185: Chapter 184 The Power of the Heart Blade

The flying boat broke through the clouds and dove toward the craggy, rock-filled island below.

Jiang Hanzhou stood at the edge of the ship's railing, the howling sea breeze causing his robes to snap loudly.

His gaze was locked onto the rapidly approaching island. His right hand rested on the tiger soul saber at his waist; the blade vibrated slightly, as if responding to the Battle Intent in his heart.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the Heart Blade hovered quietly.

On the dark golden blade, the winding, Dragon-like patterns were flowing slowly. With every flow, a faint trace of sharpness emanated from the edge.

It was waiting. Waiting to drink blood.

"Prepare!" The voice of the green-armored captain exploded within the flying boat.

His name was Zhou Lie, a captain of the Black Stone Camp of the Sea Quelling Department. He was in the Late Yuanxiang Stage and had accompanied Xu Zhaoyang in the West Sea for over a decade, personally slaying no fewer than a hundred demons.

Behind him, twenty Mystic Armor Soldiers gripped their weapons simultaneously.

Those weapons were all Sharp Weapons forged over a thousand times—some were long spears, some horizontal sabers, others heavy halberds—glinting with a chilling cold light under the sun.

"After landing, form a formation and advance!" Zhou Lie said in a deep voice. "You people from the Dragon Abyss Palace will clear the outer Blood Puppets, while we are responsible for encircling and suppressing the core evil cultivators! If any fish slip through the net, kill them without mercy!"

Huo Qingfeng nodded, his long sword drawing three inches from its scabbard before slowly pushing it back in. That was the habit of Heavenly Sword Peak—the sword does not need to be drawn for the killing intent to arrive.

Teng Yuzhi stood beside Jiang Hanzhou, her moon-white martial attire fluttering slightly in the wind.

The green-edged long sword still hung at her waist, and the green jade pendant on the sword tassel shimmered with a gentle glow under the sun.

Her complexion was much better than yesterday; the self-healing power of the Pure Lotus Body was indeed extraordinary.

Zhao Yuanjing gripped that pitch-black long spear, a cold light faintly flowing along the shaft.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying hard to remain calm. Yet, in his eyes, an irrepressible Battle Intent burned.

Song Hu grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

He gripped the huge iron hammer with both hands.

This hammer was borrowed temporarily from the Sea Quelling Department; although not as handy as his original one, it was sufficient to smash those Blood Puppets into pulp.

Liu Ningshuang stood beside him, her twin swords already drawn three inches.

Her complexion was still somewhat pale, but her eyes were exceptionally bright. She knew that this cleanup operation was her chance to prove herself.

The flying boat was less than a hundred feet from the island.

The scene below became increasingly clear—

In the center of the island was an open space filled with jagged rocks.

Dozens of crude stone houses stood in the open space, and countless figures were running frantically around them.

Those figures included evil cultivators in blood robes, Blood Puppets with dull gazes, and some tattered, chained villagers.

There were about twenty evil cultivators, mostly in the Viscera Burning Realm, with a few in the Condensing Pulse Realm. Leading them was a gaunt old man wearing a dark red blood robe, with a faint blood light swirling around him—he was in the Initial Stage of Yuanxiang.

The number of Blood Puppets was even greater, densely packed, no fewer than a hundred.

They stood around the evil cultivators like soldiers awaiting orders, dark red light flickering in their empty eye sockets.

As for the villagers tied up with chains, there were about thirty of them, including men, women, the old, and the young.

They were in rags, sallow and emaciated, their eyes filled with fear and despair.

Some sat paralyzed on the ground, some curled into balls, some sobbed softly, and some were so numb that they could not even cry.

"Those beasts!" Song Hu growled, veins bulging on his hands as he gripped the iron hammer.

Zhou Lie's expression also darkened.

But he did not say much, simply raising his right hand and spreading his five fingers—

"Descend!"

The flying boat plummeted suddenly!

Fifty feet. Thirty feet. Ten feet—

"Kill—!"

Zhou Lie shouted sharply and was the first to leap off the flying boat!

Behind him, the twenty Mystic Armor Soldiers followed closely, like fierce tigers descending the mountain!

Jiang Hanzhou and the other five leaped into the air simultaneously, swooping down toward the lair of the Blood Bone Venerable's remnant party!

The moment he landed, Jiang Hanzhou perceived the overwhelming stench of blood rushing toward him.

It was a pungent odor of dried blood mixed with decay, so intense it was nauseating.

The ground beneath his feet was dark red—the color of dried blood after soaking through—and it felt soft and muddy when stepped on.

The surrounding stone houses were low and crude, their walls covered in dark red handprints. Some of the handprints were very small—they were children's.

Jiang Hanzhou's gaze swept over those handprints, and his pupils constricted slightly.

But he did not linger. He gripped the tiger soul saber and dashed toward the nearest Blood Puppet!

