Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

puff!

A muffled thud, like a cleaver chopping into rotten cotton.

Xu Hao's slash seemed to be aimed at nothing, but the moment the blade fell, the river surface broke open, and a head covered in water plants poked out, trying to take advantage of the rain to launch a sneak attack.

The unfortunate water ghost didn't even get a chance to touch Xu Hao's clothes before half of his skull was sliced ​​off by this powerful and heavy blade.

Before the red and white objects could disperse, they were washed into the surging river by the torrential rain.

Xu Hao remained expressionless and kicked him back into the river.

Li, standing next to him, had his mouth wide open, so wide that he forgot to close it as rainwater poured in.

In that instant, he only felt a flash of cold light before his eyes, as if the water ghost had delivered its head to Xu Hao's blade.

"Just stand there and wait to die?" Xu Hao wiped the rain from his face, his voice as cold as ice. "Back to back, guard the box!"

Three or four water ghosts clung to the edge of the boat, trying to climb aboard. Li was furious and, acting entirely on instinct, swung his thick-backed broadsword like a windmill.

"Get the hell out of here! Get out of here!"

Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew everywhere in the rain.

A water ghost that had just poked its head out bumped right into Li Da's haphazard, chaotic hacking.

This water ghost was unlucky; before it could even unleash its full power, it was slammed into the shoulder by this brute force.

With a crack, the collarbone was probably shattered into pieces.

The wounded water ghost's screams were muffled as Li Da kicked it in the face, sending it tumbling back into the river.

"Well done!" Xu Hao shouted coldly from the side, and with a flash of light in his hand, he cut off two fingers of the ghost claw that was trying to sneak up from the other side.

Compared to Li Da's bold and straightforward approach, Luo Bao is much more cunning and treacherous.

This guy huddled behind the wooden barrel containing the cable, only his sly eyes showing.

Instead of holding a knife, he was clutching a thin, long iron skewer that he'd somehow gotten hold of—the kind he usually used for skewering meat.

A water ghost had just put his hand on the gunwale and was about to use his strength to prop himself up.

"Hey!"

Luo Bao seized the opportunity, flicked his wrist, and the iron skewer, like a venomous snake, pierced the back of the water ghost's hand with a "plop," going straight through his palm and pinning it to the boat deck.

"Awooo—!"

They may seem like cowards and weaklings on ordinary days, but when it comes to fighting for their lives, their survival instincts kick in and they come up with some truly wilder and more ruthless methods.

While the fighting raged on this side, two large ships bearing the flags of the Salt Gang were already approaching from the distance on the river.

Torches lit up the deck, and countless rockets swarmed like locusts, tearing through the rain and hurtling toward the lone speedboat with piercing whistles.

"ah--!"

With a scream, Tieshan was shot in the thigh and pinned to the ship's deck.

"It's the Salt Gang's 'Ghost Hand'!" Instructor Lin, covered in blood, had just slain two water ghosts who had boarded the ship. Looking up at the approaching large vessel, his face instantly turned deathly pale. "The route was leaked long ago; there's a traitor within the manor!"

The rain of arrows intensified.

Xu Hao wielded his hundred-refined steel sword, creating a burst of silver light.

The knife was extremely heavy, but at this moment it became the best shield.

A series of clanging sounds rang out as all the arrows aimed at Li Da and Luo Bao were deflected.

Xu Hao ignored everyone else, focusing solely on protecting the small box at his feet and the two surviving witnesses who could testify for him.

Suddenly, a thin figure leaped down from the mast of the salt gang's large ship.

The man, like a large black bird, glided several meters through the rainy night and landed steadily on the top of the speedboat's mast.

With just a little bit of pressure on its feet, the mast, as thick as a child's arm, was bent slightly.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man with deep-set eyes and high cheekbones. Most striking were his hands, with large knuckles and an eerie bluish-black hue. His long, hook-like nails gleamed with a ghostly blue light in the firelight.

Sun Niqiu, nicknamed "Ghost Hand," is the third-in-command of the Salt Gang, at the peak of the Bone Forging Realm.

"Instructor Lin, hand over the stuff, and I'll give you a quick death." Sun Niqiu's voice was sharp and piercing, like two pieces of iron rubbing together, penetrating the wind and rain, making people's eardrums hurt.

"Dream on!" Instructor Lin was a tough nut to crack. He suddenly exerted force with his feet, smashing a piece of the ship's plank, and his whole body rose into the air. With an indomitable momentum, he cleaved straight at the top of the mast with his steel knife.

"Overestimating one's abilities."

Sun Niqiu sneered, remaining motionless while extending a ghostly hand. The hand appeared withered and thin, yet the moment it touched the blade, it became as slippery as a loach, and with a strange wrapping motion, it dissipated most of Instructor Lin's sword strike.

clang!

Sparks flew everywhere.

Lin Jiaotou felt a violent tremor in his hand. Before he could change his move, Sun Niqiu's other hand, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, grabbed him hard on the shoulder.

With a tearing sound, half of Instructor Lin's shirt was ripped off, and five dark finger marks quickly swelled and turned black.

"Poisonous!" Instructor Lin groaned, staggering to the ground, almost dropping his steel knife.

Xu Hao squinted, gripping the knife in his hand even tighter.

Instructor Lin cannot die, at least not now.

Without this tall guy holding him up, Sun Niqiu would be the next one to crush him.

"Coach! I'm here to help you!"

Xu Hao roared and charged forward with his sword.

But his charge was somewhat flustered; he seemed to trip over a cable and stumbled into the fray.

Sun Niqiu glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and saw that he was a young boy with unsteady steps. He didn't even bother to look at him properly and casually slapped him with his palm, wanting to kill this ignorant thing like swatting a fly.

Right now.

Xu Hao appeared to lose his balance and fall forward, but in reality, he used the momentum to concentrate all his strength on his waist and hips.

The spine shuddered violently, the waist and hips exerted force, and the large tendons snapped with a very slight cracking sound.

Catwalk.

Using the rain stains mixed with blood on the deck, Xu Hao slid like an oiled shuttle, close to the ground, and landed behind Sun Niqiu.

Sun Niqiu casually slapped his palm into empty air.

His heart skipped a beat, the hairs on the back of his head stood on end, and a chill ran down his spine to the top of his head.

Before he could change his move, Xu Hao had already regained his footing.

Under the rain, there was no trace of the panic from before in Xu Hao's eyes.

His eyes shone with a frightening intensity, the cold ruthlessness of a butcher staring at the fatty meat on the chopping board.

The power of the early stage of the Bone Forging Realm was unleashed without reservation at this moment.

Without the slightest hesitation, the hundred-refined steel blade in his hand neither beheaded nor stabbed the heart, but instead swept out horizontally along the ground with a resolute and ruthless force.

This slash was delivered at an extremely tricky angle, aiming straight for the area between the two thighs.

"laugh--"

The sound of a sharp blade slicing through cloth and tearing through flesh was particularly jarring amidst the cacophony of the rain.

Sun Niqiu felt a chill on his buttocks, followed by an excruciating, bone-crushing pain.

His proud external martial arts skills were all focused on his hands and upper body, so how could he defend against such a despicable and underhanded trick?

Two petals become four petals.

Blood gushed out instantly, staining the puddle beneath their feet red.

"Ah—! You little beast!"