Chapter 911: A Double-Edged Sword

The Yin-serpent wrapped its two hands around him, while the other two reached to grab his arms. He He Lingchuan casually drew his blade, Floating Life, and chopped off the two claws that had presumptuously reached out, followed immediately by a horizontal slash that shattered both of its front fangs! The Yin-serpent's ambush was as swift as a thunderclap.

He He Lingchuan's defensive counterattack was also completed in the blink of an eye.

From start to finish, from the Yin-serpent emerging from the water to ambush him to He He Lingchuan knocking out its large fangs, the entire process took less than three seconds! With its venomous fangs gone, the Yin-serpent's attack power had dropped by at least seventy percent.

He He Lingchuan also took the opportunity to stab it in the heart, but this creature possessed tenacious vitality; even with its heart pierced, it was still thrashing about, showing it still had fight left in it.

"My lord!"

Tao Ran reached out to him; a monkey emerged from the water first and jumped onto the boat, shaking the water off its body frantically.

Ling Guang was terrified.

It had been perched on He He Lingchuan's shoulder and had been knocked into the sea along with him just moments ago.

He He Lingchuan also jumped onto the boat and wiped the water from his face: "Start the boat, get further away!"

Tao Ran immediately rowed the boat, heading north.

To the north lay the outer islands of the Yangshan Archipelago, where there were supply stations and pirate dens.

He He Lingchuan, however, shook his head: "I don't think the northern islands are safe either. Let's put in the effort and head straight back to Blade Harbor!"

"Yes!" Tao Ran immediately steered the boat to turn.

Ling Guang jumped back to He He Lingchuan's side: "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." He He Lingchuan took out a broken fang: "I picked this up when I got on the boat."

Ling Guang carefully inspected him from head to toe, fearing it might miss a single wound: "These things are born from Yin-evil energy; once you are wounded by their claws or fangs, even if it's just a wound the size of a grain of rice, it must be treated immediately!"

But there truly were no wounds on He He Lingchuan. The Yin-serpent had a powerful grip and sharp claws, but he was wearing a suit of spider-silk inner armor beneath his outer robe, and the Yin-serpent had failed to tear through it.

Yes, this was the gift Nian Nian Zanli had given He He Lingchuan back in Spirit Void City, originating from Songyang Prefecture.

Ling Guang finally breathed a sigh of relief and took the fang from He He Lingchuan's hand.

There was still some pale yellow liquid remaining inside the fang, and the Medicine Ape carefully collected it.

The Yin-serpent's corpse bobbed up and down on the sea behind them, and He He Lingchuan looked out at it and said: "I should have brought a live specimen back for Dong Rui."

Qiu Hu then said: "These things leave the land of Yin-evil energy; I fear they would die before even reaching the shore."

He He Lingchuan nodded: "If there had been a second Yin-serpent underwater just now, it would have been very difficult for me to avoid injury."

He thought for a moment: "I drained the Yin-evil energy from Dragon Spine Island and the surrounding waters, accidentally destroying the Yin-serpent's habitat. The Yin-serpents on that island are having a hard time now."

"The next ley line eruption seems to be tonight." The ley lines discharged Yin-evil energy every seven days with great regularity, and Qiu Hu calculated that it was indeed tonight: "As long as they can hold out until then, these things might still survive."

What if they couldn't hold out?

How many Yin-serpents would fall before the Yin-evil energy erupted? The premise for understanding this question was: just how many Yin-serpents were in the Dragon Spine Island sea area?

He He Lingchuan sat in the boat, watching island after island pass by, lost in thought.

His hope of getting his hands on the Yangshan Archipelago lay in the Yin-evil ley lines. If what erupted from the ground were spiritual energy, this place would be a blessed land that everyone coveted; let alone him not being able to get a piece of it, I fear it would have nothing to do with the Lu family or the Does Bailie either.

￥￥￥￥￥

Night fell, and the sky was covered in dark clouds.

As soon as he entered the Panlong World, He He Lingchuan knew he didn't need to go find the Nightmare for answers:

His right arm was still in a sling across his chest, and the splint hadn't been removed yet.

