83: Chapter 83 The Battle of Dragons and Elephants!

He sat in the middle of the small boat. At this moment, he kicked off the bottom of the boat with both feet, his figure erupting like a leopard. Carrying a rotating force that was both soft and hard, his palms moved like butterflies threading through flowers, lightning-fast, striking the back of the necks of the two soldiers who were focused on rowing!

Those two soldiers were only at the Iron Bone Realm. Facing Jiang Hanzhou, who was at the Major Achievement of the Viscera Burning Realm, and this thunderous surprise attack that had been long premeditated, they had no time to react at all.

Feeling a numbness behind their necks, their vision went black. Without even a groan, they collapsed softly.

At the same time, Jiang Hanzhou's left leg whipped out, kicking backward, precisely striking the Shanzhong acupoint on the chest of the soldier on guard at the stern!

That soldier was alert. The moment Jiang Hanzhou erupted, he had sensed it. In his shock, he was about to draw his sword to sound the alarm, but the sword was only half-drawn when that concentrated, needle-like force penetrated his body, sealing off the flow of his Qi and blood. He felt his chest constrict, his strength was instantly drained, his waist saber clattered to the bottom of the boat, and he fell backward.

From the eruption to the three falling, the entire process took no more than one or two breaths, as fast as a flash of lightning!

Only then did Captain Liu at the bow of the boat turn around in shock, his hand already pressed on the hilt of his sword: "You—"

However, the word "You" had barely left his lips when Jiang Hanzhou's figure had already approached him like a ghost!

Captain Liu's pupils constricted. He was a veteran after all, unfazed in the face of danger. The long sword at his waist instantly drew half a foot from its sheath, a cold light flashing as he unleashed a vicious horizontal slash directly at Jiang Hanzhou's waist and abdomen!

This strike was fast and ruthless, carrying the tragic atmosphere of battlefield combat. An ordinary Iron Bone Realm Martial Artist would find it extremely difficult to dodge.

But Jiang Hanzhou only slightly turned his body, and the blade grazed past his clothes by a hair's breadth.

At the same time, his right index and middle fingers joined together, pointing out like a sword. Striking after, but arriving first, he pressed with absolute precision onto the "Shenmen acupoint" on Captain Liu's sword-holding wrist.

A scorching, concentrated force penetrated the acupoint!

Captain Liu's entire arm instantly went numb and sore. He could no longer hold the sword, and with a "clatter," the long sword slipped from his hand, slamming against the boat's gunwale.

The look of shock in his eyes deepened. He made a fist with his left hand, desperately striking toward Jiang Hanzhou's face, making a final struggle.

Jiang Hanzhou did not give him another chance.

His left hand reached out like a nimble snake, clasping Captain Liu's wrist. With a smooth pull and press, Captain Liu was involuntarily dragged forward and collapsed.

Jiang Hanzhou raised his right palm and lightly tapped the "Fengfu acupoint" on the back of his head.

Captain Liu's whole body shuddered, the light in his eyes quickly dimming. He collapsed to the bottom of the boat, just like the previous three, completely losing consciousness.

Silence returned to the small boat.

There was only the sound of waves gently lapping against the hull, and the faint rustle of the sea breeze passing over the canvas.

Jiang Hanzhou slowly withdrew his hand and stood up straight, his gaze sweeping over the four people lying helter-skelter on the bottom of the boat.

He was very measured in his actions, using clever force to seal acupoints, block meridians, and stun their Divine Soul, without damaging their foundations.

Given their Physique, they would wake up on their own in at most two hours. Apart from some dizziness and weakness, there would be no lasting aftereffects.

"No grudge, no enmity, there is no need to kill." Jiang Hanzhou muttered to himself, his eyes calm.

He was not a bloodthirsty person, nor was he an evil cultivator.

These soldiers were following orders and had no personal vendetta against him.

Knocking them out was merely a necessary means of escape.

He did not delay any further and acted quickly.

First, he searched the four of them for military tokens, command arrows, and other items that might expose his whereabouts, and threw them into the sea.

Then, he pressed one palm against the side of the gunwale, his pale golden Qi and blood slightly surging.

"Bang!"

With a muffled sound, a spray of water exploded on the sea surface. The small boat, borrowing the recoil force, shot toward the nearby deserted island like an arrow leaving the bow.

In just a moment, it had reached the reef area of the island's shore.

Jiang Hanzhou picked up the four unconscious soldiers, one in each hand, and threw them directly onto the rocks.

He placed them in a crevice of the rocks that was sheltered from the wind and would not be flooded by the rising tide.

This could be considered doing his best; it would depend on whether they could survive.

After finishing all this, Jiang Hanzhou did not linger, turned around, and leaped back onto the small boat.

