86: Chapter 86 Dragon and Elephant in Harmony

The moment the voice fell, a figure slowly emerged within the beam of light.

There was no earth-shattering pressure, no momentum that tore through the Void Realm; he just stood quietly in mid-air, as if he had been there from the beginning.

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils constricted sharply as he stared fixedly at that figure.

The newcomer looked to be about thirty or forty years old, with a refined, lean face and a short beard on his chin. He wore a simple green robe, with faint cloud patterns embroidered on the cuffs and hem.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping peacefully over the devastated island below. Those eyes seemed to hold the weight of endless ages, forming an eerie contrast with his youthful face.

Ghost Ink Venerable's broken body began to tremble violently. He glared with his gradually fading eyes, staring intently at the green-robed figure in the sky. His lips moved, and while blood mixed with shattered visceral fragments gushed from the corners of his mouth, he still squeezed out a few blurred but horrified syllables:

"Dragon... Dragon Elephant... Mutual Harmony..."

These four words were like a thunderbolt, striking hard at Jiang Hanzhou's heart!

In his mind, the descriptions of the three levels of the Dragon Elephant Realm from the Dragon Subduing and Tiger Taming Skill flashed by—

Primal Form Realm: Condense blood essence, manifest the True Intent phantom.

Dragon Fetus Realm: Fuse Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence, gestate the divine fetus.

And Dragon Elephant Mutual Harmony...

This was the third level!

It required the complete Fusion of the True Intent phantom and the divine fetus. From then on, True Intent becomes instinct, Divine Ability is like breathing, and flesh, blood, and bones are all infused with Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence!

His Lifespan could even increase by two sixty-year cycles!

No wonder this person's voice was aged, yet his face was that of a middle-aged man!

He had already taken the final step of the first barrier of transcendence; his life essence had begun to transform, returning to simplicity!

The green-robed middle-aged man seemed to hear Ghost Ink Venerable's whisper and swept a faint glance at him.

That one look contained no emotion, yet it made Ghost Ink Venerable feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave, every inch of his flesh screaming a near-death warning.

"Evil cultivators must be executed."

The green-robed middle-aged man spoke, his voice still peaceful, yet carrying a dignity like an imperial edict that brooked no questioning.

He raised his right hand and pointed his index finger lightly.

There was no radiance, no force, not even a ripple in the air.

But under this finger, Ghost Ink Venerable's broken body was like being crushed by an invisible giant hammer; it instantly collapsed and withered, finally turning into a fine black dust that dissipated without a trace when the sea breeze blew.

He didn't even have time to scream.

It was as if this person had never existed.

Immediately after, the green-robed middle-aged man turned his gaze to Sandro, who was struggling in the seawater.

Sandro's Divine Soul was currently being eroded by the soul devouring gu, and he was in extreme pain, but he still retained a last shred of clarity.

He felt the gaze upon him, suddenly looked up, and his eyes were filled with horror and despair.

"An outsider of the Dragon Elephant Realm, trespassing shall be executed."

When the words fell, the green-robed middle-aged man flicked his finger again.

The wriggling black Qi between Sandro's brows suddenly solidified, and then, along with his entire head, it vaporized silently like a candle melted by high heat!

The headless body twitched twice in the seawater before becoming completely still, blood staining a small patch of the sea surface.

Two fingers.

In the blink of an eye, two experts of the Dragon Elephant Realm had been completely annihilated!

Jiang Hanzhou felt cold all over, his back soaked in cold sweat.

He bit his teeth hard, suppressed his breathing to the lowest level, completely restrained his blood and Qi, retracted all the glow of his dao bone, and even forcibly controlled his heartbeat until it was nearly stagnant.

In front of such an existence, any extra fluctuation of aura could lead to destruction.

However—

The green-robed middle-aged man's gaze still landed on him.

It was as if it had pierced through the cover of the reef, the concealment of the seawater, and all his hiding and camouflage.

Those eyes, which held the sediment of time, looked calmly at Jiang Hanzhou's hiding spot.

"Come out."

Two words, not loud, yet they rang directly in the depths of Jiang Hanzhou's Soul, carrying an irresistible will.

Jiang Hanzhou's heart pounded wildly; he knew he couldn't hide anymore.

He took a deep breath, suppressed all his fear, slowly stood up from behind the reef, stepped on the waves, and walked toward the beach.

