204: Chapter 203 Blood Shark

News of the Heavenly Heart Sect's destruction arrived three days later.

At that time, Jiang Hanzhou was sitting cross-legged beneath the Lijian Cliff, eyes closed as he meditated on the residual Dao of Fusion within the twenty-third sword mark.

Seven-colored light slowly circulated deep within his Sea of Consciousness, entangling, colliding, and testing his three types of True Intent; every touch deepened his understanding of the word "Fusion."

Suddenly, the ten-thousand-mile communication talisman in his robes trembled slightly.

He opened his eyes, took out the crimson jade talisman, and sent his Divine Sense into it.

Jiang Tao's voice came through, urgent, hoarse, and carrying an irrepressible panic:

"Master! Something has happened!"

"The Heavenly Heart Sect has been destroyed, done by the Sea Quelling Department. Xu Zhaoyang personally took action and killed Layman Lingxin with a single palm strike. Of the over three hundred members of the Heavenly Heart Sect, fewer than thirty escaped."

"Following your instructions, we contacted those small factions in the Star Continent Anchorage and seized quite a bit of territory amidst the chaos—three docks, seventeen shops, and shares in two Spirit Stone mines. The Prodigal Society has truly feasted this time!"

"But—"

His voice suddenly dropped, carrying a hint of trembling:

"The survivors of the Heavenly Heart Sect colluded with a group of overseas evil cultivators. They call themselves 'Blood Shark Island' and occupy a deserted island deep in the Eastern Sea, specializing in plundering sea vessels and slaughtering villages."

"Three days ago, they raided Taikang Island."

"Boss, Taikang Island is the home base of our Prodigal Society..."

"Over a hundred brothers died. Zhang Heng is dead, Old Seven Chen is dead, A-Kun is dead... I fought my way out, but I was also hit by a palm strike from the Blood Shark Island Master. My internal organs are displaced, and thirty percent of my Meridians are severed..."

"Master, I have failed you..."

"They are still pursuing me. I don't know how much longer I can hold on. That Blood Shark Island Master said they don't just want the reward from the Heavenly Heart Sect survivors; what they truly want—is the thing beneath Dragon Abyss Palace's Fishing Ground No. 4..."

"Master, if you receive this message, absolutely do not come... It's too dangerous... Those evil cultivators... are too strong..."

The voice cut off abruptly there.

The light in the jade talisman dimmed, leaving only a faint, lingering warmth.

Jiang Hanzhou held the jade talisman and remained silent for a long time.

Beneath the Lijian Cliff, the mountain wind howled, blowing his robes.

The surrounding Disciples were still meditating with their eyes closed; no one noticed anything unusual about the youth.

He stood up, his gaze looking toward the eastern horizon.

In that direction lay Taikang Island.

It was also the direction of Blood Shark Island.

A cold glint flashed in Jiang Hanzhou's eyes.

You dare to snatch food from my tiger's mouth?

He turned and sped toward Red Fire Peak.

—

In Lihuo Hall, Master Xue Mu was holding a teacup, listening to an Inner Sect Disciple report on their Cultivate progress.

Seeing Jiang Hanzhou enter in a hurry, he raised an eyebrow slightly and waved his hand for the Disciple to withdraw.

"What? You're no longer meditating on the sword marks on the Lijian Cliff?"

Jiang Hanzhou walked up to him, gave a respectful bow, then raised his head to look him straight in the eye:

"Master, this Disciple needs to go out for a while."

Master Xue Mu looked at him and didn't ask why, only saying calmly:

"For how long?"

"Three days at the shortest, five days at the longest."

"Is it dangerous?"

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a moment, then nodded: "It is."

Jiang Hanzhou didn't actually care; if he couldn't win, he would just run. But since he had a Master above him, there was no need to shoulder everything himself.

Master Xue Mu put down his teacup, stood up, walked to the window, and stood with his hands behind his back.

Outside the window, the sea of clouds surged, and sunlight spilled down.

"You are my, Master Xue Mu's, Disciple." His voice was as calm as water. "A Disciple of Red Fire Peak cannot lose face when out in the world."

He took out a palm-sized jade talisman from his robes and tossed it over.

The jade talisman was pale gold, its surface carved with dense Formation patterns, with an ancient "Escape" character in the center.

Jiang Hanzhou caught it; it felt cool to the touch, yet he could sense the majestic spatial power contained within the jade talisman.

"A Void Escape Talisman," Master Xue Mu said indifferently. "Within ten thousand miles, wherever your mind wills, you can arrive in an instant. This was something your Master used for life-saving when I was young; I no longer need it, so it's yours."