He untied the mooring line, raised the sail, adjusted his direction, put the oars into the water, and gave a powerful stroke—

The small boat, like a seabird breaking free from its restraints, sailed nimbly away from the deserted island, heading into the depths of the vast, boundless sea.

The sea breeze hit his face, carrying a salty, fishy, yet free scent.

Jiang Hanzhou stood at the stern of the boat, looking back at the gradually shrinking deserted island, and the direction of the naval fast ship that had long disappeared into the distance.

An indescribable sense of relaxation and exhilaration, like a bird breaking free from a cage, rose from the bottom of his heart and instantly swept through his entire body.

Free!

No longer needing to disguise himself, no longer needing to be on guard, no longer needing to be drawn into the whirlpools of those powerful family feuds and court pursuits!

The world was vast, the blue waves endless. Although the path ahead was unknown, it was controlled by himself!

He couldn't help but let out a long whistle!

The sound was not loud, but clear and long, mixing with the sea breeze and waves, spreading far away, as if wanting to expel all the oppression, caution, and calculations of these past days.

As the whistling gradually faded, Jiang Hanzhou felt his heart and mind open, refreshed and clear-headed.

He took out the simple nautical chart he had swiped from the naval officer earlier, and by comparing it with the sun's position and the outlines of the scattered islands in the distance, he roughly determined his current position.

"According to this chart, traveling another hundred miles or so to the southeast, there should be a cluster of larger islands. There might be fishermen gathered there, or I might be able to find merchant ships heading deeper into the 'Shattered Star Archipelago'..."

He pondered his next step in his heart.

The time for the Dragon Abyss Palace's opening examination was approaching; he must reach the deeper sea areas as soon as possible to find a way to participate in the examination.

Although this small boat was fast, it was not suitable for long voyages.

He needed a real sea-going vessel, or at least to find a transit island with fixed shipping routes.

Having made up his mind, Jiang Hanzhou did not hesitate, chose his direction, and pushed the small boat with all his might.

His cultivation was profound, his stamina enduring. As he rowed with both oars, his Qi and blood slightly infused into them, the boat's speed was several times faster than usual, like an arrowfish skimming over the sea, breaking the blue water surface and leaving a long white trail.

After traveling at high speed for more than half an hour, the outline of another island appeared on the sea ahead.

It was much larger than the previous deserted island, and patches of green were vaguely visible on the island, seemingly forests.

However, just as he had raised his telescope, before he could take a close look—

"Boom!!!"

A dull but terrifying roar suddenly came from the direction of the island!

It was not the sound of waves hitting the shore, nor was it thunder, but... a huge roar!

Immediately after, the entire sea surface began to tremble violently!

Centered on the small boat, the seawater for hundreds of feet around began to churn as if boiling, waves rose into the sky in a chaotic manner, then crashed down heavily!

Jiang Hanzhou's small boat was like a leaf in a storm, thrown high and then dropped heavily. If it weren't for his profound cultivation and stable stance, it would have surely capsized long ago!

What is going on?!

Alarm bells rang in his heart. He suddenly looked up, gazing in the direction where the loud noise came from.

The next moment, his pupils suddenly constricted like needles!

He saw that above the sea surface near the island, two figures were crazily colliding, crossing, separating, and colliding again at a dazzling speed!

Every collision erupted with a deafening roar, exploding into clusters of flames of different colors, all containing terrifying energy!

The air waves were like tangible shockwaves, spreading outward in circles, whipping up even higher, vicious waves!

And what made it even more unbelievable for Jiang Hanzhou was that he actually recognized both of the figures who were in the midst of a fierce battle!

The person on the left wore a tattered, blood-stained blue-gray Daoist robe, hair disheveled, face as pale as paper, with blood foam constantly spilling from the corners of his mouth. His left arm was severed at the shoulder, and thick black Qi was wrapped around the wound, preventing blood from flowing, but also making the stump look even more hideous and terrifying.

It was none other than the Ghost Ink Venerable of the Ten Thousand Gu Sect!

And the person on the right had golden hair and blue eyes, a refined face, but at this moment it was filled with frost and killing intent. He wore a deep blue robe embroidered with silver patterns, but that robe was also damaged in many places, stained with dark green smudges and bloodstains.

His whole body was surrounded by sharp cyan air currents, and behind him, a pair of illusory wings with flowing silver light were vaguely spread out. Each time he flapped them, they whipped up a hurricane that tore through the air!

It was none other than the Guest Elder of the Silver Wing Family of the Storm Kingdom, whom he had met on Bibo Island, Master Sang!

These two... how could they be here? And why were they fighting?!

Jiang Hanzhou's heart was churned by monstrous waves!

He gripped the gunwale tightly, stabilizing his figure, his eyes locked firmly on the two figures fighting like gods and demons on the distant sea, forgetting to breathe for a moment.