173: Chapter 172 Battle Blood Bone

Blood Bone Venerable rose slowly from the blood pool.

It was as if the blood pool itself had life, lifting him up from the churning blood.

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils contracted slightly.

He saw it.

He saw a body that should not belong to a living person.

The flesh was shriveled and clung tightly to the bones, like a dried corpse exposed to the scorching sun for thousands of years.

Every rib was clearly discernible, protruding in rows beneath the pale skin, as if it were a breathing skeleton.

The spine was even more shocking.

That spine extended from the back of the neck all the way to the tailbone, each segment protruding from the skin, like a winding Bone Dragon coiled behind his back.

Each vertebra was unusually thick, with fine bone spurs growing at the edges, and a dark red light flowing over the bone spurs.

Blood Bone Venerable raised his head.

That face had completely changed.

It was no longer the handsome face of the young man from before, but the skeletal outline revealed after the flesh had shriveled.

The eye sockets were deeply sunken, yet the eyeballs were even more crimson, red as two burning coals, dancing within the sunken sockets.

He smiled.

The smile pulled at his shriveled lips, revealing a mouthful of pitch-black teeth.

"Initial Stage of Yuanxiang, three types of True Intent." His voice was hoarse and grating, like sandpaper rubbing against rock. "A bit interesting."

Jiang Hanzhou did not reply.

He only gripped his tiger soul saber tightly, his gaze locked onto this monster rising from the blood pool.

Blood Bone Venerable's gaze swept over the other five people, finally landing back on Jiang Hanzhou.

"You people from the Dragon Abyss Palace are always so suicidal." He said indifferently, "That captain from the Sea Quelling Department was also at the Yuan Xiang middle stage, and he also stood here, looking at me with those eyes."

He paused, extended a withered finger, and pointed to the pile of scattered broken bones at the edge of the altar.

"Now, he is there."

Huo Qingfeng's expression changed.

They had seen that pile of broken bones earlier, but had not had time to look closely.

Looking closely now, one could vaguely see a few broken armor plates scattered among the bones, which were exactly the style of the standard armor of the Great Qi Sea Quelling Department.

"You are courting death!" The Burly Man roared, and the iron hammer in his hand smashed out with a boom!

Lightning exploded!

The iron hammer, wrapped in violent lightning, smashed down towards Blood Bone Venerable's head!

Blood Bone Venerable didn't even glance at him.

He just raised his right hand and gently clenched his five fingers.

The blood pool churned!

A wave of blood soared into the sky from the pool, turning into a giant blood claw, meeting the falling iron hammer!

"Boom!"

The moment the blood claw collided with the iron hammer, lightning exploded, and blood mist filled the air!

The Burly Man let out a muffled groan, his entire body flying backward, crashing heavily into a large tree ten zhang away, the trunk snapping in response!

The iron hammer in his hand had disappeared.

It had been crushed by that blood claw.

"Yuan Xiang middle stage?" Blood Bone Venerable chuckled softly and withdrew his right hand. "Mere ants."

His gaze landed on Jiang Hanzhou again.

"What about you? Do you want to try?"

Jiang Hanzhou did not move.

He just stood there quietly, holding his saber in his right hand, the tip pointing obliquely at the ground.

He was waiting.

Waiting for an opportunity.

Blood Bone Venerable seemed to see through his intentions, a mocking smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

"Waiting for an opportunity?" He shook his head. "Do you think I will give you a chance?"

Before he finished speaking—

He moved.

That shriveled body erupted with unimaginable speed in that instant!

Like a streak of bloody lightning, he crossed the ten-zhang distance and dashed towards Jiang Hanzhou!

His withered right hand opened its five fingers, and from his fingertips, five bloody sharp edges shot out, turning into five bloody blades, piercing towards Jiang Hanzhou's chest!

Blood Fiend Demon Claw!

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils contracted suddenly!

He had no time to dodge, not even time to swing his saber—

He could only take it head-on!

Within his body, his Qi and blood burned violently!

Li Huo Golden Body Art, Fifth Layer—Blood Burning!

In that instant, the Qi and blood within him, which had already been dyed a pale gold, exploded like an ignited sea of oil!

Crimson-gold flames surged out from his body, condensing into a three-foot-thick protective flame light around him!

Within the flame light, golden sharpness flowed ceaselessly; that was the trace of Golden Sharpness True Intent attached to it!

"Sshh!"

The moment the five bloody blades pierced into the flame light, they emitted a piercing shriek!

That was the sound of the Blood Fiend power and the Lihuo True Flame colliding, eroding and dissolving each other!

Blood mist filled the air, flames churned!

Jiang Hanzhou let out a muffled groan, his feet plowing two deep trenches into the ground, and he was forced back three zhang by the power of that claw!

But he held firm.

After piercing three feet into the flame light, the five bloody blades finally exhausted their strength and dissipated into blood mist.

A trace of surprise flashed in Blood Bone Venerable's eyes.

"Blood Burning?" He whispered, "Li Huo Golden Body Art Fifth Layer? You are only at the Initial Stage of Yuanxiang, yet you have already touched the threshold of the Fifth Layer?"

Jiang Hanzhou did not answer.

He just swung his saber violently the moment he steadied his figure!

The tiger soul saber was unsheathed!

The dull blade erupted with brilliant golden light at this moment; it was the sharpness from the perfect Fusion of Golden Sharpness True Intent and Lihuo True Flame!

The saber light appeared suddenly!

A crimson-gold saber beam, like a strip of silk, slashed towards Blood Bone Venerable's waist!

Divine Intent Heavenly Saber · Tide Breaking!

This strike fused the endurance of Tide, the intense heat of Pure Yang, and the sharpness of Metal Sharpness; three types of True Intent erupted simultaneously at this moment!

Blood Bone Venerable's expression finally changed.

He thrust out both hands, his ten fingers flicking continuously!

From the blood pool, countless waves of blood soared into the sky, condensing into one blood-colored barrier after another in front of him!

The first one, shattered!

The second one, shattered!

The third one, shattered!

After the saber beam shattered three blood barriers, it finally exhausted its strength and dissipated before the fourth blood barrier.

But Jiang Hanzhou's second strike followed closely behind!

Huo Qingfeng, Teng Yuzhi, Zhao Yuanjing, the Heroic Woman, and the Burly Man who had just crawled up from under the tree, all attacked simultaneously at this moment!

Sword light, spear beams, twin swords, iron hammer—five attacks crashed down onto Blood Bone Venerable from different directions!

Blood Bone Venerable snorted coldly.

He slammed his hands together.

In the blood pool, blood churned crazily!

Countless waves of blood surged out from the pool, turning into countless blood-colored monsters, pouncing towards the six of them!

Those monsters had various forms: some like jackals, some like giant pythons, some like humans, and some were simply indescribable.

They only had one thing in common: they were entirely condensed from blood, exuding a nauseating stench.

"Careful!" Huo Qingfeng shouted sharply, "Don't let them get close!"

Before he finished speaking, a giant blood-colored wolf had already pounced in front of him!

He slashed out with his sword, splitting the giant wolf in two!

But the moment the two halves of the corpse hit the ground, they turned into two pools of blood, and then the blood twisted, re-condensing into two smaller blood wolves!

Teng Yuzhi's sword light was like frost, shattering three blood-colored monsters with one strike, and the same situation happened again.

The more they were shattered, the more they were reborn!