He turned around and looked at Jiang Hanzhou:

"Remember—if you can't win, run. Coming back alive is more important than anything."

Holding the Void Escape Talisman, an indescribable emotion welled up in Jiang Hanzhou's heart.

He took a deep breath and gave a solemn bow:

"This Disciple will surely not fail Master's expectations."

He turned and strode out of the hall.

Master Xue Mu watched his retreating back, a smile slowly curling at the corners of his mouth.

"This kid..." he murmured softly, "is becoming more and more interesting."

—

On Taikang Island, the Prodigal Society was already in ruins.

Buildings had collapsed, thick smoke billowed, and dozens of corpses lay scattered across the streets. Among them were members of the Prodigal Society, ordinary fishermen, and even a few women and children.

The air was thick with the smell of blood mixed with the stench of charred wood, making one feel nauseous.

Amidst the broken walls, a figure was curled up in a corner.

Jiang Tao.

He was covered in blood, his left arm twisted at a bizarre angle, and there was a pitch-black palm print on his chest that had sunk deep into his flesh, with faint charred marks visible around the edges.

His breath was weak, and every breath was accompanied by bloody foam overflowing from the corners of his mouth.

But his eyes were fixed dead ahead.

There stood three figures.

Three people dressed in blood-red robes.

Leading them was a bald, burly man with a fierce expression and a sinister blood shark tattooed on his left cheek.

A faint blood-red light swirled around him, within which countless tiny phantom blood sharks could be seen swimming.

Late Yuanxiang Stage.

Behind him stood two middle-aged men, both in the Initial Stage of Yuanxiang, also surrounded by blood-red light, though it was much fainter.

"Kid, you're quite good at running," the bald man grinned, revealing a mouth full of gold teeth. "Running three thousand miles from Star Continent Anchorage to Taikang Island, making me chase you for three days and three nights."

He stepped forward and stomped on Jiang Tao's chest, grinding it harshly.

Jiang Tao let out a muffled groan, a large amount of blood gushing from his mouth, yet he didn't make a sound.

"Stubborn bones." The bald man withdrew his foot, squatted down, and stared into his eyes. "Speak, who is behind your Prodigal Society? Who is the mastermind who had you seize territory amidst the chaos?"

Jiang Tao looked at him, a smile slowly curling at the corners of his mouth.

The smile was faint, yet it carried an indescribable mockery.

"What are you laughing at?" The bald man frowned.

"I'm laughing..." Jiang Tao's voice was hoarse, but he spoke word by word, "because you are all going to die."

The bald man was stunned, then threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"We're going to die?" He laughed so hard he doubled over. "Kid, did you get beaten stupid? Look around, the people of your Prodigal Society are all dead. I can crush you with a single finger, and you're telling me we're going to die?"

The two middle-aged men behind him also laughed, their laughter full of ridicule.

Jiang Tao ignored their mockery.

He just looked toward the horizon, at the dark-gold escape light that was speeding toward them, an indescribable light flashing in his eyes.

"He's here..." he murmured softly, "Master is here..."

The bald man followed his gaze.

On the horizon, a dark-gold light was breaking through the clouds!

That light was incredibly fast, so fast it was shocking; one moment it was at the edge of the sky, and the next it had reached the airspace above the island!

The light dissipated, revealing a youth's figure.

Jiang Hanzhou stood in mid-air, a faint dark-gold light swirling around him. His gaze swept over the ruins on the island, over the scattered corpses, and finally landed on Jiang Tao, specifically on that pitch-black palm print on his chest.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

That glint was very faint, yet it caused the bald man's heart to shiver for no reason.

"Kid, who are you?" he said deeply, blood-red light circulating around him as he prepared for battle.

Jiang Hanzhou didn't look at him.

He just slowly descended, landing in front of Jiang Tao.

He squatted down and reached out to check Jiang Tao's pulse. It was weak, but still beating. He took out a healing Medicinal Pill, placed it in Jiang Tao's mouth, and used True Qi to catalyze it.

After taking the pill, Jiang Tao's complexion eased slightly, and he struggled to sit up:

"Master... I... I failed you... The brothers... they're all dead..."

Jiang Hanzhou held him down, not letting him move.

"Don't speak." His voice was as calm as water. "Recover well."

He stood up, turned around, and looked at the three blood-robed evil cultivators.

"Are you from Blood Shark Island?"

The bald man raised an eyebrow: "Indeed. I am the Third Island Master of Blood Shark Island, Blood Slaughter. Kid, and who are you?"

Jiang Hanzhou did not answer.

He simply raised his right hand.

In his palm, a tri-colored flame quietly emerged.

Dark-gold, dark-red, and invisible—the three colors intertwined, slowly circulating within the flame.