In Jiang Liu's past life memories, the fierce warriors who wielded the halberd included Xiang Yu, Lü Bu, Xue Rengui, and Shi Wengong. Any one of these names would be awe-inspiring!
Seeing that Jiang Liu remained unmoved, the dragon grinned maliciously, its golden face revealing a deep greed. It took a step forward, as fast as lightning, and the dark halberd in its hand thrust out in mid-air. It was as agile as a spear, creating three large halberd flowers that moved as nimbly as snake tongues.
Jiang Liu dodged the attack by sidestepping, but the halberd followed closely, each strike deadly. During the attack, the halberd blade emitted waves of chilling energy at the points of impact. A large tree grazed by the halberd froze solid with a "crunching" sound, becoming an ice tree that shimmered with a crystal-clear light under the summer sun.
To injure him is certain death!
Jiang Liu stepped on the Seven Stars and treaded the Dipper and the Gang, instantly shrinking into his arms and throwing a punch at his chest.
The moment the fist made contact with the armor, it felt like water splashing everywhere. Jiang Liu was startled and quickly retreated, only to see his fist frozen by an extreme cold.
"A cold-attribute attack!"
Jiang Liu grinned maliciously, gripping the "Ten Thousand Year Warm Jade," which dispelled the chilling aura. He then charged forward again, engaging in close combat. Jiang Liu's martial arts cultivation had reached the Grandmaster level; he excelled at countering moves, using the weak to defeat the strong, and achieving victory against overwhelming odds.
This dragon's halberd technique was already quite excellent, but Jiang Liu's fist technique was even more powerful. If an outsider were to watch, they would see that his attacks were as smooth as flowing water, drawing the enemy into his own rhythm of attack.
With its icy divine power, combining offense and defense, coupled with its considerable martial arts cultivation, several spiritual artifacts, and one immortal artifact, this dragon is more than capable of roaming freely in the mortal realm.
The celestial artifact was a dragon-shaped jade pendant. As soon as it touched an inch of the ground, a chilling aura would strike, freezing everything it touched.
Unfortunately, he encountered Jiang Liu. The "Ten Thousand Year Warm Jade" was the nemesis of the Ice Divine Power. That immortal artifact that could freeze everything could only play a three-tenths role against Jiang Liu.
It's either you die or I die! A wise man doesn't stand under a crumbling wall. Jiang Liu could only break through the immortal artifact's defense with a single punch using the power of an entire province, and then slash it with a flying sword, severing a fine head in the process.
Chapter 137 The Dragon Son of the Huai River
The demonic dragon, killed after its failed robbery attempt, revealed its true form upon death. It looked like a giant snake, seven or eight zhang long and as thick as a water bucket, covered in blood. It had been crushed by Jiang Liu's punch with the power of an entire province, its bones shattered and its flesh torn apart. Although it appeared relatively intact, the inside of its scales had actually turned into a lump of minced meat.
Giant snake!
No matter how powerful it is, it can only be called a demon, not a dragon.
With a kick, it was revealed that the snake's body was covered with a large number of golden scales, which looked just like the golden armor it had been wearing.
Jiang Liu looked at the front of its body and narrowed his eyes. He saw that a pair of front claws had emerged from its lower abdomen. Although the claws did not seem to have much power at the moment, as long as a snake had claws, whether they were useful or not, it was already qualified to be called a dragon.
Snakes are demons, but jiaos are demigods. Once all four claws have grown, they will transform into dragons and achieve enlightenment!
Having claws versus not having claws makes a big difference in status. It's said that if Lady White Snake had grown such claws, Fahai wouldn't have attacked her; instead, he would have invited the beauty to Jinshan Temple for tea and enjoyed some incense offerings.
"It really was that dragon prince! What a headache! Of all the aquatic creatures in the world, dragons are the most revered. Although the dragon race has declined, they are still not someone I can afford to offend... Since killing him has already brought trouble upon myself, I can only deal with it as it comes. Although I am not a monkey, I am not someone to be trifled with!"
After searching around, all the protective magic treasures were destroyed, even the immortal-grade protective jade was damaged.
Jiang Liu picked up the halberd and thrust it into the dragon's body. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out a dazzling pearl that emitted a faint yellow light.
"The Dragon King of the Huai River?"
Jiang Liu gave a bitter smile. In the vast land of the Tang Dynasty, the water gods were most respected by the Four Seas Dragon Kings, followed by the Water Dragon Kings of the "Four Rivers and Eight Streams," and the Huai River was one of the "Four Rivers"!
Since ancient times, the people of the Nine Provinces have referred to the four major rivers that flow independently into the sea as the "Four Rivers," namely the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, the Huai River, and the Ji River. The main tributaries of the "Four Rivers" are the "Eight Streams," namely the Wei River, the Luo River, the Han River, the Mian River, the Ying River, the Ru River, the Si River, and the Yi River.
