As the red mist slowly dispersed.
The massive creature, several zhang long, was reduced to nothing but a massive, hideous Dragon head.
Jiang Yuechu exhaled a mouthful of stale air and opened her palm.
A fist-sized pearl lay quietly there.
The pearl was round and flawless, stark white throughout, with what looked like rippling water flowing inside, emitting a faint cold light.
Just now, she had observed carefully: this beast relied on this object to dominate the riverbed and even control the water to repel outsiders.
Clearly, this was a treasure.
Therefore, she specifically extracted this object from the Demon's body before devouring it.
Anyway, if she found it had no other use later, it wouldn't be too late to devour it then.
She should take it back and study it first.
After thinking for a moment, she tucked it into her bosom for safekeeping.
At the same time.
The essence of the entire White Flood Dragon's flesh and blood was finally completely digested within her body.
Boom—!
The Golden Core in her abdomen hummed violently and spun frantically.
Within her Meridians, Qi and blood surged like a mighty river, producing muffled thunderous roars.
Jiang Yuechu felt her entire body lighten, and her already extremely powerful aura surged up once more.
Core Formation, Late Stage.
As expected.
Such a great Demon didn't let her trip be in vain.
However... she suddenly frowned slightly and glanced suspiciously at the Void Realm.
Logically speaking, the opponent had an impressive Bloodline and clearly possessed a Divine Ability, so the hundred demons compendium should have shown some reaction.
"Could it be that because I killed a White Flood Dragon before, and it belongs to the same type of Demon, it can only be recorded once?"
Jiang Yuechu was deep in thought.
It seems that collecting entries for this illustrated manual requires attention to species diversity.
Forget it, one shouldn't be too greedy.
Just the thousand-plus years of Dao Cultivation, plus a Dragon Pearl, and the Breakthrough in her cultivation, were enough to make her rich.
She stopped agonizing over it and reached out to lift the incredibly heavy Dragon head.
She kicked her legs forcefully.
Her entire body shot upward like a black arrow, breaking through layers of water pressure, speeding toward the faint light above... On the shore.
The atmosphere was oppressive.
The originally simple wooden stockade was now a mess.
Holes pierced by water arrows were everywhere, wood chips flew, and mud covered the ground.
Gu Changge slumped in the mud by the riverbank, staring at the strangely calm river surface, his lips trembling.
"How long... has it been?"
His voice was unsteady, as if the river wind had scattered his composure.
Old Zhang stood nearby, holding a saber whose tip rested on the ground; he didn't bother wiping off the mud splatters.
"Brother Gu... it's already... almost half an hour."
Half an hour.
Let alone that girl who is only in the Core Formation Realm, even a Martial Artist in the Ink Dot Realm would be at their limit holding their breath for half an hour deep beneath the Qiang River, unless they possessed special means.
Moreover, she was fighting a great Aquatic Demon that had the advantage of terrain and was unparalleled in ferocity!
When a person is in the water, it's a blessing if they can exert thirty percent of their strength.
But that beast was in its element, and with the advantages and disadvantages tallied, this was a guaranteed death trap.
"..."
Old Zhang looked at Gu Changge's dejected appearance and felt uneasy.
He wanted to offer a few words of comfort, but he didn't know how to speak.
What could he say?
Say that good people are protected by heaven?
Say that the girl might have escaped?
If she had truly escaped, given that beast's temperament, it would have long since chased her out of the water, raising monstrous waves.
Now the river surface was so calm that not even a bubble rose.
Everyone who makes a living in this trade knows what that means.
The victory and defeat have been decided.
Life and death have been determined.
"Brother Gu..." Old Zhang swallowed, his voice trembling slightly, "Should we... should we retreat? Now that the beast knows something happened to Guan Youlong, it definitely won't show itself again anytime soon... Why don't we return to Chang'an first, report to General Bureau, and then decide what to do..."
Gu Changge gave a bitter laugh and slowly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes filled with self-mockery.
"I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have let her go! If I had desperately stopped her back then..."
Even if the girl wanted to go herself.
But if he, as a Senior, had been tougher, more decisive—even if he had forcibly tied her up—it would have been better than this outcome!
Seventeen or eighteen years old... a Core Formation Realm cultivator at seventeen or eighteen.
If only she were given time, in due course, she might have enabled the Great Tang to gain another Burning Lamp.
But now, deep beneath the muddy, filthy Qiang River, she had turned into blood meal in the beast's belly, eventually becoming a pile of rotten bones and mud.
How ridiculous!
How sorrowful!
Just as everyone was mourning.
Boom—!!!
The originally calm river surface suddenly exploded.
A pillar of water shot into the sky, and spray rained down like a torrential downpour, soaking everyone present to the bone.
"This..."
Old Zhang paled in shock, subconsciously gripping the saber in his hand, and rapidly retreated, "The beast came out?!"
Gu Changge also abruptly looked up, staring into the pervasive water mist.
He saw a dark figure break through the heavy curtain of water and crash heavily toward the bank!
The figure was not tall; in fact, it was slender.
But in her hand, she carried something massive and suffocating.
Bang—!!!
The enormous object was slammed heavily into the mud.
Until the water mist gradually dissipated.
Gu Changge, Old Zhang, and the others stood rigidly in place, their faces utterly bewildered.
The slender figure slowly straightened up.
Her dark black robe clung tightly to her body, outlining the girl's graceful figure.
Her black hair was wet and draped over her shoulders, water still dripping from the ends.
She casually wiped the water from her face; the expression on her overly pale face was still cold and indifferent.
And at her feet.
A hideous, battered White Dragon head lay quietly in the mud.
"..."
Old Zhang rubbed his eyes.
It wasn't an illusion.
It really was... that White Flood Dragon that had plagued the Qiang River for a thousand years?!
And... just the head?
Where was the body?
Where was that massive body?!
Jiang Yuechu slowly raised her head and stated the excuse she had prepared long ago.
"Lord Gu."
"This thing was too heavy, so I didn't bring the body up. I left it in the water for the fish."
"..."
No one spoke.
Gu Changge maintained his slumped posture, unconsciously swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
The Dragon head was astonishingly large, the severed neck was a bloody mess, and its single eye, though dimmed, still held the terror of its death.
A Perfected Core Formation Aquatic Demon, in the water, killed by the girl standing before them?
He hadn't wanted Jiang Yuechu to die.
But he absolutely couldn't have imagined that things would progress to this extent.
Jiang Yuechu wrung the water from her sleeve, and seeing the others standing still like wooden posts, she frowned slightly.
"What's wrong? Is this head not enough to report completion?"
Hearing this, Gu Changge snapped back to reality.
Enough?
This was more than enough!
He forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart, supported himself on the ground, and stood up somewhat awkwardly.
Taking a deep breath, he straightened his messy robe, trying to maintain his previous composed demeanor in front of her.
But his trembling voice betrayed his inner turmoil.
"...No... no matter."
---
I had something to do during the day and went to the countryside (I reported it in the group).
I have to wake up early tomorrow morning to go again, I am truly sorry.
There are only three chapters today.
I will make up the ten chapters after tomorrow.
Also, regarding the update time, since the little author writes the chapters on the same day... there is no fixed schedule yet.
After tomorrow, I will pre-write some drafts and set a fixed time.
Do you all think morning or evening is better?
Begging for forgiveness again.