Chapter 409: Thunder Punishment: Slaying the Dragon

Dark clouds hung low, thunder rumbled, and rain poured like a waterfall.

The river water was murky, carrying rocks, broken logs, and all kinds of debris, churning up massive waves that slammed against the banks with deafening roars.

Baokang County faced the Ju River and Man River; originally nestled against mountains and water, with a jade-like belt of streams winding around it, it was now utterly devastated.

The city walls had been breached, and floodwaters surged into the town.

Most of the city was submerged, with only the rooftops of taller buildings visible above the water, while fragments and wreckage drifted aimlessly.

Strangely, only a few civilians crouched on rooftops; upon seeing them, they immediately cried out and waved their arms.

"Come closer—don't hit the boat!"

Li Yan gave the warning, and Wu Ba immediately turned the helm.

This kid had improved a lot; once terrified of water, he'd now grown accustomed after several voyages with them.

Now, handling the boat was no problem.

The massive vessel slowly neared the county town; Li Yan immediately pulled out the Jia Ma talisman and activated the Northern Emperor's Divine Step Technique, walking atop the waves as he leapt onto the city wall.

"Immortal!"

"Immortal Master, save us!"

Seeing Li Yan walk on water, the civilians believed they had encountered an immortal and, forgetting their panic, knelt down en masse.

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Li Yan quickly halted them. "I'm no immortal—get on the boat first, don't be afraid!"

Afraid of what?

One civilian was about to ask when Li Yan seized his belt, unleashed hidden power, stepped in a cross-pattern, spun his body, and hurled him through the air.

Their large boat had no sails; it could only turn by steering, drifting with the current—no time for idle talk here.

"Ahh—!"

Amid a piercing scream, the man flew through the air.

Lu San had already taken the helm, while Wu Ba rushed to the deck, reached out, and caught the civilian firmly.

Only he could catch someone with that kind of force.

Li Yan didn't waste words—he tossed the few people on the wall into the water, saw the boat had moved far from the wall, then used the Divine Step Technique again, walking on waves as he leapt aboard.

"What about the other townsfolk?"

"The county magistrate warned them—they evacuated to the hills ahead of time…"

"Why didn't you leave?"

"Old man here is a woodblock print artisan. Yesterday I got drunk and slept at the carriage inn—no one noticed me…"

"I'm a fisherman from a nearby village. I took my family out in a boat to escape, but we hit a floating log—wahhh~"

"I came back for something—I didn't expect the flood to come so soon…"

Their reasons were bizarre, but all were unlucky souls.

Sha Lifi muttered, "Good thing the magistrate isn't a fool—he knew to warn people to flee uphill."

Li Yan looked at the raging floodwaters and shook his head. "The county was warned, but those mountain villages… they've likely suffered heavy losses."

Before he finished speaking, the boat lurched violently.

Lu San's ears twitched; he immediately growled, "Watch out—something's underwater! Hold on tight!"

Thud!

The boat shook again, violently.

Then, a massive black shadow flashed through the murky water beside them; visible water lines swirled as it charged toward them.

Sha Lifi raised his spear in alarm. "Is that the black dragon?"

"Just a common water spirit—leave it to me!"

Li Yan didn't hesitate—he swiftly formed hand seals and chanted: "Nuo Gao! Heavenly Purity, Essence of Ren and Gui. Innerly corresponds to the Kidneys, Above corresponds to the Water Star…"

To those around him, he was instantly shrouded in mist, then plunged with a splash into the churning sewage.

Soon, waves churned with blood and water.

Within mere breaths, Li Yan climbed back onto the deck; behind them, in the floodwaters, a massive black fish floated belly-up.

"Damn!"

Sha Lifi looked up and said, "They say when floods strike, demons must be at work—turns out it's true."

"It's not that simple."

Li Yan was soaked through; he tossed something onto the deck—it was a brick of bronze, wrapped in red cloth, radiating yin-sha energy.

The moment it hit the deck, frost spread around it.

"It's a curse talisman."

Wang Wang Daoxuan said grimly, "This wasn't made on the spot—someone's exploiting the dragon's passage to cause chaos!"

As he spoke, the boat drifted several more miles.

Here, the storm intensified—wind and rain howled, thunder roared continuously, and towering waves crashed.

"Help! Help!"

Amid the downpour, several small fishing boats rocked violently.

Seeing them approach, the people aboard cried out for rescue.

But before Li Yan could act, a giant turtle, the size of a dining table, burst from the floodwaters and smashed one of the boats.

Moreover, a massive, dark log—clearly shaped for beams—lay submerged, having sunk for countless years.

Yin energy swirled around the log; a faint, blurry shadow could be seen—a figure in funeral robes, slowly turning its head, face pale, wearing a strange smile.

Boom!

The dark log shattered another fishing boat.

Before they could react, the people aboard were swallowed by the flood, swept away to some unknown place.

Turtle spirit!

Ancient log spirit!

Li Yan and Wang Wang Daoxuan exchanged glances, faces grim.

