Feeding

The night was as dark as ink, and the gale-force winds and torrential rain pounded the sea like a pot of boiling porridge.

Ten miles away from the Zhenyuan, a long, narrow speedboat cuts through the waves like an arrow released from a bow.

The sails were jet black, with a blood-dripping beast tooth flag painted in the center—the Blood Flag Patrol Team of the Blood Corpse Alliance, a force that struck fear into the hearts of many.

At the bow of the No. 7 speedboat, Wang Mazi wiped the rain off his face and spat a mouthful of phlegm into the sea while cursing.

"In this awful weather, we can't even see a seabird. Where's the money coming from?"

"Boss, we're still 30% short of our target this month. If we don't meet it, then Manager Sun of Electric Snake..." The henchman shrank back, not daring to finish his sentence.

"Shut your mouth!" Wang Mazi kicked the mooring post. "If all else fails, just rob two merchant ships registered under the name of the Xiaoyao Alliance. Anyway, there's no way to prove anything when they're dead."

Just then, a grey-feathered puffin stumbled through the rain, crashed into the mast, and fell onto the deck.

Wang Mazi's eyes lit up. He stepped forward, grabbed the puffin, and skillfully removed the bamboo tube from the bird's leg.

By the dim light of the lantern, he glanced at the words on the cloth strip, and his originally gloomy, pockmarked face instantly broke into a wide smile.

"Good! Very good! That scoundrel Snake has finally done something decent."

The sign clearly stated: The witch is dead, and the new master is a fat sheep who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. Come quickly.

"Boss, is it a letter from Rascal Snake? That old bastard is always cunning, could it be a trap? Should we report it to the steward first?"

"Report my ass!" Wang Mazi threw the strip of cloth into the sea, his eyes filled with greed. "If we report it, the higher-ups will eat all the meat, and we won't even get the soup. I've been eyeing that old hag's ship for a long time. It has a good foundation; with a little modification, it could be a warship. Full speed ahead! I'm going to devour this fat sheep!"

……

Zhenyuan, main cabin.

At this moment, Xu Hao was on the verge of a living hell.

His consciousness swayed by the desire to kill, and Xu Hao felt himself turning into a wild beast that only knew how to tear and bite.

Xu Hao gritted his teeth, a passage from "The Customs of Kyushu" flashing through his mind.

Near the fissure of Guixu in Shengzhou, malevolent energy soared to the sky.

What is produced here is not pure blood crystal, but "blood evil crystal" mixed with strange resentment.

If an ordinary person takes it, at best they will go into a state of demonic possession, and at worst they will be transformed into a monster that only knows how to kill.

That old hag, she practices evil ways. This stuff is a tonic for her, but for a martial artist like Xu Hao who hasn't gone astray, it's a death warrant.

His consciousness grew increasingly blurred, and the urge to destroy everything in his mind nearly overwhelmed his will.

The scales on his arms had spread to his shoulders, and his nails were growing longer, turning black, and gleaming with a metallic sheen.

"You want to turn me into a monster? Dream on!"

At the critical moment, Xu Hao bit his tongue hard, using the excruciating pain to regain a sliver of clarity.

He cannot absorb this malevolent energy; he must expel it.

But where should we put them?

Xu Hao's gaze fell on the floor beneath his feet.

Blessed land!

"Zhenyuan, suck it up!"

Xu Hao's will was like a knife, guiding the violent blood energy and negative evil energy that he could not absorb within his body, frantically pouring them into the hull of the ship beneath his feet through the Yongquan acupoint.

hum-

The entire ship jolted violently, emitting a teeth-grinding creak, as if something was awakening.

The wooden planks, which had turned black and worn from being exposed to the wind and sun, quickly deepened in color after absorbing this dark red energy, becoming jet black and shiny.

The wood grain twisted and turned into dark red veins, greedily sucking up the baleful energy coming from Xu Hao's body.

The pressure inside Xu Hao's body decreased sharply, the terrifying feeling of alienation receded like a tide, and the scales on his arms also disappeared.

But he didn't stop; instead, he increased the delivery speed.

Since this Blood Fiend Crystal has excess energy, let's not waste it. Let's use it all to nourish this wrecked ship!

In the wind and rain outside, Luo Meng, who was steering the ship, suddenly felt his feet go weak. The hard planks of the ship seemed to have a temperature and were even... pulsating?

"What...what the hell is this thing?"

The sailors were horrified to discover that near the waterline on both sides of the ship, the wooden planks had bulged and cracked, and rows of sharp, bony barbs had grown out of them, emitting a piercing shriek as they cut through the waves.

The ram at the bow of the ship underwent a terrifying transformation. The original iron ram melted and reformed in the red light, turning into a ferocious black iron beast head with menacing fangs, resembling neither a dragon nor a shark.

【Blessed Land Evolution: Zhenyuan (LV2·Demon Transformation)】

[Trait Unlocked: Bloodthirsty Sailing. The ship's hull can repair itself by consuming blood, increasing its speed by 30%.]

As the last wisp of bloodthirsty energy dissipated, Xu Hao's bones emitted a series of cracking sounds like popping beans.

Pop, pop, pop.

The fascia, which was originally taut, was stretched to its limit at this moment, emitting a buzzing sound like a bowstring snapping.

Qi and blood surged through the body like a mighty river, without any stagnation.

Yi Jin Jing, achieved!

Xu Hao exhaled a long breath. With a casual wave of his hand, the dry, dead skin and scabs on his body fell off in a flurry, revealing skin that was as clear as jade, yet as tough as cowhide.

He stood up, stretched his neck, and his joints cracked all over.

"You scoundrel..." Xu Hao's lips curled into a cold smile as the perception of the blessed land in his mind clearly locked onto him.

The hatch was pushed open.

A fierce wind and torrential rain rushed in, and chaos ensued on the deck. The sailors, looking at the ship that had "come to life" beneath their feet, were terrified and their faces turned ashen. Some even knelt on the ground, begging the sea god for protection.

The rascal, hiding behind the pile of cables, peeked out, wondering if the new leader was already dead inside.

Suddenly, a cold gaze pierced through the rain and fixed on him.

Xu Hao was dressed neatly, and apart from being slightly pale, he showed no signs of injury whatsoever.

The scoundrel's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Big...Master, are you alright?"

Xu Hao ignored him and walked straight to the bow of the ship, reaching out to pat the newly grown ferocious beast head.

A cold touch came, but a feeling of intimacy welled up in his mind; this ship was now a part of his body.

"What's the panic?" Xu Hao turned around, looked at everyone, and said in a low voice that drowned out the sound of wind and thunder, "This is the Sea God's manifestation, protecting our Zhenyuan. From now on, if anyone dares to say this is a demon ship, I'll throw them overboard and feed them to it."

The sailors looked at each other, still feeling uneasy, but seeing their leader's imposing appearance calmed them down a bit.

Just then, Luo Meng suddenly pointed to the sea to his left and shouted, "Boss! There's a boat! It's going fast!"

The rain curtain was torn open, and a speedboat flying a blood-red beast-tooth flag pounced like a vicious wolf.

"It's the Blood Flag Patrol of the Blood Corpse Alliance!"

"It's over! It's Wang Mazi's boat! Once it falls into his hands, death is practically impossible!"

The sailors, who had been somewhat calm just moments before, instantly erupted into chaos. Several of the more timid sailors even climbed onto the ship's railing, intending to jump overboard and escape.

Xu Hao narrowed his eyes, watching the blood flag getting closer and closer. Instead of fear, a strange smile appeared on his face.

"I just upgraded and was worried about what to feed this big guy, and now someone is delivering takeout."