White Dragon River Demonic Beast

Under the dim night sky.

A group of martial artists galloped at breakneck speed down the narrow path on their tall horses.

Wang Yue held a torch in his hand and silently followed the figure ahead.

Before long.

The sound of waves crashing against the shore came from ahead.

Luo Chen dismounted and gazed at the White Dragon River below, his eyes narrowing slightly.

After walking several thousand meters along the bank, they came upon a small Fishing Village.

But more than half of the village had already collapsed, most of its houses seeming to have been overturned by massive waves.

The village was deserted, bleak and ruined.

Luo Chen reached down and removed the hollow orb at his waist, releasing Little Butterfly from within.

Little Butterfly's body was already nearly impossible to catch with the naked eye. Concealed by the night, it was as though it had turned invisible, leaving no trace.

Through his connection with the gu insect, Luo Chen could clearly sense Little Butterfly's location.

Little Butterfly first circled twice above the Fishing Village.

Then it flew east.

"Let's go!"

After pausing briefly, Luo Chen resolutely mounted his horse and rode on.

Behind him, the Demon Suppression Envoys said nothing as they followed in unison.

Half an hour later.

The group stopped before another Fishing Village.

The Fishing Village ahead had not been attacked by Demonic Beasts.

But because nearby villages had been massacred, panic had spread through the people's hearts, and many young people had already fled far away.

Only the old, weak, women, children, and solitary elderly remained in the village.

Now that evening was drawing near, everyone in the village had shut their doors and stayed inside.

From afar, it looked like an abandoned village.

Luo Chen stood quietly atop a small hill and watched for a moment before extending a finger.

Little Butterfly fluttered down and landed on his fingertip.

Only with the aid of the firelight did the Demon Suppression Envoys behind him make out the butterfly on Luo Chen's finger.

"Boss, this is...?"

Surprise filled Wang Yue's eyes.

Luo Chen placed Little Butterfly back into the hollow orb at his waist and spoke casually.

"A gu insect I raised. It can track Demonic Beasts."

"There's a Demonic Beast's aura near this village, which proves it has appeared nearby before."

Hearing Luo Chen's explanation.

The other Demon Suppression Envoys finally understood, looking at the orb at Luo Chen's waist with interest.

But none of them dared ask too many questions.

Wang Yue's gaze fell upon the Fishing Village below.

"Boss, should we go in and take a look today?"

Luo Chen gently shook his head and looked at the five people behind him.

"The Demonic Beast isn't here. It's already dark, so don't disturb the villagers. We'll enter the village tomorrow during the day."

"Send two men down the hill to watch the horses. Everyone can take turns resting."

With that, Luo Chen found a bluestone and sat down.

Two Demon Suppression Envoys stepped out from behind him and went to guard the horses at the foot of the hill.

Luo Chen took out some dried rations from his Spatial Ring.

His gaze rested on the Fishing Village below.

No one knew what he was contemplating.

Morning.

A clear rooster crow rang out from the Fishing Village at the foot of the hill.

Luo Chen opened his eyes. With a tremor of the energy within him, every bead of moisture and dew over his body evaporated.

All the Demon Suppression Envoys were awakened by the crow as well.

Luo Chen rose to his feet, nodded to Wang Yue, and headed toward the Fishing Village.

As the group arrived at the village entrance.

The villagers who had risen early spotted them.

How could the people of a tiny Fishing Village have ever seen Demon Suppressing Guards with such extraordinary bearing? Their eyes were filled with fear and apprehension.

This group was far too imposing, much more imposing than those officials who came to the village to collect taxes.

A warm, approachable smile appeared on Luo Chen's face as he asked an elderly villager leaning on a cane.

"Sir, are you the village chief?"

The old man gathered his courage and looked at the Youth leading the group. Lowering his head, he was about to kneel and kowtow.

Fortunately, Luo Chen reacted quickly and supported him.

"The village chief fled yesterday with his Family. This old man truly can't walk any farther, so I stayed behind."

Luo Chen frowned and asked.

"Have you seen that Demonic Beast?"

His gaze fell beyond the old man, where numb, despairing villagers slowly emerged from their homes.

These villagers were all old, weak, women, or children, with no one to rely on in the village.

Their eyes held despair and a will to die.

It was as though they had deliberately stayed behind to feed the Demonic Beast.

But Luo Chen knew that Demonic Beasts generally disdained the flesh and blood of ordinary people. The ones that usually attacked civilians were Lesser Demons.

The enormous vitality and essence contained within martial artists were the true targets of those Greater Demons.

Could it be deliberately slaughtering villages to lure the Demon Suppression Bureau here?

Luo Chen secretly guessed.

At his words, the old man waved his hand. "We never saw that Demonic Beast. We only saw from afar a Water Dragon rise into the air from the river's surface, then swallow the surrounding villages in the blink of an eye."

After saying this, the old man's body would not stop trembling.

"Water Dragon?"

Luo Chen looked toward the White Dragon River Tributary outside the village, gravity flashing through his eyes.

There were countless Greater Demons in the White Dragon River. Could one of the Demonic Beasts there have slipped into this tributary?

That would be troublesome.

Luo Chen felt a trace of pressure.

After asking for a few more details.

He exchanged glances with Wang Yue and the others, who had been investigating around the village.

A smile appeared on Luo Chen's face as he reassured the old man beside him.

"Sir, please tell the villagers not to go into the water to fish for the time being. Once we deal with the Demonic Beast, we'll notify you."

Upon hearing this, the old man became exceedingly excited.

"You've come to deal with the Demonic Beast? This old man thanks you all, my lords."

"You needn't be so polite, sir."

Luo Chen helped the old man up once more.

"Boss, that Demonic Beast should be underwater!"

The group arrived at the riverbank not far from the village.

Wang Yue pointed at the swift current before explaining.

"I've been to this tributary before. The current was absolutely never this rapid."

He stared at the river's surface, his tone grave.

Luo Chen fell silent at this.

"Wait. The Demonic Beast will reveal a flaw eventually."

Luo Chen released Little Butterfly and had it patrol the surrounding area as a lookout.

Underwater.

Within a concealed cavern.

A faint yet intensely spiritual aura flickered, brightening and dimming without end.

Sensing martial artists entering its territory.

The being within the cave stretched out to investigate for a moment, then withdrew again.

"Far too weak. The only major city nearby is Qingyuan City. What a pity, what a pity."

An aged murmur echoed beneath the water.

In the blink of an eye, all returned to deathly silence, with no trace of living aura to be sensed.

Afternoon.

Luo Chen had the other Demon Suppression Envoys inspect the villages along the route.

He himself sat cross-legged by the riverbank, waiting quietly.

"If what the villagers said is true, then this Demonic Beast is definitely not weak. It shouldn't be interested in the flesh and blood of ordinary civilians."

"Is it fighting another creature, or is it trying to draw the Demon Suppression Bureau here?"

Luo Chen thought of Zhuge Yucheng again.

It was unusual enough that he had suddenly been assigned this mission.

But without any evidence, he could only obey the arrangements.

Luo Chen was no longer in a hurry. He only needed to guard the nearby villages.

So long as this Demonic Beast had some scheme in mind, it would surely show itself. All he had to do was wait.

At last, Luo Chen's gaze fell upon his lifespan in his sea of consciousness.

[Lifespan: 17/2178.]

"The Vajra Body needs to be improved too. It'll greatly strengthen my combat power. Then I'll try deducing a three-hundred-and-sixty-acupoint cultivation technique."

Luo Chen muttered to himself. His figure flashed as he moved away from the riverbank and headed toward the hill.

He was not arrogant enough to break through beside the riverbank, the most dangerous place.