The injuries sustained from his fierce battle with Fu Fu Shanlie had recovered somewhat, but they were still present.

This meant that the injuries he sustained in the Panlong World no longer healed every time he entered and exited as they once did.

He needed time to heal and needed to endure the pain, just like in reality.

Seeing the splint, he felt a lingering fear: earlier, under the rushing water, he had dared to use his own body as bait to lure Fu Fu Shanlie into attacking, relying on the "get out of jail free card" of the Panlong World.

When did this golden card disappear? If he had miscalculated at that moment and been killed by Fu Fu Shanlie, what would the consequences have been in reality? The thought was terrifying.

But He He Lingchuan didn't dare to dwell on it, nor did he have the time: after Zhong Zhong Shengguang had a deep conversation with him, he soon returned to Panlongcheng. Wen Daolun came over to bid He He Lingchuan farewell, stating that Commander Zhong intended to transfer him back to Panlongcheng, right after these three rounds of Emperor Flowing Pulp ended.

Once He He Lingchuan heard this, he understood what was going on: Zhong Zhong Shengguang required Yuheng City's future development to be centered on military administration, with internal affairs as a supplement. This meant He He Lingchuan would become the actual head, with Wen Daolun assisting him.

It was clear that the previous conversation had indeed moved Zhong Zhong Shengguang. Moreover, for the past decade or so, Panlongcheng itself had been centered on military administration, using martial strength as its foundation to resist foreign encroachment. Zhong Zhong Shengguang was not opposed to Yuheng City following this path.

But Wen Daolun couldn't stand it.

As the Deputy Commander of Panlongcheng, how could he take orders from a greenhorn whose status, experience, and age were all far inferior to his own?

Two or three years ago, this youth was still just a lowly patrol guard in Panlongcheng.

Furthermore, this wasn't just a short-term collaboration. No matter how humble and peaceful Wen Daolun was, he couldn't ignore official hierarchy and seniority.

Since He He Lingchuan was going to be nailed here as the head, he had no choice but to leave; this was the only solution to the conflict.

But on the surface, He He Lingchuan still had to act shocked: "Mr. Wen, don't go; Yuheng City cannot do without you!"

Wen Daolun couldn't help but laugh: "The person Yuheng City truly cannot do without is you; Panlongcheng has accumulated many matters over the past half-year, and Commander Zhong has called me back to handle them."

He He Lingchuan shamelessly tried to persuade him further, but Wen Daolun already waved his hand: "I don't resent you. You have done very well in suppressing bandits, and Commander Zhong also approves of you, which shows you truly have exceptional qualities. Yuheng City is indeed a dangerous place; I hope you can guard it well in the future."

Having said that, he called for someone to pour two cups of clear tea: "Let tea replace wine to clear away past grievances. In the future, when you return to Panlongcheng, feel free to come find me for a game of chess and a drink."

Since he had decided to leave, he simply chose to be magnanimous. Once he was no longer in that position, he would no longer harbor resentment.

Seeing him able to let go, He He Lingchuan also admired him; he raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp, feeling very happy in his heart.

In real history, Wen Daolun would die in Yuheng City not long after.

Neither the local history of Tu County nor the old water lizard had made his cause of death clear, but He He Lingchuan could guess that it was either war or assassination.

With Wen Daolun resigning as the guardian of Yuheng City and returning to Panlong, he would avoid his future fatal disaster.

Both of his sons had sacrificed their lives for Panlongcheng, and He He Lingchuan truly did not want to see him fall under an enemy's blade as well.

Being able to drive Wen Daolun away was the best strategy; let's just leave one more talent for Panlongcheng.

At that time, Panlongcheng would send someone else to Yuheng City to serve as the city guardian and assist with internal affairs. But the person who came would not have as high a status as Wen Daolun and could better cooperate with He He Lingchuan's pace.

Just as Wen Daolun said his goodbyes, Hu Min rushed in to report: "The Emperor Flowing Pulp is here!"

