Chapter 439: Chapter 76: Pig Dragon? Zhi Qilian! Chapter 439: Chapter 76: Pig Dragon? Zhi Qilian! On the fifth day of the eighth month in the Year of the Earth Pig, days of ceaseless gloomy rain ensued, stray dogs howled wildly, pigs, horses, oxen, and sheep refused to enter their pens, snakes and rats erged from their holes, fish and shrimp leaped from the water, and a yellow fog blanketed everything, obscuring sunlight and whipping up strange winds.
Thousands of armored soldiers stood above the river’s mouth, with a high dais draped in red fabric serving as a Dharma Platform, and the formation was reinforced with thousands of sandbags in carts. Observation towers in every province and county readied fine horses and strong soldiers, all clad in red and carrying yellow packs. Once the flood situation arose, they would mount their horses and report the flood alert at a mont’s notice. Water signs had been scattered at various points along the river’s mouth, downstream flood defense soldiers were in place to respond, and sheepskin rafts waterproofed with tung oil were prepared, with water signs marking the degree of flooding to communicate the flood situation.
“Li… uh.”
Zhu Changyun started to call out for Li Yan but suddenly fell into deep thought.
Li Yan heard him, smiled, brushed off the Taoist boy urging him to change into the Dragon Tiger robes, and still clad in armor, his sword box on his back, he turned to Zhu Changyun, saying, “My lord, you can still just call Governor; I’m not used to being addressed with the lofty title of ‘Shouxie’. The reason for that is a little complicated, and I can’t explain it all at once.”
Zhu Changyun nodded, “Governor Li, the Governor-General of Zhejiang, Wei Fuhai, has received imperial orders to eliminate the rebellious White Lotus Sect. Now he is gathering and preparing his troops in the Jiaxing area, and the situation has reached a critical point; he really can’t be pulled away. Therefore, Lord Wei has entrusted with full authority, along with Centurion Qi and his three thousand soldiers, to assist the Heavenly Master Tao in combating the Fuhai Great Demon.”
Li Yan laughed and said, “That Great Demon only raises water deep in the sea, it doesn’t co ashore to burn, kill, and loot like the Japanese pirates. What’s the use of sending more soldiers?”
Zhu Changyun, however, answered earnestly, “First, we use the coast’s cannons and crossbows to hunt smaller Pig Dragons, and the other reason is… uh…”
“You an, if I get eaten by the Fuhai Great Demon and it raises a big flood, the soldiers need to be ready to fend off the floods, right?”
Zhu Changyun dared not continue that line of conversation and quickly changed the subject, “Speaking of which, if you go into the water, Governor, should you remove the sword box to avoid hindering your movent underwater?”
“If my subordinate who guards the equipnt were here, I could entrust the sword box to him. Without him, your soldiers won’t be able to protect it, so I’ll just have to manage.”
Having said this, Li Yan no longer paid attention to Zhu Changyun and made his way alone to the river’s mouth.
In front of him, the river surged eastward, occasionally releasing fist-sized bubbles.
Li Yan took a deep breath. He could sll a peculiar scent of blood and rotting flesh in the river water, yet the faces of the other officials and soldiers on the bank clearly showed no sign of noticing it.
The Supervisor of the Heavenly Master Tao, Jia Jindeng, holding a wooden box approached Li Yan, “Governor, these are the demon-exorcising items you requested.”
“Go ahead and read them out.”
Jia Jindeng nodded, cleared his throat, and began, “Here we have fifty General’s Demon-Breaking Talismans, fifty Sky Hanging Talismans, fifty Demon-Exorcising Talismans, fifty Golden Fire Talismans, ten Five Camps Marshal Divine Talismans…”
He listed about a dozen types of talismans, more than three hundred talisman papers in total, with functions ranging from water avoidance, subduing demons, protecting hos, healing injuries, calming spirits, to bringing wealth— seemingly all-encompassing. Together, these would be worth more than twenty thousand Yan Fu points. However, things like protecting hos and bringing wealth were clearly of little help in this demon extermination effort.
Li Yan had requested these talismans with the idea of hitting up the Heavenly Master Tao for a windfall, not intending to use them against the Fuhai Great Sage, because Dragon Tiger Mountain’s talisman paper generally can’t get wet.
This was a major reason why Dragon Tiger Mountain could suppress evils across the land but was helpless against a massive water demon in the coastal regions.
“Governor.”
After the inventory check, Jia Jindeng handed the box to Li Yan.
Li Yan took the box and picked out a stack of white ceramic pieces adorned with complex blood red patterns of exceptional quality.
[Azure Sky Bright Sun Talisman] (Ceramic) *15
Quality: Rare
Can dispel all demonic poisons of the world and intimidate heretical demons with five hundred years of Taoist practice or less. Crush under water to activate.
