Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

On the sea, the elite fleet of the Salt Iron Society, led by Salt Iron Hand, had just broken out of the reef area when it collided head-on with the Blood Corpse Alliance's warship.

Xian Tieshou stood at the bow of the ship, his hands, which were dark blue with bulging veins, were covered in iron.

He already suspected there was a traitor on the island, and seeing the sinister face of Electric Serpent Sun, coupled with his fury over the theft of Cold Iron Mother, instantly overwhelmed his reason.

"You damned Electric Serpent! I knew someone could steal things right under my nose! Turns out it was your Blood Skeleton Alliance playing double agent!" Salty Iron Hand, his eyes bloodshot, pointed at the flagship opposite him and roared, "Hand over my Cold Iron Mother!"

Electric Snake Sun stood at the bow of the ship, searching for Zhenshan's whereabouts with his compass, when he was bewildered by the barrage of insults.

"What's wrong with you, you old hag? What cold iron mother?" Electric Snake Sun's brows furrowed into a knot.

"Stop pretending!" Iron Hand ignored all explanations, waving his hand sharply. "Beat them! Sink them all, boat and all!"

The Salt and Iron Society's fleet formation instantly dispersed, and dozens of heavy ballistae fired simultaneously. Thick steel bolts tore through the air, piercing the Blood Corpse Alliance's flagship with a piercing whistle.

Unwittingly burdened with a huge, unjust accusation, Electric Snake Sun was furious but laughed inwardly.

He was already short-tempered, and this time he came out to avenge his younger brother, so he was burning with anger.

"You shameless old fool, you really think I'm afraid of you? Fire the arrows! Engage in boarding action!"

Two sea snakes darted out from the sleeve of Electric Snake Sun, and he transformed into a blur, rushing straight at Salty Iron Hand. Salty Iron Hand was not to be outdone, and his iron-blue palms, wrapped in extreme cold, clashed head-on.

Two peak-level experts of the Yi Jin Realm collided violently in mid-air, their violent blood and qi exploding instantly, creating towering waves more than ten feet high.

The shouts and cannon fire of the two fleets clashed together, turning the sea area into a chaotic mess.

Ten miles away, the Zhenyuan was hidden in the gray-white mist, sailing steadily.

Xu Hao leaned against the railing at the stern of the ship, tossing a piece of purplish-black ore he had casually picked up in his hand. Listening to the continuous artillery fire coming from behind, his mouth was almost stretched to his ears in a grin.

"Boss, are they really fighting?" Luo Meng leaned over the ship's railing, craning his neck to listen, and swallowed hard.

"They were beaten pretty badly." Chen Yuanzhi walked over with the account book in hand, his sleeves still stained with ink. "Xian Tieshou lost his manhood, and Dian She Sun has a terrible temper. If these two get together, it would be a shame not to smash their brains out."

Luo Meng scratched the back of his head: "Are we just going to leave like this? Aren't we going to go back and pick up some leftovers?"

"Picking up scraps? Your little bit of meat isn't even enough to fill someone at the peak of the Yi Jin Realm's teeth." Xu Hao casually tossed the ore into a gap in the ship's deck, watching the dark red flesh greedily devour it. "They helped us cover our retreat; we should be grateful. Luo Meng, steer the ship and retreat at full speed. Don't disturb the two of you getting to know each other."

Luo Meng responded and turned to take the helm.

Looking at Xu Hao's calm demeanor, which suggested he had concealed his achievements, Chen Yuanzhi was filled with admiration.

Stealing someone's island's prized possession, leaving the victim and pursuers to fight like dogs, and then walking away unscathed—that's a true pirate.

Xu Hao turned around, his gaze fixed on the deep sea. He weighed the Black Blade Devouring Sea in his hand. Now, it was time for the Zhenyuan to properly digest this feast.

"Second brother, have Luo Meng find a secluded spot to moor the ship. For the next few days, no one is allowed to come to the hold."

Chen Yuanzhi closed the ledger: "Understood. Is the Boss going into seclusion?"

Xu Hao didn't reply, and turned to walk towards the lower deck.

The lower deck was dark and damp. As soon as Xu Hao released the Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Cold Iron Mother from the Sumeru Warehouse, the temperature in the entire cabin plummeted.

A thick layer of black frost instantly formed on the bulkhead.

The deck beneath my feet trembled violently, like a wolf that hadn't eaten for ten or fifteen days smelling meat.

Countless dark red fleshy tendrils surged wildly from the cracks in the wooden planks, engulfing and coiling around the Cold Iron Mother.

Click.

The moment the fleshy tendrils touched the surface of the ore, they were frozen into ice sculptures by the extreme cold, and then shattered into pieces on the ground.

The Zhenyuan emitted a tooth-grinding hum, seemingly in pain, yet also revealing an indomitable greed.

The severed tendrils regrown, lunging upwards one after another.

