Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

Through the thick fog, the outline of the Black Dragon gradually became clear.

At the bow of the deck, a pale-faced figure leaning on crutches caused Xu Hao's pupils to contract sharply.

Sun Mud Loach?

That bastard's got a tough life.

Xu Hao's mind was racing.

Sun Niqiu was the only one who knew his background. A few months ago, he was just a lowly henchman in the Skin Polishing Realm, but now he had stepped into the Tendon Changing Realm.

Such an astonishing speed of cultivation—even a fool could guess that he harbors a tremendous secret.

If that bastard is allowed to live and send the message back to the Blood Corpse Alliance, then we can forget about having a peaceful life on this sea from now on.

Fortunately, I've changed my appearance and even grown taller.

As long as he doesn't give himself away, Sun Niqiu would never recognize that the burly "Zhenshan" leader in front of him is Xu Hao, the one who cut off his buttocks back then.

Today, this loach must die.

Xu Hao pulled Chen Yuanzhi behind the mast and whispered, "The man on the other side with the cane is my mortal enemy from Chenzhou. Remember this: from now on, Xu Hao died in Chenzhou to save you. I am your sworn brother, Zhenshan. If you dare to utter a single word, I'll chop you up and feed you to the ship."

Chen Yuanzhi was startled by the murderous intent in Xu Hao's eyes, then nodded emphatically, knowing the gravity of the situation: "Understood. Xu Hao is dead, you are Zhenshan."

On the other side of the waterway, Sun Niqiu stood at the bow of the Black Dragon, looking at the Zhenyuan, which was cornered, and let out a sinister laugh like an owl: "Run! Why aren't you running anymore? Where's that little beast Xu Hao? Hand him over, and I'll have mercy and spare your corpses!"

He clearly didn't recognize Xu Hao in disguise, mistaking the burly man with a fierce face for the pirate who had seized the ship.

"Fire the ballistae! Cripple these bastards' arms and legs first, I want them alive!"

On the Black Dragon, the winches of three ballistae were turning, emitting a teeth-grinding creaking sound.

The thick steel crossbow bolts, as thick as a child's arm, tore through the rain, hurtling towards Zhenyuanhao with a mournful whistle.

"Take cover!" Luo Meng roared.

clang!clang!clang!

The anticipated scene of shattered planks and flying blood and flesh did not occur.

The crossbow bolt struck the dark blue-green hull above the waterline of the Zhenyuan, producing only a few blinding sparks before bouncing helplessly into the sea.

Only two crossbow bolts, fired too high, remained embedded in the ship's side, their tail feathers still trembling violently.

"What the hell is this?" Sun Niqiu's eyes widened. How could the hull of this broken boat be harder than iron?

"It's our turn." Xu Hao sneered, and Chong Luo made a sudden gesture.

Luo Meng peeked out from behind the cover, drew his bow, and fired two arrows after scorching the arrowhead over the torch, accurately hitting the wooden barrels hanging on the reef.

Boom!

Flames shot into the sky.

The oil barrels hanging on both sides of the reef exploded one after another, the enormous impact shattering the already fragile rock face. Tons of black rubble poured down like a waterfall, instantly blocking the Black Dragon's retreat.

Sun Niqiu's face turned ashen. His retreat was cut off, and he couldn't even turn around in this narrow waterway.

"They're asking for it! Board the ship! Slaughter them all!"

The Black Dragon crashed into the Zhenyuan at full speed.

With a deafening roar, the two ships locked together. The Blood Corpse Alliance pirates, gripping the backs of their blades, swung across the mooring lines like locusts, rushing towards the deck of the Zhenyuan.

"Chop them up!" Xu Hao kicked a pirate who had just landed away and charged forward with his ghost-head knife.

"Dare to touch my Blood Corpse Alliance's ship, or you'll pay with your life!" Sun Niqiu Tieguai tapped the deck, his figure soaring through the air like an arrow, heading straight for Xu Hao.

With the power of a peak-level Yi Jin Jing cultivator, Sun Niqiu's iron crutch, imbued with a sinister spiraling force, relentlessly targeted Xu Hao's lower body.