His gait was steady, his expression calm; even facing this terrifying existence who had killed Dragon Elephant experts with a flick of a finger, he did not show the slightest bit of cowardice or panic.

He arrived on the beach and stood firm about ten zhang away from the green-robed middle-aged man.

Jiang Hanzhou cupped his hands, bowed, and performed a standard Martial Artist salute.

"Junior Jiang Hanzhou, greets Senior."

His voice was clear, neither humble nor arrogant: "Junior is a traveling physician from Donghai Prefecture. I entered this sea area by mistake to collect medicinal herbs. Just now, I happened to pass by and was shocked to see Senior's Divine Might. I dared not disturb you, so I hid. I have no intention of offending you."

The green-robed middle-aged man watched him quietly, his gaze lingering on him for a moment.

Those eyes seemed to be able to pierce through skin and flesh to look directly at the essence.

"Happened to pass by?" The green-robed middle-aged man's tone could not be discerned for joy or anger. "This sea area is far from the shipping lanes and has many deserted islands. You, a traveling physician, came here to pick herbs?"

Jiang Hanzhou's thoughts raced. Knowing that an ordinary excuse would be hard to believe, he simply said frankly: "I dare not deceive Senior. Junior did indeed come to pick herbs, but I also have a heart to go to 'Dragon Abyss Palace' to participate in the mountain-opening assessment, so I ventured deep into the sea to seek Opportunity and a path. Today's encounter was truly accidental."

"Dragon Abyss Palace?" The green-robed middle-aged man's eyebrows moved imperceptibly.

His figure flickered, and the next moment, he appeared three feet in front of Jiang Hanzhou.

At such a close distance, Jiang Hanzhou could even feel the ethereal aura on the other party that seemed to be in harmony with the world—gentle, yet as vast as the sea.

His body stiffened instinctively, but he forcibly suppressed the urge to retreat or defend, just standing quietly and letting the other party examine him.

The green-robed middle-aged man extended his right hand; his palm was fair, his fingers slender.

That hand pressed gently on top of Jiang Hanzhou's head.

Jiang Hanzhou shook violently!

A gentle but irresistible force poured into his body instantly, like the most delicate water flow, sweeping through every one of his Meridians, every bone, and every acupoint.

In his Dantian, the blood pill spun wildly, the glow of his dao bone erupted in response, and his Heavenly Dipper Precious Qi trembled slightly.

But that force just brushed past without deeply probing or destroying, as if it were just... checking his bones.

After a few breaths, the green-robed middle-aged man withdrew his hand.

On that face that had always been calm, a trace of clear fluctuation appeared for the first time.

It was surprise, which then turned into undisguised appreciation and joy.

"Bone age seventeen, blood and Qi like mercury, Meridians wide and tough, and even containing a wisp of Innate precious Qi, with the dao bone faintly glowing... Good! What a piece of uncarved jade!"

The light in the green-robed middle-aged man's eyes flourished, and the way he looked at Jiang Hanzhou was like a craftsman discovering a peerless piece of jade.

Jiang Hanzhou felt a chill in his heart.

The other party had just touched him, and yet he had seen through seven or eight-tenths of his background!

The means of this Dragon Elephant Mutual Harmony realm were truly unimaginable.

"Your name is Jiang Hanzhou?" The green-robed middle-aged man asked, his tone much gentler.

"Yes." Jiang Hanzhou replied respectfully.

"You said you want to go to Dragon Abyss Palace to participate in the assessment?" The green-robed middle-aged man asked again, with deeper smiles in his eyes.

"Yes. Junior has heard that Dragon Abyss Palace is a Martial Artist Holy Land of Donghai, and I yearn for it, so I wish to go and try." Jiang Hanzhou answered cautiously.

"Haha, good! A good 'yearn for it'!" The green-robed middle-aged man suddenly laughed out loud. The sense of age in his voice faded quite a bit, and there was more comfort. "I thought that coming out to sea to clean up the filth was just a routine matter; I didn't expect to have such a harvest!"

He looked at Jiang Hanzhou, the more he looked, the more satisfied he became: "Do you know that Dragon Abyss Palace opens its gates to accept Disciples, and not just anyone can go?"

Jiang Hanzhou was startled: "Please enlighten me, Senior."