He set aside these fifteen [Azure Sky Bright Sun Talismans], then with a flip of his palm, the box disappeared.
This type of ceramic talisman was a recent innovation by Dragon Tiger Mountain, designed for use underwater.
As for why Dragon Tiger Mountain did not prepare more of these, it was because according to Dragon Tiger Mountain’s “Seven Categories, Nine Grades” classification of talismans, only those graded five or lower could be made into ceramic talismans, and thus were unlikely to cause any significant harm to the Fuhai Great Sage. Furthermore, the process of making ceramic talismans was not easy, and these fifteen talismans had been scraped together from various governnt offices of Dragon Tiger Mountain.
Crack!
A blood-red lightning bolt thick as a water jar split the sky, murky waves violently struck the rocks, and the entire river’s mouth was instantly engulfed in dirty yellow.
Amidst the raging waves, hundreds of black lumps could be seen rushing towards the river’s mouth; only upon closer inspection did it beco clear these lumps were Pig Dragons of various sizes.
A massive wave surged toward the river’s mouth, casting a shadow over Li Yan’s face.
“`
“Light the fire,”
Centurion Qi had just given the order when the Pig Dragons in the river suddenly opened their huge, blood-filled mouths in a terrified scream, raising their tails and frantically fleeing. A muddy giant wave, rising seven to eight ters high, also collapsed with a roar, clearing the entire surface of the river.
Dozens of officials at the river’s mouth and several thousand soldiers were taken aback.
Li Yan said nothing and jumped straight into the river’s mouth.
The clouds in the sky receded, revealing glaring sunlight as if nothing had happened.
Zhu Changyun and Centurion Qi looked at each other, baffled.
“This…”
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Li Yan, who had sunk into the river water, plumted swiftly and then rose a string of bubbles. Without thinking, he grabbed the tail of a fleeing Pig Dragon and then flipped around to sit on it.
Calamity Faction.
The shadow of the fierce Wu Zhiqi White Ape flashed behind Li Yan, and with a cry of misery, the Pig Dragon obediently swam toward the mouth of the sea, carrying Li Yan without the slightest desire to resist.
Li Yan could clearly feel the fear in the hearts of these Pig Dragons, and from so of the more spiritually advanced Pig Dragons, Li Yan could even decipher so fragnted words from their breathing and screaming.
“It’s the King!”
“Run!”
“The King is calling for a retreat, the King is calling for a retreat!”
Suddenly, ahead was a vast shadow, clashing directly with the fleeing Pig Dragons. Li Yan released the projection of Wu Zhiqi, and the aura of Huaiwo Suicune perated all around, making the scene even more chaotic.
“The King! The King!”
“The King is angry~”
“The King is ahead! The King is behind too!”
The Pig Dragon carrying Li Yan flipped over the mouth of the sea and entered the domain of the Yellow Sea. A large group of Pig Dragons felt the presence of Wu Zhiqi and began to scatter and flee wildly.
The Fuhai Great Sage wanted to mobilize nurous Pig Dragons to create a huge wave to break through the dikes and flood Ningbo. But now that Li Yan had entered the water, the large group of Pig Dragons only knew to flee, completely unable to gather a big wave. Dreaming of causing a great flood was now wishful thinking.
Roar!
The water trembled, and Li Yan was hit by the impact. He took advantage of the montum to flip off the Pig Dragon. Among countless scattering black and blue shadows, a golden shadow rushed straight at Li Yan!
With a thought, Li Yan split a two-ter-wide vacuum gap in the water before him. He drew the Jumu Great Sword, and without the obstruction of seawater, the sword fell with a slash. A loud noise was heard, and the golden shadow was cleaved and sent flying, bleeding flowers spreading below. The ten-ter-long golden Pig Dragon slowly sank to the bottom of the sea.
“Impostor, not the King.”
Li Yan looked up to see about forty to fifty golden Pig Dragons, forming a circle with the volu of an arena, surrounding him completely.
[Pig Dragon Guard]
Category: Demon Kind
Comprehensive Evaluation: Nine Luminaries (A thousand years of cultivation)
“Impostor!”
A much larger golden Pig Dragon let out an angry roar.
Li Yan snorted coldly, as countless bubbles burst forth from behind him. Several green Pig Dragons that had fainted from hunger, along with a gigantic squid that had passed out, appeared in the water out of nowhere and then sank to the seabed.
The churning bubbles obscured Li Yan’s form. Suddenly, he burst out of the bubbles, and his fist ferociously slamd onto the head of the golden Pig Dragon that had spoken, knocking it unconscious.
“`
Dozens of golden Pig Dragons charged forth amidst the torn currents of the sea, their tails and teeth flailing at Li Yan. Unmoved, Li Yan grabbed the tail of one Pig Dragon, swept it towards another one that was charging, dodged the bites, and with a single punch, shattered the massive teeth of the attacker!
