The Crocodile Dragon Exterminated in the Great Marsh

Silently sensing the newly acquired Spirituality ability, Vortex Guard.

It could draw in water vapor to form a spherical vortex wall around oneself, used to block the opponent's attacks. When the vortex exploded, it would turn into sharp blades to counterattack.

The Body Tempering realm was just an ability. Luo Zhou sensed his own physical strength and found he could use it three times a day.

If he were to advance to the Qi Refining stage, this ability could transform into the Qi Refining characteristic, Water Vortex Qi.

It was one of the nine great abilities of Spiritual Power, Overturning Rivers and Seas.

Luo Zhou immediately tried it out. Circulating the ability, water vapor indeed flew up from his surroundings, forming a vortex water shield around him.

It was somewhat similar to the Qi Condensation Shield of Qi Refining cultivators, but much weaker and easily shattered.

However, once shattered, the vortex water shield would explode, turning into sharp blades to counterattack the opponent.

Luo Zhou experimented repeatedly, nodding in satisfaction. Vortex Guard could be considered his first defensive ability.

During the trial, Luo Zhou felt a stir in his soul.

The Spirituality, Water Avoidance Technique, and Water Control Technique he had obtained from his classmate were subtly changing.

Water Avoidance Technique transformed into the ability Floating Evasion, and Water Control Technique became the ability Flow Control.

Suddenly, he had gathered three abilities. Vortex Guard, Floating Evasion, and Flow Control were all among the nine abilities of Overturning Rivers and Seas.

This filled Luo Zhou with immense surprise!

After sleeping for a night, he woke up the next morning. The first sensation was as if someone had reminded him: thirty-one days left!

Four more Woodworm Devils...

After washing up and eating breakfast, he slung two Eyebrow-Level Staffs over his back, a short knife at his waist, and holding a long spear made of Bincheng iron, he arrived at the north gate of the city before the Chenshi hour.

The north gate led straight to the provincial capital of Ningze Prefecture, Fengtian City, along the official road. However, along the way, many areas were vast marshes, making travel inconvenient.

At the Daoist Academy, Xianya Hall was different from other departments. Except for the mandatory attendance on the first day of each month for skill transmission, the rest of the time was up to the students to manage.

The leader of the Dragon Fang Troop, Cheng Wanli, was already waiting there.

Seeing Luo Zhou arrive, Cheng Wanli nodded slightly, but the aggressive commanding tone from the previous night was gone.

Besides Cheng Wanli, there were two others. One was slightly chubby with a face full of smiles.

He was Cheng Yubo, an eighth-level Body Tempering cultivator and Cheng Wanli's nephew. He was responsible for the logistics, trading, and purchasing of the Dragon Fang Troop.

Beside him, ten yellow-maned horses were tethered, occasionally neighing.

"You're here, Little Luo!"

"Hello, Brother Cheng!"

The other person was very thin, a sallow-faced man.

Lu Yue!

Seeing him, one barely felt his presence, quickly overlooking his existence.

He was a scout responsible for reconnaissance and exploration in the Dragon Fang Troop, a peak Body Tempering cultivator.

Seeing Luo Zhou, he nodded slightly. Luo Zhou smiled and returned the gesture.

After waiting a moment longer, a burly man arrived, carrying an iron hammer, a saber, a spear, a greatshield, and a hard bow – several types of weapons.

Zhang Chuan!

The Dragon Fang Troop's top warrior, a peak Body Tempering cultivator, the strongest fighter among Body Tempering cultivators, with immense strength.

With him, the five members were assembled.

Cheng Wanli spoke slowly, "Lu Yue discovered an Alligator Dragon, about eighty miles away in Baiyang Marsh. This completely fits your rule, Little Zhou. Little Zhou, are you okay with this?"

In public, Luo Zhou was just a reserve member, ordered around.

But when it was just the five of them, he was highly respected, the absolute core of the group.

Luo Zhou nodded. "My sense is full, no problem. I can curse the Alligator Dragon to death."

Everyone nodded. "Eighty miles, let's go. It'll take an hour or two!"

