Chapter 80 Yuwang Stele
The deafening roar of the explosion echoed across the island in the middle of the river, and thick smoke billowed into the sky. The powerful fire and thunder talisman shattered all the demon stones on site into dust.
"This is?"
Zhao Shan and his group, who had just landed on the island in the middle of the river, noticed the explosion that had just occurred.
"This commotion was probably caused by Shen Lian. I really don't know what terrifying existence is on this island in the middle of the river," Sun Yan said in a low voice.
Zhao Shan gazed intently ahead and said, "No matter what terrifying beings exist on Jiangxin Island, we must eliminate them."
Chen Yun, Li Hu, and the others, upon hearing the commotion, realized it was highly likely that Shen Lian had made it, and their faces showed concern.
Zhao Shan led a group of demon-suppressing envoys out at breakneck speed, rushing towards the site of the recent explosion to find out what had happened there.
The explosion's flames illuminated the fog, and the shockwave crushed the surrounding bushes.
Shen Lian sprinted at full speed after detonating the fire and thunder talisman, but the shockwave behind him still sent him flying, crashing into several tree branches before rolling to the ground.
puff!
Shen Lian coughed up blood, feeling that at least two of his ribs were broken. His left arm burned with pain, likely from being cut by shrapnel from the explosion. But he couldn't bother checking his injuries; the chilling aura emanating from the ancient well was too much for him to bear.
[Combat Strength]: 108~125
Shen Lian stared intently ahead, activating the [Combat Power Detection], and the opponent's combat power data was clearly displayed before his eyes.
The bluestone at the wellhead was blasted away, and thick smoke billowed from the well. Deep within the smoke, a pair of eerie green vertical pupils slowly opened.
Then a low growl, neither human nor inhuman, came from the bottom of the well.
The next moment, the creature rushed out of the well. Shen Lian's pupils shrank. The creature's upper body barely retained a human shape, covered with bluish-black scales, and its arms were unusually thick. The most terrifying thing was its lower body, which was covered with a dark green snake tail.
"Is this a monster that's half-human and half-snake?" Shen Lian was horrified.
He had read all the files of the Demon Suppression Division, but he had never seen a mutant of this form in any of them. Although the Shi Yong and others who had mutated before had mutated, they at least maintained a complete human form. But the monster in front of him was a half-human, half-snake monster.
The half-human, half-snake monster's combat power reached an astonishing 108-125, indicating that it possessed at least the strength of the seventh level of the Heavenly Realm. With his current combat power, he was far from being its match.
Shen Lian's gaze fell on a gruesome wound on the other person's left cheek, and he frowned.
Could this half-human, half-snake monster be that itinerant doctor?
Thinking of this, Shen Lian couldn't help but feel a chill of fear. If the half-human, half-snake monster in front of him really was that itinerant doctor, then it would be too terrifying.
"Are you that itinerant doctor?" Shen Lian asked tentatively.
The monster's crimson tongue protruded from its mouth, and it sneered, "Wandering physician? That's nothing but my disguise. I am Mo Lin, the Holy Envoy of the 'Witchcraft Cult'!"
It really is the 'Witchcraft Cult'!
Shen Lian felt a chill run down his spine, but his face remained impassive: "What exactly is your purpose in releasing the demon stones into Qinghe County to create mutants?"
The black-scaled snake's tail swayed, plowing deep furrows into the ground: "Telling you won't hurt. The sect leader needs ninety-nine 'Water Demon Guards' as sacrifices to activate the 'Tide Summoning Array,' flooding the three prefectures of Qingzhou. At that time, the rivers will change course, the earth's veins will be revealed, and the sect leader will be able to take the 'Yu King's Cauldron' suppressed at the bottom of the Qinglong River!"
Yuwang Ding?
Shen Lian had never heard of this object before, but the fact that the "Witchcraft Cult" went to such lengths to obtain it meant that it was no ordinary thing.
