174: Chapter 173 Slaying!

"Damn it!"

Zhao Yuanjing swept his long spear horizontally, the spear radiance severing a humanoid blood monster at the waist. After the blood monster split in two, it actually grew lower bodies for each half, turning into two smaller humanoid blood monsters!

Jiang Hanzhou's gaze sharpened.

He understood.

These blood monsters were not true "monsters."

They were part of the blood pool, manifestations of blood fiend energy driven by Blood Bone Venerable's evil arts. As long as the blood pool remained, and as long as Blood Bone Venerable was still there, they could undergo infinite Rebirth.

The only way—decapitation. Kill Blood Bone Venerable directly.

He lifted his head, his gaze piercing through countless blood monsters, landing on that shriveled figure standing above the blood pool.

Blood Bone Venerable was watching him too.

In those crimson eyes, there was nothing but mockery and amusement.

"Want to slash me?" He chuckled softly. "Come then."

He suddenly pressed both hands downward! The blood pool surged!

Countless waves of blood shot into the sky, condensing above Jiang Hanzhou's head into a massive blood claw that blotted out the sky!

That blood claw was ten zhang wide, its five fingers like mountains, slamming down directly toward Jiang Hanzhou!

Before the blood claw even arrived, the fierce wind had already crushed the ground three feet deep!

Jiang Hanzhou gritted his teeth, the Blood Burning power within his body burning crazily!

He raised his blade.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, three rays of light lit up simultaneously!

Tidal True Intent, 20 percent! Pure Yang True Intent, 20 percent! Golden Sharpness True Intent, 15 percent!

The three rays of light intertwined and surged into the tiger soul saber!

On the blade, the dense golden patterns suddenly erupted with brilliant light!

"Slash!" He shouted sharply, slashing out with his blade!

The blade radiance soared!

The crimson-gold blade radiance collided violently with the sky-covering blood claw!

"Boom!" The loud noise was like a thunderclap, exploding violently above the altar!

Violent shockwaves poured out in all directions, and those blood-colored monsters besieging the other five people instantly turned into blood mist under the impact of these shockwaves!

Blood mist permeated, blocking all sight.

Jiang Hanzhou knelt on one knee, gasping for breath.

Nearly half of the blood and Qi in his body had burned away.

This slash had exhausted nearly 70 percent of his True Qi.

But he had shattered that blood claw.

He raised his head and looked toward the direction of the blood pool.

The blood mist gradually dissipated.

Blood Bone Venerable still stood above the blood pool.

But his expression was no longer relaxed.

His right arm was severed at the elbow.

At the stump, there was no blood, only countless dark red threads twisting wildly, attempting to re-condense into a new arm.

"Good." He spoke, his voice hoarse, yet carrying an indescribable tone. "Very good."

He looked at Jiang Hanzhou. In those crimson eyes, the mockery and amusement had vanished, replaced by true—killing intent.

"I retract my previous words," he said. "You are not only worth collecting, but even more worth—becoming fertilizer for my blood pool."

He raised his left hand. His five fingers opened. The blood pool surged crazily!

Countless blood waves surged out from the pool. This time, they did not turn into monsters, but instead surged directly toward Blood Bone Venerable himself!

Those blood waves poured into his body, and his aura began to climb wildly!

Initial Stage of Yuanxiang. Yuan Xiang middle stage. Late Yuanxiang Stage. Peak of Late Yuanxiang Stage!

The climb of his aura stopped abruptly at a position just a hair's breadth away from the Dragon Fetus Realm.

But that pressure, that oppression from the blood fiend energy, had already made Huo Qingfeng and the others pale.

Blood Bone Venerable's body began to change. The severed right arm grew back at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The shriveled skin and flesh began to swell, began to fill out, and began to recover into the appearance of a normal person. His face became handsome once again.

But those eyes remained crimson.

"This is my true form," he said, his voice no longer hoarse, but clear and pleasant. "The previous one was merely a skin I fished out from the blood pool."

He raised his right hand, his five fingers gently clenching into a fist. Inside the blood pool, a violent tremor suddenly came.

That tremor was not the tremor of surging blood waves, but came from the deepest part of the blood pool—from some behemoth sleeping at the bottom of the pool.

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils contracted sharply. He saw it.

At the bottom of the blood pool, something was floating up.

That thing was huge, very huge. The vaguely visible outline was fully ten zhang long.

It floated up slowly, passing through layers of blood water, and finally—emerged from the water.