Tonight, the Emperor Flowing Pulp was in full force!

The more than one hundred newly deployed puppet beasts patrolled the streets and alleys, chasing everyone they saw back home.

The city's night market, usually bustling at this time, was now empty, with only a few stray dogs wandering about, unable to find anyone to feed them. Occasionally, pairs of guards would patrol past, their hands on their waist blades and expressions solemn, not daring to laugh or joke casually.

Every house was brightly lit, but doors were tightly shut.

It was well known that the only things that could make an entire city stand in battle formation and make the city guard feel as if they were facing a great enemy, other than war, was the impending massive eruption of spiritual energy—

The Emperor Flowing Pulp.

Everything was silent, with only the sound of the night watchman's gong echoing through the streets:

"Second watch!"

As if a switch had been flipped, the sky suddenly began to drizzle, and the human world was instantly filled with noise: "The Emperor Flowing Pulp is here!"

The pale cyan droplets were thicker than ordinary raindrops; at first as fine as ox hair, they soon became as dense as needles.

Every household placed containers like basins and earthen jars under the eaves, and spread wide leaves or oilcloths across their courtyards to catch the Emperor Flowing Pulp.

As for children and livestock, they had long since been tied up with ropes and cloth strips to ensure they wouldn't act out or cause trouble.

After all, the Emperor Flowing Pulp was most capable of stirring up instincts and testing one's true nature.

He He Lingchuan personally sat in command at the Yuheng City guard station, and the city patrol and Yuheng Army had already deployed across the city and all towns and counties to strictly prevent riots. Disputes between neighbors leading to fights and killings, or even husbands and wives turning against each other and fathers and sons becoming enemies, were scenes that played out every time the Emperor Flowing Pulp was in full force; they were never absent.

Even Panlongcheng, under long-term high-pressure control, could not avoid it, let alone Yuheng City, which had only been brought under management last year. As the spiritual rain first arrived, He He Lingchuan happened to walk under a banana tree at the guard station; the unique, fresh fragrance of the Emperor Flowing Pulp was everywhere.

He He Lingchuan smelled it and felt moved, secretly thinking it a pity.

He had tried it before; no matter how tempting the Emperor Flowing Pulp in this Panlong World was, it had nothing to do with him.

Immediately after, the dense raindrops hit his hands and face.

He He Lingchuan stopped in his tracks.

This wasn't right!

This time, the spiritual rain was different; every drop of rain made him feel refreshed and relaxed, and his one hundred and eight thousand pores immediately expanded, wishing to absorb every drop of rain into his body.

This sensation was exactly the same as when he received the Emperor Flowing Pulp in reality! He He Lingchuan reached out to catch a few drops of the spiritual rain and drank them directly, savoring the taste.

Yes, this thrill of spiritual energy pouring directly into his lungs and straight to his crown was unique to the Emperor Flowing Pulp! He had actually felt it here too.

In that case, he could also enjoy the benefits of the Emperor Flowing Pulp eruption in the Panlong World? He He Lingchuan was ecstatic.

Three rounds! Including tonight, there would be a total of three Emperor Flowing Pulp eruptions over the next few days.

He could bathe in the spiritual rain along with the people of Yuheng City.

He He Lingchuan couldn't help but look up and roar at the sky.

This was only reasonable; he had exhausted his efforts for Yuheng City and Panlongcheng, and this was the reward he deserved!

Remembering before he went out on duty today, Sun Sun Fuling had smiled at him and said: "Don't worry about your shift, I'll help you catch the Emperor Flowing Pulp."

He had even nonchalantly told her there was no need, and now he had been slapped in the face.

Ever since the rain started, there had been strange noises throughout the city.

He He Lingchuan looked up, letting the spiritual rain hit his face, and even opened his bandages to let the Emperor Flowing Pulp drip directly into his wounds.

That cooling, nourishing sensation was more effective than any elixir. Furthermore, his wounds soon began to itch—this was a sign of healing.

While feeling delighted, he was also pondering why the Emperor Flowing Pulp of the Panlong World had started to take effect on him.

(End of chapter)