People, Ships, and Knives

Outside the lower deck, Luo Meng listened intently to the door for a long time before turning to look at Chen Yuanzhi, who was preparing medicine.

"Second-in-command, the First Boss has been in there for two days now, and the noise keeps going up and down. Do you think he might freeze to death?"

Chen Yuanzhi, without even looking up, was grinding a few poisonous thorns in his hand: "If you're bored, come and help me fill the bamboo tube with the medicine. This bone-dissolving poison is convenient to use, but filling it is a painstaking task."

Luo Meng pursed his lips, about to reply, when a muffled, thunderous cracking sound of bones suddenly came from the lower deck.

boom! boom! boom!

The sound was continuous, causing the entire Zhenyuan ship to tremble.

Inside the frigid forging pool, Xu Hao suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze flashing with intense light.

He stood up, the pool water sliding down the lines of his strong muscles.

His originally robust and even somewhat fleshy body has now become well-proportioned and firm.

Every inch of flesh and blood was compressed to the extreme, and with every move, the blood and qi were as deep as the ocean, carrying a suffocating sense of oppression.

He tried to inhale, and as his chest rose and fell, the cold air he inhaled was instantly transformed into scalding hot blood and qi by his powerful internal organs, surging endlessly within his body.

Inner Strength Realm, Complete!

Xu Hao stretched his neck, and his joints cracked.

He glanced down at the pool. The once dark water was now crystal clear, and the violent energy within had been completely absorbed by him, the knife, and the boat.

Holding the Sea Devouring Blade in his hand, he noticed several dark red runes on its blade, which flickered like breathing.

The extreme cold and malevolent energy on the blade had been contained to the extreme, no longer radiating coldness recklessly.

"Are you full?" Xu Hao drew the Sea-Devouring Blade and casually swung it.

Without using any qi or blood, relying solely on the strength of his physical body, the blade sliced ​​through the air, producing a piercing sonic boom, and the surrounding air instantly condensed into tiny ice crystals.

This evil blade, having eaten and drunk its fill along with him, also reached a new rank.

In my mind, the scroll of the blessed land shone brightly once again, and lines of writing appeared.

[Blessed Land Level Upgrade: Zhenyuan Ship LV6 (Demonized - High-Tier)]

[Unlock New Feature: Thousand Faces Armor. Consuming Blessed Land Energy, the ship's appearance and flag paint can be freely changed according to the wishes of the Blessed Land's owner, achieving perfect camouflage. The camouflage is removed upon taking severe damage.]

[Unlock New Feature: Deep-Sea Submersion. Consuming Blessed Land Energy allows the ship to briefly submerge underwater, isolating it from all detection.]

Xu Hao stared at the golden characters that appeared in his mind and raised an eyebrow in satisfaction.

No matter how skilled Luo Ying was at disguise, able to change the faces of dozens of people on the ship, he couldn't change the conspicuous "skin" of the Zhenyuan.

Once you've seen this demonic ship covered in eerie blue frost patterns, you'll never forget it.

At that time, let alone going to Mingzhou, they won't even be able to get out of this Zangguhai Trench. They'll be bombarded to smithereens by the combined firepower of the Three Alliances and Twelve Bandits.

Now things are much better. With the "Thousand Faces Armor" paired with "Deep Sea Dive," if he can't win a fight, he can simply change his disguise. If that's still not safe enough, he can just dive down and run away. This newly unlocked attribute is exactly what he needs right now. It's truly a great tool for murder, robbery, escape, and survival. He just doesn't know how much blessed land energy it will consume each time he uses it.

Pushing open the door to the martial arts forging pool, Chen Yuanzhi and Luo Meng, who were outside, both shivered the moment they saw Xu Hao.

Xu Hao, standing before them, still had the same ordinary face after his disguise, but standing there, he resembled a ferocious deep-sea beast that could suddenly erupt and devour people at any moment.

"Boss, you..." Luo Meng swallowed hard, unable to speak coherently.

Xu Hao twisted his neck, and his joints cracked.

"Notify Luo Ying to come find me. Now that the stage is set up, it's time for us to change into our costumes and make our entrance."

……

On the distant sea, one could vaguely see Shi Kun of Panshi Island leading a group of burly men who practiced hard kung fu, exchanging glances with the Zhenhai Alliance's fleet.

The Misty Fleet is hiding behind the Free and Unfettered Alliance, ready to plunder at any time.

