‘Are those mana arrows? Those weapons are imbued with runes and spells too…’

After arriving at the large whale ship Zhang Dong made his way through the destroyed corridors. At first, it felt like he was running through a maze but soon the path took him to a large hall that looked like some type of ballroom.

Chandeliers made from gold and expensive crystals were swinging in the air but also down on the ground due to the battle that was taking place. This ship’s interior looked very costly, not something a military vessel would possess. It seemed to belong to a rich merchant or some sect master with too much money.

On one side there was a group of regular-looking cultivators in robes. The lands he was going towards were led by the Lightning Dragon Sect. The robes that these people were wearing didn’t fit the moto though. They were brown with a somewhat tree motif which also blended in with the wooden whale ship they were using.

On the other side, he saw armored men with shields and swords. Their swords were radiating mana that seemed to be close to something at the upper stages of core formation. Then behind these nights, there were people in blue wizard-like robes chanting something. Above them was a ball of flames that would probably soon be used as a projectile.

‘That one looks a bit stronger than the rest…’

Almost all of the knights were wearing silver armor but there was one in the back that was different. The armor he was wearing was quite shiny and golden. The sword he was holding was somewhat larger and the mana it radiated was similar to his own holy energies.

‘Is that some kind of high level paladin from a game or something?’

It was clear that he was the leader but it didn’t seem that he was interested in the cultivators that were desperately defending themselves. He just stood there with both his hands resting on the hilt of his giant sword that was vertical to the floor.

The battlefield soon told Zhang Dong the story, on the other side he saw an old man with a large gash that went from the shoulder down to his stomach. It looked like he had almost been cleaved in half. This person was a nascent soul master at the early stage. He was still alive but the wound was deep and probably soon to be done for.

‘These knights are the bad guys right?’

This was not Zhang Dong’s fight and he did not know what had transpired between these people. It could have very well been the cultivators that were at fault but if he didn’t step in then only more deaths would occur. Besides the martial masters that were at the forefront, he could see women, children, and the elderly behind them. They were all quivering in fear, some of them were even injured.

Thus while the silver knights shrouded themselves in blue light and aimed for another attack he appeared between the two groups. His materialization was fast and took everyone by surprise yet while the cultivators behind him just edged away the silver knights continued with their assault.

For people wearing bulky armor, they were quite fast, the mana that shrouded their bodies was giving them superhuman speed and reflexes. Some of them were even performing strange speed-based abilities that to an untrained eye would seem like teleporting.

‘Damn, I thought they would at least back away for a moment when an unknown element appears, these guys are either stupid or arrogant.’

Normally when an unknown foe appeared it was best to assess the situation slowly. Yet these just continued with their onslaught not caring for the white-haired cultivator that just materialized out of thin air. But one of them was keeping an eye on him, when Zhang Dong did make himself known the golden armored one started moving.

“I don’t think so.”

The blades connected with a barrier made from light that instantly discharged a large amount of electricity towards the attackers. Due to them using metallic weapons and armor it was an easy feat to give them a shocking welcome. The mana barriers they were using for protection didn’t fare well against his overwhelming spiritual energy either.

In a flash of light, the small group of silver knights flew in the opposite direction of their charge. They all collided with the walls and slumped forward as they were instantly knocked out. The difference in strength was just too large between them, perhaps if he was a regular core formation expert then these men would be a hindrance but as he was now, there was no contest.

“Lay down your weapons and I might still be lenient with you…”

While the cultivators that were behind him started to inch away while mumbling the armored knights didn’t react at all. It was as if they were dead set on winning this battle only when the man in the golden armor spoke up did they move to the sides.

“You are not his match, I Arnet of the radiant dawn will be your opponent!”

‘He has a cool title to go with the paladin appearance I see?’

While Zhang Dong was someone that enjoyed cultivation novels he also had a weakness for heavy knight armor and straight swords. The man before looked like a character from a game that he would probably role-play as.

“Arnet is it? I see that these knights listen to you, how about you make the smart decision and surrender, this will not go as you think…”

“Silence, you shall not stand in our way, you should be the one to surrender and cease these barbaric ways, I see that you also poses the radiant light perhaps the lord will be lenient with you.”