They all mounted their horses. Cheng Yubo had prepared ten horses, two per person, and they set off quickly.

With the horsemanship he obtained from Qiu Jun, Luo Zhou rode with ease, far surpassing others.

After riding ten miles, Lu Yue quietly disappeared. The horses were then managed by Cheng Yubo.

Another ten miles passed, and Lu Yue returned.

"Captain, no one is following us!"

His legs could actually keep pace with the galloping yellow-maned horses; his speed was astonishing.

Everyone nodded and continued their journey.

Along the way, they encountered waves of passersby, but they all passed by in silence.

After walking seventy miles along the official road, they left it.

Beyond the main road, there were smaller paths, but they quickly turned into a muddy, difficult trek. Lu Yue led the way.

Soon, a vast marsh lay ahead, filled with reeds.

This was Baiyang Marsh, a large wetland spanning a hundred miles.

Everyone stopped. Cheng Wanli produced five pills, one for each person.

These were Spirit Yang Pills, each equivalent to ten bowls of Spirit Grain Porridge, excellent medicine for Body Tempering.

After taking the pills, they silently refined them, replenishing the essence, energy, spirit depleted by the journey.

Lu Yue spoke, "We're here. In another three to five miles, it's the beast's hunting ground."

Luo Zhou nodded. "Brother Lu, lead the way. Commander, wait for our news."

Cheng Wanli nodded and stopped. He, Cheng Yubo, and Zhang Chuan began cutting trees to build simple carts.

Bringing carts along would have hindered their movement, slowed their arrival, and potentially attracted unwanted attention.

Cheng Wanli, skilled in crafting, had wheels, shafts, and nails with him. Building a cart was child's play.

Luo Zhou followed Lu Yue into the marsh.

The path vanished, replaced by thick mud and numerous hidden pits.

Lu Yue, a former scout, moved with ease.

Yet, Luo Zhou kept pace, not falling behind.

He used the ability his classmates had taught him, Water Avoidance Technique and Consecutive Swift Steps, to keep up.

After another five miles, they reached dense, sprawling reed beds.

"This is it. The beast claims a ten-mile radius here as its hunting ground, preying on many unfortunate treasure hunters. Xiao Zhou, it's up to you!"

"Don't worry, Brother Lu! I'll curse it to death!"

"Good. I'm leaving. Once the curse is done, blow the whistle to call us."

With that, Lu Yue departed.

Luo Zhou smiled and circulated his ability, Rapid Recovery, restoring the stamina lost during their travel.

Then, he activated his ability, Listening, and scanned his surroundings.

Lu Yue was gone, no longer within his senses.

Curse masters were mysterious and unfathomable; he dared not pry.

The flood dragon was in a water pit three miles away. It had already sensed him and was approaching silently.

Here, the flood dragon had devoured at least eleven people. They had all become Dead Spirits, lamenting their misfortunes to Luo Zhou.

These eleven were all ill-fated treasure hunters. For their livelihoods and families, they had ventured into Baiyang Marsh seeking resources like lotus roots, bird eggs, and anything else that could be sold.

Even a low-grade spiritual material would be enough for a family to live for three to five years.

Thus, they came in droves, seeking treasures in Baiyang Marsh despite the known dangers.

Instead, they had all been ambushed and killed by this flood dragon.

The flood dragon was one of the three dragons around Green Ridge City. It was a formidable sub-dragon, similar to a crocodile.

They resided in large inland marshes, establishing their hunting grounds and lurking unseen within the swamps.

Adult flood dragons were equivalent to Qi Refining cultivators and possessed their own Water Tide Energy.

Only Qi Refining cultivators could shatter their water-energy shields. Weapons without True Essence were useless against them.

Rainy Night Devil was a mature, evolved flood dragon that had left the marsh to live in the sea.

Flood dragons were ferocious, but their bodies were treasures!

Their scales were used for crafting weapons, their hides for clothing, their meat was delicious, their blood was highly potent, and their bones could be steeped into wine...

A single flood dragon was practically a walking treasure trove!

Luo Zhou smiled. Parental inheritance? He had none.

