A Thorn in His Back

At the center of the Dragon Blood Tide lies a newly sealed sea eye area.

In these core areas, there is no shortage of all kinds of creatures that are overturned from the seabed by the waves—there are big fish, sea beasts, monsters, and some sea creatures whose names are not even known. They are washed to the surface by the impact of the Spiritual Qi waves and float in the seawater.

At this moment, the power of the Heavenly Devil Field was like an invisible net, ensnaring all the creatures floating in the seawater and pulling them to his side.

Then, the Profound Yin Devil Fire transformed into thin, hair-like black threads of fire, piercing into the bodies of those marine creatures; extracting all their essence and Spiritual Qi, which flowed back into the Hu Mang's body along the threads of fire.

Those creatures whose essence was extracted quickly withered and shrank under the scorching of the demonic fire, like dried fruit, their flesh clinging tightly to their bones, their skin turning from a fresh color to a grayish, withered state, like dead wood.

As the demonic fire receded, the withered corpses lost their support and slowly disintegrated in the seawater, turning into fragments that sank to the bottom of the sea.

To be honest, as a demonic cultivator, the state of taking everything and refining it into demonic energy is indeed very enjoyable.

Unleash your true self, kill if you want, train if you want, disregard all morals and rules, and experience pure bliss.

After absorbing this batch of essence, the Hu Mang's Spiritual Qi quickly recovered, its previously dim demonic light brightened again, and its breathing became steady and powerful.

He licked his lips, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

In this chaotic battlefield, as long as there are enough corpses, his Spiritual Qi will never run out; this is the domineering nature of the Profound Yin Devil Fire, which can not only kill people, but also devour them, leaving not even bones behind.

Then, he began to take stock of his spoils.

With a tap of the Storage Bag, ten Storage Bag boxes flew out and hovered in mid-air.

These were all gifts given free of charge by friends from overseas.

Hu Mang sensed that, as expected of Golden Core cultivator who had mingled in the heart of the Dragon Blood Tide, these ten storage boxes contained anywhere from one or two large items to three or four large items.

Any one of them could be a treasure comparable to lightning-struck driftwood or Nether Pearl.

In other words, Hu Mang earned three or four hundred million from this one wave alone.

Only during a celestial phenomenon like the Dragon Blood Tide can one experience this level of sudden wealth.

However, only Hu Mang, who has mastered the demonic path of the Azure Mysterious Realm, possesses top-tier demonic talent, and is also associated with the Heavenly Devil Field, could be so skilled and daring.

If it were an ordinary Golden Core cultivator, the grave would have been overgrown with weeds long ago.

Among these storage boxes, the one given by Qin Shouzhuo, the one with the Devil-Breaking Needle, was the most—two storage boxes containing a total of ten large items!

The sheer volume of the items nearly blinded Hu Mang.

However, Hu Mang quickly figured out why.

Just like his own Yin Eye, needle-type Law Artifact are a natural counter to thick-skinned sea monsters. As long as the needle technique pierces the opponent's core, it can easily kill a sea monster.

In this respect, the Devil-Breaking Needle can be considered a nemesis of sea monsters.

"But they're really generous; they just gave up two storage boxes and ten large items like that. The customs of the old cultivation world are still so strong here overseas."

"Murder for treasure, abandoning wealth to save one's life—it's very much in the style of ancient China."

"On another note, after my provocation, I hope this old man Qin won't end up like me, resorting to murder and robbery."

The Hu Mang muttered to itself.

However, he quickly realized what was happening.

Although his nickname is "Devil-Breaking Needle," he is not a righteous person.

Using acupuncture to launch a surprise attack is incredibly convenient.

There must be blood on some of these large shipments.

"No wonder he ran so fast. With his skills, as long as he doesn't run into me, making another killing wouldn't be a problem at all. You have to understand, it's only been two days since the Dragon Blood Tide."

However, the murder and robbery that night did not go entirely smoothly.

Several times, people got hurt, and they couldn't get the baby.

On another occasion, they were forced to retreat by a group of eight Golden Core cultivators working together.

The most dangerous time was when he fought a dragon in the Golden Core Late Stage of the Golden Core realm. Hu Mang used his Profound Yin Devil Fire, Profound Yin One Qi Great Capture, and Black Sha Asura Cultivation Method together, but he still couldn't suppress his opponent.

When the opponent manifested its half-demon form, all the scales on its body turned a dull gold color, a genuine dragon scale defense, warding off evil spirits and demons, and impervious to all magic.

Even more astonishingly, the opponent's close-combat ability was terrifying. Hu Mang only managed to fight the opponent to a draw by using the Heavenly Devil Field in combination with the Asura Method.

The information Old Sha provided included relevant information about the other party.

Ao Tianhai, a variant of the dragon bloodline, a half-blooded dragon descendant, the number one Demon Cultivator below the Nascent Soul on the Thirty-Six Islands of the Eastern Sea, and also a recognized Nascent Soul candidate.

He ranks higher than Qin Buzhuo and firmly holds the first place.

When Hu Mang fought with his opponent, he even sensed the rich power of the Dragon Vein and its evolution. This dragon could most likely also control the Dragon Vein!

In short, it's extremely perverse.

While he did not use gun techniques or the Tribulation Eye, his opponent also did not pull out the dragon clan's Cultivation Method for controlling the Dragon Vein.

It's all a contest of normal combat capabilities, so there's no question of who suffers a loss or who gains an advantage.

