The Kui Dragon was not of true draconic stock, but a divine beast whose body merely resembled a dragon—bearing dragon-like legs and the countenance of a human.
Yet according to the youth surnamed Fang, this Kui Dragon possessed only a trace of the divine beast's bloodline, and its form bore some resemblance to a flood dragon. A single leg sprouted from its belly, and it danced amidst the thunder, seeming to limp and stride through the lightning.
Whenever a thunderstorm arose, this Kui Dragon would emerge from its lair to devour the power of the lightning.
The crystal steles of the Heavenly Cold Fierce Wind Array had been refined by drawing upon the icy chill of a cold pool. With the array's manifold transformations, it produced an intensely frigid yin qi that happened to perfectly counter the Kui Dragon's divine abilities.
"This Kui Dragon is quite bold to hide so close to Tianxing Island. I haven't heard anyone mention a great demon haunting the vicinity before."
Qiu Ji had wide connections and many friends.
A glint flickered across the eyes of the youth surnamed Fang, and he said, "That is hard to say. The surrounding sea is extraordinarily barren, so immortal cultivators rarely come here, meaning no one has likely ever seen it. Moreover, that vile beast is exceedingly cunning. Each time it appears, it stays for only a very brief moment, leaving its lair only when the power of thunder is at its absolute peak, and returning immediately after devouring the lightning. It is only natural that no one discovered it. Precisely because of this, the window to hunt and kill the beast will be extremely short..."
As they conversed, the dark clouds in the sky grew heavier and heavier.
It was as though a hole had been torn open in the heavens, and torrential rain poured down in sheets.
Gale-force winds, pouring rain, and rumbling thunder filled the air.
In the distance, bolt after bolt of lightning struck down, illuminating the boundless sea in the rainy night.
Circulating their true essence to form protective barriers, they stood atop the mountain peak, gazing in the direction of the Kui Dragon's lair.
At first, that area seemed no different from anywhere else.
Upon closer observation, however, one could notice that the lightning striking down in that direction was denser than in any other, and its fury seemed noticeably greater.
The Kui Dragon's lair was still several hundred li away, so what they saw was rather indistinct.
With a sharp wave of his hand, the youth surnamed Fang led the way, and the others silently followed him, flying toward the lair.
To avoid alerting the Kui Dragon, once they took off from the island, everyone reined in their auras and concealed their figures, skimming just above the surface of the sea as they glided soundlessly through the tempest.
As they drew near the demon's lair, the anomaly became even clearer.
A silhouette emerged on the distant waters—it was an island. Though still far off, under the illumination of repeated lightning strikes, the island's highest peak was already faintly visible.
Whether due to the terrain or some other cause, the lightning in this area seemed guided by an inexplicable force, with the vast majority crashing down toward the island's center.
As they drew near the demon's lair, the youth surnamed Fang raised a hand to halt them. His eagle-like eyes gleamed sharply as he stared ahead, sending a voice transmission: "The lightning has not reached its peak intensity yet, so the vile beast likely hasn't appeared. Wait here and prepare the spirit array while I scout out its movements. Wait for my signal..."
"Hold on, Fellow Daoist Fang. We are about to slay the Kui Dragon. Shouldn't you fulfill a portion of the treasures you promised us first?"
Ma Debao called out to stop the youth surnamed Fang, a shrewd look plastered across his face.
The others chimed in with their agreement.
The youth surnamed Fang turned his head, glanced around at them, and said with a smile, "Would I ever break my word? The treasures have long been prepared."
With that, the youth surnamed Fang produced five jade boxes and flicked them toward the group.
Qin Sang reached out and caught the jade box flying toward him. Sweeping it with his spiritual sense, he immediately detected the abundant spiritual energy inside—it was a water spirit stone, the most common type in the Canglang Sea, representing half of his payment.
He silently stored the jade box into his Qianjun Ring without prying into what the others had received. Some of Ma Debao and the rest were impassive, while others showed sheer delight; evidently, the treasures satisfied them immensely.
"I shall go on ahead..."
Leaving behind those words, the youth surnamed Fang's figure melted into the wind and rain.
Watching the youth surnamed Fang depart, Qin Sang and the others immediately took out their crystal steles and poured true essence into them.
Concealed by the tempest and crashing waves, the crystal steles glowed with a faint blue radiance. In their hands, the steles gradually expanded until they were a full three feet tall. They were extraordinarily heavy, requiring considerable effort just to hold upright.
With Chu Heng acting as the formation core, the five of them took their positions. Directing the crystal steles with their spiritual sense, the embryonic form of a spirit array slowly materialized. Between them, a cloud of misty blue qi condensed, gradually turning a pale, ashen white.
While they were preparing the spirit array, the youth surnamed Fang was already approaching the island.
He drew a piece of red gauze from his robes. The threads woven into it were as translucent as jade, and the treasure was as thin as a cicada's wing, only the size of a palm, with noticeable tears along its edges.
This was the Red Primordial Gauze bestowed by their master, used to conceal their identities.
The youth surnamed Fang tapped his finger upon the Red Primordial Gauze, and a crimson light swirled within it. The gauze expanded with the wind, transforming into a sheer garment.
At the same time, several more cracks appeared across the treasure.
A look of heartache flickered in the youth's eyes, and he muttered to himself, "Every time I fully unleash this treasure's power, it suffers irreversible damage. I'm afraid it can only be used twice more at most. Without it, I cannot roam freely through the human domain, so this operation must succeed."
Draping the sheer garment over himself, his aura fluctuations vanished completely. He then glided onto the island and stood atop a peak, gazing at where the lightning struck. The tempest raged with shocking fury, yet there was no sign of any demon beast.
*The Kui Dragon hasn't come out yet?*
The youth surnamed Fang frowned inwardly.
Just then, he seemed to sense something. He snapped his head up to stare at the dark clouds, and in the next instant, his figure flickered as he quietly slipped away. Before long, the dark clouds roiled in the sky, and a long, slender shadow could be seen chasing the thunder amidst the clouds, flying straight toward the island.
"It's finally here!"
Floating on the sea, the youth surnamed Fang watched the shadow in the sky, a trace of delight flickering in the depths of his eyes. Then, circling around the Kui Dragon, he flew behind it, scanning all directions as if searching for something.
"Only the Kui Dragon; those people didn't come out..."
He seemed to have anticipated this, but out of caution, he still made a wide detour.
By this point, the Kui Dragon had already flown over the island. Despite its massive body, it was extraordinarily agile, descending from the sky as though riding the lightning and landing where the strikes were densest.
The youth surnamed Fang glanced back toward the island and suddenly shot toward it. At the same time, he flicked his fingers, shooting two rays of black light into the sea. One sped toward Qin Sang and the others, while the other flew toward an unknown destination.
*Roar!*
As the youth surnamed Fang closed in, the Kui Dragon finally caught wind of an unusual aura and let out an angry, warning roar.
In the rainy night, the Kui Dragon planted its single foot atop the mountain peak and reared upright. Its two massive eyes were as dazzling as lightning, seeming to contain surging thunderbolts, shining with an intimidating, ferocious glare.
The youth surnamed Fang showed no fear. Shedding the Red Primordial Gauze, a flash of golden light landed in his palm—it was a magic treasure shaped like a golden rope.
"Die, vile beast!"
The youth surnamed Fang bellowed, darting forward at blinding speed. With a fierce wave of his arm, the golden cord flared with dazzling brilliance, transforming into a giant serpent that lashed violently toward the Kui Dragon.
The Kui Dragon flew into a rage.
With a deafening boom, the boulder atop the peak shattered beneath its foot, and the ground trembled violently.
Chapter 861