Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

Xu Hao twisted his neck, and his joints made a crisp cracking sound.

"Alright, the work of nurturing the sword is done, it's time to get going." Xu Hao tilted his head towards Luo Meng. "You take a break, I'll take care of these."

Sea Wolf roared furiously, "Charge! Chop them up!"

Xu Hao transformed into a black shadow and instantly burst into the crowd.

His fists blasted out like heavy cannons, each punch infused with the spiraling, hidden force of the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Realm).

The penetrating force of the "Overturning River Force" completely ignored the opponent's leather armor and exploded inside their bodies.

boom! boom! boom!

After a few muffled thuds, the pirates who had surrounded them were sent flying like tattered sacks, twitching a few times on the ground before falling still, their internal organs turned into a mushy mess.

Sea Wolf stared at Xu Hao with wide eyes, his face showing a look of utter disbelief.

"You...you've been hiding your strength!" Red Wolf retreated in terror, then gritted his teeth, gripping the black blade "Sea Devourer" tightly with both hands. "I'll chop you down!"

However, the moment he raised his knife, the black blade once again frantically drained his life essence.

Sea Wolf's wrist went limp, his move completely went awry, and his chest was wide open.

Xu Hao seized the opportunity to lunge forward, grabbing Red Wolf's wrist with one hand and twisting it sharply, while his other hand gripped the hilt of "Devouring the Sea".

The moment he touched it, an extremely cold and malevolent aura, like a venomous snake, burrowed into his meridians through his palm, attempting to devour Xu Hao's vital energy.

The violent blood and qi of the Yi Jin Realm immediately retaliated, and the two forces collided violently within the body, stirring up a visible shockwave that sent surrounding rocks flying everywhere.

"I'll drain you dry! I'll drain you dry!" The sea wolf clutched his severed wrist and laughed maniacally.

Xu Hao ignored him and, with a thought, took the initiative to open his meridians.

Just as the black blade's malevolent aura was about to run rampant, it was forcibly restrained by an even larger and more violent devouring force.

The Black Blade Devouring the Sea suddenly stopped trembling.

The chilling energy that had been trying to retaliate instantly vanished completely.

The blade shimmered with a dark, water-like sheen, then emitted a clear, ringing sound, as if it had finally found its true master.

"How is that possible..." Red Wolf's laughter stopped abruptly, like a duck being choked.

Xu Hao gripped the hilt of the knife and casually swung it.

The blade flashed like ink, slicing through silently.

Red Wolf, along with a boulder half a person's height behind him, was smoothly split in two.

No blood gushed from the cut; it was all frozen by the malevolent energy emanating from the knife.

Xu Hao sheathed his sword, looked at the ghostly light on the blade that remained untouched by blood, and sneered.

"This knife is not fit for trash like you."

Xu Hao weighed the new knife in his hand with satisfaction.

Just as he relaxed slightly, a small, thin figure suddenly darted out from the shadows at the top of the mine.

A withered old man with a sallow face descended like a bat, holding a bone spur coated with a ghostly blue venom, aiming straight for the back of Xu Hao's head.

The old man's movements were extremely strange and his moves were ruthless, but Xu Hao keenly sensed that the old man's qi and blood were very weak, and he was obviously seriously injured and forcing himself to hold on.

Xu Hao didn't even turn his head. He struck out with his palm, and the powerful palm wind directly shook away the bone spurs.

He was about to seize the opportunity to cleave the attacker in two with a single stroke.

"Boss, show mercy! They're one of our own!" Luo Meng roared hoarsely, his eyes bloodshot.

Xu Hao's blade veered off course, and the back of the blade struck the old man's chest heavily.

The old man was thrown backward by the shock, crashing to the ground and spitting out a mouthful of black blood.

He gasped for breath, reaching out to tear off the human skin mask from his face, revealing a pale yet beautiful young girl's face.

It was Luo Ying, who was skilled in disguise.

Luo Meng saw the pale, beautiful face behind the mask, and his tiger-like eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins. "Sister!" He scrambled over and hugged the girl on the ground.