Those Blood Puppets were currently surging toward them!

Their speed was not fast, and their steps were stiff. With every step, their joints made "creak, creak" sounds, like rusted machinery.

Yet their Physical Body was astonishingly tough.

A Blood Puppet rushed in front of Song Hu and swung its deformed arm down at him!

Song Hu swung his hammer, and the moment the hammer collided with the arm, it emitted a loud clang like metal striking metal!

On that arm, only a shallow dent was left. But Song Hu's iron hammer was bounced high into the air!

"Damn it!" Song Hu roared and swung again, this hammer striking the Blood Puppet's chest!

"Boom—!" The Blood Puppet was knocked back three steps, its chest caving in to form a large crater. But no blood flowed from the indentation; instead, countless dark red threads surged frantically, attempting to repair the damage.

Song Hu's iron hammer could not shatter it.

Zhao Yuanjing thrust his long spear, the tip piercing through the head of a Blood Puppet!

But the moment the spear pierced in, he perceived it—inside that Blood Puppet's skull was not soft brain matter, but flesh as tough as rubber!

The spear tip penetrated three inches, and then it was difficult to advance even an inch further.

The Blood Puppet roared and swung its arm down at him!

Zhao Yuanjing withdrew his spear and retreated rapidly. As the spear tip was pulled out of the skull, it brought out a few wisps of dark red threads. The threads twisted in the air, as if they were living creatures.

"Decapitation doesn't work!" He said sharply. "The inside of their skulls is soaked with the power of blood fiend, hard as iron and stone!"

Teng Yuzhi struck with her sword, the sword light as cold as frost, slicing into a Blood Puppet's neck!

The neck snapped in response! But after the Blood Puppet's head rolled to the ground, it continued to roar and struggle. Its headless body remained standing, swinging its arms as it lunged at Teng Yuzhi!

And that rolling head actually bounced off the ground, opening its giant mouth full of fangs to bite at her leg!

Teng Yuzhi's expression changed, her body turning rapidly as she sliced the head in two with one sword strike!

The moment the head shattered, countless dark red threads gushed out from within, like a bursting blood sac, splattering in all directions!

Those threads landed on the ground, on the walls of the stone houses, and on other Blood Puppets, instantly merging into their bodies, making the aura of those Blood Puppets even more violent!

"Damn it!" Huo Qingfeng's expression was dark. "These Blood Puppets are more troublesome than those on Black Stone Island!"

He had realized it. The Blood Puppets on Black Stone Island were just early-stage products casually refined by the Blood Bone Venerable; although they had the ability to revive, they were far less formidable than these Blood Puppets.

These Blood Puppets were "elites" carefully refined by the Blood Bone Venerable—their Physical Body had been repeatedly tempered by the power of blood fiend, becoming hard as iron; they had a blood fiend demon core implanted within them, so even if their heads were severed, their bodies could still fight; their bodily fluids contained highly toxic and corrosive power, and once splashed, they would contaminate everything around them.

And there were at least a hundred of them!

Zhou Lie's brows were tightly furrowed.

The twenty Mystic Armor Soldiers he had brought were currently locked in fierce combat with those evil cultivators.

Although those evil cultivators only had one person in the Initial Stage of Yuanxiang, and the rest were in the Viscera Burning or Condensing Pulse realms, they had cultivated evil arts for many years and had strange methods. Coordinating with those Blood Puppets, they were actually fighting the elites of the Sea Quelling Department to a standstill.

"People of the Dragon Abyss Palace!" He shouted sharply. "Leave the Blood Puppets to you! Can you do it?"

Huo Qingfeng gritted his teeth and did not answer.

Because he knew that with the strength of the five of them, they simply could not kill all these Blood Puppets.

Decapitation didn't work, and destroying the heart didn't work either.

Their demon cores were hidden deep within their bodies, and their locations varied—some in the chest, some in the abdomen, some in the back, and some even in the legs.

Trying to accurately locate the demon core during combat was almost impossible.

Unless—

"I'll do it."

A voice rang out, calm as water.

Everyone turned to look.

Jiang Hanzhou stood three feet away, his right hand gripping his saber, the tip pointing obliquely at the ground.

His gaze rested on the Blood Puppets that were surging toward them.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the Heart Blade vibrated gently.

On the dark golden blade, those winding, Dragon-like patterns suddenly lit up!

"You?" Huo Qingfeng's brows furrowed tightly. "Junior Brother Jiang, these Blood Puppets have a tough Physical Body, and neither decapitation nor destroying the heart works. You—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Jiang Hanzhou moved.

He did not rush toward the Blood Puppets; he simply stood where he was.

His right hand was still gripping the saber, and the tip was still pointing obliquely at the ground.

But his gaze had become extremely profound.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the Heart Blade trembled slightly.

The next instant—

An invisible blade light shot out from between his brows!