"Are you all insane? The floods will inundate three counties, and millions of people will perish!" Shen Lian roared.
Mo Lin sneered, "What do I care about the life and death of ants? Once the sect leader obtains the Yu King's Cauldron, he can refine the 'Myriad Gu Sacred Body,' unify the Southern Frontier, and then contend for the Central Plains!"
Upon hearing Mo Lin's reply, Shen Lian frowned.
The Witchcraft Cult's actions this time were actually aimed at seizing the Yu King's Cauldron, which was being suppressed within the Azure Dragon General's territory, so that the Witchcraft Cult's leader could refine the "Myriad Gu Sacred Body," unify the southern border, and contend for the Central Plains.
It must be said that the "Witchcraft Cult" has extremely high ambitions.
They were even more ruthless, planning to flood three counties, causing millions of people to perish and resulting in a horrific massacre.
However, the "Witchcraft Cult" did not care about this matter. All they wanted was the "Yu King's Cauldron." The life and death of the people in the three counties were of no concern to them.
Mo Lin stared coldly at Shen Lian: "Boy, I originally wanted to keep you as a 'Water Demon Guardian,' but you've learned things you shouldn't have. Now, I can only turn you into my nourishment."
Having said that, Mo Lin vanished from his spot in an instant.
Shen Lian knew that Mo Lin wanted to get rid of him, so he dared not be careless and quickly activated the "Tiger Subduing Stance" footwork to retreat.
boom!
The spot where Shen Lian had been standing was smashed into a huge crater by the snake's tail. Shards of rock shot out like arrows. One of the shards grazed his cheek, sending a burning pain through him, and blood trickled down his face.
"Not bad, but unfortunately... you won't last three moves." Mo Lin licked his lips and looked at Shen Lian with a mocking expression.
Shen Lian left without lingering. With his strength, he was no match for Mo Lin. A head-on confrontation would only lead to his death.
"If you want to kill me, then come and try."
Shen Lian shouted angrily as he fled.
"You arrogant brat, since you're determined to die, then I'll grant your wish," Mo Lin sneered.
Immediately, Mo Lin moved swiftly, rushing straight towards Shen Lian.
Shen Lian used the "Tiger-Taming Stance" footwork to traverse the dense forest at an extremely fast speed, with the sound of trees breaking behind him echoing incessantly.
Wherever the black-scaled snake's tail went, trees as thick as a bowl snapped in two.
Shen Lian dared not pause for a moment, his figure flashing through the dense forest, with the black scales following him like shadows, showing no intention of letting him go.
"Kid, you think you can escape?"
Mo Lin's voice rang in Shen Lian's ears, carrying a chilling killing intent.
Shen Lian remained silent, fully activating the "Tiger-Taming Stance" footwork. His feet stomped repeatedly, his body leaping and twisting among the trees like a tiger leaping across a ravine. He knew very well that once Mo Lin caught up, given the vast difference in their strength, he would surely die.
"Turn left!"
Shen Lian turned sharply, stepped onto a protruding rock, and used the momentum to leap three zhang away. He rolled to dissipate the force upon landing and immediately bounced up to continue running wildly.
Mo Lin followed closely behind, his snake tail sweeping across and crushing all the bushes and shrubs blocking his path. He wasn't giving it his all at the moment, enjoying the thrill of chasing his prey.
Shen Lian ran wildly. He looked ahead and saw many vines hanging down from the ancient trees. He suddenly accelerated, grabbed a vine, swung up, and landed steadily on the boulder.
Mo Lin snorted coldly, slammed its snake tail on the ground, and charged forward, breaking several vines as it chased after Shen Lian.
"Now!"
Seeing Mo Lin chasing after him, Shen Lian took out a Fire Thunder Talisman, threw it forcefully, and then ran forward without looking back.
The fire and thunder talisman fell, and the explosion burst forth from the vines, the powerful shockwave crushing the vegetation within a radius of ten feet.
Burning vines flew everywhere.
