233: Chapter 232 Four True Meanings

With a single slash, the red and blue intertwined blade light was like lightning tearing through the darkness, aiming straight for the Bloodfang Old Monster's back!

But at that very instant—

Bloodfang Old Monster suddenly snapped his eyes open!

Those eyes were filled with blood-red baleful aura and madness!

"Little beast—!"

He roared, and the thick blood-red baleful light around him exploded!

A blood-colored barrier appeared out of thin air, blocking Jiang Hanzhou's slash!

Boom—!!

The blade glow struck the blood-colored barrier, erupting with an earth-shattering roar!

The blood-colored barrier trembled violently, and countless fine cracks appeared on its surface, but it surprisingly did not shatter!

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils constricted slightly.

Half-step Pulse Condensation was indeed extraordinary.

But—

He did not retreat.

He grit his teeth, and the great water-fire cycle within him circulated frantically! Tidal True Intent, Pure Yang True Intent, and Golden Sharpness True Intent—three powers surged into the tiger soul saber simultaneously!

The red and blue light on the blade surged once more!

Within that light, the golden sharpness grew brighter and sharper—a sign of the Golden Sharpness True Intent being applied with full force!

Boom!!!

The blood-colored barrier finally shattered!

The remaining momentum of the blade light did not fade, slashing straight toward Bloodfang Old Monster!

Bloodfang Old Monster's expression changed, and in his haste, he struck out with a palm!

Blood Baleful Demonic Palm—!!

A massive blood-colored palm print surged from his palm, colliding violently with the blade light!

Boom—!!!!!

The loud noise echoed like a thunderclap throughout the entire cave!

The shockwave from the collision spread frantically in all directions, blowing away the surrounding boulders, coral, and those Blood Shark Island Disciples!

Jiang Hanzhou's figure was sent flying ten zhang back, slamming hard into the cave wall and creating a deep pit!

Rubble clattered down, and dust filled the air.

He stood up from the dust, a trace of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

But those eyes remained as sharp as a blade.

He raised his head and looked at Bloodfang Old Monster.

Bloodfang Old Monster stood in place, the blood-red baleful light around him having mostly dimmed. His right hand trembled slightly, and a bone-deep blade wound on his palm was gushing blood.

His face was as dark as water.

He looked at Jiang Hanzhou, his blood-red eyes filled with disbelief.

"Late Yuanxiang Stage..." his voice was raspy, like sandpaper rubbing together. "You're just at the Late Yuanxiang Stage; how could you possibly wound me?"

Jiang Hanzhou did not answer.

He simply gripped the tiger soul saber, and the great water-fire cycle within his body circulated once more.

Tidal True Intent, Pure Yang True Intent, and Golden Sharpness True Intent—the three powers surged out again, converging in his palm.

But this time—

He did not release them.

Instead, he compressed them.

Compressed, compressed, and compressed further.

At the same time, deep within his Dantian, the three-colored flame trembled slightly.

Heavenly Fire True Intent, embryonic form.

That three-colored flame, formed by using Dragon Blood Power to simulate Qi Fire and merging it with Essence Fire and Divine Soul fire, was now slowly awakening.

It surged out from the Dantian, flowing through the Meridians toward his palm.

Flowing toward that red and blue flame that had already been compressed to its limit.

Merged.

Fused.

Four True Intents appeared simultaneously for the first time.

Tide as the momentum, Pure Yang as the fire, Metal Sharpness as the edge, and Heavenly Fire as the lead.

The four combined into one.

The flame in his palm began to change.

It was no longer purely red and blue, but had gained a hint of eerie dark gold.

That dark gold was the color of the Heart Blade, the color of dragon blood, and the color of the Heavenly Fire True Intent.

As the flames churned, the surrounding air distorted, trembled, and—felt fear.

Bloodfang Old Monster's pupils constricted sharply.

He sensed it.

He sensed the power contained within that flame.

That power was not a simple addition, but a true Fusion.

Four True Intents fused into one furnace.

If that slash were unleashed—

He didn't dare to imagine it.

