Flood Dragon

The White Tiger Blood Banner flew wildly atop its deathly pale flagpole.

The great banner stood planted on the riverbank outside the Mist Blade stronghold, its blood-red color painfully glaring beneath the crimson light of the 'Void Sun.'

Neither Mist Blade nor the Longevity Cult dared touch the banner, leaving it where it stood. Old Tie's strike had been too powerful, too terrifying.

As long as one possessed sufficient strength, sometimes there was no need for one's true body to be present. Strength itself could become an invisible deterrent.

Mist Blade patrols passed by the White Tiger Blood Banner many times, yet they did not even glance at it.

Much less did anyone dare do anything to the banner.

"Strength."

Wu Tie stood atop a small hill several thousand meters away, narrowing his eyes at the White Tiger Blood Banner as it danced madly in the fierce river wind.

"Master Hui... your understanding of strength differs from mine." Wu Tie murmured softly. "Perhaps you are right. Wisdom is also an immensely powerful kind of strength."

"But for me right now, strength is violence. Wisdom and such are too far away from me."

He tightened his grip on his spear as Origin Force within his body continuously flowed into his close-fitting armor. Strands of light flickered across the pale armor, forming ancient, intricate patterns that lent it an added air of might and solemnity.

With a long howl, Wu Tie leaped into the air. An invisible force field supported his body as he rose several hundred meters like a bird, tracing an arc through the sky as he sped into the distance.

He deliberately drew near the Mist Blade stronghold, gliding through the air more than a thousand meters outside it.

Shrill, piercing alarm whistles rang from within the stronghold. Great numbers of Mist Blade assassins and servant-warriors surged onto the walls, all staring warily at Wu Tie.

Wu Tie did not press too close. He curved through the air and glided downstream along the great river.

A herd of Giant Hippopotamuses was happily eating and drinking in a river bend. A group of Iron-skinned Monoceros Crocodiles, each over ten meters long and unlike anything Wu Tie had ever seen, were sneaking upstream from downstream like weathered logs, slowly closing in on the Giant Hippopotamuses.

Wu Tie landed on the riverbank and gave the Iron-skinned Monoceros Crocodiles a wary glance.

Old Tie's lessons had included information about these enormous creatures. To Wu Tie as he was now, these amphibious monsters—with their extremely thick scales, horrifying bite force, immense strength in all four claws, and ability to control water into violent columns that injured enemies—were utterly invincible.

Perhaps the blood that had drifted down the river over the past few days had drawn these creatures here.

Either way, their arrival... did not affect Wu Tie much.

"Old Tie was right. The closer one gets to that lava fissure, the more abundant the heat, the lusher the vegetation, and the stronger these great creatures become. That makes them more dangerous to me." Wu Tie glanced at the crocodiles that had halted upon the river's surface, then flicked his toe and sent a stone flying.

The head-sized rock flew dozens of meters before smashing heavily into the head of a Giant Hippopotamus.

The Giant Hippopotamus had been happily enjoying its meal when the blow left stars dancing before its eyes. Enraged, it charged out of the inlet and onto the bank, roaring "Roar! Roar!" as it thundered toward Wu Tie.

With a long howl, Wu Tie swung his spear with both hands, stirring up a fierce wind as he crashed head-on into the Giant Hippopotamus.

His right shoulder slammed heavily into the Giant Hippopotamus's head, abruptly stopping its massive body. The spear pierced its skull—a clean, decisive, fatal strike.

The Giant Hippopotamus's charge had been immensely forceful. Wu Tie used the recoil to retreat rapidly, pulling out his spear in passing.

A group of Metal Spiders came bouncing over. The plump abdomen of one Metal Spider opened, and metallic fluid quickly condensed into a long blade.

Wu Tie skillfully butchered the Giant Hippopotamus and had the Metal Spiders carry it back to the Ancient Divine Weapon Camp.

Then he began hunting the second, the third, the fourth...

The Metal Spiders ran back and forth without pause while Wu Tie busily hunted twenty Giant Hippopotamuses in succession.

The smell of blood filled the air. The slow-witted herd of Giant Hippopotamuses finally sensed the dangerous scent in the air. They gave uneasy, low roars and slowly headed toward the deeper waters of the great river.

