Chapter 39: Raiding Three Hundred Miles!

Seeing the giant flood dragon driving the river waters straight toward him,

Li Chang'an advanced instead of retreating, his long blade flashing like lightning as he struck out with a ferocious slash!

"Owghoo!"

The dragon let out a shrill, agonizing shriek!

The speed of Li Chang'an's blade was a blur to the eye, leaving a gaping, meter-long wound across the creature's underbelly in a single instant!

Scalding dragon blood dyed the yellowing floodwaters crimson.

Agonized and furious, the dragon’s eyes flared with malice as it surged violently into the air, spewing a massive column of water seven or eight meters thick straight at Li Chang'an!

The torrent roared with immense force, threatening to engulf and crush him into powder at any second.

Yet Li Chang'an did not dodge in the slightest, hoisting his long blade high as his silhouette became a radiant gleam, akin to the spark that shattered the primordial chaos!

"Break!"

Li Chang'an bellowed, steering the blade with his body to cleave the water column right down the center.

Before the dragon could react, he had already passed through the split torrent, striking the top of the beast's head with even greater velocity.

"Splat, boom!"

The great river shuddered and the floodwaters surged into the sky; this strike of Li Chang'an's was a triumph of sheer, miraculous brute force, severing nearly half of the dragon's head!

Suffering such a grievous blow, the dragon writhed in agony, crashing heavily onto the turbid surface of the water and sending up a massive spray of blood.

Wiping the dripping blood from his blade, Li Chang'an looked down at the dragon, which had only most of its head remaining yet still stared back with eyes full of venomous hatred, and said coldly, "A life for a life, a debt for money. You foul beast have committed atrocities, inflicting floods upon hundreds of thousands of people... Today, I slay you to appease the souls of those who died in vain!"

With that, he gave the dragon no chance to struggle further.

Like a bolt of lightning, he plunged directly into the river!

Seeing Li Chang'an so fierce as to dare enter the water to fight it, the dragon endured its searing pain and fled hundreds of meters through the muddy currents.

It was utterly terrified!

In nearly a thousand years of life, it had never encountered a human so terrifyingly formidable!

But since Li Chang'an harbored a murderous intent, how could he let it escape so easily? With a few swift shifts of movement, he caught up.

Seeing the long blade striking down once more, the dragon finally fell into complete panic.

A burst of golden light suddenly erupted across its body, forcefully blocking Li Chang'an's attack, and the dragon spoke in a voice like thunder, using human speech: "I am a river god enfeoffed by the imperial court, imbued with the fortune of the mortal realm! You cannot kill me!"

Hearing this, Li Chang'an was nearly moved to amused exasperation.

Yet the golden light on the dragon's skin seemed substantial; no matter how Li Chang'an slashed, he could only shatter a fraction of it, unable to wound the dragon's flesh through the barrier.

The dragon twisted its body, its pupils reflecting acute pain.

Casting a final glance at Li Chang'an, it prepared to dive deeper into the river to flee for its life, only to see strands of golden light beginning to rise from Li Chang'an's own body!

The dragon's pupils dilated in shock as it instinctively glanced around, looking toward the shores.

Unbeknownst to it, nearly ten thousand commoners had gathered along the banks of the Sanhuang River, drenched to the bone beneath the pouring rain like drowned rats, yet their expressions flared with excitement upon seeing Li Chang'an actually hunt the long-tyrannical dragon into a desperate flight.

The thousands of citizens fell to their knees one after another, kowtowing frantically toward Li Chang'an.

Some prayed as they prostrated, "The Taiping Immortal Master's merit is boundless! We pray that you slay this evil dragon today and deliver us from this misery!"

They had tolerated the dragon's wickedness in the past only because they were powerless against it, not because their hearts lacked resentment and rage.

Now, seeing someone dare to stand up for the people, enforce justice on behalf of heaven, and possess the true capability to do so, the populace was instantly galvanized.

They pinned all their hopes onto Li Chang'an!

Other citizens kowtowed like pounding grain, weeping bitterly, "If this beast is not eliminated, we shall never know peace! Have mercy, Taiping Immortal Master!"

'Taiping Immortal Master' was the title the citizens had recently bestowed upon Li Chang'an.

Over the past year, after the rebel army captured Sanhuang County, they did not engage in wanton looting as past groups had, but instead distributed relief grain to the local disaster victims.

During the busy farming season, Li Chang'an would even occasionally dispatch men to help them plow the fields.

Through these actions, the Taiping Rebel Army won universal praise among the populace of Sanhuang County, and Li Chang'an's reputation naturally evolved into that of the suffering-relieving 'Taiping Immortal Master.'

Strands of golden light peeled away from the bodies of the populace, surging into Li Chang'an's form.

Feeling the power of the masses gathering upon his skin, Li Chang'an's heart skipped a beat.

Good heavens, he had always believed the dynasty's fortune to be an ethereal, illusory concept, never imagining it possessed such tangible utility!

Seeing Li Chang'an also shrouded in golden light, the previously arrogant dragon behaved like a startled beast, discarding all dignity to dive into the water and flee.

Li Chang'an let out a cold snort, clenching his hand tightly as he clawed at the empty air, projecting a surge of inner energy that forcefully hauled the giant dragon upward!

This was the technique of energy manipulation he had learned through his transcendent comprehension months ago when pursued