Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

Click click click.

Dozens of heavy ballistae were loaded instantly, their thick, high-quality steel bolts gleaming with a chilling light, all aimed at the black ship sailing in from the fog.

"put!"

With a piercing whistling sound, dozens of steel crossbow bolts, each over ten feet long, tore through the sea fog and slammed into the deck and hull of the black ship with overwhelming force.

On the black ship.

As soon as Mud Monkey put his mask on properly, he looked up and saw a massive black shadow crashing down on him. Startled, he let out a scream and collapsed onto the deck, clutching his head tightly with both hands.

Luo Meng subconsciously shrank his neck, but his hands remained firmly gripping the steering wheel.

Xu Hao didn't even lift his eyelids, remaining firmly standing at the bow of the ship, letting the crossbow bolts shoot at him.

Dang dang dang.

The expected screams of pain—the planks shattering and the hull being pierced—did not occur.

The thick, sturdy steel crossbow bolts slammed into the seemingly rotten, blackened planks of the wrecked boat, producing a clanging sound of metal striking metal.

The extremely cold iron armor hidden beneath the Thousand-Faced Illusion Armor didn't even leave a white mark.

The immense recoil force shattered the steel arrowhead into pieces.

Dozens of crossbow bolts seemed to have hit an impenetrable wall, breaking off one after another and falling into the sea like dumplings being dropped into a pot, without even stirring up a single splinter.

There was a moment of deathly silence on the deck.

Mud Monkey quietly loosened his hands from his head, looked up at the intact ship's side, then at the broken arrow floating on the sea, and his eyes under the mask instantly lit up.

"Brother Luo, our divine ship is really tough!" Mud Monkey got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and his previous fear was completely gone, replaced by extreme arrogance.

He ran to the ship's side and yelled at the distant Salt and Iron Society fleet, "Those over there haven't eaten..."

Luo Meng slapped the mud monkey on the back of the head and cursed, "Shut up! What are you pretending to be, some big shot? We're the Ghost Shadow Gang now, we have to act like experts! Have you ever seen an assassin yelling and cursing in the street?"

The mud monkey quickly covered his mouth, straightened his back, and pretended to be profound and unfathomable, but his two legs, which were still swaying wildly, betrayed him.

Chen Yuanzhi looked at the broken arrows scattered across the sea, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

He turned to look at the Salt and Iron Society's flagship and chuckled, "Old Salt Demon has really bitten off more than he can chew this time. Boss, how should we retaliate?"

Xu Hao's eyes, hidden behind his mask, revealed a hint of coldness.

He placed his hand on the gunwale, and the Qi and blood in his body circulated slightly.

"Since they're so enthusiastic, let's go over and say hello to Chairman Xian."

On the flagship of the Salt and Iron Association, Salt Iron Hand stared wide-eyed as the unscathed black ship continued to break through the waves.

That's a heavy-duty ballista made of high-quality steel! Even the chariot of the Three Alliance Leaders would lose a chunk of flesh if it took a hit like that.

The dilapidated wooden boat on the other side, which looked like it could fall apart at any moment, hadn't even lost a single drop of paint.

"Damn it..." Salty Iron Hand gritted his teeth, his bluish-gray palms clenching so tightly they cracked.

"A bunch of useless trash! They can't even shoot through a broken wooden boat!"

He roared, and his livid palms instantly unleashed an extremely cold aura. Two deep pits were stomped into the deck beneath his feet, and he used the force to leap into the air, heading straight for the dilapidated ship opposite, which was flying a faceless black flag.

The Qi and blood of the early stage of the Inner Strength Realm erupted without reservation.

But before he could cross the sea between the two ships, his vision suddenly blurred.

A dark shadow tore through the sea mist like a ghost and appeared out of thin air in front of Xian Tieshou.

A pale, faceless mask, and a wide black robe.

With no way to dodge while in mid-air, Xian Tieshou concentrated all his power into his left palm and slashed down hard at the faceless mask.

"You're playing tricks! Die!"

Xu Hao didn't even try to dodge; he simply raised his right hand casually.

boom!

Interlock your palms.