Their suspicion was correct—someone had organized demons to exploit the chaos. No doubt, it was tied to the Heavenly Saint Sect.

"Water ghosts! Water ghosts!"

The civilians aboard were terrified.

Sha Lifi turned pale, swallowed hard. "Master, didn't you say ordinary people can only see yin spirits if they're dying or catastrophically unlucky?"

Wang Wang Daoxuan's face was grim; he took out a Luo Pan from his robe and examined it.

Li Yan asked grimly, "What's ahead?"

"Sir," said a fisherman, bowing. "Ahead lies the confluence of three rivers in Baokang—south leads to the Ju River, west to the Man River, both flowing straight into the Han River."

"Because accidents were common, since the Daxing era, a temple to General Yang Si was built on the sandbar to suppress them…"

Li Yan was about to ask more when he suddenly felt something—whirled around, staring at the floodwaters, eyes filled with shock.

He sensed a sharp qi surging from beneath the water—even standing on the boat, he felt needles piercing his skin.

Ahead, the water churned; both the turtle spirit and the log spirit revealed themselves, panicked, trying to flee.

Yet in an instant, both spirit and creature were obliterated, their bodies swept away by the flood.

Everyone on the boat felt it.

"What was that?"

Lu San's face was grim; he asked quietly.

He was usually silent, but now he spoke up.

The reason was simple—the fleeting thing just now had sent chills down his spine, a profound threat.

"It's the Ritual of the Zhanjiaoshen Water Monster."

Wang Wang Daoxuan, ever well-traveled, recognized it.

"This ritual is specifically used against dragon and water spirit monsters—found among orthodox Daoist sects and certain magical lineages. Judging by the signs, it's the Zhenwu Palace—they've used a powerful artifact…"

This ritual is specifically used against dragon and Shen water monsters; it exists among orthodox Daoist sects and certain magical lineages. Judging by the signs, it was the Zhenwu Palace that acted, and they used a powerful artifact…

Wang Wang Daoxuan suddenly realized. "To perform the Ritual of the Zhanjiaoshen Water Monster, they issue a decree beforehand, summoning the river gods, city gods, and earth gods to trap the dragon."

"That black dragon was blocked by the Temple of General Yang Si—the other water spirits brought curse talismans to destroy the shrine!"

That black dragon was likely blocked by the Temple of General Yang Si; other water demons came bearing talismans of counter-magic to destroy the shrine!

Sha Lifi's face paled. "That thing? We can't handle it—shouldn't we just turn back?"

Li Yan shook his head. "No choice—this boat can't stop."

Sha Lifi looked at the surrounding floodwaters and grimaced. Boom!

The closer they got, the fiercer the thunder became.

The closer they drew ahead, the fiercer the thunder became.

Suddenly, a piercing shriek echoed.

Standing at the bow, they saw a strange sight:

Ahead lay a forked river—one branch west, one south; low hills divided the waterway.

Upon those hills stood an ancient temple, weathered by time, wreathed in blue smoke.

Dozens of black-robed figures stood outside the temple; the offering table nearly overturned by the wind, each drenched in rain, faces filled with terror.

More than a dozen black-robed figures stood outside the temple, the offering table nearly torn away by the gale, each one soaked through by rain, their faces filled with terror.

Yet they did not retreat; all of them beat their wooden fish and chanted loudly: "Primordial transformation, youth attains the Dao; Abyssal Water Realm, stills wind and waves to aid boats and carts; within the Three Heavenly Gates, decreeing talismans to expel plague and ward off calamity…"

"It's the Praise of General Yang Si!"

Wang Wang Daoxuan recognized it at once.

The flood surged, forming wave after wave of monstrous swells, raging against the hills as if determined to smash the Temple of General Yang Si.

!

Around the hills, dark shapes flickered in the water—fish, turtles, water snakes—all enormous, clearly river demons causing chaos.

But none of them were the main threat.

At the heart of the flood, a massive whirlpool formed, within which a black dragon, as thick as a water barrel and over ten meters long, rolled and twisted.

Only then did Li Yan finally see its true form.

Though called a dragon, it resembled a snake more—a row of elongated scales atop its head stood like inverted halberds, and at its forehead center grew a single horn.

It had only one pair of forelimbs, small and underdeveloped, as if stunted.

And protruding from its lower jaw was a sacred sword.

"Aaang—!"

The black dragon writhed in agony, roaring wildly, trying to claw at the sword with its underdeveloped limbs—but could not budge it.

Worse still, bolts of lightning rained from the sky; the dragon had to dive repeatedly into the water to evade them, utterly disheveled, its body already crisscrossed with wounds.

It churned the whirlpool, twisting and thrashing through the water.

Instantly, countless white worms burst from its body and burrowed into the surrounding demons.

The demons controlled by the dragon's Gu now seemed possessed—no longer attacking the Temple of General Yang Si, they leapt en masse from the water.

Boom!

