Chapter 211

What kind of monster is this?

Everyone present felt their backs turn cold, their hair standing on end.

Slurp~ slurp~

Accompanied by the sound of swallowing and chewing, a giant creature crawled out of the hole.

This thing looked a bit like a giant salamander, but it was completely different.

Its body length reached at least four meters, its entire body covered in scales that emitted a metallic luster, tightly connected and smooth without any gaps.

It looked as if it were wearing a special suit of armor.

Li Yan had a feeling that this was truly invulnerable to blades and spears; he feared that even heavy crossbow bolts would be deflected.

What was even more hair-raising was its head.

It was somewhat similar to the head shape of a giant salamander, but it was also covered in smooth scales, and two horns grew on top of its head.

They were somewhat branched, similar to deer antlers!

This monster opened its mouth full of fangs, chewed up the two bandits who had just fled, tilted its head, shook its neck, and swallowed them into its belly.

Gurgling, bright red blood flowed down the corners of its mouth.

"Dragon... Dragon!"

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei's mind went blank, his whole body turning cold.

"Nonsense!"

Wang Wang Daoxuan, standing to the side, snorted and cursed: "Dragons swallow and spit out the secrets of heaven, bringing blessings to all things; how could it be this kind of thing?"

"Even if it belongs to the dragon family, it's a wicked dragon!"

"Right, this isn't a dragon!"

Lin Yu's eyes were also full of disappointment, and he gritted his teeth: "This thing must be a giant salamander that absorbed dragon qi and turned into a demon."

"Why argue about this? Quickly find a way to save people!" Lu San gritted his teeth, rushed forward, and simultaneously pulled out the mace at his waist.

"Right, right!"

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei also came to his senses, hurriedly opened his luggage, took out two bamboo tubes, and tied them to arrows.

These two bamboo thunder arrows were also stuffed with "coal essence."

The power from just before had given him a little confidence.

At the same time, Lu San had already run to Li Yan's side and whispered: "What do we do... should I try communicating with it using the mountain language?"

"Don't act rashly!"

Just then, a weak voice rang out from afar.

It was the Meishan Sect warlock; he had taken advantage of the chaos to kill the bandit behind him and was now leaning against a tree with a pale face.

He clutched his wound and gritted his teeth: "This kind of exotic beast is sensitive to the qi of steel and evil; it can hear sounds and identify positions, and it is invulnerable to blades and spears. You can't deal with it at all."

"Run quickly, leave this place, and send a message to the Tai Da Xuan Zheng Jiao..."

Just as they were speaking, the giant beast had already torn apart and swallowed the other bandit, its cold, yellowish eyes looking toward them.

Li Yan stared fixedly ahead and said in a deep voice:

"Save the people! I'll hold it off for you."

Lu San didn't waste words; he immediately rushed out, supporting the Meishan Sect warlock as he ran backward.

Whoosh!

As soon as they ran, the exotic beast was immediately startled.

The monster's throat roared, its nostrils spraying a foul stench, its sturdy limbs flailing as it charged toward them, its speed terrifying to the extreme.

The ground beneath its feet rumbled and shook.

It was called a giant salamander, but its agility was no less than a lizard's; in the blink of an eye, it had charged right in front of them.

Li Yan only felt his scalp go numb, Dark Energy erupted in his legs, and he leaped sideways to dodge.

Swish!

His speed was lightning fast, his whole body shooting out almost at an angle.

However, the exotic beast's speed was even more astonishing.

Li Yan only felt the ground behind him shake, the hair on his body standing on end, as a giant mouth came to bite him.

Just then, there was a large tree in front.

Li Yan did a somersault in mid-air, kicked hard against the tree, and used the force to spring away.

Crack! A loud sound was heard.

A giant tree as thick as a man's embrace was actually bitten in two by this thing.

Ten meters away, Li Yan tumbled to his feet, looking at the slowly collapsing tree, feeling his back turn cold and his whole body covered in cold sweat.

He feared that one bite from this thing would cost him his life.

Even if his Great Luo Dharma Body were stronger, it would only take two bites.

How could such a ferocious creature exist in this world?

At the same time, under his cover, Lu San also supported the Meishan Sect warlock and joined up with Wang Wang Daoxuan and the others.

