Chapter 515: Dragon

"Hoh~ Ya!"

Wu Ba, fired up by slaughter, swung his axe and roared in fury.

His features twisted grotesquely, fangs jutting from his mouth, eyes bloodshot, ready to charge into the village and keep killing.

This was Wu Ba's weakness.

He had grown up in the Shennongjia wilderness, all his combat experience drawn from hunting and tribal warfare, where instinct often overrode reason.

Added to that, his human-xiao bloodline made him prone to madness.

Thud! Before he could lift his foot, the back of his skull was flicked, and Li Yan's voice came from behind: "What are you doing?"

Wu Ba instantly calmed down, chuckled awkwardly, raised his door-plank axe in defense, and stepped backward slowly.

Indeed, those men, though driven back, did not scatter.

In one, look—

The old lama was instantly struck, his whole body trembling, muscles spasming, mind blank, strength draining from his limbs.

Clang! The blade sang like a dragon, and a head flew through the air.

Crackling, sparks flashed.

Unexpectedly, this old woman had astonishing talent; despite her crippled body, she re-cultivated, forging a terrifying spell from the hatred in her heart.

In an instant, thick smoke rolled around, emitting a foul, stinging odor that drove back the approaching poison bees.

In a short time, he had slain two men in succession.

Soon, they found something.

Buzzzz! A dense swarm of poison bees surged forth.

Today, at last, he found release.

Wu Ba's strength was terrifying, and with his almost beastlike combat style, once he closed in, these demonic men had no chance.

After Li Yan slew two more, the rest fled into the deep mountains.

"Hmph!"

Pfft!

A chilling killing intent spread outward from him.

If Li Yan and the others rashly entered, their spiritual arts would be suppressed.

This was an important outpost of the Worship Dragon Sect, but certainly not the only one—they must find as many clues as possible.

If they acted rashly and got trapped, allowing the enemy to sneak attack Wang Daoxuan in the chaos, that would be a grave mistake.

Shhh! Shhh!

Lu San, sensing the moment, whistled, signaling his falcon Lidong to dive down, snatch up the ignited fire-spiked caltrops, and hurl them into the night sky above the enemy.

Worse still, due to the chaotic gangsha qi in the village, they found it extremely difficult to stop and use their techniques.

"Nuo Gao, left with three stars, right with three prisons, heaven overturned, earth inverted…"

"Brat, you seek death!"

The demonic cultivators, trying to break out and destroy the altar, also had to dodge the flying stones—utterly disheveled.

The statue of the Dragon King of the Chuan River Mansion had been chopped into segments, chained, and buried beneath these houses to kill and feed offerings.

This scene even surprised Wang Daoxuan.

"Auntie Yuan, don't let him go!"

This was a spell that clouded the heart-mind, inducing madness.

Their main task was still to guard Wang Daoxuan.

Since then, they had secretly harmed Emei disciples, their infamous reputation spreading far and wide.

But he had used the Immortal Seal Technique to redirect the force.

It turned out the Worship Dragon Sect had several branch halls hidden across Shu, all using dark arts to destroy water deity temples everywhere.

The others, seeing this, immediately surrounded and attacked.

A few others were stung, as if red-hot irons had been thrust into their bodies—they screamed in agony, unable to concentrate on their techniques.

The thick fog and gang wind in the village had cleared, revealing a scene of utter ruin: scattered rocks and bodies sprawled everywhere.

Li Yan followed through with force, driving his blade into the man's heart, then twisted his wrist and sliced off most of his neck.

Now that the spell was complete, its power surpassed its former state.

Of course, those men were suffering just as much.

One demonic cultivator, seeing this, immediately cast a spell to intercept.

Lu San quickly signaled his falcon to scout, then frowned: "They didn't regroup—they went in different directions."

Like possessed, these men staggered back into the big house through the gale, killing anyone they saw, smashing wildly…

The force of the Great Hand Seal entered Li Yan's body and vanished like a mud ox sinking into the sea—his palm went limp, offering no resistance.

Li Yan was also struck by the spell, as if a red-hot iron pierced his heart.

Blood seeped from Li Yan's lips; he immediately repaired himself with the Great Luo Body, then twisted his body, stabbing backward with Duan Chen Dao and both Duan Hun flying knives at the trumpet.

Yin thunder annihilates the soul; yang thunder destroys evil.

The lama roared and immediately formed a hand seal, spinning the prayer wheel.

But the moment he struck, the lama sensed something was wrong.

Li Yan and the others didn't understand it, so they simply set it all on fire.

Though they had avenged themselves, after the salt gang men's initial excitement, a hint of worry crept into their eyes.

Buzzzz! The poison bees controlled by Lu San flew wildly, providing auxiliary support.

Wang Daoxuan had set up the altar and performed rites, not fully awakening the Dragon King of the Chuan River Mansion, but temporarily freeing him from his shackles.

Boom! Li Yan instantly drew his waist-mounted flintlock pistol.

Soon, several large houses in the village caught fire.

But they could only protect themselves.

Li Yan had killed two men in quick succession—seemingly fierce, but having used all his techniques, he inevitably left a slight opening.

