250: Chapter 249 Mission!!!

The Sword Discussion Assembly was drawing near, and the atmosphere on Red Fire Peak was gradually tightening.

Five days had passed since Jiang Hanzhou returned from the Dragon Slaying True Person's Immortal Cave, and the "dragon slaying" will within his body had become increasingly harmonized with his four True Intents.

However, he knew clearly that relying on these alone would not be enough to defeat Han Qing, who had refined half a Sword Seed.

He needed to break through to the Dragon Fetus Realm.

In the early morning, Jiang Hanzhou arrived at the Red Fire Peak Contribution Hall. The Elder in charge of accepting Sect missions was a thin-faced old man. Seeing him enter, the Elder lifted his eyelids: "What mission do you want to accept?"

"Hunting deep-sea exotic beasts to exchange for spirit essence pill Materials." Jiang Hanzhou handed over his identity token.

The Elder glanced at the information on the token, his eyebrows slightly raised: "The top newcomer of the Red Fire Peak Inner Sect? You certainly have courage."

He took a Jade Slip from the huge wooden shelf behind him and spread it on the table: "The exotic beast hunting missions suitable for Cultivators in the Dragon Elephant Realm are all here. Look for yourself."

Jiang Hanzhou focused his gaze and scanned it.

The Jade Slip listed dozens of exotic beasts, ranging from the first to the third rank, corresponding to cultivation levels from the Primal Elephant Realm to the Dragon Fetus Realm.

His gaze quickly swept over those with cultivation levels that were too low, and finally landed on one mission:

"Mystic Fire Ink Squid, three hundred years of cultivation, equivalent to the Peak of the Primal Elephant Realm. It haunts the deep sea of the Black Wind Abyss and likes to eat spiritual Ore. Its Inner Core contains rich fire-attribute Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence and can be used to refine a third-grade spirit essence pill. Mission reward: 3,000 Sect contribution points, plus a copy of 'spirit essence pill Alchemy Insights'. Note: This beast is cunning and treacherous; it has already injured seven Dragon Abyss Palace Disciples. Accept with caution."

A Mystic Fire Ink Squid with three hundred years of cultivation.

Jiang Hanzhou's heart stirred. Both his Heavenly Fire True Intent and Pure Yang True Intent were related to the fire attribute; this exotic beast's Inner Core was practically tailor-made for him.

Moreover, he had long heard of that sea area in the Black Wind Abyss.

With complex undercurrents and dangerous terrain, it was the perfect place to hone his Martial Skill.

"This one." Jiang Hanzhou pointed at the mission entry.

The Contribution Elder looked at him, wanting to say something but stopping, and finally took the mission Jade Slip and handed it to him: "The Black Wind Abyss is not a good place. Last month, a team of Outer Sect Disciples perished there. Are you going alone?"

"Going alone is sufficient."

The Elder said no more and recorded the mission information into his identity token: "The mission deadline is thirty days. Failure to complete it by then will be treated as a failure. Come back alive."

Jiang Hanzhou put away his token and turned to leave.

He did not set off immediately but returned to his Cultivation room to make final preparations.

The tiger soul saber had already been fused with his natal heart artifact and did not need further polishing; the Heavenly Dipper Treasure Refining Art had improved after refining the gold marrow cloud-patterned iron, and his Protective Aura was thirty percent thicker than before.

He also went to the Medicinal Cuisine Hall to collect a month's supply of Medicinal Pill, including three Rejuvenation Pills, five Qi Gathering Powders, and one Turtle Breath Pill for life-saving in critical moments.

Everything was ready.

The next morning, Jiang Hanzhou steered a small spiritual boat and sailed alone into the depths of the East Sea.

The Black Wind Abyss was located about eight hundred miles southeast of the Dragon Abyss Palace and was a deep-sea basin surrounded by underwater mountain ranges.

There, undercurrents surged all year round, and strange black winds often blew on the sea surface, hence the name.

The spiritual boat broke through the waves on the sea. Jiang Hanzhou sat cross-legged at the bow, flipping through the "East Sea Exotic Beast Illustrated Handbook: Deep Sea Chapter" he had exchanged from the Myriad Phenomena Tower, which detailed the habits and weaknesses of the Mystic Fire Ink Squid.

"Mystic Fire Ink Squid, eight-armed order, body length varies from three to ten zhang. It likes cold environments but Cultivates the fire Dao; its Inner Core is a Fusion of Yin and Yang, which is extremely rare. Its weakness is the spot between its eyes, where there is a piece of non-degenerated cartilage; shattering it can cause it to become temporarily stiff."

