In the underwater cave.
"What's that?"
Just as Jiang Ning was about to leave, his gaze suddenly froze.
In the small pool ahead, he noticed faint glimmers of silver light.
He raised his hand and summoned the water.
Splash, splash, splash
The pebbles in the pool were instantly affected by an invisible force, scattering in all directions.
Then, a black, egg-sized stone flew out from the bottom of the pool and landed in his hand.
The moment the stone touched his skin, an icy coldness seeped into his bones, sending a chill through his entire body.
This sensation felt familiar it was the same coldness he had felt from the water in the pool.
Thinking this, Jiang Ning turned the black stone over in his hand.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed occasional flashes of silver light within the stone.
This was why he had noticed the stone in the first place.
Seeing the silver light flickering inside the stone, Jiang Ning couldn't help but think of the special water he had just absorbed.
That water had also contained silver light and had been icy cold, yet it remained cohesive even in the water.
"Could it be..." Jiang Ning's eyes widened slightly.
He began to suspect the origin of the so-called "water within water" he had just absorbed.
Such a treasure couldn't have formed out of nowhere it must have had a source.
His gaze sharpened as he stared at the black stone in his hand.
"Is it because of this?" he wondered.
The similarities between the water he had absorbed and this black stone were striking.
Both emitted the same silver light, and both carried an intense coldness.
However, the coldness of the stone was even more severe than that of the water.
Normally, such a low temperature would cause the surrounding water to freeze into ice.
But Jiang Ning noticed something unusual.
Only when he touched the stone directly could he feel its coldness.
As soon as he moved his hand away, the coldness vanished completely.
After some investigation, Jiang Ning became more convinced.
The true treasure might be this seemingly ordinary black stone, not the special water he had absorbed earlier.
With this in mind, he carefully stored the stone away.
After thoroughly searching the area and finding nothing else of interest, he made his way back to the sunken ship.
In the ship, aside from the warehouse full of iron ore, there were also the two halves of the White Dragon Fish and Shi Xiaoyuan's blade.
Even though the blade had a notch from Jiang Ning's strike, it was still a valuable weapon.
After all, it had been Shi Xiaoyuan's weapon, crafted with high-quality materials and exceptional skill.
Jiang Ning had no intention of leaving such a treasure behind.
On the surface of the lake.
Splash
Splash
Splash
Three more figures plunged into the water.
At the same time, voices could be heard on the deck.
"Any sign of the boss and the others?"
"Nothing, Protector."
"..."
Meanwhile, in a corner beneath the ship.
Huang San'er's face was pale, his lips turning purple.
The wound on his arm had been soaking in the water for over an hour, and he could feel his condition deteriorating rapidly.
He knew he couldn't hold on much longer he might pass out at any moment.
But even so, he didn't dare make a sound.
More than an hour had passed, and Shi Xiaoyuan and the others still hadn't returned.
In this situation, how could he dare show himself?
If he appeared now, and the Green Snake Gang members above found out that he was the only one who had returned, how could he explain himself?
He would face a torturous death, and his family would suffer as well.
With this in mind, Huang San'er's resolve only grew stronger.
Just then.
"Who's there?"
"Who are you?"
"..."
From beneath the ship, Huang San'er suddenly heard several shouts from above.
The next moment.
"Ah"
Screams of pain erupted from the deck above.
The noise grew chaotic, with various voices reaching his ears.
"It's a demon! A demon!" someone cried in terror.
"Spare me! I have a family to feed!" another voice pleaded in panic.
"Kill! Kill them all!" someone else shouted, trying to sound brave.
"..."
But amidst the chaos, Huang San'er heard mostly the agonized screams of the dying.
Suddenly.
Splash
A body fell into the water, landing just a few feet away from him.
The splash of water hit his face, jolting him awake.
The body floated to the surface, lifeless.
"Is he dead?" Huang San'er stared at the motionless figure, his heart racing.
After a few moments, he calmed down slightly.
Hesitating for a moment, he swam toward the body.
As he approached, he could tell the person was dead.
The body was face down, and the surrounding water was stained red with blood.
When Huang San'er turned the body over, the sight confirmed his suspicions.
The person was unmistakably dead, with blood still flowing from their orifices and their eyes bulging unnaturally.
As Huang San'er examined the body, the screams from above continued.
Now and then, another body would fall into the water.
"Who is this ruthless person slaughtering the Green Snake Gang members?" Huang San'er muttered to himself.
Then he remembered the conversation he had overheard near the sunken ship.
"Could it be that person?"
With this thought, Huang San'er looked up toward the deck.
He now understood that Shi Xiaoyuan and his group must have perished in the lake.
Otherwise, why would none of them have returned by now?
The commotion he had heard earlier was still fresh in his mind.
"Who is that person?"
"How could he be so powerful?"
