The Whole Family Joins In
This is a truly serious matter. Due to years of worship and the secret rituals performed by the Temple Keeper Xu, the deity in the Dragon Lord Temple had developed a connection with the river Flood Dragon. Normally, Temple Keeper Xu could only communicate with the river Flood Dragon through this deity. Now that the deity has been broken, the first thing the Flood Dragon would sense is the broken statue.
This is a blatant slap in the face! Xu, the Temple Keeper Xu, can forget about getting any benefits from the Flood Dragon now. He should think about how to appease the Dragon Lord's anger first. He could do some underhanded things and get some benefits behind the Dragon Lord's back because the Dragon Lord didn't know or care. But now it's different. The statue representing the Dragon Lord's face on earth has been shattered. This time, the Dragon Lord is really going to make a big scene.
"How dare you?" Temple Keeper Xu, was over sixty years old, dressed in a Shinto Robe, with a long white beard. At first glance, he seemed somewhat imposing, but what appeared more of him was his exasperation.
He chanted a hymn-like incantation, and long, serpentine streams of energy surrounded him. A black, viscous, unidentified substance materialized out of thin air and shot directly toward Lu Li, accompanied by a foul stench.
The people who came to worship were already terrified by the previous events and scattered in all directions. When the stench hit them, some of the people who had not yet escaped immediately lost their will and fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth.
As the black, viscous substance flew towards Lu Li, a shadowy tentacle rose from the ground, blocking it. The shadow was struck by the substance, emitting thick white smoke, and the stench in the air grew even stronger.
Silently retracting the shadow, Lu Li sensed it and realized that the small mass had corroded a shadow about the size of a basketball. These shadows would need to remain in the shadows for a long time to recover.
Ignoring everything else, Temple Keeper Xu continued chanting the hymn-like incantation. A large mass of black snake liquid emerged from the snake-shaped energy around him, filling it and transforming it into a long, black snake-like creature.
The thing roared angrily as soon as it appeared, and an aura of majesty different from that of a tiger emanated from it. The Temple Keeper Xu's eyes rolled back, and countless thin, serpentine shadows appeared on them. He spoke in a strange tone, "Damn mortal, you destroyed my idol, what is your crime?"
Before the Flood Dragon emerged from the river, it used the help of the Temple Keeper Xu to create a clone, which then put on airs and questioned Lu Li. Although it was a question, it did not give Lu Li a chance to answer. The jet-black snake-shaped clone rushed towards Lu Li in one fell swoop.
Lu Li moved swiftly, holding an umbrella in one hand and a black spear in the other. With a thrust and a flick, he knocked the flying Flood Dragon clone aside. The Flood Dragon clone crashed into a pillar, corroding most of it, and then turned to pounce on Lu Li again.
Lu Li glanced at the spear in his hand; the tip had been completely corroded. He simply channeled his Shadow Magic into it, condensing another spearhead, and fired it directly. It pierced the flying Flood Dragon clone, pinning it to a pillar, whereupon countless Thorn erupted.
The Thorn were corroded in the next moment, releasing thick white smoke. The Flood Dragon clone flew out from the Thorn and white smoke, its body shrank considerably. If it could still be considered a snake, it could now only be described as a loach.
Lu Li glanced at the Flood Dragon clone and smiled. While it was bound by Thorn, he had already reached Temple Keeper Xu's side. Temple Keeper Xu said in a strange, malicious tone, "Ignorant mortal, are you prepared to bear my Wrath?"
Without wasting words, Lu Li's hand, shrouded in Shadow Magic, struck Temple Keeper Xu's neck directly. A surge of fear rushed through Lu Li's hand, and Temple Keeper Xu's eyes closed as he instantly fainted. The dark Flood Dragon clone also let out an angry roar and vanished into countless wisps of white smoke.
Seeing the room filled with white smoke, Lu Li frowned. He had been keeping his pores closed and holding his breath, so this white smoke was clearly problematic. Within Lu Li's body, Shadow Magic had formed a fixed structure, inputting an emotion that he couldn't feel in his mind.
A pair of jet-black bat wings, like shadows, appeared behind Lu Li. Then, the wings flapped, and a gale swept through, expelling all the white smoke from the Dragon Lord Temple. The smoke was blown far away and disappeared into the air. At that moment, Lu Li firmly believed that the wind he was fanning had the ability to dispel the white smoke.
So, wisps of white smoke rose from the bodies of the people lying on the ground foaming at the mouth. Once the white smoke cleared, Lu Li retracted the bat wings on his back. The Shadow Magic surging within him disrupted the structure and returned to the ever-beating magical heart.
The people, whose bodies were freed of white smoke, soon woke up. When they saw Lu Li standing in front of the broken statue, carrying the Temple Keeper Xu in one hand, they screamed in terror and ran out of the temple.
Seeing that everyone had left, Lu Li out of the Dragon Lord Temple, tossed the Temple Keeper Xu aside, and several shadow spears appeared in his hand, flying out and striking either the temple pillars or the walls. Then, countless shadow Thorn erupted, tearing apart the places they hit. With a thought from Lu Li, all the shadow Thorn turned into black smoke and dissipated. The structural collapse caused the entire Dragon Lord Temple to collapse, turning into a pile of ruins.
Then Lu Li turned around and saw Zhou Chu walking towards him from a distance, holding a rope. Behind the rope were more than twenty men and women, who were none other than the Temple Keeper Xu family. When Zhou Chu saw the collapsed Dragon Lord Temple and Lu Li lying Temple Keeper Xu not far away, he burst into laughter.
When Temple Keeper Xu woke up, he saw a gloomy sky in the distance, and the fierce river wind was blowing against him. He heard shrill screams for help and cries for mercy. He was very familiar with these sounds, and this familiarity had two meanings.
First, this type of sound frequently appears during his annual sacrifices. It is this kind of scream when the young boys and girls are thrown into the river, and it is this kind of pleas for mercy from their families. He has heard this sound for decades, and it even gives him a sense of pleasure in controlling the lives of others.
Secondly, he often heard this kind of voice. The female voice that was now desperately begging for mercy belonged to his most beloved daughter—in every sense of the word. This voice was now desperately crying and begging for mercy, with tears and snot streaming down her face.
Temple Keeper Xu quickly turned around and saw the so-called tiger-slaying hero carrying his daughter in one hand, swinging her twice, and throwing her directly into the turbulent river in front of him. With two splashes, his daughter surfaced, frantically screaming for help. Beside her, there were two other Temple Keeper Xu couldn't tell if they were his son or grandson, struggling desperately.
"Hey, you're awake. Don't you really like sacrificial victims? Should I give it to you again this time?" Lu Li's smiling voice drifted into the Temple Keeper Xu's voice.
Temple Keeper Xu, felt a chill run through him. He stared blankly as the Dragon-Sow emerged from the river, devouring his sons, daughters, grandsons, and granddaughters. Trembling, he cried out to Zhou Chu, "You demons, stop!"
Zhou Chu's hand trembled, and another person was thrown down. He turned to look at Temple Keeper Xu, then grabbed one of Temple Keeper Xu's sons. Lu Li, standing to the side, said with a smile, "You're too old for such a thing. You shouldn't come personally to perform the sacrifices. We'll do it ourselves. With your whole family here, we guarantee there will be enough offerings. Consider it the local people repaying you."