With half a game of chess, I vanquish all demons!

The Great Realm of Demon Suppression.

On the boundless sea, a small jade-colored boat drifts aimlessly, without a driver.

One of the wooden basins was filled with rising water, the water of which was dark and bottomless.

……

The lower realm of barren rocks.

Zhao Yao sat cross-legged on the boundless rocky ground, his mind sinking into introspection, gazing at the nine demonic bloodlines deep within his body: Tailfire Tiger, Chamberfire Pig, Three-Legged Golden Crow, Joyful Ape, World Elephant, Calamity Fighter, Fire God Bloodline, Moon-Swallowing Heavenly Dog, Sun-Swallowing Heavenly Dog...

The physical space was incredibly spacious, but it was already completely filled with demon blood, leaving no room for anything else.

He opened his eyes and looked down at the jade ring in his hand, where the dragon corpse of Yun Chi lay quietly.

That was a real dragon.

Dragon blood, dragon pearls, dragon scales, dragon bones—each one is priceless.

Especially that dragon ball, the power of the dragon essence surged like a tide, and the faint sound of a dragon's roar could be heard. If he could integrate it into his body and add dragon blood, who knows how strong he would become.

Unfortunately, there's no room left inside.

Zhao Yao gazed at the location of the Shanyin tribe and made a decision.

Strands of divine power, guided by his will, came to him.

Golden divine power coiled around his fingers. Gazing at the power, he questioned the incredible force within:

"The position of demon blood is full, and the dragon ball and dragon blood are right before my eyes. How can I integrate them into my body?"

Driven by this thought, divine power moved at will, suspended in the air, changing and condensing into a visual image:

It was a bird.

It was a bird that was entirely black and had nine heads.

Her feathers were as black as ink, each feather distinct, and her wings trembled slightly in the light screen, as if she were about to break through the air and fly away at any moment.

Nine-headed bird.

No, it's a nine-headed phoenix!

Zhao Yao recognized the image in the picture; it was Yan Rouyun's nine-headed phoenix form.

She had manifested this form before her death: nine heads, her body bathed in black fire, like a phoenix flying out of hell.

Call ~

The image gradually faded away.

Zhao Yao's brows relaxed, and a hint of understanding flashed in his eyes.

"A monster with multiple heads, multiple bodies, or multiple tails..."

He muttered to himself, stood up, and gradually formed a plan in his mind.

If a certain monster has multiple heads, multiple bodies, and multiple tails, then each head, each body, and each tail can contain different types of monster blood.

The nine-headed phoenix can contain nine kinds of demon blood.

A nine-tailed fox can also contain nine different types of demon blood.

If he could find the blood of such demonic creatures and integrate it into his body, then the original limitations of his body would be broken. At that time, he would be able to accommodate more than nine kinds of demonic blood.

"I see."

Zhao Yao kept this in mind, gathered his thoughts, and stopped thinking about it. There were more important things to do right now.

"Su Shangtao..."

As he uttered the name, a cold light flashed in his eyes. Suddenly, a watery void appeared behind him, opening up to engulf him.

……

On the vast sea, in a small jade-colored boat, Zhao Yao climbed out of a wooden basin.

He steered the small boat, speeding towards Su Shangtao's location.

He drove for several days straight, asking many people along the way, and finally arrived at the small island where Su Shangtao was.

pat~

Zhao Yao jumped off the small boat, stepped onto the island, and surveyed the area, raising an eyebrow.

It was smaller than he had imagined, only a few miles in circumference. The island was lush with trees, and a few houses were nestled among the coconut groves.

He stood at the edge of the island, the small jade boat gently bobbing behind him. Looking up, the island was unusually quiet.

Call ~

A sea breeze brought a touch of coolness.

Zhao Yao strode onto the island, his boots making a soft rustling sound as they stepped onto the sand.

squeak~

The door to the house was open, creaking in the sea breeze.

He pushed the door open and went inside. The tables and chairs were still there, but everything else was gone, leaving the room completely bare.

Zhao Yao stepped forward, reached out and touched the table, his fingertips covered in a thin layer of dust.

The people on the island must have left some time ago.

He stood in the center of the empty room, looked around, and muttered to himself:

"It's already good enough that we managed to find out about Su Shangtao's whereabouts. We can't hope that we can actually find him."

He habitually comforted himself.

Zhao Yao walked out of the house, stood on the porch, and looked at the place where the sea and sky met in the distance, and his mind relaxed.

Now that Su Shangtao has escaped and Princess Yunchi is dead, the crisis is over, and there's nothing left to solve, so where to go next?

He thought and thought, and remembered his original aspiration.

Learn martial arts!

He's going overseas to learn martial arts!

Legend has it that everyone on the front lines of overseas exploration can learn martial arts...

It's ironic, really. He had always wanted to go overseas to learn martial arts and escape karma, but he ended up sending his father and brother, who were already burdened with karma, overseas first.

"Heave-ho!"

Zhao Yao took a deep breath and was about to leave.

"Here he comes! It's him!"

A voice came from the sea, high-pitched and thin, as if someone was speaking in a pinched voice.

Zhao Yao looked in the direction of the sound and saw a large ship slowly approaching.

The banner of the All-Heavens Merchant Alliance.

A short man wearing a dark green robe stood at the bow of the merchant ship.

The man waved to Zhao Yao from afar, a smile plastered on his face, revealing a set of uneven, yellow teeth.

He shouted enthusiastically:

"Young Master Zhao! Young Master Zhao! We've been waiting for you!"

Before the boat even reached the shore, the man impatiently jumped off, splashing into the seawater with a splash that reached his knees, but he was completely unaware.

He waded through the water, his steps uneven, followed closely by several strong sailors.

Zhao Yao stood still, his gaze sweeping across the man's face before turning to the ship behind him.

He frowned almost imperceptibly when he saw the fish-man sculpture on the ship.

Poseidon Cult?

The fishmen he killed on the deserted island were members of the Sea God Cult!

The man seemed to sense Zhao Yao's wariness, so he quickly stopped, spread his hands, and made a gesture that showed no hostility. His smile deepened.

He hurriedly opened his mouth and said:

"Young Master Zhao, please don't misunderstand, please don't misunderstand."

Although we are the Sea God Cult, we are different from those fish-men monsters in the water who only know how to kill. We are the Land-based Sea God Cult.

He deliberately emphasized the words "Lu Zi" to highlight the difference between him and other members of the Sea God Cult.

Zhao Yao stared at him and asked directly:

"You said you were waiting for me here?"

How is Lu Zihai's cult any different?

The man stepped forward, explaining with a smile in his eyes:

"It's like this, after you successfully slayed the dragon, your fame soared. I did a little research on you and learned that you have a grudge against the young master of the Su family. Coincidentally, I know that the young master of the Su family once stayed on this island, so, hehe~..."

He gestured with his hand, making a circle, before continuing:

"Furthermore, the Sea God Cult of Lu Zi is different from the Sea God worshipped by the fish-men."

The fish-men worship the gods of the sea, who are savage and ignorant, and kill anyone they see.

The sea god we believe in is the land-based sea god, the kind who specifically protects merchant ships and ensures their business prospers.

It's different, completely different.

As the man spoke, he took another step forward, lowered his voice, and said:

"To be honest, Young Master Zhao, our boat has been waiting in this area for a long time, just for your arrival."

Young master, that dragon...

"Is the dragon's corpse still in your possession, young master?"