Chapter 454

Roar!

A flash of red light erupted.

The sound of a dragon's roar exploded in his heart.

The ironhead fish, overwhelmed by danger, thrashed wildly, shattering the surrounding Gang flow, and rolled sideways with a whip-like tail strike.

Yet the red light slashed through, like a blazing dragon descending from the nine heavens, piercing the sun and illuminating the monster's pupils.

Boom!

The great sun fell!

The ironhead fish roared in furious rage, eyes bulging with rage, but to no avail.

The agony of being torn from the marsh and trapped in the desert under searing sunlight exploded violently, followed by a crushing force like a siege hammer smashing down upon its head!

In that instant, the ironhead fish, famed for its defense, was utterly powerless to resist.

Its thick armor, forged like a thousand-layered suit of plate, was completely pierced through.

The Xuanshui iron-forged arrowhead, refined over twenty times and nearly water-resistant, shattered inch by inch, exploding into countless shards of bright silver within the monster's body, carving out a hollow cavity of flesh and blood, as torrents of Gang wind surged like ocean waves!

Plop!

A circular current spread and churned, spraying faint red threads.

The ironhead fish tumbled to the riverbed like a kite with its string cut, smashing through several jagged stone pillars without stopping.

Under the gaze of surrounding monsters and the others, it dragged a trench over ten zhang long across the rocky, muddy riverbed!

Mud and sand shot skyward.

Blood mist rolled thickly.

Xu Xu Yue opened his mouth wide, stunned into silence.

Swim out, check its life or death.

The wound on the ironhead fish's side skull was charred black; the armor around the hole cracked like a spiderweb, and with a light tap, fragments crumbled away.

There was no sign of life left.

"Sun-Piercing Arrow…"

Xu Xu Yue turned to look at Liang Qu standing atop the rock, momentarily speechless.

A superior martial art, enough to establish a family's legacy and bless descendants—but archery is notoriously hard to master.

He had trained the Falling Star Arrow, yet never even grasped the Moon-Stepping Arrow, let alone imagined its power could be this terrifying!

"Huh!"

Liang Qu exhaled a long breath, his shoulders shifting as his bones cracked like firecrackers.

The water around him, warmed by his blood qi, slowly dispersed as it churned.

Falling Star, Moon-Stepping, Sun-Piercing!

Once mastered, it was far more than mere proficiency.

The essence of Falling Star lies in density—arrows fly as thick as a sky full of stars!

The essence of Moon-Stepping lies in silence—the draw is soundless, the kill leaves no trace, cold as the moon!

The essence of Sun-Piercing lies in power—the arrow flies like a blazing sun, slicing across the heavens, crushing all resistance!

Combined with the Azure Dragon True Gang, the Thunder Seal, and enhanced further by consuming Dragon-Tiger Qi!

Especially the Azure Dragon True Gang.

Liang Qu used the Sun-Piercing Divine Arrow for the first time, expecting it to manifest as a single beam of solar light—but fused with his own True Gang, it became a crimson dragon!

Azure Dragon True Gang pierces armor, pierces Gang, pierces hardened bodies!

It doubled the Sun-Piercing Arrow's power, instantly annihilating the ironhead fish head-on!

The monster fighting Xu Xu Yue had a qi intensity no higher than a Great Spirit Beast's initial realm, equivalent to a Wolf Smoke Bridge's lower tier.

Yet how could the ironhead fish earn its name—"Ironhead"—if its defense wasn't supreme among aquatic beasts of its realm?

Thrilling!

His craving for destruction was largely satisfied.

Though his strength was heavily drained, Liang Qu couldn't help scanning with his golden eyes, searching for his next target.

Instantly, all the monster fish grew uneasy, forced to divert attention to the terrifying golden-eyed figure atop the rocks.

Ke Ko Wenbin freed himself, pointing at the ironhead fish he was fighting.

The opposing ironhead fish panicked, immediately retreating its assault.

On the other side, Xiang Fang Su and the guide Dragon-People cooperated, leaving one monster alive.

Besides the left and right deputies, casualties kept appearing on the battlefield—the tide was turning.

The vanguard commander at the front, enraged yet pained by his wounds, regained a sliver of reason.

The enemy outnumbered them and had prepared well.

Continuing the fight was disadvantageous!

"Damn it! You're ganging up on us! Wait till we're back! Retreat!"

The vanguard ironhead, muscles bulging, its plate armor riddled with fine wounds, forced back the two with its serrated blade and muttered a half-hearted threat before signaling his subordinates to flee.

A cornered beast still fights—surround three sides, leave one open.

Xu Xu Xu Yuelong and Yang Yang Dongxiong made no move to block them, stepping aside to let the vanguard commander and his men escape.

When the surrounding waters calmed and no ironhead fish remained, the group surfaced to gasp for air, relaxing their nerves and laughing loudly.

On the distant black boat, the soldiers heard the noise, lit torches, and rowed closer.

A highly successful repulsion!

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Left behind: two peak Great Spirit Beasts, one mid-rank Great Spirit Beast, one initial-rank Great Spirit Beast—all other aquatic beasts wounded.

The intensity was low.

The battle results were pleasing.

The guide Dragon-People were even more delighted.

The Heposuo didn't slack off!

With such a strong force joining, the Dragon-People's pressure against the ironhead fish's assault dropped sharply!

