Chapter 226: River Monster

"There's something underwater!"

Lu San's face was deathly pale, his eyes filled with shock. It was the first time Li Yan had ever seen him so tense.

Turning to the side, he grabbed Wang Daoxuan, who was about to lose his footing, before asking urgently, "What is it?"

"I don't know!" Lu San gritted his teeth. "All the fish and shrimp in the water have fled in terror. That thing has a high cultivation level, so I can't hear anything from it. I only know that it's enormous!"

Before he had even finished speaking, a thunderous blast rang out. The surface of the river exploded as rolling waves surged upward. At the same time, something pitch-black and large as a passenger boat emerged from the water. It looked like a reef, with its skin covered in scales, aquatic weeds, and armored plates.

A merchant vessel ahead of them was instantly smashed to pieces. Wooden planks flew everywhere as numerous people screamed and fell into the water.

In the blink of an eye, blood churned through the river.

Sha Lifei's face went pale with fright as he gasped in shock, "Good heavens! What kind of monster is that?!"

They were all aboard a boat, and with the huge waves of Xiling Gorge raging around them, running into something like this left them virtually powerless to fight back.

Lu San gripped the side of the boat with one hand and formed a hand seal with the other, clucking and chattering in the spirit language as he stared at the water. Clearly, he was trying to communicate with the aquatic monster.

It was not as though he had never done such a thing before. Back when he had served as an expert of the Canal Gang, he had helped them resolve several similar incidents. This time, however, the creature they had encountered was far larger and possessed a far deeper cultivation. They could not even tell whether it was a fish or a turtle, and it completely ignored his attempts to communicate.

Seeing what was happening, Li Yan knew they could not delay any longer. He hurriedly looked around and immediately spotted a large bundle of rope at the stern. It was a towrope used for hauling the boat through shallows.

Without another word, Li Yan took out his Jia Horse talisman and tied them to his legs. At the same time, he stepped in the formation of the Big Dipper, formed a hand seal, and chanted, "Nuogao! Six Jia, Nine Chapters; The Heaven is round and the Earth is square. Four seasons, five elements; sun and moon display their radiance. The Big Dipper opens the way as gods and spirits avoid my path. The Azure Dragon supports the chariot while the White Tiger bears the talisman. Dazzle everything before me and inauspicious things, be gone..."

In an instant, cold winds howled around him, whipping up the rain and mist until they seemed to form a small whirlwind around his body.

Li Yan leapt from the boat, snatched up the towrope, and roared, "Get ready! We're getting ashore first!"

As soon as he spoke, hidden force erupted beneath his feet and his body shot into the air. He cleared more than ten meters in a single leap. Just as he was about to hit the water, he suddenly exerted force beneath his feet again and stamped hard onto the river's surface.

There was a loud explosion. Water sprayed in every direction as he flew into the air.

Normally, no matter how great a splash he created, a person would still sink into the water. But with the Jia Horse talismans active, his body was as light as a swallow. Using the force of that step, he actually leapt another three or so zhang.

The channel through Xiling Gorge was narrow enough that after two leaps, he was already close to the shore, where he could see jagged reefs densely scattered beneath the water. Li Yan landed on one of the submerged rocks, and immediately leapt onto the bank. He wrapped the towrope around a massive boulder, then hauled on it until the rope snapped taut.

But with an entire wooden boat, everyone aboard it, and the raging current dragging at them, even with all the strength in his body condensed into a single point, how could he possibly pull it by himself?

Back on the boat, Captain Yuan saw what he was doing and hoisted another bundle of towrope over his shoulder. "Young Hero Li, hold it tight!"

He leaped onto the taut rope. Li Yan immediately felt the strain increase and hurriedly tightened his grip.

Captain Yuan's movement skills were also impressive. Carrying another bundle of towrope, he raced along the rope as though walking a tightrope, then leapt to land on the shore. He likewise tied the towrope around another massive boulder. With a roar, hidden force erupted from his body as he too hauled backward on the rope.

With both men pushing themselves to the limit at the same time, the wooden boat finally began to change course.

