Urban Martial Saint

Chapter 1798 - 1798: Disappearance Against the Current

The speedboat docked on the shore, and several people on board carried a fragment of a body down.Everyone quickly gathered around, examined closely, and indeed, as those on the boat said, this body fragment seemed quite recent, yet the blood was coagulated and hadn't flowed, which was very strange.

"This... this should be the corpse of the Corpse Ghost Dragon..." Shen Tianjun shouted solemnly, recognizing the origin of the body fragment with just a glance. Although the body was shattered into pieces, Shen Tianjun had faced off with the Corpse Ghost Dragon and was somewhat familiar with its Human-shaped Gu and Indestructible Demon Body.

"So, the Corpse Ghost Dragon is truly dead this time!" Ding Lianshun exclaimed softly, and people around suddenly cheered with joy. The Corpse Ghost Dragon was an enemy to the whole world; if this formidable old monster wasn't dead, everyone would have had a hard life.

"What's there to be happy about!" Helian Tiehua shouted angrily, "The Corpse Ghost Dragon is found, but Ye Qing is still missing. Hurry, keep searching!"

"Yes!" The people who returned quickly steered the speedboat back to the sea to continue the search. Meanwhile, the others who heard Helian Tiehua's words turned from joy to worry.

Yes, although the Corpse Ghost Dragon is dead, Ye Qing is missing too. This time, Ye Qing and the Corpse Ghost Dragon faced off, and the power of the Buddha's Relic was witnessed by all. Though none had experienced the feeling of this powerful force coursing through the body, everyone understood it wasn't something an ordinary person could withstand. Ye Qing risked his life to kill the Corpse Ghost Dragon, and everyone was profoundly grateful.

Despite Helian Tiehua rallying all members of the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance to search for Ye Qing, he remained unfound. The search continued until eleven at night, when Zhao Chengshuang and Li Lianshan received news and brought more people to search for Ye Qing. However, they searched for so long that this entire sea area was practically turned upside down, yet Ye Qing was still nowhere to be found; the hope of finding him was becoming slim.

"How did this happen?" Yin Xianzi looked out at the sea, full of worry and confusion, "Ye Qing obviously fell into the sea, so why hasn't he been found? And most of the Corpse Ghost Dragon's body fragments are missing too; what is going on?"

"Could he have been swept away by the currents?" Ding Lianshun said solemnly.

Helian Tiehua said in a deep voice, "We've sent a large number of people, searching several dozen miles of sea. Even if swept away by waves, he should be found by now."

"Then what's going on?" Shen Tianjun said solemnly, "Even the Corpse Ghost Dragon's body is missing; we've only found five or six body fragments, where did the rest go?"

Helian Tiehua also frowned tightly, more anxious than anyone about such events.

"Could it be..." Ning Qianshu approached, speaking solemnly, "Could it be eaten by big fish in the sea?"

"Phooey! Can't you say something sensible!" Before anyone else could speak, Ding Lianshun was the first to curse angrily. Although he and Ning Qianshu were technically from the same faction and ought to support each other, Ding Lianshun gave Ning Qianshu no face on this matter regarding Ye Qing!

"I was merely suggesting the possibility; I wasn't cursing him," Ning Qianshu said helplessly, "This is a sea region, and the water here is deep and turbulent. If they were swallowed by some big fish, it's not impossible. If we push further ahead, there could be sharks here too. Ye Qing and the Corpse Ghost Dragon fought, got injured and bled; if this blood mixed in the seawater, wouldn't that attract sharks?"

Ning Qianshu's words made everyone exchange glances, their faces turning grim. His suggestion wasn't without merit. With the Corpse Ghost Dragon's body shattered into pieces, and Ye Qing filled with the power of the Buddha's Relic, surely they both bled. Sharks are extremely sensitive to the scent of blood; a scent in the water could very likely attract them.

Moreover, even after so much time, they hadn't found Ye Qing, and only a small portion of the Corpse Ghost Dragon's body was found, which made them suspect if Ye Qing and the Corpse Ghost Dragon were indeed swallowed by some big fish.

After a brief silence, Helian Tiehua suddenly stood up and shouted decisively, "Use all possible means to blockade this nearby sea area. Absolutely don't let those carnivorous fish escape. Capture all those carnivorous fish!"

"Ah?" A subordinate next to Helian Tiehua looked at him in shock and said, "Great General, this... doing this might not be possible, right?"