It was now midnight, the moon pale; neither side could see clearly, firing blindly by instinct.

Meanwhile, Li Yan seized the opportunity, broke through the blockade, leapt into the air, and landed above the old hag, drawing his blade in a swift slash with his right hand.

The fastest to react was the lead lama.

The other demonic men, seeing this, were overjoyed.

The salt gang members, nearly deceived, instantly regained clarity—some nocked arrows, others raised captured firearms.

Click!

These poison bees moved swiftly, using the cover of night to flank from both sides.

"Kill!"

"Aaang—!"

Inside those large houses were ordinary living yin dwellings, built using tomb construction methods—dark, damp, and foul.

Sha Li Fei found it odd.

Two swordsmen swung their blades forward.

He felt searing pain in his abdomen, as if knives were churning inside.

The snakes, even more terrified, lost all control, turned around, fled back, even attempting to turn on their masters.

Even the Soul-Grabbing Chains could not pierce the monk's robe.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Wu Ba, hefting his great axe, stomped forward with his heavy frame like an elephant crossing a river—the vibrations were clearly audible.

Whoosh! He transformed into a streak of light and charged straight at the crowd.

Throughout the Killing Dragon Ground, gales howled and rocks flew chaotically.

In an instant, arrows rained down, gunfire thundered.

Now trapped in encirclement, no matter how skilled, two fists could not fight four hands.

That's why temples with strong incense offerings were untouched by demonic entities—outsiders dared not act recklessly there either.

The wind fueled the fire; soon it blazed fiercely, beams collapsed, bricks fell, and flames spread to other buildings.

But Li Yan had been waiting for this moment.

His heart and lungs were on the verge of rupture.

Not long after, the entire village became a ruin.

But they hadn't expected Wang Daoxuan to strike straight at the weak point.

Filled with rage, they stormed out of the village.

He shoved a yellow talisman into his mouth, muttered incantations rapidly, then spat out a torrent of thick black smoke.

Without hesitation, they charged out again.

Then, the whirlwind gradually calmed. Boom! A thunderous explosion filled the air with smoke—the opposite side fell silent.

As he moved, the others were not idle.

Li Yan pushed off with his feet and followed closely behind.

But this was merely a decoy.

The rest yielded little in the way of clues.

Li Yan did not yield, simultaneously invoking the Northern Emperor's Protective Spell.

The Daoist clearly specialized in fire arts—he pulled two bamboo tubes from his waist, lit them, chanted incantations, and blew hard.

"It's poison bees—quick, cast a spell to break it!"

With a long, resonant dragon's roar, the gangsha qi surged, forming a massive tornado that obliterated every stone watchtower in its path.

"Attack!"

A flash of blade light—then the spearman's temple was pierced; another flying knife deflected the spike.

But beside Wu Ba, he was not alone.

Yet the opponent's cultivation was higher; the Death Seal Technique could only deflect most of the force—the remaining shock vibrated through his internal organs, leaving him with internal injuries.

"San'er!"

The lama sneered, his monk's robes swelling as his blood-red hands darted up and down, blocking both the Broken Dust Blade and the Soul-Cutting Flying Knives.

They cared for him so meticulously because of this curse—its purpose: to curse an enemy to death at the critical moment.

Dragons are inherently proud, especially the Dragon King who once ruled the rivers of Shu—given the slightest chance, he would seek unrelenting revenge.

From the lama's body, they found several letters.

They swiftly formed a formation: some drew bows and nocked arrows, others launched flying daggers, and some even pulled out firearms and fired.

The black smoke conjured by the curse never reached them—it was instantly shredded.

Instantly, celestial chants echoed through the night sky, ringing in everyone's minds. Li Yan and his group were fine, but many of the Salt Gang's men froze, eyes vacant, limbs limp, utterly drained of strength.

Li Yan recalled all he had seen along the way and shook his head gravely: "The former River God Lord ruled the Shu water realm through terror. These people likely intend to cause a flood, so the River God Lord can regain his incense offerings."

He paid no heed to the rest—twisting the Broken Dust Blade, he gripped the hilt with both hands, shifted his stance sideways, raised the blade to his crown, and thrust forward with all his might.

"Stop him!"

But Lu San knew few had truly been killed—he chanted another incantation and patted the demonic gourd at his waist.

Using curses and poison arts was most suitable.

The lama's eyes narrowed; he rolled his body like a streak of crimson cloud, leaping into the air, forming hand seals, his right arm swelling violently, turning a deep maroon.

But Li Yan's counterattack caught them off guard.

Unfortunately, these men were seasoned jianghu veterans—they offered no warning, and moved with perfect synergy to flee in different directions.

Seeing their strongest lama slain, the remaining dozen or so were utterly terrified; without a word, they scattered and ran.

"Why are these madmen destroying the Water God Temple?"

Two Soul-Cutting Flying Knives shot out with a whistling scream.

Their response was correct.

With the curse blocked, Wu Ba roared and charged into the crowd, swinging his axe wildly—no one dared stand against him.

Facing the charging Li Yan and Wu Ba, the old woman used her withered hands to pull two straw dolls from a leather pouch at her waist.

