Chapter 63: Demon Shadows Fill the Sky, Blood Yet Unwashed

Whoosh—whoosh—

Tai Shu Dan raised his left hand to absorb the surrounding blood qi, and just as Xie Jinhuan drew near, he lifted his rattan staff.

And at that very moment, the great beam of the ship's upper deck suddenly blazed with brilliant sword light:

Clang—

Xie Jinhuan drove power from his legs, his form transforming into a wild dragon breaking its reins; halfway through, a three-foot green blade flashed from its sheath, pointing diagonally behind him, while his left hand, like a azure dragon extending its claw, seized directly at the thrusting rattan staff!

Tai Shu Dan did not understand why Xie Jinhuan was catching a bare blade with bare hands, but he seized the opportunity to gather qi and launch a fierce attack, intending to shatter the opponent's arm:

"Die for me—"

Boom—

The rattan staff struck the palm squarely, and a mighty qi force erupted outward!

But what Tai Shu Dan never dreamed was that Xie Jinhuan, who seemed to be wildly flailing with frenzied eyes, had already shifted his shoulders and back away the instant the staff hit his palm.

The powerful qi force pouring into his body did not shatter his arm's meridians; instead, it raised concentric ripples across his solid arm, spreading along the arm toward the torso, and finally transmitting to the right hand behind him!

Swish—

Without any sign of gathering qi, Xie Jinhuan delivered a downward sword slash before him, one capable of splitting mountains and parting seas!

A piercing sword cry, wrapped in churning red mist, carved a crescent arc across the roof ridge!

Although Tai Shu Dan was not a martial artist, he had engaged in countless fights and could not fathom how such a sword strike, containing terrifying qi force, could be delivered without any wind-up.

But Linghu Qingmo, far out in the river water, his eyes filled with admiration, muttered a phrase:

"The cautious dragon meets no blame—what a fine move of borrowing force to strike force!"

Boom—

Under the heavy downward strike, the tea-green rattan staff split cleanly in two!

The three-foot green blade swept past before him, and the sharp sword wind it carried instantly carved a line of blood across Tai Shu Dan's chest and abdomen!

Pfft—

But Tai Shu Dan's explosive power was too terrifying; sensing danger, he had already retreated, dodging the strike that could have ripped open his belly, sliding backward into the red mist of the great hall, where he clasped both palms together vertically before him mid-air:

"Mi mo mo..."

Boom...

Several incomplete puppets immediately sprang from the ground, launching themselves in a flying dive toward Xie Jinhuan.

And within the great hall below, dense sounds erupted:

Ding-dong-ding-dong...

Xie Jinhuan swept away the attacking puppets with one sword slash, then leaped down from the beam, kicking left and right in pursuit, only to see a horrifying scene revealed within the great hall shrouded in poisonous mist!

The hundreds who had originally fainted in the great hall and corridors all rose from the ground in unison, their eyes blood-red, emitting a bloodthirsty, ferocious glare, and then, without agreement, lunged at Xie Jinhuan:

"Ah—"

In an instant, the ship's upper deck sounded like ten thousand ghosts wailing!

Before Xie Jinhuan had fallen halfway from the air, several figures crashed out of the mist, embracing his body; but after three sword strikes, they turned into countless corpses that crashed down mid-air.

Rustle-rustle-rustle—

The sword in Xie Jinhuan's hand flowed like a tide; his form landed on the great drum, producing a dull "Dong~" thud. Before he could leap up, hundreds of figures, like a mountain collapsing, surged from all directions.

Boom-boom-boom—

Blood water sprayed throughout the great hall as qi force raged.

In the blink of an eye, the figures surging from all directions buried the central great drum!

The remaining people, their madness unabated, stepped on others and climbed upward, gradually forming a mountain of flesh that completely locked Xie Jinhuan within.

"Mi mo mo..."

