Chapter 861: Hunting Dragons

The Kuilong is not a true dragon species; it is merely a mythical beast with a dragon-like physique, possessing legs like a dragon but with a human face.

However, according to the young man surnamed Fang, this Kuilong only possessed a partial divine beast bloodline. Its form bore some resemblance to a flood dragon, with a single leg growing from its abdomen. It danced with thunder and lightning, appearing to stride powerfully through the bolts of electricity.

Whenever a thunderstorm occurred, this Kuilong would emerge from its nest to devour the power of thunder and lightning.

The crystal stele for the Sky-Chilling Wind Array was refined from the qi of a cold pond. The formation underwent intricate changes, evolving into extremely cold Yin energy that perfectly countered the Kuilong's divine abilities.

“This Kuilong hides so close to Tianxing Island; it’s quite bold. I don’t recall anyone ever mentioning a great demon appearing nearby.”

Qiu Ji had a wide circle of acquaintances and many friends.

The young man surnamed Fang’s eyes glinted as he said, “That’s hard to say. The nearby sea is unusually barren, so perhaps cultivators rarely visit, meaning no one has seen it. Furthermore, that beast is very cunning; its appearances are always very brief. It only leaves its nest when the power of thunder is at its strongest, and it immediately returns after devouring the lightning. It’s normal that no one has discovered it. Precisely for this reason, the time window to hunt this beast is very short…”

As the group conversed, the dark clouds in the sky grew heavier.

It was as if a hole had opened in the sky, and torrential rain poured down.

Fierce winds raged, rain poured, and thunder rumbled.

In the distance, lightning bolts struck one after another, illuminating the vast sea in the rainy night.

They activated their True Essence to form protective shields, standing on the mountaintop and gazing in the direction of the Kuilong’s nest.

At first, that location seemed no different from anywhere else.

But after observing carefully for a while, they noticed that the lightning bolts striking from that direction were more frequent and the display seemed grander than from other directions.

The Kuilong’s nest was still hundreds of miles away, so the sight they witnessed was not clear.

The young man surnamed Fang waved his hand decisively, and the group silently followed him, flying towards the nest.

To avoid detection by the Kuilong, they suppressed their auras and concealed their forms after leaving the island, moving almost silently through the torrential rain, skimming just above the sea surface.

Upon reaching the vicinity of the demon’s nest, the strange phenomenon became clearer.

A shadowy outline of an island emerged on the distant sea surface. Although still far, the island's highest peak was vaguely visible, illuminated by successive flashes of lightning.

Whether due to the terrain or some other reason, the lightning in this area seemed to be guided by an unknown force, with most bolts striking the island’s center.

As they were about to reach the demon’s nest, the young man surnamed Fang raised a hand to stop them. His hawk-like eyes, sharp as lightning, fixed on the front as he transmitted his voice: “Now is not yet when the lightning is densest; the beast should not have appeared yet. You all prepare the spirit array here. I’ll go ahead to scout the beast’s whereabouts; wait for my signal…”

“Fellow Daoist Fang, wait a moment. We’re about to slay the Kuilong; can some of the treasures you promised earlier be delivered now?”

Ma Debao called out to the young man surnamed Fang, his face showing a shrewd expression.

The others also chimed in, agreeing.

The young man surnamed Fang turned his head, looked around, and said with a smile, “How could I, Fang, go back on my word? The treasures are already prepared.”

After speaking, the young man surnamed Fang took out five jade boxes and tossed them towards the group.

Qin Sang reached out and caught the jade box flying towards him. With a sweep of his spiritual sense, he sensed the abundant spiritual energy inside: a common Water-element spirit stone from the Canglang Sea. This was half of his reward.

He silently put the jade box into his Qianjun Ring and didn't bother to investigate what treasures the others received. Some, like Ma Debao, showed no expression, while others had expressions of joy, indicating that the treasures had greatly satisfied them.

“I’ll go ahead…”

The young man surnamed Fang made this remark, and his figure merged into the wind and rain.

Watching the young man surnamed Fang’s retreating figure, Qin Sang and the others immediately took out their crystal steles and poured True Essence into them.

Concealed by the raging storm and sea waves, the crystal steles glowed with a faint blue light, slowly growing in their hands. They eventually reached three feet tall and became extremely heavy, forcing the group to hold them up with considerable effort.

With Chu Heng as the array core, the five individuals took their positions, their spiritual senses activating the crystal steles. A rudimentary spirit array slowly took shape, and in their midst, a mass of blue ethereal mist was born, gradually turning pale white.

While they were preparing the spirit array, the young man surnamed Fang was already nearing the island.

He took a piece of red gauze from his pocket. The threads of the red gauze shimmered like jade; the treasure was as thin as a cicada’s wing, only palm-sized, with clear signs of tearing at its edges.

This was the Red Essence Gauze, bestowed by their master to conceal their identity.

The young man surnamed Fang pointed a finger at the Red Essence Gauze, and a red light flickered within the treasure. The gauze expanded with the wind, transforming into a thin robe.

At the same time, several more cracks appeared on the treasure.

A look of regret flashed in the young man surnamed Fang’s eyes as he muttered to himself, “Every time I fully unleash this treasure’s power, it causes irreversible damage. I’m afraid it can only be used two more times at most. Without this treasure, I cannot move freely in human territory, so this time, I must succeed.”

He draped the gauze robe over himself, and his aura fluctuations completely vanished. He then darted onto the island, standing on a mountaintop, gazing at where the lightning struck. The display there was astonishing, but there were no signs of a demon beast.

“The Kuilong hasn’t come out yet?”

The young man surnamed Fang frowned secretly.

At that moment, he seemed to sense something. He suddenly looked up and stared at the dark clouds, then his figure flickered, and he quietly departed. Not long after, the dark clouds in the sky surged, and a slender shadow was seen chasing the thunder and lightning within the clouds, flying directly towards the island.

“Finally!”

The young man surnamed Fang floated on the sea surface, watching the shadow in the sky; a hint of joy flashed in his eyes. He then circled around the Kuilong, flying behind it, his gaze searching everywhere, seemingly looking for something.

“Only the Kuilong. Those people haven’t come out…”

He seemed to have anticipated this, but out of caution, he still took a long detour.

At this moment, the Kuilong had already flown above the island. Its enormous body was surprisingly agile, as if descending from the sky on thunder, landing at the location of the densest lightning.

The young man surnamed Fang turned his head to glance at the island, then suddenly leaped towards it. At the same time, he flicked his finger, and two black lights shot into the seabed. One flew towards Qin Sang and the others, while the other flew towards an unknown location.

“Roar!”

As the young man surnamed Fang approached, the Kuilong finally sensed his unusual aura and let out an angry roar of warning.

In the rainy night, the Kuilong stood upright on its single leg atop the mountain peak. Its two enormous eyes were as dazzling as lightning, with thunder seeming to surge within them, and its fierce gaze was captivating.

The young man surnamed Fang showed no fear. He removed the Red Essence Gauze, and a golden light fell into his palm: it was a golden rope-shaped magic treasure.

“Beast, prepare to die!”

The young man surnamed Fang let out a loud roar, swiftly flew closer, and with a fierce swing of his arm, the golden lock’s light burst forth, transforming into a giant python that lashed violently towards the Kuilong.

The Kuilong was enraged.

With a deafening boom, the huge boulders on the mountaintop were shattered, and the ground trembled violently.