Mo Lin was hit by the shockwave, and his scales were stained with a few sparks, but he was unharmed. He looked up and saw that Shen Lian was already fifty feet away.
"Boy, you've successfully angered me."
Mo Lin's eyes turned cold, and he suddenly increased his speed by several degrees, chasing after Shen Lian.
As Shen Lian heard the increasingly close sound of something cutting through the air behind him, his brows furrowed even more. Mo Lin had withstood the attack of the Fire Thunder Talisman, but was not seriously injured.
This is not good news for him.
Soon, Shen Lianchong reached the edge of the riverbank.
The turbid river water crashed against the rocks, splashing waves everywhere. The river was hundreds of feet wide, and the opposite bank was shrouded in mist.
The black scales are closing in!
Without hesitation, Shen Lian leaped into the river, the icy water instantly enveloping his entire body. He circulated his qi and blood to resist the cold, while simultaneously activating the breath-holding and breathing techniques from the "Tiger-Taming Stance," allowing him to swim like a fish towards the opposite bank.
"Foolish. You're even less likely to escape in the water." Mo Lin stopped on the shore, watching the ripples spreading across the river and sneered. He leaped into the water, moving three times faster in the water than on land.
The river water was extremely turbid, with visibility less than ten feet.
Shen Lian dived with all his might, swimming towards the depths of the river. He knew that Mo Lin had an absolute advantage in the water, and only by diving to the bottom of the river could he use the complex terrain to deal with him. He gritted his teeth and frantically dived downwards.
A shipwreck has appeared ahead.
It was a cargo ship over ten zhang long, its hull capsized below, its mast broken in the middle, and its hull badly damaged, undoubtedly having sunk a long time ago.
Shen Lian swam faster toward the sunken ship and crawled inside through a broken cabin window.
The cabin was dimly lit, and debris floated inside.
Shen Lian held his breath and hid behind a pile of rotten wood, gripping his long sword tightly in his hand, watching the outside of the cabin warily. He was completely focused and dared not be careless in the slightest.
Mo Lin intends to create ninety-nine "Water Demon Guards" to activate a grand formation and seize the "Yu King's Cauldron" suppressed beneath the Qinglong River.
Using the "Yu Wang Ding" to help the leader of the "Witchcraft Cult" cultivate the "Ten Thousand Gu Sacred Body" is itself a shocking conspiracy. If the other side succeeds, the consequences will be unimaginable.
There was a turbulent undercurrent outside the cabin.
Shen Lian gripped his long sword tightly, peering out through the hole in the cabin. A dark blue figure swam in the water, its snake tail creating an undercurrent as it swayed.
It is indeed Mo Lin!
"Little mouse, where are you hiding?" Mo Lin's icy voice rang out.
Shen Lian held his breath and activated the breath-holding technique of the "Tiger Subduing Stance," conserving his qi and blood to the extreme.
He scanned the cabin and began to observe.
This is an old warship from thirty years ago. The bulkheads are covered with long-rotted weapons, and broken wooden boxes are piled in the corners. All of these things have been eroded by seawater.
The black scales' snake tail swept across the hull, causing the entire sunken ship to shake violently.
"Found you!"
Mo Lin sensed a surge of energy and knew it was Shen Lian. He swung his snake tail violently and crashed down onto the dilapidated sunken ship.
Shen Lian felt a chill run down his spine and quickly moved forward, knowing that he couldn't withstand Mo Lin's attacks head-on.
The black scales' snake tail slammed into the dilapidated sunken ship, causing the ship to tremble violently and the river water to surge uncontrollably.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shen Lian rushed out through the gap on the other side of the cabin, and like a fish, he slid out along the rocks at the bottom of the river, and then swam towards the deeper waters downstream.
Mo Lin sensed the unusual movement in the water and chased after Shen Lian.
The two chased each other at the bottom of the river, startling a large number of fish along the way.