“The lord? I presume he is your leader but before you make any demands, shouldn’t you make sure that you have the advantage sir knight…”

Zhang Dong vanished from his location and instantly appeared behind the babbling person in the golden armor. His hand was placed on the man’s shoulder and with a quick discharge of his spiritual energy, he was taken down to his knees. This fight didn’t need to take long, if he took out their leader the mindless carnage could be stopped.

“H-how… my radiant protection of the goddess is being dispelled?”

This knight's mana barrier was a lot thicker than of the silver knights but for him, it was as if he was wearing armor made from paper. By using his knowledge from the other world it was simple to remove the similar shield. Surprisingly this thing wasn’t only for defense, it was somehow able to boost this warrior’s all-around strength and probably the reason why he was able to contend with a nascent soul master.

“Maybe the goddess likes me more than you?”

“Blasphemy!”

The man ended up squished into a wall after Zhang Dong pushed him back. While the radiant light vanished from around his body the threat was lowered yet after a quick recovery it surrounded him once more.

‘That armor and that weapon are also making him stronger…’

How this opponent operated really started to remind him of an RPG game. There most of the time the player character got stronger by leveling up and gaining better gear. Sometimes the numbers on the armor far outweighed the characters basic capabilities. It seemed that it was the same for these people, the key to beating them would be to either remove their weapons or disable them.

At this point in time, he could only overpower the magic the armor was generating with stronger magic that he could wield. But when the opponent had enough time they could just reset the effect and continue with their battle. It seemed that he would need to strip these guys of their clothes and examine them if they really were from another empire as he presumed.

The fight continued as everyone else started clearing out from the large hall. The silver knights made way for their leader that quickly recovered and charged in once more. His speed was quite impressive and the way he wielded the blade produced arcs of holy energy that shot in all directions.

What his opponent didn’t count on was Zhang Dong’s mastery of the holy arts. These rays that were produced were just gulped up by his holy core. With one last effort the knight took off into the air, giant angelic wings of gold sprouted from his back and his sword increased in size while being covered in a bright yellow glow.

“Take this, you scoundrel!”

“Scoundrel, really?”

The man came down like he was a rocket, if the hit connected this whole ship would probably be blown to kingdom come. It was clear that the knight had forgotten where the fight was taking place or he was desperate enough to try his luck.

But just as the radiant blade’s tip was about to connect with Zhang Dong’s face his finger made its way towards it. As if it was never there the radiant weapon crumbled into many tiny particles of light. The flashy golden wings on his back burst along with the rest of the energy he surrounded himself.

“I guess that I took it? So what now?”

Zhang Dong smiled while pushing with his finger on the sword that the man was holding. The difference in power was too much, even with both his hands on the sword the man could not move it even by an inch. Instead, he was getting pushed back himself.

“Protect the lord!”

Finally, the enemy knights had recovered enough to help their commander. But in reality, they were planning to withdraw which was quite apparent. The magic they were using was easy to read, he knew that the silver knights charging his way were only a distraction. While he was busy the mages were creating a teleportation spell to flee, at least they had enough sense to finally withdraw.

“I won’t let you.”

With a flick of his finger, he sent the golden knight tumbling back. Following his lazy movement, his finger glowed with blue light very similar to the one gathering about the mages.

“T-the mana isn’t gathering, what is going on?”

“Is that barbarian using mana canceling, how can he use magic?”

They were quick to notice where the source of the canceling magic was. Zhang Dong waved his hand forward to produce a shockwave. It quickly pushed the charging knights away and embedded them in the wooden ship walls once more. The place was quickly falling apart, if they were not on this ship he would have dealt with these knights a lot sooner. But if he truly started using all of his power then the whole ship would be done for.

“Stay down if you want to live, you are all my prisoners now!”

He proclaimed while sending off a suppressive attack against all of the magical knights and mages which promptly caused them to be knocked out. Only the commander was able to last through it but he wasn’t looking all that great himself.