Freeze, shatter, regenerate.

One person and one boat, and they were locked in a confrontation with a lump of iron.

"Quite the appetite, but not the teeth." Xu Hao rubbed his stiff fingers, raising an eyebrow as he watched the tug-of-war.

At this rate, by the time the ship finishes gnawing on this thing, the two fighting families on Cold Iron Island will probably have finished their fight and be searching for him all over the world.

Xu Hao reached into his robes. It contained all the valuables he had accumulated from the Canal Gang and by looting corpses along the way—dozens of blood crystals.

"You got off easy, you piece of junk."

Xu Hao showed no mercy and crushed all the blood crystals.

An intensely concentrated flow of vital energy instantly filled the lower deck.

The Zhenyuan emitted a joyful tremor.

Nourished by this immense blood energy, the dark red fleshy tendrils instantly doubled in size, and a layer of keratin even appeared on their surface.

They pounced on the Frost Iron Mother again, but this time they were not frozen and shattered. Instead, they clung tightly to the surface of the ore, greedily sucking up the essence of the Frost Iron within.

The cold iron mother shrank at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Suddenly, a piercing scream erupted from the deck, shattering the deathly silence of the sea.

Luo Meng lost control of the cable and scrambled towards the corner.

Luo Ying curled up on the deck, clutching her neck tightly.

Beneath her originally fair skin, countless dark red insect patterns were now surging wildly, as if hundreds or thousands of living creatures were about to burst out of her blood vessels.

"Yingzi!" Luo Meng's eyes were bloodshot. He lunged forward to try and hold her down, but Luo Ying instinctively struggled and broke free.

Life was rapidly slipping away along the insect patterns, and foul-smelling black blood kept spilling from Luo Ying's mouth.

"Boss! Boss, save me!" Luo Meng cried out in desperation, kneeling on the deck and banging his head against the wall repeatedly.

The bottom hold door was kicked open.

Xu Hao strode over, glanced at the crowd, and frowned.

With the Blood Gu Seal fully activated, this girl only has half an incense stick's worth of life left.

Luo Meng grabbed Xu Hao's leg, pleading, "Boss, please save her!"

"Get out of the way, you're in my way." Xu Hao kicked Luo Meng aside, bent down and grabbed Luo Ying by the back of the neck like a chick, picked her up and walked towards the lower deck.

Luo Meng got up and wanted to follow.

"Stay up there." Xu Hao walked down without turning his head.

Luo Meng abruptly stopped, wringing his hands anxiously on the spot.

Inside the lower deck, the millennia-old cold iron mother had not yet been completely digested by the Zhenyuan, and the entire cabin was covered with thick black frost, making it eerily cold.

Xu Hao carried Luo Ying and placed her next to the remains of the Cold Iron Mother.

Luo Ying lay on the icy deck, shivering violently from the cold.

But the miraculous effect was immediate; the extreme cold energy instantly invaded her meridians.

The blood worms that were originally crawling wildly under her skin were frozen solid when they encountered the extreme cold of this millennia-old cold iron. The worm patterns stopped spreading on the surface of her skin.

Xu Hao crouched down and drew the black sword Devouring Sea from his back with his backhand.

Luo Ying's lips turned purple from the cold, her teeth chattered, and fear flashed in her eyes as she looked at the black knife that gleamed with an eerie light.

"Don't move." Xu Hao pressed down on her arm.

The tip of the knife precisely flicked Luo Ying's wrist.

Black blood gushed out instantly.

The moment the blood flowed onto the deck, the Zhenyuan ship beneath their feet immediately stirred.

A dark red fleshy tendril emerged from the crack in the wooden plank, and like a vicious dog attracted by the smell of meat, it pierced directly into Luo Ying's wound.

Luo Ying groaned, her eyes rolling back in pain.

The fleshy tendrils wriggled wildly, accompanied by a sickening swallowing sound, not only sucking up all the poisonous blood, but also drawing out the frozen blood gu along with it.

They really aren't picky eaters.

Looking at this disgusting scene, Xu Hao curled his lips in disgust, "They swallow all sorts of garbage, aren't they afraid of getting diarrhea?"

A moment later, Fleshbeard contentedly retreated back onto the deck.

Normal bright red blood flowed from the wound on Luo Ying's wrist, and the insect marks under the skin completely disappeared.

She collapsed on the deck, gasping for breath. Although her face was as pale as a sheet, she had survived.

Xu Hao sheathed his knife and kicked the sole of her shoe.

"A life is at stake. Be more efficient on the ship from now on; I don't keep idle people here."

Luo Ying struggled to her feet, weakly kowtowed, and thanked the chief for saving her life.

"Go up there and ask your brother for some food. Also, tell him that if he dares to make a sound up there again, I'll throw him into the sea to feed the fish." Xu Hao waved his hand and turned back to continue watching the Zhenyuan "eat."