235: Chapter 234 Crisis!!!

Time rewinds to three days ago.

In the cave of the ancient flood dragon remains, golden Dragon Qi flowed slowly.

Jiang Hanzhou sat cross-legged in front of the flood dragon bones, his body surrounded by red and blue light.

The light was more solid and stable than before, forming a three-foot-wide Domain around him—within the Domain, water and fire blended, cycling endlessly.

Two items floated before him.

One was a fist-sized Inner Core with red and blue colors slowly flowing within; it was the essence of the Ice-Fire Black Tortoise.

The other was a fingernail-sized fragment, dark gold all over, with fine patterns winding like a dragon faintly visible on its surface.

It was a fragment of the dragon essence pearl—Bloodfang Old Monster had forcibly peeled off a small piece of the Dragon Essence's outer wall while fleeing in a panic, attempting to take it away.

However, during the clash with Jiang Hanzhou, the fragment was knocked loose and ultimately fell into Jiang Hanzhou's hands.

Although it was only a small fragment, the Dragon Qi contained within was still astonishingly dense.

The two treasures—one ice and one fire, one water and one dragon—shone together in front of him.

Jiang Hanzhou took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Inside his body, the great water-fire cycle was operating steadily.

Tidal True Intent and Pure Yang True Intent alternated in their flow, while Golden Sharpness True Intent acted like an invisible dividing line, keeping the two apart.

Meanwhile, Heavenly Fire True Intent—that three-colored flame—floated quietly deep within his Dantian, awaiting a certain opportunity.

He opened his eyes and looked toward the cave entrance.

There, three figures were busy.

Zhou Lie squatted by the flood dragon bones, carefully using a jade knife to scrape off the Dragon Qi crystals remaining in the crevices of the bones.

The crystals were pale gold and only the size of rice grains, yet they contained extremely pure energy. As he scraped, he grinned and muttered, "I'm rich, I'm rich."

Liu Ningshuang stood in the center of the cave, holding a Formation Plate, setting up a temporary Seal Formation.

Her movements were skillful, each rune drawn with precision—Disciples of Black Tortoise Peak excelled most at Formations and barriers.

Deeper in the cave, a figure stood with hands behind his back, examining the massive flood dragon bones.

He was a middle-aged man with a lean face and slightly graying hair and beard, wearing a mysterious black Daoist robe embroidered with silver dragon patterns. His aura was as deep as an abyss; standing there, he seemed to merge with the entire sea area.

Great Elder Xuanjizi of Tianji Peak, Dragon Abyss Palace.

The Grand Elder coming in person showed the importance of the ancient flood dragon remains.

"Han Zhou," Great Elder Xuanjizi's voice came from the depths of the cave, aged yet clear. "Come here."

Jiang Hanzhou stood up, walked to Great Elder Xuanjizi, and gave a respectful salute.

"Disciple Jiang Hanzhou greets the Grand Elder."

Great Elder Xuanjizi waved his hand, signaling him to skip the formalities. Those deep eyes rested on Jiang Hanzhou for a long time.

"Late Yuanxiang Stage, thirty percent True Intent mastery, water and fire aiding each other, metal and fire blending," he spoke slowly, his voice calm. "To achieve this in less than half a year since joining the Sect is not bad."

Jiang Hanzhou bowed his head slightly. "The Grand Elder overpraises me."

Great Elder Xuanjizi didn't respond, simply turning to look at the flood dragon bones.

The flood dragon bones shimmered with a faint golden light in the darkness; most of the Dragon Qi crystals in the crevices had already been scraped away by Zhou Lie.

But deep in the chest cavity, the fist-sized Dragon Essence still floated quietly, emitting a brilliant light.

"These flood dragon bones belong to an ancient flood dragon personally slain by the Third Palace Master of Dragon Abyss Palace three hundred years ago," Great Elder Xuanjizi's voice was soft, as if telling an ancient tale. "That flood dragon had reached the Dragon Transformation Stage, only a step away from shedding its mortality and becoming a saint. The Third Palace Master sacrificed his life to slay it here, using its remains to suppress the Luck of the East Sea."