The Netherbone Master and the Whale Feeders of the Cursed Bone Cult became the henchmen of the Blood Bone Alliance.

As for the Salty Old Ghost of the Salt Iron Society, who lost the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron Mother, he was standing at the bow of the ship, his eyes red as he searched for someone to bite.

The Three Alliances and Twelve Bandits represent a large portion of Shengzhou's elite military force, which has been concentrated on the outskirts of the Zanggu Trench.

Countless warships were linked end to end, completely blocking the only road to Mingzhou.

Three large flags fluttered in the wind at the very center.

Blue background with gold anchor, white background with gold coins, red background with animal teeth.

The flagships of the three alliances of Shengzhou stood facing each other on the sea in a triangular formation.

At the bow of the Zhenhai Alliance flagship, Luo Tianheng stood with his hands behind his back, his powerful inner energy forcefully smoothing the surrounding rolling waves as flat as a mirror.

"Ao Zheng, your Blood Corpse Alliance has been capturing virgins born in the Yin year and Yin month, breaking the rules of Shengzhou. The Zhenhai Alliance must settle this score." Luo Tianheng's voice was not loud, but it clearly resounded throughout the entire sea area.

On the opposite crimson warship, Ao Zheng's face was filled with ferocity, his blood surging, and a faint crimson dragon shadow hovered around him. "Luo Tianheng, don't try to intimidate me with rules! You want to settle scores? Or do you want to settle scores with the inheritance in the Sea King's Tomb right now?"

Ao Zheng suddenly turned his head and glared angrily at Ye Piaoling, who stood under a white flag with gold decorations. "Ye Piaoling! Your Xiaoyao Alliance took my hush money and then sold the information to the Zhenhai Alliance. You've done a pretty ruthless job."

Ye Piaoling tapped her palm with her folding fan, smiling like a friendly shopkeeper. "Alliance Leader Ao's words are hurtful. Everything has a price, but freedom is boundless. Alliance Leader Luo's offer is truly hard to refuse. Besides, it's said that there might be an inheritance left by an ancient Martial Ancestor in the tomb. If this rumor is true, the Blood Bone Alliance might be eating all the spoils, which could easily lead to them bursting."

"Whether you can eat it or not, we'll only know after the fight!"

Ao Zheng roared, the deck beneath his feet shattered, and he charged straight at Luo Tianheng with the violent energy of the Bloodthirsty Dragon Transformation Technique.

Luo Tianheng neither dodged nor avoided, but instead unleashed both palms, using the Zhenhai Fubo Gong technique to create a towering wave that crashed head-on into him.

boom!

When two experts at the mid-stage of the Tongqiao Realm clashed, a water column dozens of feet high instantly exploded on the sea surface.

Ye Piaoling deftly dodged the aftershocks with the agility of the Free and Easy Wanderer, his fan waving rapidly. "Calm down, you two. If this standoff continues, we'll attract the Great Heng Navy, which would be a loss. Why don't we sit down and discuss the division of profits?"

As the water curtain fell, Luo Tianheng and Ao Zheng retreated to the bow of their respective boats.

Neither of them went all out; they were merely testing each other's limits.

Ao Zheng gritted his teeth; faced with these two families, even his arrogance had to be acknowledged. "How will we divide it?"

Luo Tianheng straightened his cuffs. "Everyone who sees it gets a share. The Zhenhai Alliance will take the lion's share, after all, the rules of the sea need to be set by someone."

"Bullshit!" Ao Zheng laughed angrily.

Ye Piaoling quickly tried to smooth things over. "Gentlemen, don't just worry about the three of us. Most of the Twelve Bandits, a pack of hungry wolves, have also come here after smelling the scent. I heard that Old Man Xian of the Salt and Iron Society had his hometown raided and all his treasures stolen. Now he's like a mad dog, biting anyone he sees. The Whale Feeder, the Cursed Bone Cult, the Wild Wave Gang... all these guys combined are quite a problem. If we really push them too far and they cause trouble outside, the three of us will also suffer a lot."

Luo Tianheng frowned slightly.

Ao Zheng sneered, a cruel glint in his eyes. "Let them in! The Sea King's Tomb is full of traps and mechanisms; these bastards will be perfect for scouting! Once inside, they can each rely on their own abilities!"

Luo Tianheng thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Alright."

In just a few words, the largest combined fleet in the history of Shengzhou was formed.