The bodies of these Pig Dragons were all over ten ters long, their cumberso size unable to keep up with Li Yan’s agile turns. For fish the size of normal humans, these thousand-year-old Pig Dragons needed only to open their mouths to suck in their prey. But Li Yan, heavy as a thousand-catty weight, could not be moved and his small fra contained endless energy. With only the Jumu Great Sword and his fists and feet, he was firmly suppressing dozens of Pig Dragons.
For a ti, golden blood-stained scales fluttered through the water, and cries of agony rose and fell.
Suddenly, a strange pulse emanated from the deep sea. The many Pig Dragons, as if granted amnesty, and except for a few that Li Yan had knocked out, all the Pig Dragon demons, whether black, green or golden, fled far away.
Li Yan looked down, from within a deep, bottomless fissure at the sea’s floor, countless bizarre fishes sward out, followed closely by a huge vermillion Dragon Head squeezing through the fissure, and atop the Dragon Head, astonishingly, stood a white ape!
————————————————
“This Governor Li just dove in like that?”
“What kind of thod is this for subduing a great demon?”
“I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The people on the shore were discussing animatedly when suddenly the river surged with mud and bubbles, and the dark clouds gathered again, this ti even more massive and terrifying than before.
“Look quickly!”
A sharp-eyed soldier cried out in alarm as a vermillion Pig Dragon abruptly rose from the sea’s surface. It was over a hundred ters long, barely distinguishable amidst the yellow mist and rolling dark clouds. Several blood-red bolts of lightning exploded on its body, and its roars bellowed through the sky.
“Could that be the Fuhai Great Sage?!”
Zhu Changyun’s face turned pale. Having lived half a lifeti and occasionally witnessed fox spirits and mountain ghosts, he saw them only break and run in the presence of his official Dragon Tiger Qi. Like most of the upright scholars, he never took so-called demons seriously, thinking that cultivating an upstanding moral integrity would protect him from all evil. However, seeing such a monster with his own eyes shook his beliefs to the core.
“Such a monster is comparable to the might of the heavens. How have the Chen and Ke families been dealing with it all this ti?”
In the midst of a violently swirling storm, Li Yan, relying on his brief ability to step on air and control the water flow, tangled midair with a white-haired monster with a dragon’s head and an ape’s body. He had already switched to the Gold-engraved Tiger Head Spear, and his opponent wielded a huge trident. The two clashed back and forth in fierce battle.
[Pig Dragon King]
Category: Demon
Comprehensive Evaluation: Eight Extres (Two thousand years of cultivation)
The Pig Dragon King, sleeping under the Yellow Sea, characterized by its brutal nature, capable of summoning wind and rain, was captured by the Fuhai Great Sage and beca his powerful mount.
[Fuhai Great Sage: Zhi Qilian!] (Unique)
Category: Demon
Comprehensive Evaluation: Eight Extres (Two thousand years of cultivation)
An exotic beast born from the ancient creature Wu Zhiqi mating with dragons, possessing divine powers of both Wu Zhiqi and the dragon clan, born with the head of a dragon and the body of an ape. It can spray strange waters from its 48,000 pores. It was originally suppressed and unable to hatch by the Dragon Tiger Qi, but as this energy gradually dissipated over a century, the Dragon Egg hatched and broke free. On the tree of Yan Fu, only one exists!
The power of Zhi Qilian is highly compatible with Wu Zhiqi! Devouring the power of Zhi Qilian can greatly improve the Awakening Degree of the Heart of Wu Zhiqi and induce mutations in your Calamity Wave skill! (Secret Enhancent)
In the story told by Chen Yuewu, the inscription on the statue read “Pig Dragon King, Fuhai Great Sage,” and the officials rely thought that the Pig Dragon King was the Fuhai Great Sage, not realizing that the Pig Dragon King and the Fuhai Great Sage are two separate great demons!
Where the sea ets the sky, myriad blood-red lightning bolts danced wildly, two silhouettes, one black and one white, intertwined and whirled in midair.
Li Yan shook his great spear, and in midair, the black Disaster Waters transford into countless dragons and snakes, entwining around Zhi Qilian, who, without hesitation, spurted a white mist from its nostrils, instantly turning into nurous tiny white Pig Dragons. These clashed with the vague dragon-serpents made of black Disaster Water and in less than half a mont, the Disaster Waters were defeated.
Zhi Qilian cackled wickedly, raising its trident and, along with many mist Pig Dragons, assaulted Li Yan. Unexpectedly, behind it flickered a feather-winged girl circling a lotus pedestal, who then transford into Li Yan’s likeness, striking the shoulder of Zhi Qilian with a great lance!
