Yu smirked cunningly: "You are now slaves of our Dominant Feather Pirate Crew, which means you're part of the crew. I forgot that earlier. Perhaps you can participate too."
Hearing this, Lin Muxue and the others' faces changed drastically.
Lin Muxue hurriedly shook her head: "We definitely can't participate. Even though we're slaves, we…"
She wanted to say they didn't belong to the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew, but that would be problematic. The Mystic Realm didn't specify that slaves couldn't participate; it only said that only the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew could. And now, they were indeed slaves of the crew.
Thinking of this, Lin Muxue's heart trembled.
Ye Yu arranged: "Zhou Xing, give them the food meant for the ship's dog. Let them eat their fill."
"Understood, Captain."
Lin Muxue was furious: "If you want us to participate and contribute, at least give us better food!"
Ye Yu snorted: "Eat it or not, it's up to you. Either way, you're participating. It's fine if you do it on an empty stomach."
"What if we get injured or something happens? You won't get your treasure!"
Ye Yu shrugged indifferently: "If I don't get it, so be it. At least we'll pass the Mystic Realm. But would you let yourselves die?"
At these words, Lin Muxue clenched her fists so tightly they cracked, feeling like she might develop breast cancer from the anger if she stayed any longer.
Lin Muxue realized that Ye Yu had them cornered—they couldn't afford not to take this seriously.
Li Cang said, "Xue Er, go ahead and eat. After all, the food the boat dogs eat is quite good, much better than the leftovers we had before. Even if it's not as good as what Ye Yu and the others eat, it's definitely better than what we had before."
Lin Muxue scolded angrily, "You're so shameless! Shut up!"
Ye Yu sneered, "He's shameless? Weren't you enjoying it just as much before?"
This left Lin Muxue fuming, her face turning pale with anger, but she was left speechless.
(End of Chapter)