A bolt of lightning struck, turning a giant fish into charcoal.

Boom!

Another water snake was severed into pieces.

To save itself, the Black-Scaled Lord forced the other water demons to come to its aid, using them as shields.

But clearly, the true deadly threat was not the thunder—it was the sword embedded in its lower jaw.

And Li Yan and the others were faring no better.

The large boat drifted with the current, soon caught in the influence of the massive whirlpool ahead, veering off course toward the dragon.

"Steer! Turn the helm!"

Sha Sha Li Fei was drenched in sweat; Wu Ba's muscles bulged as he strained to turn the rudder.

But it was useless.

Crack!

The rudder snapped clean off.

Boom!

A two-headed water snake surged from the side, drawing a lightning strike—it died instantly, but the electric surge spread, engulfing the boat.

"Everyone, get back!"

Li Yan roared, stepping forward to shield them.

He raised his hands—the Soul-Grabbing Chain shot out, absorbing the splashing lightning.

As if drawn, another bolt descended—not toward the demons, but straight onto the Soul-Grabbing Chain.

Li Yan paid it no mind.

Though the Soul-Grabbing Chain was a spiritual technique, it had mutated in the Lightning-Forged Hall and now functioned like a magical artifact, capable of storing thunder.

Even without this, he would have deliberately drawn and stored lightning.

This was the perfect chance to fill it to capacity—for a final trump card.

But suddenly, an anomaly erupted.

After another lightning strike, Li Yan's mind went blank—the scene before him shifted.

Everyone on the boat had vanished.

On the opposite hill sat a divine general, clad in divine armor, wearing a golden helmet, holding a halberd in his right hand and a sacred decree in his left, his skin pale, his bearing noble and radiant.

It was General Yang Si.

His left hand raised the sacred decree as if commanding the black dragon not to cross the boundary; his right hand raised the halberd, poised to strike.

In the flood, the whirlpool coiled into black mist, where a strange scholar in black robes stood, his face covered in scales, a sword piercing his throat as he screamed in agony.

This was the Divine Communication Technique!

Li Yan instantly understood what had happened.

How had the Divine Communication Technique suddenly appeared?

This was no good—his soul was extremely fragile; if the black dragon noticed him, he would be doomed beyond redemption.

Boom!

At that moment, another bolt of lightning struck.

Li Yan was astonished—the lightning traveled up the Soul-Grabbing Chain, glowing like celestial ribbons, fluttering along both his shoulders.

As if he were a celestial immortal, he began to float…

"Young Master Li!"

Sha Sha Li Fei cried out in alarm.

To them, Li Yan had been struck by lightning, his neck slumped, collapsing to the deck, his body wreathed in electric sparks.

Others tried to rush forward—but were shocked back, trembling violently.

"Master, do something!"

Sha Sha Li Fei was utterly panicked.

Wang Wang Daoxuan was equally frantic, but had no idea what to do.

Suddenly, Li Yan rolled over—as if asleep—and in the howling wind and rain, closed his eyes and began snoring.

Everyone stared, dumbfounded.

Yet within the Divine Communication illusion, Li Yan suddenly glanced at his waist—the Soul-Grabbing Warrant was growing warm.

He grabbed it quickly, his gaze losing focus, then snapping back to clarity, his face filled with confusion.

Just now, the Underworld had issued a new task: Slay the Dragon!

Li Yan was puzzled—he was only a Soul-Grabber. When had the Underworld taken to ordering him to slay dragons?

Though he didn't understand why, he turned his gaze to the black dragon.

With a single thought, the Soul-Grabbing Thunder Chain shot him forward, instantly appearing before the black-robed scholar.

Li Yan had many questions—but he would not miss this chance. He seized the sword's hilt, shoved hard, then twisted sharply.

Then, darkness. He slowly opened his eyes.

Boom!

A thunderbolt, as thick as a water barrel, crashed down from the sky, striking the black dragon's head—and splitting it clean in two.

The massive dragon's head flew high, then plunged back into the water.

The charred corpse grew still, swept away by the flood, vanished without a trace.

With the black dragon slain, the flood calmed instantly; the wind and rain grew lighter.

"That long worm is finally dead!"

Sha Sha Li Fei exhaled in relief, laughing heartily.

The others on the boat collapsed, utterly drained, sinking to the deck.

Li Yan stared at his own hands, his eyes clouded with bewilderment.

Suddenly, he remembered something.

Wei Zheng, who slew a dragon in his dream during the Tang Dynasty, was also a Living Soul-Grabber.

Could it be… that the identity of a Living Soul-Grabber held some secret?

As he pondered, Lu San twitched his ears, then hurried to the bow. "Quick! There's treasure!"

Li Yan stepped forward—there, floating beside the boat, was the charred dragon's head, bobbing in the water.

The sword was gone, but the dragon's lower jaw and its single horn still glowed faintly.

Li Yan sensed something, turned toward the Temple of General Yang Si, bowed slightly, then leapt into the water…

(End of Chapter)