There was no scream of bones shattering as expected.

Xian Tieshou felt as if his palm had struck a ten-thousand-year-old iceberg.

His proud aura of extreme cold was instantly countered by an even more domineering and purer yin-cold blood energy.

With a muffled groan, Xian Tieshou was sent flying backward at an even faster speed than when he came, his feet carving two deep furrows in the deck. He stumbled back seven or eight steps before barely managing to regain his footing.

He felt a sweet taste in his throat and forced back the blood that was rising in his throat. His dark blue left hand was now trembling slightly uncontrollably.

"You..." Xian Tieshou stared intently at the black-robed man in front of him, his eyes filled with horror.

In Shengzhou, there are only a handful of experts at the Inner Strong Realm. Even if they haven't fought each other, they already know each other's strengths and weaknesses very well.

From which crack in the rock did this person just spring out?

What terrified him even more was that the extremely cold Yin energy emanating from the opponent's palm strike just now had a familiar feel to it, like the ancient cold iron mother.

impossible.

Salty Iron Hand bit his tongue hard, using the stinging pain to banish the absurd thought from his mind.

The Cold Iron Mother weighs tens of thousands of kilograms, and it has only been lost for a few days. Even a Grandmaster could not refine it so quickly.

This person must have practiced some extremely evil and chilling technique, which happens to be able to control himself.

Xu Hao lowered his right hand, and beneath his wide black robe, the Devouring Sea Blade emitted an extremely faint hum.

Extremely cold and malevolent energy spread from the soles of his feet, instantly forming a layer of black frost on the deck.

The Salt and Iron Society members who were originally preparing to swarm forward were now shivering from the chilling aura, unable to even muster the strength to raise their knives.

On the black boat in the distance, Mud Monkey stood pretentiously on the gunwale, craning his neck to watch with great interest, muttering in a low voice, "Brother Luo, our boss is really showing off. Look at Old Man Xian, his face has turned green. He's probably wondering right now how someone can handle ice better than him."

Luo Meng punched the mud monkey in the lower back: "Shut up, watch the boss."

At the bow of the flagship of the Salt and Iron Association, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Xu Hao tilted his head slightly, his pale mask facing Xian Tieshou, his hoarse and chilling voice carrying in the sea breeze.

"The Twelve Bandits, the Ghostly Shadows, the Faceless."

Salty Iron Hand's pupils suddenly contracted.

He suppressed his surging anger and gritted his teeth as he spoke: "Faceless Leader, the Salt and Iron Society and the Shadow Clan have always kept to themselves. What is the meaning of your forceful intrusion into my territory today?"

"Just passing by." Xu Hao said calmly. "The stage at the Sea King's Tomb is so big, the Ghost Shadows probably want to join in the fun too. If Chairman Xian thinks this road is blocked, we can continue our discussion."

To discuss?

Xian Tieshou looked at his still trembling left hand, then at the other party's unfathomable blood and qi, and his molars were almost ground to dust.

What a load of rubbish! If this fight continues, his Salt and Iron Society might just be wiped out here today.

The chill emanating from this faceless man is incredibly malevolent; if one were to fight him to the death, they would definitely not come out on top.

Salty Iron Hand gritted his teeth.

Making enemies at this critical juncture would be unwise, but if he just lets people in like this, he won't be able to explain it to the Three Alliances.

"Faceless Leader, the Sea King's Tomb is currently under joint blockade by the Three Alliances. If the brothers of the Twelve Bandits want to enter, they must also abide by the rules. My Salt and Iron Society is only responsible for the outer perimeter. To allow passage, we must send someone to inform the Three Alliances. With the consent of the Three Alliances, I will not stop them." Salt Iron Hand cupped his hands, his tone softening considerably, but he still invoked the Three Alliances to pressure them.

Xu Hao's eyes, hidden behind his mask, held a hint of coldness. He remained silent, simply standing quietly at the bow of the ship.

After saying that, Xian Tieshou beckoned to one of his men and whispered a few instructions to him.

His men quickly boarded a speedboat and headed towards the core area.

"Faceless Brother, please wait a moment. This is the rule, please understand."