Aboard the boat, Sha Lifei roared, "Brother Lu, get to work!"

Along with Lu San and the boatmen, they all grabbed the rope in a chaotic rush and pulled with all their strength. With both sides working together, the wooden boat moved faster and faster toward the shore.

Wang Daoxuan did not have enough physical strength to join in without getting in the way. He gripped the side of the boat tightly, his face tense as he watched their surroundings.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted. A furrow had appeared across the river, racing toward them. The river surged, white waves rolling endlessly, as he faintly made out a massive shadow. If that thing caught up to them, no one on the boat would escape.

He sprang to his feet, roaring, "Evil creature!"

Wang Daoxuan pulled the coin sword from inside his robe, bit open his fingertip, and drew his blood across the blade. Seeing the creature rapidly closing in, he formed a hand seal and hurled the coin sword with all his strength.

Daoists were not particularly skilled in fighting, much less trained in hidden weapons. But the creature was simply too large, and the coin sword had already been consecrated. With a wet squelch, it actually stabbed straight into the creature's body.

"ROAR!"

A tremendous roar erupted as waves exploded into the air. Everyone saw an enormous creature leap from the river. Countless people on the water stared with their mouths hanging open as it clearly came into view.

The creature was actually a sturgeon, but one of an astonishing size. Its armored scales jutted out viciously like rows of reversed halberds, resembling dragon armor. A huge length of bronze chain was also attached to its tail. However, the bronze chain had already snapped.

Wang Daoxuan's attack was not fatal, but the many old coins used to ward off evil and bring blessings had accumulated a powerful spiritual formation over the years. Astral qi swirled around them, and now that the sword had pierced into the river monster's flesh, it caused unbearable pain.

Boom!

The river monster's massive body crashed back down into the water, immediately sending up an enormous wave that caused the wooden boat to pitch violently. Wang Daoxuan's footing was poor, and he was thrown directly into the air, falling toward the river.

At that moment, Sha Lifei lunged forward, caught Wang Daoxuan by the arm, and yanked him back into the boat. Although Wang Daoxuan had almost fallen into the water, the same wave also caused the boat to tilt violently and surge toward the riverbank.

Sha Lifei immediately scrambled back to his feet and joined the others in pulling the rope, allowing the wooden boat to approach the shore.

The banks of Xiling Gorge were all rocky shallows. The moment the wooden boat drew near, it ran aground, and the reefs smashed a huge hole through its bottom. But no one cared at a time like this. Everyone jumped into the water and made their way through the reefs, half swimming and half running toward the shore.

"Brother Lu San, give me a hand!" Sha Lifei roared. Together with Lu San, he hoisted their heavy luggage and jumped into the water, swimming toward the bank, while Wang Daoxuan followed close behind.

The luggage contained all their possessions, and was worth a considerable sum. They did not even trust leaving it behind at an inn, so there was no way they would simply let it sink into the river.

However, the danger was still far from over. The enormous sturgeon thrashed violently in the water for a while, then suddenly swept its tail and charged toward the shore. The reversed halberd-like spines on its back split the waves apart as it came.

Sensing the danger, Lu San hurriedly pulled the weapon from his waist. Unfortunately, the gunpowder had already been soaked through. There was no way it could fire now.

At that moment, a figure came hurtling through the air, stepping across the reefs in the water as though walking atop the waves.

With a metallic clang, Li Yan drew Earth Breaker, his eyes filled with killing intent. Out in the middle of the river, he had been entirely helpless. But now that they had reached the shore, why would he still fear it?

He landed on the reef nearest his comrades and held his blade horizontally before him. He stared fixedly at the surface of the water as he barked in a low voice, "Go, quick!"

Lu San and Sha Lifei wasted no time. Together, they carried the luggage while Wang Daoxuan splashed along beside them, and at last they made it ashore.

At the same time, the river monster came roaring toward them. Faced with the reefs along the bank, the creature showed no fear whatsoever and simply rammed straight into them.

Boom!

Water and shattered stone sprayed everywhere. Its skull was as hard as a battering ram, smashing the reef apart with a single impact. Li Yan was startled, but his reaction was even faster. He twisted through the air like a sparrowhawk, leaping upward as he stretched out his left hand.