The green-robed middle-aged man flicked his sleeve and said faintly: "Dragon Abyss Palace believes in Luck, and also believes in fate. Before opening the mountain every three years, Disciples sent out from the palace will cast 'summoning tokens' into various sea areas of the East Sea. The number of tokens is limited, scattered in the vast ocean, islands, and even some dangerous places. Only those who obtain the token can rely on it to sense the entrance to the path of the Dragon Abyss Palace trial."

"Without a token, no matter how high your Aptitude or how strong your cultivation is, you will not be able to find where Dragon Abyss Palace is."

Jiang Hanzhou's heart sank.

He only knew the time of the Dragon Abyss Palace assessment before, but he didn't know there was such a rule!

If there was no token, wouldn't his months of planning all become a joke?

Seeming to see what he was thinking, the green-robed middle-aged man smiled slightly, flipped his palm, and an object appeared in his palm.

It was a palm-sized token, neither gold nor jade, with a warm, moist green color. On the front, a mountain pattern surrounded by clouds was carved, and on the back was an ancient seal character "Dragon".

The surface of the token flowed with a faint luster, and there was a hint of spiritual essence contained within.

"This is the summoning token of the outer sect of Dragon Abyss Palace." The green-robed middle-aged man handed the token to Jiang Hanzhou. "We are fated today, so I will gift this token to you. Hold this token, and on the night of the full moon next month, activate it in the 'Seven Star Reef' sea area of the East Sea, and the path of guidance will appear."

Jiang Hanzhou looked at the token, and an indescribable wave surged in his heart.

A turn for the better!

He solemnly extended both hands and took the token.

The token was slightly heavy in his hand, cool to the touch, and the spiritual essence contained within faintly echoed with the Heavenly Dipper Precious Qi in his body.

"Many thanks for Senior's generous gift!" Jiang Hanzhou bowed deeply.

This time, it was gratitude from the bottom of his heart.

The green-robed middle-aged man accepted his salute calmly and laughed:

"No need for courtesy. With your Aptitude, even without this token, you might not be able to enter the palace in other ways in the future. This token just lets you take fewer detours."

He paused, looked at Jiang Hanzhou, and said meaningfully:

"The Dragon Abyss Palace assessment focuses on 'fate' and 'Luck', and even more on Heart-Nature and potential. The token is just a stepping stone. Whether you can truly enter the gate, or even go further, ultimately depends on yourself."

Jiang Hanzhou said solemnly: "Junior will remember this."

"Very good." The green-robed middle-aged man nodded with satisfaction, looked at Sandro's headless corpse on the beach, and the few black dust remnants where Ghost Ink Venerable had dissipated, and said lightly: "The belongings of these two are of no use to me, so I will leave them to you. The items of evil cultivators may be poisonous, so handle them with caution; as for that Western barbarian, there may be some strange items from overseas, you can judge for yourself."

After speaking, he flicked his sleeve.

The package of monster flesh and blood that was oozing foul blood on the beach flew up into the air and fell into his hands.

The green-robed middle-aged man didn't even look at it and casually put it away, as if the monster essence that the two Dragon Elephant Realm experts had fought to the death for was just an ordinary item.

"The matter here is settled, I should go."

He looked at Jiang Hanzhou for the last time, with expectation in his eyes: "I hope you will practice diligently and not let down this Aptitude. Perhaps we will meet again in Dragon Abyss Palace in the future."

As the voice fell, the green-robed middle-aged man's figure slowly faded, like ink dissolving in clear water, and disappeared into the air in the blink of an eye.

Not even a breeze was stirred up.

Only the clear, hazy beam of light also gradually retracted and finally disappeared completely.

The sea breeze remained, and the waves hit the shore.

It was as if the scene of killing a Dragon Elephant with a flick of a finger and gifting a token to point out the future was just an illusion.

But the warm, moist green token in his hand, as well as the headless corpse on the beach and the remaining black dust, clearly told Jiang Hanzhou that everything was real.

He stood in place for a long time.

Until he confirmed that the green-robed middle-aged man had really left and there was no other spying aura around, he let out a long breath.

His tense nerves relaxed slightly, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

"Dragon Elephant Mutual Harmony... Dragon Abyss Palace summoning token..."

Jiang Hanzhou looked down at the token in his hand, his eyes complex.

Today's encounter could be described as a narrow escape from death, yet also a heaven-sent Opportunity.

He put away the token and turned his gaze to Sandro's corpse on the beach and the place where Ghost Ink Venerable had dissipated.

The belongings of two Dragon Elephant Realm experts...

Even if it was just remnants, it was definitely not ordinary!