These "Four Rivers and Eight Streams" are great rivers with divine power, incomparable to other rivers. Thus, their status as water dragon kings also rose accordingly.
There are two reasons for this. First, these "four rivers and eight streams" all originate from famous mountains: the Yellow River from Kunlun, the Yangtze River from Minshan, the Ji River from Wangwu, and the Huai River from Tongbai, all of which are the abodes of immortals.
The Yi River is the smallest of the "Eight Streams," and it flows into the Si River first and then into the Huai River, making it a tributary of a tributary. However, because it originates from the sacred Mount Tai, it is among the famous rivers.
Secondly, the "Four Rivers and Eight Streams" flow through the land of the Nine Provinces. The major rivers in Lingnan of the ancient Chu Kingdom were located in the wild mountains and wilderness, so they could not be included in the list of famous rivers.
Of the "Four Rivers and Eight Streams," the largest are naturally the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. To express their reverence for these two great rivers, the ancients adopted unique names: the Yellow River was called "He" (河), the Yangtze River was called "Jiang" (江), and all other rivers were simply called "Shui" (水). There is only one "He" and one "Jiang" in the world. When one speaks of "He," it undoubtedly refers to the Yellow River; when one speaks of "Jiang," it undoubtedly refers to the Yangtze River.
The Dragon King of Huai River was merely ranked among the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas and the Dragon Kings of Rivers.
After the Queen, among the water gods of the Tang Dynasty, her position was among the top ten.
"So be it! I don't cause trouble, but I'm not afraid of getting into trouble either!"
He crushed the dragon ball with a single punch, and a surge of spiritual energy spread out, instantly gaining nearly fifty cubic meters of spiritual energy.
Jiang Liu thought for a moment and absorbed the unused demon cores one by one. Adding them to the energy he had absorbed before, he had about two hundred cubic meters of spirit stone energy. However, he had not yet reached saturation, so the portal could not be opened.
Then he quickly fled. The dragon prince died, but the Dragon King of Huaidu would never let it go.
This place is extremely dangerous!
Less than the time it takes to smoke a cigarette after Jiang Liu left, a middle-aged man in a black robe suddenly appeared in front of the dragon corpse. However, his image was somewhat ethereal and was probably an illusion. If you looked closely, you could see that the hem of his robe would occasionally turn into black mist and drift away in the air.
"My son!"
The middle-aged man in the black robe looked up to the sky and roared, tears streaming down his face.
“Your calamity has come, yet you disobeyed your father’s words and fled. In just three days, you have fallen to this state… Your physical body is so thoroughly destroyed, and you have even lost the Dragon Pearl. Even if I were to beg for an elixir, it would be of no use!”
His gaze sharpened, and a murderous intent flashed within him: "Who killed you? I, your father, will avenge my son! I will kill him three lifetimes to atone for my son's sins..."
As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed the dragon's corpse. Then, when he turned his hand back, a small, transparent, jelly-like substance appeared in his palm, shaped like a miniature dragon.
Then the dragon corpse burst into flames, and after a few breaths, it turned into a wisp of smoke.
The day after the middle-aged man left, two people appeared in the Huaihe Dragon Palace, one dressed in black and the other in white, each holding a soul-destroying club.
It was none other than the Black and White Impermanence, the underworld's ghost messengers!
The White Impermanence is all smiles, tall and thin, with a pale face and a long tongue sticking out. His official hat has the words "Seeing him brings wealth" written on it.
Black Impermanence has a fierce face, a broad and fat body, a small stature, and a dark complexion. His official hat is inscribed with the four characters "Peace Under Heaven".
When the two strangers saw the Dragon King of the Huai River, they bowed and said, "Greetings, Dragon King..."
The Dragon King snorted coldly and said, "You came quickly. What, is my child so important that you two have to come to the mortal realm in person? Are you in such a hurry to take my child back to the afterlife?"
"Your Majesty is too kind. This is our duty. It is our duty, so please do not make things difficult for my brothers."
Black Impermanence glared with fierce, round eyes and said in a deep voice, "Dragon Lord, please understand that my Underworld does not wish to be involved in the conflict between Buddhism and Taoism. This time, your son has died and should enter the cycle of reincarnation."
"A conflict between Buddhism and Taoism! Haha... What if I don't hand over my son's soul?" the Dragon King sneered.
"Long Juntian has been appointed as the Dragon King of the Huai River; we, the lower gods, dare not offend him..."
"Haha... What a fine excuse for not daring to offend! My father is the Great Dragon God of Rain, the Chief Administrator of the Eight Rivers of Chang'an, and the Dragon King of the Jing River. I have four brothers, who are the Four Great Dragon Kings of the Huai River, the Ji River, the Jiang River, and the He River. My brothers are the bell-ringers with the Buddha, the ridge-guarders with the Divine Palace, the guardians of the Heavenly Pillar with the Jade Emperor, and the pillars of Mount Tai. I saved my son, what can you do to me?"
