85: Chapter 85 A Revenue for the Fisherman? Unexpected Events Abound!

Protective Aura winds wrapped around his body as he stepped across the waves.

For a Dragon Elephant Realm expert bursting with full power, the hundred-mile distance was nothing more than a moment's effort.

The closer he got, the clearer the foul, sweet, and bloody scent unique to demon flesh became, seemingly mixed with a strong stench of blood and some kind of insidious, strange energy fluctuation.

"Is someone fighting? Or processing demon flesh?" Sandro was vigilant, but greed overwhelmed everything else.

If it were truly ownerless demon remains, he could swallow the majority of it himself!

If someone was holding it... then he would just kill them! On this desolate island deep in the sea, far from land, who would ever know?

When he finally arrived near the desolate island, his Divine Sense swept over, and he immediately "saw" a Daoist in green robes hiding in a cave on the leeward side of the island. The Daoist, who had lost an arm and whose aura was withered, was casting a spell on a bundle emitting a foul light!

And, the pure demon flesh essence leaking from that bundle!

"An Eastern Cultivator? Looks like he's severely injured... What is he refining?"

Sandro felt reassured; he was confident he could take down an injured Martial Artist of the same Realm.

Without wasting a single word, not even bothering to ask the other's identity, Sandro attacked directly!

For the demon flesh, for the Kingdom's reward, and for that sliver of a chance to touch higher Laws—

"Hand over what you are holding, and I will spare your life!" A mental fluctuation filled with killing intent, mixed with the pressure of the Dragon Elephant Realm, smashed toward the cave like a tsunami!

Almost the moment Sandro's Divine Sense swept over, Ghost Ink Venerable in the cave had sensed it.

His condition at this moment was extremely poor.

That day, he had launched a fierce attack from the Li Residence, using a secret technique to detonate a semi-finished "filth-guiding talisman" to severely injure Li Chongshan, then seized the chance to steal the demon flesh essence and flee. It looked impressive, but the cost was actually heavy.

Li Chongshan's enraged strike had not only severed his arm, but the scorching Protective Aura and Dragon Elephant will contained within had invaded his body, continuously burning his Meridians and internal organs.

He could only barely suppress it with his life-bound Gu and secret medicinal powders.

Fleeing to this pre-scouted desolate island, he had intended to process the demon flesh as quickly as possible to extract the essence, partly to heal and recover, and partly to complete another secret mission assigned by the Sect.

To use the filth of the demon to nourish and Cultivate a special "spirit-devouring gu".

As long as this Gu was raised, his status in the Sect would greatly increase, and he might even have a chance to obtain higher chapters of the "Ten Thousand Gu True Scripture" personally transmitted by the Sect Leader.

Who would have known that less than half an hour after setting up a simple concealment Formation and beginning to process the flesh, a powerful enemy would track him down!

And the person who came was not the Donghai Prefecture naval forces or experts from noble families as he had expected, but a golden-haired, blue-eyed Western barbarian!

Judging by his aura, he was also unexpectedly in the Dragon Elephant Realm!

"A Western barbarian... how did he also set his sights on the demon flesh?" Ghost Ink Venerable was both shocked and angry.

He naturally knew the temptation demon flesh held for various forces, but he hadn't expected the people from the West to arrive so quickly, and to find his temporary hideout so accurately.

Seeing the opponent's pressure bearing down without any courtesy, and his words being so overbearing, Ghost Ink Venerable knew this matter could not end well.

"Seeking death!" He responded sinisterly. With a wave of his single arm, several concealment Formation nodes already set up in the cave lit up with a ghostly glow simultaneously. Countless emerald-green Gu, as thin as ox hair and almost invisible to the naked eye, surged out like mist from the rock crevices and the ground, silently pouncing toward Sandro outside the cave!

At the same time, he grabbed the oilcloth bundle containing the demon flesh, his figure transformed into a black shadow, smashed through the top of the cave, and soared into the sky!

Strike first to gain the advantage!

His injuries were not healed, so he should not fight for long. He had to use thunderous means to force the opponent back, then find an opportunity to flee far away.

Thus, above this desolate island, a skirmish between Dragon Elephant Realm experts erupted with a boom!

At first, it was probing and assassination attempts.

Ghost Ink Venerable's Gu were extremely insidious, specialized in breaking Protective Aura and devouring Divine Soul, and carried all sorts of paralyzing, hallucinogenic, and blood-corroding virulent poisons.

They were formless and substanceless, gathering and dispersing unpredictably, launching attacks from the trickiest angles.

Sandro, meanwhile, displayed the characteristics of a Western Dragon Elephant Realm expert.

He was surrounded by condensed cyan Protective Aura winds; the wind was like sharp blades, shredding and blowing away most of the Gu.

At the same time, he chanted, his fingers tracing in the air, creating cyan "Wind Blade" and "Hurricane Cage" spells out of thin air, cutting and binding Ghost Ink Venerable's space for movement.