He turned around and looked at Jiang Hanzhou:

"For three hundred years, these remains never stirred. But recently, Dragon Qi has begun to dissipate, and there are signs of the flood dragon soul awakening. The Palace Master personally performed a divination and speculated that someone is secretly using evil arts to awaken the flood dragon soul."

Jiang Hanzhou's brow twitched slightly.

Blood Shark Island.

Ten Thousand Gu Sect.

That Black-Robed Person.

Great Elder Xuanjizi seemed to see through his thoughts and said plainly:

"The Blood Shark Island you encountered was just a pawn. The one truly pulling the strings behind the scenes is someone else."

He took a Jade Slip from his robe and handed it to Jiang Hanzhou:

"This is intelligence from the Sea Quelling Department. Three months ago, Sandro, a Guest Elder of the Silver Wing Family from the Storm Kingdom, met secretly with the remnants of the Ten Thousand Gu Sect on Bibo Island. And Sandro is precisely the accomplice of that Black-Robed Person."

Jiang Hanzhou took the Jade Slip and sent his Divine Sense into it.

After a moment, his expression turned solemn.

The intelligence stated that the Silver Wing Family had been secretly collecting information on flood dragon remains in recent years, seemingly conducting some kind of secret technique experiment.

Meanwhile, the remnants of the Ten Thousand Gu Sect provided them with evil art support. The two sides had been colluding for a long time with unclear motives.

More crucially—

That Black-Robed Person was the liaison stationed in the East Sea by the Silver Wing Family.

"Silver Wing Family..." Jiang Hanzhou murmured softly.

He thought of that Master Sang who had hunted him outside Bibo City. He thought of that Soren whom he had slain.

He thought of the collusion between the Silver Wing Family and the Ten Thousand Gu Sect.

Everything was now connected.

Great Elder Xuanjizi watched his reaction and nodded slightly:

"I know a thing or two about your grudge with the Silver Wing Family. Sandro and Ghost Ink Venerable perishing together saved the Sect a lot of trouble. But the Silver Wing Family will not let this go—they lost a Dragon Elephant Realm Guest Elder, and they will settle this score sooner or later."

He paused, looking directly at Jiang Hanzhou:

"Therefore, you must become stronger as quickly as possible. Strong enough that the Silver Wing Family dares not act rashly, strong enough that those who covet what you have can only look up to you."

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a moment, then gave a solemn salute:

"This Disciple understands."

Great Elder Xuanjizi nodded and turned to walk out of the cave.

After a few steps, he suddenly stopped and said without turning back:

"The protection here is left to me. Go back—I will be watching you during the Inner Sect Minor Competition in ten days."

As his voice fell, his figure turned into a streak of light and disappeared into the depths of the cave.

Jiang Hanzhou stood there, gazing at the disappearing light, silent for a long time.

Then, he turned and looked at Zhou Lie and Liu Ningshuang.

Zhou Lie was holding a jade box filled with Dragon Qi crystals, grinning foolishly. Liu Ningshuang stood beside him, a rare trace of a smile appearing on her face.

"Let's go," Jiang Hanzhou said. "It's time to head back."

The three of them entered the long, narrow passage, one in front and two behind.

Behind them, the massive flood dragon bones lay quietly. The light of the Dragon Essence flickered slightly in the darkness, as if watching something.

Or perhaps, waiting for something.

Red Fire Peak, Hanzhou Residence.

Jiang Hanzhou sat cross-legged in his cultivation room, with the Ice-Fire Black Tortoise Inner Core and the dragon essence pearl fragment floating before him.

He had been in seclusion for three days.

During these three days, he did nothing but quietly adjust his breathing, allowing the True Intents that had been disrupted by the battle to return to tranquility.

At this moment, his state had been adjusted to its peak.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Then, he raised his right hand and gave a gentle pull.

The Ice-Fire Black Tortoise Inner Core slowly rose, floating before his chest. Red and blue light dissipated from the core, interweaving and winding around his body.

He closed his eyes and began refining.