"Whether it's possible or not, it must be done!" Helian Tiehua shouted solemnly, "Make every effort!"

Another person said quietly, "If we proceed like this, it will definitely require a substantial amount of funds and manpower. Moreover, the most critical issue is that if they were indeed swallowed by a big fish, even if they're found, the hope of survival is very slim. Great General, about this matter, what do you think..."

"No need to say more, my mind is made up!" Helian Tiehua gritted his teeth and said word by word, "If alive, we need to see the person; if dead, we need to see the corpse!"

The subordinates around Helian Tiehua exchanged glances. Although they all knew this task was difficult, at this moment, no one dared to persuade Helian Tiehua further. Everyone jumped off the huge rock, arranged personnel, sealed off the nearby sea area, and started capturing the carnivorous big fish in the sea.

Even though Shen Tianjun and others stood nearby, no one stopped Helian Tiehua from proceeding. Everyone's thoughts were aligned at the moment. No matter what, by any means necessary, Ye Qing must be found. Even if he was indeed dead, they had to see the body!

Meanwhile, approximately sixty miles against the water flow, at a pitch-black shore, a fishing boat slowly approached the shore.

This was a boat that set out at night for fishing. The boat was not large, just an ordinary civilian fishing vessel, with only a dozen fishermen on board. Late at night, they originally intended to go fishing, but when they reached the sea, they suddenly discovered a problem with the hull and had to turn back.

The fishing boat reached the shore, and the fishermen disembarked one after another, looking for someone to repair the boat. Beneath the water, behind the fishing boat, a man was gripping the iron cable at the bottom of the boat tightly, his body completely entangled with it.

This man was none other than Ye Qing. However, he was in an extremely poor state, pale as death, his body swollen from soaking in the water, wracked with excruciating pain, every inch of him feeling as if pierced by needles, completely immobile.

Earlier, Ye Qing had engaged in a battle with the Corpse Ghost Dragon, smashing the massive rock with a punch. Although he shattered the Corpse Ghost Dragon into fragments, Ye Qing himself was almost blown apart by the force. Even though he barely held onto his life, the meridians and bones throughout his body were fractured with no intact part. Moreover, inexplicably, the medicinal power inside him couldn't repair these meridians, as if a strange force shrouded his meridians, preventing the medicine from reaching his injuries.

After falling into the sea, Ye Qing was exhausted, enduring tremendous pain, his bones shattered, almost incapable of any movement. As he sank rapidly in the water, he was utterly unable to muster the strength to float.

Add to that, the location where Ye Qing fell was very far from the huge rock, distant enough that no one could clearly see what happened, let alone see him sink. And even if they had, what could they have done? Even though they were Peak Masters, things were different in the water. Given such a distance, by the time they swam over, Ye Qing would have already perished.

The feeling of holding your breath underwater is terrifying, and Ye Qing nearly suffocated, scratching randomly with his only movable right hand for anything possible to grasp. Eventually, he managed to find an iron cable and climbed out of the water using it, discovering the fishing boat in the process.

At that moment, the fishing boat was moving back against the water flow, while he was immersed in the water. Only his right hand could move, and its strength was feeble, making him unable to climb using the rope. As for calling out for help, that was impossible due to the loud engine noise of the boat, and he lacked any strength to shout. Reluctantly, Ye Qing opted to keep his head above water to breathe while the remaining body soaked. When his right hand finally gave out, he had no choice but to use the rope to tie himself up, ensuring he wouldn't sink again.

It was sheer coincidence that almost saw Ye Qing die in the water, yet just as the fishing boat passed by, allowing him to latch onto it for survival. However, with the boat heading back upstream, if it had followed the downstream flow, Ye Qing would have likely been found by the Yan Family's Second Master, who was searching below the water flow for him all along.

Whether by luck or misfortune, Ye Qing, clinging to the iron cable of the boat, evaded the search by the Yan Family's Second Master, thus saving his life. Meanwhile, Helian Tiehua's men were also searching downstream, never imagining Ye Qing would be carried upstream by a fishing boat, successfully evading both those seeking to kill him and those wishing to save him. He completely eluded both groups.

In the water, Ye Qing had no choice. The water was deep, and he was too weak to do anything but hang onto the fishing boat, following its movements. The minute he let go, he would surely sink and die!

Moreover, the fishing boat was traveling quickly and back at full speed while Helian Tiehua's men were not so swift. By the time they sealed off the sea surface, the boat had long gone beyond their blockade.