A swirling black shadow erupted from the lake, and at a glance, it looked to be about ten zhang in size—quite the massive creature for an ordinary person.
“Not again, Ming Jiao is at it!”
“May the Shaman Lord show mercy!”
“This is the third time this month that Ming Jiao has attacked the town—what’s it doing back….”
Yet, the townsfolk near the altar did not scatter in panic. Though fear was written on their faces, they knelt beside the altar, their prayers becoming increasingly devout.
The shaman statue glimmered with an otherworldly shine.
Huang Donglai stood next to Ke Mo this time instead of hiding behind the crowd.
Murong Xiao gazed curiously over the lake; he had seen other Ming Jiao before.
Ke Mo squinted at the lake, using his divine eye to observe.
“Achoo!”
A roar that sounded like it could shatter stone rippled through the air—was that the Ming Jiao?
The sky darkened further, suggesting rain was imminent.
Then, a gigantic Ming Jiao emerged from the water, its head bobbing up.
It resembled the Ming Jiao that Ke Mo transformed into, with slight differences, the most notable being that it lacked impressive horns.
【Name: Wu Daming】
【Age: 48】
【Heritage: A mix of Ming Jiao and Earth Dragon.】
【Realm: Peak of the Seven-tier.】
【Destiny: Blue】
【Evaluation: That night, both Ming Jiao and Earth Dragon drank too much.】
【Recent Encounters: Reached an agreement with a town priest to frequently h*rass the village for food and drink.】
“?”
The information displayed by the divine eye was not what Ke Mo had anticipated.
So, he started examining the increasingly devout-looking townsfolk around him.
“Surprised? I’m back again, baby!”
The Ming Jiao, Wu Daming, actually spoke, his voice grating like nails on a chalkboard.
At that moment, the high priest, wearing a bronze mask, leaped onto the water’s surface, galloping toward the Ming Jiao.
Behind him, a faint apparition resembling the shaman’s bronze statue flickered into existence.
They engaged in an epic showdown atop the lake.
It seemed that with some mysterious help from the shaman, the obviously weaker priest was putting up quite the fight against the Ming Jiao.
The size difference between them created a striking visual impact.
The townsfolk’s faith intensified, as if they’d found a lifeline in the midst of an impending drowning.
“This shouldn’t be happening,” Huang Donglai murmured, puzzled. “That Ming Jiao is clearly much stronger.”
“Harassing the village, but it’s my kin… no, I’m a human…”
Murong Xiao clenched his fists, his expression flashing with intense inner conflict.
He realized something was very wrong with his condition.
It was more severe than the last time in Divine Edge Cave, and even silently reciting sutras in his mind didn’t seem to help.
Suddenly, he felt warmth in his arms.
Murong Xiao blinked, and there it was—a string of beads as pure as jade, radiating a buddha-like glow.
【Congratulations, the investment has helped Murong Xiao suppress the power of his bloodline.】
【Investment Feedback: Nine Dragon Strength Pill.】
Now was not the time to count rewards.
Ke Mo smiled at Murong Xiao:
“Brother Murong, it’s time for me to teach your kin a lesson.”
“Under the broad daylight, in the clear skies!”
Murong Xiao, holding the beads, looked even more imposing:
“I’ll help Brother Ke clean up the front door!”
“… You might want to sit this one out.”
Shaking his head.
Ke Mo, amidst the crowd’s gasps, shouted:
“Huang brother!”
“Got it, combination move!”
Huang Donglai initially thought the combo sounded odd.
But recalling the incredible treasures and miraculous medicines Brother Ke had given him, it began to make sense.
So, under countless gazes, the two shot straight into the sky.
Bang!
Huh?
The crowd was suddenly bewildered, even forgetting to worship the shaman.
On the lake, the battleground was steaming, with wind and thunder rumbling.
The one person and one dragon seemed locked in a fierce duel, yet it was more for show than substance.
“Is it about time to wrap this up?”
Wu Daming whipped his tail, splashing water all around the priest.
He thought to himself about how wonderfully powerful he was; with just a slight show of force, he had frightened these mortals to the point of losing control.
The priest would surely treat him to more bull for dinner.
Yes, as long as he pretended to cooperate with the priest and act like he was helpless, he’d get a feast afterward.
These ordinary townsfolk were all skin and bones—if they had any meat at all, it was barely enough to matter.
Their lives were too tough; the taste wouldn’t be great, not compared to a banquet of bulls and sheep!
Suddenly, he noticed something not far away.
“???”
Wu Daming halted mid-thought: “This isn’t how it was described! Did someone sneak in?”
“If there are three people, I better get a raise!”
“Hmm?”
The priest turned around and looked, appearing shocked as if he’d seen a ghost.
Boom!
“Monsters, step aside!”
Li Mo lifted his glimmering hammer, looking like a divine being descending from the heavens.
“Hey, this newcomer is pretty good at acting.”
Wu Daming thought to himself, and going along with the act, charged toward the young man.
As they closed in, something felt off.
The water seemed to solidify like a block of iron, suddenly making it difficult to move; his own actions slowed down as well.
In his sight, the mighty wind howled around the hammer, drawing closer.
Li Mo descended from the air, a move called “Calm the Storm,” and came crashing down.
Bang~~~
The hammer struck Wu Daming square on the head, the force transmitting through his massive body and creating a great splash.
If it weren’t for Wu Daming’s ridiculously strong body or if Li Mo had gone all out, that single blow would have knocked him out cold.
At that moment, to the hundreds of onlookers, Little Li looked like a god!
“That Ming Jiao might just get taken out by this warrior!”
“Which shaman does he follow? He’s stronger than our high priest!”
“Could he be a manifestation of a shaman sent down to help us?”
Then, from the lakeshore came Li Mo’s voice:
“From now on, there will be no more Ming Jiao causing trouble. Everyone, stand up.”
As the words fell, he lifted the Ming Jiao’s body and floated away.
The crowd was momentarily in disarray, wondering why this shaman lord wouldn’t leave his name—how would they pray to him in the future?
…….
“Who are you really?”
“I won’t need a raise, just tell me what you want.”
Wu Daming never expected that after playing this role so many times, this time it’d turn real.
That was seriously against the warrior code!
“Why did you attack the village?”
Murong Xiao asked seriously.
“Because I wanted to eat….”
After saying that, Wu Daming cautiously inquired:
“May I ask what you gentlemen want?”
“Well, it’s not really a big deal.”
Li Mo cleared his throat, deciding to calm the Ming Jiao’s nerves first:
“Could we possibly ask for some beef?”
“?”
The Ming Jiao suddenly went quiet, a question mark popping up above its gigantic head.
You can’t be serious?
There’s no way I can agree to something so ridiculous!
