Beneath the Qiantang River.
Unlike the churning waves on the surface, all was dark and still down here.
A Water Mansion built from sunken ships and the corpses of nameless creatures lay quietly on the riverbed.
Inside the Water Mansion.
"Whew..."
Heavy breathing echoed through the empty halls.
A Flood Dragon, a full ten zhang long, lay dormant there.
Its ink-black scales shimmered with a faint, dusky gleam. Its two hideous horns had already sprouted a third, shorter spike.
That meant it was one step closer to Dragon Transformation.
Its enormous, vertical pupils opened slightly, full of impatience.
"Dead?"
At the foot of the steps, a half-man, half-shrimp demon trembled in terror, not daring to raise its head.
"Reporting to the Little Demon King... he's dead... The black-skinned bastards even dragged away his corpse..."
After a long silence, the Black Flood Dragon gave a mocking snort.
"Then dead he is."
"I told you long ago. The black-skinned bastards might fear my status, but they're still members of the Demon Suppression Bureau."
"A bunch of fools, leaning on my deterrence to make such a racket. Did you really think the human race was made of mud?"
The shrimp demon didn't dare answer.
The Black Flood Dragon shifted into a more comfortable position and continued, "Never mind."
"I failed to keep you lot in line. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone a senior officer of the Demon Suppression Bureau."
Though it came from Horse-Drinking River and looked down on humans, it knew the Great Tang had deep reserves.
If it truly pushed them too far, they could turn around and wipe it out. Even if Horse-Drinking River avenged it, what good would that do?
Could they bring it back to life?
After a moment's thought, the Black Flood Dragon