The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 361 - 226 River Monster Disturbs the Three Gorges

Chapter 361: Chapter 226 River Monster Disturbs the Three Gorges

"There’s something underwater!"

Lv San’s face turned ashen, full of shock.

Li Yan had never seen him so nervous before. He caught the almost-falling Wang Daoxuan and urgently asked, "What is it?"

"I don’t know!"

Lv San gritted his teeth, "All the fish and shrimp in the water are frightened away. That thing has Dao, I can’t hear anything, but I know it’s huge!"

Before he could finish speaking, there was a rumbling sound, and the river surface exploded with water waves as they surged up.

At the same time, a pitch-black object emerged, resembling a reef, covered in scales, algae, and scale armor, as large as a passenger ship.

Boom!

A merchant ship ahead was smashed to pieces, wood splintering, and many people screaming as they fell into the water.

In an instant, bloody water churned up.

"My oh my!"

Sha Lifei was so scared his face turned white, "What kind of monster is this?"

At this moment, they were all on the ship, and the Xiling Gorge’s river waves were huge. Confronting this thing, they were simply powerless.

Lv San gripped the ship’s side with one hand, forming a spell with the other, muttering words, and staring intently at the water.

Obviously, he wanted to communicate with the water monster.

He had done this before, resolving similar incidents when he was providing Tribute for the Cao Gang.

However, this time the creature was bigger with higher Dao, and it didn’t care to communicate, looking neither fish nor turtle.

Seeing this, Li Yan knew they couldn’t delay any longer.

He quickly looked around and immediately saw a large bundle of rope at the stern, used to pull the ship in shallow water.

Without hesitation, Li Yan tied the Armored Horse to his legs. He performed Timestep Astral, chanted a mantra, "Nuogao! Six Jia Nine Chapters, Heaven and Earth’s Square. Four Seasons and Five Elements, the Sun and Moon as light..."

Whoosh~

In an instant, a swirling wind howled around, lifting the rain mist, forming a small tornado around him.

Li Yan leaped out, grabbing the towing rope, and roared, "Everyone get ready, head to shore first!"

After saying this, he burst forth with Hidden Energy under his feet, propelling his body through the air, jumping about ten meters, and as he was about to fall into the water, he fiercely exerted force again, stepping hard on the water.

Boom!

A loud noise, water splashing.

Under normal circumstances, the waves would have submerged him, but with the Armored Horse, he was as light as a swallow.

With this force, he jumped another ten meters.

The Xiling Gorge was narrow, and with two jumps, he was close to the shore, able to see the chaotic reef stones underwater.

Li Yan stepped on the stone, borrowing strength once more and jumped to the shore, wrapping the rope around a giant rock. With his arms bracing, the rope stretched taut.

However, with an entire wooden ship, everyone on board, and the river currents pulling, even with all his power condensed, how could he pull it?

"Young Hero Li, hold tight!"

On the ship, a former officer of the Hundred Households grabbed another rope, leaped onto the taut rope.

Li Yan felt his hand pulling heavily and held on tight.

The former officer was also impressive, carrying another rope, quickly running along the taut line, leaping to the shore.

He also tied the rope to another giant rock, let out an angry shout, released his Hidden Energy, and pulled back hard.

Simultaneously exerting force, the wooden ship finally deviated from its course.

"Brother Lv, act quickly!"

On the ship, Sha Lifei shouted, working with Lv San and the ship workers, all pulling on the rope with effort.

Under combined efforts, the wooden ship moved faster.

Wang Daoxuan, not strong enough to help, clung to the ship’s side, looking around anxiously.

Suddenly, his pupils constricted.

In the distance, a water line cut straight towards them, the river rolling, waves surging, but the shadow underwater was faintly visible.

If that thing chased, no one on board could escape.

"Evil creature!"

Wang Daoxuan roared, standing up, drawing a money sword from his clothes, biting his fingertip to draw it across the sword.

Seeing the creature closing in, he cast a spell, throwing the money sword.

Not skilled in melee combat, nor with hidden weapons, but the creature was too big. The consecrated money sword struck it with precision, piercing its body.

"Roar!"

A gigantic roar, waves surged up.

Everyone saw a colossal creature leap from the water.

On the river, many people’s mouths dropped open.

They finally saw clearly—it was a sturgeon, but unusually large, its scales menacingly arched like reversed spikes, resembling dragon armor, with a massive bronze chain on its tail.

But the bronze chain was broken.

Wang Daoxuan’s strike, though not fatal, turned the tide with countless Evil Exorcism and Blessing Money, Gang Qi swirling, the sword embedded in the river monster’s body causing immense pain.

Rumble!

The heavy body of the water monster fell, stirring massive waves.

The wooden ship rocked violently, and Wang Daoxuan, unstable, was thrown up, falling toward the water surface.

At that moment, Sha Lifei lunged, grabbed Wang Daoxuan’s arm, pulling him back onto the ship.