Jiang Hanzhou read this passage several times and memorized it.

The spiritual boat sailed for half a day, and the wind and waves on the sea gradually grew stronger. The sky in the distance was overcast, the lead-gray clouds pressed very low, and the color of the seawater turned from azure to deep black.

The Black Wind Abyss had arrived.

Jiang Hanzhou parked the spiritual boat in a relatively calm reef bay and leaped into the sea. The seawater was bone-chillingly cold, but for a Martial Artist of his level, it was nothing. He circulated the "Fish Dragon Transformation", and his figure moved as flexibly as a swimming fish, diving toward the deep sea.

Thirty zhang underwater, the light was already very dim.

Fifty zhang, it was pitch black.

Jiang Hanzhou activated his Divine Sense, and everything within a hundred-zhang radius appeared clearly in his mind—the rugged underwater rocks, schools of glowing jellyfish, giant sea crabs crawling on the seabed...

He did not rush to find the Mystic Fire Ink Squid but found a hidden cave in the underwater mountain range, restrained his aura, and waited quietly.

The handbook stated clearly that the Mystic Fire Ink Squid was nocturnal, hiding in deep-sea rock crevices during the day and only coming out to forage at night. Rather than searching blindly, it was better to wait for the rabbit.

Time passed bit by bit.

Jiang Hanzhou sat in meditation in the cave, adjusting his state to the Peak. Around the Hai hour, the undercurrents on the seabed suddenly became active, and the water temperature rose slightly.

He opened his eyes, his Divine Sense fully expanded.

It was here.

In the southeast direction, about two hundred zhang away, a huge black shadow was swimming out of an underwater canyon.

The black shadow was five zhang long, with eight tentacles swaying slowly in the water, each as thick as a water bucket.

Its body was dark red, with faint firelight flowing on its surface, illuminating the surrounding seawater.

The three-hundred-year-old Mystic Fire Ink Squid was even larger than recorded in the handbook.

Jiang Hanzhou did not act immediately but continued to observe. The squid lingered at the mouth of the canyon for a while, then suddenly accelerated and swam north.

It did not swim fast, but every movement was silent, and its tentacles stirred up almost no waves as they cut through the water.

This beast was indeed cunning; even foraging was done with such caution.

Jiang Hanzhou followed silently, maintaining a distance of one hundred zhang.

He needed to wait for the squid to enter open water before making a move; otherwise, entangled in the canyon, it would be easy for it to escape using the terrain.

One person and one beast moved one after the other in the deep sea.

After following for about half an hour, the squid finally stopped on an underwater plain.

The plain was scattered with a large amount of spiritual Ore debris, which had been washed down from deeper veins. The squid's tentacles probed into the debris, skillfully searching for edible Ore.

Now.

Jiang Hanzhou no longer hid his aura. The four True Intents in his body erupted simultaneously, and he shot toward the squid like an arrow released from a bowstring.

The Mystic Fire Ink Squid reacted extremely quickly, sensing danger almost the moment he made his move.

Its eight tentacles retracted simultaneously, its body shot backward violently, and it sprayed a large mass of thick black ink.

That ink was not ordinary ink but spiritual ink containing fire poison, which rapidly diffused in the water, dyeing the seawater within dozens of zhang pitch black.

Jiang Hanzhou's Divine Sense was severely interfered with in the ink, and his perception range shrank sharply.

"Hmph."

He snorted coldly, infusing his entire body with Pure Yang True Intent, and a layer of scorching Protective Aura appeared on his skin. Wherever the Protective Aura passed, the ink was evaporated, and his vision was restored to clarity.

The squid had already escaped thirty zhang away, its eight tentacles paddling frantically, its speed astonishingly fast.

Jiang Hanzhou stepped on the "Wave-Treading Step", leaving a string of bubbles in the water, and caught up to the squid in a few breaths. The tiger soul saber was unsheathed, the Tide patterns on the blade lit up, and he slashed at the two tentacles on the squid's left side.

The squid felt the sharpness of the blade, and those two tentacles retracted violently, while three other tentacles whipped over from the side, carrying whistling currents.

The saber light flashed.

Three tentacles were severed, and dark green blood gushed out, dyeing the seawater turbid.

The squid emitted a sharp hiss, its body twisting crazily, and the remaining five tentacles flailed wildly. Jiang Hanzhou was about to pursue when he suddenly felt a strong spiritual power fluctuation erupt from the squid's body.

It was going to fight to the death.

The squid's body swelled by a circle, and the dark red patterns on its surface became as scorching as a branding iron. Immediately after, it opened its beak-like mouth filled with sharp teeth, and a fire pillar as thick as a water bucket erupted from it.

