140: Chapter 140 Sword Mark, Fishing

Such things happened all over the Small World.

Some people killed memory fragments and obtained the martial arts essence of the Dragon Slaying True Person, ecstatic with joy.

Others were killed by the Dragon Slaying True Person manifested from memories, turning into nutrients for this Small World, silently and without a trace.

Yet no one knew.

Because those who entered were scattered everywhere, their perception isolated by the power of the Small World.

Even when close at hand, it was difficult to perceive the existence of others.

Unless, the distance was close enough.

Jiang Hanzhou walked through the bamboo forest, and the scene before him suddenly changed.

The bamboo forest disappeared.

In its place was a desolate Gobi desert.

Yellow sand billowed, rocks were jagged, and in the distance, a broken cliff stood like it had been carved by a knife and axe, with crisscrossing marks vaguely visible on the cliff face.

Those were sword marks.

The wind whistled past, rolling up fine gravel that stung slightly when it hit his face.

Jiang Hanzhou stood at the edge of the Gobi, his gaze falling on the distant cliff.

Sword marks.

Sword marks left by the Dragon Slaying True Person.

His heart skipped a beat.

But at this very moment, he sensed something.

That feeling was very strange.

It was as if something had moved gently deep within his consciousness.

Jiang Hanzhou closed his eyes, concentrating his perception.

That pale green bead.

The memory of the Dragon Slaying True Person at seventeen was currently lying quietly in his sumeru pouch.

But the moment he closed his eyes, he "saw" it.

He saw a faint point of light.

In the far distance, in a certain direction of this Gobi desert, there was an equally faint point of light that resonated with the bead deep in his consciousness.

Was that... another bead?

Jiang Hanzhou opened his eyes, a flash of thought crossing them.

He did not have this feeling when he obtained the first bead.

But after obtaining the second bead, that subtle attraction appeared.

What did this mean?

Did it mean that those who obtained the beads could sense each other?

Or was it that only after obtaining a certain number of beads could one perceive the existence of others?

Jiang Hanzhou did not act rashly.

He stood in place, spreading his Divine Sense to the fullest, sensing everything around him.

Then he confirmed—

In this Gobi desert, he was the only one.

Although that point of light was in the direction of the Gobi, the distance was extremely far, at least dozens of miles away.

And... that light was faint and elusive, seemingly moving.

Someone was hunting memory fragments, someone was fighting, someone was moving.

Jiang Hanzhou withdrew his Divine Sense, his gaze falling on the nearby cliff.

No rush.

That person was dozens of miles away and could not get here for a while.

And before him, there was a sword mark.

Sword marks left by the Dragon Slaying True Person.

He strode towards the cliff.

The cliff was about thirty zhang high, grey-brown in color, its surface severely weathered and covered with the marks of time.

But the sword marks remained clear.

Not one, but seven.

Seven sword marks crisscrossed, deeply etched into the cliff face, each over a zhang long and several inches deep, their edges as smooth as mirrors, as if they were not cut by a sword, but were naturally so.

Jiang Hanzhou stood before the cliff, quietly watching those sword marks.

The first sword mark—

Fierce.

Domineering.

Unstoppable.

As if it wanted to split this world in two.

The second sword mark—

Long and continuous.

Cyclical.

Endless.

Like the tides, never-ending.

The third sword mark—

Sharp.

Piercing.

Indestructible.

That was the Golden Sharpness True Intent.

The fourth sword mark—

Fiery.

Scorching.

Burning everything.

That was the Pure Yang True Intent.

The fifth sword mark—

Deep.

Heavy.

Bearing everything.

That was the Thick Earth True Intent.

The sixth sword mark—

Full of vitality.

Continuous.

That was the Yimu True Intent.

The seventh sword mark—

Gentle.

Inclusive.

All-pervasive.

That was the Tidal True Intent.

Seven sword marks, five types of True Intent.

Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth.

All Five Elements present.

Jiang Hanzhou watched quietly, motionless.

The wind and sand whistled, blowing his robes, but he seemed to have turned into a stone statue.

Deep in his Sea of Consciousness, the "Golden Sharpness True Intent" tail he had just caught was slowly pulsing.

It resonated with the third sword mark on the cliff.

He closed his eyes.

His consciousness sank into his Sea of Consciousness.