A group of caves appeared ahead, with very narrow entrances that could only allow one person to pass through at a time. Shen Lian did not hesitate to crawl into one of them.
As Mo Lin passed through the cave entrance, his snake tail got stuck in a crevice in the rock. He roared and his powerful force shattered the rock at the cave entrance.
Shen Lian took the opportunity to sneak into the depths of the cave.
The cave was pitch black; the only sound was the water flowing over the rock walls.
"This cave..."
Shen Lian looked around the cave. It resembled a passageway. After walking along the passageway for a while, the space suddenly opened up in front of him.
A naturally formed underwater cave appeared before Shen Lian's eyes. There was an air layer at the top of the cave, and the water surface was about three feet below the top of the cave.
Shen Lian surfaced, panting heavily. His wound, soaked in the river water, had turned white and swollen. He took out some hemostatic powder, gritted his teeth, and sprinkled it on the wound on his left arm. He then tore off a strip of cloth from his clothes and bandaged it simply.
The cave is about ten zhang wide, and the walls are covered with moss.
Shen Lian found half a stone tablet in the corner. The inscription was covered with moss. He used a knife to scrape away the moss, revealing the incomplete characters carved on it.
"The Yu King Stele... to suppress floods... in the third year of the Daqian era..."
Shen Lian's heart skipped a beat. Mo Lin mentioned that the 'Yu Wang Ding' was suppressed at the bottom of the Qinglong River. Could this stele be related to the 'Yu Wang Ding'?
He continued to examine the inscription on the lower half of the stele: "Three hundred feet below the island in the middle of the river, the Yu King's Cauldron locks the water's eye; only those with the Yu King's decree may approach..."
The sound of rocks cracking came from outside the cave!
The black scales burst through the cave entrance and rushed in at an extremely fast speed.
boom!
Mo Lin barged in, his right cheek transformed into a snake's face. He flicked his tongue and sneered, "You brat at the fifth level of Body Tempering, it's quite an achievement to escape here. Then let this place become your burial ground."
Facing Mo Lin, Shen Lian took three steps forward, his posture resembling a tiger pouncing on its prey, just like the Tiger-Taming Stance, a fierce tiger descending the mountain.
The black-scaled snake's tail swept across, carrying immense force as it swept in.
Shen Lian abruptly changed direction, leaping onto the rock wall to the left, using the momentum to bounce back, and drew his long sword: "Wave-Slicing Strike!"
He unleashed three consecutive slashes, hacking down at Mo Lin.
clang!
Mo Lin raised his hand and struck, knocking Shen Lian's longsword away.
Shen Lian changed his move accordingly, unleashing the "Mountain Splitting Strike" towards Mo Lin's head, the force of the blade as heavy as a mountain pressing down.
The black-scaled snake's tail coiled around Shen Lian's longsword.
Shen Lian decisively abandoned his sword and retreated, avoiding a entanglement with Mo Lin. He took out his last remaining Fire Thunder Talisman and threw it at Mo Lin.
boom!
The fire and thunder talisman struck the black scale's body, and the powerful force swept outwards, instantly sending fragments of stone flying everywhere.
Shen Lian caught the shockwave and rolled backward, taking dozens of steps before regaining his balance.
Mo Lin's half-human, half-snake body appeared and disappeared, and he coldly looked at Shen Lian: "With methods like yours, what waves can you possibly make?"
Shen Lian clenched his fists, his blood and qi surging within him.
After a fierce battle, his energy and blood were severely depleted, and he could not gain any advantage in his fight against Mo Lin.
"The 'Witchcraft Cult' is plotting to flood three prefectures. Aren't you afraid that the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division will investigate this matter?" Shen Lian said in a deep voice.
Mo Lin grinned maliciously: "What is the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division? Who can stop what my 'Witchcraft Cult' wants to do? Whether it's the Qinghe County Demon Suppression Division or the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division, we will wipe them out together when my 'Witchcraft Cult's' plan is completed. Before that, I will kill you to prevent future troubles."