Seeing Li Yan in danger, he slapped his demon gourd hard.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

A dense swarm of poisonous bees whistled in.

These poisonous bees flew up and down around the exotic beast.

The sturdy scales on the exotic beast's body were naturally difficult to pierce, but the poisonous bees were under Lu San's command.

Some harassed it from left and right, while others stung toward the exotic beast's eyes.

"Roar—!"

The giant beast let out a roar, closed its eyes, and opened its mouth to bite wildly.

Immediately, dozens of poisonous bees were swallowed by it.

But this time, it was in for bad luck.

Although this exotic beast had undergone changes and its appearance was somewhat like a lizard, it was still like a crocodile, its tongue not that agile.

Swallowing prey was also like a crocodile, swallowing it down raw, its throat especially thick with an empty cavity.

Although the poisonous bees were small, their tail needles and venom were unusually overbearing, stinging it more than a dozen times in a row.

"Roar—!"

The exotic beast felt the pain, roaring desperately, jumping up and down.

Its tail, covered in scales, whipped back and forth, mud splashing all around, and several trees were directly swept and broken in half.

Of course, the poisonous bees didn't escape either.

The exotic beast's abdominal cavity churned, and the flesh it had just swallowed, along with gastric acid, sprayed out from its mouth.

Sizzle!

The foul-smelling mucus fell, actually corroding the grass and trees, rising with pungent white smoke, and the poisonous bees were all spat out, burned to death by the acid.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

The poisonous bees all around were still harassing it.

With Lu San's command, these poisonous bees simply gave up on the outer scales entirely, darting around wildly, trying to find a way to drill into the exotic beast's mouth.

And this exotic beast was also thoroughly enraged.

It shook its head and tail, sensing the location where Lu San and the others were hiding through the flow of evil qi, and ran forward, ignoring the poisonous bees.

"Die!"

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei had long since drawn his bow and arrow.

With a release of his fingers, the bamboo thunder arrow whistled out.

This exotic beast didn't know demon arts; it seemed all its talents were focused on this sturdy, ferocious body.

The bamboo thunder arrow whistled over, and this guy seemed to sense the threat, suddenly turning its head, wanting to dodge.

However, no matter how fast it was, it didn't escape.

Boom!

Accompanied by a loud sound, fire splashed everywhere.

The exotic beast's massive body was also blown over, rolling three times on the ground, shaking its head in the thick smoke, dizzy and disoriented.

The scales on its neck had been blown away, leaving it a bloody mess.

Everyone who saw this was secretly shocked.

Although it had wounded the opponent, this was gunpowder with added ingredients, yet it only blew off a bit of skin.

Seeming to have suffered such an injury for the first time, the exotic beast also felt fear in its heart, its two front claws digging frantically into the soil, wanting to drill underground.

But just then, its body stiffened.

It was Li Yan who had approached, the Soul-Hooking Chain whistling out.

The Soul-Hooking Chain was two meters long, but this exotic beast was agile and fast, and he feared there was danger within a ten-meter radius.

If not for the gunpowder making it panic, he wouldn't have been able to get close.

However, although this exotic beast was restrained, Li Yan secretly thought it was bad, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

The Soul-Hooking Chain drilled into its body, indeed suppressing its spirit.

But the exotic beast's soul was far more ferocious than an ordinary person's. It was like a violent and bloody wild bull; not only could he not hook the soul, but it was jumping wildly, about to break free from the Soul-Hooking Chain's restraint.

Li Yan gritted his teeth, leaped onto its head, held his Dust-Severing Saber horizontally, and with a splat, inserted it directly along the wound on its neck.

At the same time, electric light flickered on the hilt of the Dust-Severing Saber.

Crackle, twelve Yin Thunderbolts were poured in completely.

The Dust-Severing Saber was itself a Dharma artifact, capable of exterminating demon souls and fierce ghosts, and added to that were twelve Yin Thunderbolts that specifically countered spirits; its power was suddenly revealed.

"Roar—!"

A mournful cry rang out, the exotic beast's body stiffened, and it slowly collapsed to the ground, moving no more.

And Li Yan raised his left hand, pulling out in one motion.

