Chapter 139: Luring the Dragon

In Qinghe County city, in front of a tea stall, Gao Siyuan paused his steps, ordered a pot of coarse tea, and sipped it absent-mindedly.

At this moment, he was dressed in hemp robes, with his graying hair hanging loose casually. Coupled with his slack skin and sunken eyes, anyone would take him for a decrepit old man nearing the end of his life; it was nearly impossible to connect him with the identity of the head of the Gao family.

"Has a true dragon really appeared in the Qingyuan River?"

With an expressionless face while capturing all surrounding information with his ears, ripples stirred within Gao Siyuan’s heart.

In fact, this was not the first time he had heard similar conversations. At first, he had not believed it, but as more and more people spoke of it and the details became increasingly concrete, different thoughts began to take root in his heart.

"It is hard to say whether the previous abnormalities of the太平宗 (Peace Sect) were meant to hunt down this flood dragon."

Connecting this to the recent actions of the Peace Sect, Gao Siyuan fell into deep contemplation.

Having come from the city of Qingyuan Prefecture, he had actually arrived in Qinghe County a few days ago, but instead of making a direct move against the Peace Sect, he had roamed around the surrounding area.

If the Corpse Daoist was truly a pawn of the Lu family, he feared that the Peace Sect might harbor other arrangements left behind by them. Most importantly, the news had arrived rather suspiciously, so he had chosen a safer route. However, it was precisely at this time that he unexpectedly learned information suggesting the presence of a flood dragon within Qinghe County.

In truth, regarding this matter, the Peace Sect had initially chosen to seal off the information. Yet, over the subsequent period, that eerie ghostly dragon shadow had repeatedly manifested its traces in the Qingyuan River, causing multiple river vessels to sink and attracting the attention of quite a few people, making it completely impossible to suppress.

"If it truly is a flood dragon, then..."

Thinking of the existence of a flood dragon, a surge of burning fervor ignited within Gao Siyuan's heart.

Flood dragons were ferocious. Under normal circumstances, cultivators would definitely give them a wide berth because their strength was insufficient, and approaching one was essentially serving oneself as a snack to the beast. However, for the Gao family, a flood dragon held a special significance.

"Zixuan possesses a unique bloodline, carrying a trace of dragon blood. If he can take the blood of this flood dragon and fuse it into himself, then his future hopes of forging the Dao Foundation will truly be quite substantial..."

At the height of his excitement, his mind churning, Gao Siyuan suddenly broke into a fit of violent coughing.

"Based on the circumstances collected so far, it is quite possible that a dragon has indeed appeared in Qinghe County. Although the probability of it being a true flood dragon is not high, it is definitely a flood serpent with a relatively rich bloodline."

"As for its strength, it should still be at the Qi Refining tier and not overly strong; otherwise, Qinghe County would likely have already ceased to exist. Furthermore, a Great Demon at the Dao Foundation tier, unless deliberately concealing its presence, would emit a soaring monstrous aura that I couldn't possibly fail to sense at all."

Barely managing to steady his emotions, Gao Siyuan stopped coughing.

"My time is running out. Before that happens, I must pave the way for Zixuan as much as possible. As long as I can truly capture this flood serpent, sacrificing my own life is well worth it."

"Moreover, this matter cannot be delayed. Once the news of the flood serpent's appearance spreads, the other two major families or even the Prefecture Lord's Estate might set their sights on it. The flesh, blood, tendons, and bones of a flood serpent are all exceptional treasures."

Spreading open his palm and looking at the dazzling red trace in the center, a resolute look appeared on Gao Siyuan’s aged face.

"Flood serpent, flood serpent..."

Having made up his mind, he left behind a few copper coins and walked away from Qinghe County city without looking back.

Gao Zixuan was nominally his nephew, but in reality, he was his own son. It was only because Gao Zixuan's mother possessed a rather special identity that he had deliberately concealed the boy's true lineage.

Now, under the erosion of the Green Snake Fiend, his body was riddled with holes. Before he completely collapsed, he wanted to lay a better foundation for Gao Zixuan. As for Jiang Chen and the Corpse Daoist, they had already been cast to the back of his mind at this moment.

Opportunities must be seized, for they never repeat. If he could truly succeed this time, he might actually be able to cultivate a Dao Foundation expert for the Gao family. The unforgettable humiliation he was no longer capable of wiping away himself could be washed clean by a Dao Foundation-forged Gao Zixuan.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Jiang Chen was also continuously searching for the flood dragon.

During this period of continuous drizzling rain, that flood dragon had been exceptionally active, frequently revealing its traces. Through several probes, he had basically confirmed the identity and strength of this flood dragon.

"A Illusory Mist Spirit Snake, or rather, a Mist Wyong, likes to roam during rainy weather, and its strength is roughly at the Great Accomplishment to Perfection stage of Qi Refining, having yet to forge the Dao Foundation."

"Additionally, its intelligence seems a bit flawed. Not to mention compared to Prideful Rat, it is even somewhat inferior to Taoyao. Its actions nearly follow pure instinct, and the reason it repeatedly reveals its traces and capsizes river boats is most likely just because it finds it fun."

Riding the wind, Jiang Chen moved forward all the way.

The appearance of the Mist Wyong followed a certain pattern: first, rainy weather, and second, within a specific river section. Although this range was still somewhat broad, after carefully studying the various conditions under which the Mist Wyong appeared, Jiang Chen had roughly locked onto the location of its hiding place.

"Will it appear today?"

Upon arriving at the destination and casting a glance at the sky, Jiang Chen calmed his mind and silently watched the changes on the river surface.

Time passed, and the sky grew increasingly dark. Just when Jiang Chen thought that this trip would yield nothing once more, a flying hawk soared from afar, bringing him a message.

"Is it downstream this time?"

Seeing the content of the letter clearly, without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Chen once again soared on the wind.

When he arrived at the destination, thick mists had already blanketed the river surface, shrouding that particular section of the river.

Seeing this sight, Jiang Chen halted his steps and did not rashly charge in. The mist itself was a manifestation of spell techniques. Although released unconsciously by the Mist Wyong, once someone barged into it, it would remain extremely difficult for an outsider to walk back out, requiring them to wait for the mist to dissipate on its own before safely escaping.

Most importantly, rather than simply slaying the flood dragon, what Jiang Chen truly wanted to do was to angle for it—to lock onto its tracks and discover its lair.

Yet just as Jiang Chen lingered outside the perimeter of the mist, an angry dragon roar echoed from the depths of the fog, accompanied by powerful fluctuations of spell techniques, causing the rolling mists to churn violently for a time.

Noticing this change, Jiang Chen's expression shifted slightly.

"Someone has made a move against the Mist Wyong and provoked it? Who could it be? There shouldn't be such a figure in Qinghe County."

Guessing something, Jiang Chen's brows furrowed.

Meanwhile, deep within the fog, three clusters of green phosphorus toxic fire drifted around him as he gripped a green snake whip. Gao Siyuan's expression was exceptionally solemn, while not far away from him, a colossal creature watched him with icy, cold eyes.

It was about ten zhang in length, pure white all over, with faint wisps of mist flowing between its scales like an incarnation of fog itself. Its eyes were deep blue, with a single horn growing from its head, two long whiskers beneath its jaw, and icy blue manes running from its spine down to its tail. The mane around its neck was particularly dense, resembling a blazing ball of icy blue fire, and its belly bore sharp claws with three toes. Although its head retained the characteristics of a snake, it had already begun to manifest true dragon features—it was unmistakably a flood dragon, specifically the Illusory Mist Spirit Snake, or the Mist Wyong.