231: Chapter 230 Half-Step Dragon Embryo

Jiang Hanzhou looked at him and said indifferently,

"I ask, you answer."

The man nodded frantically.

"How many people did Bloodfang Old Monster take inside?"

The man said tremblingly,

"Thir... thirteen people... The Great Island Master led the team personally... along with two Protectors... and ten Core Disciples..."

"How long have they been in?"

"Mo... more than two hours..."

"What are they trying to retrieve?"

The man hesitated for a moment, a flash of fear in his eyes.

Jiang Hanzhou's right hand pressed against the tiger soul saber, the blade slightly unsheathed.

The man shuddered and said hurriedly,

"Dra... Dragon Essence!"

"The Dragon Essence remaining within the ancient flood dragon remains! The Great Island Master said that if he can refine that Dragon Essence, he can break through his shackles and step into the Dragon Fetus Realm!"

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils contracted slightly.

Dragon Essence.

That was the convergence of a flood dragon's entire essence, equivalent to a human Cultivator's Dantian. If Dragon Essence truly remained in those ancient flood dragon remains, and if Bloodfang Old Monster could refine and absorb it—

The Dragon Fetus Realm.

That was a major Realm one level higher than the Primal Elephant Realm.

Once one stepped into the Dragon Fetus Realm, they could condense a Dragon Fetus and nurture a Nascent Soul. From then on, they would transcend the mundane, and their Lifespan would increase greatly.

At this moment, Bloodfang Old Monster was already at the Peak of the Primal Elephant Realm, a half-step into the Meridian Condensation stage. If he were allowed to obtain the Dragon Essence and break through to the Dragon Fetus Realm—

The consequences would be unimaginable.

He took a deep breath and continued to ask,

"What about the Black-Robed Person? Did they come?"

The Disciple was stunned, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes,

"Bla... Black-Robed Person? What Black-Robed Person?"

Jiang Hanzhou's brow furrowed slightly.

He didn't know?

Was it that he didn't know, or he didn't dare to say?

He stared into the Disciple's eyes. Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the Heart Blade vibrated gently, sensing every flicker of emotional fluctuation.

There were no signs of lying.

He truly didn't know.

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a moment, then asked again,

"What is the relationship between Blood Shark Island and the remnants of the Ten Thousand Gu Sect?"

The Disciple's face instantly turned deathly pale.

His lips trembled, and his eyes were full of terror,

"I... I don't know... I'm just an ordinary Disciple... those matters... only the Great Island Master and the Protectors know..."

Jiang Hanzhou looked at him and suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, but it caused a chill to rise in the Disciple's heart for no reason.

"You don't know?" Jiang Hanzhou said indifferently, "Then tell me what you do know."

The Disciple nodded frantically,

"I'll talk! I'll talk! People from the Ten Thousand Gu Sect did indeed come to the island! Three months ago, three people came—an old man and two young people. They stayed on the island for seven days. The Great Island Master received them personally, and no one was allowed to approach!"

"What did they discuss?"

"I don't... don't know... but... but after those people left, the Great Island Master began a secluded meditation. After he emerged, he sent people to investigate the matter of the ancient flood dragon remains..."

Jiang Hanzhou's brow twitched slightly.

Remnants of the Ten Thousand Gu Sect appeared on Blood Shark Island three months ago.

And then Blood Shark Island began to target the ancient flood dragon remains.

Was there a connection between these events?

He pondered for a moment and asked again,

"What were the characteristics of those three people from the Ten Thousand Gu Sect?"

The Disciple thought back desperately and said with a trembling voice,

"That old man... was very thin... like a bamboo pole... with tattoos on his face... dark purple... I couldn't see the pattern clearly... the two young people... one used a sword... one used a saber... both were very powerful... one of them... had a very eerie aura... as eerie as the old man..."

Jiang Hanzhou nodded and stood up.

He looked at the Disciple and said indifferently,

"You cooperated very well."

A flash of joy appeared in the Disciple's eyes, thinking he would be spared.

But in the next instant—

An invisible blade light slashed into the center of his brow!

His eyes instantly lost focus, and his body slumped softly to the ground, devoid of any breath.

Jiang Hanzhou withdrew his Heart Blade and turned to look at Zhou Lie.

Zhou Lie was standing to the side, watching this scene, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

But he said nothing.

He simply walked to Jiang Hanzhou's side and patted his shoulder,

"Let's go. Let's head inside and take a look."

Jiang Hanzhou nodded.

One after the other, the two of them stepped into that rift.

—

Deep within the rift was a long, narrow passage.

The passage was about thirty feet wide and fifty feet high. The four walls were as smooth as mirrors, emitting a faint golden light. That light shone from deep within the passage, illuminating the entire path like daylight.

The two of them moved forward along the passage, staying hidden.

After walking about three hundred yards, the view suddenly opened up.

It was a massive undersea cavern.

The cavern was a thousand feet high and several thousand feet across. Countless stalactites hung from the dome, with fine ice crystals condensed upon them, glowing with a faint blue light under the reflection of the golden radiance.

In the center of the cavern lay a massive skeleton.

The skeleton was dozens of yards long, dark gold in color, its joints distinct and winding like a dragon. At the skull, two massive horns rose toward the ceiling, with faint golden patterns remaining on them, light seemingly flowing within those patterns.

flood dragon bones.

The rudimentary form of the ancient flood dragon remains.

Between the gaps in the bones, wisps of golden aura remained. That aura was extremely faint, yet it contained an indescribable pressure; every time it circulated, it caused the surrounding air to vibrate slightly.

Dragon Qi.

And the source of that Dragon Qi was precisely a fist-sized golden bead deep within the flood dragon bones' chest cavity.

Dragon Essence.

At this moment, the Dragon Essence was suspended quietly within the chest of the flood dragon bones, emitting a brilliant golden light. Within the light, a tiny flood dragon shadow could be seen swimming—that was the remaining flood dragon soul.

The area surrounding the flood dragon bones was covered in dense Formation patterns.

Those patterns were blood-red, spreading out in all directions with the flood dragon bones as the center, covering the entire floor of the cavern. Every pattern was slowly flowing, and with each circulation, wisps of golden Dragon Qi were stripped from the flood dragon bones, flowing along the patterns toward the edge of the Formation—

There, thirteen figures sat cross-legged.

The leader was a burly old man.

His upper body was bare, revealing lean, powerful muscles. His skin was covered in dense blood-colored patterns that wound like snakes, slowly moving across his body. With every movement, a wisp of blood-fiend energy dissipated from the patterns.

His eyes were tightly shut, his hands forming seals, and his entire body was enveloped in an intense blood-fiend radiance.

Within that radiance, countless tiny blood-colored runes could be seen flowing, each one emitting an eerie aura.

Bloodfang Old Monster.

Great Island Master of Blood Shark Island.

Peak of the Primal Elephant Realm, half-step into the Dragon Fetus.