230: Chapter 229 Another Kill

Underwater, it was as dark as an abyss.

Jiang Hanzhou used his Tidal True Intent to lead the way, neutralizing and channeling the bone-piercing chill layer by layer.

Zhou Lie followed behind him with a Water-Repelling Pill in his mouth. Not a shred of his aura leaked out, but his eyes flickered with the light of excitement.

The two of them dove deeper, passing the corpses of the two Blood Shark Island Disciples and swimming toward that massive shadow.

One hundred zhang.

One hundred and fifty zhang.

Two hundred zhang.

Finally, the true form of that shadow was revealed before their eyes.

It was a spur of an undersea mountain range, stretching for hundreds of zhang, with its highest point about fifty zhang from the seabed. The ridge was covered in thick sediment and crawling with dark green seaweed that swayed slowly in the gloom.

At the base of the mountain range, a fissure was faintly visible.

The fissure was about three zhang wide and five zhang high. Its edges were extremely neat, looking less like a natural formation and more like it had been forcibly torn open by something. Deep within the fissure, a faint golden light shimmered. Though the light was very dim, a single glance made one's soul tremble.

Dragon Qi.

The Dragon Qi of the ancient flood dragon remains.

Outside the fissure, four figures were patrolling back and forth.

All four wore dark gray diving suits with various weapons hanging from their waists, and a faint aura of blood balefulness surrounded them. Their cultivation—

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils contracted slightly.

Three in the Early Stage of the Primal Elephant Realm and one in the Middle Stage of the Primal Elephant Realm.

Core Disciples of Blood Shark Island.

He stopped and raised a hand to signal Zhou Lie not to move.

The two of them hid behind a coral reef, observing quietly.

The four men's patrol was very disciplined—they moved in pairs, walking back and forth along the mouth of the fissure, changing shifts every incense stick's time. During the shift change, the two groups would briefly gather to exchange a few low-voiced words before returning to their positions.

Jiang Hanzhou focused his hearing.

"...How long has the Great Island Master and the others been inside?"

"Nearly two hours."

"Why haven't they come out yet? Is that thing hard to retrieve?"

"Nonsense, it's the ancient flood dragon remains. Dragon Abyss Palace has been eyeing it for over a hundred years; how could it be easy to take? I heard there's a lingering flood dragon soul within the remains that will lash out at the slightest disturbance."

"Then if we stay here, what if that flood dragon soul rushes out..."

"Shut up! Don't jinx us!"

"Fine, fine, stop arguing. It's time for the shift change. You two go guard over there."

Jiang Hanzhou withdrew his gaze and looked at Zhou Lie.

Zhou Lie was staring at the four figures, his eyes full of Battle Intent. Seeing Jiang Hanzhou look over, he mouthed the question:

"Are we doing this?"

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a moment before nodding.

He took out the tiger soul saber from his sumeru pouch.

The fine cracks still existed on the blade, but at the edge, there was now an additional layer of faint red and blue light—the result of his recent refinement of the Ice-Fire Black Tortoise Inner Core and the subsequent nurturing with the power of water and fire.

Though this spirit weapon that had accompanied him for so long hadn't been repaired, it had gained a hint of the nature of water and fire.

He gripped the hilt tightly as the great water-fire cycle within his body began to rotate slowly.

Tidal True Intent surged into his right arm, while Pure Yang True Intent surged into his left.

The two forces met in his palm but were not released. Instead, they were compressed, compressed, and compressed further—into an inch-long red and blue saber beam condensed upon the edge of the tiger soul saber.

Tidal Heaven-Burning Slash.

Poised and ready.

He looked at Zhou Lie and signaled with his eyes:

The two on the left are mine. The two on the right are yours.

Zhou Lie grinned and nodded.

He took down the massive crimson war saber from his back—it was his natal spirit weapon, the crimson flame saber, a Low Grade Earth Rank weapon forged from fire-attribute crystals, with dense flame patterns engraved on the blade.

He took a deep breath, and the red-gold flames around him ignited slowly. They did not spread but were similarly compressed, compressed, and compressed further—condensing onto the blade's edge.

The two exchanged a look.

The next instant—

They struck simultaneously!

Jiang Hanzhou stepped out, his body moving like lightning!

With the empowerment of the Tidal True Intent, his speed in the water was astonishing. He covered the thirty-zhang distance in an instant!

The two Blood Shark Island Disciples had just sensed something was wrong and hadn't even had time to turn around before Jiang Hanzhou was upon them!

A horizontal slash of the tiger soul saber!

The red and blue saber beam on the edge exploded the moment it was swung! It grew from an inch to three feet, then to over a zhang!

The intertwined red and blue saber light swept across like a bolt of lightning tearing through the darkness!

The two Blood Shark Island Disciples didn't even have time to scream before they were sliced in half at the waist!

The moment the saber light cut into their bodies, the power of ice and fire erupted! The power of ice froze their Bloodlines while the power of fire incinerated their Physical Bodies. The two forces acting together caused their corpses to instantly turn into ice shards and charcoal, drifting away.

One strike, a double kill.

Jiang Hanzhou sheathed his blade and turned around.

On the other side, Zhou Lie's battle had also ended.

When his crimson flame saber struck, it erupted with blazing red-gold flames. Instead of weakening in the water, the flames were even more powerful because they were compressed so densely!

With one slash, the Blood Shark Island Disciple hurriedly raised his saber to block—

"Clang—!"

With the sound of clashing metal, the Disciple's saber snapped!

The crimson flame saber's momentum didn't slow as it sliced straight into his chest, cutting from his right shoulder to his left waist, nearly splitting him in half!

Blood surged out but was instantly evaporated by the blazing flames, turning into a bloody mist that dispersed in the water.

The other Disciple at the Early Stage of the Primal Elephant Realm was terrified, his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering as he turned to flee!

But he had only fled three zhang when an invisible saber light cut into his Sea of Consciousness!

Heart Blade, soul-severing!

The Disciple's body stiffened abruptly, his eyes instantly losing focus!

Zhou Lie closed in and took off his head with a single stroke!

The battle, from start to finish, had taken no more than three breaths.

Three in the Early Stage of the Primal Elephant Realm and one in the Middle Stage of the Primal Elephant Realm—all annihilated.

Jiang Hanzhou put away the tiger soul saber, walked to the corpse of the Disciple who had been struck by the Heart Blade, and crouched down.

He checked the person's pulse—there was still a faint throb.

He had deliberately controlled the strength of the Heart Blade's strike to only injure the soul without killing the man.

His goal was to leave a survivor.

He took a Medicinal Pill from his sumeru pouch and stuffed it into the man's mouth.

As the pill entered the stomach and its medicinal power dissolved, a trace of color returned to the man's pale face.

He slowly opened his eyes, which were filled with terror.

He saw Jiang Hanzhou.

He saw that young but cold face.

His body trembled violently, and his lips quivered, unable to speak.