Luo Ying barely opened his eyes, saw who it was, and forced a smile that was more like a grimace: "Brother... you're still alive." Before he could finish speaking, the last breath he had mustered dissipated, his head lolled to the side, and his life force rapidly faded away.

Luo Meng panicked, helplessly covering her mouth where black blood was gushing out, and turned to Xu Hao, kowtowing repeatedly: "Boss! Please save her! If you can save her, my brother and I will serve you like slaves for the rest of our lives!"

Xu Hao walked forward with his newly acquired black knife, squatted down, and checked Luo Ying's pulse, his brows furrowing.

Although I am not a doctor, I can tell that the girl's pulse is as chaotic as a tangled mess.

Moreover, and most importantly, there was a sinister and malevolent aura surging through her meridians, greedily devouring her life force.

"What the hell is this thing?" Xu Hao asked.

Luo Meng glanced at the eerie dark red markings that had appeared on Luo Ying's neck, his voice trembling: "It's the Blood Gu Mark. It's a vicious method used by the Blood Corpse Alliance to track down and torture traitors. Anyone struck by this mark won't live more than three days, and before they die, their life force will be drained."

Xu Hao began to make plans in his mind. He wasn't exactly a saint, but on this vast ocean, Luo Meng's ability to discern the waves by listening to the wind was unique.

Moreover, even he couldn't detect the flaw in the human skin mask that the girl was wearing just now.

The world is plastered with bounties for "Zhenshan" and "Chen Yuanzhi." If there were a master of disguise on the ship, it would save us a lot of trouble.

"Alright, stop banging your head. If you keep doing that, the mine will collapse." Xu Hao snorted coldly, took out a dark red essence blood bead from his pocket, crushed it, and poured the pure liquid into Luo Ying's mouth. "This thing can only keep her alive. To completely remove this broken seal, we'll have to go back to the Zhenyuan and find a way."

As the essence and blood beads entered her abdomen, a little color returned to Luo Ying's pale face.

She coughed up a mouthful of black blood with a foul odor and slowly woke up.

Luo Meng was overjoyed and quickly helped her up: "Yingzi, quickly thank the chief! It was Chief Zhenshan who saved you!"

Luo Ying looked up at Xu Hao's fleshy face, then at the mutilated corpses on the ground, and was shocked.

She forced herself to kowtow: "Thank you for saving my life, Chief. I may be of lowly birth, but I know my place. You saved me, Chief, so I must offer you something that you deem worthy."

"Oh?" Xu Hao raised an eyebrow. "Tell me about it. If it's not worth it, I'll ask for the money back."

Luo Ying gasped for breath, then uttered a shocking statement: "The Blood Corpse Alliance is capturing virgins born in unlucky years and months not to be Ao Zheng's concubines, but for blood sacrifice!"

"Blood sacrifice?" Luo Meng was stunned.

"Yes." Luo Ying gritted her teeth. "There's an 'Ancient Sea King's Tomb' at the edge of the Ruins of Return. Outside the tomb is a blood gate, which can only be opened with the heart-blood of ten virgins born in the yin year and yin month. The Blood Corpse Alliance wants the ancient inheritance inside the tomb!"

Xu Hao stroked his chin: "Quite an appetite, aren't you afraid of overeating?"

"It's not just them," Luo Ying dropped an even more devastating bombshell. "The Zhenhai Alliance and the Xiaoyao Alliance are also secretly pulling the strings. Even the masters of Cold Iron Island, the high-ranking members of the Salt and Iron Society who have always touted their neutrality, have long been in cahoots with the Blood Skeleton Alliance!"

Luo Ying grew increasingly agitated as she spoke: "They plan to blockade Cold Iron Island tonight, trapping us like turtles in a jar. They not only intend to seize all the women on the island who meet the criteria, but also to capture all the 'fat sheep' carrying high bounties!"

Just then, a muffled rumbling sound suddenly came from above the mine.

The rock wall beneath their feet trembled as well.

Luo Meng's expression changed: "Boss, the higher-ups have made their move!"