Though nearly falling into the water, the wave tilted the ship sharply towards the riverbank.

Sha Lifei got up quickly, joining others to pull the rope.

Finally, the wooden ship neared the shore.

The banks of Xiling Gorge were all rocky shoals. As the ship approached, it immediately stranded, its bottom punched by the rocks.

But at this moment, who cared to fix it? Everyone jumped into the water, swimming and running along the rocks.

"Brother Lv, lend a hand!"

Sha Lifei shouted, taking the heavy luggage with Lv San, jumping into the water, heading for the shore, with Wang Daoxuan following closely.

The luggage was their belongings, invaluable, not safe even in a guesthouse, wouldn’t let it fall into the river.

However, the danger wasn’t over.

The colossal sturgeon struggled in the water, then whipped its tail, charging towards the shore, cutting the waves with spikes.

Feeling danger, Lv San drew his Bone Flower.

But the gunpowder was soaked, could not ignite.

Then, a figure came breaking through air, stepping on river rocks, walking as if riding the waves—it was Li Yan.

With a clank, he drew the Duan Chen Blade, his eyes filled with killing intent.

In the river, he was powerless. But by the shore, he would not fear.

"You all go on!"

Leaping onto a nearby rock, Li Yan swung his long blade, intensely watching the water, lowly commanded.

Lv San and Sha Lifei didn’t waste words, carrying luggage with Wang Daoxuan, floundering onto the shore.

Meanwhile, the river monster roared as it approached.

Facing the rocky shore, it was utterly fearless, crashing directly.

Booming, water and stones shattered everywhere.

Its rock-hard skull like a battering ram, smashed the rock.

Li Yan was taken aback but reacted quickly, performing a Yaozi flip, leaping high, extending his left hand.

Whoosh!

The invisible soul rope whistled out.

The river monster instantly froze.

Li Yan wouldn’t miss the opportunity, fiercely slashing with the Duan Chen Blade.

Clang!

The blade clashed with the scales, sparking fire.

Good heavens!

Li Yan was secretly amazed at the fish monster’s tough scales.

Of course, using Hidden Energy and the Duan Chen Blade as a Magic Artifact, he broke its scales, leaving a gash.

Inside was pure white flesh, bright red blood seeping out.

However, Li Yan felt no joy.

The fish monster’s size made his gash insignificant.

And seeing more clearly up close, its dense scales were crisscrossing like layers of armor, more resilient.

Fortunately, though its Divine Soul was fierce and bloodthirsty, it was similar to the Earth Dragon in Azure Dragon Mountain, suppressed by the soul rope.

On its side, Wang Daoxuan’s money sword was still embedded.

Li Yan drew out the money sword, aligned his long blade, and thrust it into the sturgeon’s enormous eye.

Squelch!

Foul ichor burst out.

The stench rushed to his Heavenly Spirit, momentarily dazing Li Yan.

In that brief moment, the sturgeon river monster freed from the soul rope, its body crazily churning, kicking up muddy water and debris.

Whoosh!

A whistling in his ears, it was the opponent’s bronze chain tail whipping towards Li Yan, swift as light.

Unable to react in time, Li Yan was smashed in the chest.

The immense force flung him towards the shore.

In pain, Li Yan felt his chest bones crumple. Running the Daluo Dharma Body, he swiftly healed, twisting his body to land firmly.

The sturgeon was intelligent, though it suffered, it didn’t pursue. With a twist and a tail, it smashed rocks again, diving into the surf.

While they tangled with the river monster, the surviving boats fled afar, others retreating in disarray from Xiling Gorge.

"Dammit!"

Seeing this, the former officer, full of rage, "Since when do river monsters appear in Xiling Gorge?"

He glanced at Li Yan, eyes full of admiration, "Luckily Young Hero Li acted, or we’d all be fish and shrimp feed today."

"No!"

Beside him, Lv San’s face was gloomy, reaching into the water, "All the fish and shrimp in the river fled, that thing hasn’t left."

Before his words faded, a loud noise boomed in the distance, outside the gorge a wooden ship was shattered.

From it, a figure leaped.

Boom!

Smoke billowed, blood spread in the river.

New style firearm!

Li Yan and others understood at once.

The court equipped each state with a few new-style firearms for testing and gathering combat experience.

That ship likely belonged to the Captain Bureau.

Unexpectedly, the former officer brought one along on this trip.

The new style firearm was powerful, even with bullets weakened in water, the river monster suffered.

However, not a lethal wound.

The river monster grew wild with rage, thrashing the water.

Quickly, accompanied by screams, blood colored the river...

"Ah!"

The former officer, eyes wide with rage, roared furiously. However, it was in vain.

Soon, the river was quiet.

Witnessing such tragedy, terrified ships veered far away, heading to the Yichang ferry.

The rain mist surged and quickly vanished from sight...