By the time Dao Kuang delivered his third slash with the Horse-Cleaving Saber, he had already severed most of the ship's keel. The entire hull groaned beneath the strain and sank toward the seabed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Seawater poured in from every direction, soon rising past everyone's waists. In the murky water, Dao Kuang used the current to drive his Heavenwood Phenomenon. Black, withered vines grew wildly through the water, wrapping around Huo Jinshang's and Yuezheng Xiangling's ankles in an instant. Their thorns pierced the skin, and blackish-purple poison raced upward through their blood.
"Watch out for the vine poison!"
Yuezheng Xiangling swung her sword and severed the withered vines, but for every vine she cut, three or four more immediately coiled around her. The poison had already reached her knees, and both her legs were beginning to go numb.
Yun Che gave a soft snort. Ancient Skywood abruptly appeared behind him, its countless roots spreading outward to battle the withered vines.
"So this is the Cangwu Phenomenon you command? Its workings are rather similar to those of my Heavenwood."
As Dao Kuang spoke, he pressed his Horse-Cleaving Saber down hard. Blackish-red Heavenwood Immortal Power surged wildly along the blade, and the withered vines entangling Huo Jinshang and Yuezheng Xiangling instantly grew several times thicker.
Fine cracks split the vines, releasing countless particles of poisonous wood dust into the seawater. The slightest contact with skin sent them burrowing through the pores and into the bones.
"Unfortunately, your Cangwu carries the pure qi of heaven and earth, while my Heavenwood has absorbed the sinister poison of countless corpses. When it comes to viciousness, your phenomenon is no match for mine."
Dao Kuang stamped hard on the sunken ship's deck, making all the surrounding seawater shudder. Dense