Tai Shu Dan, bare-chested, knelt at the second-floor railing; the wound on his chest visibly healed as blood qi flowed in. After confirming Xie Jinhuan was trapped to death, he raised both hands upward.

Whoosh~

Churning black mist surged from his palms; the broken rattan staff that had fallen into the great hall, along with its skull head, once again emitted a dim red light.

A chilling ghostly aura spread throughout the hall; over a hundred shadowless, formless wraiths raged and drifted within the black mist, surging toward the mountain of flesh in the center of the hall, employing the Gu Du Pai's signature supreme art:

Hundred Ghosts Spreading Plague!

Outside the ship, more than a dozen people who had quietly approached noticed the ghostly aura surging toward the sky from the ship's upper deck; their faces all changed abruptly.

The Hundred Ghosts Spreading Plague is known as the "greatest of mass injuries"; with little ghosts confusing the mind, even experts of the same level find it hard to resist the strong poison, and it can kill an entire ship's crew in at most half a minute.

Lin Wanyi, knowing Xie Jinhuan's background, saw the ghostly aura surging toward the sky and said, her face deathly pale:

"This is bad; Xie Jinhuan cannot use his magical artifacts anymore."

Linghu Qingmo immediately burst forth from the river water, intending to rush forward and break the siege.

But at that very moment, a dull thud echoed from the great hall of the ship's upper deck:

Dong—

The sound of the great drum shattering; the human mountain piled several layers high instantly collapsed a section, followed immediately by:

Crash—

The sound of the deck splintering into four pieces arose, and the crowd rolled down into the lower cabin like quicksand.

Tai Shu Dan frowned, urgently searching for figures in the broken hole at the center of the great hall, but only a moment later, a sound came from behind him:

Boom—

A sharp sword light rushed directly at his back!

Xie Jinhuan burst out from the crack he had cleaved in the front of the deck; through the wall, he delivered a sword strike like thunder, piercing the second-story wall of the ship's upper deck, with brilliant lightning surging forth halfway through!

Crackle-crackle-crackle—

The chilling ghostly aura in the great hall instantly vanished into thin air; Tai Shu Dan, feeling goosebumps rise on his skin, did not turn his head but instead bent low and kicked backward with a fierce stomp.

Pfft—

The three-foot sword blade grazed his back, instantly carving a blood trail deep enough to reveal the spine!

Xie Jinhuan's waist and abdomen were struck simultaneously by heavy, grounded force; before he was sent flying sideways, he grabbed Tai Shu Dan's ankle and slashed at the thigh!

Whoosh—

Two linked figures immediately flew out from the front of the ship's upper deck; mid-air, Tai Shu Dan moved his lips slightly:

"Shoo~"

The whistle struck like a dull club, causing Xie Jinhuan to lose focus briefly!

Seizing the instant opportunity, Tai Shu Dan forcibly kicked the wrist to disarm the sword; just as he raised his hand to snatch it, Xie Jinhuan, recovering in an instant, swept his arm aside!

Swish~

Thump thump~

Both men fell onto the deck at the same time; the spinning Zheng Zheng Lun Jian had been planted several zhang away.

Xie Jinhuan landed without pausing, springing up and diving toward the Zheng Zheng Lun Jian.

But Tai Shu Dan had already realized he was at a disadvantage; he likewise leaped forward explosively, headbutting Xie Jinhuan's chest, then顺势 gripping his neck. Like a stubborn ox, he strode forward and rammed hard, blood pouring from the wound on his back, sweat and blood steaming from his entire body, his eyes like those of an Asura demon:

"Give me... oh—!"

Boom!

Before the words finished, a low blow kick landed squarely on the crotch!

With the testicles crushed and the rooster flying, Tai Shu Dan's ferocious face instantly twisted; even his angry shout cracked on the spot, and his wrist temporarily lost its strength.

Xie Jinhuan顺势 swept away the right arm, then drove his elbow forward with full force, unleashing a Lei Ting roar:

"Hah—!"