Ke Ko Wenbin panted heavily, shouting: "Liang Ashui, don't just help your own senior brother—next time pay more attention to me! That kind of archery—do it ten or twenty times!"

"Huh? Ten or twenty? Two shots in a row is already good—unless we stretch the time, take some pills, maybe three."

"Heh… three." Ke Ko Wenbin grinned, raising his thumb. "Awesome!"

Ten shots? He was joking—but three? That was genuinely unexpected.

In other words, with someone buying time, Liang Qu could take down three initial-rank Great Spirit Beast ironhead fish in one battle!

Having an archer who sees the whole battlefield, can provide instant support, and kills an enemy of equal realm with one shot—that's a huge sense of security!

Last time we ambushed the Ghost Mother Cult, everyone had to guard against elite enemies breaking through for a decapitation strike—now Liang Qu could already lend major aid.

"That day when you attained enlightenment riding the wind—was it this archery technique?"

"Yes."

"Very strong!"

"My master taught it to me."

Xiang Fang Su looked up, his gaze sweeping over Yang Yang Dongxiong's other disciples, then settling on Xu Xu Yue. He smiled and asked: "I've long heard Yang Shi has a disciple surnamed Xu—exceptional talent, skilled in every weapon—surely this archery technique…"

"I've studied it," Xu Xu Yue looked up at the sky. "But I didn't spend much time on bows and arrows."

Lu Gang bluntly exposed: "You never unlocked it."

"Hahaha!"

Everyone laughed.

Fighting together is the best way to build bonds—after this battle, relations between both sides had warmed considerably.

Xu Xu Xu Yuelong clapped Liang Qu on the shoulder: "Go find Zhong Shi later and get a few tubes of fifty-refined Xuanshui arrows."

Liang Qu raised an eyebrow, then wondered: "Do I have to account for it?"

"Ha, no accounting—counted as campaign losses."

Liang Qu was delighted.

The Heposuo provides wartime supplies—like the three vials of pills per person earlier—all free, no need to return them after battle, or rather, even if you're supposed to return leftovers, no one ever comes to collect, and they're simply written off as losses.

Supply allocations vary by each person's realm and official rank.

Beyond that, any extra supplies must be paid for personally or exchanged with minor merits.

Xu Xu Xu Yuelong's meaning was clear: free, fully counted as campaign losses—especially the word "few tubes" deserves consideration.

"Let's go, board the boat, rest up, then patrol other areas later."

The next two days.

The Frog Clan, Dragon-People, and Heposuo joined forces, forming a razor-wire net that blocked all monster fish coming from the east—any who tried to cross returned battered and bleeding.

The ironhead fish gazed at the valley, like facing a porcupine bristling with spikes—its soft belly was tempting, but its entire exterior was covered in hard thorns.

During this time, Liang Qu and the others encountered enemies beyond just ironhead fish…

"Are those lanternfish? Porcupinefish?"

Among the ironhead fish facing off against the Frog Clan, many grotesque monsters with "lanterns" on their heads and rows of sharp teeth mingled with spiky porcupinefish.

"As you said, sir," the guide Dragon-Person spoke, "the Lanternfish Clan and Porcupinefish Clan are allies of the ironhead fish. When ironhead fish face difficulties, they call them for aid—and afterward, they leave a bit of broth."

"Do the frogs have any?"

"Yes, the White Sturgeon Clan is an ally of the Frog Clan; additionally, there is the Bat Ray Clan. Strictly speaking, our Dragon People clan is now one too."

The Dragon Person spoke in detail.

Over the past two days, the River Office has shown its willingness to cooperate: it has collected plenty of silver, and it has indeed gotten things done. The Dragon Person has no objection to sharing a bit more to demonstrate sincerity.

Just as Liang Qu had guessed.

The Four Pillars of the Demon Court are distributed across the four directions, but that does not mean only four races exist.

In any body of water, there is typically one major race led by a Demon King, allied with several medium-sized races, and interspersed with scattered small races.

"What about the Da He Li Clan?"

"The Da He Li Clan?" The Dragon Person pondered. "Yes, they exist—but they were originally relocated from the north by Long Jun, and their numbers are not large."

After the Jiao Dragon took control of the Dragon Palace, it drove out not only the Dragon kin but also nearly all the artisan races.

The Da He Li Clan has since scattered; they are occasionally seen in shallow waters, mostly appearing in family units rather than in group settlements."

Liang Qu nodded, scanned the strength of the opposing clans, and asked again.

"By the way, we've fought two or three small squads these past two days—why haven't we seen any Great Demons?"

Xu Xu Yue glanced sideways: "What, got swollen pride? Want to wrestle a Great Demon?"

"I'm just curious..."

Xu Xu Yue shook his head: "No Great Demons will show up. If one appears, the nature of things changes: if the Ironhead Fish Clan emerges, the Frog Clan must respond. You send one, I send two. If all the Great Demons come out, will the Demon King sit still?"

The end result would either be a standoff at the top, with everyone frozen—or if anyone moves, the entire hierarchy will erupt into war.

I've always said to keep the intensity controlled. If it truly ignites into open conflict and becomes a clan-wide war, it would be a net loss.

That's why, in ordinary disputes over spiritual energy, you never see Great Demons. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare bring you out here."

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