"Retreat—!" he roared. "Everyone, retreat—!"

As he finished speaking, the blood-red baleful light around him erupted once more!

But he did not attack.

He turned and fled.

Seeing this, the Blood Shark Island Disciples also abandoned the fight and fled frantically out of the cave!

Zhou Lie and Liu Ningshuang wanted to pursue them, but Jiang Hanzhou raised his hand to stop them.

"Don't chase," his voice was raspy. "Let them go."

He stood in place as the dark gold flame in his palm slowly dissipated.

Then, he knelt on one knee, gasping for breath.

His entire body was soaked in sweat.

That strike fusing the four True Intents had nearly drained all of his Qi, blood, and Divine Soul power. At this moment, he was extremely weak.

Zhou Lie and Liu Ningshuang rushed over immediately, supporting him from both sides.

"Junior Brother Jiang!" Zhou Lie said anxiously. "How are you?"

Jiang Hanzhou waved his hand, indicating he was fine.

He raised his head and looked at the massive flood dragon bones in the center of the cave.

The flood dragon bones still lay there, and between the gaps in the bones, the wisps of golden Dragon Qi were still flowing. But compared to before, they had dimmed considerably—at least thirty percent of the Dragon Qi had been lost to the Blood Shark Island's refinement and absorption.

But more importantly—

Deep within the chest cavity of the flood dragon bones, that fist-sized golden orb still floated quietly.

Dragon Essence.

It was still there.

Jiang Hanzhou stood up and stumbled toward the flood dragon bones.

Zhou Lie and Liu Ningshuang followed closely behind, vigilantly watching their surroundings for any ambushes.

The three of them walked to the flood dragon bones and looked up at the floating golden orb.

At a close distance, the Dragon Essence made one's mind tremble even more.

It was translucent throughout, with countless fine golden patterns faintly visible flowing inside. Those patterns wound like dragons, and with every flow, a faint trace of dragon might drifted from the orb.

In the center of the Dragon Essence, a tiny flood dragon shadow was slowly swimming. Its body was curled into a ball, and its eyes were tightly closed as if it had fallen into a deep sleep.

But Jiang Hanzhou knew that was only an appearance.

If this flood dragon soul truly awakened, not one of the three people present would leave alive.

"Dragon Essence..." Zhou Lie murmured, his eyes full of heat. "This is the Dragon Essence..."

Liu Ningshuang's gaze was also fixed on the orb, her breathing slightly hurried.

Dragon Essence.

For a Primal Form Realm Cultivator, this was a rare Opportunity. If one could refine and absorb it, not only would their cultivation skyrocket, but they would also gain a trace of Dragon Clan Bloodline. From then on, their path of cultivation would be infinitely wider than others.

But—

Jiang Hanzhou shook his head.

"It hasn't fully formed yet."

He pointed to the faint cracks on the surface of the Dragon Essence:

"A true Dragon Essence should be a single, perfect whole without any flaws. But this Dragon Essence has at least seven cracks on its surface. This shows it's still in the process of condensing and will need at least another hundred years to fully form."

He paused and said in a heavy voice:

"If we forcibly take it now, the power within the Dragon Essence will dissipate instantly. At that time, we will gain nothing."

Zhou Lie and Liu Ningshuang looked at each other, a flash of disappointment in their eyes.

But soon, that disappointment was replaced by reason.

"Then what should we do?" Zhou Lie asked. "Just leave it here? What if those people from Blood Shark Island come back..."

"They won't be back for a while," Jiang Hanzhou said. "Bloodfang Old Monster's Foundation was damaged by my slash; he'll need at least three months to recover. As for those Protectors and Core Disciples—some are dead, some are injured, and the rest won't be able to cause any trouble."

He turned around and looked out of the cave:

"The most important thing now is to report the situation here to the Sect. The location of the ancient flood dragon remains, the state of the Dragon Essence, and Blood Shark Island's schemes—all of these need to be made known to the Palace Master and the others."

Liu Ningshuang nodded and took out the communication talisman from her robes:

"I'll send the message right away."