Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

Xu Hao had no intention of backing down.

The Qi and blood of the peak of the Yi Jin Realm were poured into the Devouring Sea Blade without reservation.

The black blade blazed with a brilliant purple light, its blade radiating an intensely dark and malevolent aura.

"Smash it for me!"

Xu Hao endured two lashes from the tentacles, and a metallic taste rose in his throat.

He gripped the knife handle tightly with both hands and slashed down fiercely at the tentacle net.

The spiraling, penetrating force of the River-Turning Force, mixed with the extreme cold and yin energy of the Sea-Devouring Force, exploded directly within the tentacle net.

The blade sliced ​​through the rotting flesh without resistance, and the moment it pierced the dark heart, the Devouring Sea Blade unleashed an unprecedentedly greedy suction force.

The blade swirled with a purplish-black aura, and the heart, entangled with countless resentful spirits, had no chance to struggle before it withered and shattered, transforming into pure Yin energy that surged into the hilt.

Xu Hao felt a jolt in his hand, and the coldness on the blade intensified.

Without its core, the Ghost General's massive, fleshy body collapsed, turning into countless stinking, rotten pieces of flesh that crashed onto the sea.

Before the rotten flesh could even fall into the water, hundreds and thousands of thick, dark red fleshy tendrils burst forth from the bottom and sides of the Zhenyuan ship.

These fleshy tendrils clung tightly to the dilapidated ship where the Demon General was, dragging him over with all their might.

The sickening sounds of chewing and splintering echoed across the sea.

On the deck, the bald man swallowed hard and took two steps back.

"Boss, why do I feel like our ship is even more of an evil spirit than the Ghost Commander?"

The mud monkey, pulling up his pants, nodded repeatedly.

"Brother Luo, do you think that once this ship is full, it might use us to pick its teeth?"

"Shut your stinking mouth!" Luo Meng kicked him. "The boss said this treasure ship is a divine gift from the sea god!"

Xu Hao ignored the commotion behind him and focused his gaze on the collapsed mountain of flesh.

Two things lay quietly on the deck.

A strange crystal the size of a fist, flowing with blood-red runes, and half a tattered sea chart whose texture was indiscernible.

He walked over and picked up the things.

The crystal was just acquired, and its rich aura of blood and resentment clearly indicated that it was a top-grade crystal, a hundred times more advanced than the Yin Soul Crystal.

Xu Hao turned his gaze to the half-torn sea chart, and the silent scroll of the blessed land in his mind suddenly shone with golden light, making his head buzz and almost causing him to drop the chart in his hand.

[Fragments of the core array diagram from the ancient Sea King's Tomb have been detected. Unlocking this area will significantly upgrade the blessed land's level.]

Xu Hao rubbed his temples and looked down to examine the half of the broken thing whose material was indistinguishable.

The terrain outlined by several twisted ink lines on the periphery looks increasingly familiar.

"Isn't this the very trench where bones are hidden beneath our feet?" Xu Hao raised an eyebrow.

Before he could figure it out, a strange, hoarse voice suddenly came from the Zhenyuan ship, uttered by Mud Monkey.

"Boss! The black fog has dissipated! Ahead... there are ships everywhere!"

Xu Hao looked up.

As the Sea Corpse Demon General and his warship were swallowed whole by the Zhenyuan, the thick black fog that shrouded the sea quickly dissipated.

On the sea surface at the edge of the Zanggu Trench, countless warships were lined up end to end, their banners obscuring the sun, like a Great Wall of steel, blocking the waterway ahead so that not even a seabird could fly through.

Luo Meng rushed to the ship's side, stared out with his bull-like eyes, and gasped.

"My goodness! The Zhenhai Alliance's blue flag with a gold anchor, the Xiaoyao Alliance's white flag with gold coins, and the Xuehai Alliance's red flag with beast teeth—all three are here! Even some of the Twelve Bandits are sailing around to join the fun. This... this is for us?"

Chen Yuanzhi's hand, gripping the medicine pot, trembled slightly. "Boss, the waterway is completely blocked. If our ship shows itself, we'll be blown to smithereens by these guys."

Xu Hao didn't respond, but reached out and tapped on the side of the boat.