Clatter!

The invisible Soul-Hooking Chain whistled, and the river monster's body instantly stiffened. How could Li Yan let such an opportunity pass? His blade swept upward viciously and struck against the fish scales, actually throwing off sparks.

Good heavens!

Li Yan was secretly shocked. The monster's scales were unbelievably tough. Of course, he had used hidden force, and the Earth Breaker was also a spiritual artifact, so the strike still broke through the scales and carved open a gash.

The laceration revealed snow-white flesh, and bright red blood immediately began welling up, yet Li Yan felt no joy whatsoever. The monster was simply too enormous. The wound he had inflicted barely affected it at all.

Now that he was close, he could see it much more clearly. The creature's body was covered in countless scars, and half of a rusted iron spear was even still embedded in its flesh. Clearly, it had suffered severe injuries long ago, but all of them had since healed. Moreover, the scales had grown in dense overlapping layers around the scarred areas and were even tougher than before.

Fortunately, although its soul was savage and steeped in bloodlust, it was not much different from the Earth Dragon they had encountered in Azure Dragon Mountain. It was likewise suppressed by the Soul-Hooking Chain.

Wang Daoxuan's coin sword was still lodged in its side. Reaching out, Li Yan casually pulled out the coin sword, then turned his blade horizontally and drove it straight into the sturgeon's enormous eye.

Puchi!

A foul-smelling slurry burst out but at the same time, the stench struck Li Yan with full force, leaving him momentarily dazed. It was only for the briefest instant, but that was enough for the sturgeon river monster to finally break free of the Soul-Hooking Chain. Its body began thrashing wildly, spraying mud, water, and shattered stone everywhere.

A whistling sound came from the bronze chain trailing behind its tail as it lashed toward Li Yan, moving almost too fast to see.

Li Yan had no time to react and was struck directly in the chest. The tremendous force sent his body flying through the air toward the shore.

Pain exploded through his body as Li Yan felt as though his ribs had caved in. The Great Luo Dharma Body immediately repaired the damage, while he twisted in midair and landed steadily on his feet.

The sturgeon was clearly quite intelligent as well. Although it had suffered a loss, it did not pursue him. Instead, it twisted its body, smashed the reefs apart with a sweep of its tail, and plunged back into the raging water.

While they had been entangled with the river monster, the surviving boats ahead had already fled far into the distance, while the vessels behind them, battered and disheveled, had retreated out of Xiling Gorge.

Captain Yuan was furious. "Damn it!Since when has there been a water monster in Xiling Gorge?"

Next, he glanced at Li Yan, his eyes filled with admiration. "If Young Hero Li hadn't acted, every one of us would have ended up feeding the fish and shrimp today."

"No!" Lu San, standing nearby, wore a dark expression as he kept one hand in the water. "All the fish and shrimp in the river aren’t coming back. That thing hasn't left yet."

The moment he finished speaking, a tremendous blast sounded in the distance. A wooden boat outside the mouth of the gorge was smashed apart outright as a figure leapt from the wreckage.

Smoke billowed, and blood immediately spread across the river.

A new-style firearm!

The instant Li Yan and the others saw it, they understood. The imperial court had supplied every province with a small number of the new firearms, partly for testing and partly to gather combat experience. The people on that boat were probably men from the Military Surveillance Department. Unexpectedly, Captain Yuan had brought one along on this trip.

The new firearms were tremendously powerful. Although the bullet's speed was clearly reduced after entering the water, it still managed to injure the river monster. However, the wound was not fatal.

The river monster grew even more enraged, thrashing violently through the water. Soon, screams rang out as blood dyed the river red...

"ARGH!" Captain Yuan stared with his eyes nearly splitting from rage, roaring furiously.

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do.

Before long, the river fell silent again.

Having witnessed such a horrifying scene, the other boats were terrified and hurriedly moved away, all of them turning back to head back to Yichang.

Rain and mist rolled across the river, and before long, the boats vanished from everyone's sight.