On the river's surface, the Iron-skinned Monoceros Crocodiles moved. They slowly pressed toward the Giant Hippopotamus herd.

Amid thunderous booms, white columns of water as thick as water vats shot from the river. The water columns struck the Giant Hippopotamuses at terrifying speed. Nearly solid water easily tore through their thick hides, sliced open their flesh, and punched through their enormous bodies.

Great quantities of blood gushed out like fountains, swiftly dyeing the river's surface crimson for nearly a mile around.

The Iron-skinned Monoceros Crocodiles rapidly approached the heavily dead and wounded Giant Hippopotamus herd. Behind them, dark shadows flashed beneath the river's surface, and fine ripples continuously emerged above the water.

The ferocious aura of apex hunting beasts continuously drifted over from the distant river. Wu Tie gave the strange activity on the water a reverent glance and quickly retreated.

This large-scale hunt was Wu Tie's preparation for the period of hiding to come.

Whether it was Mist Blade or the Longevity Cult, once they entered this secret realm again, they would certainly send sufficiently powerful experts and enough subordinates.

Old Tie's current combat power was not particularly reliable.

Wu Tie would inevitably need to hide for some time, and his cultivation could not do without Foundation Establishment Potion. That was why he had hunted twenty Giant Hippopotamuses in one go.

"These damned beasts had better not kill all these big fellows..." Wu Tie ran at full speed, regretfully looking back at the chaotic shallows by the river.

A full twelve Iron-skinned Monoceros Crocodiles appeared on the water's surface. They greedily bit down on the severely wounded Giant Hippopotamuses, then violently rolled their bodies. Dull cracks of breaking bones rang out without end as the crocodiles easily snapped the thick neck bones of the Giant Hippopotamuses.

Behind the Iron-skinned Monoceros Crocodiles, seven or eight enormous Water Pythons as thick as water vats silently appeared.

Behind those Water Pythons, an oversized Water Python whose thickest point measured nearly two meters and whose body stretched almost a hundred meters slowly raised half its body from the river.

Two sharp black horns grew from the oversized Water Python's forehead. Transparent eyelids capable of blinking freely had actually grown over its eyes. The half-inch-thick lids flickered rapidly, while vicious light burst from its spindle-shaped pupils of shattered gold.

Wu Tie suddenly turned his head and unexpectedly saw the oversized Water Python. His entire body shuddered in fright.

The great battle between Mist Blade and the Longevity Cult on the river had sent vast amounts of blood into the water, finally drawing out all the demons and monsters in this secret realm.

A giant Water Python with horns on its head...

According to the lessons Old Tie had given Wu Tie these past days, such a serpent was no longer a snake, but a 'Flood Dragon'!

And a Flood Dragon... had long since left the category of 'beast.' One could call it a Demonic Beast or a monster—either way, it was a nonhuman, horrifying existence that ordinary living creatures simply could not handle.

The Flood Dragon slowly opened its mouth.

Its enormous jaws were densely packed with sharp teeth. Wu Tie noticed that the snake tongue in its mouth had vanished, replaced by a long, un-forked red tongue!

It truly was no longer a serpent.

A fist-sized Metal Spider darted over, reaching Wu Tie's shoulder in several jumps.

Old Tie's voice came from the Metal Spider's belly as he cried out in delight, "A Flood Dragon? There is actually such a treasure here... If it were made into a potion..."

Wu Tie coughed softly.

Old Tie coughed dryly as well. "The two of us tied together would not be enough to fill its stomach... Ah, it is only a tiny Flood Dragon, still not fully grown, and clearly a mixed-blood mongrel rather than a pure-blood Flood Dragon... Tsk, back in those days..."

After letting out a long sigh, Old Tie muttered, "Back in those days, this thing would not even have been qualified to become barbecue for Yang Jian and the others... To be honest, Grandpa here really wants to know what dragon liver and phoenix gall taste like too... Alas... Grandpa does not have that function..."

Wu Tie patted the Metal Spider without saying anything.

The Flood Dragon on the river suddenly gave off a terrifying aura. Visible black mist howled outward in all directions. Its heavy, mountain-like, nearly tangible ferocious might made Wu Tie's entire body stiffen, nearly causing him to fall.

His pores contracted, his heart tightened, and golden stars flashed wildly before his eyes. Even the flow of blood through his body suddenly slowed.