It possesses the unique penetrating power of "Overturning the River Force" and is extremely insidious.

Xu Hao's eyes darkened slightly.

He cannot use the "Overturning River Force" to fight the enemy, otherwise he will be recognized immediately.

Faced with the iron crutch thrusting at him, Xu Hao simply abandoned his exquisite moves.

He mobilized the Qi and blood of the Yi Jin Jing realm, mixed it with the violent and malevolent Qi emanating from the blessed land beneath his feet, and unleashed the only sword technique he had ever learned—the Cloak Sword Technique.

There's no skill involved, just brute force.

when!

The knives and claps collide.

Sun Niqiu felt a brute force surge through his iron crutch into his tiger's mouth, making half of his body numb and almost causing him to lose his grip on his weapon.

"The Yi Jin Jing?" Sun Niqiu looked at the burly man with a face full of scars in front of him with surprise and doubt.

Where did this unorthodox method come from? His strength is extraordinary, but his knife skills are as crude as a pig butcher's.

"Where did this cripple come from? If you can't walk properly, don't come out and embarrass yourself!" Xu Hao grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

This statement precisely hit Sun Niqiu's Achilles' heel.

"You're asking for it!" Sun Niqiu's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and he lost all reason.

He hates it most when people mention his disability.

The iron crutch was swung so tightly that it was impenetrable, and the moves became frantic yet chaotic.

Sun Niqiu shrieked like a vengeful ghost, using his crutch as a fulcrum to leap into the air. The iron crutch spun rapidly, transforming into a black drill that aimed straight for Xu Hao's heart.

Ultimate move, Poison Dragon Drill.

Instead of retreating, Xu Hao advanced, stomping his foot hard.

Just as Sun Niqiu was about to hit the ground, the deck beneath his feet suddenly bulged up an inch without warning.

In a battle between masters, the slightest difference can mean the difference between life and death.

Sun Niqiu tripped, and his originally fierce attack suddenly faltered.

"Get down!"

Xu Hao seized the fleeting opening, sidestepped the iron crutch, and with immense force, slashed the ghost-head knife in his hand at Sun Niqiu's right leg.

Click!

The sound of bones shattering was especially crisp on the noisy battlefield.

"ah--!"

Sun Niqiu screamed in agony as his right leg was severed cleanly at the knee, blood gushing out.

He crashed heavily onto the deck, his buttocks split into four pieces and his right leg gone.

"Third Master!"

The few trusted men on the Zhenhai who were fighting fiercely were terrified when they saw this.

If Sun Niqiu dies here, Electric Snake Sun will definitely skin them alive and tear them apart.

The men rushed forward without regard for their lives, enduring two knife wounds, and managed to drag Sun Niqiu back to the Black Dragon.

They frantically cut the ropes binding the spare boat to the side of the ship, tied the ropes to the remaining Blood Shark, and dragged Sun Mudfish, who looked like a dead dog, into the boat.

Startled, the blood shark slammed its tail fin against the water, dragging the small boat into the thick fog, where it vanished in an instant.

Xu Hao, carrying the blood-dripping ghost-headed knife, watched the small boat disappear into the mist and cursed under his breath.

That old mudfish is lucky to be alive.

However, with its leg broken, this loach can't cause any big waves anymore.

The most urgent task is to improve our strength as soon as possible. If something more powerful comes knocking, our current foundation won't be enough.

Xu Hao turned around and looked at the remaining enemy forces still putting up a stubborn resistance on the deck, and the Black Dragon ship that was pressed tightly together.

This specially modified warship is made of the finest materials, and the black dragon ram at the bow gleams with a cold metallic luster.

Xu Hao stomped heavily on the deck, feeling the hunger-filled tremors emanating from the Zhenyuan ship beneath his feet.

"Luo Meng, kill all the survivors. Take everything you can from the ship and load it onto the Zhenhai, especially those three ballistae." Xu Hao wiped the blood from his face, his voice cold. "Once we've swallowed this ship, it's time to upgrade."