Zhi Qilian recoiled in pain, quickly scampering atop the Pig Dragon King’s head, while Li Yan’s wrist was bitten by one of the little Pig Dragons transford from the white mist, the wound turning white. He held the Tiger Head Great Spear in one hand, standing on a chunk of ice, snapping a few Clear Sky Talismans to treat the poison, then dodged the red lightning spewing from the mouth of the Pig Dragon King and lifted his gaze towards Zhi Qilian.
Zhi Qilian, clutching the cleaved shoulder, which had already been frozen, clenched fists contracting in ice-cold pain, which provoked Zhi Qilian’s fierce nature, and they tangled once more.
Tiger Rises!
Swallow Through the Curtain!
Blood Dip!
In the heat of the fierce battle, Li Yan suddenly straightened his back, with a swift entanglent of his big arm, the spearhead vibrated and astonishingly flung the trident held by Zhi Qilian out of his hands!
Dragon’s Craned Neck!
The white dragon head of Zhi Qilian revealed a fierce expression, spewing out white mist while Li Yan showed no weakness. Using only the ice ford by disaster water as a shield, he ferociously lifted his left hand wielding the “Angry Shocker” and struck right beside Zhi Qilian’s head!
Water splashed everywhere, as Zhi Qilian whimpered in a low voice. His head had been busted open, and countless bloody holes made a grueso sight. Wrapped in a vast expanse of mist, he plumted towards the sea!
Li Yan wanted to pursue, but suddenly felt his strength waning. Zhi Qilian’s white mist had perated his limbs, causing his body to weaken and rendering him unable to dodge a blast of blood-red lightning from the Pig Dragon King, which hit him and sent him tumbling into the sea as well.
Two splashes arose on the sea, and Li Yan locked eyes with Zhi Qilian on the water’s surface.
The head of Zhi Qilian, bloodied and mangled, cast a hateful glance at Li Yan and suddenly dispersed into countless mist droplets, disappearing into a large fissure at the seabed along with the Pig Dragon King.
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South Canal Three Treasures Temple’s backyard.
The well’s water suddenly turned a murky red and then receded until it was dry.
The monk who had been watching the well in vigil turned pale with shock. He changed into a thick black robe, left the temple gates, and headed to the Ke Family, where he saw Ke Nuoran. The first thing he said was, “Master, Fuhai Great Sage has lost the battle!”
Chen Family Estate.
Chen Han had locked himself in a room since early morning, refusing food and drink, only staring at the deity position of a white ape. Suddenly, a large crack appeared atop the white ape’s head. Witnessing this, Chen Han slid off his chair in shock, his lips turning pale and quivering as he failed to utter a word for a long ti.
“Heaven, heaven seeks to destroy my Chen family.”
At the river mouth, soldiers who watched the fight with the Fuhai Great Sage cheered.
“The Fuhai Great Demon has entered the waters!”
The soldiers and many officials were too far away, just able to hear the sounds of battle, like the drumming of celestial soldiers and the clash of gods and demons. They then saw the Pig Dragon King let out a mournful cry and dive into the seabed, looking very much like a desperate escape.
Filled with surging joy, Zhu Changyun rushed forward, nearly tumbling into the river mouth, but luckily, the soldiers caught him.
“What are you standing around for?! Light the fire, open fire!”
Zhu Changyun suddenly turned and shouted at Centurion Qi.
Centurion Qi was puzzled.
“Shoot into the water, blast with all you’ve got!”
The spittle from Zhu Changyun’s mouth was about to hit Centurion Qi’s face.
The governnt’s army hadn’t fired a single shot while defeating the Fuhai Great Demon. Wasn’t this unsatisfactory? How could there be any rit in this?!
Bang!
The river exploded, and Li Yan, with one hand on the shore, vaulted onto the bank, gasping for air without concern for appearances. His body was marked with nurous pale wounds which were unntioned, not to ntion his head spinning and his vision blurring, as the Destiny Yak and Quanlang Sea Ghost within him incessantly fought against the toxicity of the white mist.
“Governor Li, Governor Li,” Zhu Changyun approached Li Yan, his face glowing red: “How are things?”
Li Yan licked his lips, “The Fuhai Great Sage has fled, it no longer has the power to cause another flood.”
Zhu Changyun jumped with joy, but suddenly, panic arose among the soldiers behind him as a fast horse galloped in. The rider, wearing red attire and carrying a yellow pack, waved a command flag and shouted urgently.
“The Yuyao levee has burst! The Yuyao levee has burst!”
He fell from the horse, rolling up to Zhu Changyun, his voice filled with terror: “Sir, the Yuyao levee has burst, and the flood has already engulfed Fenghua!”
Li Yan, who had been busy neutralizing the water poison, suddenly opened his eyes wide, turned his head, and with a face full of disbelief, exclaid, “What did you say?!”
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