Chapter 1187

This remark actually suited Yan Tianlu's mind: 'What deal?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'I'll help you retake the position of lord of Python Flood Dragon Island, and you help me rescue Hu Zhongyang and that Dakang navy.'

Yan Tianlu said: 'What qualifications do you have to discuss terms with me? As long as I heal my internal injuries, once I go out and raise my arms, I will surely win everyone's hearts; Python Flood Dragon Island is something I built with my own hands—how could I let others easily take it away?'

Hu Xiaotian laughed: 'Lord Yan, you truly have confidence in yourself; since several of your brothers dared to strike at you, they must have made all preparations. I fear that once you step out, all your former brothers will turn against you.'

Yan Tianlu fell silent again; Hu Xiaotian was correct. He nodded and said: 'There is an exit here that can lead us out by swimming, but outside there will certainly be many people searching for us; if we reveal ourselves we will certainly be exposed.' He paused and then said: 'Tang Jiu Cheng has already cultivated to the point of condensing qi into arrows; I was struck by three of his arrows, and if it weren't for the Heaven-Earth Mirror protecting my heart, I would probably already be dead at his hands. Even so, he has severely damaged my meridians, and my current combat strength is only forty percent of what it once was.' Yan Tianlu truthfully reported his condition, showing full sincerity, which meant he agreed to cooperate with the other party.

Yan Nujiao saw that the tense situation between the two had finally eased, and she could finally relax.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Only one exit?'

Yan Tianlu said: 'There is also another exit—the place you came from.'

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: 'Both exits of the Crystal Palace have already been sealed, and even if we could get out, the outside is surely filled with ambushes.'

Yan Tianlu said: 'Besides that, there is yet another exit!'

Hu Xiaotian was overjoyed upon hearing this; as the lord of Python Flood Dragon Island, Yan Tianlu naturally knows the situation here inside out. With him leading the way, escaping this predicament should not be difficult.

Yan Tianlu said: 'The waters beneath Python Flood Dragon Island are interconnected; there is still another exit on the island located at Flying Fish Cave.'

Yan Nujiao exclaimed: 'You mean we swim from here? Down there are all sharks—how is that possible?'

Hu Xiaotian gazed at the sharks patrolling the sea surface around the reefs. He whispered: 'Although sharks are frightening, compared to humans they are still much more lovable.'

Yan Tianlu said: 'Not bad!'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'How far is it from here to Flying Fish Cave?'

Yan Tianlu said: 'Seven li of water route!'

Hu Xiaotian, upon hearing that, couldn't help but stick out his tongue: 'Is it only this area that has sharks?'

Yan Tianlu said: 'The closer to Flying Fish Cave, the more sharks there are.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Then we might as well take the route you used to escape here; at worst we'll carve a bloody path.'

Yan Tianlu said: 'Too late!' He gazed at the surging sharks around the reefs and said: 'Actually there is another method!' Having said that, he pulled a porcelain bottle from his waist and said to Hu Xiaotian: 'Lend me your sword for a moment.'

Hu Xiaotian handed over his soft sword; Yan Tianlu opened the stopper of the porcelain bottle and poured some black liquid onto the sword.

Although Hu Xiaotian was some distance away, he still smelled the foul stench of the black liquid; he pinched his nose and asked: 'What is this?'

Yan Tianlu said: 'This is the venom of the Seven-Star Sea Snake; this bottle of venom was taken from the snake king, extremely poisonous!' After poisoning the soft sword, he put the bottle away, then swung the sword toward the sea surface. A giant shark opened its mouth and lunged at the sword. These sharks are truly ferocious. Yan Tianlu seized the moment, thrusting the sword into the shark's mouth, then quickly withdrew it; the shark's body fell into the water, and soon its belly floated up, belly-up. In that short time it had already been killed by the poison.

Yan Nujiao, seeing her uncle's actions, understood his intent: he was using this shark as bait to poison the surrounding sharks. Sure enough, when the nearby sharks saw their companion dead, they rushed forward one after another, beginning to devour its flesh. Not long after, that shark had become a skeleton of white bones, and thus more sharks were poisoned; death spread at an astonishing speed, in the blink of an eye. The sea surface before them was everywhere littered with shark corpses. Seeing this scene, Yan Tianlu burst out laughing, while Yan Nujiao, unable to bear the sight of kin killing kin, hid behind Hu Xiaotian, closed her eyes, and could not bear to look.

Although Hu Xiaotian felt that Yan Tianlu's method smacked of wanton killing of animals, given the circumstances he really could not think of a better way, and in a short time the surrounding sea surface had already calmed down.

Yan Tianlu returned the soft sword to Hu Xiaotian, and, not without pride, raised his head at him.

Hu Xiaotian carefully sheathed the soft sword; from now on he had to be careful when using it, for the good sword had been smeared with deadly poison—hurting others didn't matter, but if he accidentally wounded himself it would be trouble.

Yan Tianlu said, 'Kid, are you ready?'

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, 'Do we still need to prepare? Old man, can you still walk?'

Yan Tianlu burst into loud laughter, but midway he stopped abruptly due to chest pain.

Yan Nujiao, knowing her uncle always liked to be strong, said softly, 'Why don't we rest a bit before we go?'