The fire pillar did not extinguish in the water but became even more scorching. Wherever it passed, the seawater boiled and vaporized, forming a vacuum channel.

Jiang Hanzhou did not dodge, operating both Pure Yang True Intent and Heavenly Fire True Intent, gripped his saber with his right hand, and slashed out.

"Tidal Heaven-Burning Slash!"

This slash fused all his trump cards.

The suppleness of the Tide, the scorching nature of the Pure Yang, the sharpness of the Metal Sharpness, the changeability of the Heavenly Fire, and the "dragon slaying" will he had comprehended from the Dragon Slaying True Person's Sword Intent.

The saber light and the fire pillar collided head-on.

There was no earth-shattering explosion; the saber light split the fire pillar from the middle like cutting tofu, and without losing momentum, it slashed straight into the squid's head.

"Crack—"

The cartilage between its brows shattered upon impact, and the Saber Qi penetrated the squid's body, instantly severing its life force.

The five-zhang-long giant body twitched a few times in the water and slowly sank to the seabed.

Jiang Hanzhou sheathed his saber, swam to the squid's corpse, precisely sliced open its abdomen with one stroke, and took out an Inner Core the size of a fist.

The Inner Core was dark red, with black and white patterns intertwined on its surface. Holding it in his hand, it was warm but not hot—it was indeed a Fusion of Yin and Yang, of extremely high quality.

"Good stuff." He put the Inner Core into his sumeru pouch with satisfaction.

Just as he was about to leave, violent spiritual power fluctuations suddenly came from above the sea, mixed with shouts of killing and explosions.

Jiang Hanzhou frowned, and his Divine Sense probed upward.

On the sea, several black warships were frantically attacking a green Dragon Abyss Palace spiritual boat. Standing on the spiritual boat were two familiar figures—Liu Ningshuang and Zhou Lie.

The warships besieging them flew the black flag of Blood Shark Island.

Jiang Hanzhou's gaze turned cold.

He did not hesitate, his figure shooting upward like an arrow. The hundred-zhang deep seawater was like nothing under his feet, and he broke through the water in a few breaths.

On the sea, the battle had reached a fever pitch.

Liu Ningshuang's ice-attribute True Intent had frozen the surrounding sea into a thick layer of ice, temporarily blocking the siege of the Blood Shark Island Cultivators. But her face was pale, evidently having consumed a great deal. Zhou Lie was covered in blood, protecting her in front, and knocked two Viscera Burning Realm Cultivators flying with his bare hands.

"Junior Sister Liu, you go first!" Zhou Lie roared.

"I can't leave." Liu Ningshuang gritted her teeth, "Their ships are too fast."

Indeed, the Blood Shark Island warships were much faster than the Dragon Abyss Palace spiritual boat, and there were five of them, surrounding the two in a fan shape.

On the leading warship, a burly middle-aged man with a hideous scar on his face stood with his hands behind his back, his cold gaze scanning the two on the ice.

"Little brats of the Dragon Abyss Palace, surrender obediently. If this Island Master is in a good mood, perhaps I will leave you a whole corpse."

The man's voice was like a broken gong, but it contained a thick spiritual power fluctuation—Peak of the Primal Form Realm, no weaker than Han Qing.

Liu Ningshuang and Zhou Lie looked at each other, and both saw despair in the other's eyes.

Just then—

A saber light soared from beneath the sea.

That saber light carried four completely different True Intents: like the Tide, like the scorching sun, like a blade's edge, like the Heavenly Fire, drawing a perfect arc in the air and slashing straight at the leading warship of Blood Shark Island.

"What—"

The Scarred Man's face changed drastically. In his haste, he threw a punch, and the black fist Protective Aura collided with the saber light.

Boom!

The warship shook violently, the Scarred Man retreated three steps, and the Protective Aura on his fist was shattered by the saber light. He looked down and saw a bloodstain on his fist deep enough to see the bone.

"Who?!" He looked at the sea in shock and anger.

A youth rose slowly from the seawater, standing on the waves. He wore black water gear, a long saber flowing with four-colored light hung across his waist, his face was handsome, but his eyes were as cold as deep winter ice.

"Senior Brother Jiang!" Liu Ningshuang exclaimed in surprise.

Zhou Lie was also stunned, then overjoyed: "It's Jiang Hanzhou! He's here!"

Jiang Hanzhou ignored their exclamations and locked his gaze on the Scarred Man: "Second Island Master of Blood Shark Island?"

The Scarred Man's face was livid. He recognized this youth—the number one target on the Blood Shark Island bounty list, Jiang Hanzhou, who had killed the confidant Disciple of the Great Island Master, Bloodfang Old Monster.

