An undying monster

The breakthrough in his mental power had awakened Kazuhiko Uchiha's two-tomoe Sharingan and raised his blood superpower to LV4.

The two-tomoe Sharingan not only enhanced his perception and ability to amplify genjutsu, but also gave him the beginnings of its copying ability, allowing him to see through certain ninjutsu and copy some moves.

Just as in the original story, when Sasuke briefly fought Rock Lee during the Chunin Ninja Exams, he had been able to copy Rock Lee's taijutsu in full after seeing it only once. That alone showed how formidable the Sharingan was.

If the Sharingan's upgrade had been a pleasant surprise for Kazuhiko Uchiha, then his LV4 blood superpower made him feel as though an enormous stroke of luck had fallen straight into his lap.

At LV4, his superpower was no longer limited to using his own blood. He could now use the blood of other creatures, and his fine control had begun progressing from the blood's macroscopic form to the microscopic level.

After the level increase, Kazuhiko Uchiha could clearly sense the various substances within blood, including the different blood cells normally present and the hormones it transported.

Using that as his foundation, along with some basic knowledge from his previous life, Kazuhiko Uchiha had not only strengthened his existing techniques but also developed several new ones.

These included [Blood Healing Technique], which controlled platelet aggregation to stop bleeding quickly; [Blood Purification], which used white blood cells, macrophages, and the like to eliminate toxins and foreign substances that entered his body; and [Blood Binding], which used the iron transported in blood to strengthen it enough to bind an enemy.

There was also [Blood Concealment Technique], which manipulated blood to stimulate his organs into producing large quantities of hormones, using the combined effects of thyroid hormones and adrenaline to lower his breathing, heart rate, and body temperature, thereby weakening his signs of life; and [Blood Eruption], which stimulated massive adrenaline production for a more powerful burst than [Blood-Burning Technique], among others.

Once he had stabilized his abilities, Kazuhiko Uchiha finally surpassed the level of an elite chunin in his normal state and reached that of a jonin. His overall combat strength had reached elite jonin level, or even that of a quasi-Kage.

Kazuhiko Uchiha stood up and reined in the blood energy spilling out after his breakthrough. His muscles and bones crackled like firecrackers, and an indescribable sense of ease filled his body. A satisfied smile spread across his face.

After eating a little to fill his stomach, Kazuhiko Uchiha left his room, intending to get some fresh air on deck.

On his way to the deck, Kazuhiko Uchiha learned from the nearby Qin soldiers' conversation that Tianming and his two companions had unexpectedly escaped from the sand ship the previous afternoon and vanished into the vast Rōran Desert.

Kazuhiko Uchiha narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling the original story's plot, and murmured, "Looks like we'll be reaching Rōran soon."

Sure enough, the instant he finished speaking, the previously calm desert began churning like the surface of the sea. Amid plumes of sand, dozens of enormous, bizarre fish leaped out from beneath the desert and surrounded the Mechanical Sand Ship.

Hearing the commotion, Gongshu Chou, Wei Zhuang, and the others also emerged from the cabins.

At the sight outside, Gongshu Chou's eyes lit up, and he chuckled. "Hehehe, just as the records described. The entrance to Rōran lies in an underground current deep within the desert. The appearance of these Withered Fish proves it."

Wei Zhuang had no interest in these weak Withered Fish. He asked Gongshu Chou, "How far are we from the entrance?"

"Not far at all. We'll be there soon," Gongshu Chou answered confidently after glancing at the map in his hand.

The Mechanical Sand Ship sailed steadily onward. After passing a massive dune, they spotted two enormous Dragon-Shaped River-Towning Stones below, with the entrance to the underground river swirling like a vortex between them.

Suddenly, a fierce gale rose over the desert. A moment later, a gigantic beast formed from yellow sand appeared before them.

"Roar!"

The sand beast roared at them and brought its enormous forelimb down toward the Mechanical Sand Ship.

"Hmph!"

Wei Zhuang snorted coldly and abruptly leaped toward the sand beast. With a light slash of Shark Teeth, he severed its forelimb outright.

Without its forelimb to support it, the sand beast toppled headfirst onto the ground and dispersed into countless fine grains of yellow sand.

Before Wei Zhuang could return to the sand ship, the gale rose again, and more sand beasts appeared before them.

To keep the beasts from damaging the sand ship, Kazuhiko Uchiha, Lesser Siming, Greater Siming, Bai Feng, Chi Lian, and the others joined the battle.

"Six Illusions of the Phoenix Dance!"

With his exceptional movement skills, Bai Feng split into six figures. The thin, razor-sharp Feather Blades in his hands carved the sand beast facing him into a stump.

"Sword-Wrapping Stance!"

Chi Lian swung the Chain Snake Soft Sword in her hand, coiling it around a sand beast like a nimble serpent. With a sharp tug, she sliced it into several chunks of sand.

"Skeleton Blood Hand Seal!"

Lesser Siming swept aside the hair beside her cheek and extended her flame-red arm, releasing a gigantic blood-colored skeletal hand seal that smashed the sand beast into loose sand.

"..."

Silent as ever, Greater Siming slowly moved her fair, delicate hands. Countless emerald leaves formed from true energy sliced a sand beast into thin layers of yellow sand.

All four displayed considerable strength, so Kazuhiko Uchiha held nothing back either. He drew the Bloodwing Black Blade and unleashed the Wind Spirit Sword Art, which he had mastered more fully after his breakthrough.

"Wind Spirit: Segmented Shadow Sword!"

The Bloodwing Black Blade in Kazuhiko Uchiha's hand trembled rapidly, then began moving slowly. With every fraction it moved, it left behind a sword-shaped afterimage that seemed almost solid.

"Rending Wind Spiral Dance!"

Countless enormous, deep-green wind blades, each more than a dozen zhang long, appeared out of thin air. The sword-shaped afterimages intertwined into a cylinder bristling with blades, then spun at high speed and surged forward in a spiral. They swept up every remaining sand beast and shredded them into fine grains of yellow sand, which the wind carried far into the desert.

What formidable power! What astonishing sword techniques!

Everyone who witnessed the scene was deeply shaken by the might of Kazuhiko Uchiha's strike. As they watched him sheath his blade and stand there, their feelings were intensely mixed.

"Quick, speed up! Get into the underground river!"

Seeing the yellow sand apparently beginning to gather again, Gongshu Chou's expression changed, and he immediately issued orders to the Gongshu Family disciples piloting the sand ship.

Under the control of dozens of Gongshu Family disciples and Qin Army soldiers, the Mechanical Sand Ship abruptly accelerated. Once Kazuhiko Uchiha and the others returned aboard, it plunged into the underground river.

The underground space was pitch-black. Gongshu Chou ordered a large number of torches lit to illuminate their way. After navigating cautiously for nearly half a day, they finally emerged from the dark underground river passage and reached the scenic outskirts of Rōran City.

"Hehehe, Rōran, I've finally found you." Looking at the foreign city encircled by mountains in the distance, Gongshu Chou burst into a triumphant laugh.

Once everyone had disembarked onto the riverbank, Wei Zhuang raised Shark Teeth and pointed it at Rōran, issuing an order to the thousands of black-armored Qin soldiers ready to march.

"Attack! Seize Rōran!"