Boom—

Crack~

Amidst the grating, teeth-aching dull sound, a heavy, grounded force elbow struck the center of the face; instantly, a dent appeared in Tai Shu Dan's chest!

The exposed spine on his back also arched out from the body under the fierce impact; his internal organs shook violently, and a column of blood shot from his nose!

"Pfft..."

Tai Shu Dan coughed up a mouthful of old blood, flew backward, and crashed onto the deck, sliding several zhang until he barely stopped upon hitting the upper deck wall; landing, he let out several dull coughs, and boundless blood qi surged from his body into his wounds.

Xie Jinhuan, covered in blood, stood on the deck, raised a hand to wipe his cheek, then spat:

"Tch! So damn tough."

"Cough—"

Tai Shu Dan, heavily wounded on both front and back, with a crushing blow to the crotch below, his face completely twisted, cursed angrily while frantically absorbing blood qi:

"Despicable villain!"

But Xie Jinhuan had no intention of lingering to trade insults; he hurried forward, grabbing the sword hilt halfway.

Shink~

The three-foot green blade, embedded in the deck, detached from the wooden planks, revealing a sinister, cold gleam under the moonlight.

Tai Shu Dan struggled to rise; having recovered little from his injuries, he sensed something was wrong upon seeing this:

"Wait! I, the old man..."

Swish—

A piercing sword cry echoed through the tower ship!

The three-foot sword blade, like a fiery meteor, flashed across the deck in an instant, piercing through Tai Shu Dan's chest and even the wall behind him!

Boom boom boom—

The two men crashed into the hall, carving a groove in the floor, until the long sword pinned them to a pillar that two people could embrace; only then did the momentum abruptly cease!

Boom!

Tai Shu Dan gripped the blade with both hands; facing the young martial artist before him, who was nothing short of a monster, his eyes burned with rage and fear:

"I know the secrets of the Mingshen Sect, and also..."

Shink—

Xie Jinhuan withdrew the Zheng Zheng Lun Jian, then thrust straight back with a reverse grip, driving it into the chattering, noisy mouth, before twisting his wrist violently:

Crack~

The skull shattered, and the words ceased instantly!

The hall, still churning with qi energy, gradually settled into calm.

Shink~

Xie Jinhuan drew his sword, habitually flicking the blood from the blade, and locked eyes with Tai Shu Dan, whose gaze was ferocious and rapidly losing vitality:

"I'm crazy, not stupid! One sentence finished, and you'd be back to full health again, wouldn't you?"

"Hah..."

Tai Shu Dan's back of the neck had been pulverized, yet he was not yet dead; his body trembled violently, attempting to absorb blood qi to heal the fatal wound.

But Xie Jinhuan gave him no chance; gathering qi throughout his body, he delivered a heavy, grounded force hammer blow, striking squarely in the face!

Boom!

Brain matter splattered, exploding into a mist of blood; even the pillar behind cracked!

Crackle~

Tai Shu Dan's movement suddenly stopped; his body, now with only half a head, slowly slid down, crashing onto the floor.

Thud—

Amidst the dull sound, the hall fell into complete silence.

"Huh……"

Xie Jinhuan stood drenched in blood in the hall, his target gone, yet his churning blood-qi still surged within him; after a moment of stillness, swelling pain spread across his body, and his mind grew increasingly foggy.

He had originally feared that, once he lost his wits, he would kill everyone on the ship clean.

But now he realized this worry was unnecessary.

The ship's tower, already riddled with holes, lay strewn with corpses and pools of blood — not a single soul remained standing.

Even if he killed anyone he saw, he clearly wouldn't bother patiently searching each body to check pulses and deliver finishing blows.

Xie Jinhuan scanned the hall and found not a single opponent left; his head spun, his vision blurred, and after a long pause, he slowly spread his hands and said:

"That's it?"

……

(End of Chapter)