Yan Tianlu shook his head and said, 'Saving a person is like putting out a fire; the later we go out, the greater Bo Guang's danger.'

Hu Xiaotian had Yan Nujiao get back on his back, then, carrying her, he said to Yan Tianlu, 'Trouble Island Master, lead the way!'

Yan Tianlu nodded, leapt from the reef, landed on the belly of a dead shark, then stepped on its corpse and continued to leap forward, moving onto another shark's corpse, and so on, leaping ahead.

Although Hu Xiaotian carried Yan Nujiao, his body technique was far more agile than Yan Tianlu's; Yan Tianlu's external martial arts were perfected, but lightness was not his forte, and with his internal injury his movement was clearly affected.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian, carrying Yan Nujiao, leaping effortlessly on the shark corpses, light as a swallow, Yan Tianlu couldn't help sighing inwardly, 'Indeed the waves behind push those ahead; in the face of youth, refusing to grow old won't do.'

The shark corpses stretched for several li; Hu Xiaotian secretly marveled that he hadn't expected Yan Tianlu's snake poison to be so potent.

When they were still two li from the Flying Fish Cave, ahead there were no more shark corpses to be seen; Yan Tianlu turned and saw Hu Xiaotian stepping on a shark corpse, breaking through the waves, actually using inner power to drive the already dead shark forward.

Yan Tianlu's competitive spirit instantly rose, and he prepared to imitate Hu Xiaotian's method and continue forward.

But Hu Xiaotian said, 'Old man, your internal injury is serious; don't overexert yourself—this shark's belly can still hold one person, come up!'

Yan Tianlu glared at him fiercely; though he was unwilling in his heart, he also knew his condition—forcing himself would only worsen his internal injury. So he lightly leapt onto the shark belly where Hu Xiaotian and Yan Nujiao were. Hu Xiaotian drove the shark forward, adjusting direction as Yan Tianlu directed, and Yan Tianlu sent a mental transmission to Hu Xiaotian: 'Ahead is the Flying Fish Cave; entering from the bottom requires climbing a cliff thirty zhang high.'

Hu Xiaotian replied in a low voice, 'Will there be anyone guarding inside the Flying Fish Cave?'

Yan Tianlu shook his head and said, 'This place below is where the sharks gather; Luo Qianfu wouldn't expect them to choose this route to escape, and since Tang Jiu Cheng hit me with three arrows, most people would think I'm already dead.'

While speaking they arrived at the bridge below where corpses had been abandoned; previously a shark gathering spot, now not a single shark was seen—apparently the whole school had swarmed to the reef where they had just been to devour their companions' corpses, leaving this place empty.

Hu Xiaotian listened, convinced there was no movement above, then, carrying Yan Nujiao, leapt onto the cliff and climbed upward using the Golden Spider Eight Steps; Yan Tianlu followed, climbing the cliff. Though his movements were not as light and agile as Hu Xiaotian's, each step was steady and firm, his hands strong. One after another they reached the top, and saw that the long bridge was indeed empty of anyone.

Hu Xiaotian, familiar with the way, went to the Stone Chamber where he had previously lived, took out clothes from inside, and the three each changed.

At that moment footsteps sounded outside; the three hurriedly hid at either side of the door, only to hear someone outside sigh and say, 'I never expected the island lord to be harmed by someone!'

Another person said, 'The island lord's martial arts are peerless—how could such a thing happen?'

'I heard he was killed by Tang Jiu Cheng, master of the Falling Cherry Palace; the body was just found, and I saw it myself—there's no mistake.'

'Alas! The island lord, a hero all his life, has ended up in such a miserable plight.'

'Third Master is dead too; our Python Flood Island really has stumbled into big trouble.'

Yan Tianlu did not yet know that Qin Dongluo had been killed; hearing this, his eyes almost burst. Although he had valued Old Six Lu Qingyuan the most, his deepest feelings were for Qin Dongluo, and upon hearing the bad news his eyes turned blood‑red.

The door moved slightly; two people pushed it open and entered. Hu Xiaotian and Yan Tianlu each rushed forward, each seizing one person and slamming them against the wall.

One of them, seeing Yan Tianlu, was terrified out of his wits—the very person who had just claimed to have seen Yan Tianlu's corpse with his own eyes, now thinking he had met a ghost. Yan Tianlu gritted his teeth and snarled, 'If you utter another word I'll twist your neck!' He clamped a big hand over the man's throat and demanded, 'Speak! Where is Luo Qianfu?'

That man, his soul fleeing his body, yet feeling the warmth of Yan Tianlu's palm, knew for certain he was not facing a corpse, and trembled, 'Fifth… Master… he… is in the Hall of Righteous Gathering… guarding your spirit…' Yan Tianlu nodded, then suddenly increased his grip—crack! —the man's neck snapped.

Hu Xiaotian likewise killed the other pirate; now is a critical moment, the situation on Python Flood Island unclear, and we must not easily reveal their whereabouts.

Yan Tianlu spat hatefully, 'Guarding my spirit? Where did this bunch of scoundrels get a corpse?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'They must be using this method to demoralize your subordinates and seize the chance to take power.'

Second update uploaded—seeking Monthly Ticket! (To be continued~^~)