A cold, bloody scent was pulled out from the exotic beast's body by him, restrained in his palm by the Soul-Hooking Chain.

This exotic beast's soul was strong; even after being attacked by the Dust-Severing Saber and the Yin Thunderbolts, it was only damaged and hadn't dissipated.

!.

"Daoist Wang, catch the Chang!"

Li Yan turned his head and shouted.

"Coming!"

Wang Wang Daoxuan understood immediately, took out a wandering soul jar and his gear from his luggage, and ran over quickly.

He knew that Li Yan had the ability to restrain wandering souls.

When they were passing through the Qin Ling Mountains near Shangluo, Li Yan had once suppressed a Chang soldier, allowing him to subdue it.

One could imagine how powerful the soul of this kind of exotic beast would be.

Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Wang Daoxuan took out a foot of yellow silk, already covered in cinnabar talismans, stepped out the pace, pinched the incantation, and scooped it up from Li Yan's hand.

Even without seeing the beast soul, Wang Wang Daoxuan only felt the yellow silk turn icy cold; he hurriedly tied a knot, wrapped it with red rope, and stuffed it into the wandering soul jar.

After sealing the lid, he used red rope to thread through evil-repelling and blessing-bestowing coins, wrapping the wandering soul jar with soul-suppressing talismans several times.

After finishing this, the two looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

Li Yan's Gou Die was a direct summons for the Yin Underworld soldiers; that was their final trump card for survival, used to deal with large-scale enemies.

They had almost been in a hurry to use it just now.

"Good fellow, what did this thing eat to grow this big?"

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei also rushed over, clicking his tongue in wonder.

The fatty Lin Yu knelt down, touched the exotic beast's skin and scales, and hurriedly said urgently: "This thing is extraordinary; it can be made into top-tier Dharma artifact armor. We must act immediately, otherwise, the evil qi will dissipate in a while, and it will become a common object."

Li Yan nodded: "Lin Li, please help. Rest assured, our rule is that those who see it get a share; once the beast skin is taken, you will have some too."

"Good!"

Lin Yu's eyes lit up, and he took a leather pouch from the bag on his back, opened the stopper, and poured out a thick, viscous oil.

This oil was clear in color and emitted an exotic fragrance.

After drenching it from head to tail, Lin Yu changed into a pair of deerskin gloves and rubbed the exotic beast's body, applying the oil to every corner.

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei asked curiously: "Lin Li, what is this again?"

"Sable oil!"

Lin Yu said while working: "This was also left by my master; it was offered in the Buddha hall for ten years, specifically used for preserving the skins of spiritual beasts and demons."

"It's not easy to make, but it's not a loss to use it on this earth dragon skin..."

"Earth dragon? That name is quite fitting."

Just then, a weak voice came from behind the crowd.

It was the Meishan Sect warlock.

Although he was injured and looked weak, he still stood straight, cupping his fists solemnly: "Meishan, Tian Tian Qi Lang. Thank you, fellow Daoists, for saving me."

"Guanzhong, Li Yan."

After the introductions, Li Yan said straightforwardly: "To tell you the truth, we also accepted a bounty from the Chenghuangmiao and came here to investigate, but we didn't expect to run into something like this."

Upon hearing this, Tian Tian Qi Lang felt relieved and said with a bitter smile: "I was also unlucky, falling into their trap..."

Listening to his account, everyone finally understood the cause and effect.

This Meishan Sect warlock had accepted a mission and arrived at Mount Qinglong Mountain that very day to lie in wait.

Many in their lineage were demon hunters, so they naturally had enough patience, guarding in the mountains for several days.

They didn't see the exotic beast, but they discovered zombies attacking people.

Although it wasn't clear where these old zombies came from, they were also their hunting targets, so they immediately set a trap, wanting to kill them.

The result was no surprise; they were captured by those Lord Lord Tian Sheng Sect people.

If not for the Lord Lord Tian Sheng Sect wanting to use his experience to hunt the earth dragon, he would have been killed by those people long ago.

"I heard them say they want to resurrect the Lord Lord Tian Sheng Sect leader?"

Li Yan couldn't help but ask.

Tian Tian Qi Lang also frowned and said: "These people are completely crazy. I've heard of people returning to life, but resurrecting someone is simply unheard of!"