The two fought from above the island down to the sea surface, with energy blasting everywhere, exploding into columns of water that shot into the sky.

Although Ghost Ink Venerable was severely injured, the secret techniques of the Ten Thousand Gu Sect were treacherous, unpredictable, and endless.

With his single arm, he manipulated several different types of Gu, sometimes forming shields to block the wind blades, sometimes gathering into poison spears to attack, and sometimes dispersing into mist to interfere with Divine Sense.

He would also occasionally flick out a few emerald-green "Energy-Eroding Gu"; once they touched, they could rapidly erode the opponent's Protective Aura and flesh.

Sandro had the advantage of being in good condition with a solid Foundation; the wind-element Divine Arts and Battle Qi Cultivation Techniques passed down by the Silver Wing Family made him extremely fast, with a continuous stream of attacks.

The silver light wings behind him were not just for show; sometimes they flapped to raise tearing storms, other times they solidified like blades to slash, flexible and versatile.

Both knew the other was not to be trifled with, and initially, they both held back some strength, wanting to figure out the opponent's bottom line and find an opportunity for a one-hit kill.

But as time passed, Sandro grew impatient. He worried that delaying would attract pursuers from Donghai Prefecture or be noticed by other passing experts.

Ghost Ink Venerable was even more anxious; his injuries showed signs of becoming suppressed during the intense battle, and the scorching Protective Aura Li Chongshan had left inside his body began to stir.

The battle quickly escalated, entering a white-hot stage.

Sandro finally utilized the secret Divine Art of the Silver Wing Family.

He bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of essence blood onto a short staff resembling green jade that had suddenly appeared in his hand. The gemstone embedded at the top of the short staff suddenly erupted with blinding silver light.

"Silver Wing · Wrath of the Wind God!"

The short staff pointed at Ghost Ink Venerable. In the Void Realm, countless cyan wind blades, condensed to the extreme and shimmering with silver light at their edges, generated out of thin air. They formed a huge, crazily rotating blade wheel that tore through the air, emitting a screeching sound like ghosts wailing, and crushed toward Ghost Ink Venerable!

Wherever it passed, the sea surface was cut by invisible force, creating deep trenches!

Ghost Ink Venerable's expression changed drastically, feeling the terrifying power contained in this strike.

He violently threw the oilcloth bundle containing the demon flesh upward, his single hand lightning-fast as he formed several strange Dharma Seals, and spat a mouthful of black blood onto the Seals.

"Ten Thousand Gu Devour Heaven · Blood Feeding!"

On his chest, a twisted black Gu pattern suddenly lit up, and it seemed as if something was frantically wriggling under his skin.

The next moment, the blood that had not completely stopped flowing from his wounds, along with the mouthful of black blood he had spat out, seemed to possess life, turning into countless fine, blood-red runes in the air, merging into the surrounding Void Realm.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz—"

A scalp-numbing, dense sound of wing flapping arose. Centered on Ghost Ink Venerable, a black cloud of insects that blotted out the sky suddenly appeared over the sea and air within a hundred-foot radius!

Those were not physical Gu, but phantoms of "Soul-Eroding Gu" triggered by a secret technique mixing essence blood and Divine Soul, specialized in devouring energy!

The black insect cloud and the silver wind blade wheel collided with a boom!

There was no earth-shattering loud noise, only a teeth-grinding sound of energy annihilation and erosion.

The silver-cyan wind blade light was rapidly swallowed and dimmed by the black insect cloud, while the insect cloud also dissipated in large swathes under the cutting of the wind blades.

Both men groaned simultaneously, blood spilling from the corners of their mouths.

Sandro's face turned pale; the backlash from his Divine Art being broken was not light.

Ghost Ink Venerable was even worse off; forcing the forbidden technique caused his injuries to erupt, the black energy at his severed arm was in chaos, he could barely suppress the gushing blood, and his aura withered significantly in an instant.

Just at this moment of stalemate, the demon flesh bundle thrown into mid-air by Ghost Ink Venerable had the Talisman Seal on its outer layer tear open a gap with a "rip" sound due to the energy impact of their collision!

A wave of incomparably foul and chaotic dark-red blood-evil Qi, mixed with a nauseating sweet, bloody stench, suddenly leaked out from the gap!

This scent was like the most violent catalyst, instantly stimulating the two combatants, and also attracting the attention of Jiang Hanzhou, who had just arrived nearby and was hiding behind a reef.

The greed in Sandro's eyes almost turned into substance: "It really is pure demon flesh essence! It's mine!"

Ghost Ink Venerable was shocked and furious: "How dare you damage my treasure! This Venerable will have your Divine Soul destroyed, and you will be a Gu slave for eternity!"

The two, almost simultaneously ignoring the backlash and injuries, erupted with their final strength, lunging toward the falling bundle while launching a fatal blow at each other!

