Dragon Blood Tide

As night fell, Hu Mang finally saw the smuggling ship that Old Zhu had mentioned.

It's called "Hidden Boat".

From a distance, it looks like a black whale shark stranded at sea.

It is made entirely of a dark metal called "Ink Meteoric Iron". Its surface is unpolished and retains a rough, granular texture. It does not reflect sunlight, but instead resembles a giant sponge, greedily absorbing the surrounding light.

The deck was unusually spacious, with a streamlined, turtle-back-shaped main cabin rising in the center, like the spine of a giant beast. On each side of the main cabin were three sloping, rearward-facing "Wind-Breaking Fin," which were semi-transparent crystal structures with faintly swirling light inside, capable of tearing through air resistance during high-speed navigation.

There are no railings along the edge of the deck, only a low, flip-up dark-colored barrier to facilitate quick loading and unloading of cargo.

Many crew members initially thought the smuggling vessel was just a dilapidated small boat.

I didn't expect it to be so high-end!

Upon boarding the ship, several crew members and cultivators displayed a sense of anxiety and urgency as a great battle was about to begin. Some kept touching the magical Law Artifact they had prepared, while others were sharpening their weapons with a low-grade Spirit Stone at the last minute. And then there were the stranger ones, like Xiao Yu, who would run to the toilet every few days.

Hu Mang also took the opportunity to take out his Xuan Tie spear and casually placed it on the deck.

Its appearance, as thick as a small pillar, attracted the attention of many people. Several young crew members even came over to try to lift it, but none of them succeeded.

Then their gazes toward the Hu Mang turned to astonishment.

That's insane strength.

Old Zhu, however, gave Hu Mang a few subtle glances, seemingly wondering how the other party had managed to get this big guy onto the ship.

But in the end, I didn't ask.

The cabin door opened, and a man with bite marks all over his face stepped out. He exuded a dangerous aura even stronger than Old Zhu's, and one of his eyes was clearly not a human eye, but a murky Demon Eye.

"Old Zhu should have told you all the rules. Don't think I, Old Sha, am being greedy. What I can get, no one else can!"

Old Zhu took the few pages of paper handed to him, glanced at them, and without saying a word, handed the papers to another person.

Another crew member took it, glanced at it once, and his expression changed. "Holy crap, information on Golden Core cultivator!"

Upon hearing this, the other crew members gathered around and began to whisper among themselves, discussing the matter.

Old Sha looked at Old Zhu with a probing gaze, and Old Zhu shrugged.

"My colleagues from the same cohort back then have either retired or passed away. Where am I going to find so many experienced people? I'll just have to make do with what I have."

Old Sha remained silent, his gaze falling on the silent Hu Mang sitting on the deck and the large gun at his feet. His expression softened slightly; at least there was a professional here.

Sensing the other's gaze, Hu Mang raised his head, their eyes clashed, and the Yao Qi within Hu Mang's body twitched slightly.

Monster?

No, the human aura emanating from the other person is very authentic.

So, they're both half-demons like me, and half-demons created through alteration?

Hu Mang had seen this kind of tactic before when he was hanging out on Ancient Java Island.

In pursuit of greater power, human cultivators voluntarily implanted Demon Race bloodlines.

Judging from their nickname, is it because they've been implanted with sea shark blood?

That's a bit brutal.

The information on Golden Core cultivators finally reached Hu Mang. After scanning it, Hu Mang discovered that not only were their names and appearances listed, but they also had their special skills. For example, a sword cultivator named Azure Cloud Zi had mastered the "Azure Cloud Sword Scripture" to the point where his Sword Qi energy could transform into clouds and mist.

This is also a powerful Sword Realm, abandoning the sword cultivator's pursuit of speed and replacing it with large-scale destructive power.

Hu Mang flipped through the papers again and discovered that half of the dozen or so Golden Core cultivators were Rogue Cultivator from the East Sea. What was even more surprising was that these Rogue Cultivators from the East Sea had all escaped from Heavenly Gate more than 30 or 40 years ago.

"There's nothing strange about it. Who could have imagined that Heavenly Gate could develop to this point? These people were all chosen ones back then. In pursuit of higher realms or so-called better cultivation environments, some joined the remnants of the Celestial Person Class, some joined the Thirty-Six Islands of the Eastern Sea and became so-called guest elders, some went to foreign countries to become worshippers, and some even went so far as to join the demonic path."

Old Zhu explained.

"If these people had stayed in Heavenly Gate, with their talent and the opportunities Heavenly Gate had for development back then, they might all be at the Nascent Soul Spirit Transformation by now."

"That's why these people hate Heavenly Gate people the most; they might even try to kill us if they encounter us."

"On the contrary, those island lords and monsters of the Thirty-Six Islands are a bit easier to talk to if you show them Heavenly Gate's ID card."

Old Sha also spoke, his voice deep and hoarse, as if he had been stabbed in the throat.

"The information I'm showing you isn't meant for you to fight these Golden Core cultivators to the death. It's to let you know what kind of Divine Ability each Golden Core cultivator possesses, and how to protect yourself if you encounter one. If you run into a human Golden Core cultivator during the Dragon Blood Tide, run far away. Don't think that just because they're all human, they won't attack you. Many times, the demons here are more reliable than the humans."