"Not only did he kill Shi Xiaoyuan, but now he's single-handedly attacking the Green Snake Gang's ship."
"After today, the Green Snake Gang will be finished. The county is going to change!"
Thinking this, a hint of joy appeared on Huang San'er's face.
If the Green Snake Gang fell, he would be free from their control.
"Who is that person up there?" Huang San'er's curiosity grew.
Shi Xiaoyuan, the leader of the Green Snake Gang, had been a major figure in Luoshui County.
For over a decade, he had dominated the county, and few dared to cross him.
Yet now, he had met his end in the waters of Luoshui, and the massive ship he had arrived on was now a scene of carnage.
In this situation, Huang San'er couldn't help but wonder who could have pulled off such a feat.
The setting sun casts a golden glow over the lake.
Huang San'er looked up, squinting against the light.
From his angle, he could only see the sun's reflection on the water and a corner of the ship.
The slaughter above was something he could only hear, not see.
After a while, the noise from the deck began to die down.
"Is it over already?" Huang San'er was shocked.
He had been held captive by the Green Snake Gang and brought here on this very ship.
He knew that there were nearly a hundred people on board.
From the first signs of trouble to the current silence, only a short time had passed.
"Even if it were a hundred pigs, it wouldn't have been this quick!" Huang San'er thought, his astonishment growing.
Having lived in Luoshui County for years, he knew why the Green Snake Gang was one of the top three gangs in the area.
It wasn't just because of Shi Xiaoyuan's martial prowess most members of the gang were skilled fighters, with many martial artists among them.
On this ship alone, there were several ninth-grade martial artists.
Yet, in just a short time, all of them had been silenced.
Just then, Huang San'er's eyes widened.
In his line of sight, two figures appeared.
On the deck.
A thin, sharp-faced man looked at Jiang Ning with terror in his eyes.
To him, Jiang Ning was like a demon, using methods that defied explanation.
"Spare me!" the man pleaded, his face turning from green to purple as he struggled to breathe.
But the water coiled around his neck like a snake, tightening its grip.
The man's chest was also constricted by the water, making it impossible to breathe.
His lungs were emptied of air, and his internal organs began to shift under the pressure.
Crack
Crack
As Jiang Ning continued to exert force, the water tightened further, twisting the man's bones and muscles.
His eyes bulged even more under the immense pressure.
Crunch
With a final, sickening crack, the man's body went limp.
Splash
The water dispersed, and the lifeless, twisted body fell to the deck.
Jiang Ning waved his hand again.
Several streams of water floated in the air, darting toward another figure on the deck.
The water entered the man's nose and ears.
"Ah"
The man let out a final, agonized scream before collapsing, lifeless.
Jiang Ning continued to control the water, using it to sweep through the ship and eliminate any remaining gang members.
He felt no guilt about this.
First, the method of killing wasn't visually gruesome.
There were no severed limbs or rivers of blood just swift, efficient deaths.
Second, Jiang Ning believed that out of a hundred Green Snake Gang members, at least ninety deserved to die.
He wasn't a judge, and he didn't need to be fair he just needed to act according to his conscience.
Soon, a few more hidden gang members met their end under Jiang Ning's water manipulation.
Once the water entered their bodies through their noses or ears, they died within seconds.
The water would shred their internal organs, leaving no chance of survival.
"This method is much more efficient," Jiang Ning nodded in satisfaction.
Compared to the earlier method of using water to constrict and crush, this was far quicker and less taxing.
Meanwhile, beneath the ship, Huang San'er watched in horror as Jiang Ning killed the sharp-faced man.
He had seen everything.
"Is this sorcery or divine magic?" Huang San'er wondered.
He had only heard of such abilities in legends and stories.
Some ancient texts spoke of mythical birds that could scorch the earth with a flap of their wings, or gods who could topple mountains and redirect rivers.
But he had never seen anything like this in real life.
"Is he a god?" Huang San'er muttered, staring up at Jiang Ning from the water.
By now, the deck was silent.
Nearly a hundred people had died at Jiang Ning's hands.
"This divine ability is truly remarkable!" Jiang Ning thought, impressed.
Without this ability, killing so many people would have been far more difficult.
But now, it had been effortless.
After one final check to ensure no one was left alive, Jiang Ning noticed the lone survivor in the water.
It was the man who had been forced to guide the Green Snake Gang to the sunken ship.
Jiang Ning had no intention of killing him he was just an innocent victim.
After a while, Jiang Ning finished looting the ship.
He found a large amount of silver, both in coins and notes.
He didn't bother counting it, simply stuffing it all into a cloth bag.
There was too much to carry by hand.
So, he untied a small boat from the side of the ship and loaded his loot onto it.
Once everything was secure, he sat in the boat.
With a thought, he activated his water manipulation ability.
The water beneath the boat shifted, propelling it swiftly toward his home.
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