The so-called inheritance was the scattered spirit stones he earned after mastering Dragon-Slaying Thrust and joining the Dragon Fang Troop to hunt dragons.

He relied on the physiognomy and discernment skills inherited from Qiu Jun, as well as the memories and experiences of the bookworms.

He had found Cheng Wanli, who had despaired after the departure of the Qi Refining cultivators in their group, and rebuilt the Dragon Fang Troop.

The reason for establishing the Dragon Fang Troop was simple: Luo Zhou was still just a youth.

How to find flood dragons, how to transport them after killing them, how to sell them, how to protect the wealth gained from selling them, and how to keep the secret of their kills...

He couldn't manage all this alone. He needed the help of others!

The other four were not at the Qi Refining stage and couldn't kill flood dragons. They had to rely on Luo Zhou for dragon slaying.

The flood dragon was now stealthily approaching within a mile.

During this time, Luo Zhou and the eleven Dead Spirits finished their communication.

Luo Zhou knew everything about the man-eating crocodile dragon: its size, how much Qi it controlled, how many teeth it had, and its habits.

He smiled and took out an Eyebrow-Level Staff, dispelled its camouflage, and directly produced the Dragon-Slaying Thrust, standing there and waiting silently.

A moment later, the crocodile dragon reached within ten zhang of Luo Zhou, but it stopped moving!

A fierce beast, yet incredibly cunning, it was observing Luo Zhou.

Luo Zhou smiled and waited silently, feigning the appearance of a treasure hunter, pretending to search for spiritual materials.

The crocodile dragon observed him for a full quarter of an hour before it relaxed. This person was edible!

It swam over stealthily, even though it was just a human cub, it attacked silently like a lion pouncing on a rabbit.

Luo Zhou waited silently. His Dragon-Slaying Thrust could only be effective when the opponent entered within one zhang.

This was essentially a game of chicken!

Ten feet away, the crocodile dragon was there in an instant!

The enemy approached, and in that split second, a fatal blow, life or death!

There would be no second chance, no possibility of escape. Even if Vortex Guard was activated, such a life-or-death struggle would render such defenses meaningless.

Suddenly, the youth smiled!

The crocodile dragon entered within one zhang, but it didn't choose to pounce immediately!

In that instant, life and death were decided!

Luo Zhou raised the Dragon-Slaying Thrust, making a throwing motion.

Four Bulls' Strength erupted, he threw it, and Keen Dharma Eye locked onto the opponent's right eye!

The Dragon-Slaying Thrust flew out. At a distance of one zhang, it seemed to not exist, impossible to dodge, impossible to block.

In an instant, the Dragon-Slaying Thrust shot into the crocodile dragon's right eye.

The Water Flow Shield appeared, shattered, pierced the eye, entered the brain, and pulverized it...

Luo Zhou turned, using the ability Flying Pounce, he leaped three zhang away, dodging the crocodile dragon's death throes.

He watched the crocodile dragon's final thrashing movements. Its brain had been completely pulverized, but unlike a human body, its head did not shatter.

Luo Zhou waited silently. After a quarter of an hour, the crocodile dragon finally stopped twitching and died!

Luo Zhou didn't rush forward. He tossed his waist knife over to confirm the crocodile dragon was truly dead.

Only then did he walk over, pick up the Bincheng iron spear, and repeatedly stab its eyes, its mouth, its nose, its ears...

Destroying the traces of the Dragon-Slaying Thrust!

Bleeding from seven orifices, brain pulverized – this was death by his curse!

When the Dragon Fang Troop was formed, Luo Zhou claimed to be a curse master, and each time he "cursed" a crocodile dragon to death, it would bleed from seven orifices.

Curse masters had existed since ancient times, and everyone was used to it.

Even if someone noticed something amiss, they would play dumb. Because they couldn't advance to the Qi Refining stage and couldn't kill crocodile dragons, they had to rely on Luo Zhou.

After finishing, Luo Zhou took out a bone whistle and blew it. The whistle's sound carried out, and a whistle responded from the other side.

The other four members of the Dragon Fang Troop were ecstatic. They had successfully killed another crocodile dragon and were about to get rich!