"Even if they've encountered Golden Core cultivator, can they still survive?" someone muttered to themselves.

"It can save your life," Old Zhu said earnestly.

"During the Dragon Blood Tide, the Spiritual Qi will be extremely chaotic, and small Seaquake will occur from time to time. Even Golden Core cultivators can only exert 30-40% of their full power in this environment. We won't let you go too far from the ship. Just block the first wave of attacks from the Golden Core cultivators and then retreat quickly. Even if the Golden Core cultivators chase after you, the formations on the ship can save your lives."

"I am also Golden Core, and I can tell you with certainty that the strongest aspects of Golden Core cultivator are twofold: the qualitative change in Law Power and the supernatural abilities of the Golden Core Divine Ability. The Law Power change in magical power is related to cultivation accumulation, but it is difficult to unleash here. As for the supernatural abilities of the Golden Core Divine Ability," Old Zhu paused for a moment.

"In this Spiritual Qi environment, once Divine Ability is unleashed, the initial phenomenon will be quite significant, and there will be a two- or three-second build-up. Keep your eyes peeled, and if you see this situation, run away immediately. Don't worry about any treasures. Unless someone is specifically trying to kill you, there's a 50% chance you can escape, but you must keep your eyes wide open!"

"Besides that, there were also some filthy things that rolled out from the Dragon Blood Sha..."

Old Zhu gave a detailed account of some of the things he had seen back then, including various types of Corpse Sha, sunken ships at the bottom of the sea, and the remains of Demon Beast.

There are also the Sha Qi energy that takes form within the Dragon Blood Tide, and the sea monsters that may appear, including things like Vacuum Sea Ghost and Mute Tide Corpse Snail— things that are hard to categorize, but if you don't know how they work, you'll lose your life if you meet them.

This explanation made the crew members realize that the protection fee they received was truly worthwhile.

After Old Zhu finished speaking, Old Sha also took action, each of them using three Spirit-Locking Talisman, three Breath-Holding Talisman, and two Aura-Concealing Talisman.

"The Spirit-Locking Talisman is used to lock away the Spiritual Qi in one's body. Although we are fishing at the edge of the Dragon Blood Tide, the energy consumption is not something you Foundation Establishment can withstand. Using this talisman can increase your time at the bottom of the sea to 5 to 10 minutes, but don't wait until the time is completely used up before coming back."

"The Breath-Holding Talisman allows you to stay underwater without breathing, while the Aura-Concealing Talisman is to mask your living presence and prevent you from being entangled by unclean things on the seabed."

Old Sha then explained the usage and effects, and after confirming that everyone was okay with it, he nodded and went straight back to his cabin, showing no intention of chatting with anyone.

"Old Zhu, who's this Old Sha?" someone couldn't help but ask.

"Why ask so many questions? Be careful not to know too much and get silenced. Focus on preparing for war," Old Zhu rebuked the other party.

Hu Mang stroked the gun barrel thoughtfully. "The Thirty-Six Islands of the Eastern Sea used to be a smuggling center, so this Old Sha seems to have a high status on the island."

As the smuggling ship approached the edge of the Dragon Blood Tide, the color of the seawater gradually deepened, changing from blue to dark red, and then from dark red to a thick, brownish-red color, like old bloodstains.

At the same time, large and small whirlpools began to appear on the sea surface. The smallest were only the size of a washbasin, swirling on the surface of the water and making a slight gurgling sound; the larger ones could reach several meters in diameter, with red foam at the edges.

In addition, there are all sorts of ships, including ocean-going freighters like the Seagull, as well as some local merchant ships, and even some Xuanlin ships and demon-hunting boats from the Thirty-Six Islands.

Only by relying on the formations on the ship can they withstand the Spiritual Qi impact brought by the outbreak of the Dragon Blood Tide, as well as the possible small Seaquake.

The smuggling ship carrying Hu Mang followed far behind, without even entering the range of the Dragon Blood Tide.

"Those who manage to break through in the first wave are all protected by ship formations capable of defending against Nascent Soul. After blocking the first wave, most of the Golden Core cultivators will likely rush into the central sea eye of the Dragon Blood Tide."

"Then comes the second wave. These ships will fish in the heart of the Dragon Blood Tide. The cultivators on board will go to sea just like you, but they'll definitely catch much more valuable goods than we do."

Old Zhu paused for a moment, then pointed to the dozens of small boats, fishing boats, and even ordinary fishing vessels nearby.

Big ships eat big fish, small ships eat small fish, and we eat shrimp.

"Then wouldn't we end up with nothing?" one of the crew members said, unwilling to accept the situation.

"Hey, you won't say that after you go to sea, young man. Don't underestimate the power of the Dragon Blood Tide."

However, Old Zhu also knew that such words would not be convincing to cultivators who were visiting for the first time, so he changed the subject and stepped on the black ship beneath his feet.

"Don't forget, our ship has a special purpose."

"Smuggling... no, it can dive!" The questioner's eyes lit up.

"That's right, so they eat dried shrimp, and we eat shrimp meat!"

Old Zhu wanted to say something more, but suddenly he saw the solemn look on Hu Mang's face. He quickly realized what was happening and shouted:

"Prepare, the Dragon Blood Tide is beginning."