Sandro's silver wings behind him solidified completely, transforming into two huge silver light blades. They slashed out in a cross, the trajectory mysterious, locking off all of Ghost Ink Venerable's evasion space, the blade edges pointing directly at his head and heart!

Ghost Ink Venerable's single arm violently slapped toward his own crown, black blood seeping from his seven orifices simultaneously. A twisted, blurry phantom of a Gu, exuding endless resentment and hunger, shot out from the top of his head, emitting a silent screech, and lunged straight at the center of Sandro's brow!

This was the "soul devouring gu" he had nourished with his life-bound essence; it specialized in attacking the Divine Soul and was incomparably vicious. Once tainted, it was like marrow-adhering gangrene; unless one abandoned a portion of their Divine Soul, it was extremely difficult to expel!

"Boom! Pfft!"

The silver-winged light blades slashed into Ghost Ink Venerable's chest and right shoulder, almost splitting him diagonally. It was deep enough to see bone, and emerald-green blood and fragments of broken internal organs sprayed out.

And that soul devouring gu phantom also slammed solidly into the center of Sandro's brow!

Sandro let out a miserable, sharp scream, clutching his head as he tumbled from mid-air. His Protective Aura instantly dissipated by more than half, pale golden blood flowed from his seven orifices, and his eyes were unfocused; clearly, his Divine Soul had suffered a heavy blow.

Ghost Ink Venerable's body smashed onto the reef beach at the edge of the island like a torn sack, rolling a few times and leaving a shocking trail of blood. His aura was extremely weak, his chest heaving violently, but he no longer had the strength to even stand up.

The demon flesh bundle also fell onto the beach not far from him, dark-red foul blood seeping from the cracks and staining a patch of sand.

Sandro fell into the sea, struggling to surface. His face was as pale as paper, and a twisted black energy at the center of his brow kept wriggling, attempting to drill into the depths of his Sea of Consciousness.

He desperately used his Mental Energy and Battle Qi to suppress it, but with little effect. He could only barely maintain a sliver of consciousness, swaying as he tried to crawl ashore, his gaze locked firmly on that bundle on the beach.

Behind a reef in the distance, Jiang Hanzhou took in everything.

He held his breath, but his heart beat faster involuntarily.

Both sides suffered!

Two Dragon Elephant Realm experts had actually fought to this extent!

Ghost Ink Venerable's chest was almost split open; he was on the verge of death.

Sandro's Divine Soul had suffered heavy damage from the strange Gu technique, and less than one-tenth of his combat power remained.

And the demon flesh essence in that bundle was right within reach!

Light flickered violently in Jiang Hanzhou's eyes.

Researching demons... understanding the essence and power of such taboo existences...

This had an irresistible attraction for anyone, especially for him, who was practicing the "Heavenly Dipper Treasure Refining Art" which required rare treasures for Body Tempering.

The risk was huge, but the opportunity was equally astonishing.

If he acted now, perhaps he really could...

His fingers tightened slightly, the Qi and blood in his body began to circulate quietly and rapidly, and the power of the "Thirteen Transformations of Heavenly Fire" was ready to be unleashed in his Meridians.

One step, two steps... Like the most patient hunter, he began to use the cover of the reefs and waves to slowly approach the messy beach.

Fifty zhang... thirty zhang... twenty zhang...

He could even clearly smell the nauseating yet strangely attractive demon blood-Qi in the air, see the wriggling wounds under Ghost Ink Venerable's tattered Daoist robes, and hear Sandro's painful, suppressed groans in the seawater.

Ten zhang!

A fierce look flashed in Jiang Hanzhou's eyes, and just as he was about to burst out and attack, to seize the demon flesh bundle and flee a thousand miles away—

A sudden change, at this very moment, descended without warning!

Without warning!

It was like the first ray of light when heaven and earth were first created, or like a bolt of lightning cutting through eternity when the night was at its deepest.

A beam of light, clear and hazy, gentle as water, yet containing an indescribable aura of purification and majesty, descended from above the Nine Heavens, piercing through the battle aftermath and foul blood-Qi that had not yet dissipated, falling straight down without any obstruction!

The beam of light was not large, just enough to cover the entire desolate island and the surrounding hundred-zhang sea area.

Within the beam of light, time seemed to slow down.

The surging waves froze with water droplets splashed in the air, the tracks of drifting foul blood and dust were fixed, Ghost Ink Venerable's weakly heaving chest, the painfully twisted expression on Sandro's face, the bundle on the beach seeping with foul blood, and even Jiang Hanzhou's toe about to step out of the shadow of the reef, as well as the look of determined ferocity in his eyes...

Everything was illuminated in minute detail by this clear light, yet it also seemed to be gently held in place by an invisible force.

Then, an ancient and peaceful voice, yet carrying a majesty that seemed to have experienced the vicissitudes of eternity and understood all the filth in the world, rang directly in the depths of everyone's Soul: "Demon filth, you dare to appear in this world?"