"There is a path to Heaven, but you do not take it; there is no door to Hell, yet you break in." The Scarred Man grinned hideously, "Today, I'll deal with you too! Attack!"

On the five warships, more than thirty Blood Shark Island Cultivators attacked simultaneously, with various True Intents, Protective Aura, and Spiritual Artifacts smashing toward Jiang Hanzhou like a rainstorm.

Jiang Hanzhou took a deep breath.

At this moment, the four True Intents in his body reached an unprecedented balance: Tide as the foundation, Pure Yang as the fire, Metal Sharpness as the blade, and Heavenly Fire as the change. The four were harmonized and unobstructed, as easy to use as his own arms.

He gripped his saber with both hands, and the four-colored light on the blade suddenly converged, turning into a simple and unadorned saber light.

"Tidal Heaven-Burning Slash—Four Intents Converge into One!"

This slash was more than twice as strong as when he killed the Mystic Fire Ink Squid.

Wherever the saber light passed, the sea surface was split open by a hundred-zhang-long rift, the seawater surged to both sides, revealing the reefs on the seabed. The attacks of more than thirty Blood Shark Island Cultivators were like paper in front of the saber light, shattering one after another.

The saber light swept across, and all five warships were cut in two simultaneously.

The Blood Shark Island Cultivators screamed as they fell into the sea; some had their hearts shattered by the Saber Qi on the spot, while others were swallowed by the seawater. Only the Scarred Man and seven or eight Core Disciples with higher cultivation levels barely blocked it, but all were injured.

"Impossible!" The Scarred Man's eyes were splitting, "You are just at the Early Stage of the Primal Form Realm, how is it possible—"

His words came to an abrupt end.

Because Jiang Hanzhou had already appeared in front of him, the tip of the tiger soul saber pressed against his throat, and the killing intent on the blade almost solidified.

"Second Island Master," Jiang Hanzhou said indifferently, "Bloodfang Old Monster sent you to intercept and kill Dragon Abyss Palace Disciples; does he want to completely tear off the mask?"

Cold sweat broke out on the Scarred Man's forehead, but he braced himself and said: "Don't be smug. The Great Island Master has already refined the Dragon Origin and will break through to the Dragon Fetus Realm in a few days. By then, you and the entire Dragon Abyss Palace will—"

The tip of the saber pushed forward a fraction, piercing the skin, and blood flowed down his neck.

"I ask, you answer." Jiang Hanzhou's voice was terrifyingly calm, "Has Blood Shark Island been in contact with people from the Ten Thousand Gu Sect recently?"

The Scarred Man's face changed drastically, his lips trembling, unable to speak.

Jiang Hanzhou got the answer from his expression and asked no more. He turned the blade and knocked the Scarred Man unconscious, throwing him to Zhou Lie: "Take him back and hand him over to the Sect for interrogation."

Zhou Lie caught the person, looking at Jiang Hanzhou in shock: "Senior Brother, you... when did you become so strong?"

Jiang Hanzhou did not answer. He stood on the broken deck, feeling the power surging within him.

That slash just now, the four True Intents reached a perfect balance for the first time, not because of the pressure of battle, but because at the moment of slashing, he suddenly touched something of a higher level.

The Inner Core of the Mystic Fire Ink Squid in his sumeru pouch was slightly hot, resonating with his Qi and blood. Between Heaven and Earth, a faint, elusive Spiritual Essence was captured by him; it was the fire-attribute Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence, originating from the Fusion of Yin and Yang in the squid's Inner Core.

The threshold of the Dragon Fetus Realm was already within reach.

"Let's talk about it when we get back." Jiang Hanzhou withdrew his thoughts and looked at Liu Ningshuang and Zhou Lie, "It's not safe here. People from Blood Shark Island will come again soon."

The three boarded the remaining spiritual boat and sailed toward the Dragon Abyss Palace.

The sea wind howled. Jiang Hanzhou sat cross-legged at the bow, closing his eyes. The four True Intents in his body were still resonating, and that wisp of Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence slowly condensed in his Dantian, like a seed, waiting for the day to take root and sprout.

He opened his eyes and looked at the slightly hot sumeru pouch at his waist.

The Mystic Fire Ink Squid's Inner Core was already in hand, and the spirit essence pill Materials were only missing a few final auxiliary medicines. Once he returned to the Dragon Abyss Palace, he could start the furnace for Alchemy and attempt to break through to the Dragon Fetus Realm.

And by then, the Sword Discussion Assembly would also arrive as scheduled.