That golden light flowed slowly in his consciousness, faint but real.

He began to contemplate the sword mark on the cliff.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

He did not know how much time had passed.

That golden light suddenly brightened a fraction.

Just a fraction.

But Jiang Hanzhou sensed it.

That meant—he was truly grasping that "tail" in his palm.

With enough time to comprehend, he could fully master the Golden Sharpness True Intent, making it his third True Intent after Tide and Pure Yang.

He did not open his eyes.

He continued to comprehend.

Time flowed slowly.

The wind and sand still whistled, the Gobi remained desolate, and the distant cliff stood silently.

...

On the Gobi desert, two figures were walking in this direction.

A man and a woman.

The man was short, with a withered face, but his eyes were a strange scarlet, and his body was surrounded by faint grey-black mist.

He wore a wide black robe, walking without sound, like a ghost.

The woman was in her early thirties, enchanting in appearance, with a graceful figure, wearing a blood-red long dress with a very low neckline, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin.

A charming smile hung on the corners of her mouth, but her eyes were as cold as a snake.

Poison Hand Child Elder, Blood Gu Lady.

External Elders of the Ten Thousand Gu Sect, they were ordered to find the missing Ghost Ink Venerable, but accidentally ran into the appearance of the Dragon Slaying True Person's Immortal Cave, so they took the opportunity to sneak in.

"Child Elder, did you smell it?" Blood Gu Lady spoke suddenly, her voice coquettish to the bone.

Poison Hand Child Elder paused, his scarlet eyes narrowing slightly.

"Thousand Tribulations Nirvana Gu."

His voice was hoarse and harsh, like sandpaper rubbing.

"This smell..."

A flash of greed crossed Blood Gu Lady's eyes.

"To be able to refine the Thousand Tribulations Nirvana Gu, he is quite a ruthless person with some ability. But the aura of this Gu has not yet dissipated, which means he has not yet fully mastered its essence."

She licked her lips, the movement extremely bewitching, yet revealing a chilling malice.

"If we can refine this person and take his essence blood to fuse into my 'Blood Devouring Gu'..."

"Find Kurong first." Poison Hand Child Elder interrupted her, his tone cold. "The Sect Master has ordered that before finding the whereabouts of Ghost Ink, we must not cause extra trouble."

Blood Gu Lady curled her lips, a flash of displeasure in her eyes, but she did not refute.

The two continued forward.

But after walking only a few dozen zhang, Poison Hand Child Elder suddenly stopped.

His gaze looked toward the jagged rock area in the depths of the Gobi.

"Over there."

Blood Gu Lady followed his gaze, a smile forming at the corner of her mouth.

"That person is over there?"

Poison Hand Child Elder nodded.

"The aura is very close. Within three miles."

Blood Gu Lady's smile deepened.

"That old thing Kurong doesn't know where he ran off to, and we won't be able to find him for a while. Why not... go meet this fellow Daoist first?"

Poison Hand Child Elder was silent for a moment.

Then he nodded.

The two figures leaped up and sped towards the rocky area.

...

Jiang Hanzhou opened his eyes.

Those two auras were approaching.

Three miles.

Two miles.

One mile.

Half a mile.

He was still sitting cross-legged on the rock, his aura restrained like an abyss, as if he were an ordinary Cultivator meditating.

But his hand was already gripping the hilt of the tiger soul saber.

His Divine Sense had already locked onto every rock, every gully, and every shadow within a hundred zhang.

This was the Gobi desert.

Jagged rocks, crisscrossing gullies.

Whistling wind and sand, blocked vision.

This was an excellent place for an ambush.

If those two thought he was just a lamb waiting to be slaughtered—

A very faint smile curled at the corners of Jiang Hanzhou's lips.

That smile was very cold.

He had actually discovered the scent of Gu worms on those two long ago; he had been studying the secret record of blood gu for a long time and had long known how to hide the aura brought by Gu worms.

Otherwise, why didn't Ghost Ink Venerable discover the aura of the Thousand Tribulations Nirvana Gu on him?

And this time he released his aura, it was just to go fishing.

Regardless of why these people from the Ten Thousand Gu Sect came to the West Sea, starting from He Yunqi, the people of the Ten Thousand Gu Sect had been his enemies.

For these vermin, killing them was just right, and it could also compensate for the resources he needed.