"What are they looking for?"

"I heard that Xiangxi warlock who led them say that this Mount Qinglong Mountain area was once a sacred site for ancient Chu shamanic sacrifices, and they are looking for some 'Dragon Essence' to resurrect the Lord Lord Tian Sheng Sect leader."

"Listening to them, there are quite a few spiritual treasures they need to find..."

While the two were talking, Lin Yu, with the help of Sha Hearing Sha Lifei and Lu San, had peeled off the entire earth dragon skin.

The scales of this earth dragon skin were tightly bound, and it was impossible to cut them from the outside, but by peeling from the break along the texture of the skin and flesh, it could be peeled off smoothly.

Once the scales were peeled, the earth dragon immediately turned into a bloody, mangled strip of meat, no longer possessing the majestic and ferocious momentum from before.

At this moment, Lu San's little white fox, the falcon, and even the poisonous bees in the demon gourd were all lying on the earth dragon, feasting to their hearts' content.

Lu San also cut off pieces of meat and threw them into the demon gourd.

This flesh and blood were beneficial to demon creatures and spiritual beasts; taking advantage of the fact that the Yin evil qi inside hadn't dissipated yet, they ate as much as they could.

Of course, if humans ate it, they would end up vomiting and having diarrhea.

By tomorrow, it would be no different from ordinary flesh and blood.

Seeing this, Tian Tian Qi Lang's eyes were full of envy, and he couldn't help but offer advice: "The most precious things on this earth dragon should be that pair of horns, and under its jaw; if there are spiritual pearls, don't miss them."

"Besides that, the bones can be used to craft Dharma artifacts, and if the liver and heart have a fragrant scent, they are top-tier items for nourishing blood and qi."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan immediately started processing it.

Just as Tian Tian Qi Lang said, that pair of earth dragon horns was indeed extraordinary, as tough as tempered steel; even the Dust-Severing Saber took a great deal of effort to cut them off.

Of course, their luck stopped there.

There were no precious pearls under the earth dragon's jaw, and its internal organs were extremely foul-smelling, only the little fox and the falcon eating happily.

Looking at Tian Tian Qi Lang, Li Yan's heart stirred, and he said: "Fellow Daoist Tian, we are leaving tomorrow. How about we leave this earth dragon skeleton for you to handle?"

Tian Tian Qi Lang was stunned upon hearing this and hurriedly shook his head: "I didn't contribute half an ounce of effort, and I had to be saved by you all; how could I have the face to take anything else."

Li Yan smiled and shook his head: "You can't say it like that. Brother Tian is righteous, and we admire you. Besides, there are some things that still need your help to cover up."

Tian Tian Qi Lang looked at the ground after the explosion in the distance, understood instantly, and nodded: "Brothers in the martial world, having something to defend oneself is nothing. Rest assured, I won't let anyone know."

"Also, this skeleton is quite large, and the skull is of great use to me. I will take it with a thick face, and I dare not be greedy anymore."

"As for the rest, I will send it to the Chenghuangmiao for storage; you all can go and retrieve it whenever you have time."

Seeing his sincere expression, Li Yan knew that no matter what he said, he wouldn't take any more, so he simply stopped mentioning it.

After packing everything up, it was already late at night.

"Look!"

Just as the campfire was lit, Lin Yu was excited, pointing at the night sky above, and said excitedly: "The dragon-shaped treasure qi has appeared again!"

Everyone looked up, but saw nothing in the night sky.

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei said speechlessly: "Young Master Lin, this isn't a joke, how could we see it."

"Sorry, sorry..."

Lin Yu was embarrassed for a moment, then widened his eyes and said excitedly: "Sure enough, it's about to appear, follow me quickly!"

After saying that, he ran forward regardless of everything.

Li Yan and the others were also very curious.

What kind of spiritual treasure could have such an exotic beast guarding it, and also have the Lord Lord Tian Sheng Sect fighting for it?

They walked quickly, following Lin Yu up a small hill, lying in the grass to watch, and their eyes widened instantly.

They saw that on the open ground ahead, streaks of white spiritual light were rising from the ground, like small lanterns, floating up and down in the dark night...

(End of chapter)