It was a scale. A damaged scale.

The scale was about the size of a millstone, dark gold in its entirety, with dense patterns covering the surface. The patterns wound like a dragon, and within every single line, faint golden light lingered.

That was a Dragon scale. A real Dragon scale.

"Th-this is..." Zhao Yuanjing's voice trembled, his face instantly turning as pale as paper. "He is refining jiaolong remains!"

The moment his voice fell, the blood pool surged again! More remains floated to the surface.

A broken section of spine, fully over a zhang long, each vertebra thick as a basin, with withered tendons still connected between the joints.

A damaged Dragon claw, two of its three talons broken, the only remaining one still sharp as a blade, emitting a faint golden light.

And half of a Dragon head. That Dragon head only had the upper half remaining, one eye tightly closed, while the other eye was half-open—the eyeball had withered into a hollow, but deep within the hollow, something was faintly pulsing.

That was the lingering Dragon prestige. Even though it had been dead for unknown ages, and even though only half a skull remained, that pressure from the Dragon Clan still made everyone present feel suffocated.

Blood Bone Venerable spread his arms, standing atop this expanse of floating jiaolong remains. He laughed. That smile was hideous and insane.

"Do you see?" he said softly. "This jiaolong was a Great Demon of the Dongxuan Realm while alive. It died here, sank to the bottom of the sea, and was sealed by the power of the earth veins for a full three thousand years."

He lowered his head, looking at the half Dragon head beneath his feet, his eyes filled with obsession.

"Three thousand years, its flesh and blood have long since decayed, its bones have long since petrified, but the Dragon blood, Dragon marrow, and Dragon essence remaining in its remains—those things are still there."

"As long as I refine them all and integrate them into my own body—" He lifted his head, and in those crimson eyes, a crazy light burned.

"I will be able to shed my mortal body and achieve a semi-Dragon body!" "By then, the Dragon Fetus Realm, the Jiaotai Realm, or even the Dongxuan Realm—none will be an extravagant hope anymore!"

He looked at Jiang Hanzhou, looked at Teng Yuzhi, looked at Huo Qingfeng, looked at every single person present.

"And you all will become the final fertilizer for my transformation."

The words fell. The blood pool surged crazily!

Countless blood waves shot into the sky, turning into countless blood-colored monsters, rushing toward the six people once again!

At the same time, the floating jiaolong remains began to tremble. On the dark gold Dragon scales, those dense patterns suddenly lit up! Within the broken spine, faint dark red light flowed!

In that half Dragon head, deep within that half-open Dragon eye, that trace of lingering Dragon prestige was being forcibly awakened by Blood Bone Venerable!

"Not good!" Huo Qingfeng shouted sharply. "He is extracting the Dragon essence from the remains! We must stop him!"

Before the words faded, a huge blood-colored jiaolong had already rushed out from the blood pool, opening its bloody maw, biting down directly toward him!

He slashed out with his sword with all his might, severing the blood jiaolong in two! But the next moment, the two halves of the blood jiaolong re-condensed, turning into two smaller blood jiaolongs, continuing to rush at him!

Teng Yuzhi, Zhao Yuanjing, the Burly Man, and the Heroic Woman were similarly mired in a bitter battle.

Those blood monsters seemed to multiply the more they were killed, growing stronger, as if they could never be killed off.

And in the center of the blood pool, Blood Bone Venerable stood atop the jiaolong remains, the blood light around his body growing increasingly intense.

His aura was slowly climbing.

It was infinitely close to the Dragon Fetus Realm.

He only needed another stick of incense's time—no, just half a stick of incense's time. He would be able to completely refine the Dragon essence remaining in the remains and achieve a Breakthrough in one go!

Jiang Hanzhou stared at him intently.

The blood and Qi within his body burned once again. The Blood Burning power was pushed to the extreme.

He gripped the tiger soul saber tightly, and on the blade, the dense golden patterns flickered crazily.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, three rays of light lit up simultaneously!

He knew this was the only chance.

He had to kill him before Blood Bone Venerable achieved his Breakthrough.

Even if it meant burning the last drop of his blood.

Even if it meant risking this life.

He took a deep breath. And then—he moved.

He did not rush toward Blood Bone Venerable, but instead rushed toward that blood pool. Rushed toward that expanse of floating jiaolong remains. Rushed toward that half Dragon head.

The tiger soul saber was raised. The crimson-gold blade radiance was as brilliant as the sun. Slash!