What can you do to me!
Of course, someone can do something about him.
At this moment, Jiang Liu appeared outside the White Bone Cave.
Taking advantage of his illness to kill him, the demon corpse's primordial spirit had just been destroyed, making it a time of weakness for him.
Jiang Liu wanted to achieve his goal in one fell swoop!
Chapter 138 Great Revenge Achieved
Four hundred and thirty li northeast of Huaiyin City, there is a mountain called Dead Man Mountain. It is barren and desolate, with exposed rocks and an extremely barren landscape.
This mountain range is uninhabited for miles around and is a notoriously forbidden place.
Jiang Liu looked up at a huge rock, shrouded in demonic energy. There was no sound of birds or beasts, not even the chirping of summer insects. Looking up again, a massive full moon occupied almost half the sky, as if it would crash down on him at any moment.
The full moon was crimson, and its light, like a thin veil, fell from the sky, staining the entire mountain blood-red.
Just then, a mournful wail came from the Dead Man Mountain, faintly mixed with the roars of unknown beasts, echoing back and forth, filled with a violent aura.
In legend, a blood moon is an ominous sign; "when a blood moon appears, demons appear," and its appearance signifies slaughter and disaster. Whenever the moon is stained with blood, it is a time of impending calamity.
"This will be your disaster!"
He swung his sword and went forth, only to find the Mountain of Dead filled with skeletons. This mountain wasn't just made of stone; most of it was actually piled up with bones. There were animal bones, demon bones, but mostly human bones!
As I pondered this, I suddenly heard a strange howl, rising from the piles of white bones atop Dead Man Mountain.
Jiang Liu quickly raised his sword light and disappeared into the clouds. Looking up at the mountaintop, he saw twelve strangely shaped men of varying heights standing in the blood-red moonlight. They were clearly human, and humans who had achieved a certain level of cultivation.
Each held a small, blood-red banner, its surface stained with blood and decorated with numerous talismans and images of naked men and women.
Right beneath their feet lay a pool of blood, and a dozen or so demonic beasts, not yet fully dead, groaned softly.
Standing in the middle was a figure whose face resembled the primordial spirit of the demonic corpse they had seen before. He kept making hissing sounds, as if chanting an evil incantation, and suddenly let out a strange howl. The twelve people immediately dispersed in specific positions, took their positions, stamped their feet, and rose into the air. The blood-red banners in their hands waved repeatedly.
The light of the blood moon seemed to coalesce, slowly forming a ball of blood.
The blood sphere solidified, and the demonic corpse let out a strange howl before swallowing it whole.
The demon corpse was not satisfied after swallowing the essence of the blood moon. Its yellow-green eyes kept scanning the twelve people, baring its teeth and licking its scarlet lips, seemingly unable to suppress its bloodlust.
"ah……"
As expected, the demon corpse's primordial spirit was destroyed, and its foundation was damaged by Xuanming Zhenren's lightning magic, greatly reducing its strength. It could not recover without devouring flesh and blood. In an instant, a dark, heavy hand reached out and tore off the head of one of them alive. Fragments of flesh and blood splattered, and a miserable scream rang out.
"puff"
The other large hand effortlessly pierced through a man's chest and abdomen, tearing and ripping open his belly, pulling out his internal organs in one swift motion.
Blood gushed out, and colorful internal organs spilled all over the ground, a truly gruesome sight.
The demonic corpse inhaled forcefully, drawing all its essence and blood into its gaping maw. The two corpses withered away at a visible speed, eventually turning into dried-up corpses!
"Now that's starting to work! This kind of essence and blood is what allows me to recover quickly!"
The demon corpse licked its lips, its hungry eyes scanning the others.
The remaining ten people retreated in unison, exclaiming in horror, "Corpse Lord, if this is how you intend to go, we have no choice but to fight back."
The Corpse Lord glared and laughed loudly, "Hehe, I gave you all your lives, and now I'm taking them back. Are you going to resist?"
"Everyone, the alliance"
"Hand him over! Otherwise, none of us will be able to leave. His primordial spirit is severely damaged, but we are not powerless to resist. After killing him, we will enter the White Bone Cave!"
"Haha... You are nothing but blood food that I left behind. Don't think that you have the ability to resist just because you have some strength..." The Corpse Lord moved and killed several more people in succession. Like a demon from hell, he released an unparalleled killing intent and stood in front of them, sucking their flesh and souls without any scruples.
escape!
The remaining few immediately rushed down the mountain, trying to escape the clutches of the demon corpse.
"puff"
A gust of wind swept through, and the fleeing people were instantly torn in two.