"So you're a Living Yin Official!"

They were also familiar with the new firearms—Li Yan had already fired his gun and had no time to reload.

Within the Dragon-Slaying Ground, the terrifying yin-sha qi still raged.

The wrath of the divine was fully revealed at this moment.

Others startled, retreating in haste.

The entire village had plunged into utter chaos.

The lead lama quickly turned to the red-haired Daoist behind him.

The old woman was advanced in years, yet held unmistakable status—carried on a palanquin, with a cotton-padded robe carefully draped over her legs.

The demonic gourd had lost all its poison bees in prior combat and suffered severe depletion of its essence; fortunately, during their treasure-hunting, Lu San and others had found another powerful heavenly-spirit earth-blessed bee nest, which the gourd devoured.

The Dragon Worship Sect intends to target "Huangquan"? Li Yan hadn't expected to stumble upon this news by accident.

Leading them was a lama, clad in a red under-robe, wearing a yellow lama hat, and carrying a prayer wheel in hand.

"Enough—don't pursue fleeing enemies."

The lama, enraged, laughed bitterly and spoke in stiff Mandarin: "Our sect master was already planning to deal with you—you've come right to us!"

He was the strongest among them, having reached the peak of Hua Jing, and excelled at seizing battle opportunities.

His left arm's fish-scale armor clattered, radiating a chilling killing intent.

Two others followed close behind—one hurled a spiked dart, the other spun a meteor hammer.

Yet something surprised them.

The yin-thunder and yang-thunder stored within the Broken Dust Blade were fully released.

Those struck by flying debris were lucky—others heard the furious dragon's roar echoing endlessly in their minds, their eyes growing wild.

In Li Yan's ears, the dragon's roar grew fainter and fainter, until it vanished entirely.

Sha Li fei let out a low cry and pulled out another fire caltrop.

Arrows rained down; the roar of firearms never ceased.

*Clatter! He raised his left arm—the Demon-Subduing Fish-Scale Armor trembled.

Li Yan shook his head slightly and led the group to clear the battlefield.

The Dragon Worship Sect's gathered jianghu outcasts and evil-cultivation masters suffered relatively minor losses—half of them still lived, roughly thirty to forty men.

The ground beneath Li Yan's feet instantly cracked and trembled.

A thunderous boom—flesh and blood sprayed everywhere.

Li Yan continued casting the Northern Emperor's Protective Charm.

Like a venomous snake, it twisted and flipped through the air, lunging at Wu Ba.

The destructive power exceeded his expectations.

It was the Vajra Hand Seal.

*Boom! His palm struck Li Yan's back with full force.

This old woman, Yuan Po Po, had originally been from the orthodox Emei Sect, but was stripped of her cultivation and had her Achilles tendons severed for grave violations of the precepts.

This time, there was no obstacle left.

All who witnessed it felt a chill run through their bones.

Li Yan had already shifted his stance sideways, dodged the meteor hammer, grabbed the man by the arm, yanked him forward, and smashed his skull with a punch.

*Snap! The lama reacted faster—he clamped both hands together, trapping the blade's edge.

The most alarming figure to Li Yan was the black-clad old woman.

To be honest, many of them didn't even know Li Yan's identity, nor how they'd angered this demon.

Li Yan's face twisted as if in agony, but he had already used the Great Luo Body to dispel the curse—without pause, he quickened his pace.

The Dragon King of the Sichuan River had been enfeoffed since the Tang Dynasty; through wars and chaos, his incense offerings had ceased, his temple likely long collapsed, and then somehow retrieved by evil cultivators from some unknown place.

The old woman truly had skill—her curses were sinister, no weaker than Wang Daoxuan's Seven Arrow Secret Incantation.

The Dragon Worship Sect's village relied entirely on the corrupted and enslaved Dragon King of the Sichuan River as its core defense.

Occasionally someone groaned and collapsed, struck down.

And Li Yan and Wu Ba.

Fortunately, Li Yan and Wu Ba retreated quickly—even so, Wu Ba's massive axe blocked and parried wildly, sparks flying everywhere.

The newly cultivated poison bees were now noticeably smaller, entirely black with a metallic sheen, their bodies streamlined like spindles.

*Whoosh! One man, wielding a long spear, stepped in rapid succession, lunging forward with a direct thrust to Li Yan's heart.

Others hurled venomous snakes from their packs, chanted incantations, hissing through clenched teeth—the snakes slithered toward Wu Ba.

She gestured toward Li Yan and Wu Ba, drew a fu in midair, formed hand seals, inserted the character into the spell, then drove a steel awl downward with all her strength. Wu Ba groaned, clutching his abdomen and crouching down.

And the ordinary sect members? They were undoubtedly the unluckiest.

This was merely one branch of the Dragon Worship Sect.

Facing such a behemoth, next time they would have no resistance left.

Feng Laohai glanced at Li Yan, who was gathering the spoils, then gritted his teeth and stepped forward: "Young Master Li, I have a plan to make the Wang Mansion swallow this insult and temporarily refrain from targeting you."

"Do you dare to do it?!"

(End of Chapter)