Fortunately, Wu Tie was far away. Had he been near the Flood Dragon, he would likely have already lost the ability to move and become nothing more than a snack for it to swallow.

Not daring to look back or heed Old Tie's complaints, Wu Tie ran across the ground at full speed, doing his utmost to flee toward the Ancient Divine Weapon Camp without making the slightest sound.

Low, penetrating roars came from behind him. The Flood Dragon had clashed with the Iron-skinned Monoceros Crocodiles.

The shrill screeches of water columns tearing through the air were clearly audible, along with breaking bones and other strange noises.

The gigantic Water Pythons gave sharp, hissing shrieks. Dense sounds of bones breaking erupted like beans popping in a pan. Wu Tie did not need to look back to imagine the savage sight of those huge pythons coiling around prey and crushing it madly.

He fled at full speed for dozens of miles. Only when he could no longer feel the Flood Dragon's nearly tangible pressure did Wu Tie finally breathe out. Standing atop a small mound, he strained to look toward the great river.

The Flood Dragon's body was simply too enormous. Even from so far away, its movements remained visible.

Wu Tie saw it raise half its body upright and swallow two Iron-skinned Monoceros Crocodiles alive. Then, seemingly still unsatisfied, the Flood Dragon gave a long howl and slowly traveled upstream along the shallows with several huge Water Pythons.

Wu Tie saw several Iron-skinned Monoceros Crocodiles swimming swiftly across the distant river surface.

On the shore, the Giant Hippopotamuses were scattered in every direction, drenched in blood and already far, far away. Clearly, the battle between the Iron-skinned Monoceros Crocodiles, the Flood Dragon, and the snake pack had given those Giant Hippopotamuses that had not been seriously wounded a chance to flee.

They had been lucky enough to evade the Flood Dragon and snake pack's slaughter, but it was precisely because they had fled that the Flood Dragon had not filled its belly.

The Flood Dragon seemed too lazy to chase the scattered Giant Hippopotamus herd and even less interested in continuing to hunt the Iron-skinned Monoceros Crocodiles, which still had some ability to resist. Swaying its huge body, it slowly headed straight for the Mist Blade stronghold seven or eight miles away.

With the Flood Dragon's extraordinary abilities and enormous size, a distance of seven or eight miles was probably no different from an ordinary person dropping by a neighbor's courtyard next door.

Before long, the Flood Dragon and seven or eight gigantic Water Pythons appeared openly outside the walls of the Mist Blade stronghold.

Shrill alarm whistles rang out continuously. Great hordes of Gray Dwarf and Rock Gnome slaves rushed out screaming, driven by Mist Blade assassins and servant-warriors behind them as they charged desperately at the Flood Dragon and snake pack.

Several large Water Pythons whipped their tails swiftly, sending large swathes of figures flying wherever their long tails passed.

The Flood Dragon lowered its head and abruptly opened its enormous mouth.

A black mist of water sprayed from the Flood Dragon's mouth, shooting more than a hundred meters away. Its body swayed slightly, and the water mist swept out in a huge fan before it.

Hundreds of Ox Tribe and Wolf Tribe warriors dropped their weapons at once. They wailed miserably, clutching their bloody, mangled faces with both hands as they ran wildly about.

Poison—the black water mist contained poison. Its toxicity instantly corroded their eyeballs and reduced their facial muscles to pus and blood that dripped endlessly.

Hundreds of elite warriors were wiped out in an instant. The Flood Dragon calmly opened its mouth and inhaled again and again, swallowing the Ox Tribe and Wolf Tribe warriors into its belly at an unhurried pace.

Wu Tie felt cold all over as he watched...

Old Tie, however, began muttering thoughtfully. "What you asked earlier made sense. What did this thing eat to grow so large? With its appetite, it could eat this entire secret realm clean within a few years..."

"Could there be something good in its nest?" Old Tie suddenly said urgently. "All right, little fellow, you cannot save them. Rather than stand here watching and making yourself miserable, why not..."

"I..." Wu Tie looked toward the Mist Blade stronghold with mixed feelings.

"Have you heard of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao?" Old Tie judged Wu Tie's state of mind and spoke quickly. "Perhaps there is another way for you to save them..."