The Zhenyuan's illusionary fog properties were operating at full capacity, with a thick, grayish-white fog completely enveloping the massive ship.

From the outside, it was just a common patch of fog on the sea, and no one could tell that a demon ship was feasting inside.

"What's the panic?" Xu Hao stuffed the nautical chart into his pocket. "These people are here for the Sea King's Tomb. Let them block it, we'll eat our food. Luo Meng, pass down the order to keep our distance from them and forbid anyone from making a sound. We'll talk after the Zhenyuan has chewed up every last bone fragment of the Guishuai ship."

Luo Meng swallowed hard. "Boss, are we eating right under the noses of the Three Alliances and Twelve Bandits? What if we get caught..."

"Shut your jinx." Xu Hao kicked him. "Keep an eye on the sea. Call me if anything happens. I'm going down for a bath."

After saying this, Xu Hao turned and walked towards the lower deck.

The fleshy tentacles of the Zhenyuan were still frantically gnawing at the massive ancient warship opposite them beneath the sea surface, the chewing sounds sending chills down one's spine even through the deck.

Inside the lower deck, a thin layer of black ice had formed on the surface of the extremely cold forging pool.

Xu Hao took off his shirt, casually placed the Black Blade Devouring the Sea on the edge of the pool, and then jumped into the icy water.

The external situation no longer allowed him to slowly hone his skills.

The leaders of the three alliances are all at the Tongqiao Realm, capable of releasing their internal energy to kill people from a distance.

In the seas of Shengzhou, those at the Yi Jin Jing level can usually act arrogantly and domineeringly, but in a larger situation like the Sea King's Tomb, they are at best cannon fodder.

If you want to snatch a piece of meat from the mouths of these local bullies, the Inner Strength Realm is the minimum requirement.

If we don't get past this hurdle, going out will just mean certain death.

He opened his palm, and the crystal, formed from the blood and resentment of all the souls that perished on the ancient warship, was radiating a terrifyingly violent aura.

"Come on, let's see just how nourishing you really are."

Xu Hao exerted force with his fingers and crushed the crystal directly.

boom!

An unimaginably massive surge of violent energy instantly rushed into the meridians from the palm of his hand.

Xu Hao let out a muffled groan, his blood and qi instantly ignited, and terrifying beads of blood seeped from his skin.

This energy was too mixed and too violent; it was simply not something a peak-stage Yi Jin Jing physique could swallow in one gulp.

The Sea Corpse Demon General has accumulated so much resentment and bloodlust over the years, all of which is squeezed into this one stone.

"I'm so full I could burst."

Xu Hao gritted his teeth, and with a thought, he simply picked up the black knife by the pool, completely opened his meridians, and poured the undigested violent blood energy and resentment in his body into the extreme cold forging pool beneath him and the Devouring Sea Blade in his hand.

"Don't just stand there, start inhaling!"

The Devouring Sea Blade emitted an extremely excited cry, its blade swirling with a purplish-black aura, frantically devouring the overflowing Yin energy.

The Zhenyuan ship beneath its feet was even more thirsty, with countless tiny, dark red fleshy tendrils protruding from the cracks in the wooden planks at the bottom of the pool, greedily sucking the blood essence from the pool water.

"Slow down! What are you grabbing!" Xu Hao cursed.

With the knife and the boat sharing the burden, the pressure on Xu Hao's body decreased dramatically.

He closed his eyes and guided the purified blood and qi to temper his internal organs again and again.

Yi Jin Jing involves stretching the fascia, while Nei Zhuang involves permeating the vital energy and blood into the fragile internal organs, forging them into an indestructible state.

The Qi and blood flow like fire, surging into the heart and lungs along the meridians.

With each heartbeat, ripples spread across the pool.

The lungs greedily inhaled and exhaled the extremely cold air, which was then refined by the scorching blood and qi. With each breath, white mist rolled on the surface of the water.

The liver, spleen, and kidneys also undergo continuous transformation under the cleansing of qi and blood. Impurities are gradually forced out of the body, turning into black mud that floats on the water's surface. Then, the fleshy whiskers of the Zhenyuan ship disdainfully push them aside, only absorbing the clean blood and qi.

……