This was also the first monster Hu Mang encountered overseas, comparable to the dragon monster Gu Yunshu encountered.

The reason Hu Mang sought him out was to verify just how much of a gap he was still between himself, after refining the Flower of Essence, and a true Golden Core expert.

Judging from the current situation, it is indeed quite large.

But not many.

"Should we go on another hunt...?"

The moment the Hu Mang had this thought, its body instinctively sent out a sense of alertness.

A chill shot up from his tailbone to the back of his head, as if an ice needle had suddenly pierced his spine.

The Stone-Flicking Devil Meridians within the Seven Absolutes Devil Meridians was actually activated on its own.

Moreover, this feeling has a strange sense of déjà vu.

Hu Mang frowned and pondered for a while, then suddenly remembered something.

"This isn't what that old Rogue Person Yunxiu, said back in Demon-Subduing City: that after the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown and the Five Qi Converging at the Origin at the Origin, one can deduce the secrets of heaven and use the methods of heavenly secrets to determine one's own fortune and misfortune, and even turn misfortune into good fortune."

"Although I only have one flower, my innate top-tier Devil Cultivation Method comprehension from the Stone-Flicking Devil Meridians Vein seems to have sensed a little bit of the situation."

"Because there are too many sinful Golden Core, there's a possibility they could be surrounded and killed?"

"Or perhaps Ao Tianhai mobilized Golden Core cultivators from the Thirty-Six Islands of the Eastern Sea to prepare for an ambush?"

"Or is it that the overseas demonic sect you dealt with before was discovered, and that so-called Holy Son is now targeting you?"

Upon having this thought, Hu Mang headed straight for the outer perimeter of the Dragon Blood Tide without saying a word.

If not now, when?

Meanwhile, near a sea eye of the Dragon Blood Tide.

Lin Zhiying suddenly received a communication from the Sea-Pacifying Divine Warship.

"Major, the target has escaped."

"They escaped?" Lin Zhiying frowned. "How could they escape? According to your big data simulation, they will inevitably take the route I'm on next."

"It's not a certainty, Major. I'm just saying that, assuming the data is accurate, there's a 70% chance the enemy will advance in your direction. This is a good ambush point."

"Can we still simulate the opponent's movements now?"

According to the data, there are nine potential possibilities...

Lin Zhiying immediately pulled out his tactical headset and shouted in a low voice.

"Stop talking nonsense, just chase after them!"

In a marginal sea area.

Hu Mang's Heavenly Devil Field suddenly stopped, and he muttered to himself.

"I still have this lingering feeling of being haunted."

"I've almost run out of the Dragon Blood Tide's range, and they still managed to catch up? That can't be either of the first two possibilities. Could it be some kind of overseas demonic sect?"

"My identity as the Sealed Holy Son has been exposed so quickly?"

"Not only will they not invite me back to be their leader, but they're even hunting me down. What a waste of talent."

"Since you chased after him even after he ran away, I'll go down and see how you manage to catch him."

The next moment, the Hu Mang plunged into the water and swam straight to the seabed, heading towards wherever the Yin Qi was strongest.

Once you put on your security guard uniform, let's see who can get dirtier!

Not long after the Hu Mang entered the water, a Combined Escape Light appeared above the original spot.

The streaking light was composed of several rays of light of different colors intertwined and overlapped, transforming into a composite light trail that moved at extremely high speed, leaving a long trail of flame in the air.

Combined Escape Light a research achievement of the military, which achieves the superposition of escape speed by adjusting the frequency of the escape beam.

This superposition allows Flood Dragon Hunting Squad, whose members are all at the Golden Core stage, to unleash the speed of Nascent Soul level cultivator.

Lin Zhiying pulled out a military- Devil-Seeking Radar, glanced at it, and without saying a word, plunged into the sea. His four teammates followed closely behind, the five figures leaving five straight trails in the blood-red water as they chased after the signal that was continuously sinking.

As they descended, the color of the seawater changed from dark red to grayish-black, and visibility decreased sharply.

At the same time, noise began to appear on the Devil-Seeking Radar screen, initially just slight snow-like dots, like the flickering of an old-fashioned television with a poor signal.

Lin Zhiying didn't pay attention at first, thinking it was just normal signal attenuation as they descended; but as they continued to descend, the snowflakes became more and more dense, and her expression turned grim.

"The Yin Qi is too strong; the radar is being jammed," a team member behind her said in a deep voice.

Lin Zhiying did not answer, but she knew her team members were right; the concentration of Yin Qi on the seabed was high enough to interfere with military radar.

The black Sha Qi surging from the seabed cracks, the resentment remaining in the shipwreck, and the Corpse Sha energy stirred up by the Dragon Blood Tide mixed together to form a dense magnetic field of Yin Qi energy, like an invisible barrier that distorted the radar detection signals.

The feeling of being constantly on edge seems to have lessened.

Hu Mang felt a sense of relief, knowing that his plan was half successful.

The rest is simply a matter of continuously exploring the Yin Qi zone until you completely shake off your opponent.

The Hu Mang remained submerged in the sea for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and the pricking sensation had diminished to the point of being almost negligible.

He was just about to find a secluded crevice to catch his breath when, suddenly, a huge, blurry outline appeared in the darkness ahead.

The Hu Mang swept its Yin Eye and immediately... fucked it.

It was an old acquaintance—the ghost ship I'd seen before!