Corpse Flood Dragon

In front of the rocky platform was a dark body of water. The water was not wide, but it stretched far to both sides. The water was black and the bottom could not be seen.

Large splashes and bubbles surged on the water's surface. A huge, dark blue figure emerged halfway out of the water, its body as thick as a water vat, covered entirely in wet, dark scales, with water constantly dripping from the gaps in the scales.

The creature had a flat head, a wide mouth with two rows of sharp teeth protruding from it, and its eyes glowed with a murky, dark red light.

Shen Fei recognized it at a glance: the Corpse Flood Dragon. The part above the water was already two or three zhang tall, and the length of its body underwater was unknown.

A person was standing on the head of the Corpse Flood Dragon.

The man was dressed in a dark blue close-fitting outfit, with a slender figure and extremely fast movements. He grabbed a protruding bone ridge on the top of the Corpse Flood Dragon's head with one hand, and held a Short Sword in the other, thrusting it repeatedly towards the center of the Corpse Flood Dragon's head.

The Corpse Flood Dragon's scales were so thick they gleamed. Each time the Short Sword stabbed, it could only penetrate half an inch before being deflected, bringing out a small piece of broken scale and a drop of dark blood.

The man had clearly stabbed it many times; a shallow pit had been chiseled into the scales on the Corpse Flood Dragon's head, and at the bottom of the pit, a small, dark red object could be seen embedded between the bone armor, gleaming with alternating light and darkness.

The reason the Corpse Flood Dragon burst out of the water was because it had been disturbed.

"Cang Ming." Xiao Yu's voice came from behind, her tone flat, as if she were announcing a name.

Shen Fei glanced back at him. Xiao Yu stood at the edge of the rock platform, her gaze fixed on the person atop the Corpse Flood Dragon's head. The smile on her face faded slightly, but she didn't show much other expression.

The man was violently shaken by the Corpse Flood Dragon. The bone ridges beneath his feet were wet and slippery, so he had to lower his body and change the angle of his Short Sword to continue chiseling.

The Corpse Flood Dragon's roar grew increasingly violent. It twisted its body violently, causing a burst of water. The man was nearly thrown off, his toes sliding half a foot off the bone before he regained his footing.

Instead of retreating, he took advantage of the moment when the Corpse Flood Dragon turned its head and plunged the entire Short Sword into the shallow pit.

The Corpse Flood Dragon let out a sharp hiss, its head suddenly thrusting upwards. The man was thrown upwards by the force, almost dropping his Short Sword.

The Corpse Flood Dragon opened its mouth. A murky, dark blue light shone from deep within its oral cavity, and Spiritual Power rapidly compressed in its throat, causing the surrounding air to churn and swirl to the sides.

Even standing on the rocky platform, Shen Fei could feel the pent-up force of the attack. If that spit landed squarely, the person on top of the Corpse Flood Dragon's head would be severely injured, if not killed.

Xiao Yu was moved.

He did not draw his weapon, nor did he unleash any overwhelming pressure.

He took a step forward, stepping down from the rock platform. His foot landed on the water, but the water didn't sink, and there wasn't even a ripple. He raised his right hand, palm facing outward, and gently pressed it towards the Corpse Flood Dragon.

A dark cyan light spewed from the Corpse Flood Dragon's mouth, carrying a strong stench and corrosive Spiritual Power, heading straight for the person above.

But as soon as the light left the Corpse Flood Dragon's mouth, it collided with something invisible in mid-air.

There was no sound, no explosion. The dark blue beam of light seemed to have crashed into a very thick gel, its speed suddenly slowing down. Then, it began to peel away layer by layer from the edges, scattering into tiny dark specks of light that fell onto the water's surface and went out without even splashing.

The Corpse Flood Dragon's pupils contracted. Its muddled intelligence was clearly insufficient to comprehend what was happening before its eyes, but it instinctively felt fear. Its massive body shrank back into the water, and the roar in its throat turned into a low whimper.

The person on top of the Corpse Flood Dragon's head also saw this scene. He suddenly turned his head, his gaze passing over the Corpse Flood Dragon's head and landing on Xiao Yu.

His face was young, with high cheekbones, prominent brow bones, and small but bright eyes, which were now filled with wariness and calculation.

He glanced at Xiao Yu, then looked down at the dark red thing peeking out from the shallow pit above the Corpse Flood Dragon's head. His fingers tightened around the Short Sword, then slowly loosened.

Xiao Yu looked at the Corpse Flood Dragon, her tone carrying a hint of pity. "This Corpse Flood Dragon is living perfectly well in the water, but just because of that thing on its head, it's coveted by so many people."

"The saying 'possessing a treasure is a crime' perfectly describes this situation." He paused, his gaze falling on the Corpse Flood Dragon's murky, dark red eyes. "It shouldn't have been hunted like this."

Shen Fei stood on the rocky platform and heard clearly. Xiao Yu's words weren't harsh, but the meaning was clear. He wasn't stopping the Corpse Flood Dragon for Cang Ming; he was pitying the Corpse Flood Dragon.

The object on the Corpse Flood Dragon's head attracted the hunters. The Corpse Flood Dragon retaliated, and Cang Ming was almost hit by its attack. Xiao Yu intervened and extinguished the attack, preventing the Corpse Flood Dragon from harming anyone further and stopping the situation from becoming chaotic.

Cang Ming made a very decisive decision.

He stabbed the Short Sword into his waistband, then kicked off the bone ridge of the Corpse Flood Dragon with his toes, using the force to propel himself forward. He flipped in the air and landed on the rock wall to the side of the water.

He bent his knees as he landed, then straightened up almost without pausing, and swept away into the distance without looking back. In a few leaps, his figure shrank into a blurry dot between the rock walls, and soon disappeared completely.

He left too quickly, without even a polite word. Shen Fei watched the direction he disappeared in, and knew perfectly well why that person had left in such a hurry.

Xiao Yu's press just now was so light and casual that he barely released any Spiritual Power fluctuations, yet the Corpse Flood Dragon's full-force attack was silently neutralized.

That level of difference in strength is obvious to anyone who isn't blind. No matter how good the item on the Corpse Flood Dragon's head is, you still need to be alive to get it.

It's true that Cang Ming is a top-tier genius, but he knows in his heart that Xiao Yu gives him a terrifying feeling, and he is simply not someone he can contend with now.

Shen Fei stepped down from the rock platform and stood next to Nie Li. He glanced in the direction where Cang Ming had disappeared and asked, "Who was that person just now?"

Nie Li withdrew his gaze, his tone flat. "Cang Ming, from the Soul Jade Family, is on par with Mu Ye from the Spiritual Cultivation Family. He's considered one of the top geniuses among the younger generation in the Nether Domain. I haven't interacted with him, but I've heard his name."

Shen Fei nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

He had never heard of Cang Ming or Mu Ye; both names were new to him.

But he had dealt with the Spiritual Cultivation Family before. Mu Lin was from the Spiritual Cultivation Family of them, Legendary Rank 2-Star cultivator who was hiding among a group of Black Gold Rank cultivators, pretending to be one, setting up a scheme to sell people, and was eventually caught and dealt with by him and Xiao Ning'er in the cave.

Mu Lin was already in such a state, so Mu Ye, as a prominent figure among the younger generation of the Spiritual Cultivation Family, is probably even more difficult to deal with. Cang Ming Mu Ye, spent half a day carving bone armor on the head of the Corpse Flood Dragon, and left without even looking back—this person is decisive and knows when to take and when to let go.

Shen Fei memorized the two names and didn't think about them anymore. The present matter was more important than pondering the geniuses in the distance.